When Lovecraft Meets Three Kingdoms and Pop Music: Super Robot Wars UX

Man, I remember when Arnie was still unsure of what path to follow in life. Dude has come a long way to become the Hot-Blooded badass he is now. Good job Arnie, you do the Major proud.

Also, the OG Goubine has returned! Raise your helmets in cheer!!!

Does this mean that the Festum came here to laugh at us?

Too bad Shouko, Michio, and Mamoru don’t get Heaven and Earth upgrades/redesigns like the rest of the Fafner cast nor is it possible to field both Goubines at the same time (I mean I know that Elf was cannibalized to finish creating Sein, but surely Zwei could’ve been retrofitted with some spare parts like Ein as I can only recall its armor being used to repair Elf?).

Then again I suppose my expectations were slightly off due to my memory misremembering that Gai Daigoji got a “what-if” design and mecha upgrade for the Prince of Darkness storyline in SRW W due to being a mandatory unit and not a secret.

He did Goubein justice in the end… and also warned the viewers that Fafner Exodus has taken the gloves off, it’s Death At Every Corner time once again.

Seri’s altered mentality isn’t why she has the headbutting thing, that’s just a thing she does. She likes insects and got inspiration from them. It’s not any dumber than the original Drei getting an attack that was literally “PUNCH A FESTUM”.

three times stronger Festum

Oh no, Kuro, that comes a show later, when they start doing things like duplicating mini-nukes.

Mark Zwei never actually appears in UX, because its pilot dies in Episode 1 of the original show before she can ride it. It got completely stripped and gotten rid of to rebuild Elf, which is a plot point because they couldn’t give it to the UN when they came calling (that’s why they were going to give Sechs before it got wrecked.)

The only thing that had Zwei actually doing any sortieing was Right of Left, which isn’t in UX, and even then it didn’t get a chance to go into combat.

only if after you’ve turned and started to walk away they call out with “That’s what you wanted to hear me say, right?” because they know you haven’t grown as a person at all in the past 8 years

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: He wants us to fight against mankind and other Festum groups?!
: And he says that’s the way for humans and Festum to coexist?
: Right. What it boils down to is this: if you take away both sides ability to do war on each other, then there’d be no war at all.
: I presume we’d be in charge of making that happen, then?
: A Deus Ex Machina in every sense of the word.
: What’s that? Some type of new Machina?
: Nah, it’s a plot device that showed up in Greek tragedies. A character that stood for God and would take to the stage whenever the story couldn’t resolve itself.
: When the Deus Ex Machina turned up, it’d bring a conclusion to the drama through some entirely unexpected occurrence.
: Put it simply, then, it wrecked everything ‘til the problem was gone? Sounds good to me!
: Hmph, are you looking to play the part of a devil of destruction? Because you can do that on your own, monkey.
: Whatchu say there?
: But I suppose that’s pretty much what the Celestial Being tried to do way back when.
: A lot of people wound up getting hurt as a result, though…
: …
: What’re we going to do, then? Are we going to do as he asks and turn against the entire world?
: That’d be unlikely. You see, he’s added a condition for us to set this united front with them: that we let them assimilate the island’s Mir.
: Assimilate? How come?
: It was from this island and its Mir that the Festum learned to fear pain and death.
: And they believe they can do away with that pain by assimilating said Mir?
: I doubt it’s possible to outright erase something after it’s come into being, though…
: And what would happen to the island if they did assimilate the Mir?
: Tatsumiya’s Mir is, for all intents and purposes, the island’s biosphere. It controls all of its ecosystems.
: Meaning that, were they to assimilate it, they’d have full control over all life on the island.
: Moreover, the child also said that his kind would not stop attacking Tatsumiya until the Mir has been assimilated.
: So, this is pretty much an ultimatum! So much for that talk of coexistence!
: That kid’s a real piece of work, giving us that crap like it ain’t no problem!
: …
: Kazuki, what do you think of Misao Kurusu?
: I’m not really sure.
: But I feel that… Soushi’s taking some sort of gamble on him.
: Misao did say that Minashiro wanted to tell us something…
: Hmm… Then, Kazuki, I want you to try and talk to that creature.
: Me…?
: We’re not going wage a war that’d do nothing but cost lives. Make use of however much time we’ve left and try to find another way that we could save the island.
: Alright, dad.
: Perhaps it’d be best if we stationed ourselves here for a while, then?
: He is telling us that the enemy’s going to mount another attack.
: If we did that, however, it’d be quite difficult to see to the request the Union has just sent us.
: What, did something happen over there?
: Apparently the Black Lodge has shown itself again… as did Cthulhu.
: That evil deity of theirs…?!
: Right. But from what they’re telling, the thing vanishes as soon as it turns up.
: Still, it’s only a matter of time until it pops out of the woodwork again. We can’t well ignore something like that, right?
: Yeah… We’ll have to split our team in half, then.
: And we should try and keep our forces as even as possible. The Tatsumiya team’ll have the Fafners, JUDA’s Special Forces…
: Plus our MS teams, including the Celestial Being…
: The Mirishan forces should stay as well, I believe.
: Whereas all remaining forces will head towards the Union.
: What’re you and Saya going to do, Arnie?
: We’ll…


And the final route split of the game is upon us, with two missions each.

Head for the Union
Dunbine
Wings of Rean
Tobikage
Demonbane
Dancouga Nova
Fei-Yen
Macross Frontier
Heroman
Mazinkaiser SKL

:siren: Secret Alert! x3 :siren:
Take this route if you’re on track for these secrets: Demonbane (8th step), Heroman (4th step), Macross F (5th step).

Stay and Defend Tatsumiya
Fafner
SEED Destiny
Gundam 00
Linebarrels
SD Gundam

:siren: Secret Alert! x2 :siren:
Take this route if you’re on track for these secrets: SD Gundam (8th step) or Linebarrel (5th step).
The route flag isn’t actually needed for the Linebarrel one, but mission 43 has a step for it.

If you choose the Union route:

: Saya and I’ll head for the Union. The Black Lodge turning up again might be a sign that something’s about to happen…
: And those Deus Machinas are terribly powerful. Better that we have as many forces available as can be.
: An omen, huh…
: And, Daijuuji, make sure you keep yourself under control when we get there.
: I know. I’m done ranting about revenge.
: I’ve this power for one thing only: to keep our world safe.
: Let’s go, darling-robo! We’ll finish off the Black Lodge for good this time-robo!
: Aye, aye!

: …
: ‘Twas ever the same, this battle of mine against evil…
: Over the centuries - over millennia – I made covenants with countless sorcerers. In time, I would turn to sacrifice them, treading over their corpses so that I could survive and continue my quest…
: However… I need not do that anymore…
: Thine battle is not yet over.
: ?!
: ‘Tis thine destiny to do battle…
: You are commanding me to fight once more?!
: You would have me endure this grief, this loneliness, for eternity?! You would have me repeat it all again and again?!
: Is this the punishment that has been imposed upon me?!
: Nay… I cannot! ‘Tis not something I could bear!
: The hearts of your former masters were never with you, even as you found yourselves in the thick of battle.
: And mine was not with them, either. ‘Twas a covenant that bound us – nothing more…
: But he’s different.
: “He”…?
: All those battles you fought were so that you could meet him.
: Who do you speak of? Who is “he”? Answer me!
: …
: His name is…


Ozma unlocks his third tactician bonus here: +1 movement to everyone.

And if you pick the Tatsumiya route:

: We’ll stay here, on the island.
: If what Misao says is true, we should expect the Festum to come attacking with even greater numbers than before.
: And those new Festum are terribly powerful. Better that we have as many forces available as can be.
: Ah, relax! We’re all ready to take them on!
: I don’t believe this… you can talk normally?!
: I always figured I’d be able to talk again, once I started piloting a Fafner.
: But I want to be assigned to the one our parents were piloting when they disappeared… the Zero Fafner.
: Come again? How about you not make everything about what you want, idiot?!
: The “Zero Fafner”? That’s a unit you have?
: …
: It’s the unit that pushed me to retire – a long time ago.
: Sure, but listen: we could take out so many more enemies if you let me pilot the thing!
: Do you enjoy fighting that much?
: …?!
: I must advise against taking your strength for granted.
: Listen to what Quan says. If you let it get to your head, Moritsugu might just take the time to “teach you what true brutality is like”.
: Right, Kouichi?
: Z-Zip it, you.
: …
: What’s up, Seri?
: I just can’t stop thinking of what the Festum were trying to say back there…
: Who cares what they were trying to say? I told you before: they’re attacking us, so the only thing we can do is take them out.
: But Tsubaki would never want that!
: Seri…
: …
: Tsubaki’s gone, Seri…
: H-How can you say that?! Tsubaki’s—

Alarm!

: What’s going on?!
: There’s some kind of phenomenon in the skies above the island! Bringing it up on the monitors!

Beep.

: I-Is that…?!
: The whole sky’s covered in a red aurora…?!
: Is this also the Festum’s doing…?
: Hrk…! Cough, wheeze!
: C-Cmdr. Makabe…?!
: Uur…gh…

Collapse.

: Dad?! What’s wrong?!
: …
: DAD!!


And, on this side, Michio’s last bonus is +30% crit rate, while Graham’s is +1 range to everyone.

Click to see the mission


We’ll be starting with the Tatsumiya Route today, where Liu Bei, Cao Cao and Sun Quan are all deploying as event units. Everyone else is set up as follows:
Shinn/Lunamaria
Shouko/Guan Yu
Kouichi/Michio
Allelujah/Tieria
Sakura/Zhang Fei (taught her Hit & Away)
Kazuki/Athrun
Kira/Graham
Lockon/Sun Shangxiang
Yamashita/Yajima
Setsuna/Yulianne
Moritsugu/soubi
Arnie/Saya
Maya/Akira
Seri/Rina
Canon/Miu
Mamoru/Deceive
Kenji/Domyoji
Tactician: Zhuge Liang

Off we go.

: …
: Everything’s going to be fine, Kazuki. You know how much progress our medicine’s made lately…
: I’m sure Cmdr. Makabe’ll be better in no time…
: I hope you’re right…
: Was that due to the core’s growth phase…? This really is the absolute worst time the enemy could’ve picked to start their campaign against us.
: There’s also the matter of the red aurora above the island…
: We can’t even see the sky anymore because of it…

Door opens.

: That’s the power of our Mir at work. It’s trying to kill the island’s core.
: Misao Kurusu… This truly is the Festum’s doing, then?!
: Have your Mir stop this right now! Neither of us want to fight each other, right?!
: I can’t. I don’t have that capacity.
: You stopped the Festum before!
: They only left to give me time to talk to you.
: To the Mir, I’m the equivalent of a finger. Your fingers don’t order you around, do they?
: Then, where can we find your Mir, Kurusu?
: Are you going to attack it?
: If that’s what needs happen to protect the island… to protect those that I love, then, yeah.
: Did Soushi Minashiro tell you to do that?
: What?
: You hear his voice, don’t you? Soushi’s voice?
: What’s he talking about?
: …
: Kazuki’s mind has been crossed with Soushi’s every day this past three months.
: E-Every day…?!
: Then, you’ve been linked to Soushi ever since that battle…?
: …
: Do you still hear him?
: I can’t hear his voice anymore. The best I can do is keep his existence from fading away.
: What are you… Hm?!

Tzeeeeep.

: Rrk… argh!
: What’s wrong, Kazuki?!
: Are these Quantum Brainwaves…?! No, this sensation is…!

Tzeeeeep.

: Gch… Gaaaaaaaah!
: B-Bro?! What’s gotten into ya?!
: I-I see something… It’s… a nuclear explosion engulfing the North Pole…?!
: A nuclear explosion?!
: …
: And within that hellfire… there is a Festum shielding something?

: I feel a will coming from it – faint, like it could disappear at a moment’s notice… It is…
: Oh? You could also see that?
: Ku-Kurusu… Were those your memories?!
: …
: I’d spent a long time looking for someone other than me who thought the sky was pretty.
: And, then, there he was.
: Wait, don’t tell me that’s…!
: Yes. That’s Soushi. (The crystal that Festum is holding)
: You… You protected him?
: …

: What a pathetic sight, hm…? The commander breaking down before any of his subordinates…
: And you say this is due to long-term damage I suffered during my time with the Federation Army… during the time when I waged war against fellow humans?
: Yes. The Island’s Mir had been preventing an outbreak of the symptoms all along, but now…
: …
: A life that’s sustained by the island itself…
: I’m truly blessed, aren’t I…?
: Cmdr. Makabe…
: Is this another effect of the island’s core entering its growth phase?
: Hm. Its biosphere function manages all life on the island, and it’s growing weaker.
: At the rate it’s going, it won’t be long before other islanders start being affected…
: I’m not about to let either the core or the islanders die. We need to work out a solution, and fast…
: …
: If it’d keep you alive… then maybe we should consider accepting that Festum’s offer…
: …!
: I know I shouldn’t even be entertaining this thought, but…
: Dr. Toumi…
: …
: No, I’m sure there’s still hope.
: Tsubaki said that if our chosen fate can bring about new divergences, then there’s bound to be more than just one way for us to understand one another.
: New divergences…
: We’ll follow the core’s advice, then.
: And have faith in the possibilities that lie ahead…

: Oh? That boy protected Soushi from the Army of Mankind’s nuclear strike, then?
: Going by what Kazuki, Liu Bei and the others are saying, that seems to be the case, yeah.
: …
: Something the matter, Liu Bei?
: Nay… I was merely wondering why I could see Kurusu’s memory as clearly as I did…
: Hmm, Kazuki, Setsuna and others saw it too, no?
: And had you not come into touch with similar phenomena before? Such as the Yùxǐ’s voice and the ELS’s thoughts?
: That is true… However, what I felt today was unlike previous events…
: Perhaps that is due to the Dragon’s Chalcedony?
: Dragon’s cha-what now?
: It’s the gemstone grafted into Lord Liu Bei’s helmet.
: In our land of Mirisha, it is worshipped as a mysterious and magical stone capable of channeling the will of the heavens.
: Ah? But isn’t that…
: Aye. According to our legends, both the Yùxǐ and the Dragon’s Chalcedony are capable of such a feat.
: It has the same property as the Yùxǐ…?
: Not just as the Yùxǐ. If you remember, the Odyssite and Fold Quartz are just as capable of transmitting someone’s will…
: Another common feature among our parallel universes…
: Liu Bei said this was clearer than before, though. Why would the stone’s power grow, right outta the blue, only when Kurusu did his thing?
: Hmm… I do not think it was ‘right outta the blue’ at all.
: What do you mean?
: Odyssite, Fold Quartz, the Yùxǐ, the Wings of Rean, Quantum Brainwaves…
: Lord Liu Bei has touched many-a-different wills through those over our past struggles.
: Thus, would it not be possible that the power of the Dragon’s Chalcedony has been slowly but surely magnified through its exposure to them?
: Hmm, a gemstone that channels, and enables the magnification, of a will… That really is a lot like the Odyssite, isn’t it?
: …
: Liu Bei, do you remember the events of the Battle of Red Cliffs?
: Of course. There was a point where you bested me, and I sank to the bottom of the Yangzi River…
: Aye. However, you returned, clad in the dragon’s radiance.
: Do you not think that radiance to have been Willpower in its essence?
: The dragon’s radiance…
: ‘Tis simple. Your will has already been awakened – it has been so since that fateful battle.
: However, you, alone, have yet to cause your Celestial Armor to manifest itself within this world. Why is that?
: That…
: Look deep within yourself and think well, Liu Bei: what have you been fighting for?

Cao Cao leaves.

: Cao Cao…
: Lord Cao Cao sure has changed a lot, huh?
: Do you think so?
: I know so. When we first met, he had this air around him that just screamed “back off”…
: He’s still got that sharp tongue of his, but if you read between the lines now, you see this esteem for others, this benevolence…
: If my lord has indeed changed, it was the myriad events experienced in this world that changed him.
: We have been through a lot together, huh…?
: The Cao Cao we see now hardly resembles the “unscrupulous hero in chaotic times” described in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
: I dare say that what we see is the model warrior – one that possesses both the iron spirit of a conqueror and the righteous heart of a true hero.
: Indeed, we have much to learn from him!
: Sounds good. But, this time, make sure you stop when oddball masks start making sense, alright?
: …
: …
: Everyone is changing, yet I…
: Bro…

Alarm!

: Hrm…! An attack?!

Door opens.

: Here you are! The Festum are moving in on the island!
: The Festum?! Did that Misao brat call ‘em?!
: He’s still locked up inside ALVIS, so we think it’s one of those other Festum groups he mentioned…
: Understood. Then, we’ll prepare to deploy right away!

Everyone leaves.

: …
: Are you well, Lord Liu Bei?
: Aye. I confess I did not expect to hear Cao Cao say that to me… but I am determined not to lose sight of the cause I have been fighting for.
: I am relieved to hear you say that.
: (You are right, Cao Cao. What lies down the path of my struggles… What I seek is…)


Mission 42 (Tatsumiya Route) – The Dragon’s Radiance

: They’re bombing us again… are they looking to make landfall?!
: This is how our military fights – it’s like we’re being attacked by other people.
: …

Three Eurus Type Festum move up ahead.

: The launch hatch’s been blocked?!
: They’re trying to shut us in!

: Waah?! Are we just sitting ducks here?!
: Please, you must surrender! If you don’t, you’ll all die!
: Hmph…! You underestimate us, Festum!
: Huh…?

:siren: SRW UX - Shadows that Rend Darkness

: Haaaah! SEIRYUUUUZAAN!

: …?!

: MOUKO! JUUREPPAAAA!

: DAI… GOKUENZAN!

: Y-You had those three ready to attack us by themselves…?! This is…!
: This is the art of war!
: You were fools for thinking we would be outflanked, Festum!
: Now is your chance! Set off, men!

: (The Festum may have grown knowledgeable of human tactics, but there are many ways to counter that…)
: Repel the enemy with all haste, troops! We must try and ease the core’s burden as much as can be done!


Destroy everything, don’t lose the Ptolemaios, Liu Bei, Sun Quan or Cao Cao.
You’ve already plenty of experience fighting the Eurus Festum from before, and, better yet, the terrain won’t hamper your land-bound units as the city did. Most of it is land, but some Festum are standing in the watery northern edge of the map, so it might be a good idea to keep some relative distance to draw them in.
Exercise appropriate caution with the Eurus, and you won’t have a hard time.

:siren: SRW UX - Azure

:siren: SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend

And when you kill a Sphinx:

: …!

: …?! They really are saying something…
: Focus on the battle, Mark Zwölf!
: Y-Yes, sir…!
: (I know that I have to protect the island…)
: (But I can’t stop thinking about it. Tsubaki would’ve…)

:siren: SRW UX - Azure

And when you down 10 enemy teams…

: …
: I-I got it…
: I’ve finally figured it out!
: Figured out what?!
: What the Festum are saying…
: They’re saying “It hurts. Help me… It hurts. Help me…!”
: …?!
: We’ll put ‘em down quick and end their suffering, then.
: But that’s… that’s wrong!
: The Festum have hearts, emotions, lives of their own…!
: They’re not different from us humans… And here we are, killing them!
: sniffles … Waaaaaaaaah!
: D-Don’t start crying!
: I see it now… I am a fool. How did I not realize something this simple sooner?!
: The Festum are just as much people of this world as any others!
: “People”…? Those monsters?!
: All life shares a single beginning… That makes them the same…
: Why must we, all living creatures, quarrel and hurt one another?!
: sob… Waaahaaaaa!
: I want… I want to see that clear blue sky again!
: ‘Tis only through the soul that one may gaze upon the heavens!
: …?!

:siren: Dynasty Warriors 6 - Theme of Lu Bu -DW Prime Mix

: Lu Bu and Diaochan…! Why are you two here?!
: The beginning of life is also the beginning of death…
: The beginning of death…?
: It is through death that life shines.
: Thus, the disorder between life and death – between yin and yang – is the path for the soul to commune with the heavens…
: (“Disorder between yin and yang…?!”)
: What is your point, exactly?
: You can preach about the meaning of death all you want, that does not justify your battles one bit!
: Hmph… fool. How unfortunate that none of you realize what your lives are…
: To hell with you Shuras! It is because of this that you…!
: Lord Sun Quan…!
: I know. I will not allow darkness to take hold of me again! Rather, I’ll muster the true courage that lies within me…
: Lu Bu… I shall rend your darkness asunder!
: The eyes of a Shura shall never find the apex of the heavens reflected within them. As you shall now realize!
: Hah… the tiger has bared its fangs, and the fenghuang stretched its wings.
: However, the dragon is yet to take flight…!
: …?!
: Rise, heirs of the souls of the Three Sovereigns!
: Show me the light of life itself!
: (Lu Bu… your goal here is…!)


Lu Bu’s your target now, but he and Diaochan are still pretty far away. Draw them in while building up morale, but, when it’s go-time, make sure your guys are around the north-northwest corner of the map. It’ll speed things up for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Yu92c7z-0A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pws3q-GhyRI
Couple attacks we didn’t get in the previous mission – including Akira playing around with Maya’s sniper rifle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNxlOB90SK8
Plus Kazuki’s second best, non-combined attack.

:siren: SRW UX - Linebarrel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8Q5rjyfvHc
And Canon’s best non-combined attack.

:siren: Dynasty Warriors 6 - Theme of Lu Bu -DW Prime Mix

: If you’re the Shura who leads death, then I’ll lead everyone’s lives to a better tomorrow! I’ll fight to the very end to make that happen!
: You are a man who’s seized his future… And now my Hajingeki shall ascertain whether or not you are worthy face the will of the heavens!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad_gkFC6b28
And here’s Mamoru, Sakura and Kenji’s new combined attack!
Captions are available, because this warms my heart so.

:siren: SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend

: Hmhmhm, open your ears and listen closely to your souls. When you do, you’ll find the meaning behind your lives!

:siren: SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend

: The hellish Shura mean to teach us the meaning of death? That’s got to be a joke!
: We know what we speak of because we are the Shura. Only those who would harken the cry of their souls are shown the true meaning of life!

: Hrgh…!
: You are through, Diaochan!
: Kch… No, I shall not fall here!
: I have yet to hear… the voice of life…!

: …
: (What does she mean…?! Just what do these two seek?!)

:siren: Dynasty Warriors 6 - Theme of Lu Bu -DW Prime Mix

: A dragon that does not take flight makes for a poor quarry! Bring forth your soul and display it to me, Liu Bei!
: The Dragon’s radiance… Willpower… The reason for my battles in this world is…!

When you bring Lu Bu under 50% HP, the plot kicks in…

: Hrrmm…!

Lu Bu backs off some.

: Alright, we’ve got them on the ropes! Easy money, right, Ms. Toumi?
: Take this battle more seriously. They’re far stronger than this.
: Huh?
: Ha-Hahahah…
: Is something the matter? Surely this is not the full extent of your strength.
: I expected more from the dwellers of Penglai…!
: ?!
: What… This land is Penglai?!
: …
: U-Um… What’s a Penglai?
: It’s a land that served as dwelling for Taoist immortals, as told in legends from ancient China.
: But I get the feeling that what he’s referring to is…
: Aye… Mirisha also has a legend about Penglai!
: The G-Records tell of it as a land of eternity… However, if here is Penglai, then…
: That would make this the afterlife!
: Wh-What did you say?!
: This is the afterlife…? That’s the craziest thing I’ve heard all week!

: Aah! M-More Festum!
: No, wait… They’re—!

