No, they’re actually just aliens. They’re extremely alien, even. The whole conflict of the movie is that they’re so alien dialogue with them is seemingly impossible, and they’re also nearly impossible to predict.
I wasn’t really asking for spoilers… 
I just created an account to say thank you for translating this game. Heard many great things about the plot and beat the game before without knowing much of what’s going on in the game besides Linebarrel since I read most of the Manga.
Again thanks, can’t wait to get back to it again. Might start again along with when X English gets released later this month.
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Click to see the mission
Welcome back, folks. Last time, we survived a double dosage of dull with Trailblazer and Frontier, but, fret not, we’re back in the cool part of town today! Arnie, Saya, Shinn and Kazuki are deploying as solo event units, so that calls for a few changes in our formation:
Fei-Yen/Lockon
Sun Quan/Sun Shangxian
Dancouga/Canaria
Mazinkaiser/Soubi
Michel/Kenji
Ozma/Tieria
Mamoru/Sakura
Cao Cao/Moritsugu
Liu Bei/Rennie
Yamashita/Lunamaria
Joe/Luca
Setsuna/Klan
Shou/Marvel
Aesap/Guan Yu
Kurou/Deceive
Heroman
Alto/Allelujah
Kouichi/Eida
Tactician: Zhuge Liang
Lot of stuff to do today, so let’s get to it.
: Cpt. Spencer, I believe both the Vijaya and Draupa are ready to be deployed.
: Okay. Let’s get going, then.
: U-Um…
: Something wrong?
: N-No, I… I just can’t stop thinking if I’m ready for this…
: I mean, I wouldn’t want to trip you up…
: Not at all, Ayul. Remember, my purpose is to bring about your awakening.
: So, if anything, I’m the one here to help extend your reach.
: B-But…
: Heh, I’ve already died once.
: That makes my life as cheap as they come… but if I can still give something to you, then…
: Cpt. Spencer…
: Come on. We… rather, you will grasp the Beginning of Life with your own hands!
: Okay…!
Location: Tatsumiya – Forest
: Life is born…
: Life…?
: I, you, everyone, we are all our own persons. That’s how so many connections were formed between us.
: Uh, is that some kind of fairy-tale?
: Yes; a fairy-tale about us and about this very universe.
: A joyful and sad tale, given to all of us by God…
: …?
: Can I ask you a favor?
: Huh? Oh, sure – ask away.
Could you be my friend? I don’t have a single one…
: Ahahaha. Hey, now, what’re you on about? I think we already are, no?
: Thank you, Seri…
: Don’t mention it… Um, wait. Did I tell you my name?
: Don’t move!
: Wh-Who—?!
: Don’t try anything funny and I won’t hurt you. Come over here!
: N-No… Someone! HELP!
: HAAH!
Punch!
: Grurgh!
Faint.
: (The Army of Mankind’s made its way even out here… ALVIS may already be under their control by the looks of things…!)
: Are you two hurt?
: N-No, we’re fine… Who are you?
: Athrun! You saved us!
: Y-You’re…?!
: Oh, you know each other?
: …
: Tsubaki… Minashiro…?
: “Minashiro”…?! As in, Soushi Minashiro?!
: Eheheh… Pleased to meet you?
: Tatsumiya’s been taken over by the Army of Mankind?! Are you serious, Soushi?!
: Yes, there’s no doubt about it.
: Is my dad… is everyone safe?!
: From what I’ve heard, ALVIS accepted an unconditional surrender so no major battles broke out. I wouldn’t think the people of the island were hurt.
: Mom…
: So they went behind our backs and took the place while we were out in space?! Those good-for-nothing hyenas!
: But the Army of Mankind’s also an official independent platoon of the Federation, right?
: Yeah. We’re supposed to be on the same side, so what gives?
: Hester Gallop. She was just assigned as Representative of the Army of Mankind… and she’d always been very insistent in trying to get ALVIS to hand over our units.
: And this is more of that? She’s after the Fafners in our hangar?
: I believe so.
: Tsk… And she’ll even take over the whole island to make that happen?!
: We need to head back right now! Who knows what they’ll do to everyone if we leave them be!
: Calm down, Kazuki. Rush in there without a plan and you’ll be doing exactly what they want.
: Are you telling me not to care about our friends and families?!
: Of course not. Everyone wants their friends and family to be safe.
: And you need to do everything in your power to keep those dear people from becoming casualties. I agree with that thought 100%.
: Mr. Asuka…
: …
: But remember what I said before: you’re not doing this by yourself.
: …!
: We’re all here too. We’ll work out a way to save the people of the island and then we’ll do it together.
: …
: Alright. I apologize, Mr. Asuka… and thank you.
: Heehee, hearing you say that shows how much you’ve grown.
: Th-This isn’t funny, Cham…
: But isn’t it strange how fast they managed to pull off an op like this? I mean, the Army of Mankind was just put together…
: I’m sure they’d been planning this for a while now.
: Hm. And our departure into space was exactly the opportunity they needed to execute. As though it was all preordained…
: Another freakish chain of coincidences, hm?
: Then, what would the next event in that chain be…?
Beep, beep.
: Your Highness, we’re receiving a transmission! They say it’s from Hester of the Army of Mankind!
: From the Army of Mankind…?!
: Master Kongming, do you think…?
: Speak of the devil, indeed. Once more, threads of the spider-web of “coincidence” wrap around us…
: …
: Put her through, please.
Beep.
: A good day to you, pilots of the UX. I’m Hester Gallop, Representative of the Army of Mankind.
: What a surprise to have someone of your stature contacting us. What do you need, madam?
: As I’m sure you’re aware, the island of Tatsumiya – and ALVIS itself – is under our control.
: Thus, I’d like to request that you return the Fafners they lent to you.
: That sounds dangerously like extortion, if you ask me. What would happen if we refused?
: I don’t think it needs to be said. But it’s in the best interest of the island’s citizens that you comply.
: O-Of all the underhanded—!
: I’ll be looking forward to a speedy response from you. I’m not known as a patient woman, you see.
Boop.
: Now that was a one-sided “request” and half. Seems our hunch was right.
: Hester’s a pretty big player among the hard-liners in the Federation government. I don’t think she’s bluffing…
: Maybe not, but we can’t hand over the Fafners to the Army of Mankind.
: What about the people of the island, though…?!
: It’s all right. Not even one of them will be hurt.
: Is that so… Do you mean she’s awakening?
: Yes…
: …!
: Got it. Get in touch with the Quarter and the Ptolemaios, then! The UX are moving out to liberate Tatsumiya!
Location: ALVIS – Cell
: Heeey! You let me out of here right now!
Door opens.
: Yeesh. Haven’t changed at all, have we?
: Y-You’re…!
: You doing okay, Yumiko…?
: Mi-Michio… and Yukippe!
: I suggest you behave yourself, okay? I’d rather things not have to turn sour.
: Yukippe, why did you do it? Why did you betray us?!
: …
: Tell me, do you remember the faces of our classmates?
: Our classmates…?
: One by one, they were assimilated by the Festum genes they’d been implanted with… and now the three of us are all who remain.
: What it comes down to is that we were guinea pigs – a means to bring about the next generation, the ones truly meant to be the Fafners’ pilots.
: But what does any of that have to do with the Army of Mankind?!
: The more someone pilots a Fafner, the more their chromosomes mutate, bringing them closer and closer to death by assimilation…
: But it’s also possible for those genes to develop in a way that allows one to survive. At least, that’s what my dad said.
: So you left the island to try and find a potential cure for assimilation, is that what you’re getting at?
: Do you seriously think that justifies what you’ve done?!
: …
: A long time ago, I knew this girl who dreamed of becoming an idol singer…
: ?! That’s…!
: I asked myself: “what should I do to protect her dream”…?
: And before I knew it, I was fighting outside the island.
: Michio…
Door opens!
: Michio!
: W-Wah?! What’re you yelling my name for, idiot?!
: You’re the one who’s always telling me to call you that. Our next mission’s about to begin, remember?
: Fine, fine… You go on ahead. I’ll be there in a sec.
: …
She leaves.
: That girl, I swear… she really needs to learn how to ease up.
: Well, I gotta get going, Yumiko. I’ll come see you later…
: Please wait.
: Just tell me this: do you really believe fighting with the Army of Mankind is the way to protect that girl’s dream…?
: …
: I dunno…
Leaves.
: Michio, you…
: I’m so sorry that you have to carry me, Athrun…
: It’s just this is my first time ever outside. I still can’t walk too well.
: …
: Your first time ever? Tsubaki, what kind of girl are you…?
: … They’re coming.
: Huh…?!
*Alarm!
: Th-That’s…!
: The Festum?! And at the worst possible moment…!
Tssssst!
: Aah! Wh-What’s this?!
: The entrance to a shelter. You have to get away from here, Seri.
: But what about you?!
: I have to go… (Separation lyrics.)
: Go where?
: We promised each other we’d be friends, right?
: T-Tsubaki…?
Shelter closes.
: …
: You were controlling that shelter, weren’t you?
: Are you coming with me, Athrun?
: Yeah. I’m one of many people tied to this island, so I’d like to see for myself what you’ll feel, what you’ll learn…
: Everything I learn, I learn in order to impart to our Mir.
: To impart the beginning of that joyful and sad tale – one of how this universe can have nothing but life…
Mission 25 – Life ~ Awakening
SRW UX - The Gate of Neidhöhle Opens
: Are you there…?
: Gh-Gwaaaaaaargh!
: Hrm… Even our best forces are no match for them!
: I’m sure you’re well aware that conventional weapons will have a very hard time standing up to the Festum’s mind reading abilities.
: Which is precisely why we’re asking you to give us the Fafners!
: Our organization is the one tasked with fighting all of mankind’s enemies. Don’t you think weapons that embody humanity’s hope are meant to be in our care?
: You people think of nothing but war. I’m not about to hand them over to you.
: Besides, humanity’s hope doesn’t lie with just the Fafners.
: What…?
SRW UX - Rebellion Against Fate
: The UX?!
: Hmph, what a surprise to see them here…
: Wait by your cell, Cmdr. Makabe. We may as well have them weaken the enemy for us.
: (Kazuki…)
: It’s looking like the Army of Mankind’s planning to have us play shock troops for them.
: I know we’re here to protect the people of the island, but setting up a united front with them is just…
: Tch… Michio, do you hear me?! Why are you helping scum like the Army of Mankind?!
: Kazuki…
: These are our orders. The “why” doesn’t matter.
: “Orders”?! You have friends and family, don’t you?! How can you do this to our own…?!
: I had a family… I don’t anymore. As for my friends… the Festum ate all of them.
: …?!
: That’s enough, Kazuki.
: Mr. Asuka…
: (For the Festum to attack at this precise moment… Was it just random chance or was it an inevitability?)
: Troops, ignore the Army of Mankind for the time being. Focus all your energies on eliminating the Festum!
Mission Objective: Destroy all enemies.
Mission Failure: Any ship, Arnie, Saya, Kazuki or Shinn shot down.
Got a bigger fight ahead of us than during our past couple of missions, but we’ve fought enough of the Festum to know how to deal with them (and there’s no superpowered one this time). As said, ignore Michio and Canon for now and just worry about dropping the things as quickly as possible – make sure you don’t leave stuff weakened around them or those two may steal those kills.
And, as before, try your best to conserve resources because there’s more stuff on the way.
SRW UX - The Gate of Neidhöhle Opens
Onomnomnom. Good to see you creepy blobs again.
Kill enough stuff and the plot kicks in.
: Damn them, they’ve broken through! What is the Army of Mankind doing?!
The Festum flies towards ALVIS HQ.
: S-Stop! Yumiko’s in there!
: Get back here!!
Shinn blasts after the Festum!
: R-Rrrgh!
: Mr. Asuka…!
: Damn it… he got my thrusters!
The Impulse drops to the ground!
: We’re detecting major abnormalities in the Impulse’s main thrusters and leg joints after that attack! It can’t get any lift!
: What?!
: This isn’t good… he’s a sitting duck right now!
: …?!
: They wanna assimilate Shinn while he’s immobile!
: Are you there…?
: Shinn, run!
: Hrm…!
: Haaaaaaah!
: Aargh!
: Kazuki…?!
: K-Kazuki, you…!
: The Mark Sein should be able to resist assimilation at least a bit! Run while I keep them at bay…!
: Gaaaaah!
: Kazuki, stop! This is too much even for the Mark Sein!
: Forget about me! Get away from here now!
: I’m fine…! Y-You’re the one who needs to go… hurry!
: I gave you an order, Kazuki! If we lose the Mark Sein here – if we lose you – that’ll be the end!
: Don’t you have people you need to keep safe?! Those are the ones you’re truly meant to lay your life on the line for!
: ?!
: Shinn…!
: That’s my point exactly, Mr. Asuka…
: As far as I’m concerned, you’re also a dear friend and someone I need to keep safe!
: …!
: Kazuki…!
: Uooooooooh!
Kazuki drags the Festum far away!
: Kch… Impulse, move! Move!
: If we don’t do something, he… my friend’s gonna…!
: Everything will be fine. Destiny is your ally…
: Huh…?!
*Flash!
*The Destiny blows the Festum away.
: …?!
: Wh-What…?!
: It’s… the Destiny!
: But who’s piloting it?!
: Huh… What in Newton’s name is going on?! We’re not detecting any vital signs inside… It’s flying by itself!
: By itself…?!
: (No, this sensation is…!)
Beep.
: That’s the answer you picked…
: It’s what you sought… the Wings of Destiny!
: Who… Who are you?!
: (I knew it… Tsubaki…!)
: Shinn, hop aboard the Destiny quick! The Festum are still coming!
: Athrun?! What’re you doing here…?!
: Just do it already! You’ve people you need to keep safe too, don’t you?!
: A-Alright…!
: Come on, Destiny! This time… I’ll hold strong and protect all that’s dear to me!
: Kazuki, form up! We’ll shape destiny with our own hands… for as long as we’ve our lives! (Last part is Life Goes On lyrics.)
: Yes, sir!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc2ubP23p1U
: Th-They’re so strong…!
: Kazuki… Mr. Asuka!
: (“For as long as we’ve our lives”…)
: (Rrgh…! For what… for who have I been fighting for?!) (Life Goes On again.)
: Now’s our chance, people! Destroy the remaining Festum!
: Roger that!
Hurray, Shinn finally has his actual bot back! 
It’s still just as good as it was back in the prologue, and Shinn also has access to its better weapon now (plus Luna can dump that ZAKU!).
Good times all around.
SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend
SRW UX - Future-Bound Fighting Spirit
And the rest of them fall in short order.[/i]
: All Festum confirmed destroyed. No new signals on radar!
: That’s them taken care of, but what about…
: That was some excellent work, UX. Now if you would, lay down your weapons and surrender immediately.
: You had us take care of all the Festum and then you spring this on us, eh? That’s real cute!
: …
: What’re we gonna do about this, Soushi?!
: Don’t worry. We’ll have our chance soon.
: Soushi…?
: Hah, is it over already? I think I’m actually a bit disappointed. But, now, the Fafners—
Alarm!
: Wh-What’s going on…?!
: The ALVIS personnel have all escaped! They broke out of their cells!
: What?! Get them back NOW!
: We can’t! All of the base’s security devices and equipment are going out of control… We’re pinned down!
: What insanity is going on here?!
Door opens.
: I see you made it too, Yumiko.
: The bulkheads were opening and closing all around the base. They helped me… or, actually, I think they led me here…
: The same happened to us.
: But what is this place, commander…?
Power up!
: This terminal is… Solomon’s main unit?! Which means…!
: It’s Arthur’s Room… the 2nd CDC!
: 2nd CDC…?!
: Th-The computers are turning on by themselves… The island management functions are being transferred from the occupied 1st CDC!
: To your stations, everyone! The basic structure of this place is the same as the 1st!
: Run checks on all systems! We’re taking control of our island back!
: But how is any of this working? Wasn’t the 2nd CDC sealed away because it put too much strain on our systems…?
: If I had to guess, I’d say she’s behind this…
: I am this island, and this island is me.
: The only thing I can do for the people who live here is let them choose… so that they can know what they really want…
: And you let Kazuki and Shinn make their choices too?
: They weren’t the only ones. The people of the island did too; as did Soushi…
: And so did the Festum…
: Y-You’re…!
: (Isn’t that right, Soushi…?)
: (Tsubaki…!)
: The island’s defense systems have come online…?!
: Yo, what’s going on there?!
Beep.
: Apologies for the headache we caused. The ALVIS staff and all of the island’s inhabitants are safe.
: Commander, did she… Is Tsubaki Minashiro awake?!
: Yes, she is.
: Mi-“Minashiro”…?!
: UX, we’d like to employ your services again: please defend our island!
: Consider it done, sir!
: Okay, and with that mess sorted out, we can go to town on these mooks!
: Hrm… Never did I expect this would take such a turn!
: We’re left with no choice. Shift to Plan B!
: Plan B…?! But, then, the island’ll…!
: This is just a precaution for a worst case scenario. They should be here soon.
: And if they can sort this out, great. But if they fail…
: …
: Preparations are complete. Moving to withdraw!
: You’re not going anywhere…!
Arnie runs after Dog’s battleship.
: U-Urk…!
: I can’t let you do that, Arnie…!
: …?! Th-That voice…!
SRW UX - The Proud Challengers
: Been a while, hasn’t it?
: Ji-Jin…?!
: A squadron of Riots… and two new models?!
: This is the Special Mobile Troop calling all forces. Let us handle this!
: We’re already switching the operation into Plan B. This is the tipping point for everything, so I hope you won’t disappoint!
: (“Plan B”…?!)
: Jin, you’re alive…! I can’t believe it!
: Wrong, Arnie. What I am is reborn.
: Reborn… so that I can lead this world to the Beginning of Life!
: Wh-What are you—…?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqXu9TAH9Gg
“Open your eyes and behold the power of the new me…!”
: Gwaaaargh!
: Arnie…!
: No abnormalities in the Neutron Generator. Internal pressure is also stable.
: These readings are… particle acceleration?! Then those units…!
: (It can’t be…!)
: (Yes. Them, too…)
: Urgh! Ji-Jin… why?!
: You’ve always been drifting through life, Arnie, never knowing the difference between belief and destiny! What could you possibly understand?!
: But I’m different! I’m deciding my own fate, and I’m standing here of my own free will!
: Jin, you…!
Saya flies next to Arnie.
: Back off, Ensign! Those units are incredibly dangerous!
: Ms. Saya…!
: Skull Leader to all units! Move in and cover the Orphes!
: Drive the Army of Mankind off this island!
: Jin… Why do we have to fight again?!
Draupa (Ayul Dylan)
Pilot Skills:
Prevail L4
Support Attack L2
Guard
All Attack L2
Command L2
Mech Features:
20% EN Regen
All Canceller
Ayul’s voice actress: Ai Nonaka (other roles: Kyoko Sakura in Madoka, Tora in Xenoblade 2, Honoka in Dead or Alive, and several more).
Vijaya (Jin Spencer)
Pilot Skills:
Prevail L4
Support Attack L2
Hit & Away
All Attack L2
Command L2
Mech Features:
Gun
20% EN Regen
All Canceller
Jin’s Vijaya is pretty much a straight upgrade to his old Riot A, packing more of everything and, this time, with a focus on tanking stuff with its superlative armor. It’s still meant primarily as a sniper, and its best attack is range 3-9, but it now has a biiiig directional MAPW that blasts everything in a 3x9 AoE (4x9 near the end). All his main weapons have impressive accuracy modifiers, too, so just come packing Invincible and Alerts.
Repeat what I said about Jin apply that to Ayul, only she has a wee bit less of nearly everything. She covers her melee range better than him, but the Draupa doesn’t hit as hard; mind you, with Guard, she’s actually a bit tankier. Also has a 3x8 directional MAPW, so watch it. Both enemies can only use those over 130 morale, but they’ll get there easily.
The plot will kick in when either one of them is downed, but note that Ayul is the only one carrying a Skill Part (though I reckon Jin would be worth more cash). Your choice which you wanna go for.
: Whatever the situation, I’ll carry out my orders to the bitter end.
: (And, then, I will finally…)
: The second the Festum are gone, you start gunning for us, eh? You guys got a whole lotta nerve.
: We’re simply carrying out our missions in order of priority. With the more threatening target eliminated, we move on to the next. That’s all.
: “More” threatening, eh?
: Sounds to me like you’re selling us short. Give us a sec and we’ll give you a wake-up call, though!
: You say this is to help you beat the Festum, but what’s the goddamn point if you gotta hurt people to make it happen?!
: It’s not my place to ponder that. I simply carry out the mission given to me…!
: Hmph. Words are wasted on those unwilling to listen, indeed.
: She forces our hand, Kurou! Strike with all your might and open her eyes!
: Our top priority is to capture a Nothung Model… and I’ll eliminate anyone who opposes that…!
: (Persistent to the point of obstinance… It’s almost like I’m looking at my old self…)
: The mission is a failure… Shifting to the final phase of Plan B.
SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend
: Our flagship’s booked it and it’s near impossible to keep the island under control…
: Yeesh, why am I still fighting around here?
–
: Like bandits, you wield strength to take what you want from your fellow men… Tell me, where is the justice in your actions?!
: Justice, huh…? It’d be real nice if that’s all it took for people to survive…!
: Your father worked to help mankind to his last breath!
: And if you want proof, just look at Kazuki’s Mark Sein!
: I’m sure you, of all people, can understand its reason for being!
: Hmhmm… Dad really was who he was to the very end.
: But I’m afraid I’ve already moved past the point of no-return!
: Why are you working against Tatsumiya?!
: I’m sure there’re a ton of people you know around here!
: I’ll get back to you on that. Mind you, I left the island because those folks are around…!
: That’s all I can take…
: (I’m worried about that “Plan B” of theirs, but I need to back off for now…)
And with them out of the way, I’ll clear the rest and take out Ayul for the Skill Part – be mindful of their MAPWs on approach, because they’ll likely have enough morale to blast you.
: So much can be wiped out by the fires of war… and I’ll protect it all with these wings!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL3QgNooa0o
Bam, here’s Shinn’s best attack plus the DK.
Leave me alone, Jin!
SRW UX - The Proud Challengers
: Jin, stop! That mech’s dangerous!
: I know you understand that accelerated particle engines are—
: Are you implying you’re the only one who can handle one of those?
: No, I aim to soar even higher than you… and, then, I’ll grasp everything! With my own two hands!
Too bad, you can’t soar higher than GOUBINE!
Tweep.
: (This sensation I’m getting off her… it’s almost like…)
: (Like when I awakened…? Why is that…?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROw6EuVX4G8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3oA8LM8ibA
: My mother’s told me that your group is a trial that we need to overcome!
: Your mother? “Trial”? What’re you on about?!
SRW UX - The Proud Challengers
: What’s this I’m feeling from that unit…?
: Something up, Magami?!
: (This presence… it’s the same…!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APVbwZTrgrc
And here’s Ayul’s best attack.
: Do you have any idea how dangerous that unit you’re flying is?!
: Yes, and we’ll master it. That’s what Ayul and I are here for!
: You’re called Jin, right?! Then listen up: you got things all wrong!
: Arnie never betrayed the Federation, ya hear?!
: You being for or against the Federation isn’t important – I’m not fighting because of that anymore.
: What I’m after is to use the Vijaya to grasp life itself!
SRW UX - The Proud Challengers
: Hey, weren’t you and Arnie best friends?! How do you figure you two gotta fight?!
: I’ve left my past behind…! And I’ll spare no one who gets in my way – not even him!
: Please, stop this! You’re Arnie’s best friend, aren’t you?
: He’d been thinking about what happened to you all this time…!
: The two of us have chosen different roads to follow…
: And those roads are not parallel. Conflict is all that exists between them!
: A bona fide Innovator… I won’t let you and your dangerous powers anywhere near the Captain!
Tweep.
: (What presence is this? It’s not Quantum brainwaves, but…)
SRW UX - The Proud Challengers
Tzeeeeoooooop.
: …?!
: (This presence… what’s going on?! Why does that feel so familiar…?!)
: (What’s this…?! Who are you?!)
There. Ayul drops Fei’s Disk, which gives +10 to Melee and Ranged, and +5 to Accuracy.
: Uurk…!
*Ayul flies away.
: I’ve got you now…!
: Ayul…!
Arnie tries going after, but Jin blocks the Orphes.
: Jin…!
: Y-You’re not taking us down…!
: We… We’ve something we need to see through! Something worth risking our lives for!
: W-What?! Is that… Aura Power?!
: But I don’t feel any hate. That’s…!
: ‘Tis the strength of his resolve…! Nay… ‘tis the light of his soul?!
: Jin… What happened to make you like this?!
: I’ve finally found it, Arnie… my purpose in life!
: Your purpose…?!