: The Festum are going after Lu Bu?!
: Are you there…?
: Hah… Do you desire an answer so? I shall grant you one, then!

: G-Get away from him! He… he’s not the one!
: Boufuu… GEKIRETSUZAN!

: Aah… Aaaaaaaah!
: H-How… How is he that strong?!

: Th-They’re… They sending even more troops to attack us?!
: No, that’s not it… They are…!
: (Please, Saya… stop them. These poor things are…)
: I understand, but…!

Another Festum goes after Lu Bu.

: Stop… STOP IT!!
: Seri…!
: That’s not where you’ll find an answer to life!
: The joyful and sad tale of life is—!

Another one!

: Hmhmhmhm… Ahahahahahaha!
: Kch… That is enough, Lu Bu!

: Liu Bei…?!
: What could you possibly gain by doing this?!
: Is this wanton reaping of life what the heavens you speak of stand for?!
: Does it stand for this quest to drown the world in suffering, sorrow and darkness?!
: Hmph… Such drivel you spout!
: But it is also telling! This is why you fail to commune with the heavens!

: G-Gwaaaaaaaaargh!

: L-Lord Liu Bei…!
: N-No…!
: Th-This can’t be happening…!
: B-Bro…!
: BROOOO!!

: …
: U-Uurgh… Where is this…?
: What… What am I doing…?

Flash! And tzeeeeeeeeeeep.

: Liu Bei…
: Th-That voice…!

:siren: SRW UX - The Legend of Mirisha

: What dost thou desire, Liu Bei?
: What I desire…?
: The radiance of thine soul hath not faded. Not while thine heart remains.
: Gaze upon thine heart…!
: My heart… the hearts of all my companions…
: Indeed… As a will lodges itself within a life, its radiance begets new lives to be born in turn…
: Life and death is an ever-repeating cycle. However, within that short interval inbetween… the joy, the sorrow, that comes from being alive… the fate that one has seized in his hand… that is the essence of the heavens themselves!
: What dost thou desire, Liu Bei?!
: …
: What I desire… is a future for all people!
: What I desire… is for all those who are alive to have a smile on their faces! A smile that shines with the joy of life!
: Then manifest thine soul before me…!
: Ye light…! Lóngdì! Behold my soul!
: My soul…!

: My soul is one with justice!

Ko-saku - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend
:siren: :siren:

: L-Light… That light is…!

: Haaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
: Lord Liu Bei…!
: What happened?! He looks like…!
: When the soul of the dragon awakens… that soul shall be as a ray of light, flashing through the heavens!
: Lóngdì, one of the Three Sovereigns responsible for saving Mirisha…
: In the age of legend, the people would exhort the soul of Lóngdì, hailing it as…
: The Soaring Emperor, Carver of the Heavens…!
: Th-The Carver of the Heavens…
: The Soaring Emperor… Liu Bei!
: I always knew you’d come through, bro!
: Hm, hmhm… Hahahahah! You have harkened the voice of your soul at long last, Liu Bei!
: Lu Bu… I stand here with the justice that resides in my soul, and with the hearts of all my companions…!
: And now I strike you down!


As usual, we’ll see this attack in a jiffy.

: Ooooaaaargh!
: Th-That’s… the power of the heavens!
: A light of justice shining upon all life…
: He… he is Gundam!
: Hmhmhm…Haahahahaha! This thrill! This scorching excitement! It ignites…
: MY SOOOOOUUUUUL!

: The time has come to end our battle with the Violent Hurricane, my friends!
: Yeah, we’ll put this to bed here and now!
: Let’s go, everyone!
: In the name of all life… TO ARMS!


Soaring Emperor Liu Bei Gundam (Dragon Frame)
Mech Features:
Sword
20% HP and EN regen

Liu Bei has finally fulfilled his destiny, unlocking the Soaring Emperor skill, which transforms him into this mode either when over 140 morale, or when under 30% HP. When he’s like this, he gains a significant boost: +5 to all stats, +1 movement, gains flight, an added 10% to all his regens and a biiiig increase to his attack power (oh, and his morale gains get even better, too).
Ranges are about the same, and everything except his weakest attack still goes right through barriers; attack costs have increase some, but the added regen offsets that almost entirely. Considering the major increase in firepower and the effect of Soul of the Three Sovereigns still in play (and how he also knows Soul), Soaring Emperor Liu Bei packs some of the strongest offense across all units we’ll ever have. He no longer has his combined attack with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei… but that won’t really be an issue. Depending on what you do, Liu Bei will either be in the top three strongest or be the outright strongest fighter in the game.

:siren: Secret Alert! :siren:
SD Gundam secret – 9th step: take down Lu Bu with Liu Bei.

Also keep this in mind, if you’re on track for it.

: Away, young tigress! Those who cannot wield the power of the soul are not worth my time!
: Hrm…! I won’t be beaten by you… I refuse to! Father, brother… lend me your strength!

: I never wanted us to enter this cycle of hurting and being hurt by others…
: We can’t even see the sky anymore! Why do battles like this have to happen?!
: A blade wielded by a sniveling hand shall not cut me! If you wish to gaze upon the heavens, then set your soul alight!

: It is through death that life shines… Those who do not seek to understand that truth could never tread the path of the soul!
: “Life shines through death”… So, what you’re getting at is that people ain’t really alive unless they’re killing and being killed, ain’t it?! What a load of rubbish!
: This world is not meant to be one of nothing but warriors! On the contrary, all it needs are those willing to live in peace with the land they cultivate!


Zhang Fei taking little damage: “What’s up? Hurry up and show me that soup of yours!”
Zhang Fei attacking: “I’ll pay you back in spades for what you did to my shoulder, Lu Bu!” (Take a look at the right shoulder of his sprite in contrast to his left – it’s been rebuilt.)

: I can sympathize with your quest to grasp the law of the heavens, but why did you have to involve the island as well?!
: As of this moment, this island is the pinnacle of strife between lives…! Thus, it is where I found the battlefield of my soul!
: Did you choose to trail the path of a Shura to sate your own desires, Flying General?
: In which case, I’ll show you that even a Shura can be outdone in combat!


Graham attacking: “I’ll spare you no quarter! I know full well that doing so would only insult you!”

: Ye shaper of destiny! If the wish of your soul is to save your future, then I demand that you showcase it to me!
: Death being what makes life shine… I sure as hell won’t accept something like that as the truth!
: Our world, and its future, shines because of the lives of all those who dwell in it!


Shinn attacking: “I’ll set your soul free!”

: Oh…? You have touched the demon’s life? Then I see you to have the capacity of rousing my soul.
: The “demon’s life”? Are you talking about Mr. Amagatsu?
: Jeez, you and Katou really do deserve each other! Neither of you can say anything without making it extra-cryptic!


Lu Bu attacking Kouichi or Miu: “Justice? Hilarious. This strength of mine is true justice!”

: The soul gives out its true light only when one’s life stands at its limit… that is, when one is pushed to the brink of death amid the raging battlefield!
: And now it is your turn! Let me see how bright your soul shines!
: There is no light in death! And if you’d spread it across our world, then I’ll tear down the corruption in you!

: I won’t sit by and let you drag our island into your self-centered agenda! This is Soushi’s home!
: Hahahah, yes, good…! That powerful will for the dead is what leads one towards both Penglai and the pathway to the heavens!

: Hmph, those eyes of yours… You have fully awakened the soul of the tiger, driving out the darkness within your heart.
: I have not forgotten my father and brother’s deaths at your hands for even one moment!
: However, I will not be ruled by my thirst for revenge any longer! The courage of the entire Sun family rests in me and it’s through it that I now end your life, Lu Bu!

: “The path for the soul to commune with the heavens”…
: What is it that you saw down said path? What changed you?
: Hmhmhm… I applaud your keenness in deducing that much, fenghuang.
: But you should already know: the only way you will gain answers is by defeating me!

: Hmhmhm… I hear the voice of your soul, echoing from within…!
: And I see the light of your life – a light that was bolstered through death!
: You’re right. It was Saya’s life and Maj. Richard’s sacrifice that became the cornerstones of my own life.
: But this light you see isn’t one that’s bolstered by death! It’s the light of a life that’s taken upon itself so many wishes for a better tomorrow!

: This strength pouring forth from within me… I can feel the lives of all those who dwell in this land. This is the will of the heavens made manifest!
: Hear ye! I am the Soaring Emperor, Liu Bei! The heir to the title of the ancient god of war!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbBcFTT4SyY
Captions are available.
And Lu Bu gives us another Rainbow Carrot.

: Uuaaarrgh!

: W-We did it…!
: No, not yet!

:siren: SRW UX - The Legend of Mirisha

: Hah… hahahah…! Indeed, I was not mistaken at all!
: What…?
: The cycle of life, ever-repeating since the creation of the earth and the heavens…
: I see it… the answer to it all!

: The radiance of the heavens clamors as part of my soul!
: Lu Bu! The heavens are not stirred by your will alone!
: …?!

: Do your eyes see this light?!

: The justice that resides within me!
: Ideals…!
: Courage…!
: The power born of all our wills is the very foundation of the heavens!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bj1aOygiSc
Captions are available.

: Rrrrgh!
: Your end comes, Lu Bu!
: Hrm… Raaaaaargh!

: F-Fengxian!

: Wh-What…?!
: A…rgh…

: Rrraaaaaah!
: Brother…!
: Th-This cannot be! Why did Diaochan…?!
: …
: Why have you come…?
: H-Hah, hahah… because I wished to…
: You…
: Only those who embrace the voice of their souls may leave proof of the life they led…
: Was it not you who taught that to me, Fengxian…?
: Hah… Indeed…
: I am here, Fengxian…
: And I shall accompany your soul even to the bowels of Hell…

: I have reached it at last…!
: The destination of life… The heavens…!

BOOOOOM!

:siren: SRW UX - Prologue

: Aah… Aaaaaaaah!
: (Lu Bu, Diaochan… you…!)

: The Festum…!
: They’re retreating…
: …
: (The light of life…)
: (It shines in colors both joyous and sorrowful…)

: …
: Huh… That isn’t the happy face of a man who’s avenged his father and brother.
: It’s kind of hard to be happy after seeing them go down like that…
: What do you think those two had been looking for?
: We can only guess.
: He did say that death was the answer to life, but…
: Don’t be ridiculous! If life exists only to die… then, for what are people even born, for what do they live?!
: Brother…
: …
: There’re a couple of things Lu Bu said that caught my attention, mind you…
: What things?
: Well, first off, there’s that ‘Disorder between yin and yang’ bit.
: In the context of what he said, that expression is very significant. It refers to a time without light or darkness, the chaos that reigned before heaven and earth were created… that is, before the universe began.
: In fact, the disorder between yin and yang is referred to right at the start of the first chapter of the Nihon Shoki.
: Oh, but considering Mirisha has a lot of similarities to our world’s ancient China, maybe a better comparison would be the Huainanzi.
: I-I hear you speaking words, but they mean exactly zilch to me…
: What I’m getting at is this: why would General Lu Bu of Mirisha be familiar with our world’s culture and history?
: Yeah, I wouldn’t exactly take that guy to be a scholar.
: Exactly, so I’m wondering if he could’ve read it from that G-Records scripture in Mirisha…
: The G-Records is both a legend of Mirisha and a historical account… However, none in our world have read the entirety of it.
: Moreover, we have also yet to fully decipher the text.
: Meaning that even if the thing does have some passages in common with the Nihon Shoki and Huainanzi…
: It’s still strange that Lu Bu had knowledge of them.
: Right.
: And, on top of that, he also mentioned Penglai, remember?
: Yeah, and General Sima Yi mentioned it was the afterlife…
: As I told you back there, Penglai’s a legend from ancient China. It’s said to be an island floating in the eastern end of the Bohai Sea.
: That said, while this is first and foremost a Chinese legend, Japan has a different interpretation of it in the form of their legend of Horai.
: And, from what I see, the Mirishan version of it seems closer to Japan’s…
: Aye. Penglai, as told in the G-Records, is a land of eternity…
: That is to say, it is supposed to be a different world from Mirisha.
: Ah, I get it. That explains why you say it’s the afterlife.
: W-Wait a minute! That’s starting to sound like…!
: Yeah… it’s just like Byston Well!
: And there’s the question.
: Byston Well is said to be where the souls of humans head to upon death, which would make it afterlife – that is, Penglai – for us, right?
: Sure…
: But, from what Lu Bu said, it’s not Byston Well that’s Penglai, but this world itself.
: Which would imply that…
: I get it! It implies that we’re all dead!
: Aah?!
: N-No, Your Highness… Maybe you should come with me and let them see to this discussion…?
: Well, exCUSE you, Lu Xun! You’re nowhere smart enough to give me that kind of attitude!
: Actually, I believe the Princess’ hypothesis raises a very important matter.
: Huh…?
: If death is not the end, then where is the ultimate destination of life?
: It may be that what Lu Bu sought as an answer to that question.
: The destination of life…
: Life lasts but an instant, whereas death is everlasting. All is emptiness, with the world being simply molded by our consciousness…

Emptiness in the Buddhist meaning of the word, as in “no-thing” – things that while appearing tangible have no inherent self. As Wikipedia explains: “Everything we conceive of is the result of the working of the five skandhas—results of perception, feeling, volition, and discrimination. The five skandhas together compose consciousness. The “things” we are conscious of are “mere concepts”, not noumenon.”

: …
: Master Kongming, would you be willing to teach me what you know of the G-Records?
: The G-Records…?
: Yes. Why did Lu Bu arrive at the conclusion he did? What similarities, and differences, are there between our worlds…
: I have the feeling that putting the G-Records under the microscope could help shed some light onto all these questions.
: Hmm…
: In that case, I believe General Sima Yi to be far better equipped than I to see to this. He is a tried and true expert on the subject.
: Oh? You are that familiar with the G-Records, Master Sima Yi?
: Aye. And, if I may, I also find the knowledge you possess to be quite fascinating.
: It would be my pleasure to tell of the G-Records to you, though would you also be willing to share your own information with me?
: Of course; and thank you for agreeing!
: …
: Something wrong, Saya?
: N-No…
: …?
: (If death is not the end… then, what lies beyond it would be…)

: Aaand there. Is everything looking good for you?
: Yes, thank you so much for helping!
: Well, color me surprised…
: We’ve plenty of people who want to communicate with the enemy, but this is my first time seeing anyone building graves for them.
: We’re just here to help. This was Seri’s idea.
: Yours…?
: Tsubaki tried to help the enemy understand our sorrow…
: But I just can’t do anything myself… I know I’m talking crazy, but…
: No…
: We’re capable of shouldering the burden of our allies’ deaths, but all we can do for the enemies we’ve killed is etch them into our memories. Forever…
: Cmdr. Makabe…
: …
: Seri, I have a favor to ask of you.
: And I think it’s something only you could do.
: Me…?

:siren: SRW UX - Separation

: …
: Are you sure about this, Seri?
: I can ease the burden placed on the core by becoming a substitute core myself.
: And if I do that, not only will Tsubaki be safe, but so will the island…
: Seri, I…
: Rina… Please don’t forget about Tsubaki.
: !
: She worked so hard to try and stop this war.
: And I, too, believe that it can be done…
: …
: Wait for us, Seri. We’ll put an end to this and, then, we’ll get you out of there.
: And we’ll make sure we and the Festum really understand each other this time…
: We swear to restore the blue sky you sought…
: Thank you. I’ll be looking forward to it…
: …
: Activating system.

: …
: (I… I’m not afraid, Tsubaki…)
: (Thank you, Seri…)
: (Tsubaki…)
: (We’ll see this through together…)
: (Yes…)

: Seri…
: …
: There would’ve been no need for this if you’d just let us assimilate your Mir earlier.
: Do you really not understand what Seri wanted…?
: What she wanted…?
: You also thought the sky was pretty, didn’t you?
: I did, yes. What about you?
: I can’t really see the sky anymore…
: …
: Kazuki…
: And, in time, I won’t be able to see anything at all.
: But my fingers serve as my eyes, showing what’s around me.
: …
: Your fingers show what’s around you…
: I’ve been thinking about this for a while… about what it was that Soushi wanted from you.
: Could it be that it’s for you to impart something to your Mir?
: Impart… what?
: That what you’re doing will not bring peace.
: You’re running from your pain, lashing out on others for it… but you’re not stopping to think how you could actually make that pain go away.
: My purpose… is just to present you with a choice!
: And you? What is it that you choose?
: Huh…?
: Kurusu… Are you there?
: …
: I-I…


Location: New York – Graveyard

: …
: I never thought your father would leave us so quickly… You have my deepest condolences.
: Surely you didn’t come all the way here just to say that.
: True. I simply felt I should extend a formal greeting to the new head of the Rubens Foundation.
: …
: Mr. Kizaki, let me start by saying this to you…

  • :gun: *

: I’ve absolutely no intention of continuing this charade as my predecessors did.
: …
: Pointing a gun at me? What is the meaning of this?
: The Rubens Foundation has long been feared as powerful Fixers within the Union.
: But the truth is that we were nothing more than a front for the real Fixers: you Advancers.
: Now, I cannot speak for what my predecessors thought… but, personally, I do not like that arrangement at all.
: And your point is?
: The world won’t simply be yours for the taking, even if you do gun me down.
: Perhaps, but the same cannot be said about the truth inside your head.
: The truth…?
: The truth about the enemy we, humanity, must defeat… and how to accomplish that.
: …
: And your conspiring with the Frontier and PLANTs’ governments was also done with that purpose in mind, hm…?
: The Rubens Foundation will now assume its rightful place as true Fixers.
: Which means our relationship with the Katou Organization ends here.
: That is most regrettable, Cristopher Rubens…

Bang! Dead.

: …

Beep.

: It’s me. I’ve collected the final set of data.
: We are finally ready to proceed to the next stage.
(on the phone): …
: All pieces are now in place. We’ll only have one chance at this.
: Don’t mess things up on your end, Ishigami…

: …

And the host I was using for a webm of Liu Bei’s transformation decided to delete it, so here’s a video I found with the scene:

https://youtu.be/fTDri_jA9AA?t=459

Fuck yes, it’s finally time. Very little gets me as hard as Shouretsuteitou’s… everything, did. SD Gundam Sangokuden BBW was a treat of a show, and that was just the icing on the cake. Sorry, though, for not being able to get a good video version with sound of the transformation, cause there was nothing that could be done there (Turns out Youtube knows the sequence well enough to block it in all countries during the upload…)

Anyway, Brunom only did a half truth - technically, Liu Bei is tied for strongest unit in the game. He’s not there YET (yes, there’s still technically one more upgrade for him), but he’s close. With that said the current 3 Gods combo is one of two combination attacks really worth using in the endgame as it will almost assuredly beat the partner to the SD Gundams in terms of power output. In terms of consistent output it depends on a number of factors - Atlantis Strike and Barzai from a lategame Demonbane are really powerful for their cost and Demonbane is L, which helps, but Liu Bei has a lot of multipliers that are always on instead of consistent by enemy size, so it tends to be stronger against bigger things. It is really strong though.

Although, silly fact - technically the upgrade actually makes Liu Bei weaker at the 4-5 range slot, because his old weakest move becomes 1-5 and gets a lot of power, but is SLIGHTLY weaker than Chouryuzan. It’s also P, however, and costs much less, and at any range other than that Shouretsuteitou kicks the fuck out of regular mode, so still the king.

BURNT TO A CRISP.

Oh, ok, so they did do this eventually.

If only Hazard were here. I’m sure he, a noble hero, would have been able to talk some sense into Diaochan and Lu Bu, and perhaps even gotten some more answers from them about the truth behind this world.

Since more Linebarrel plot is coming up soon, what I want to know is this: Why is it only Red, Orange, and Yellow-colored eyes for Factors and what is the significance of each character have different eye colors (for instance, Kouichi and Reiji having red eyes yet Izuna has orange and Emi has yellow)? For that matter, did either the original manga or this game explain why Kizaki only has a single red eye as a Factor?

EDIT: Just looking over some of the older posts and then it hit me. Does the color of the eyes signify how close a Factor is to committing suicide or seeing overwhelming despair?

I vaguely recall the eyes being an indicator for the Factor’s compatibility with their Machina.

You’re close, but no. What follows are mild spoilers, but also ones that should be apparent at this point. I’ll spoiler the ones that outright are unknown at this point but not the rest.

RED: Red means you’ve bonded extremely well to your Machina, and have the highest possible compatibility. Kouichi’s hilariously strong bond with Linebarrel should be known by now, Reiji and Vardant share a lot in common and work stupidly well together, Yamashita and Hind Kind are somewhat minor characters but there is an intense sense that the two are similar in a lot of ways, Masaki literally grew up with Naked/Glen Neidr and they’re both basically embodied kuudere, and of course Kizaki Amagatsu created Linebarrel and Linebarrel Prototype is just him going REMOVE MACHINA. Sawatari and Lostbarrel are a pretty fucking notable thing too.

ORANGE: You’re connected with your Machina, but not to a crazy degree. Miu connected because her Machina thought she was fucking nuts, there is something holding Izuna back from a true bond with his Machina… that’s only brought up post timeskip so it’s irrelevant to this post. Yajima was in fact killed by his Machina, and while Soubi also grew up with his Machina, he didn’t ever bond with it in the same way Masaki did.

YELLOW: Yeah, you and your Machina have issues. Emi is only barely bonded to Linebarrel at this point, Eiji was fucking insane and his Machina was just a tool for him - this maybe changes after the timeskip but I don’t think we have official word on that, it certainly hasn’t changed yet - Katou hates all Machina and would probably destroy Shangri-La if he thought it would get him something, and Ishigami… well, he’s an ally of convenience for Juda, and Juda is an ally of convenience for him. The two are roughly friends, but their relationship is pretty complex and entirely predicated on both wanting the world to not end.

This is, of course, not something that comes up often in Linebarrels of Iron. It’s a minor background detail. But it’s worth paying attention to because for a minor background detail it’s a very thorough one.

Click to see the mission!


On to the Union route, where Heroman and Kurou are deploying as events. We’ve a lot less units on this side, but still plenty of squads to go:
Joe/Amalgan
Aesap/Lux
Joey/Rennie
Kurou/Kiki
Mike/Ozma
Burn/Marvel
Shou/Tsubasa
Mazinkaiser/Eida
Alto/Luca
Dr. West/Hebi
Dancouga/Canaria
Arnie/Saya
Fei-Yen/Michel
Damian/Klan
Tactician: Ruri (if you’re still on track for the Demonbane secret).

Off we go.


Location: Earth Federation Army’s California Base

: It’s been too long, Hughes.
: Yes, it has, UX! And I’ve heard of how strong you’ve all become in that time.
: Which is perfect, because I think you’ll be able to put this little present of ours to good use.
: A present…?
: Right; a power armor for Heroman.
: “Power armor?” You had something like that made?!
: Now that’s pretty sweet, isn’t it, Joey?
: I’ll have to save the full story for later, though. Your client for the day would like to explain the situation.
: Hm? You’re not the guy?

Door opens.