: You heard me… All these years, I was just an empty shell of a man – soulless.
: Anger and ambition controlled my every breath, and I mistook it all for actual pride. I was just a fool…
: Cpt. Spencer…
: But not anymore! Now I really have a duty to fulfill… I have pride! I have resolve! I have a soul!
: Arnie! You represent the last piece of my past that I’ve to overcome!
: Gwaaaargh!
: Ensign Berge!
: I-I’m fine… I’m not letting myself be beaten by him…!
: But…!
: Jin, you’re absolutely right. I, too, was soulless throughout all these years…
: I didn’t understand what it truly meant to protect life, and I did just drift aimlessly…
: But not anymore!
: What…?
: Now I’ve people I want to protect! I’ve taken the burden of our future onto my shoulders…!
: Just as you’ve your pride, I’ve an unflinching belief within my heart!
: Arnie…!
: …
: Ms. Saya… we’re doing the Hell Stringer!
: ?! Arnie…!
: H-Hey, isn’t that…?!
: You’re going to use that warp ability again?!
: You can’t, Arnie! If you do that, you’ll…!
: I’m prepared to face whatever might happen!
: Because, Jin… you also represent the last piece of my past that I’ve to overcome!
: …
Beep, boop! Power uuuuuuuup!
: Lepton Vectrers, emergency acceleration!
: S-Saya…?!
: Synchronization coefficient 97, 98… Pressure set, safety lock released!
: SEEEEIIII!
: Captain, that light is…!
: Get back, Ayul!
: HAAAAAH!
: C-Captain…!
: Behold, Arnie! This is… my PRIDE!
: That won’t break me, Jin! I swear it on my beliefs!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQncJI9BXeU
Captions are available!
: Rgh… Gaarrgh!
: Arnie…!
: Hrgh…!
: Cpt. Spencer!
Ayul moves next to him.
: Hang in there, Captain!
: S-Sorry, Ayul… Turns out I’m the one tripping you up…
: No, no… your proud soul left a deep mark in me.
: Just getting a chance to experience that light is more than good enough…
: Thanks, Ayul…
: I promise, I’ll bring about your awakening – in time…
: …?!
: I believe in you, Captain…
: …
Saya moves after Arnie.
: Ensign… Do you hear me, Ensign?!
: Gch… M-Ms. Saya…
: Thank goodness, you’re awake.
: Come in, Elshank! The Lyras is bringing the Orphes back to the ship!
: Have medical teams ready to see to Ensign Berge as soon as we land!
: C-Copy that!
: Oi, Arnie… you’re pushing it way too much…!
: Still, it was due to him that we could repel those troublesome foes.
: Now we simply pray for his recovery.
: All Army of Mankind forces have been silenced.
: It seems to be over.
: That mech’s one of theirs…!
: This is Canon Memphis of the Army of Mankind. I surrender.
: (Surrender…?)
: What should we do, Your Highness?
: We can’t well attack someone who’s lost their will to fight. Make preparations to receive our units—
: S-Stop! That unit…
: It’s engaging its Fenrir!
: F-Fenrir?!
: That bomb that went off when Shouko and Kasugai died…?!
: There ain’t gonna be anything left of the island if we let that thing go off!
: …
: She’s going to blow herself up to take us out…?!
: What now?! Want me to see if I can snipe just her cockpit?!
: N-No, don’t! Listen, Canon’s got her heart in the right place! If we just talked to her—
: You wanna talk to her?! That bomb might go off at any second!
: Please…!
: Michio…
: Canon, we’ve failed our mission! What’s doing something like that gonna accomplish?!
: That’s irrelevant. These are my orders.
: Still with “order this, order that”?! Is there even a person in there?!
: There was before. She doesn’t exist anymore.
: …?!
: I see it now… You also…
: Kazuki…
: (She feels no sense of self… She really is like how I used to be.)
: Canon, come with me and we’ll surrender together! I’m sure the people here…
: Triple Six, why are you trying to stop my mission?! On whose orders are you doing this?!
: You really don’t understand?!
: S-Stay away!
: I can’t see your face if I do that.
: What…?!
: I’ll give you three minutes. If you wanna press that switch and power up that bomb, go right ahead!
: Aah?! What’s he talking about?!
: But if you don’t make a decision in those three minutes, then I’ll really make you stop existing!
: Kazuki, what is this?! Do you know something we don’t?!
: She… She can’t make her own choices…
: …
: Hrm, say whatever the hell you want! I’ve nothing! I am nothing!
: I once knew a girl very much like you…
: All she did was fight as others told her to. I tried my best to save her, but I couldn’t…
: Shinn…
: Wh-What are you…
: But that’s not the case with you! It’s not too late yet!
: You can still choose your destiny…! Your own wishes, your own strength can still shape it!
: Choose my destiny…?
: There’s no such thing as someone with nothing. There has to still be something inside you.
: N-No, I… I don’t…
: Canon, can you tell us the meaning behind your name?
: I-It’s a type of musical composition… a melody that’s slowly reborn, bit by bit… That’s what my mom…
: See?
: …?!
: You still have that beautiful name, no?
: And that name carries all of your mom’s wishes.
: Y-You… What do you want from me?!
: We want you to make a decision, Canon!
: B-But… I…!
: W-We’re running out of time! Her Fenrir’s going to…!
: Decide, Canon! As scared and uncertain as you might be, the only way you’ll have a future is if you choose one yourself!
: I… I…!
: Five seconds…!
: You’re there, aren’t you, Canon?!
: I… Aaaaargh…!
Click.
: …!
: Wh-What happened…?!
: I-I don’t see an explosion… then…!
: I… I cut off the Fenrir’s control… why?
: You made a decision, Canon.
: N-No, I… My orders…!
: Those orders were your shackles and they’ve just come loose.
: What you have now… is your own free will – a strong will that said “I want to live”.
: No, you’re wrong…! I’ve no will! I’m nothing!
: No, you’re definitely someone.
: The girl standing right there is the one who saved the lives of all of us and everyone who lives on this island.
: I-I…?
: Thank you, Canon…
: N-No, listen to me! I… I’m…!
Canon sprints over to Michio.
: T-Triple Six…!
: It’s alright, Canon… It’s alright…
: No… It’s not, Michio… I… I just…! sniffles
: Aaaaahh…!
: …
: We ought to have them both arrested right away.
: Just leave them alone a bit.
: Heh, I thought you’d say that.
: Aaah… Waaaahaaaaaaa!
: …
: …
: Why did you come back?
: Truth is, I wanted to do this for a while now.
: But a lot of stuff happened. I also did a fair share of bad deeds with the army.
: And every time I did, I just felt like I couldn’t bring myself to come back and face everyone.
: Hrm, you idiot! You should’ve just come home sooner instead of digging yourself deeper into that hole!
: I guess so…
: But maybe I can still turn this ship around?
: Michio…
: I’m going to join the UX in their battles. That’s the least I can do to start making amends…
: …
: You go and do whatever. I’ll be tagging along, though.
: Huh…?! Y-Yumiko…!
: You have no idea how much I cried when you left the island.
: So I think I’m entitled to some of those amends.
: Hah-Hahah…
: Yeah, alright. But, FYI, kick-starting your idol career’s waay beyond me, okay?
: You idiot…
: Thank you. It’s only because of you that Shinn and the others are safe.
: No, I didn’t do anything. This island is safe because everyone chose to make it so.
: Just as you chose to have a heart of your own?
: Yes, that was my choice. I am here.
: And, next, it will be your turn to choose, Athrun.
: …?!
: You’ve once again chosen to live not as Alex Dino, but as Athrun Zala…
: What’s the next road you’ll choose to travel?
: I…
: Heehee, let’s talk more when we meet again, Athrun…
: …
: Th-This is…! Where on earth did you get this from?!
(on TV): We happened across it while searching the coastal waters around that other Tatsumiya – the one that was blown up by the Fenrir.
: Then it belongs to the sunken Mark Vier…
: Now, this is outside my field of expertise, so I can hardly speak with certainty…
: But I believe Dr. Bartland can put this to excellent use towards that, yes?
: Of course. We are deeply grateful for your offer, Prof. Novel.
: And the Special Mobile Troop is always standing by to take part in any operations that arise. If there’s any way we can assist, do let us know.
Bloop.
: What an amazing stroke of luck. No sooner does our mission to capture Tatsumiya fail, this happens.
: Though it sounds a bit too good to be luck…
: All’s well that ends well. Dog Tack’s rather aggressive tactics took me by surprise, but we can let it slide this time.
: He may be a fine officer, but he had absolutely no idea what the point of capturing Tatsumiya was.
: I’d never have given out such an order, were I in command.
: Hm, that’s true. Still, now it’s finally time…
: You may count on me. I’ll build a new one, just as I said I would.
: And unlike Hino’s and all its wasted potential, this one will be a true decisive weapon…!
: The Destiny is safe and back in Shinn Asuka’s hands. We thank you so much for your help with it, Cmdr. Makabe.
: Please, it was nothing – especially considering all the support Orb has given us over the years. Do give my regards to Rep. Athha when you speak to her.
: I gotta say, I didn’t expect Tsubaki Minashiro to intervene in that mess.
: From what I’d heard, she’s the core of Tatsumiya and more or less its guardian?
: You heard right, yes. She used to be inside an artificial womb set within the “Valkyrie’s Cave”; from there, her mind was crossed with everything on the island…
: Even the Festum…
: …
: But now she’s awake, and willingly left that Cave.
: I suppose that’s her trying let us choose how we’ll deal with the Festum… and what we, as people, want to do with our lives.
: I see… And that was why you hired the UX, wasn’t it, Makabe? You wanted to show Tsubaki that you were prepared to square off against the Army of Mankind – against your fellow men…
: Though I should have been the only one to carry that weight.
: Sorry, man, but I don’t think you got wide enough shoulders to carry both the kids and their parents.
: No, we’ll all take up our share of the kids’ pain.
: Mizoguchi…
: …
: Commander, would you be willing to let me look after Tsubaki? I feel responsible for her, considering I was the one who placed her in the Valkyrie’s Cave.
: Dr. Toumi…
: As you will. I had thought of returning her to your care now that she’s awakened.
: Are you sure about this, sir? That means Dr. Toumi would have to stay here on the island, so who would be watching out for the kids’ physical and mental health?
: In truth, I’m considering asking Yumiko to take up that torch.
: Yumiko…?!
: Hm, not only is she a very reliable woman, she is personally very much hoping to get this assignment…
: But I will only extend that offer if you approve of it, Dr.
: I see… Yumiko is…
: Very well, commander. You can go ahead with it…
: Yumiko aside, Makabe, I need to ask: are you serious about also assigning that girl, Canon, to the UX?
: I am. It was a request from Tsubaki Minashiro.
: From Tsubaki…?
: Well, I don’t think you can say no to that.
: Canon Memphis, pilot of the Babylon Model, unit code J-017.
: You don’t have to act so formal, Canon. I’m just your guardian, not your superior officer.
: “Guardian”? Not a POW overseer?
: We’re not a military force. And, more importantly, you’re not a prisoner either: you’re free to come and go as you’d like.
: …
: Then I ask permission to exchange information with the other pilots.
: Oh, right. They’re all around the same age, so I’m sure you’ll be good friends.
: But those dirty clothes of yours just won’t do. Here, why don’t you try these on?
: What are…?
: These belonged to Shouko… my late daughter.
: But they’re still very new. She was a very frail girl, you see, so she couldn’t go outside very often. I’d be happy if you used them.
: Is that an order…?
: Hahah, not at all. It’s just a request.
: I’m not sure what I should do without orders…
: Then you’ll need to think hard and figure it out. Consider that my one and only order to you.
: …
: What a difficult mission this is…
: Sheryl passed out?!
: Yes, I just saw it on the news. It looks like she’s taking some time off to recover…
: That story’s spreading like wildfire – even Men’s Gossip Monthly is all over it.
: Speculation’s the name of the game right now, and we’ve even got people with theories that this is actually a serious disease she’s come down with.
: Sheryl…
: You’re worried about her, aren’t you, Alto?
: Hm? And you are…?
: I’ll introduce you. This is Tsubaki Minashiro… my little sister.
: Pleased to meet you.
: You… have a sister?
: It’s complicated. She was elsewhere until recently.
: (I see. This girl is the island’s core…)
: You’re Saya, yes?
: ?!
: Do you two know each other?
: Heehee… so to speak. My mother was called Saya too.
: “Was”?
: She passed away before I was born.