: No, this request comes straight from the Federation Army’s GHQ, Joe.
: Ronin?! Goddamn, it’s you!
: Hahah, it’s been ages since we’ve spoken face-to-face, hasn’t it?
: And I reckon you’re doing alright, eh? I’ve been wanting to get in touch with ya!
: A friend of yours, Joe?
: Yeah, we’ve known each other since we were kids back on Mars.
: We used to hang out a lot back then, playing and whatnot.
: And that’s saying nothing of how we owe him a ton for always helping us out.
: Please, Joe. You and your group are the saviors of the planet. We’re the ones who should feel indebted to you.
: And, of course, that applies to you as well, Ensign Berge.
: Maj. Ronin, I…
: Say no more. Maj. Graham has told me of how you’ve been staying true to your beliefs.
: Our relationship may not be one of superior and subordinate anymore, but I still wish you all the success out there.
: Thank you, sir…!
: Ronin, about this request from the Feds… it’s about dealing with the Black Lodge, right?
: Yes, we would like you to rout them and their mobile fortress – that Cthulhu monstrosity.
: They been using its powers to drain the vitality of all denizens of cities in the region.
: It’s draining the people’s vitality…? What for?
: We don’t know, but the fact is that they’ve already caused plenty of damage with that.
: Normally the Union or the Federation Armies would be deployed to face this problem, but they’re currently bogged down with something else.
: What happened?
: We’ve had several reports of various facilities here in California suffering attacks of unknown origin. Oddly enough, only military research facilities are being targeted.
: Who’s responsible for the attacks, or their objectives, are still unknown—

BOOM!

: Wh-What was that-robo?!
: Major Ronin, we’ve a situation! Our base’s lab is being attacked!
: Hrm, we’re the next target?!
: We’ll take care of this, Ronin!
: But your request is to…
: Hey, now, don’t be a stranger!
: Any friend of Joe’s is a friend of ours! We’re not about to leave you hanging!
: Let’s go, everyone!
: Thank you all…!

: Tsk, it’s not in this lab either?!
: Where the hell did they stash the G Cells they recovered…?

  • :gun: *

: Stop right there!
: …!
: I dunno who you are, but I’ll admit you got a lotta stones launching an attack like this by yourself!
: Please don’t make this any harder than it has to be. If you try hurting anyone…
: Hmm!
: …
: I see you’re still the big hero, Joey.
: Th-That voice…!
: Are you… Will?!
: Heh… Been a long time, hasn’t it, Joey, Psy?
: Will, why…
: As in, Lina’s big brother? Why’s he here?
: Is he under the Skrugg’s control again?!
: No, I’m sure he was back to normal!
: Will, where have you been all these months?! Everyone’s been so worried about you – especially Lina!
: Worried about me? This walking freak-show?
: But that was the Skrugg’s…
: I’m not human anymore, Joey!
: ?!
: Reality’s cruel sometimes. But even after I came to accept that, and understood what my lot in life is, I still felt compelled to fight.
: You…
: If you folks are the light in this story, then I’m the darkness. An inhuman creature, skittering in the shadows…!
: And just what is said dweller of the darkness doing attacking these laboratories?!
: There’s more going on that what you see. Things are already in motion beneath the surface.
: But I want to make one thing perfectly clear: don’t get in my way again, or I won’t cut even you any slack. You’d do well to remember that!

BOOM! Away!

: Hrm! He ran off…
: (Will… Just what are trying to do?)

Door opens!

: Guys, we’ve more bad news!
: What is it this time?!
: Arkham City… It’s been attacked by the Black Lodge!
: What?!

: So, Doctor, how fares your project?
: Oh, it’s faring quite well, thanks to all the vital energy Cthulhu’s taken in.
: Yes, it’s only a matter of time before it wakes up.
: Excellent. Excellent, indeed. G’s powerful flesh should make for the perfect substitute for the C Priestess.
: Hm. With the Tyrant still missing, we need your research if we’re to have full control over Cthulhu.
: We trust you will not disappoint, Doctor.
: Hmhmhm, oh, but I assure you my G won’t be a mere substitute.
: Indeed, it’ll surpass your C Priestess in all regards… just wait and see.
: Didn’t you get those G cells from the Army of Mankind, though?
: And last I checked, you also owed those folks for saving you. Don’t you have any problems ditching them and shacking up with us again?
: Hmph, isn’t it your creed to “do what thou wilt”?
: All I care about is getting payback on the UX and Dr. West! And I’ll do anything to make that happen!
: Hey, fivehead! That’s my prey you’re talking about!
: They killed Caligula… and I’m gonna kill them back if it’s the last thing I do!
: Regardless of who will actually strike them down, you’ll both have your chance soon enough.
: Titus has already left, so you are to prepare to set out right away.
: Heheheh, you better say your prayers!
: ‘Cause I’m coming for you, Ultimate Cross!

: What’s the situation around town, Winfield?!
: Cthulhu has already left, but it’s injured several people.
: And, indeed, it appears the ones afflicted had their vitality taken away.
: So, their MO is to show up in somewhere, take the vitality of whoever’s nearby, and then vanish?
: The reports of Will’s attacks started right around the time when Cthulhu reappeared.
: Coincidence, or is there some connection between them?
: I’m not sure about that…
: Will’s always been a bit of a jerk, but I never took him as someone who’d be down with hurting all these people.
: Yeah. I’d like to believe in him…
: The NIA’s already started an investigation. I’ll let you know if anything turns up.
: Please do.
: … Hey, are you going to tell Lina about this?
: I…

Door opens.

: Aah, now that really hit the spot! You can always count on the rich and famous to have the biggest and baddest baths!
: Heh, you can say that again.
: …
: Hm? Did something happen? Everyone’s looking to serious.
: N-No… nothing at all!
: Oh, Joey, you’re always so jumpy.
: (I’m sorry, Lina…)

ALARM!

: Wh-What?!

Beep.

: Red alert! Several Black Lodge mobile weapons are approaching Arkham City – fast!
: Is Cthulhu coming back here?!
: Waltzing in while we’re around, eh? They’re asking for it now!
: Hold on! We’re also detecting an intruder inside the base!
: But… I think it’s just the one?!
: Just one? Could it be Will…?
: No, it ain’t! These readings we’re getting are…!
: …! Everyone get back!

Craaaaaaaash!

: Hmhmhm… You evaded my attack. I am glad I did not misjudge you…
: You are…!
: Winfield, the warrior. I have come to challenge you once more.
: Titus of the Black Lodge…!
: I’ll take care of this one, my friends. Go and intercept the forces outside!
: Are you sure about this…?
: He has challenged me personally. Etiquette dictates that I accept.
: Hm, I suppose that was a foolish question to make of you.
: Alright. Good luck, man!

Everyone leaves.

: You have my gratitude, Winfield. Now, let us begin…!
: En guarde!


Mission 42 (Union Route) – Resurrection

: Hurry up, now! You people better work those legs or you’ll end up a pile of steaming goo! Hyaahahaha!
: Mwahahahahahaha! My new and improved MR-1 is running just perfectly! Let’s tear this city apart!

: Party’s over, dirtbags!
: We won’t let you cause any more destruction!
: I’ve been waiting for you, Ghost! … Err, what?
: Didn’t he look a bit different before?
: Mr. Hughes gave Heroman a new power armor! And we’ll stop your rampage with all the power it has!
: Psh, you actually believe that dinky armor can take on my souped-up MR-1?! Nonsense!
: Is it, now? That power armor contains not just the NIA’s know-how but ours as well!
: I say, nonsense is you thinking your dinky robot could stand up to it!
: That’s enough chit-chat! All of you have an appointment with the meat grinder!
: You give yourself too much credit, brat!
: Deploy all squadrons!

: I don’t see Cthulhu anywhere… I guess they sent these over specifically to get rid of us.
: Winfield will dispatch the Anticross within the base!
: The rest of us should concentrate on destroying the Black Lodge assailants!


Destroy everything, don’t lose a ship, Kurou or Heroman.
What we’ve ahead is standard Black Lodge fare, with Claudius taking point and Minami hanging back to snipe at us. We’ve dealt with all this stuff plenty of times before, but remember to take care with Minami’s debuffs (especially his Armor Down).

:siren: Secret Alert! :siren:
Demonbane secret – 9th step: set Ruri as your tactician and take out Claudius with Kurou.

Easy money.


Finally, Power Armor Heroman is a frame you can set him on which is pretty much a straight-upgrade to his base form – everything has been boosted, from power and range to defensiveness.
That said, while his best attack IS 200 points stronger than Heroman Combination, it’s also pre-movement, so that’s a hit on usability. Another issue is that his size grows from SS to S, meaning it won’t be as dodgy as it usually is, and it still can’t take all that much punishment.
Mind you, that doesn’t really matter since the armor works on the usual “added gear” rules, in that if the unit gets shot down, it’ll revert to its base form, get a full refill and keep going (which you can also trigger manually via the new Armor Purge command).
All in all, this is a nice bonus for Heroman to get and any downsides are negligible at best.

:siren: SRW UX - Roulette

: You feel it too, don’t you, Heroman? Everyone’s poured their hearts into these parts…
: Hmmmm…!
: Then, let’s get going! We’ll keep this town safe – all of us!
: Heromaaan, GOOO!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1co39vHLT8
Armored Heroman also gets a couple of new animations on top of his brand new attacks.

:siren: SRW UX - My Fate

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina

: And here’s my favorite dumbass plus the traitor’s wind-up doll… I’ve finally found you!
: And now you’re both gonna get an up close and personal look at what Hell is like!
: Threats never work on someone who’s in love-robo!
: Your games have gone on for way too long, brat!

:siren: Heroman OST - MADNESS

: I still haven’t forgotten the humiliation I went through at your hands! And now I’ll pay you dimwits in full!
: Yeah? And when you get your ass kicked by us, the whole dang world’ll know that you’re the biggest dimwit around, you self-styled genius!

And when you’ve either downed 7 enemy squads or dealt damage to Minami:

: HAHAHA! Is this the best your science can do? Look at this balding buffoon! Look at him and laugh!
: SILENCE! I’ve had it up to here with your antics, but no more! I’ll have you groveling at my glorious feet today!
: Open your eyes and observe my newest success!

:siren: Heroman OST - MADNESS

: What’re those things?!
: Mwahahahaha! These are the legacy of the Skrugg! The ultimate bio-weapons, the Chimera Soldiers!
: The Skrugg’s?!
#1: U-Urghh… p-pa-a-a-ain…!
#2: S-Somebody… h-e-e-lp!
: Wait, are those…!
: Hmhmhm, yes! They’re all earthlings that were captured and modified by the Skrugg!
: Their project was supposedly scrapped by the aliens, but I found and successfully bound them to my will!
#3: N-No-o-o… It… hu-u-u-rts…!
: Hm? Oh, I suppose there’s still a smidgen of their old selves left. But that can be fixed…!

Beep, boop, beep.

#3: Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah!


All Chimera Soldiers get +30 morale!

#2:
#1: Kill… kill!
: H-How can you do something so inhuman?!
: And you still call yourself a scientist?!
: Wring your fists at me all you want! If it’ll help me get payback on you, I’ll readily become a god, a devil or whatever else works!
: You piece of trash!
: Minami… you’re not human! When I get my hands on you, I’ll cut you to ribbons!
: Waahahahahahahaha!

: Eh?! Wh-Who did that?!

:siren: SRW UX - Roulette

: …
: (Will?! What’re you doing here…?!)
: You poor people, twisted by the Skrugg into inhuman things…
: The best I can do is put you out of your misery…!
: That voice… Is that?!
: I don’t know who you are, but if you’ll be a problem, then you’ll also get a sip of the bitter cup of my revenge!
: Ensign, he’s…!
: Yeah, I know.
: Guys, ignore that guy in the black armor! Take out the rest of the enemies!
: (Will, what you’re doing is…!)

Will’s gotten a boost to everything he had way back in Act 1, so he can handle the Chimeras on his side easily (though you still don’t want him taking your kills and cash). And you don’t even need to babysit him, as he’ll just heal up in case he gets downed.

Now, I’m going to deal with Claudius now rather than later to get him off my hair before the Chimeras close in.

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina

: You got some nerve showing your face around here again! But at least I won’t have to look at it once I’ve ripped it apart! Go, Celaeno Fragments!
: Oh, brother… I knew you were different from the actual master, but I didn’t think it was this much.
: Your wind’s an electric fan’s breeze compared to that guy’s! I won’t even feel enough of it to cool off! (Reference to Laban Shrewsbury, who has the legit Celaeno Fragments grimoire and not a mere copy like Claudius.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-fY9biEFPc
I finally got Claudius’ best attack on tape!

:siren: SRW UX - Roulette

: I got a score to settle with you too!
: I’ll start by tearing off the arms and legs off your white pile of junk, and then I’ll take my time blowing pieces off it! Your death’s gonna be one for the history books!
: Ignore him and keep at it, Heroman! I’ll block whatever attacks he sends your way!
: Ooooooo!

:siren: SRW UX - Dunbine Flies

: Sit right there, you… After I’ve plucked off your wings, your arms and your legs, I’ll find some place to skewer you onto like a nice little bug!
: Yaaah, he’s scary! Is he going to do that to me, too, if we get caught?!
: Life isn’t your plaything! And all someone who can’t control his emotions’ll find is an early grave!

:siren: SRW UX - Tobikage Appears!

: There you are, you piece of crap ninja! There won’t even be a body to bury by the time I’m finished with you!
: Who’re you calling a piece of crap, eh?! The only crappy thing here is that attitude of yours!

:siren: SRW UX - Lion

: You think you can take a stab at me with those lame wings?! You can’t be serious!
: Here’s some advice for you: let your emotions run too loose and all you’re doing is making it easy for the enemy to read you!

:siren: SRW UX - The Will of Man Awakens

: First I’ll reduce you to a whimpering mess, and then I’ll kill you! You’ll die ruing the day you decided to mess with us!
: It’s for you that the bells toll today! And once you get to Hell, you’ll repent for all the blood on your hands!


Shigotonin Arnie attacking Anticross: “Even an upside-down crucifixion would be way more than you deserve!”

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina

: Hrrrrgh! These goddamn worms!!

: Kch, he’s still kicking…!
: You’re not killing me with garbage attacks like that! I’m gonna rip you all apart ‘til there ain’t even dust left – just like you did to Caligula!
: No, I’m afraid your playtime’s over.
: ?!

: …
: Y-You’re…!

: Spell Selection: Cannon Spell.

Cast Big Magic Missile!

: A…aah… Cali…gu…la……

: I-It took out that Deus Machina with a single shot…
: The Nanajin’s shaking… It’s afraid of that thing?!
: What the hell is it…?
: It’s Nero, the Tyrant-robo…
: Nero?
: A sorcerer who used to be with the Anticross but ended up betraying the Black Lodge…
: The Tyrant’s powers are said to rival those of Master Therion himself!
: And what’s it doing here…?
: …

: Huh? It left?!
: Worry about it later! There’re still enemies that need killing!
: R-Roger that…!

:siren: SRW UX - LOVE 14 ver. HD


The Chimeras have 9.6k HP, which is more than you’d expect from Skrugg-based mooks, but they still don’t have much in the way of defenses (though evasion and accuracy are appropriately high).

:siren: SRW UX - Roulette

: This has to be dealt with now. Ignore it and it’ll be too late for everything…
: I’ll destroy any tech that’s come from them! Not even one scrap of it can be left around…!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV-gbbYGMAg

:siren: SRW UX - Roulette

: (The legacy of the Skrugg… I can’t believe they’re using these as weapons…)
: (They… They don’t even care about how much Will’s suffering!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJLGsUQEmPU
Heroman gets his own version of that attack.
It doesn’t take long to beat the Chimeras down with our morale already in good shape and a healthy dose of Focus and Strike casts. After that, it’s just Minami.

:siren: Heroman OST - MADNESS

: How dare you send the greatest genius of mankind to prison! But now is payback time – and you’ll be paying with interest!
: So, not only you didn’t learn a thing from last time, you figured you’d double down on that stupid beef of yours?!
: But, fine, I’m up to do this your way again! You better start clenching, ‘cause I’m dunking you right back into the slammer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ7gdCghJVw
A-HA! I have finally managed to get Tobikage’s double image on camera!

:siren: Heroman OST - MADNESS

: Gaze upon all this overwhelming power! Nothing is impossible when you pair my gifted intellect with the right technology!
: Technology isn’t meant to sate your personal wants! It’s to try and make the world a better place, even if just a bit!

:siren: Heroman OST - MADNESS

: I’ve got you at laaaaast! And this time I’ll pick you apart piece by piece – both my thirst for revenge and my thirst for knowledge’ll be getting their fill!
: You’re free to hate us if that’s what you want… but I won’t put up with it if you start causing trouble for others because of that!
: Come on, Heroman!
: Hmm!

:siren: Heroman OST - MADNESS

: You show your ugly mug at last, Dr. West! Unfortunately, there won’t be another time as I’ll be putting this long-lived hatred of mine to bed here and now!
: Hmmm… nope. I still don’t remember you at all…
: But you’ve guts to try and pick a fight with me. I suppose I could humor your challenge and waste a few minutes bashing you into the dirt!
: You stuck-up little punk rocker…! I am the one true genius of this world! ME! DOCTOR MINAMIIIII!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAG12R1qp1U
And here’s Dr. West’s strongest attack. Minami drops another Dr. West’s Favorite Guitar.
Dr. West attacking Minami: “Why, you little…! You’re stealing my schtick!”

: Gyaaaaaah!
: P-Professor… we can’t take much more!
: …
: You’re mine!

Will dashes after Minami.

: Hah! Got you!
: …! Stay away from them!

: Gaaaah! I-I can’t…move…!
: It’s that thing he did before…!
: Bwahahahaha! You jumped right in my EMP’s range!
: D-Damn you…!
: Heheh, but I’ll make sure your death is quick and painless. You better be grateful!
: I-I can’t die here… I…
: Even if I’m not cut out to be a hero, I’ll still protect her…!
: …!
: Diiiieeeeee!
: Stop!

: H-Hrrk…!
: Joey?!
: S-Stay out of this joey! I told you, I—
: This isn’t about who’s the light and who’s the darkness!
: What…?!
: What matters is putting a stop to this guy, and keeping everyone…

:siren: SRW UX - JOEY AND HEROMAN

: And keeping Lina safe!
: Y-You…!
: Joey…
: …
: I’m going in… If you’re tagging along, then hurry up!
: Go for it! Heroman and I can handle it!
: What’re you two rambling there?! But, fine, you can die together!
: He’s coming, you two!
: Haaaaaaaah!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KaoAAZjK6gc
And here’s Armored Heroman’s strongest attack.

: Yaaaaaaaaaaaah!
: Dr. Minami, frame damage’s past the 90% mark. Further combat’s impossible.
: Aaaaargh, you hateful little urchins! But this is far from over!
: Just you wait! I’ll have even greater power at my disposal once it has been restored!

: “It”…?!
: Is he the one with the G Cells…?!

: G Cells…?
: …
: (I knew I wasn’t wrong. That man was…)
: (Why are you doing this, brother…?)

: Looks like that’s all of them.
: But what about Winfield and the others…?!

: Secret technique… Fortissimo!
: Your head is mine!

Flash!

: …
: …
: Hrrgh…!

Faint.

: Winfield…!
: You cannot bring yourself to forsake all for strength, whereas I have done so long ago…
: That difference between us made this outcome… inevita…ble…

Faint.

: I-It’s a draw…?!
: Call the medical team! Have them see to Winfield right—
: Oohoohoo, I don’t think you’ve time to worry about him!
: …?!
: Aaaaaaaaaah!!
: M-Madam Ruri…!

: All communication with the Hadou Command Center has stopped! They’re not answering us!
: What?!
: Back to the base, guys! Quick!

: Hmhmhmhm… Please, you don’t have to do that.
: Have a look at this!
: Gch… Mr. Daijuuji…
: Princess…?! He’s taken her?!
: Tiberius, you sonuva…!
: Heeheheheh, and I trust you know what’ll happen to her if you try anything funny, yes?
: Hrm… You coward!
: Oohohoho! I appreciate the compliment, prettyboy!

: Gwaaaaaargh!
: Mr. Daijuuji, everyone…!
: Ohohohoho! Come on, now, give me some better screams than that!
: Wallow in despair, in fear, in your weakness! Abandon all hope and cry for mercy!

: Hrm… N-No one here’s abandoning any hope…!
: Oh, dear, you’d think big ol’ CHAMPIONS OF JUSTICE would be more graceful in their defeat!
: We don’t give a damn about being graceful… We’re just not giving up on our lives while there’s a chance to pull through…!
: W-We’re carrying the hopes and wishes of so many who died defending this world… and so long as we have that, we’ll never…!
: Demonbane, do something!
: If you can’t because there’s no blood flowing in your veins, then you can take all of mine!
: Give me a sword to smite this evil! Give me a steel that no one could ever break!!

Tzeeeep.

: I hear… a voice…
: The man who completed you is fighting. He’s lost you, lost his powers, and now finds himself in a hopeless situation, but he’s still withstanding that hardship with every fiber of his being.
: Yet he would have naught to fear were the two of us together…
: …! How could I have forgotten…?
: You took an oath, did you not? That you would share the burden of your pain, suffering and regret with one another?
: …
: Aye, I remember it now… I remember everything…
: Then draw forth the innocent blade that lies within your heart one more!
: Cross time and space, and fulfill your oath to him…!
: The name of the man I ought to fight alongside with… His name is…!

: …
: Your will has reached my ears…
: Y-You…!
: Is… Is this a miracle…?!
: Nay, ‘tis not. In fact, you said it before.
: I did…?
: You fought. Even after losing your powers as Magius, and having the Demonbane stripped of its might…
: You fought through it all. You endured until now, never giving any quarter to the enemy. ‘Twas thanks to your efforts that I made it in time.

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina

: I, Al Azif, mightiest of all grimoires…!
: Al…!
: Aye, this was no miracle. This was the inevitable result of your actions!
: It’s Al…!
: She’s been reborn?!
: Hmph, I don’t know how you managed to come back, but what do you think that bootleg Deus Machina of yours could do against me?!
: Have you forgotten, sinner? If so, we shall remind you!
: From the hate-scorched sky!
: With righteous anger in our hearts!
: We draw forth the sword that smites Evil!
: Thou art the innocent blade… DEMONBANE!

: The Demonbane’s grown wings…?!
: ‘Tis the flight unit of Aeon, my former Deus Machina: Shantak!
: I could finally summon them now that my powers have returned in full!
: Wh-What the hell is going on…? This power’s just like a proper Deus Machina’s…
: But I still have my pretty little hostage, so—
: ROBO!

Dash!

: Wah!
: Darling, I’ve saved Ruri-robo!
: Whuh?! When did this girl get here?!
: Carelessness is the greatest enemy of all. Maybe your head’s rotted so much that your brainpower took a hit?
: Hrm… Fine, then we’ll do this the usual way! Rise, my pretties!
Flash!

: What?! But we’d taken those things out!
: Guys, be careful! That’s the power of his grimoire!
: Mr. Daijuuji, stay your hand no more! Show this man that the sword that smites evil is far from broken!
: Aye, aye!
: I have regained the power of all my fragments. Let him bear witness to mine and Demonbane’s might!


Oooh, baby, we are back in business.
Not only does Kurou have all his old tricks again, the Demonbane’s also gained +200 HP, +100 Armor, +5 Evasion and Accuracy, +1 movement and, of course, flight. Plus, Al’s Grimoire skill has been bumped all the way to L9, meaning the bot now has 350 MP and regens 30% of it every turn (and you can still bring in a partner with resupply module to add another 10%).
It’s beautiful.

:siren: Secret Alert! :siren:
Demonbane secret – 9th step: also kill Tiberius with Kurou.

Even easier. We’ll trounce the Chimeras and get rid of him lickety-split.