: Still, she was the one who gave me life…
: Tsubaki…
: Hey, Saya. I know that name has lots of different meanings but…
: What does your Saya mean?
: My name means…
: H-Hey… H-How’s everyone?
: Canon… why are you dressed like that?
: … Youko Hazama asked me to.
: Shouko’s mom?
: D-Damn it, I knew this wouldn’t work. I’m getting my old clothes!
: No, those look good on you, Canon.
: Ah…?
: And you’re gonna be one of our pals from now on, so don’t be a stranger!
: P-Pal…
: There’s no rush. Take things one step at a time and see what’s around you.
: And as you find friends and family… you will, then, find yourself for the very first time.
: Right, Saya?
: …
: Yes, that’s right…
: U-Urgh…!
Door opens.
: How’re you feeling, Arnie?
: Maj. Richard…!
: You’ve finally taken things too far. You’re officially Richard #2.
: …
: But I don’t regret it. And I’m sure that’s the same for you.
: Hm…?
: When I started piloting the Orphes, I felt something like fate at work.
: There’s something with that mech that makes me feel this… this grand, unseen power.
: You know what I’m talking about don’t you? That’s why you kept using that power yourself.
: …
: I understand now. Once you make it past that point, the only option you’ve left is to face off against your fate.
: Even if what you’ll find waiting down that road is Hell itself…
: And I think Jin might also be doing the same…
: You poor man. I suppose a good death is just beyond you… (Hissatsu Shigotonin quote.)
Richard leaves.
: Maj. Richard…
: …
: Here you are, Major.
: Hm? Is something up?
: A message came in from the president of the Hadou Financial Group. It seems she has a new job for us.
: From the Hadou princess herself? Alright, I’ll look into it.
: And… there’s something I’d like to ask you.
: What about?
: That pilot, Jin… he mentioned an “awakening”.
: …
: That’s still up in the air. But I suppose we’ll have our answer soon enough…
: Do you also think they…?
: Yeah… I’ve the feeling that the time has come at last…
: …
Few more Tactician bonuses for us: Michio’s just joined and his first bonus provides a 10% boost to all support actions; Soushi and Moritsugu’s second bonuses are, respectively, +5% to evasion rate and 10% attack power during the player phase.
We’re coming upon the best mission to grind for secret kills. The Fafner trio is up to 123 combined kills, so I don’t even NEED to do it with them to make that threshold in time, and Joey’s up to 66, which is just past ¼ of the way – I’ll grind him just a wee bit to give myself some leeway.
And here are the convos we didn’t get today (mostly because Shinn and Kazuki moved waaay too far during the events):
: Why do people need to fight each other?! Your enemies are supposed to be the Festum, no?!
: Sorry, but the bigshots kinda see everything that’s not in with us to be an enemy.
: And you’re seriously okay with that?!
: I couldn’t tell you. The longer you fight, the harder it becomes to figure out who your enemy is!
–
: How did you ever get your hands on that unit, Kazuki…?
: Your father gave it to me…
: So even with him gone, his will continues “to be”…
: Tch, fighting this is about the last thing I wanna do…!
–
: Moving to immobilize and capture. The pilot’s life is a nonissue…
: The red Fafner…! You’re not taking me out like you did before!
I love how this mission implies that Hester fucking Gallop isn’t as insane and bloodthirsty as Hazard Passha is. It’s not totally inaccurate, I suppose, but when fucking Nuke Grandma is going “ok maybe they should tone it down a little” you know you’ve done goofed.
Click to see the mission!
Excuse the brighter-than-usual pictures in this update. My work notebook died over the week, so I had to scramble for a new one, which resulted in the pictures coming out like this.
Kurou’s a forced deployment today, but you can still set him up in a team. As I mentioned previously, this mission is the best spot to farm for secret kills, so if you’re planning on doing that with anyone, it’ll make things easier if you dumped the cash you got from the previous mission on them. And, as a reminder, this is the cut-off point for the 1st Fafner secret: Kazuki needs to have over 100 kills by the end.
Here’s how we’re going:
Fei-Yen/Lockon
Zhang Fei/Mike
Sun Quan/Sun Shangxiang
Dancouga/Canaria
Mazinkaiser/Talisman
Michel/Kenji
Ozma/Tieria
Mamoru/Sakura
Cao Cao/Moritsugu
Liu Bei/Rennie
Yamashita/Lunamaria
Joe/Saya
Setsuna/Guan Yu
Shou/Marvel
Aesap/Canon
Kurou/Deceive
Heroman
Alto/Luca
Shinn/Klan
Kouichi/Michio
Kazuki/Allelujah
Arnie/Eida
Tactician: Sima Yi (hitting hard in the enemy turn’ll make grinding kills faster)
Off we go.
We open up by an altar inside a cave, where three hidden people have a problem: “the Tyrant” has escaped. Said Tyrant is essential to their plans, meaning they must move to capture it immediately. One of the men says intel suggests it’s still lurking in nearby, so they must hurry. The boy (?) of the group isn’t too keen on working with said man, but fine.
With that settled, the apparent leader agrees to let them see to the Tyrant’s capture – he’s got plenty of other work to do as well. The boy tells him not screw up his end and the guy nods: “I’m well aware. The Black Lodge’s grand cause depends on it.”
And now for a change of scenery: time for a beach episode at scenic Innsmouth! Jeffrey likes the look of the waves, so maybe he’ll get some good surfing in today (it’s been a long while). The water’s great, too, and Joey wants Kurou to thank Ruri for making this happen. Mind you, as he reminds the kid, we were hired to run an investigation, not to play around. “You’d best not let yourself get too caught up on the sea!”
But Kurou’s attention is diverted as the team’s ladies strut out in their swimsuits – the Quarter’s bridge bunnies are especially elated, as this is pretty much their first chance to relax since the Fleet came to this world. Feldt, on the flip side, is being all shy in contrast. “A-And the swimsuits too. You’d breast— best not let yourself get caught up on those either… Eheheheh…” Kurou giggles, and it falls on Al to set him straight with a magic missile to the gut. “If there is anyone getting ‘caught up’ on those, ‘tis you, you gigantic fool” Oow.
A nearby voice has a giggle at Kurou’s naughty attitude and, surprise, it’s Leica. She’s not alone, though: Psy and Denton are also here, having heard much of Joey and co.’s heroics since last they saw each other. Ruri also brought Lina along, and providing this happy reunion already made everything worth the princess’ while.
Kurou’s glad to see them… but does this mean Ruri’s told Leica everything about him, the UX and whatnot? Actually, as Psy notes it, it seems Leica figured everything out herself. Joey’s confused as to how she did, but Leica has an explanation: “I only ever needed a quick look at Kurou’s face to figure out whatever’s going on inside his head”.
Well, dang. Kurou apologizes for keeping quiet, but she isn’t angry. In fact, he’s risen in her esteem when she realized he’s been fighting evil in secret. Kurou’s gets very bashful, but before Al can get him to pipe down again, Denton suggests we not concern ourselves with trivialities. This is our first chance to visit the beach in a long while, so we should enjoy it as best we can!
Later, Joey approaches Psy and says he’s feeling a chill running down his spine. “Oh, boy, you noticed, eh…?” Psy notes awkwardly. The person Joey’s sensing would be Holly, his older sister, who’s busy poking the toy-like Heroman – it really gets so tiny when it’s not go-time! “Hey there, fellas! Much appreciated you lookin’ after Joey!” she says, and Mamoru can’t help but be in awe over the different attitudes between the siblings.
Joey groans a “why” at Psy, and apparently they ran into her in Arkham City, one thing lead to another, and Holly came here with them. And they told her the whole story, so now she’s got a question for Joey: he’s got himself mixed up in a big ol’ mess lately, eh?! N-No, he says he’s just doing what he can for the people of Earth, and Lux backs him up, saying Joey’s a fine warrior, who’s been through many battles with Heroman.
Holly isn’t too sure, but knows the way to fix that: she’s tagging along with us to see if baby bro’s the real deal! Seems the UX have gotten a new helper, and while Luca has a laugh at her larger-than-life persona, Joey can only suffer quietly.
Arnie’s elsewhere, pondering, but his attention’s diverted when Saya approaches and asks if he’s feeling better… U-Um, what is she wearing? The standard blue school swimsuit – can’t he tell? He can, yes, and asks if Richard’s behind this again.
“I know, I know. His wardrobe is filled to the brim with odd clothes… but I’ve been going along with it for so long that I can’t bring myself to say ‘no’ to him…” Saya pouts, and Eida doesn’t envy her situation. Shizuna wonders what kinda creep the old man is to pull stuff like this with a girl Saya’s age, but Arnie’s sure Richard isn’t the type of person to do this just for kicks.
How so? “I’m sure all these costumes are meant as training for your career as a classical actress!” he proclaims, and Eida can’t believe he’s STILL buying into that. Shizuna figures he’s even more clueless than Soushi. Whatever the case, it does get a laugh out of Saya and she invites Arnie to join her at the beach – how about the two of them put together an impromptu act? Arnie doesn’t know how that works, but he’ll follow her lead.
This took too weird a turn for Shizuna and Eida, and they slowly back away to go eat watermelons ELSEWHERE.
And we’ve got even more visitors, as Ranka and Sheryl arrive – and they very much like ambiance at the fancy Innsmouth Resort. When Alto asks, Ranka explains that both of them took some time off work to have a little vacation. And what about that stuff about Sheryl being sick? She says the rumor mill blew things way out of proportion: it was just a small case of anemia. Still, it happened because she was overworked, so Grace suggested she take a few days to relax.
Alto’s glad to hear that, though Rennie can’t help but be surprised at us running into each other like this – quite the coincidence, no? Hardly, Brera steps up and says Sheryl had them find out where we were and insisted they come here.
She tries to stammer a denial, but Alto’s more focused on Brera, who he recognizes as the pilot from the Valkyrie we saw before. As Ranka tells, the guy’s her and Sheryl’s bodyguard (Bodyguard AND Valkyrie pilot? Color Michel impressed).
Brera’s also heard plenty about Alto and, now that they’ve met, he turns to the singers and suggests they cut ties with the pilot. Say what now? As Brera sees, Alto may be skilled, but his resolve – his everything else, really – is middling.
Before Alto can get in his face, however, the situation’s diffused by Sumeragi and Aoi walking over and asking them to chill – it’s not often they get a chance to have fun, so why are they bickering? That’s quite the sexy swimsuits the two ladies are rocking and Michel very much approves. Sumeragi’s exuding that full-grown woman charm and Aoi, ever the top model, has a body to match her fame – Joe and Shou can’t look away.
They better, though, because their significant others are seething. “Do you girls feel that too? That boiling anger rising from your very soul?” Klan asks. “Yuuup. And I think men who step all over ladies’ feelings…” Rennie adds, and Marvel completes it, “need a lesson in pain to try and change their ways.”
Elsewhere, Damian hears a howl of pain coming from across the beach. The hell? Not their problem, figures Domyoji, as they’ve got more important things to check out: like Shaff and Romina’s swimsuits. Shaff isn’t sure if they two of them also needed to dress like this, but Romina sees no problem. It’s part of Earth’s culture.
The Princess’ pure, angelic beauty is a sight to Kouichi, but Mike’s got his eyes set on Shaff – how did he never notice how pretty she is? Lockon can see in his face that the guy’s 100% hooked.
All that said, Sakuya does notice another cute girl hiding behind them. Whoever it is, that girl’s mighty embarrassed – Kouichi does agree that she looks very sexy in her getup, though.
Oh, it’s actually Yamashita in a bikini. As Kenji lies stunned, Shizuna has a huge laugh: “Wahahahaha! It took a whole lotta work to get him to wear that, but even I didn’t think it’d look that good on him!” Izuna can’t believe she’d pull a prank like that, and asks if Yamashita isn’t embarrassed to be dressed like that. His answer comes in the form of a loud “SHUT UP!”
Kouichi’s less than amused by Shizuna’s joke, but she asks if he should be talking like that with the nosebleed he’s got going. Ah, crap. “Hm… I didn’t know you were into that sort of thing, Hayase,” Kizaki ponders. “N-Noooo, I’m not! This is a huge misunderstanding!” Kouichi panics.
From afar, Kazuki and Maya note that everyone seems to be having a good time; we needed a chance to unwind after all the nonstop battles we’ve been having. But should we be unwinding, Canon wonders. This is supposed to be a mission, no? Moritsugu agrees, as while this is also serving the purpose of a vacation, our primary concern here should be to investigate recent disappearances in the area.