:siren: SRW UX - LEGEND OF KAISER

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina


Jesus! Suffice to say it doesn’t take long at all to make these zombies extra-dead.

:siren: SRW UX - Roulette

: Ooh, you’re so cute, I want to just eat you whole…
: You’ve blue-balled me for long enough. Time to make an adorable little doll out of you… after I’ve killed you, of course!
: I-I’ll pass! If you wanna play with dolls, do it in your own time!

:siren: SRW UX - My Fate

: Ooh, a half-jap, eh? Give me a sec and I’ll have your body and soul split in half to match!
: I’m not letting go of either the American or the Japanese parts of my soul! It’s because of them that I am who I am!

:siren: SRW UX - LOVE 14 ver. HD

: Hmm, now who is this girlie…? There’s something so curious about you. I’m dying to get a closer look at your soul and figure out what’s up with it!
: The problem here is that you’ve got a chunk of stone for a heart! If you just listened to our song, you’d figure it out right away!

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina

: Why, it’s been ages, Doctor. You’ve pleeeenty to answer for after your betrayal and I’m here to do the collecting!
: Washing your hands on a worthless cause is no betrayal.
: Besides, a genius of my stupendous, extraordinary, superlative intellect isn’t the type to be used by a gaggle of titanic buffoons!

:siren: SRW UX - LEGEND OF KAISER

: It’s that zombie again. You must be tired of spending so much time in Hell, hm?
: But don’t worry, we’ll re-kill you properly this time. There’ll be no more returns from the grave for you!
: You better be ready, ‘cause you’re about to become the world’s biggest pile of confetti!
: I’d like to see you try. You’ll have to outrun my lovely ghosts first, though!

:siren: SRW UX - The Eternal Soldiers

: Hmm, now that’s a delicious-looking bot you have there. Let’s be friends, you and I…
: I’ve a perfect spot for you in my army of ghosts…!
: Yeah, that’s not going to happen! Plus, I already have more than enough eccentric friends!

:siren: SRW UX - The Will of Man Awakens

: Let’s get down to business. It’s time for you to pay the piper for all the times you messed with our plans!
: I’ll lock you away in a prison of unending agony! Your carcass and soul’ll be suffering eons after your heart’s stopped!
: You monster of a sorcerer… How can anyone show this little respect for life? But you won’t be having this your way!
: Open your rotted eyes and I’ll show you the true light of life!


Arnie attacking Anticross: “Your tricks won’t work on me!”

:siren: SRW UX - A Bird’s Song

: What do we have here…? I can see the spirits of a lot of animals hiding inside your mech.
: I might as well turn them all into ghosts, then. Oh, and I’ll be taking you pilots as well, naturally.
: I’m getting a real sense of déjà vu hearing you ramble on… but at least you’re way easier to understand. Mind, that doesn’t mean we’re gonna agree to that idea of yours!
: But feel free to try and turn us into ghosts. You’ll have to douse the fire in our souls first, though!

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina

: Where in the hell is your bootleg Deus Machina getting all this power from…?
: Do you remember now? Indeed, ‘tis the power of the sword that smites evil!
: Get over here, zombie! You’re gonna make like a proper corpse and get back six feet under!
: Hmhmhm… Show me, Kurou, Al Azif…
: The sorcerer who has been forged in the dark flow of Time, and the ultimate grimoire in the fullness of its might! Show me your power!
: This time…! This time, you will please me!

: Grgh… I am immortal… Maggots like you…
: Maggots like you could never kill me!

: He isn’t dead even after all that punishment?!
: With the power of my grimoire, De Vermis Mysteriis, I am immortal… Try whatever you’d like… you will not kill me!

: Hrm… How can we put an end to this mountain of hate?!
: Drop the mulling, pal! If he ain’t dying, then we just gotta mess him up ‘til he warms up to the idea!
: We’ll hammer the terror of Hell into his bones – literally!
: Hah, now that’s my kind of plan!
: Come on, Al! We—

Tzeeeeep.

: ?!
: What is it, Kurou?!

:siren: SRW UX - Sublimation of a Destroyer

: The Demonbane’s energy is…
: ‘Tis rising… nonstop, even!
: …! Ensign, the Odyssite’s responding to it…!
: Is something happening…?!

: Some… Something flows into my mind. ‘Tis…

: A trapezohedron…?

: Rrgh… Grwaaaaaaaaagh! I… I can’t control it…!

The Demonbane sets off after Tiberius.

: What the hell are you?! S-Stay away!
: Don’t… DON’T TOUCH ME!!
: Yaaaaaaaaah!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGbAgy8NiF8
Captions are available.

: AAARRAAAAAAAARGG!!

: The signal of the enemy Deus Machina has vanished completely…
: I don’t know if “vanished” is the right word…
: It looked more like it was sent to another dimension?
: Al, just what was that…?
: I know not… Power such as that should not exist within me… or within the Demonbane, for that matter.
: But it doesn’t look like we’ve other enemies incoming, so we should head back to base.
: I bet you two have plenty to say to each other, right?
: Yeah… And the first thing on that list is…
: Welcome back, Al…
: I apologize for the delay, my master… Kurou Daijuuji.

: I knew it, Kurou! I knew you would do it this time!
: Grand Master! The world has finally produced your equal!
: Finally, it comes! Through all those countless eternities, all the thousand, million, trillion times this has been repeated, it is finally, finally, finally time! The curtain rises on the final movement of Earth’s Rhapsody!

: Ooh, woe is me…
: For all their huffing and buffing, the Black Lodge are just a bunch of worthless tools!
: I told you nothing good was gonna come out of teaming up with those freaks!
: Forget about your revenge, doctor. Why can we just do regular science stuff, like the good old days?
: Dr. Minami, if I may ask, why are you so obsessed with Dr. West?
: …
: He snubbed me…
: Huh?
: He snubbed me! Me! Dr. Minami, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics!
: He had the gall of telling me “Oh, some randos gave you a prize? That’s cute, but come back when you’ve something actually important to show!”
: Th-That’s it…?
: What do you mean ‘that’s it’?! It’s very important to me!
: D-Doctor… that’s a really stupid reason…
: Hmph, call it whatever you want. The G Cells have been energized more than enough thanks to Cthulhu’s power.
: And once these are ready to go, West and the UX’ll all…!
: How about you hand those over instead…?
: Y-You’re…!

Craaaaash!

: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

BOOOM!

: …?! They’re…!
(Minami): O…oooww….
: I was too late…! Who took the G Cells…?!

: Oh, dear, it looks like Tiberius was killed too.
: Nero… why are you here…?
: The Illusory Heart Mother is the perfect toy for playing with him, don’t you think? And it’s really, really wasted on you losers, so I’m taking it.
: A toy? I suppose it’d be that in your eyes…
: I’ll give you one chance to run along, so take it while you still can. You don’t want to end up like Claudius, hm?
: …
: I’m afraid that is not possible.
: You haven’t forgotten that you’re no match for me, did you? I could just as easily kill you and be done with it.
: It’s you who’s forgotten something, Nero…
: That we’re inside the body of the Great Cthulhu!

Flash! And tzeeeeeeeep!

: M-My powers… they’re disappearing…!
: I must say, it was quite the pleasant surprise that you, the C Priestess, and the Nameless One, the central unit, would simply jump into our hands.
: And with you in our grasp, we’ve no reason to rely on Dr. Minami’s G!
: Now we may finally take full control of Cthulhu!
: Go, R’lyeh Text. Join Nero’s mind to our God’s!
: R’lyeeeh… Cthulhuuu… Ra… Ra…
: A-Aah…
: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Flash! And faint.

: Sleep well, Nero. I doubt you will ever awaken again.
: Your mind shall forever remain in the grasp of our God, wandering eternally through dreams beyond death.
: …
: (Hmhmhm… We’ll see about that.)

: Um… My master, I…
: …
: Al…!
: Wh-What in blazes…! Cease hugging me this instant, fool!
: You stupid book… You’ve no idea how worried I was… sob
: Kurou…
: Cut him some slack, alright, Al?
: Yeah, Kurou was really heartbroken when you died. We’d never seen him like that before or after.
: There’s nothing as painful as losing someone that’s so dear to you…
: …
: Fool…
: (I’m sad, but… I’m also kind of happy-robo…)
: You’ve nothing to be bummed about, Elsa!
: Doctor?
: Oh, Elsa, Elsa. Of course, healing one’s heart is no simple feat…
: But you only need to look at what you already have. As Mytyl and Tyltyl taught us, there’s happiness to be found, and it’s always been close to you! (Maeterlinck’s Blue Bird reference.)
: Why, yes! You still have ME, and the Destroyer Robo DX!
: And, as usual, I’ve no idea what you’re on about…
: I understand, Doctor-robo! I’ll carry on fighting by your side-robo!
: Ooh! You’ve finally opened your eyes to my love, Elsa?!
: Even if my darling’s heart doesn’t belong to me right now, I’m sure he’ll return to my arms in time-robo.
: Huh…?
: Thank you so much for helping me see that, Doctor-robo! I won’t stop believing in my darling-robo!
: Um… Elsa, that’s not what I meant…
: … Why are these fools here with us?
: Ahahah… A lot of stuff’s happened, you know how it is. Right, Lina?
: Huh? Did you say something?
: Is something wrong, Lina? Are you tired?
: No, no, I’m fine…
: (Lina…?)
: And, Canaria, how’s Winfield doing?
: He’s being treated in the Quarter’s sick bay. His wounds are rather grave, but, given enough rest, he should make it.
: The escaped Anticross is probably recovering as well.
: Yeah. The guy might try attacking the manor again before long.
: But the whole place is already falling apart! Another attack like this and we’ll be done for…

:siren: SRW UX - Rebellion Against Fate

: Then, we ought to attack them preemptively.
: Wait, are you serious, Al?!
: While Cthulhu remains, the entire world shall continue its steady march towards destruction.
: But now I and the Demonbane have been fully restored. We must mount an offensive on the Illusory Heart Mother!
: Raiding a fortress that huge? Sounds like a real blast!
: Do we know Cthulhu’s current location?
: It’s headed for the Pacific Ocean, destroying all cities in its path.
: Where could they be going…?
: …
: 47’9’’ South, 126’43’’ West…
: What’re those coordinates? There’s nothing but water there…
: …! The Al-Lāt Incident…!
: Do you have something in mind, Madam Ruri?
: It was an event that my grandfather studied with great interest.
: The crew of the frigate Al-Lāt reported seeing something rising from beneath the waves right around that region.
: And what was that something?
: R’lyeh, Cthulhu’s underwater metropolis.
: He seeks to summon his castle to the surface!
: And, probably, use it as a staging ground from which to conquer the rest of the world!
: ‘Tis hardly that simple. R’lyeh is an unearthly city, and roughly the size of a continent. Were it to reach the surface…
: It may well reduce human civilization to ash.
: Wh-What…?!
: Then our only option is clear…!
: We’re going out there and we’ll bring down Cthulhu ourselves!


And three new tacticians have unlocked their final bonuses:

  • Burn: Accuracy Rate +5%
  • Ruri: +30000 money earned when a mission’s concluded
  • Eida: +1 movement

Finally, Will had words for Minami:

: Using the Skrugg’s tech for your own gains… So long as people like you are around, I…!
: Hmm…? Now that I take a closer look, is your body…?
: Mwahahahahah… How fascinating! Yes, you’ll make for a valuable specimen to pry open!

It’s interesting because I don’t think Rene ever mentions knowing him in the show. In fact I don’t remember anyone other than Joe really talking about him. That feels like an oversight. Also, wow, did they forget Will was doing shit until this mission? It kind of feels like they did.

Armored Heroman’s finisher being pre-movement shouldn’t be too much of a shock, if you know what his last finisher from the show was you’d realize they’re just setting you up for that.

And thus, we have entered the DEMONBANE ZONE. The fucking thing may not be at full power quite yet (and that’s a laugh and a half waiting to happen, I assure you) but essentially past this point if you are fighting anything other than Assimilating Festum or a really powerful boss, Demonbane is fucking invincible.

Not in this game, unfortunately. And K only lets you use Eldora V for one stage, though you get Soul for like half the game (it’s unfortunately not amazing, as it’s yet another B Rank Space and goddamn it wastes EN like no one’s buisness, so it’s essentially just a worse Dangaioh. It is cool though!)

Click to see the mission!


We’re back at the Tatsumiya route, where Liu Bei has just proven himself to be the TRUE WARRIOR OF THE THREE KINGDOMS – that’ll teach those Wei and Wu upstarts to mess with glorious and benevolent Shu! But we’re still busy today, with Kouichi, Moritsugu and Setsuna all deploying as event units. Here’s how we’re going:
Shinn/Lunamaria
Liu Bei/Allelujah (shrug)
Sun Quan/Shouko
Kouichi/Michio
Mamoru/Deceive
Kenji/Domyoji
Sakura/Shangxiang
Cao Cao/Zhang Fei
Kazuki/Athrun
Kira/Graham
Lockon/Tieria
Yamashita/Yajima
Setsuna/Yulianne
Moritsugu/Soubi
Arnie/Saya
Maya/Akira
Rina/Guan Yu
Canon/Miu
Tactician: Zhuge Liang

Off we go.

: The Advancers posted at the Union have all disappeared?
: I’d say Cristopher Rubens is likely the one behind it.
: He never approved of The Advancers, but now he’s finally gained the power to take action…
: Masaki, what’s the status on our plan?
: We’re seeing some major deviations – far more than expected, and beyond The Advancers’ capacity to correct…
: And the source of the problem would be…
: The UX, yes… and Kouichi Hayase.
: …
: Why? He’s no fated child, much less a chosen hero…
: Or, perhaps, that is precisely why? Is it because he’s nothing but a stupid kid you could find on any corner?
: …
: Could another possibility be born to this world…?
: Commander…
: …
: (I must see it for myself…)

: How’re things with the island’s systems?
: It’s not perfect, but we’ve verified that everything’s running stable.
: Hopefully this means no one else’ll fall ill like Cmdr. Makabe.
: It’s still too soon to relax, though. The substitute core can only ease the strain on the primary core for a few weeks…
: Any longer than that, and Seri’s life’ll be in serious danger…
: …
: Which is why you should surrender already. That way, everyone can be safe.
: You’re still going with that?! Did you already forget what Kazuki told ya?!
: That story about me imparting stuff to our Mir?
: I’ve already passed on all information I have to the Mir. What else would I impart to it?
: How about the way you feel about this? Tell it that you don’t want us to fight.
: I can’t. To put it in your words, the Mir is the equivalent of God for us.
: You can’t disobey God’s will, yes?
: That’s only what you’ve convinced yourself of.
: ?? What do you mean?
: Weren’t you watching before? My bro showed all the proof ya need!
: The will of us, humans, can compel even the heavens, even God!
: It’s not that simple…
: But what harm is there in giving it a try anyway?
: It’s only by talking that we can understand how we, and others, feel. If you don’t talk, then you’ll go nowhere.
: …
: The Mir would never listen to someone like me.
: You’ll eventually give up when you’re faced with someone that’s just not willing to hear you out, right?
: Nope, I still wouldn’t give up.
: Huh…?
: Even if our words aren’t getting through, we gotta keep trying – as many times as needed – to understand one another.
: Just like Setsuna’s been doing.
: Yeah, like that time he decided to bumrush a gaggle of ELS. Did he even ask himself if he was about to get mind-zapped? Nope.
: If there’s still a chance that we could establish dialogue with each other, then I shouldn’t let it go to waste. That’s what I thought back then.
: …
: Kurusu, no one here wants to join you in a campaign against the world.
: Speaking for myself, I wouldn’t be me if I did something like that.
: I wouldn’t be me either if I did as you suggest.
: Kurusu…

Door opens.

: E-Everyone… we’ve an emergency!
: What happened?!
: Th-The… The old JUDA building has come under attack by the Katou Organization!
: Wh-What?!

(on TV): And that’s how things are looking at the present.
: The SDF is currently engaging the Katou forces, but they’re unlikely to hold out for long.
: What is going on? JUDA’s long stopped working as a defense organization for Japan. They won’t get anything from attacking it now…
: On the contrary: as far as the Katou Organization is concerned, there’s still another very important target there.
: If we assume that they’re still working towards their goal of destroying every existing Machina, then…
: Mr. Ishigami’s Judah…!
: Exactly.
: What are we to do? If we leave here and the Festum launch another offensive…
: Relax. Now that the substitute core is in place, the island’s defense systems are all back online.
: And we’re the adults around here. We gotta show the world what we’re made of once in a blue moon!
: Mr. Mizoguchi…

Door opens.

: Mind if I come with?
: Kurusu… you?!
: Why? You’ve never asked anything of the sort before.
: You guys have made me curious.
: Like, what was the light you gave out when you fought that man, Lu Bu?
: And if this “dialogue” of yours really is capable of reaching God and compelling Him to act, then…
: Then, maybe, I could potentially understand what Soushi Minashiro was trying to say.
: …
: Alright, I’ll allow it.
: Are you insane?! He’s a Festum!
: If there’s still a chance, then we shouldn’t let it go to waste, right?
: The way of war isn’t the only one that exists between us and the Festum… we all know that, no?
: I… I guess, but…
: I’m glad that you welcome me. Now I can continue to watch you fight.
: I’m not going there just to fight, FYI. There’s also something I need to tell Katou…
: Hayase, is that…
: Yeah. The last will and testament of Prof. Amagatsu Kizaki.
: He… Katou never heard Prof. Kizaki’s final words…
: But if he hears them, I think he…
: Hayase…
: (Wait for me, Hisataka Katou! I’m coming to open your eyes!)


Mission 43 (Tatsumiya Route) – Singularity

: Gwaaaaaaaah!

: That giant Arma is…!
: A model specialized in area control, by the looks of it. That’s quite the thing Katou put together.
: Hmph, confident, aren’t we?
: But we’ll see how long that attitude lasts when faced with my Kagaseo.
: Mr. Ishigami, whatever you’re planning will not save you. I’ll destroy your Judah here and now.
: Destroy Judah, hm…?
: That’s not your only objective, though, is it?
: …

Alarm!

: They have come…!

:siren: SRW UX - Rebellion Against Fate

: That’s the end of the line for you, Katou Organization!
: Took you long enough! You’ve kept me waiting, UX!
: All their captains, and, additionally, that gigantic Arma… The enemy has launched an all-out offensive?
: And they did it exactly during the time we were away…!
: It’s been a while since we’ve seen these guys, but I can tell they’re still as tricksy as ever!
: Target identified… moving to eliminate.
: You are welcome to try. As mighty as you may be, you will find the Kagaseo to be more than well-equipped to withstand your assault.
: I look forward to seeing you try and fail to conquer that walking fortress.
: What a load of nonsense.
: Excuse me…?
: Yes, it’s a gigantic unit; and that makes its weaknesses both easy to spot and easy to exploit.
: From where I stand, I see nothing but a huge target… and I don’t need special strategies for targets.
: You’d tar my Kagaseo as being a target…? Let’s see if you can land a bullseye, then!
: Troops, Moritsugu shall subdue the giant Arma!

: The rest of you are to secure his path to it and cover his advance!


Kill everyone, don’t lose the Ptolemaios, Kouichi, Moritsugu or Setsuna.
We’ve already had this battle plenty of times before, only now there isn’t even the danger of Lu Bu oneshotting someone. Reznor and his Kagaseo aren’t actual enemies, so you’ll just have to contend with their antics (see below) – you COULD always rush Moritsugu up top with Accelerate/Tailwind casts and/or Zeal/Enable (Shouko has it), but the simpler way is just to move as a group and mow down the opposition.
Jack and Sawatari are still glass-cannons, so your biggest concern should be Masaki’s MAPW and getting mobbed by the decently powerful new Armas. Keep a Confuse cast ready just in case.

:siren: SRW UX - Azure

And when the enemy turn rolls over…

: Observe the firepower at my Kagaseo’s disposal…!

Blaaaaaast!


Everyone loses 10% HP.

: Waaaaaaah!
: Hrm… his Arma’s as insanely strong as the last time I saw it!
: The enemy Arma’s readying another barrage! Keep a close eye on the damage your units are taking, guys!

As Ylbora did before, Reznor’ll shave off 10% of all units’ max HP every turn. No worries for your hardier guys, but make sure your Reals don’t pile on the evasion decay and get nicked.

:siren: SRW UX - Linebarrel

: The future your eyes… or, rather, Kunio Ishigami’s eyes are set upon isn’t the correct one.
: And it’s today that you’ll come to understand that.

:siren: SRW UX - Azure

:siren: SRW UX - Azure
What wrong BGM? I told you I was setting it for all Fafner units.

:siren: Final Mission ~ Quantum Burst 1

: Psh, trying to take these guys on with a frickin’ Arma’s just not gonna fly…
: Still, I’m way too stubborn to back away from a fight!

:siren: SRW UX - Linebarrel

: I figure you got your reasons for turning on us, but I don’t give a damn what those are!
: You’re our enemy now, and that’s all that I need to kill your ass!
: You’ve always been such a crude man, Sawatari. How are you ever going to get a nice girl with that attitude?

:siren: SRW UX - Azure

: Hmph, the day brings all-out war with them? Win or lose, I shall regret nothing!
: Come! Summon forth every ounce of your strength and face me!

:siren: SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend

: It’s impossible for you to defend anything. Not your friends, and certainly not the future of this world.
: Nay, I will defend it all! And it is through what I inherited from my father and brother, what Zhou Yu awakened me to, that I will succeed…
: I will defend it all through the true courage that lies within me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qABg0vBB29A
And here’s Kazuki’s best non-combo attack.

:siren: Final Mission ~ Quantum Burst 1

: The aura of your bushido is striking, even through the shell of my unit! You deserve my undivided attention today!
: Hah, I say the same of your aura. You are worthy of the name Mr. Bushido!
: Now draw your blade and face me, Samurai of the Skies! (Reference to Saburo Sakai’s autobiography, which shares the same name in Japanese. In the English version, it’s just titled “Samurai!”)


Graham attacking Jack: “I, too, trailed the way of the warrior once. Face me with your very best and I shall do the same!”

:siren: SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend

: I feel no hesitation whatsoever in your blade… I suppose you possess a cause to see fulfilled!
: However, ‘tis the same for me! If you’ve the resolve to trail this path, then face me!
: I am no less inclined to prevail today! By my honor as a warrior, I shall not yield!

:siren: SRW UX - Linebarrel

: Mr. Samurai… Do you still believe an Arma like you stands a chance against a Machina?
: Bushido is the way of death…!
: To defeat you is my greatest ambition, and, upon my honor, I shall see it done! To arms, Reiji Moritsugu!
: Who you tag as a rival is your own business, but I just don’t have the time to indulge you. Let’s make this quick.


Clever girl…!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABzFnt1EA5Y
Fine, be that way. I needed something to showcase more of Liu Bei’s new attacks. We steal more of Jack’s milk with this.
Oh, and Liu Bei attacking: “Your ambitions end here, Katou Organization!"

: Hrm… The Katou Organization is no longer any match to the UX…

: ?!
: Now – arrest him! Show them all what the SDF can do!

Grab!

: Grgh… That I would not have a chance to settle accounts with him… Blast it all!

: Huh, those SDF guys ain’t half bad. We better put our backs into this and go earn our keep!

:siren: SRW UX - You Are Similar to Me

: We’ve been killing each other for long enough, so let’s drop the chit-chat and get to the point! Pit your power against mine and we’ll see who comes out on top!
: Power is just that: power…
: So it won’t be that what I’ll pit against you, but my wishes for our future!

:siren: SRW UX - Linebarrel

: This isn’t about revenge or anger or whatever anymore!
: I’m here fighting to help pave the way for our future!
: Heh, whatever floats your boat – none of that’ll change me or what I want!
: That’s why I’ll always be right here, looking to bash your face in! Come on, Horns!

: Tsk… my Arma’s already totaled! Maybe I oughta just blow myself up and take them out like that?!
: Oh, I really wish you wouldn’t.

: Rgh…! Yulianne, the hell are you doing?!
: You still have a very important part to play, see.
: We can’t have you exiting the stage just yet.
: A “part”…?!
: I’m bringing you in, Sawatari. Don’t try anything funny.
: Kch…!

Beep.

(on the phone): It’s done. I’ve captured Sawatari as ordered.
: Hmhmhm… Good job, Yulianne.

:siren: SRW UX - Roaring Deathblow


“My hands have uprooted yet another possibility…”

: Kch…!
: Come on, bring out your thing already. We know you’re not finished yet.

: I’m impressed. It’s not everyone who can force the Naked out the Glain-Neidr.
: That said, you’d best not take it to be a mere defensive mechanism.
: Got that second wind out of your system? We’ll put you down quick, then!

If Michio isn’t here:

: Whereas you ought to know that we are hardly fighting with our full might!
: We shall end you quickly!

:siren: SRW UX - Linebarrel

: Mr. Amagatsu gave me both the Linebarrel and his will!
: And I’m not going down ‘til I’ve passed that will along to Katou!
: It was a fluke that gave you this power. Do you honestly believe you can best the commander with it?
: You are an irregularity, nothing more. Do not oversell yourself, Kouichi Hayase.

:siren: SRW UX - You Are Similar to Me

: You reject others’ visions for the future simply because it is not the future you want. Your struggles are pure hypocrisy.
: But I’ll still keep on fighting. I want to believe that the future we chose is the right one…
: Because that’s what I’ve steeled myself to do, and the path I’ve chosen!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSWyw_bp6pU
I just remembered I never showed off this attack and its DK. Surprisingly, you only get Kira’s multi-lock cut-in in the MAPW version.

: Urgh… They are so powerful… Is that really the way it is?
: Were Cmdr. Katou’s suspicions correct? Do they represent another possibility to this world…?

: (Wait just a bit longer, Masaki…)

Kill everything and Moritsugu’ll move into position right away:

: How simple it is to close the distance with you.
: A target’s nothing but a target – all the overblown confidence in the world won’t change that.
: Hah, I’ve got you now!

: It’s those things they used with the sat weapon…!
: That Arma had such a trick up its sleeve?!
: You figured all you had to against a foe this big was to move in and aim for the cockpit, didn’t you?
: But you made one fatal mistake: my Kagaseo may be a target, but it’s absolutely no sitting duck!

: M-Mr. Moritsugu…!
: This is bad… he’s gonna swatted down!
: Mr. Moritsugu, it’s too dangerous! Pull back!
: I’ve no reason to.
: Huh?! B-But…!
: As I said, this thing’s just a huge target.
: Bwahahaha! And you think running your mouth’s going to help you get out of the mess you’re in…?
: Was I not clear?
: You are a target, and I’m done holding back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ9pkPnONRA
This new attack is a major power boost for the Vardant: with 5500 baseline attack power, the only Machina that hits harder is the Linebarrel with its Override attack.

: I-Impossible… He destroyed them all?!
: Oh, wow… Looks like Moritsugu was the real threat around here.
: I-Is that… what “true brutality” is like…?!
: Nope, Moritsugu’s still not fighting 100% for real.
: Aack…!
: Bullseye.

: Gwaaaaaaaaaah!

: The giant Arma has gone silent! It’s showing no signs of movement!
: An excellent performance, Mr. Moritsugu!

: That’s all the captains dispatched, but there’s still…
: Yeah, him.

: …
: We figured you would turn up, Hisataka Katou!
: I confess I never imagined your group to have grown this strong…
: Oh, Katou… This shall be a day to remember.
: As the day of the Katou Organization’s complete and utter defeat.
: Excuse me…?
: I’ve got something to tell you, Hisataka Katou!
: Kouichi Hayase…
: If you’re really looking to take up Prof. Kizaki’s dying wish, then, please, listen to me!
: …
: Kouichi… Just who are you?
: Huh…?!
: You’re an average kid in all regards, so how did you come to inherit the Linebarrel?!
: Are you telling me some kid has become the Singularity of our possibilities?!
: (Singularity…?)
: Katou, I…!
: I will not accept that…! I cannot!
: I am the true heir to Amagatsu Kizaki’s will!

: Hrm… Such ferocity!
: Hayase, you must first immobilize his unit!
: Once that’s done, then you can try and talk to him!
: O-Okay!
: Troops, concentrate your firepower on Katou’s Arma! Charge!
: Let’s see what you’ll do now…


Yet another gaggle of Armas, but Katou’s pretty much the same as the last time we fought.

:siren: Secret Alert! :siren:
Linebarrel secret – 5th step: shoot down Katou with Kouichi.

Just keep this in mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyeSmkaLzOw
And here’s Super Liu Bei’s “weakest” attack.

:siren: SRW UX - Linebarrel

: You don’t seem all that sure of yourself. Is the Katou Organization faltering just as much?
: This is nothing, and wholly within the scope of my imagination…!
: But, ultimately, it’ll be me who conquers all possibilities! And I won’t allow any hardship to keep me from doing so!

:siren: SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend

: You are well aware of the destruction in our future, are you not, Hisataka Katou?! Then why do you seek to harm the people further?!
: I must do this because I know the future that awaits us! This is what he wanted!

:siren: Final Mission ~ Quantum Burst 1

: Where does your imagination lead you, Hisataka Katou? What future do you envision for our world…?
: The Innovator… As revolutionary as your powers may be, it’s still beyond you to transform fate itself!

:siren: SRW UX - Linebarrel

: Heeheehee… We just have to kill you and that’ll be the end of the Katou Organization!
: The world is about to get a step closer to peace!
: Someone with such a feeble imagination could never end my life!


Miu attacking: “The enemy commander’s right in front of me… Then, he dies right now!”

:siren: SRW UX - Azure

: There’s a way our world is truly meant to be, but we’ll never find it if we can’t bring ourselves to see the big picture, if we’re not willing to make sacrifices!
: You may face away from death and seek only to defend life, but that won’t lead the world in the right direction!
: That’s a load of crap! The world doesn’t need sacrifices to be capable of heading in the right direction!
: Rather, it will head in the right direction, because that’s the kind of creatures us humans are…!

:siren: SRW UX - The Will of Man Awakens

: Prof. Kizaki’s passed his will on to Hayase, and I’m sure you understand that!
: Silence! Linebarrel or not, I’ll push onwards… I will not and cannot stop!
: Hisataka Katou… What you’re trying to accomplish really is…!

:siren: SRW UX - Azure

: We’re all fellow men and women, but for so long you’ve fought and wreaked havoc upon society…
: All to make them imagine their own deaths… What is even the goddamned point of something like that?!
: Life can only exist because death exists as well! Surely you’re well aware of that!

:siren: SRW UX - Linebarrel

: Stop this, Katou! Mr. Amagatsu—
: Don’t you dare speak the professor’s name, Kouichi Hayase!
: Damn it, he’s not leaving me any option here…!
: Fine, then I’ll just have to put a stop to you! And I’ll do so with the Linebarrel, this Machina bearing all of Mr. Amagatsu’s wishes!


Katou drops a Men’s Super Robots Monthly.

: Argh…!
: It’s over, Hisataka Katou! Your unit’s in no condition to fight after all the damage it’s taken!
: N-No, I won’t let it end here… I still have a mission to see through…!

: That’s enough, Katou!

: Rgh…! Kouichi Hayase…!
: I’ve a decent grasp of the world you came from, thanks to what Mr. Amagatsu showed me.
: And I also understand what you’ve been trying to do all this time!
: Idiocy! What makes you think you understand anything about me or my mission?!
: I do understand. People who’ve lost their imagination become incapable of living as humans!
: And that’s why you’ve been going around, trying to force them to imagine their own deaths: to save mankind from the Suicide Switch coded into their DNA!
: Wh-Whaaaaat?!
: Then, he was…
: Trying to save mankind…?
: …
: Katou… you saw the destruction in our future for yourself.
: And, so, you decided you’d do whatever was necessary to change that future, didn’t you?
: …
: Even if it meant taking the lives of others…
: You were ready to stain your own hands with blood because you believed that it’d lead us to a better future, right?!
: Wh-What of it…?
: What are you getting at?!
: Just one thing: if you really want to save mankind…

: Then, I want you to help us!

SRW UX - Proud
:siren: :siren:

: …?!
: Wh-What did you say…?!
: Hayase, you…!
: …
: (Kouichi…)
: “Humans cannot create their fates, but they can still choose which one to follow…”
: Those were Mr. Amagatsu’s last words!
: That’s… the professor…!
: Our methods were very different, but I’m sure we’re all fighting for the same thing!
: So, it’s not too late! You can still make a choice…
: …
: D-Don’t…
: Don’t give me that shit, Amagatsu!
: …?!
: Damn, cover our troops—

: Aaaaah!
: Are you kidding me?! Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I started trailing this path, all that I’ve done for this?!
: And now you expect me to drop it all for a brat who’s only been a Factor for a fraction of that time…?!

: Hrm… He’s gone nuts!
: Talking isn’t getting us anywhere with him! But if we rush him down right now, we—!
: No, I promised Mr. Amagatsu that I’d shoulder the weight of all of mankind’s lives as a Champion of Justice!
: That I’d be true to my ideals and change this world!
: B-But…
: In that case… I’ll pry that path open for you!
: Setsuna…?!

Setsuna repositions at the center of the map.

: Activating the Quantum System! I’ll cover this area in a mental-affinity field!
: Setsuna, stop! The Quantum System still hasn’t…!

Beep, beep. Power uuuuuup!

: We’ll change ourselves…! If we do not, then we’ll never be able to challenge our future!
: This is what the 00 Qan[T] was made to do!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PKENxzW1ic

: Th-That light…!
: The GN Particles are… Light is spreading all around us!
: Gch… Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Tzeeeeeeeep.

: Katou…
: P-Professor…!
: Thank you so much. You’ve fought, alone, for so long – all in my stead…
: Professor, I…
: But you’ve done enough. You don’t have to continue that battle anymore.
: B-But…!
: Remember, Katou… humans can always, always choose their fates.
: ?!
: Please, help them destroy the future penned by the Machinas.
: Help Hayase, Emi, and their allies…
: PROFESSOR!!

: …
: Humans can always… choose their fates…
: That’s right… We keep on planting those flowers, regardless of how often they’re blown away…
: Because we know that, in time, new flowers, of new colors, will take root and bloom. And we’ll do it again and again, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, until it finally happens…
: …
: Have… Have I been mistaken all this time…?
: Katou…
: (Professor… I…)

: He left…?
: Did Kouichi and Prof. Kizaki’s wishes not connect with the guy…?
: No, I’m sure he understood everything.
: He just needs time to put his thoughts in order…
: He’s spent so long believing in something, and now he has to let it go and start over…
: It’s not an easy thing for people to do…
: …
: (Humans will follow through with the choice they made… even if it means letting go of what they once believed in…)
: …
: I’ll be waiting for your answer, Hisataka Katou…

: …
: Psh, I can’t believe all three of us got caught…
: Especially you, Jack. I wouldn’t have put money on you letting those goons reel you in.
: Reiji Moritsugu felled the Kagaseo with extreme ease. Moreover, he did not even need to claim Reznor’s life.
: …
: And from what they’ve told us, it seems even the commander was beaten by them.
: Do you believe us to be capable of prevailing against such a group?
: What, then, are you two just gonna surrender?!
: Perish the thought. I would never pervade my beliefs.
: However…
: Yeah…?
: Looking back at the commander’s recent demeanor… I cannot help but feel that a major secret lies in the shadows of our battles.
: …

: Yeesh… “Don’t use the Quantum System, Setsuna. It’s not ready,” I said. And what does he do? He uses the thing.
: I guess we’ll need to redo the set-up now.
: S-Sorry. It was my fault that he…
: Don’t worry about it. I made a decision and did what I had to do there.
: B-But…
: You heard the guy: don’t sweat it. You did a bang-up job out there.
: Yeah, talking down the enemy boss is no easy feat.
: Absolutely. For all the missteps you made when you first started this…
: I think you’re doing great now, Kouichi.
: Ki-Kizaki… What was that you just said?!
: Huh? Wh-What’s what…?
: Well… you always called him “Hayase”, and now you’re going with just “Kouichi”…?
: Ah…!
: Oho, is that how close you two have gotten?
: N-No… That’s…!
: Heheh, good for you, I say. It shows how much you two have changed.
: …
: …

door opens

:siren: SRW UX - Separation

: Everyone seems to be having fun, huh?
: Kurusu…
: I was watching throughout the whole thing. I saw how you fight, and how you managed to get through to the other side…
: And did that help you find an answer yourself?
: Hmm… Honestly, I’m still not sure.
: I don’t think I’m capable of following the example of that man, Katou, and letting go of my God…
: There is no God in this world. If anything exists… it’d be the will of man.
: The will of man…?
: In the neverending flow of time, our lives are given to us for the most fleeting of moments… (Reference towards the meaning of Setsuna’s codename. As told in the Newtype Magazine of September/2008, Setsuna F. Seiei stands for “刹那 From 聖永”, a.k.a., Setsuna From Seiei – A moment from eternity.)
: It is because we burn so brightly in those fleeting moments that Man knows the meaning of life.
: Their will is something that transcends even God.
: …
: The light that Liu Bei, Cao Cao and Sun Quan showed me was so dazzling…
: And I could feel all your emotions within the light of the GN Particles…
: And what did you think when you saw all that?
: …
: That I want to experience that light for myself.
: And that was your own will speaking.
: …! I have a will…?
: Of course you do. You said you wanted to experience that light for yourself, but no one ordered you to feel that way, right? You just did, as any person would.
: And you thought the sky was pretty when you were born, right?
: You should try and teach your God what it’d mean to have that taken away from you.
: …
: My… My God is…

: Excuse us.
: Oh? What brings you all here?
: We’ve a few things we’d like to ask you, Mr. Ishigami…
: Hahaha, you do remember that JUDA’s gone as a company, yes? You don’t need to call me “Mr.” anymore…
: Very well. Then, allow us to rephrase our statement.
: Kunio Ishigami, former captain of the Katou Organization’s 1st unit… we have questions we would like to ask you.
: ?!
: …
: Hmhmhm, I see. That Quantum System is quite something, isn’t it?
: I didn’t think it would even grant you access to Katou’s memories.
: We know of how you first met Katou, and how you eventually decided to break ties with his Organization…
: But those were all memories taken exclusively from Hisataka Katou’s point of view.
: What’ll it be, then? Do you want me to tell you what you couldn’t learn from Katou’s POV?
: That’s right. Ishigami, what was it that you saw the day you first entered Judah? What did you see the moment you became its Factor?
: You’ll have to forgive me, but I—
: You shall withhold answers no longer, Ishigami!
: …
: We let you off the hook before because you said that revealing information could change events down the road, but we’re not taking that excuse anymore.
: Because, as Katou himself said, Kouichi Hayase’s become the “singularity” of our possibilities. I would expect the future to have already changed due to that.
: …
: Mr. Ishigami… I’d wager things are progressing far beyond what Judah predicted.
: It is time you told us the truth you have kept to yourself…
: Tell us who is the true enemy we are to face!
: Hmhmhm… The “true enemy”, eh?
: Okay, you win. And, really, Judah said this would happen.
: I’ll tell you everything I know.
: Sir…
: But only after you guys have taken care of a certain situation over by the Union.
: The Union…?
: You’ll understand once you get there.
: Yet another of Judah’s future predictions?
: Maybe. It could be that the outcome has already changed, as you said…
: And if that’s caused fate to diverge into a new possibility, then I say we see where these new tides take us.
: Fine. But we’ll be coming back to talk to you soon.
: Until then.

Everyone leaves.

: Phew… Oh, that was scary!
: My heart was all the way up in my throat thinking Lord Cao Cao was about to run me through.
: Have you seen that saw-like sword of his? What if he’d decided to go all “Surrender or die!” on me?

(This was originally a reference to a rather memetic Cao Cao quote from other SD Gundam Sangokuden media, such as the manga… but it’s just the equivalent to yelling ‘Silence!’, so I figured simply translating it wouldn’t get the joke across. Cue Dynasty Warriors to my rescue.)

: Sir… are you sure this for the best?
: Who knows? As they say, whatever will be, will be.
: …
: (The future may already have changed, hm…?)
: (I would really like to believe that to be the case…)


And that’s the end of the route split, bringing us with another three tacticians/cheerleaders unlocking their final bonuses:

  • Cham: +10% attack power during the player phase
  • Erebos: acquire one random Skill Part at the end of the mission (the RNG decides on the part at the start of the mission, so, no, you can’t game the system with quick-saves right at the end!)
  • Fei-Yen: +10% HP Regen to everyone.

I seem to remember this being when you get PROUD in UX, actually. This or two stages after the route split.

Minor spoiler for post-timeskip Linebarrel plot, but there’s an implication here in this update and I feel like I should confirm it - the suicide switches they’ve talked about a few times, that I brought up was a real thing? Katou’s has been flipped since just before he came to this era. He holds back through sheer force of will and desire to see the one task he’s set for himself done, which is why Kouichi countermanding him made him go nuts. He’s the only one of the main cast who has their switch flipped that ends up living.

Anyway we have one more mission after the split before Linebarrels of Iron finally comes to a head. Ishigami did give a good reason for you to hold off, though… you’ll see. Should be something you can guess without looking it up though. This is the endgame, and there’s not many plots that require you to go to the Union.

Click to see the mission!


Back to the Union Route, where the Black Lodge’s riding out to R’lyeh with their fully armed and operational battle Cthulhu. Kurou, Dancouga and Eida are deploying as event units, so here’s how we’re going:
Joe/Amalgan
Aesap/Lux
Joey/Rennie
Kurou/Kiki
Mike/Ozma
Burn/Marvel
Shou/Tsubasa
Mazinkaiser/Canaria
Alto/Luca
Dr. West/Hebi
Arnie/Saya
Fei-Yen/Michel
Damian/Klan
Tactician: Ruri (once again, keep her set in if you’re on track for the Demonbane secret.)

And do note that this is the cutoff point for Heroman’s kill count to be over 200 if you’re going for that secret.
Off we go.

:siren: SRW UX - Rebellion Against Fate

: It’s been a long time coming, but it’s time to hammer the final nail in the Black Lodge’s coffin.
: I wish we could have the Tatsumiya team helping with this, though…
: They’re busy fighting other enemies right now. We’ll have to make do by ourselves.
: We’ve received word from Maj. Ronin that the Union’s Pacific Fleet’s been dispatched to help us, so that should offset our diminished forces somewhat.
: However, the evil god is shielded by a mighty magical barrier. Conventional weapons will, at best, slightly hamper its movement.
: Meaning we just have to hit it with UNconventional weapons, then.
: Heh, I guess that’s what it boils down to.
: That makes us the last hope of mankind. We gotta make it happen!
: Hell, yeah. Bring out your evil gods or whatever, my sword’ll chop ‘em up but good!
: Sheesh, look at them. Everyone’s really fired up for this, huh?
: You say, like you’re not feeling the exact same way.
: Maybe, maybe.
: But you know me. I only really feel ‘fired up’ when I’m burning as bright as can be.
: I hear ya. And we’ll burn like there’s no tomorrow when we get out there!

Door opens.

: Well, well. I must say, it’s quite reassuring to listen to you all.
: W-Winfield! Are you feeling better already!
: Oh, I couldn’t well lay in bed while everyone else is risking their lives in combat.
: But…
: Winfield, don’t you have another task to see to?
: But, my lady, as head butler of the Hadou household, I…
: If you’re concerned for us, don’t be. We promise we’ll come back safely.
: So, I want you to go and fulfill your own assignment.
: …
: Very well, my lady. I shall see to it with every fiber of my being!
: It’s almost time, guys. We should get ready to depart.
: Our destination’s the Pacific Ocean… the undersea metropolis of R’lyeh!

: Hmph, these puny humans mean to challenge the Great Cthulhu? How quaint.
: Augustus… What is your take on the Demonbane?
: You mean about the power it displayed when it killed Tiberius, hm?
: That unit was meant to be on par with a Deus Machina, but what it did was far beyond that level.
: It was almost like… like…
: Like the Grand Master. Am I right?
: …
: Hah… Well, you needn’t to concern yourself with that.
: Especially since your life is about to come to an end.
: What?!

Zaaaaap!

: Gwaaaaaaaaargh!
: Hmhmhm…
: H-Have you gone mad, Augustus…?!
: As you would say, this world is rife with malice and betrayal.
: Farewell, Vespasianus.
: C-CURSE YOU!!

Cast Big Magic Missile!

: Hahah… AHAHAHAHAHAHA!
: At last… At long last, the power of God is mine! The ultimate power, which none may oppose, which can bend even fate to my will!
: That power now belongs… TO MEEEEeeeee! (Here goes Wakamoto!)
: Me, the overlord of the entire world… AAAAAUUUUgustuuuuus!!

(Nero): Ar…gh…
(Nero): Fate does not bend to you… The only one who can touch upon the will of the heavens is…
(Nero): Kurou… I’ll put your and your friends’ strength to the test. Hurry up and come to me…


Location: Dragon’s Hive – Command Center

: The Dancouga and R-Daigun’s combination mechanism?
(on TV): Yeah, we want you to unseal it.
(TV): We’ll be tackling an ancient god, so we’d rather not take any chances.
: I understand the situation, but, unfortunately, I cannot grant your request.
(TV): Why?!
(TV): You’re not seriously giving us the run-around now, of all times, are you?
: Oh, now that’s just mean. This just isn’t something we able to help you with…
: The fact is that it wasn’t our call to seal the combination mechanism away. It happened on its own…
: This is purely conjecture, but it might’ve been the Dancouga itself who wanted it that way.
: The Dancouga itself…?
(TV): The hell’s that supposed to mean? That the Dancouga’s rejecting us as pilots?!
: Eeh, I wouldn’t say that either…
: Hm, I get it. What you’re saying is that we’ll need to get the mechanism unsealed ourselves?
: Alright, we’re up for it!
: I figured you would say that. Good luck – the future of Earth is in your hands.
: You better have a good bonus ready for us once this is done.

Bloop.

: Sigh… Our budget’s already tight enough as it is… I’ll have to run some numbers.
: …
: Are you really sure about this?
: Don’t worry. They’ll pull through, just as they did before…
: They’re a hardy, dangerous crew, after all. They thrive in extreme situations.


Location: Pacific Ocean

Demonbane OST – A Burst of Justice
:siren: :siren:

: Cthulhu, dead ahead! Distance: 5000! We’ve several hostiles incoming!
: The Quarter and the Demonbane’ll break through their lines! Order all troops to intercept the enemy troops and head towards the fortress!
: That’s Cthulhu?! It’s even bigger than I thought…!

Woooooommmm.

: Hrgh… What is this miasma?!
: ‘Tis Cthulhu’s! The minds of those lacking in magical fortitude cannot withstand it, so do not allow it to engulf you!
: Hrgh… We’ve come too far to let an Aura like this do us in!
: Push forward and bust the enemy formation!
: All units, spread out! Formation Planet Dance!
: I’m on it! Come on, Tobikage!
: Outta my way, ya mooks! We’ve got bigger fish to fry!