Kurara and Izuna understand that Moritsugu’s being professional about this but… isn’t he steaming right now, wearing that suit under the sun? “Of course I am! Can’t you see this waterfall of sweat dripping off my brow?!”
Everyone’s got “beach” portraits where they don’t have their coats, but most are so similar, you can barely tell the difference and I’m not about to make new portraits for everyone just for one mission. Call me lazy, I don’t care!
: Then why don’t you switch to just your inner frame mode like us? (The basic structure of a Gundam Plamo, without all the armor bits.)
: Oh, yes, it’s so very refreshing!
: Er… what? Doesn’t that pretty much mean they’re naked?
: I don’t know… Nothing about them makes any sense to me!
: That does sound nice. I wanna switch to my inner frame mode too!
: Gi-gi.
: Hmm, is that Humanoid speak for ‘Oh, yeah!’ or just him being embarrassed?
: …?! H-hey! Look over there!
: I-It’s…!
: That girl… is she going to jump off that cliff?!
: …
: No… no one cares about me. No one needs me, so what’s the point in living? There’s none…
: Still, even someone like me can at least change my own world…
Swoosh!
: She jumped!
: Damn it…! Linebarrel! Quick!
Twoop! Grab!
: ?! A-A robot…!
: …
: Thank god, I caught her right on time…
: She’s passed out, but it doesn’t look like she’s hurt.
: This girl is…!
: Do you know her?
: Yes, she’s Miu Kujo – a member of the Smash Dolls idol group.
: She’s a singer?!
: But why did she…?
: Hm… Wh-Where…
: Huh?! Y-You’re…!
: Um, hey there – my name’s Kouichi Hayase. We saw you jump off that cliff, so I kinda went and saved you…?
: A cliff? Hmm, I see… and then you saved me…
: But why did I…?
: What, you jumped and don’t know why?
: I… everything’s a blank. I’ve been trying to remember what happened since I came to, but nothing’s coming…
: Hmm, maybe the shock of it all has left your memories temporarily out of sorts?
: Nay, I sense evil energies at play here. And they appear to originate from that cave over there…
: Cave… you mean the one at the base of the cliff?
: Then, you think the reason Ms. Kujo jumped was…
: Aye, ‘tis likely she held many a negative emotions within her heart. When the evil energies came into contact, all of those burst forth.
: Put it simply, she was under a spell?
: And the disappearances Ms. Hadou asked us to look into…
: Yeah, there might just be some relation between those and those evil energies that mess with peoples’ minds.
: Alright, then! I believe it’s time to get this investigation underway!
: Domyoji, you and the others head back and find the Major. Best to have everyone ready to deploy in case things go south!
: You got it!
: …
: Sorry, Ms. Kujo. We gotta take off to look into that cave there… But can I ask you to promise me just one thing?
: A promise…?
: Yeah. Please don’t think about killing yourself again.
: …?!
: O-Okay… I promise…
: I’ll see you later, then!
: …
: (Kouichi… Hayase…)
#1: The denizens of this island – the God-worshipping Deep Ones – have all been sacrificed…
#2: Cthuuuulhuuuuuuu wgah’nagl fhtagn… (Cthulhu waits dreaming.)
#1: Soon… Very soon, we’ll see the results of my experiment.
: How is there this wide, open space inside a cave…?
: And there are plenty of signs that people have been through here. Veeery suspicious…
: Then why are you two still coming along with us?!
: I am a Factor, you know. While I can’t do much in conventional battles, I can handle something like this just fine.
: And I want to help too, Joey! In for a penny, in for a pound!
: I-I appreciate the thought, but you shouldn’t put yourself at risk for me…
: And, Kurou, you said something about disappearances? Who was it that went missing?
: What, you don’t know about it? Over twenty of the local islanders vanished in just one night.
: O-Over twenty people…?!
: Innsmouth has quite the dark past before the Hadou Financial Group turned it into a resort. From what I’ve heard, this whole area was under control of a dark cult…
: So maybe Ms. Hadou thinks the old cult and the disappearances are connected?
: Hmm, indeed. There are myriad spells etched across the walls… This is a heathen temple dedicated to an ancient sea god.
: A heathen temple?!
: It certainly doesn’t look anything like your average cave… Hgh?!
: Ensign…?!
Tsssssst.
: Wh-What’s this smoke?!
: Cough, cough
: Y-You don’t think it’s… poison gas?!
: Nay, the smoke is…!
Mission 26 – The Shadow Over Innsmouth
: You guys okay?!
: Ooh, I’m so dizzy… Why… Why’s my chest feeling so hot…?
: I-It’s like… there’s someone else inside my mind…!
Purple smoke covers Joey and Lina’s portraits!
: Joey… I have always…
: Me too, Lina… I…
: H-Hey, what’s up with you two?! Pull yourselves together!
: Blast it all… The smoke is fruit of sorcery! Breathe it and you shall lose your mind!
(purple!): Ms. Saya… I…
: E-Ensign…?!
: I haven’t been able to sleep ever since I saw your acting! It haunts my thoughts!
: This is not the time for you to be talking nonsense!
(purple!!): Al…
: Egads, Kurou! Even you fell— Hrmph?!
: Mmwah!
: M-Mr. Daijuuji, just what are you doing?!
: Y-You GIGANTIC FOOL!
Magic missile!
: W-Waaaaaaaaah!
: Th-The gall! H-How dare you kiss me…!
: Hmhmhm… Now this is a surprise. Four whole people managed to keep their minds inside my smoke?
: Who are you?!
: You may call me Vespasianus, priest of the Black Lodge and one of the Anticross. Charmed.
: Anticross… those’re the Black Lodge’s bigwigs, right?!
: What business has Master Therion’s right-hand man here?!
: Why, I thought I’d show quite the spectacle to you people: the moment a god is beckoned into this world!
: A god?!
: Indeed. Now is the moment that a Great Old One, by the power of this grimoire, will bless this land!
: R’llllllyeeeeeh! Ia! Ia! God!
: This powerful divine aura of water… ‘Tis the grimoire R’lyeh Text?!
: Very insightful, but I’d expect no less from Al Azif herself. The R’lyeh Text is another of the mightier grimoires!
: So that girl’s a grimoire spirit like Al?!
: And we can easily beckon a god or two with her pages and magic added to our knowledge!
: You… You are going to restore that evil god?!
: Ia, Ia, God…! Dagon! Dagon! Dagon!
: Kishaaaaaaa!
: Th-That’s…!
: Behold! Dagon has fed on the lives of the Deep Ones and now it’s reborn onto our world!
: “Fed on the lives”?! Then those missing people…!
: Th-They… they were eaten by that monster?!
: “What is a man, if his chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more. Sure he that—"
: That’s great, Ensign, but we’re busy with that beast right now! Pull yourself together already!
: Oh, don’t worry yourselves. I’ll put you out of your miseries in short order.
: Take them, Dagon!
: Kishaaaaaaaa!
: U-Uwaaaaaaaaah!
: …?!
: W-What?!
: (I feel the presence of…!)
: …
: (I can’t be…! Did the Tyrant help them?!)
SRW UX - Rebellion Against Fate
: Is everyone alright?!
: Major…!
: U-Urgh… What happened to us…?
: I remember getting caught up in that smoke and…
: Oh, thank goodness! Are you all back to normal?!
: Well, whatever happened there, come grab your units and set out to deal with the Black Lodge!
: Y-Yes, sir!
: Hmph, this changes nothing. Your pathetic UX is hardly a match for Dagon now that it’s been reborn!
: Kill them all!
: Deploy all forces!
: Michio, Canon, are you ready?
: Just say the word! Megatherion, standing by and good to go!
: I’m always ready to fight. And if you ask me, that’s much more fun than playing around at the beach!
: Y’all had a lot of fun messing with my head, eh?! You’re gonna pay for that a hundred times over!
: Do not lower your guard! Your foe is Dagon, the sea god! ‘Tis a monstrous divinity, brought back to life by the Black Lodge!
: Every person is entitled to their beliefs… That being said, I cannot help but be disgusted by this god.
: Men, do everything in your power to halt its rampage before it damages the surrounding area!
Kill Dagon, don’t lose Kurou or any ship.
Welcome to the farmlands, people – the simplest place to get a ton of kills and give yourself a lot of leeway in all those secret counts. As I’ve often mentioned in the thread, if you earn kills and then game over a mission, those kills will not be reflect in a character’s stat screen, but they WILL count towards his secret tally.
This mission is the easiest way to grind because there are a ton of weak mooks – MP Destroyer Robos – and Dagon (and the bosses that show up after) are beefy enough to make quick work of a ship, so you can quickly trigger a game over. Once you’ve lost, you’ll be back in the intermission menu, then you can start again and do it as many times as needed.
Like I said before, I only really want to get some kills on Joey since the Fafner trio’s already pretty close to making the cut. Just send your guy up top alone, having him sweep all mooks (use the Elshank to resupply its EN if need be), kill Dagon, which’ll trigger another wave of mooks, kill those, and have a ship get killed, rinse and repeat (make sure you note those invisible kills in your spreadsheet!).
I recommend using the Ptolemaios as your sacrifice, as the Quarter’s bulkier and the Elshank’ll trigger Tobikage. You can also use the Macross Cannon to speed up the process. There are 36 Destroyer Robos in the first wave, plus another 12 in the second, so you can grab 48 kills per pass if you let a single guy take everything. Don’t worry about clearing the secret requirement now – just do it enough times that you feel comfortable you can get the rest normally.
So insert here, twice, Heroman going to town on the Black Lodge goons before the Ptolemaios was tragically blasted by Bobby going a bit too wild with his Macross Cannon.
After that, we do it properly.
: Alright, you’re up Joey! I wanna make sure you’re not being a headache to these other folks!
: Psh, talk about bossy…
: But, whatever, I have to show her that I’ve got what it takes! Come on, Heroman!
: Hmm…!
: Aw, and we were finally getting a chance to relax…
: Tough luck, guys, but this is going to hurt!
SRW UX - Future-Bound Fighting Spirit
: My hair’s going to be so damaged if I don’t wash off this seawater, and soon…
: B-But this isn’t the time or place to think about that!
SRW UX - The Gate of Neidhöhle Opens
: Yumiko, I always wanna have my head held high when I make my way back to you…
: So I’ll make sure that I’m fighting the right enemies this time…!
SRW UX - Shadows that Rend Darkness
: That illusion gas we breathed back there… did it not affect me because…?
: These guys have absolutely no manners. We were taking a vacation, you hear?! How about you take a hint?!
: Get your head into gear, Nene! Only way you’ll get to enjoy the rest of that vacation is if you don’t get dropped here!
: Wah! How about some personal space, Aesap?! I’m in my swimsuit here, you know!
: You’re the one who got into the Nanajin dressed like that…! And, look at this, you got the cockpit soaking wet!
SRW UX - The Gate of Neidhöhle Opens
: I’ve been assigned to the UX, so fighting alongside them is now my mission – pure and simple.
: But, at the same time, part of me feels disappointed that we’re not on that beach anymore… Why is that?
: How long it’s been since I went to the beach… but it’s really not looking like I’ll get a chance to enjoy it!
: What is it, Marie? You’ve been quiet for a bit now… is something wrong?
: N-No, not at all, Allelujah… It’s just that I’ve got seawater all over me…
: Think for a damn sec before you open your mouth, Allelujah! Her ass is all damp from the water and it’s bugging her big time!
: Keep your wits about you, lest its divinity overwhelm your mind. Though this is but a spawn of a Great Old One, ‘tis still a being worthy of the title of god!
: Aye, aye!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bi3tjvq1zk
: Tsk… It’s often said you’re supposed to let your body rest after going for a swim, but that’s really not going to happen today…!
: Something feels… odd. Is it because you put on your Synergetic Suit before drying yourself?
: Yeah, I didn’t really have the time to pick up a change of clothes. Sorry, but you’re just gonna have to put up with it for now!
SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend
: Baah! We’re all dripping with seawater and our time at the beach is ruined!
: You’d best make your peace, because I’ll make you pay dearly for spoiling our fun vacation!
: Izunaaa! You’re dripping water all over my back!
: I-I can’t stop it, sis! They didn’t even give me time to dry myself!
: Aah! Ms. Noriega, why do you have beer with you?!
: Whoopsie. I was drinking this at the beach and I guess just forgot to leave it behind.
: Then how about we wrap this up quick and go toast to our victory!
: Y-Your Highness, your dress is wet! We can see through it!
: Fret not, Shaff! I’m still wearing my swimsuit underneath it, so there’s nothing to be ashamed of!