Blaaaaaaast! And tentacles!

: Aah! They got the Elshank…!
: Wh-What in blazes are these tentacles?! We cannot move…!
: Eida, we’re going in!
: I got it! Danblade Twin!
: Haaah! Dankuuzan!

Cut!

: W-We’re free! No problems across the ship!
: Thank you for the help!
: We’re not letting them nab the Elshank! Hold on and we’ll clear the path for you!

Alarm!

: It’s…! We’ve several flying humanoids headed our way!
: Nightgaunts! Be wary – they mean to drag you into the Great Abyss!
: We’ll drop them before they get their claws on our ship! Speedy targets…
: Are our specialty!
: Go, you two! Aura Slash!
: Deeeeeyaaaaa!

Booooom!

: Now! Attack Cthulhu’s outer shell!
: Kurou, use the God-Beast Bullets I gave you!
: God-Beast Bullets… You mean these?!
: Aye, ‘tis special ammunition which function as a medium for Gods to manifest in this world! Fire at will!
: Okay! Ia, Cthugha! Ia, Ithaqua!

: Here’s a God-Beast fire sale just for you, monster! Come and have your fill!

Blaaast! Skreeeeee!

: We’ve confirmation that thirteen layers of its barrier have disappeared! It’s now vulnerable to physical attacks!
: Don’t let this opportunity escape us! Shove a Macross Attack down its throat!
: All of you who bear pride upon your wings, CHARGE!
: Here goes! OOORYAAAAA!

BLAM!

: Cthulhu’s outer shell has been broken!
: Everyone forward! We’re headed right for the heart of that thing!
: Here we are, Black Lodge!
: We are the sword that’ll destroy you, and our blade’s right against your throat!
: The strongest grimoire and sorcerer duo in the world is back!


Mission 43 – The Return of the Sorcerer

: A sea of blood… Now that’s some bad taste in interior design.
: We are squarely within the heart of the enemy fortress! Keep your wits about you!

: Indeed. A moment’s distraction shall bring nothing but a quick death. You would do well to steel yourselves.
: Hrm, he’s already recovered from his wounds?!
: You are the only ones capable of quenching my thirst for combat now that he is gone.
: I challenge you, Ultimate Cross, Master of the Necronomicon!
: He’ll trail the Way of the Shura to the bitter end… he fights for nothing but the thrill of battle!
: You’re just a bigger version of that Lu Bu fella. ‘Course, that don’t sound like a bad lifestyle to me…
: You sad, sad man… Blood is not something that can sate the thirst you feel.
: Our path is clear! Only the stillness of death may bring peace to one who has degenerated into a Shura!
: We’ll put you down for good, Titus! Come here!
: Everyone, our victory or defeat today will determine the future of our world!
: Destroy all the Anticross and halt this metropolis’ rise to the surface! Attack!


Don’t lose a ship, Kurou, Aoi or Eida – you don’t need to down all the Destroyer Robos, mind, as just taking out the bosses’ll do the trick (but you want the money and kills, no?).
You already know what to expect of Titus – accuracy and powerful hits – so approach as you did before. Do remember that he’s NOT immune to debuffs, so Dr. West and Mike in the Kaima can really do a number on him. SP management is the name of the game, as we’ll have plenty of stuff to get through, so reducing his stats’ll help with that.
One thing to take note is that, for whatever reason, the mooks are particularly lazy today: they’ll only attack what gets in range, but will never actually move from their starting spots. If you’d rather play it safe, angle your guys up a wing of their formation, wipe it out, and then move on to the next. Titus won’t sit by, however.

:siren: Secret Alert! :siren:
Demonbane secret – 10th step: set Ruri as your tactician and take out Titus with Kurou.

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina

: Ooh, we’ve got a full house today. Nice! Hey, galaxy, listen to my song!
: Let’s go, Doctor!
: Here’s my Love Heaaaaart!!

:siren: SRW UX - A Bird’s Song

:siren: SRW UX - Love Survivor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAFLnKHHmF4
Oh, and Titus had the decency of showing off his best attack this time. As you can see, it HURTS.

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina

: HAHAHA! Those blunt sticks of yours won’t even scratch my paintjob!
: Come see how you and your stupid top-knot do! Seppuku! Harakiri! Kamikazeeeee! (West is just yelling random words, but this taunt was originally done by Elsa when she fought Titus in the Leica route of the VN.)
: Hmph, I see your eccentricity hasn’t diminished since your betrayal…
: However, I trust you realize the consequences of mocking me, hm…?
: Waah… He’s really mad behind that pokerface of his-robo!

:siren: SRW UX - LEGEND OF KAISER

: Pilots of the devil… I trust you will make for fine opponents to an adept of the Way of the Shura!
: You looking to take a tour around Hell? Well, the customer’s always right!
: Ante up your Way of the Shura and we’ll see if it beats our Way of Hell!

:siren: SRW UX - The Will of Man Awakens

: You’ve abandoned your humanity to hunt humans, all in a quest for power… yet you’re still not satisfied. How far can you fall, demon?!
: The way of the blade is the way of the Shura, and, thus, my goal is but one: power beyond measure! Crumble before my might, human!

:siren: SRW UX - Dunbine Flies

: Hold nothing back. My flesh may have been wounded, but I remain more than well-equipped to face you!
: I’m fully aware of how powerful you are. Believe me, holding back is the last thing I’d do!
: Yeah! He’s going to chop every last bit of that evil Aura Power of yours!

:siren: SRW UX - My Fate

: If all you care about is raw power, then why can’t you earn it in a way that’s just?!
: Fool… It’s because the way of righteousness could never provide the power I seek that I cast everything aside in my quest!

:siren: SRW UX - Tobikage Appears!

: We have crossed blades on several occasions, but this will all but surely be the final time…
: Yet none of us wishes for this to be our end. That is what makes this such a blessed moment: it allows us to pour our very souls into this clash!
: Bring it on, you wannabe samurai! I’ll make a very final pile of slag outta you!

:siren: SRW UX - Roulette

: If you’re that strong, then why do you only use it for battle?!
: Power thrives only between the clash and reaping of lives. What problem do you see in such a pursuit?
: The problem is that it’s wrong… Power isn’t meant for fighting! It’s to defend those who can’t defend themselves!

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina

: Master of the Necronomicon. Mine is the blade of a man who’s reached the apex of combat, and you’ll experience in full the might with which I wield it!
: Bring it on! I’ll repay you for Winfield’s injuries twice over!
: Realize now that power attained through demonic means is utterly meaningless, villain!


Titus drops another Goubine Helmet.

: Hah… Hahahahah…
: I delved into the realm of inhumanity in a bid to quench my thirst for battle, yet what did I find there…?
: Nothing. Nothing but the endless, insatiable thirst.
: The only fleeting moments of relief came from you… and him…

: …
: That man, he… he gave out such a lonely aura at the end…
: (Live by yourself, and die by yourself…)
: (That’s the fate that awaits a Shura, huh…)

: Oh, dear… Even Titus turned out to be UUuuseless.
: You’re…!

: You have done WEEEeeelll to make it this far – especially for an imitation Deus Machina and a gaggle of mere huuumaaannns.
: What, are you going to fight us by yourself? Sure you don’t want to call out any allies for help?
: Alliiiees?
: Ha… BWAHAHAHAHAHAH! HAAAHAHAAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!
: What’s so funny-robo?!
: I have no more NEEeeed of allies! I shall be the only one to dominate Cthuluuuu! BWAHAHAHAHAAaaa!
: Wait, don’t tell me… you killed the other guy?!
: You have been blinded by the power of this evil god, and lost your very self… You are a fool!
: SIIIiiileeence! He who stands before you is no longer Augustus of the AAaannnticross!
: I now command the power of the Great OOOoold One! Even a god bows before me, and, soon, so will the entire WOOoorllld!
: You stand before the KAAaaiiiserr of Earth! AAAAUGUSSSTUUUUUS!!
: “Kaiser of Earth”…?
: Ohoho… You’re calling yourself a Kaiser right in our faces? Now them’s fighting words! (I understand the original VN translation had Augustus name himself EEEMmmperor, but here they specifically added Kaiser furigana to 皇帝.)
: But I’m afraid your reign’ll be a very short one, Augustus. You can’t beat us!
: Ye false Kaiser, wallowing in malice and treachery… We shall oust you from your throne!


Legacy of Gold (Augustus)
Pilot Skills:
Sorcerer L7
Grimoire L7
Prevail L8
Support Attack L3
All Attack L3
Mech Features:
20% HP Regen
Augustus voice actor: Emperor Norio Wakamoto (other roles: Tekkaman Omega, Moon WILL, Einst Regisseur, Maier Branstein, Charles Britannia, Shapiro, Coach Ota, Cell, Nobunaga, Megatron, and more, more, more.)

Augustus is all about blasting your guys with his big guns, and they pack an appropriately mean punch. His stats are also, like the other Anticross, on the high end, BUT, like Titus, he isn’t immune to debuffs, so it’s not difficult to defang him.
As you’d expect from something that looks like this, the Legacy of Gold is quite hardy – especially with Wakamoto’s Prevail – so also tag him with Armor Down, as you’ll still want to preserve a decent amount of SP. Finally, he can only use his strongest attack at range 3-8, so if you close the distance, he’ll have to rely on his weaker one, which has a full 1100 less power (but is more accurate).
And do note that Augustus comes accompanied by two Dagons (as strong as the ones we fought at mission 26), so don’t let them tag YOU with debuffs. Leave Kurou nearby to distract the guy and have your more evasive guys take out the buggers.

:siren: Secret Alert! :siren:
Demonbane secret – 10th step: Also take out Augustus with Kurou.

And there’s this, too.

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina

: The DEEeemonbaaane?! The destroyer of EEeeviiil?!
: You’ll have to forgiiiive me if I don’t find myself particularly AFRAAaaiiid! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!
: Do you take us to be the same as we were afore? How many Deus Machinas, how many spawns of your evil god do you think we felled to reach this place?
: Keep on getting high on yourself, you crook! I’ll have your bot’s gold plating torn off and ready for selling in two shakes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnKnnMvGWZA
“Kurou Daijuuji and Al Azif… You are no longer any match for MEEEeee!” > “Observe the power of a Great OOooold OOOoone!”

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina

: Never did I expect you turn out to be such a nuisance when you made off with your life, Doctoooorr.
: HOOooweever, that ends here. Your hunk of juunnnnk could never defeat a god!
: See, this is why I can’t stand buffoons!
: This is the fruit of my gigantic, limitless intellect, the Super West Invincible Robot Type-28 Special!
: Yes, a buffoon of your meager brainpower could never understand the super delicious, hyper magnum, gorgeous precision that went into its creation…
: Much less the special, deluxe, galactic power it possesses—
: What he’s getting at is that it’s an incredible robot and it won’t be beaten by the likes of you-robo!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVnc8GleFIA
And have a video for his other attack, if only so we can have more Wakamoto.

:siren: SRW UX - Love Survivor

: A Kaiser is meant to be a leader to his people! Anyone who’d look down upon others is not fit for that title!
: BWAHAHAHAHA! A mere HUuumaannn dares insult me? I’ll show you a power that exceeds even that of the gods themmseeelvesss!

:siren: SRW UX - A Bird’s Song

: I am far different from the MOOoonnn WIIiiiLL your team defeated!
: Yes, I am the ruler of all that exists in this world! Augustus, the KAAaaiiser of Earth!
: Psh, shows what you know.
: He’s got absolutely no clue, and here he is, lording it over us. I’m actually kind of embarrassed for him, really.
: I hate to break it to you, but… you are just like Moon WILL.
: Yeah, especially with that god-complex and that ‘I rule over EEeeverything’ shtick!
: And there’s no way in hell we’re getting dropped by a guy like that! Let’s go wild!

:siren: SRW UX - Lion

: I am the Kaiser of Earth! And it’s my DUUuutyyy to free the souls of bacteria like you from their BIIiiindinnngs!
: Yeah, well, that role doesn’t suit you in the slightest! This impromptu show of yours sucks, and it’s time someone brought down the curtains on it!

:siren: SRW UX - Believe ver. HD

: Your SOOoonng is no more than child’s play face my godly POOooweeers!
: You really like yelling, don’t you? But you should know that only makes it obvious how insecure you are!

:siren: SRW UX - The Will of Man Awakens

: I can feel the light of life irradiating from within you. It displeeeaaases MEEEeee! I, the Kaiser of Earth, shall judge you myself!
: We’ve absolutely no reason to accept your judgment! You see lives as nothing but toys, and it falls on us to put people like you down!
: You’re not worthy of calling yourself a Kaiser! You’re just scum, and Hell is where you’re headed!

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina


Augustus drops another SEKIGAHARA Game Software for us.

: HRRRRRRMMMMMMUUUAAAAAAAAH!!
: How’d you like that?!
: …
: Hm-Hmhmhm… Do you believe that to be enough to defeat my Leeeegacy Of Gooooold – to defeat a GOD?!

: Regenerative abilities?! Is that also fruit of Cthulhu’s powers?!
: A-Are you kidding me?! All that pummeling and he’s looking brand new again?!
: Kch, don’t stop! Fire everything on him!

: MWAHAHAHAHAHA!! You’ll still keep attacking MEEeee?
: Humans are meeeerely cattle to serve the gods! AND THAT APPLIES TO YOU TOOooooo!

: Aaaaieeeee!
: Th-This is the power of a god…?!
: It’s like the guy’s gone Hyper…! How are we supposed to beat him…?!
: Isn’t it obvious? If we’re fighting a god, then we just gotta transcend him!
: Transcend a god…?!
: WAAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, the FOOOooolishness! The height of idiocy!
: Cattle transcending a god?! RIDICULOUS! ABSUUUURD! I could laugh until the heat death of the universe and it STIIiiilll wouldn’t be enough!
: The only thing that’s ridiculous here is you. And it’s high time you stopped laughing.
: You’re not the first bad apple fancying himself God that we’ve seen.
: But God is someone who’s born of the will of man… it’s the power of our prayers that makes Him who He is.
: Meaning someone like you, who’s turned his back on humanity, could never actually be God, moron!
: Y-You vermin dare insult MEEeeee?!
: Fine, then we’ll just have to show it to you…!
: The potential hidden inside us humans – the potential to transcend even the gods themselves!

: Wh-WHAAAT?!
: Aoi, everyone… that light is!

:siren: SRW UX - A Bird’s Song

: Haaaaaaaaah!
: Keyword! M-A-X-G-O-D!

: Dancouga! MAXGOD!
: The Dancouga and the R-Daigun…!
: They’ve combined?!
: It’s… the Dancouga MAXGOD!
: I get it… The Dancouga never rejected us.
: We were the ones who’d forgotten…
: Thanks for the help, Kaiser of Earth. You’ve helped us remember the “god” inside.
: Th-The god inside you?!
: Our prayers turn to power, beckoning a god – a wild beast – to nestle within us!
: I can hear their song!
: Hokori to ai ga kyoumeishite… kanadeteru, melody! ♪
: Tsubasa wa, kaze ni note…! ♪
: Oozora ni inoru, tori no uta…! ♪ (All slight shifts on Dancouga Nova’s OP)
: You’re wasting your TIIiiime! You could never defeat a god! NEVEEEEeeerrr!
: See for yourself, then!
: The sword that smites evil… No, the blade that slays even gods!
: A power that’s transcended men, beasts and the gods themselves!
: Let’s go wild! SEEEEEEEIIIII!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3dtlxDXeuM
Captions are available.

: OOOoorgh! I-Impossible… How?! I am a god…
: I am the Kaiser of EEAAaarth! GRUUAAAAAAAAAARGH!!

: Phew…
: W-Wow. That’s…
: That’s the true power of the reborn Demonbane…
: And the Dancouga’s!

: Heeheehee… You really did touch the will of the heavens…
: It’s that Deus Machina…!
: I really was right about you and your friends, Kurou!
: Th-That voice… It can’t be!
: What… You are alive?!
: Yoohoo! How’s it going, guys?
: E-Ennea…?!
: No, sorry. That name was kind of a lie. I’m actually called Nero…
: The Tyrant, Nero, of the Anticross.
: Wh-What are you talking about, Ennea?!
: And I see you’ve really come to master the guns I gave you.
: Cthugha and Ithaqua… These were yours?!
: Kurou looked like he was having a pretty hard time, see…
: But, most of all, I figured I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the fight without a little handicap.
: And, by the by, that ALVIS kid? I was the one who saved him too. No need to thank me.
: ALVIS kid? You saved Mamoru…?!
: What’s going on, Ennea?!
: I told you, I’m Nero – not Ennea. I’m yours and the UX’s enemy, Kurou!
: That cold, nauseating smirk… it’s just like his.
: Like Master Therion’s…!
: That’s right, I’m a devil. I’m glad that sunk in.
: Is that… Is that really true?! Are you just another monster who gets a kick out of causing destruction?!
: Was everything you did as Ennea, down to that playful smile, all just one big lie?! What did you approach me for, then?!
: …
: Because… I wanted to meet you. That’s the truth.
: And I did have fun playing with you and your friends. That’s also true.
: Then, why…?!
: Didn’t you hear me say I’m a devil? Destroying the world is what I do. Just. Like. This!

RUUUUMBLE!

: Wh-What did you do?!
: I’ve made Cthulhu go berserk. Soon, the cells of his body’ll start to multiply endlessly – like one huge cancer.
: If that happens, the planet will…!
: Exactly. I’ll unleash Cthulhu upon the world and there’ll be nothing left by the time it’s done!
: Here I am, the embodiment of all the evil and injustice that you guys hate oh-so-much! Come and get me!
: No! I haven’t fought through all those battles in order to kill you now! I haven’t fought just to replace one injustice with another!
: We have to fight, Kurou…!
: Arnie, you…!
: I’m sure you can tell…
: Ennea… rather, Nero, wants you to kill her…!
: …?!

: (Aah… I see how it is, Nero. You’re going to have Kurou do what you cannot do yourself…)
: (This was the answer you finally found within your eternal cage, hm? Very good, indeed.)
: (However… Humans are strong – truly strong. More so than you imagine…)
: (And that strength will be your and their downfall…!)

: Ennea, I…!
: Go, Kurou! You’re the only one who can truly save her soul!
: Hrrgh, damn it! Goddamnit! ENNEAAAAA!!


Nameless One (Nero)
Pilot Skills:
Sorcerer L8
Grimoire L8
Prevail L9
Support Attack L3
All Attack L3
Mech Features:
30% HP Regen
All-Canceller
Nero’s voice actress: Ari Yunohara (other roles: Salsa Tortilla in Blessing of the Campanella, Chiffon in Alphandia Genesis 2 and a few other stuff in games that I don’t think made it to the west.)

True to her reputation, Nero comes backing the biggest stats across all the Anticross and is on par with Master Therion (though the Nameless One doesn’t have all those S ranks). She’s got range, she’s got a ton of power, she’s immune to debuffs, she’s very bulky and even regens 50k HP a turn. That said, if you’ve saved enough SP to cast Valor (and a defensive spell), you can down her in one turn if you throw everything at her. If you haven’t… then you’ll likely need a couple, if not three, turns to drop her.
Like Augustus, her best attack is range 3-8, but, unlike him, her close-range attack is still pretty powerful and packs a big crit and accuracy modifier (in fact, unless you somehow empty her MP stock, you’ll never see her use her outright weakest attack).
She’s also accompanied by another 6 Dagons, so you’ll either want to get rid of them (they’re each worth 12k a pop!) or, if you’re strapped for resources, kill just enough to open a path and rush Nero down. Thankfully, she doesn’t have MAPWs to hit you on approach – and she likes going after big HP targets like Kurou and our ships, who can tank her just fine.

:siren: Secret Alert! :siren:
Demonbane secret – 10th step: ALSO, take out Nero with Kurou.

Easy money.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHZz39S4mxk
Like I was saying, her AI prioritizes big HP pools, so you can dangle them inside her range while your guys move in.

:siren: SRW UX - Tobikage Appears!


I don’t use Rennie’s MAPW enough, but I should. Joe and Joey both know Zeal (Shouko, Al and Erebos all know Enable, too), so you don’t even NEED to spend a Continuous Action on her and have her flying solo when you spot a prime opportunity like this.
She shaves off a good chunk off all the other Dagons, so they fall in quick succession.

:siren: SRW UX - A Bird’s Song

: My heart’s on fire… a flame erupting from deep within me.
: Been a long time since I felt this surge in my soul!
: How about we share some of this trip down memory lane with the enemy as well?
: You got it! We’ll give them a taste of the power born of our united wills…
: The power through which the Dancouga MAXGOD’ll soar towards our future…!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtZ8mq010PI
Dancouga Nova attacking monsters: Johnny: “Aoi, I’m relaying you some data I found in Men’s UMAs Monthly!” > Aoi: “That mag even has stuff on these?!”

:siren: SRW UX - Love 14 ver. HD (Vocal)

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina

: I won’t think twice of facing anyone, not even the Tyrant-robo! My darling’s love empowers me-robo!
: Nooo, Elsa! Chuck that garbage into the incinerator this instant and let my sweet heart take its rightful place!
: Ahahahaha, you guys are so funny!
: But if you say your love is that powerful, then fire it up and take me down with it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1xNEogYMkE
Here’s Nero’s second strongest attack… and would you believe I forgot I hadn’t shown it yet and skipped the rest of the animation? Blah… you can see her attack and that’s what matters!

With that done, it’s time to wrap up this mission!

Kanako Ito – Shadow in the Dark
:siren: :siren:

: Hmhmm, I get it now. It was because of that strong will that you’ve managed to carve out your destiny.
: Do you know something…?
: However, if you stand against us, then my only choice is to cut you down!

: I feel your killer intent all the way here… You’re fighting for real, aren’t you, Nero?
: What about you, Shou? Will you kill me? You have to kill my hate, you know!

: (You have awakened… How far will your and her song resound? How strongly will it shine?)
: (Hmhm, how exciting…)

: Holy Warriors are chosen to correct a world thrown into chaos, right?
: Well, I’m absolutely a force of chaos threatening to destroy this world. Hurry up, now!
: I’m nowhere as larger-than-life as that. If I’m fighting, it’s only because I chose to do so!

: You really pulled the wool over all our eyes, huh?
: To be fair, Men’s Intrigue Monthly never said anything about suspecting kids.
: Heehee, this was all pre-ordained, so don’t feel too bad about not noticing it. That’s fate for you!
: You spent all that time with us and don’t even know that we hate getting pushed around by fate?!
: I dunno what you were actually thinking when you cozied up to us, but where I come from, little scamps like you get taught a lesson!

: Shoot me down, why don’t you? If I’m not stopped, your beloved sky’ll soon be a lot of nothing.
: Are you seriously going to keep playing the fool, Ennea?!
: Because I’m sure you were meant for better stuff than that!

: Tsk, I just hate having to shoot at a girl!
: Don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill, I say. Just aim at my heart and pull the trigger.
: It took you so long to grab a hold of your life and your fate, so you better take good care of them!

: Ah, I know you two get that this is the time for killing, right?
: Absolutely…! We won’t even give you an opportunity to regret this!
: We’re coming for you and we ain’t pullin’ our punches! You’ll die in our Hell!


Kaido attacking: “I don’t give a damn that you’re a kid! ‘Mercy’ goes right out the window when you’re an enemy!”

: I’m a force of evil looking to destroy the world. Take me down and you’ll be a real hero, just like you’ve always wanted!
: Wrong, Ennea… A hero in my book isn’t someone who beats evil.
: A hero… is someone who fights to protect others! And that’s why I want to protect you too!

: A whole lot of folks were really sad because of you, Ennea. Don’t you even care about how much they hurt?!
: Oh, don’t be mad. I was alive all along, so it’s good, no?
: And, by the by, if you look at me as Ennea again, it’ll be you who ends up dead this time, Joe!

: Are you really going to do this, Ensign?
: Don’t forget what we’ve been fighting for. We need to put down anyone who’d try to destroy our future.
: Bingo! You’re really come into your own, Arnie… Now, let the fun begin!
: Show me how bright your and Saya’s lives can shine!

: You’re a Champion of Justice, Kurou – the defender of the world. And I’m the Evil Sorcerer plotting to destroy it.
: We’ll use all our power to utterly deny each other, with literally everything riding on the outcome of this battle. Isn’t it great?
: Steel yourself, Kurou. She is Ennea no more, but Nero, the Tyrant!
: Why… Why do we have to do this?! ENNEAAAAAA!!


Al: “Kurou, combat is unavoidable!” > Kurou: “Kch… I really don’t have a choice?!”
Nero drops a Nyan-Nyan Deluxe Tuna Dumpling (Accuracy and Ranged +10, Defense +5).

: Hmhmhm… That’s pointless.

: She’s using Cthulhu’s power again?!
: I don’t think so. I felt something… weird. A wave of nothingness, like something was… discreated?
: Ah, you figured it out. This is the Nameless One’s ultimate power: the ability to delete an occurrence, to sever something from the tapestry of Causality.
: Put it simply, the Nameless One can take the fact that it was injured and make it so that never happened.
: Such power… ‘tis not meant for human hands…
: Well, it’s a good thing I’m a demon, then. A force of evil fully capable of annihilating the world. And nothing any of you have can resist my power.
: With just one exception.
: “One exception”…?

Heartbeat.

: Rgh… Gwaaaaaaaaah!

: That’s…!
: The Shining Trapezohedron…!
: There you go! That’s the one and only thing that can destroy me!
: Once more it manifests heedless of our call… What in blazes is it?!

The Demonbane gets yanked into position.

: Ur…k… It’s too strong. I can’t hold it back!
: Kurou, we must unleash its power against the enemy. If we do not, it will destroy us!
: I know, but…! I just can’t use it on Ennea!
: Can’t you see the tears in her eyes, the Aura of sorrow around her, Kurou?! Are you still going to answer her wishes with uncertainty?!
: Sorrow…?!

:siren: SRW UX - Prologue

: This… is the fate she chose, of her own free will!
: She’s decided to sacrifice herself and leave the future in our care… just as Maj. Richard, Soushi, Ms. Akane and King Sakomizu did!
: And, so, it falls on us to take up the burden of her sorrow and continue in our walk to that future! That’s our duty to them!
: But… But, I—!
: There are many who shall perish if we do not fight…
: Mere words shall save nothing… not even the enemy!
: Al, Ennea… I…! I… Uwaaaaaaaaaaah!
: Come on, Kurou…!

: Rrk… Argh…!
: ENNEA!

: H-Hmm…
: Ennea, are you okay?!
: Kurou…?! But how…?
: The person the Demonbane and I cut down wasn’t you.
: I defeated Nero, the last Anticross. Now there’s only Ennea. Let’s leave it at that.
: Hahah… I can’t believe you managed to even get the Shining Trapezohedron to obey you…
: I guess you… or, better put, the will of man is a lot stronger than I thought.
: Of course it is. That’s how we managed to confront our fate and win all these times.
: Even if what awaits us is nothing but hopelessness, we keep trying…
: …
: You know, I wanted to meet you because I didn’t have the courage to destroy myself. I thought I could borrow the courage, the strength, I needed from you guys.
: But now I see I was wrong. That’s not real strength.
: Like they always say, that would just be running away…
: Ennea…
: If there’s a next time, I promise I’ll be a lot stronger than I am now.
: Strong enough that I can live with pride even while fighting against a mire of despair.
: “Next time”? What are you…?
: Thank you for everything, my dear Kurou…

Craaaaaack!

: ?!
: A-Aah… Ennea!
: E-Ennea! ENNEAAAAA!!
: Hmhmhm…
: Y-You’re…!
: What… What the hell are you doing here?!
: Answer me… Master Therion!

Demonbane OST – The Absolute of Darkness
:aaaaa: :aaaaa:

: It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kurou Daijuuji… and you, the lost children of the Samsara.
: Y-You… didn’t you die?!
: Not exactly. The Master Therion you are familiar with is the previous one.
: Stop talking riddles! Who are you, then?!
: Do you still not understand? I was born just moments ago from my mother, Nero. Yes, I have left her womb precisely to do battle with you!
: Y-You son of a bitch!
: I am very much looking forward to dancing with you now that I have reincarnated at the beginning once more… but, unfortunately, the time is not yet right.
: Etheldreda.

Flash!

: Yes, Master.
: The Pnakotic Manuscripts has returned as well…?!
: Access Cthulhu. Mass Teleportation Spell.

Magic casting!

: Blast, she is—
: We shall meet again when the stars align, Kurou Daijuuji! As will you, lost children of the Samsara!
: Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!

: Hrgh… W-We’re—!
: Back outside?! What just happened?!
: ‘Twas Cthulhu’s power, I believe. They transported us outside via a Teleportation Spell.
: And I don’t see Cthulhu anywhere… I guess we’d better regroup and think of what we’ll do next.
: Rrrgh, damn it! Why?! I thought I’d finally saved her and he…!
: Kurou…
: Why did this happen… ENNEAAAAAA!!

Elsewhere…

: Gch… Bereft of anything, yet I survive still… To call it pathetic would be an understatement…
: However…
: …

:siren: SRW UX - Rebellion Against Fate

: I apologize for making you wait.
: I see… you still live.
: I thank you for giving me an opportunity to have one final duel with you…
: You’d best relay your gratitude for my lady Ruri, then. She was the one who allowed me to come here…
: Granted, now I have every intention of emerging victorious. Defeat would dishonor her.
: Hah… Then I shall also stake the very life I’ve led into this bout!
: Come, warrior…!
: To arms!

Flash! Swish!

: DEEYAAAAAAAA!

Clash!

: …
: Ultimate technique… Requiem - Dies Irae.

Super Speed!

: Rragh…!
: Victory is mine, Mister Bushido.
: Heh, heheheh… Never did you stop doing battle as a human…
: Whereas I could not endure that difficult path… Indeed, the god of battle would never grant his favor to such a man…
: Hahahah… How foolish I am…

Dead.

: …
: It’s a very fine line that separates humans and demons…
: Farewell… My mighty nemesis…

: Gameran, have we any indication of where Cthulhu went?
: No, Your Highness. It teleported away right as we were forced out, apparently. We have no idea where it is.
: But considering they left the area, would that mean restoring R’lyeh was never their real objective?
: Maybe it was for the Anticross, but I think Master Therion himself is after something else.
: And he said he’d ‘reincarnated’…?
: Going by that word, I believe he used Ennea as a vessel for his rebirth. That likely was his plan all along.
: “If you knew that all this is pointless, could you still bring yourselves to fight…?”
: She knew what fate had in store for her…
: And that’s why she tried to have her existence erased with the Shining Trapezohedron? To stop Therion from coming back?
: Then… She knew that she was going to die one way or another?
: I don’t know if anyone could cope with that.
: Hmm, actually… Her last words weren’t what you’d hear from someone who’d been broken by fate.
: I get the feeling that she saw something… something in the horizon of her fate.
: I’ve no idea what that something would be, though…
: What lies beyond death would be…
: Eeh, I really don’t feel like starting to believe in Heaven or Hell.
: And, if anything, I doubt Ennea would want us to get bogged down in pity or remorse.
: You’re right… None of us can afford to stop now…
: We have to keep on fighting, no matter how deep that mire of despair becomes.
: We owe it to her, too…
: Mr. Daijuuji…

: …
: My dear Grand Master, how sad you must be that you couldn’t fight Kurou after waiting so long to reincarnate.
: It’s fine. The satisfaction that this moment has arrived at last will tide me over for a while.
: Hmhmhm, then what say you we sit back and enjoy the spectacle?
: This sad and beautiful dance between the souls drawn to the end of the Yuga!
: Hmhmhm… AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

And just one convo we missed today:

: This girl is our enemy, but… should we really fight her?!
: You’ve already chosen your fate to follow, Karen. There’s no reason for you to be so troubled, hm?
: Chop-chop! Come and kill me already!

Now, I promised I’d tell you of the eerie theory the JP wiki has about Miwa’s abnormal growth. First off, remember when it was that Yumiko likely got pregnant – the one time the game went out of its way to note that she and Michio were doing it: mission 26, a.k.a., during party at Innsmouth.
That’s already asking for trouble, but it gets worse. One thing UX didn’t bring up is something Nero told Kurou in the original VN: “In Hebrew, all consonants have a numerical value. The Number of the Beast is 666, which signifies the Emperor Nero. Nero of the Anticross, therefore, IS Master Therion.” Therion means Beast in Greek, FYI.
Next, after Master Therion tears out of Nero, he tells Kurou this to explain his connection to her: “Domitianus, the Beast of Scripture, is Nero’s form upon returning from Hell. Master Therion, therefore, signifies both Nero and myself.”
Thus, from all this, we can infer that the child of Master Therion (Nero) is also Master Therion (actual one).
But how is this relevant to Miwa? Well, there’s a Fafner side material trivia that UX references. Look back to mission 32, where Michio, surprisingly, has a pre-battle convo with Therion, and quips about how folks at the army gave him a nickname matching his old unit… “Master Therion”.
Add all that up with Master Therion just insta-growing into an adult man from inside Nero’s womb, and you can see why we should be very, VERY afraid of Miwa! The Festum don’t even realize they’re attacking an island inhabited by a child of the Outer Gods!

Visual illustration provided by MajinZenki:

Nice little K nod with Nero being the one to save Mamoru.

OZMA, DID YOU LET PEOPLE LISTEN TO YOUR FIRE BOMBER TAPES?

And of course a Dancouga would reveal its full power in a fight against Norio Wakamoto. Perfectly sensible. What’s really cool about this is that it also has Maxgod able to do the Absolute Nova Beast on its own without help, which is something it both could not do in its own show, and did not get the ability to do in a later OVA (like how Dancouga’s original Dankuukougaken in God Bless was a comboattack, but then in Burning Epilogue it could do it on its own)

Oh, and since you didn’t do a writeup on MAXGOD: It’s Dancouga Nova +, trading the partner bonus for higher Range for R-Daigun’s higher Movement (and getting a level higher than hers) and losing the +terrains from both for R-Daigun’s mobility boost. This means that at the highest levels Dancouga Maxgod can be a reasonable tank AND a decent dodger. While its attacks are generally better, it loses its 1-4 P Melee move, and the Dancouhou’s upgrade gets a lot stronger at the price of costing a lot more. Oh, and of course Absolute Nova Beast is a thing and it is a 1-8 range non-P, but if that’s turning you off, Dankuudangaiken significantly outpowers anything Dancouga Nova normally can do anyway. You definitely want to field this, obviously. Now in later missions, you’re left with 4 combining units - Lyras, Wingle, Tobikage, and R-Daigun - but Wingle can make a useful squaddie to Bilbine once you get Bilbine’s partner boosts and Tobikage can be used on its own if you really want. The last stage will force deploy Lyras though, so you’ll only have one useless squad at the end of the day.

…ahaha, that Miwa thing though.

Click to see the mission!


Aay, we’ve completed the last route split of the game and now it’s a straight shot to the end! Still plenty of stuff to do, with Heroman, Zhang Fei and Sun Shangxiang deploying as event units (if you haven’t been using them, spend your cash from the previous mission getting them up to speed). We’ve 18 slots to use, so here’s how we’re going:
Liu Bei/Joe
Aesap/Lux
Kurou/Deceive
Shou/Tsubasa
Mazinkaiser/Soubi
Alto/Luca
Arnie/Saya
Fei-Yen/Lockon
Maya/Akira
Dancouga/Eida
Kouichi/Kiki
Cao Cao/Moritsugu
Kira/Graham
Setsuna/Yulianne
Shinn/Lunamaria
Mamoru/Shouko
Kazuki/Miu
Sun Quan/Domyoji
Tactician: Zhuge Liang

Off we go.

#1:
: Cellular restoration is stable. Just a bit more and it’ll be finished.
: Nothing in this world will be able to stop us now.
#2: Soon… Very soon, our dream’ll be realized!
#1:
: Our king is about to be reborn!


Cut to the Hadou Manor, where it’s time to catch up with all that happened in the other routes. This is all pretty much 100% a retelling of all events and discoveries our guys made, so there aren’t any amusing bits to add here since we’ve seen it all.
But everything all ends up in the same place: how Ishigami told the team at Tatsumiya to come to the Union and help sort out some situation. Was he talking about the mess with Cthulhu, which kind of “sorted” itself out, or did Judah foresee something else happening?
Luca ponders that he could mean all those attacks in research facilities of the Union Army. And from what Hughes told Psy and our crew, the Union had been storing salvaged Skrugg tech in those places and those are being destroyed one after the other. We ran into the culprit before but, as Joe notes, the guy ran off.
Joey thinks about Will being behind it all and figures he needs to tell Lina what’s what. But the girl beats him to the punch and asks to speak to him outside for a minute.

: …
: Um… Is something wrong? You’re looking so serious…
: Joey, I want a straight answer. That man in black armor we saw in Arkham City…
: That was my brother, wasn’t it?
: …! That’s…
: Hm. I thought so…
: …
: I’m sorry for not telling you…
: Do you know what happened to him? He’s not under the Skrugg’s mind control anymore, right?
: I’m still not 100% sure of what Will’s after.
: And if he’s up to no good, then I’ll have to stop him.
: …
: But I believe in him. I’m sure he must have some sort of reason.
: So, I don’t lose faith in him either, Lina…
: …
: I… I do you want believe in him…
: Good…
: …
: U-Um… Joey, I…
: Li-Lina…

: Guys, we’ve got trouble!
: …?!
: Whawha?! Psy?!
: Hm…? What’s got you two so panicky?
: N-Nothing, nothing…
: Never mind us, Psy. Did something happen?!
: Ah, right! You gotta come to the command center quick!
: The White House’s been taken over!
: Whaaaaat?!

: Th-That’s the White House?!
(on TV): Yes. The entire building has been covered by this unknown thing that emerged from underground.
: We’ve absolutely no idea of the situation inside – not even if the President is safe.
: Prof. Denton, the structure covering the White House…
: Hm, it’s rather similar to the Skrugg’s fortress…
: Then, the attackers are…!
: Correct. Intel has shown that the Skrugg are behind this.
: How?! We’d already defeated them all!
: Nay, we merely struck down Gogorr, their king. ‘Tis not surprising that remnants of their forces remained.
: And those remnants reorganized and are launching another invasion…?
: Bah, the things don’t just look like roaches – they’re just as hard to kill, too!
: I guess this is the “situation by the Union” Ishigami spoke of…
: And the Union Army? What’re they doing?
: They’ve put together an operation to rescue the president, but things aren’t looking good on that front.
: An aerial op is not feasible due to the enemy’s many anti-air weapons, and a ground assault would face heavy resistance from the numerous Skrugg troops.
: And that’s where we come in, right?
: Yeah. The only way we’re going to recover the White House is with the UX’s help.
: Especially Joey and Heroman’s.
: Us?

Whiiirrrrrrr.

:siren: SRW UX - Rebellion Against Fate

: …
: Okay, the installation’s all finished!
: This amplifier’ll boost Heroman’s sonic weapon to affect a very wide area.
: Mind you, this was a real rush-job, so it’s only gonna last one shot.
: Um… Not that I’m doubting your big brains and all that, but don’t ya think you oughta test the thing first?
: You upped the weapon’s output big time, so what if you fire it up and it runs out of juice before it can do anything? That ain’t gonna be a fun time for anyone.
: Yes, and that is why you’ll be supporting them in the operation. If need be, you and your Raija can supply the necessary energy.
: Psh, I’m a person-sized energy tank, then? That’s nice.
: But do we really need for you guys to go in there by yourselves, Joey?
: It’s the best option. The Skrugg are sure to come running once they realize we’re in the area.
: And with all of them there, you’ll cripple them and the anti-air guns altogether with Heroman’s sonic weapon?
: We deemed that the smallest possible team of assailants would be ideal to goad the enemy into a false sense of security.
: Still…
: Don’t worry about us, Lina. I promise I’ll keep everyone safe.
: I’ll be a hero just like my dad was!
: …!
: Your dad… didn’t he…?
: Yeah, he did…
: Our bum of a dad went and got himself killed pulling a stupid stunt – that’s what he did!
: S-Sis! How can you even say something that awful?!
: Our dad was a hero who protected so many people! Everyone back home says so!
: Yeah? Then, tell me: what’s a hero, exactly?
: That’s obvious, I think!
: A hero… is a strong man, who’s willing to put his life on the line to keep others safe.
: …
: You really don’t know jack…

She leaves.

: Ho-Holly…!
: Sis…
: Um, what happened to Joey’s father? How did he die?
: There was a major fire in Center City’s mines thirteen years ago…
: Joey’s father sacrificed himself to make sure the others got away safely…
: I had no idea…
: That’s normal. But there isn’t anyone in Center City who doesn’t know the story.
: Joey is clearly proud of his father for what he did.
: But, as far as Holly’s concerned…
: …
: Hmm, so that’s what it is.
: All right, here’s a thought! I will go and accompany Joey’s group in today’s mission!
: Aah?! You can’t simply make a decision like—
: Shush, Quan. I know exactly what it’s like to be proud of your father, so I feel obligated to help him honor his memory!
: You guys agree with me, right?
: Yes, absolutely…!
: You go and help Joey for all of us, Shangxiang!
: Leave it to me!
: H-Hey…
: It’s settled, then, Joey! Rouse yourself and we’ll be off!
: Y-Yeah!
: And you? Are you ready for this?
: Who do you think I am, eh?! And who put you in charge here?!
: (Look on, sis… I’ll show you what I believe a hero to be…!)


Mission 44 – Faith

: Aaany second now…
(on TV): Is everyone set, Joey?
: Yeah. We’re good whenever!
: The Union Army’s herding the Skrugg your way. You’re to begin your operation as soon as they arrive.
: Roger that!
(TV): Joey, promise me you’ll come back.
: Don’t worry. I… I swear I’ll keep you safe, Lina – I’ll protect you with my life!

: Uwah?!
: Huh? Joey? What was that just now?!
: Cut the chatter! They’re here!

: You’ve all been briefed, yes? The target area’s over there!

: Joey, we’ll take care of the small fry! Set out and make a beeline there!
: B-But…
: Come on, kid! Times like these, a big hero’s gotta stand up and give it to ‘em like this!

:siren: SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend

: Let those afar off listen; those who are near can see!
: I am Zhang Yide of Yan!
: Who dares fight to the death with me?!

: …?!
(TV): He said it! That’s his famous yell from the Battle of Changban!
TV: No, I think I saw some of that in the Tales of the Heike… (It’s both: the first line is from Akushichibyoye Kagekiyo, but the others are credited to Zhang Fei proper.)
: Forget about the details! It was cool, and that’s what matters!
: Right, Joey?
: Aha… Right!
: Then, begin Operation Thunderbird! Godspeed, everyone!
: Roger! Let’s go, Heroman!
: Hmmm!


Alright, we need to get Heroman over to the marked area, and losing anyone’s a game over (Heroman can’t lose his power armor frame, either, since it has the sonic weapon). This might be a tad complicated if you haven’t been regularly using these three and keeping them upgraded like I did, but it’s still doable.
The entire area’s covered in broken down buildings, so you’ll want to keep your guys there for the defensive boosts. If Fei and Shangxiang aren’t leveled up, you’ll want to hold your distance and let the enemy come in – take them out one by one, and keep both covered by Heroman’s support defense.
If anything, the Skrugg Soldiers are still pretty weak and their exp’ll help anyone lagging behind catch up. Do be careful with the Chimeras, though, and try to take them out quick via support attacks.

:siren: SRW UX - Roulette

:siren: SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend

And when the next turn rolls over…

: Hah, I could do this in my sleep!
: Save your glee for later! We’ve more incoming!

: You’re wasting your time with this, foolish humans! Surrender!
: Nick?! What’re you doing here?!
: To reclaim this planet for the Skrugg, of course!
: I told you before, I’m not a man anymore! I’m a Skrugg!
: Nick… We broke your mind-control before, but you’re still…
: Are you actually doing this willingly?!
: Oh, yes. I’m gonna get back at everyone who pushed me around before…!
: And that includes you, hiding over there!

:siren: SRW UX - Roulette

: …
: Will?!
: I owe the Skrugg for what they did to me. I’m tearing down all their plans!
: Shut your mouth, traitor! You’ve been a thorn on our side for too long, and now you’ll die along with them!
: Oh, boy, that’s some real bloodthirst there. Wanna team up to take ‘em out?
: Don’t get any funny ideas. We’re not friends, allies, or anything of the sort.
: But we’re after the same thing!
: …!
: You’re fighting to protect someone, too, no?
: Then, there’s only one thing for us to do!
: …
: Fine. You did help me out before – I might as well pay it back.
: Okay, that’s more than enough for me right now!
: Hell, yeah! Let’s make a dash for the finish line, then!


Don’t lose Will either, but he’s still as competent as ever. If anything, he’ll help offset any potentially underleveled units. Taking Nick out will auto-move Heroman in place, but he won’t give you any parts or money at the moment, so it’s faster to just ignore him and get to the spot.

:siren: SRW UX - Roulette


And we’re in.

: Alright, this should be good enough!
: Here we go, Heroman! Full blast!
: OOOOOOO!


All the Skrugg mooks explode!

: Gwaaaaaaaargh!
: Alright! Their anti-air weapons got taken out too!
: It’s over, Nick! You don’t have any hope of winning this anymore!
: Shut up! Don’t tell me what to do! I’m a superior being! I’m better than every other human!

: Gaaah! He still had all these tucked away?!
: Hihihi… And with all this power at my disposal, the world is my oyster! I’m never bending my knee to anyone again…!
: DIIIEEEEE!!
: Hrm…!

: Whaat?!

:siren: SRW UX - Rebellion Against Fate

: Hey, now, I hope you didn’t forget about us!
: And with those AA batteries of yours down, victory’s ours for the taking!
: Thanks for the help, guys!
: The UX is here…
: Will…?!
: Why is he helping Joey’s group…?
: We’ll explain everything later! We need to put the rest of the Skrugg down right now!
: Will’s agreed to fight with us for the time being, Lina! If anything, you can trust him on that!
: …
: Okay. Good luck, brother!
: Lina…!
: The enemy’s anti-air weaponry have been rendered useless thanks to the brave efforts of Joey’s team.!
: Do not allow this chance to escape our grasp! Rout the Skrugg menace!


Still can’t lose Heroman, Will, Zhang Fei or any ship, but now it’s just a straight fight against the Skrugg – hardly a challenge. Once you’ve taken Nick out, the plot’ll progress, so make sure you’ve cleared out the rest of the mooks and built up morale first.
Popping Confuse might also be a good idea, since there’s a ton of stuff right near Heroman and our people’ll need a turn to close that distance.