: And there I was, counting the seconds to see Ozma in swim trunks… Why, oh, why did the enemy have to attack?!
: Sailors must remember that the sea’s always brimming with danger! And we’ll rise to the occasion, come what may!
: Show me some spirit, crew! The creatures of these depths are ripe for a harpooning!
: Fighting while drenched in seawater is just the worst. I know the situation didn’t give us any wiggle room, but I don’t ever want to feel this sticky again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAKJmR-ffzg
And here’s its best trick.
: Hrrmm… I had to just slap my pilot suit atop my bikini, and now look how drenched it is! Damn it, let’s end this in a hurry – I need to dry it up!
: This sure was an abrupt deployment, huh…
: No one likes to fight while soaking wet, but we can’t really tell the goons to come back later!
: And complaining about it won’t get us anywhere. Best we can do is wrap this up quick.
: I’m with her on that. Our inner fire’ll both burn these guys to cinders and help dry us up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVEvAWBe2AA
It just hit me that I never showed off the Dancouga’s best attack, so here it is. Eat the Old God and make its strength your own!
Our prize is a Smash Dolls’ Disk (+10 to Skill and Defense, +5 to Evasion).
: What, that’s it?! That was pretty dang easy for a big, bad “sea god”!
: Don’t ya think it’s a bit too soon to party?
: …?! What an evil Aura Power… who is it?!
: Well, well, this must be our lucky day. We come here looking for the Tyrant, and who do we find but Kurou Daijuuji and Al Azif!
: Ｄｏｎ‘ｔ ｃｏｕｎｔ ｙｏｕｒ ｃｈｉｃｋｅｎｓ ｂｅｆｏｒｅ ｔｈｅｙ ｈａｔｃｈ．
: I feel their magic all the way here…! Watch out, people – they’re sorcerers!
: Bam! And bingo was his name!
: Plus, here’s my grimoire, The Celaeno Fragments! Rise, Lord Byakhee!
: The name’s Claudius, an Anticross of the Black Lodge!
: That child is an Anticross?! Then, that large man must be…!
: Ｃａｌｉｇｕｌａ． Ｃａｌｉｇｕｌａ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ Ａｎｔｉｃｒｏｓｓ．
: Ｍｙ ｇｒｉｍｏｉｒｅ，Ｃｔｈäａｔ Ａｑｕａｄｉｎｇｅｎ．Ｍｙ Ｄｅｕｓ Ｍａｃｈｉｎａ， Ｋｒａｋｅｎ！ Ｄｅｓｔｒｏｙ！ Ｄｅｓｔｒｏｙ！ Ｄｅｓｔｒｏｙｄｅｓｔｒｏｙｄｅｓｔｒｏｏｏｏｙ！
: Two Deus Machinas?! Fighting just one of these was already a pain in the neck…!
: Hrm, the hell is this supposed to be, huh? An evil fire sale?!
: Sure, that works for me. Only it’ll be your crew that’ll get burned!
: Ｗｅ ｃａｎ ｔａｋｅ ｏｕｒ ｔｉｍｅ ｆｉｎｄｉｎｇ ｔｈｅ Ｔｙｒａｎｔ ａｆｔｅｒ ｃｒｕｓｈｉｎｇ ｙｏｕ ｔｏ ｂｉｔｓ！
: Be wary! Their powers are at the very least on par with Dagon’s!
: Aye, aye!
And now we need to drop either Claudius or Caligula to end the mission. Both have goodies, so, if you want everything, you’ll need to line up a MAPW.
Kraken (Caligula)
Pilot Skills:
Sorcerer L4
Grimoire L4
Prevail L4
Support Attack L2
All Attack L1
Mech Features:
Magic Barrier – negates all damage below 2000
Caligula’s voice actor: Kenta Miyake
Lord Byakhee (Claudius)
Pilot Skills:
Sorcerer L4
Grimoire L4
Prevail L4
Support Attack L2
All Attack L1
Claudius’ voice actress: Yuka Imai (other roles: Rutee in Tales of Destiny, Leviathan in Megaman Zero, Electone in Knights of Ramune and several more).
Surprisingly standard fare considering Tiberius myriad debuffs and Master Therion’s phenomenal magic powers. Caligula’s by far the strongest one, packing a meaner punch, better range and much stronger defenses (though Claudius is a sliiiightly better shot). Honestly, these two aren’t all that impressive and we’ve fought WAY worse – if you wanna wrap this up quick, go for Claudius.
: Did you guys enjoy your little vacation?
: That’s good. ‘Cause you can look back on those nice memories as my Lord Byakhee’s filleting you!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1iclvCxI9U
: Ｇｒｏｏｏａａａｒｇｈ！ Ｍｙ Ｋｒａｋｅｎ‘ｌｌ ｔｅａｒ ｙｏｕｒ ｂｏｎｅｓ ａｐａｒｔ ａｎｄ ｓｅｎｄ ｙｏｕ ｔｏ ａ ｗａｔｅｒｙ ｇｒａｖｅ！
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THDjOsBeoyg
Here’s the guy’s best trick.
SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend
Cao Cao against Black Lodge: “Ye wielder of mystical arts… Lead the people astray no longer!”
SRW UX - The Gate of Neidhöhle Opens
: Ｙｏｕ‘ｒｅ Ｋｕｒｏｕ Ｄａｉｊｕｕｊｉ， ｈｍ．．．？ Ｙｏｕ ｗｏｎ‘ｔ ｅｖｅｒ ｂｅ ａｂｌｅ ｔｏ ｏｐｐｏｓｅ ｕｓ ａｇａｉｎ ａｆｔｅｒ Ｉ‘ｍ ｔｈｒｏｕｇｈ ｗｉｔｈ ｙｏｕ！
: Two can play that game! I’ll have you beaten so bad, you’ll be too broken to do evil crap again!
: ‘Tis you who the depths beckon, Deus Machina Kraken!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHdvefwr1Q8
Making this video both to show off the weaker version of Caligula’s punch and, mostly, to show him flipping out after losing.
Our prize is Holly’s Favorite Guitar, which adds +10 Skill, +5 to Melee and Ranged. And if you’re curious, Claudius drops a SEKIGAHARA Game, which is +10 Skill, +5 Ranged and Defense.
: Ｙｏｕ．．．ｈｏｗ ｄａｒｅ ｙｏｕ ｈｕｒｔ ｍｅ ｌｉｋｅ ｔｈｉｓ！ Ｉ‘ｌｌ ｂｅａｔ ｙｏｕ ｉｎｔｏ ａ ｂｌｏｏｄｙ ｐａｓｔｅ！
: Hrk… Those Deus Machina don’t have the best teamwork, but that doesn’t make them any easier to fight!
: Oh, what’s the matter, UX? You’re looking a bit caught between the devil and the deep blue sea! Hyahahahaha!
: The Deus Machinas really are as strong as advertised. We need some ideas right now or…!
: Fine… then we’ll use the power of Cthugha!
: Cthugha?
: The divine manifestation of the flame that dwells in the star Fomalhault. ‘Tis one of my fragments, which we recovered from the Anticross in a previous battle.
: That zombie guy, yeah?
: However, Kurou, as I am sure you are well aware, Cthugha has tremendous power! I am not sure if you are yet strong enough to control it…!
: Still, it’s not like we’ve got any other way outta this!
: But…!
: We still got too much to do to let ourselves be beaten here! If this can help us pull through, I’m going for it…!
Magic power up!
: That’s right. You mustn’t die yet, Kurou. Rather, you can’t die… So what I’ll do is give you a little hand with that.
: …?!
: Oh, White King… if you are to resist the tides of fate…
: Then we shall shine as a tyrannical light, the antithesis of chaotic darkness!
: You’re…?!
SRW UX - Sublimation of a Destroyer
: Wh-What was that light…?
: Those are the pages depicting Ithaqua… They are more of my fragments!
: Ithaqua?! How’d they get their hands on that?!
: (I get it now… those two were the manifestation of the magic in the Cthugha and Ithaqua fragments!)
: Look! Something’s materializing in the Demonbane’s hands!
: Wait, are those… guns?!
: Mayhap you could actually control it now…
: I’m unleashing the powers of Cthugha and Ithaqua! Remain steadfast, Kurou, for the energies shall not be easy to wield!
: Not even time for practice, eh? Fine by me! Come on!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OmNSugyuUc
: Ｕｇｈｗａａａａａａ！ Ｍ－Ｍｙ ａｒｍ！ Ｍｙ ａａａａｒｍ！
: Wh-What the hell just happened?! Why are the Tyrant’s guns with the Demonbane?!
: (“The Tyrant’s guns”…?)
: My word. That was very well done, Kurou Daijuuji and UX.
: It’s that man…!
: Vespasianus! You wanna take a swing at us too?!
: Oh, no, no; that’s for another time. I’ve already accomplished what I came here for, you see.
: Did you? What are you people up to?
: That would be telling, no? You’ll understand in due time. Do look forward to it.
: You might’ve won today, but next time we meet, I won’t stop ‘til I’ve made mincemeat outta all of you!
: Ｋｕｒｏｕ Ｄａｉｊｕｕｊｉ！ Ｎｅｘｔ ｔｉｍｅ．．． Ｎｅｘｔ ｔｉｍｅ Ｉ‘ｌｌ ｋｉｌｌ ｙｏｕ！
: All enemy signals have vanished from radar.
: Deus Machina… I’d heard tell of these, but their strength really does match the name…
: Yeah. If the Demonbane hadn’t busted out those guns, we might’ve been in some serious trouble.
: Still, we never equipped it with such magical arms to begin with…
: That guy said these guns belonged to “The Tyrant”, so…
: Hm? That’s…
: What is it?
Kurou moves closer to the altar.
: …
: A girl…?
: Um… I’m Kurou Daijuuji. And you are…?
: En…nea…
: Ennea, huh? Were you here throughout that whole mess?
: I… I don’t know why I’m here… or what I was doing until now…
: She has amnesia…?
: Maybe she’s one of the missing people. Bring her aboard and we’ll take care of her.
: It’s all right now, Ennea. You’re safe.
: Thank you… Kurou…
: Very well done, Vespasianus. With your acquisition of the R’lyeh Text, we now have one of the keys for the C Project.
: But the problem is the other key, the Tyrant. It helped Kurou Daijuuji… much to my surprise.
: And the blame lies squarely on you, Claudius and Caligula. Had you acted faster, the Tyrant wouldn’t have come in touch with them.
: As I see it, losing your arm is no more than your just desserts for not paying the enemy and the Tyrant their due diligence.
: Ｈｒｍ．．．
: You watch the attitude, you son of a bitch…! We’ll see you talk smack after I’ve gutted you!
: Enough. I grow bored of all your grumbling…
: But Grand Master, the Tyrant is the centerpiece of the entire C Project.
: We’ve yet to claim the grimoire Al Azif; if we let the Tyrant slip away as well—
: We’ll carry out Project C without the Tyrant or Al Azif.
: You wish to implement it without either of them, Grand Master?
: But doesn’t the Project need both the Tyrant and a core unit of tremendous magical powers to be carried out?!
: We’ll simply use me and the Liber Legis in place of both. That should take care of that problem.
: Or are you implying this is beyond my powers?
: No, I would never…
: (Grand Master… you’re…)
Cut back to the good part of Innsmouth, Ruri’s treating everyone to a banquet as thanks for solving the disappearances. Winfield and the maids are at the ready to provide anything we might need. Sheryl and Ranka are also getting the VIP treatment, but wonder if they deserve it as well – they didn’t do anything today.
Still, Ruri’s giving them the green light, so Joe figures it’s A-OK for everyone to dig in. Gameran huffs at his devil-may-care attitude and wonders if that’s how he plans on tackling the next mission. What next mission? As Richard tells, Ishigami just called and asked us to look for a new Machina over by the Shimane Prefecture.
Another investigation? Yeah, so a part of our team will head over to Shimane first thing in the morning. Mike and Kenji could go for another trip to a beach paradise, and, as Sheryl remembers, Ranka is actually slated to take part in a music festival set to happen there over the weekend.
Eida’s excited and hopes to be in the audience cheering for her… only, not quite. Johnny points out she’ll also be taking part in that festival – he got her booked for it as soon as he heard we were going for Shimane. Eida’s been off the stages for a while now, so she needs to work to keep her name in the people’s collective consciousness.
As she gives a strained nod, Fei-Yen likes the sound of a music festival and wants to sing in it too. And since everyone’s signing up for it, Holly figures one more won’t break the bank – she wants in but Psy begs her not to.