:siren: SRW UX - Roulette

: Nick, you’re not a Skrugg! Please, come back to us!
: What, back to being that useless coward?! You’ve got to be kidding me!
: I’m not the boy I used to be! I’ve power beyond any other human! I’m a superior being now!


Nick taking damage: “I know you, of all people, can understand how I feel, Joey!”

:siren: SRW UX - You Are Similar to Me

:siren: SRW UX - Linebarrel

:siren: SRW UX - Dunbine Flies

:siren: SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend

: Ye pitiful man who’s turned into a monster…
: Not like I had any choice!
: It wasn’t my fault I wound up like this! I didn’t do anything wrong!
: Aye, yet the monstrous path you have trailed afterwards is fruit of your choices alone!
: And if such a path leads you to bar mine, then you had best prepare yourself for the consequences! Come!

:siren: SRW UX - My Fate

: Hahahaha! Do you have any idea how many people bowed before me once they saw my power?!
: I tell you, this Skrugg body is great!
: You can’t do that! Even if your body’s a Skrugg, your heart is still a human’s!

:siren: SRW UX - Dunbine Flies

: Your anti-air weapons are already gone! Give up already!
: You’ve no idea how much stronger I am now! How much power I have!
: My days of losing to you are over! I… I’ll destroy every last one of you!
: This boy’s lost sight of his heart and now all he does is get high on his powers…
: Tch… Is cutting him and his hate down the only way for him to be free?!

:siren: SRW UX - Azure

: Your human heart is still in there, isn’t it?! Why are you doing this?!
: What difference does my heart make?! I’m already a full Skrugg everywhere else!
: I’ll wipe out humanity from the history books!

:siren: SRW UX - Linebarrel

: The tables have turned now… I’ll get back at everyone who messed with me with my new power!
: Stop this! Revenge won’t help or change what happened before!
: I don’t care! This is what I wanna do!
: Tsk… Then, I’ll have to stop you with the power I was given!

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina

: Are you seriously happy just rampaging around with that newfound power?!
: What I do or don’t do is my own business!
: I’m a changed man now that I’ve this power! I’ve changed just like Joey did when he got Heroman!
: Don’t you dare lump him together with you…!
: There’s a world of difference between what he does with his power and what you’re doing!

:siren: SRW UX - Roulette

: That’s enough, Nick! Did even your heart get turned into a Skrugg’s?!
: Where do you get off talking to me like that?! It’s your fault that I’m like this!
: Yeah… you’re right, it is.
: And that’s why I’m taking responsibility for it. I’ll destroy all traces of the Skrugg myself… and you, too, if I have to!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjXFOJgN--8
Nick drops another Joey’s Coffee.

: Th-This can’t be happening! I’m a Skrugg… I’m supposed to be better than all humans!
: Fool. Your flesh may not be that of a human, but that does not make you superior to them.
: If… If this body doesn’t even make me strong, then what use is it?! What is left for me?!
: I… I can’t even go back to being who I was!
: Nick…
: Don’t give up, Nick. We’ll look for a way to turn you back to normal!
: Turn me back…?
: Yeah, that’s right! If you let Prof. Denton and the others take a look at you, I’m sure they’ll find something!
: And we’ll all help them as best we can. Please, come with us, Nick!
: …
: Is that true…?
: I can… really go back to normal…?
: You can. You’re still here, right?
: If so, then you can always start anew.
: Come on, Nick…
: You…

Stab!

: Gaah…!
: Ni-Nick…?!
: What happened?! Stay with us, Nick!
: …
: He’s… awakened… Be… careful…

: NIIIIICK!!
: Cattle will be cattle, I suppose. They can’t even serve as proper foot soldiers.
: This voice…?!
: Detecting a massive energy spike within the enemy fortress! But, it’s…!
: They’ve finished reviving him… Gogorr!!

: OOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!!
: No way… Why is he back?!
: This is what the Skrugg were truly after…
: To use their remaining technology and the salvaged G Cells to revive their ruler, Gogorr!
: Then… that’s why you were attacking all those research facilities? To stop this from happening?!
: Hmhmhm… I have returned at long last! And I’ve even acquired power far beyond what I previously had!
: Look at how huge he’s gotten…! What happened to him?!
: H-Huh…? I feel the pulse of so many lives coming from him…
: I can hear their voices… They’re… in pain!
: Oh, no, you don’t think he…?!
: He ate his own servants… all to build up his power!
: Wh-What?! He ate the same guys who were working to save his life?!
: I, the ruler of the Skrugg, am the emperor of the entire universe!
: Everything… Everything is food to me!
: You monster…!
: I know we’re all for dialogue and whatnot, but I really don’t think that word exists in this guy’s lexicon.
: What he’s done is… inexcusable! How can anything like him even exist?!
: Gogorr! You’ve absolutely no respect for life… and, so, we can’t allow you to keep yours!
: Let’s go, Heroman! We’ll make sure he’s gone for good this time!
: Hmmm!


”Ultra” Gogorr
Pilot Skills:
Prevail L9
Support Attack L3
All Attack L3
Mech Features:
30% HP and EN Regen
All-Canceller

Gogorr’s rebirth has given him a full re-spec: no longer evasion-focused, he’s now taaaaanky and has a ton of long range attacks. Attack power is pretty high (though not higher than Nero or Lu Bu, since Gogorr’s expected to get a bonus from his huge size), but he’s also surprisingly accurate thanks to his S ranks and, as usual, big stats everywhere important. Of note, he has a MAPW that strikes with a similar AoE to Canaria’s: five 1-6 columns, alternating safe-zones between each one.
Gogorr’s essentially a huge wall, packing 180k HP (more, actually, due to events) and a ton of armor which, combined with that Prevail L9, means he can take quite a beating, but we have enough firepower on our side that we can still down in him one turn with healthy doses of Valor and Soul.
Attacking him from range is actually recommended with your dodgier guys, since both his strongest attacks have way less of an accuracy modifier than his close-range one. If you’re strapped for SP on someone, consider this to spare having to cast a defensive spirit.

Oh, and Gogorr’s brought back a bunch of Chimeras and, more importantly, four Balls with him, so take care not to let those debuff a Super’s armor.

:siren: SRW UX - You Are Similar to Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KBbh8Go6FE
And I remembered that I never showed off Kazuki and Maya’s HAE combo attack, so here it is. Don’t forget that using this at least once (along with the other main HAE combos) is a requirement for the last Fafner secret!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVOaP109kH8
And the Dancouga MAXGOD’s second best attack, since it already has Absolute Nova Beast.
With that out of the way, let’s bring in the hurt to Gogorr.

:siren: SRW UX - Lion

: This planet isn’t your feeding ground! Get back to your own world, Gogorr!
: We Skrugg set off to find new worlds looking for resources. Isn’t that exactly what your kind did?
: Maybe… but outright war is never our first choice! We didn’t throw away our willingness to try and coexist with whoever we find!

:siren: SRW UX - Deus Machina

: If you think I’m the same as I was before, think again… I’ve been reborn as an unstoppable being, with unmatched power!
: Kch, blast this undead… He’s drawn himself exceedingly close to the level of a god by gorging on the life of his subjects!
: Hah, that don’t scare me! He might be an evil god, but our god-slaying sword’ll put him right where he belongs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpkYMjhzRvI
Here’s Gogorr’s best attack… getting no-sold. The animation’s the same, though!

:siren: SRW UX - A Bird’s Song

: Eating your own men to get stronger… There ain’t enough words to describe what a low-life you are, guy!
: Your sentimentality means nothing. It’s when an absolute being is born that a given species may ascend to rule all others!
: On the other hand, that means that if we just take you out, the Skrugg species will have all the wind taken from their sails.
: I can work with that! We’ll punt the Skrugg right off Earth after you’re squished again!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDHlDsbFUqM
And his second best attack.

Once you get Gogorr under 70%…

: Rgh…!
: Now! Go for his heart crystal!
: That’s a weak-spot found in all Skrugg! I learned of it when they turned me!
: I’m on it!
: Heromaaaan…ATTACK!

: Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!
: Did we get him?!
: …
: Too bad, cattle.
: What?!
: That is no weak-spot of mine!

: He-HEROMAN!!

: Heroman! Hang in there, Heroman!
: …
: N-No… Heroman…!
: Foolish creatures. Did you take me to be the same as a common Skrugg?!
: But now I’ve repaid the humiliation that toy thrust upon me. All that remains is consuming this planet whole!

RUUUMBLE!

: Wh-What’s happening?!
(TV): We’ve an emergency! Gogorr’s draining massive amounts of energy from Earth’s mantle!
: If he’s not stopped, it’ll only take a few hours before we see a calamity on a global scale!
: What did you say?!
: I can no longer be stopped! Accept your doom and watch, powerless, as your planet approaches its doom!
: Just like that lump of garbage!
: !
: …
: Y-You overgrown cockroach… Say that again!
: …
: You… You killed Heroman!

: Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
: Joey…?!
: …
: I feel it… all this power inside me…!
: There’s no way he’ll survive if I blow all this right on top of him…!
: Joey, are you…?!
: Stop! You can’t be considering throwing your life away to beat him!
: If it’ll let me protect your future, then, yeah, I will!
: Just… Just like my dad did before!
: Your lives are more important than mine!
: Joey! NOOO!

: (Goodbye, everyone…!)
: UWOOOOOOOOO!

: ! Heroman…?!

Flash!

: U…ooo…
: Why did you…?!
: Can’t you tell?! He doesn’t want to lose you!
: ?!
: You fricking idiot! You might’ve been happy to go out a big hero like dad, but…
: But what about everyone you’d be leaving behind?! What about your family?! How the hell are we supposed to take that?!
: You might save everyone by doing this, but there’d be nothing to be happy about in a world without you!
: Sis… guys…
: Remember what you said to me when I’d almost forgotten who I was? You’re not fighting this alone – all of us, your friends, are here with you!
: And above all… Heroman’s here with you, isn’t he?!
: Heroman…
: …
: And you can be a hero because you’ve Heroman and all your friends!
: Your dad never gave up, did he?! He kept going ‘til the very last second!
: He didn’t give up…
: Yeah… You’re right, he didn’t!
: Enough of this drama! Your lump of garbage hardly has any energy left! This next attack will put an end to both your sorry lives!

Heroman OST - Joey and Heroman
:siren: :siren:

: Nope! Heroes are indestructible!
: That’s… The MR-1?!
: Here you go, Joey, Heroman!
: Take in all of the MR-1’s energy!
: And have some of my spirit, too!
: Let thunder’s roar fill your ears!

: UWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
: I-Impossible… That’s—!
: You look surprised! But, of course, I doubt you’d understand!
: That capacity to get back up after being beaten, even stronger than you were before…!
: That’s the mark of a true hero!
: Hero… a true hero?!
: That’s all we can do here! The rest is in your hands, folks!

: Alright, I reckon everything’s set for a classic comeback!
: Last up is the cherry on top: make it like proper heroes and take down the evil boss! Joey, Heroman!
: Hmmm!
: We’ve been together since the beginning! And together is how we’ll win back our future!
: Heromaaan… GOOOOOO!

: What a horrible sound… Don’t you hear it? All the lives you consumed are crying…!
: Hm? I’m afraid I’ve no ears for the voices of garbage!
: Mine is the only voice that should resound through the universe! My voice as its ruler!
: I don’t think so! What the universe needs isn’t a ruler, but harmony between all life!

: Hmhmhm… Accept your defeat. Destruction is all that awaits any planet I set upon!
: This is not something you can stop. It’s the fate imposed upon the entire universe!
: You’re too quick to speak of “fate”.
: The destruction you bring isn’t strong enough to claim our lives!

: You have absolutely no idea how the Skrugg you ate felt, do you?
: Oh, I doubt I need to try and understand how the consumed feel – not when I’m always the one doing the consuming!
: Fine, then I’ll make you understand! I’ll hammer that feeling straight into your skull!

: You’re a menace not only to other race’s planets, but even to your own people…
: It’s because of monsters like you that war never goes away…!
: Hmhmhm, you wish for a world without war, hm?
: Then, sit still and I’ll give one to you: a world of eternal silence!

: You and The Boom Army all figure you can have your way with our planet, but I’m here to tell you that that’s not happening!
: I’m rather appalled that you would tar me with the same brush as those vermin. I am Gogorr, the ruler of the entire universe!
: Appalling is that scum like you and them ever got the idea that you’re better than everyone else!

: Consuming your own people in a bid for power… How can you still call yourself their leader?!
: All life in this universe is no different from cattle, to be grown and multiplied as necessary!
: And it’s the sole purpose of their existence to sustain me, the ruler of all cosmos!
: A being of such callous disregard towards life is not fit to rule the cosmos! I sentence you to oblivion, tyrant Gogorr!

: Noisy little gnat! I’ll add all your vital energy into my own!
: What a powerful, dark aura… He’s like an avatar of destruction…!
: And it’s my duty as a Holy Warrior to rid the world of this force of chaos!

: Gch… the cries of all the life he’s defiled are echoing all around him…
: His invasion and cruelty are both ending here, though! The Nanajin and I’ll see to it!
: Know your place, worm! You and your kind are no more than meat for me to devour!

: Did the thought of coexistence, of mutual understanding, with humans never cross your mind?!
: Bwahahahaha! Tell me, do you make a habit of having a heart-to-heart with a loaf of bread before you eat it?!
: There’ll never be any hope of change for the Skrugg while you continue to exist…!
: Gogorr… I’m putting an end to your reign!

: I’m sure the Skrugg and the creatures of this planet could find a way to coexist! How can you not see that, Gogorr?!
: Hmhmhm… Oh, dear, when you put it like that, I might just consider it.
: That is, I’ll consider it if “coexistence” is how you call it when I devour you, cattle!

: Ah, you pathetic cattle. Please, feel free to continue wasting your time trying to oppose me!
: Hah… If we’re cattle, I suppose that makes you the moronic ‘master’ who’s about to get his hand bit off.
: Excuse me…?
: You can yell that you’re the ruler of the universe ‘til the cows come home, we cattle don’t give a damn! It’s chomping time!

: Hahahah… Are you going to take revenge on me? After I went through the trouble of giving you that wonderful new body?
: For a very long time I knew nothing but seething hatred over you changing me like this…
: But now I’m actually a bit grateful! Because this body’ll let me protect Lina and my family from your menace!

: You’re always a problem, aren’t you, brat…?
: That’s my line! But you can come back as many times as you want, we’ll always be there to put a stop to you!
: Is that a fact…? Then come closer and feel in your bones a power far greater than I had before!


Gogorr drops a Kazuki Cake (Range and Skill +10, Accuracy +5).

: Curse you all! You… You’ll pay for this, you blasted cattle!

: It was your arrogance that sealed your doom, Gogorr!
: You really shoulda looked a bit closer before you decided to take a stab at Earth!
: If you did, you would’ve seen that we… that the strongest hero of all calls this planet home!
: Go, Joey, Heroman! It’s up to you to save our world!
: JOEY!

: A true hero never makes anyone sad. You, and all my friends, taught me that!
: I’m not going to choose what to save anymore! We have to protect everyone…!
: We have to protect everything!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LXgujkWz5o

[video type=“youtube”]5LXgujkWz5o[/video]
Captions are available.

: Uurgh… H-How?!
: I… I am the ruler of the universe… How can I die in this backwater planet?!
: Isn’t that a shame, Gogorr?
: When this all started, I thought you were looking to build a friendly relationship between our two species…
: Never in my wildest dreams did I think that message I picked up would lead to anything like this happening…
: I can still remember it now: “gather at the beginning…”
: …?!
: Th-That’s…!
: (Hm? Why do I feel like…?)
: (Like I have heard those words…)
: (Somewhere before…?)
: …
: What… What did you say…?
: That message… It wasn’t you who sent it to us…?
: Wh-What?!
: Professor, what the hell…?!
: N-No, that’s not possible! You remember, don’t you, Psy?!
: We all heard it together! That message came from outer space!
: Hah…Hahahah… This is hilarious…
: In other words, we were being manipulated from the very beginning…?
: All this time, we were puppets moving according to the will of an unseen puppeteer… Absolutely hilarious…!
: Hmhmhm… WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

BOOOOOM!

: Gogorr…
: …
: (What does any of this mean? Those words were what I…)

: We’ve just received word from Hughes. It looks like everyone within the White House is safe and sound.
: Really? Ah, now that’s great to hear…
: Professor, I have to ask: since when have you been working on that guy’s MR-1?
: Hmhmhm… The NIA took it from Minami when they recaptured him, but they figured it could be useful in a pinch. So, they called and asked us to get it fixed.
: Though we sure didn’t expect to put it to use back there.
: And, from what the NIA says, they have no qualms with letting us continue to use the repaired MR-1.
: Then, we can now give Heroman an energy refill right during a fight?
: Yes, but it can only make one blast per battle. (Think of it like God Sigma’s Trinity Charge command, though it only appears on regular Heroman.)
: Wow, I can’t believe a weapon that harassed Heroman so much before would come in handy like that…
: I guess we owe a little bit of gratitude to that buffoon, Minami. A very little bit. Microscopic, even!
: Oh, and what did you say before the battle started, Joey? I couldn’t hear you over the explosions.
: Ah… No, that was…
: Hm?
: I think I remember… It was something like ‘I’ll protect you with my life’?
: Huh?!
: Z-Zhang Fei, please…!
: Ohoo… I didn’t take a late bloomer like you to have all that passion, Joey.
: Aw, come on, don’t start teasing me!
: …
: A hero, huh…?
: You really loved your father a lot, didn’t you, Holly?
: Wah! T-That’s…!
: Sis, dad didn’t choose other people over his family.
: …! You…
: And I’m sure he didn’t sacrifice himself just like that. He must’ve tried all the way to the end to get back to us.
: I understand that now…
: Joey…
: And I believe I understood something myself.
: What is it?
: How Joey and Heroman came to meet.
: It was Joey’s wish to become a hero that gave life to Heroman!
: That is to say, you were destined to meet each other!
: Say what? That’s not a very scientific thing to say, professor.
: Well, Prof. Denton is certainly a romantic. Perhaps a career as an artist would suit you better?
: Whuh?!
: Hahah, that’s our professor!
: Kheheh… Hahahaha!
: O-Oh, no… hahah…

And if you got the correct route flags and nabbed 200+ kills with Heroman by the end of the last mission:

: …

Will starts heading out.

: Hey, hey, where do you think you’re going, Will?
: …
: Don’t tell me you’re leaving again!
: You already have a hero by your side to keep you safe.
: You don’t need a creature of darkness like me.
: But you fought together with us back there – you helped keep Lina and everyone else safe.
: That makes you a hero too! It doesn’t matter how you look.
: I’m a hero…?
: And… you’re the only brother she has, aren’t you?
: …?!
: Can’t we just be together how we used to…?
: …
: I can’t promise you that.
: Brother!
: But I promise I’ll stay here with you at least until the battle’s over.
: I’ll work to be the biggest hero you can have!
: W-Will…! Thank you…
: (Thank goodness, Lina…)

And if you didn’t get the secret, Will just takes off and the scene proceeds like this:

: W-Will, wait…!
: Maybe it’s best to leave him be for now. He needs to put his thoughts in order.
: Let’s believe in him, Lina. I’m sure he’ll come back someday.
: He is the biggest hero you have, after all…
: …
: Yes…
: (I’ll be waiting for you, brother… For as long as you need…)


Location: New York – Rubens Foundation HQ

: Mr. Rubens, we’ve received a call from the White House.
: It appears all of the Executive’s staff, including the president, have already returned to office.
: Good. Have the backup plan scrapped and resume our regular operations.
: Yes, sir!
: “Backup plan”?
: Just a precaution in case anything happened to the president…
: You see, I was considering asking that you run for president of the Earth Federation, Rep. Athha…
: Wh-What…?!
: But it seems the event at Washington was dealt with without any troubles. Please, forget I ever said anything.
: …
: Mr. Rubens… may I ask the purpose of this meeting?
: All of the people assembled here share a past record of not only opposing the reform of the Federation Army to establish the Army of Mankind…
: But of, also, making a significant effort to have the Federation Government accept the UX as an active force.
: …
: …
: Thus, I’ve seen that we are like-minded individuals, and that you can be trusted with the truth.
: The “truth”…?
: The fact that we, mankind, are currently on the brink of destruction.
: Wh-What did you say?!
: As you are well aware, the Earth Sphere is currently facing an unprecedented crisis due to the siege by the ELS, Vajra and Festum.
: However, those are not the only enemies of our kind.
: What do you mean?
: …
: Lady Aila, I’ve been told that you possess the ability to see people’s thoughts and to catch glimpses of the future.
: …
: You have seen the truth I speak of, haven’t you?
: …
: This man is telling us no lies…
: I have had visions of a blood-red moon… and a powerful will emerging from it…
: Lady Aila…
: And what is that “powerful will”…?

Door opens.

: It’s the being that will bring about the destruction of mankind…
: …?!
: Y-You’re…!
: The chairwoman of the PLANTs Supreme Council… Lacus Clyne!
: …
: Even you came here…?
: Yes… So that we may confront our fate together…

: Master Kongming, you said you had something to talk to us about?
: Aye, it’s about the message Prof. Denton and Gogorr mentioned.
: That’s…!
: Hm, the ‘gather at the beginning’ message.
: I was wondering if you wouldn’t recall hearing those words as well.
: “As well”…?
: Ensign Berge, the truth is that…
: Every single person gathered here has heard the exact same message.
: Though I only have a very faint recollection of it…
: But we managed to remember that little bit after Denton and Gogorr mentioned it.
: …
: The people of the Frontier Fleet, the Mirishans, Princess Romina, Shou…
: What do all those have in common…?
: Madam Saya, would you, perhaps, also have knowledge of this message?
: Huh? M-Me…?
: I understand that, considering you were still asleep at that point, you may have no recollection of the time prior to arriving in this era with Maj. Richard.
: However, I think it safe to assume that you have also heard those words before.
: Are you implying that…!
: Hmhmm. Those words were heard by everyone who crossed space and time and wound up in this world.
: A-All those who crossed space and time…
: I understand… That’s why I heard it back then…
: I’d also crossed space and time when I was warped to where the nuke was projected to be…
: Parallel universes, trans-galactic warps, and time travel…
: All those who traveled through space and time heard that voice and, ultimately, arrived here. Which would mean…
: That what we deemed to be a chance meeting was, in actuality, quite the opposite.
: The voice I heard at that time…
: It was someone purposefully beckoning us to this world…?
: But who is the one behind it, Kongming?! For what purpose were we all gathered here…?!
: That is a question we have yet to answer.
: Still, while our vision remains dim, we have finally caught a glimpse of the center of the spider web encircling this world…
: The center of the spider web…

: …
: What’re you up to, eh? Why’d you call for me…?
: Katou’s plan is being a bit of a problem for my own, you see.
: And I’ve decided that needs to stop. That’s all there is to this.
: Hah, and you wanna ask me to help you with that?
: Hardly. I’m just going to give you what you’ve wanted for so long.
: What I’ve wanted…?
: Hmhmhmhm…
: Come closer and I’ll tell you… where you can find the last Machina…
: …?!
: Y-You…!
: …


More final bonuses for a bunch of folks:

  • Romina: +10% to all support effects
  • Sheryl: +30000 bucks earned at the end of a mission.
  • Ranka: +20 SP to everyone
  • Lina: Everyone gets +10 to their morale limit.