: …
: …
: Something seems a bit off with those two, don’t you think?
: Yeah, now that you mention it, they’ve been quiet for a while now…
: Joey, you guys went into that cave too, right? Did something happen in there?
: Eerr, n-no, nothing at all… Hahahah… I-Isn’t that right, Lina?
: Huh? O-Oh, yeah… that’s right.
: …
: You guys are acting a bit weird, too…
: They’re still reeling from what happened with the illusion guess, I see.
: Y-Yeah… That’s probably it…
: And if you ask me, that applies to you too.
: Don’t let it get to you. If anything, I’m glad to hear how you really feel.
: Give me just a bit of time to set things up, and I’ll show you some classical plays since you’re so interested.
: Um, no… that’s…
: …?
: (Come to think of it, Hayase and Kizaki are both Factors, and Al’s a grimoire…)
: (But how come Saya wasn’t affected by that the smoke? She was standing right next to us.)
: Erm, Al…
: … Pay it no mind.
: Huh?
: Our time together thus far has been quite pleasant.
: What happened then was simply an embarrassing misstep. There is no need to concern yourself with it.
: Al…
: (Wh-What is going on here…?)
: Al, I…
Door opens.
: Heeey, Kurou, why do you look so serious? Come eat something with me!
: Y-You’re Ennea, right? You’re looking a lot chipper…
: She’s been like this for a bit now.
: Maybe it’s a consequence of her time in captivity, but we have no way of knowing.
: Yup! Still got no memories, so what’re you gonna do, huh?
: Here, Kurou. Why don’t you take a bite of this? Open wiiiiide!
: B-But could you get off me first? Al, help…
: Y-You GIGANTIC FOOL!
Cast magic missile!
: Whyyyyyyyyy?!
: Hick…! And that’s how my invention helped us save Center City!
: They know, professor, you’ve told everyone that story a dozen times already. Maybe that’s enough sake for you…
: Pssshaaaaw! How can I fight aliens and let a bit of booze intimidate me?! Aaactually, you boys know what?! I’m signing up to help the UX!
: P-Professor, what’re you talking about?!
: Nnnnoope, the professhor’s 100% right! hick
: Um… Ms. Hadou, are you drunk?
: I wouldn’t deserve to be prez of the Hadou Finant… Fintial… Finalan… I wouldn’t desherve to be Queen Hadou if I jusht shent others to fight and never went into battle myshelf! Sho…
: Now I’ll be out there with you! I’m gunna join the UX as another commander!
: Wh-Whuh?!
: Oh, that sounds like fun! Sign me up!
: Well, I can’t let another Ferario outshine me! I’m in too!
: And me! I’ll sing until I drop if that’ll help keep everyone happy!
: Thatsh the spirit. And whattabout you, Lina? You’ll be leading our heroesh too, right?
: Wh-What, me?!
: What’re ya worried about? You’re a cheerleader, right? So get out there and cheer our guys on!
: N-Now wait just a dang minute! Cheering our guys and commanding an army ain’t even close to being the same thing!
: Hey, now, lady, did you forget we got summa the best tacticians in the world to help us? Sima Yi! Zhou Yu! Zhuge Kongming! Sumeragi! Richie! Bam!
: Whatever happens, I’m sure they’ll help us find a way around! Am I right or am I right, Lord Cao Cao?!
: Hahahah! You rascal, you!
: E-Everyone’s drunk off their feet!
: Sumeragi, please, say something…
: Zzzzz…
: She’s already blacked out…
: Then, to clarify, mistress Ruri Hadou, plus ladies Cham, Erebos, Fei, Lina and Eida shall now be taking up duties as tacticians and morale officers for the UX.
: It will be our pleasure to assist you all.
: W-Wait, when did I sign up for that…?
: This is absurd… Who has ever heard of civilians taking up the role of military tacticians?
: What is happening to our team…
: Whaaat?! My sis and Michio?!
: Yep. We saw them sneaking off into a room together…
: They were looking all around to make sure no one was within an earshot, so I think it’s safe to tag this as “scandalous”!
: “Within an earshot”… Oh.
: Sis, don’t tell me…
: Ah! N-Now that I think about, I don’t see Hayase around either! Where is that guy?
: We saw him leaving the hotel not long ago.
: Yeah, he was with that cute girl with the long brown hair.
: …?!
: S-Stop talking, you two!
: …
: Hayase…
: K-Kizaki! Your eyes!
: You want me to come to your show…?
: I just want to thank you for saving me today… What do you say?
: Next week, huh… I’d love to be there, but I don’t know if I’ll be in Tokyo then.
: Hmhmm… A Champion of Justice has a pretty busy schedule, huh?
: And then some, yes… We get deployed pretty much all over the world on missions.
: Just this weekend, for example, we’ve a mission at Shimane…
: Really…?! I’m headed for Shimane too! There’s going to be a festival there, and my group was invited!
: A festival? Is it the one Eida and the other girls’ll be singing at?
: I’m pretty sure it is, yes! That’s the only live event scheduled for that day!
: So not only did we run into each other today, we’re also headed to the same place. What are the odds of that?
: Honestly, I was pretty depressed over going to Shimane, but just knowing you’ll be there…
: Ms. Kujo…?
: N-Never mind. Just thinking out loud.
: Here’s a ticket for the Shimane show. Come see if you can, yes?
: I promise I’ll be there, Ms. Kujo!
: And, Hayase… could I ask you not to be so formal with me?
: But… Well, aren’t you a bit older than me?
: Consider it an order from your senior, then. Stop being so formal.
: If you say so, Ms… Erm. Okay, Kujo.
: Heehee… That’s better.
: (Kouichi Hayase, the pilot of a giant robot…)
: (Someone as special as him wants me to live. If I have him by my side, then…)
Flash!
#1: Everything’s ready to go. Heheh, I can already picture the look on Kurou’s face.
#2: Oh, dear, you seem to be rather taken with my Kurou… aren’t you, Tyrant?
#1: What do you want, Nya? I don’t really have the time to deal with you right now.
: Hmhmhm, I’m just rather impressed at how brave you are, that’s all.
: You know very well that there’s only despair down this road, but look at you go.
#1: …
: But, please, do as you’d like. I’m just a watcher – now and always.
Disappear!
#1: I know what you mean… But, still, I…
: Hmm… It’s morning already? Guess everyone wound up falling asleep around here.
: Hm, and it appears that the Shimane team has already departed.
: I can’t believe they got up so early after partying as hard as we did. Impressive.
: Guys, this is bad!
: What is it, Cham? What’s bad?
: Everything, that’s what! Take a look outside!
: Outside…?
Opens door.
: ?! Wh-Whaaaat the heeeeeeeeell?!
And, as told, we’ve got a bunch of new tacticians:
- Cham: evasion rate +5%
- Erebos: accuracy rate +5%
- ]Ruri: +10% attack power when counterattacking
- Eida: +10% boost to all support effects
- Fei-Yen: pilot-affecting debuff immunity
- Lina: evasion rate +5%
Nothing too impressive now, but we’ll see once they unlock their second bonuses.
Finally, here are the few convos we missed today:
: “The Unspeakable”… “The traveler of the cosmos”… Hastur, the Great Old One that rules over the wind…
: And he wields its power… do not underestimate him!
: Ya getting scared, Kurou? Keep your eyes open, or you’re gonna find yourself six feet under!
: You got a really big mouth, brat! I’ll make sure to bash it shut as I’m wrecking your Deus Machina!
–
: I don’t remember training ever covering how to fight in a swimsuit…
: But that’s exactly when I need to believe in my own strength and press on! That’s how you stay alive in a battlefield!
A fun little detail is how the Tactical Command option becomes Tactical Command/ Support after this stage.
Really like how nearly everyone has something to say in this mission. You don’t see that often in SRWs nowadays.
Claudius is definitely a guy. Also only using a fragment of the power the Celeano Fragments should have (and thus Lord Byakhee is nowhere near as powerful as a robot connected to Hastur should be), but the reveal that he was using an inferior copy and Laban in general wasn’t until the sequel. As for whether or not he’s a child… well, given how ridiculously foul his mouth is and some of his actions, as well as age related magics in the Demonbane universe (see also Edgar, who was also from a later work), who even knows.
Goddamnit Hallelujah, why did that make me laugh.
What bugs me about Dagon is how awkward its attacks all look - even by UX standards it looks really, really bad.
Ah, yes, Cthugha and Ithaqua in the anime. They kind of just… show up, and he uses them. And most of that is compression of the plot events ruining shit, but at the same time, they also couldn’t show what happened in the source - Kurou got them on his side by fucking them originally.
And yeah, the reason you get most of your Tacticians is that everyone was drunk off their ass and decided to join up that way… and the only people who could have vetoed it were also drunk off their ass. Oh, UX.
Is it normal that most of my thoughts regarding the Demonbane content in this game consist of “Oh yeah, it was originally a H-Visual Novel?”
Don’t forget during the scene with the pink mist, Kurou in the VN got a raging boner and had to anal Al in order to regain his sanity.
Pretty sure the scene was rewritten to be safer in the LN adaptation.
In the VN, Kurou’s beaten up before he can actually insert his member into anything. He still does end up getting a handjob, though.
Demonbane is really goddamn stupid, basically
Click to see the mission!
We open up aboard the Elshank, off the coast of Japan, where our folks pass on the news they just got to Ishigami: the team that stayed behind at Innsmouth, plus the entire HOTEL they were in, have completely vanished! Quite mysterious, and Joey doesn’t understand how that could happen without a single trace of evidence left behind.
Rachel reports that an analysis of the area hasn’t helped identify the cause of this, but Denton notes that a nearby air base detected space-time vibrations ripping across the area – the wavelength of those vibrations were very similar to the ones we collected when the Aura Road previously opened. In other words, it’s very likely half our team got sent to Byston Well.
Mike remembers our problems with the Hojo folk before, and Kazuki really hopes everyone’ll be okay. Ishigami understands our concern but notes that the world’s in a constant state of flux – we need to keep up our work to try and keep it all together, at least until we’ve more to go on.
That means carrying out our investigation into the Machina at Shimane – specifically, he wants us to look into this set of ancient ruins. We need to confirm whether a Machina was truly sighted around there. Domyoji’s attention is caught by those ruins, and Rachel remembers that he’s the local expert in folklore, occultism and whatnot – she and Denton aren’t in on that, so Domyoji can take charge of that.
That’s fine (though he warns that he’s not THAT knowledgeable), and Soubi and Joe figure we’d best send some escorts along, as there’s no telling when the Katou Organization might try something. In that case, Ishigami’ll assign the JUDA units to handle that, while the standby folks are free to enjoy our girls’ big show at the music festival. This is Fei-Yen’s first live outing, so she hopes to see us in the crowd!
Kouichi speaks up to ask if the festival area and the ruins are far from each other. Not very, no, but why does he want to know? N-No reason… inwardly, though, he figures he could make it in time for Miu’s show (and doesn’t notice Kizaki staring).
Now, one last thing: where are Richard, Saya and Arnie? Well…
It’s that time again but, thankfully, the remaining route splits are only doubles and are FAR shorter than the last one.
Aboard The Ship Route
Tobikage
SEED Destiny
Dancouga Nova
Fei-Yen
Linebarrels
Macross Frontier
Heroman
Secret Alert x4
Take this route for these secrets: Heroman (2nd step), Frontier (3rd step), Linebarrel (3rd step), Tobikage #2 (3rd step). Also a purely cosmetic Tobikage secret.
Transported to Byston Well Route
Dunbine
Wings of Rean
Fafner
00 Gundam
Demonbane
SD Gundam
Mazinkaiser SKL
Secret Alert x7
Take this route for these secrets: Fafner #1 (last step) and #4 (1st step), Demonbane (4th step), Wings of Rean #1 (3rd step) and #2 (only step), 00 Gundam #1 (3rd step) and #2 (1st step). Also a cosmetic Dunbine secret.
I already have both these routes flags raised, but I’ll be keeping the Byston Well Route purely for the Wings of Rean #2 secret. It’s one of three secrets in the game that are exempt from the “perma-unlocked” rule, the other two being the abovementioned cosmetic ones. This one, however, is quite useful, so there’s no reason not to go for it.
So, Rich and co. were also taken to Byston Well. Romina and Rennie are sure they’ll find their way back here safely, though.
Speaking of, cut to Byston Well, Al is all but certain that it was magic that transported our team here – there are trace energies still around the hotel. Apparently, the sorcerer behind this stunt waited until we fell asleep to cast the spell. So, the Black Lodge is behind this, then? Maybe, but Soushi and Saya find everything odd: if the plan was to strand us all in Byston Well, why did they let half of our team escape the trap?
Ennea shrugs that thinking won’t really change things for us, and suggests we just wait until Cham and Erebos return before deciding what to do – they should be done gathering intel any moment now.
Shangxiang scratches her head as to how quickly the girl’s familiarized herself with our teammates, but Kurou’s more worried about Leica, who also got dragged here with us. The sister’s not sure what to do, but Ruri’s certain Kurou and the Demonbane’ll keep them all safe. No pressure.
And the Ferario return right then, bringing news that the Hojo Army has been continuing its campaign against the rebels throughout Herikon – several of their villages have been razed to the ground. Lux isn’t happy to hear what her father’s forces are up to, and Zhou Yu figures Sakomizu’s taking a more aggressive approach in the interest of solidifying his power-base before launching that invasion of the Overworld he’d been planning.
Liu Bei can’t believe he’d bring such pain to his own people in a bid to unify his rule of the land, and Setsuna sees that the guy’s as fixated with the Overworld as he was during our last encounter. Lux wonders what it is that’s pushing him to go this far.
Mind you, there’s another curious rumor the Ferario have heard: “Apparently there’s this really strong Holy Warrior Lady fighting around here. She’s been piloting an Overworld machine and defending the rebel villages from the Hojo forces,” Cham relates. A Holy Warrior Lady, like Marvel?
“I’m not as strong as Shou, mind you, but all Overworlders have strong Aura Powers, so pretty much anyone has the potential to come to be a Holy Warrior,” she notes. And since she’s piloting an Overworld unit, Shou figures this woman must’ve been transported here like we were. Still, this is a Holy Warrior with enough strength to give the Hojo Army pause, so who could it be, Aesap wonders?
Whatever the case, Scarlet knows one thing for sure: while King Sakomizu refuses to give up on his plans to invade the Overworld, he’ll always be a knife at our collective throats. That being said, the Wings of Rean shoes remain squarely with us, so Lux doubts he’d be able to get topside (Zhuge Liang seems doubtful). Inwardly, she thinks: “It can’t be a coincidence that I found my way back to this land. I’ve a duty to see through here, and that is…”
On this side, Scarlet unlocks her second tactician bonus: +10% attack power to All Attacks.
On the other route, Richard and the others are safely aboard the Elshank and Ishigami asks that Saya and Arnie assist the JUDA folks with the Machina investigation. Arnie is curious, however: what are these ruins where the Machina was pinged in?
“According to Japanese legend, it’s the gateway to the underworld… the ruins are called Yomotsu Hirasaka,” Moritsugu notes, and Arnie isn’t too keen on being headed towards the literal Gates of Hell.
The Frontier singers have finally crossed the Pacific and arrived at Shimane, and Sheryl’s beat after the long trip. Ai-kun’s bopping around, Ranka figures he’s hungry too. Mind you, Sheryl had told Grace that she was going back to the Fleet – only Ranka is signed up for the festival, after all.
Oh, it’s fiiine; all of her gigs and whatnot have been cancelled, so it’s not like she has anything better to do. Plus, Alto and the others are coming here, so Sheryl figured she’d see the show with them. Hmhmm. And what about her health?
That’s Brera’s cue to pull Ranka away with an excuse that they need to check the stage.
: …
: Hrk…! Cough, cough, cough!
: I knew it. You are pushing things too hard.
: Sheryl, you have to return to the Frontier right now. If you just let the people there treat you—
: Are you suggesting I’m going to get better with treatment?!
: I’m sure you know very well what kind of disease I’ve got, right?!
: …
: I already know what’s wrong with me. The exams showed my throat’s rife with bacteria…
: The Vajra’s Fold bacteria… I have V-Type Infection…
And, here, Jeffrey unlocks his second bonus which is to allow units to transform even after moving. Yawn.
Click to see the mission!
We’ll be starting off with the Byston Well route, where Aesap’s deploying as a solo event unit. Everyone else is fair game, so here’s how we’re going:
Lockon/Michio
Zhang Fei/Sun Shangxiang
Sun Quan/Kenji
Kazuki/Allelujah
Mazinkaiser/Saya
Cao Cao/Tieria
Liu Bei/Canon
Mamoru/Sakura
Shou/Guan Yu
Kurou/Tsubasa
Setsuna/Marvel
Arnie
Tactician: Zhuge Liang
In hindsight, while Arnie has Continuous Action, he would’ve benefitted more from having Marvel allowing him to fly in this mission. Oh, well.
Off we go.
As the Ptolemaios sails through Byston Well, Ennea points out the twinkly stars up in the sky. And that’s even more impressive considering it’s supposed to be daytime! Erebos and Marvel explain that those are actually phosphorescent lights given out by abyssal fish (again, in the sky) – better put, those lights are flickers of vital energy that every creature possesses, a.k.a., Aura Power.
Furthermore, Byston Well is said to be the land in between the earth and the ocean, which is why you see the bottom of the sea up in the sky. Kurou sure didn’t know about any of that, seeing how he’d never been down here before.
As Mamoru wonders how worried the folks left in the Overworld must be over our sudden disappearance, Sima Yi turns to Lux and asks how we managed to find our way back before. Well, that was when the Wings of Rean shined during Aesap’s battle with Sakomizu, which, as Soushi remembers, dropped us at Tatsumiya immediately after Shouko’s Fenrir went off.
Cham wonders if the explosion contributed to opening the Aura Road, and Lux has an hypothesis: it could be that the overlapping surge of emotions at both the surface and Byston Well battles reacted to one another and caused the Aura Road to open. So it’s the old “power of emotions” deal, huh?
Maya likes that idea, figuring Shouko’s wish to defend the island even at the cost of her life beckoned everyone to Tatsumiya. Whatever the case, Zhuge Liang says we still don’t have a clear grasp on how to open the Aura Road, so we should probably try and look for possible options.
Right on cue, Feldt phones over and says we’re getting a message from someone identifying himself as being with the rebel army.
And it’s Amalgan, the leader of the group, and he’s glad to see that, indeed, Lux came through the Aura World as it opened (and he had a feeling she’d still be with the Overworlders). The princess, however, is not at all happy to speak with “rebels who do nothing but disrupt peace and plunge the populace in the ravages of war”. What does he want?!
Amalgan asks that she save her criticisms and extends a request to meet with our folks – he’d like explain his group and their cause to us, and Lux. If we’re on board, he can direct us to their stronghold of Abuta Blas. Sumeragi says we’ll discuss his proposal and will get back to him on that. Amalgan will be waiting a positive answer.
So, what does Lux think? Richard doesn’t believe Amalgan is lying to us but she’s the one with the most insight here. Well, while he IS the leader of the rebels, Lux knows he’s not the kind of man to resort to deception. Fine, she – as Hojo’s crown princess – agrees to meet with him.
And so, later on, Amalgan bids us welcome to their base – he’s glad we accepted their invitation. Our people look around, though, and Arnie notes that this doesn’t really give off that “wartime base” vibe. For instance, Soma spots many kids and elderly up and about, and Saya figures this looks much more like a refugee camp than anything else. As Kiki tells, that’s pretty much what it is: they’ve taken in the people who lived in neighboring villages that the Hojo Army destroyed.
Kiki and Hebi properly introduce themselves as Aura Machine pilots and thank us for the assist during their assault at Hypp Kurene castle – it was thanks to us that the enemy’s big battleship was stranded. Tsubasa points out that we only attacked there to rescue our friends, but the rebels aren’t ones to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Lux demands Amalgan to get to the point, though: what does he want to talk about? When he asks, Zhou Yu confirms that we’re aware of Sakomizu’s plans to expand his rule beyond the land of Herikon and into the surface – which is why he’s making a more aggressive push towards ending the rebellion here.
As Amalgan tells, Shinjiro Sakomizu was once the sole survivor of a Japanese kamikaze unit. While he traversed the Aura Road and wound up here, he has long dreamt of returning to the Overworld. That’s fine, but how does he figure he needs to invade the place as well? Lux explains that he sees the current Japan as a rotted shell of its pre-WWII self, and seeks to conquer and restore it to its true glory.
“Say what?! He can argue about glory and all that, but Japan is now a peaceful nation…!” Aesap tries objecting, but Sumeragi cuts in with a more important question. Is Amalgan suggesting that the Hojo Army still has a way to reach the Overworld and take it over?
That sounds impossible to Erebos without the Wings of Rean shoes, and while Amalgan doesn’t know the particulars, he’s certain Sakomizu must have something up his sleeve. The thought of Aura Machines swarming the Overworld is not one Shou’s happy to relive.
But this brings us to Amalgan’s request: he’d like us to assist him in putting a stop to Sakomizu and his plans (Lux flinches). As Ruri sees it, this was what he was after when contacting us, and Hebi notes that the Hojo Army IS very strong. Having us on their side would certainly ease a lot of minds.
Plus, Kiki points out that while they have their ace Holy Warrior lady, she’s only one person. Marvel didn’t think said Holy Warrior would be in with the rebels but, yup, she’s joined them in their battle to save the people against Sakomizu’s oppression – mind you, she’s out on the field right now.
As Shou wonders who this Holy Warrior flying an overworld machine could be, Lockon and Allelujah aren’t too excited that we’re being called to take part in another world’s civil war. Especially considering what our potential enemy means to Lux.
Cut to Hypp Kurene, Sakomizu’s already received intel that the Overworlders are back and were contacted by the rebels. Codour shakes her fist at Amalgan for shacking up with the Overworld’s armies, and Kotto is worried. As seen with the Holy Warrior lady, such alliances can make for not-insignificant headaches for them.
But they have confirmation that we’re at Abuta Blas, so Murassa is ready to set out and hunt us down as soon as the order is given. And Codour does so immediately – destroy anyone who threatens peace in the land of Herikon!
With that in mind, Sakomizu tells Murassa to take “them” along with her. She’s a bit queasy with that, as those guys are kind of loose-cannons, but Sakomizu says that that’s not really a bad thing when dealing with Overworlders.
Shot Weapon approaches the king and points out that Aesap Suzuki may have resurfaced along with our team. And, in that case, Sakomizu’s dream – the reclamation of Japan – is now closer than ever!
: Hm… So you are ill at ease over the idea of working with our rebellion?
: While we did attack the Hojo forces when they invaded the surface, outright interfering in this land’s civil war would just be a base act of aggression.
: That may be so… but I get the feeling that the princess sees things as we do.
: Me…?
: Yes, you want Sakomizu’s rampage to be stopped.
: …!
: The once righteous Holy Warrior that shed his own blood to birth an era of peace has now degenerated into a tyrant, a tormentor of his people…
: You wanted Sakomizu to change his ways, which is why you went as far as stealing the Wings of Rean shoes. Or am I wrong?
: …
: I…
: Lux…
: Alright, old man, let’s not put the princess on the spot.
: Here you go, folks: we don’t have a whole lot here, but we can at least give you plenty to eat.
: Aah, don’t need to tell me twice! I’m so hungry, I could eat a Festum whole!
: Erm… what food is this?
: That’s frog soup; over here you got lizard roast.
: L-Lizard…?
: What, you guys don’t want any? It tastes pretty good, I tell ya.
: Never mind what it looks like. It’s its contents that truly matter, and its contents are very fine.
: We’re glad to hear that.
: This isn’t high cuisine, we know, but we risked our lives to earn this food.
: You’ve risked your lives for this…?
: But why are you fighting this war if it’s making your life so tough?
: You’re getting hurt, your blood is being spilled… why do you keep fighting?
: ‘Tis the work of their beliefs, I say.
: “Beliefs”?
: That which is the unbreakable core of your being, which remains steadfast even in your darkest hour… Such is belief – such is pride.
: ‘Tis something any and all humans possess, from the strongest to the feeblest.
: …!
: Belief and pride…
: Liu Bei, as we fought during the Battle of Red Cliffs, I felt the weight of yours and Sun Quan’s beliefs quite clearly…
: Cao Cao…
: …
Lux leaves.
: Lux…! Where are you going?!
: Oh, brother… guess our cooking didn’t fit with the princess’ tastes.
: No, no, I’m sure that wasn’t what happened.
: Your food is truly heartfelt, and it shows in its flavor.
: Heartfelt, hm? Perhaps, perhaps…
: (Lux…)
: …
: Is something wrong, Lux? I mean, you left so suddenly…
: Aesap… Sorry, I’m just ashamed of myself.
: Ashamed…?
: All this time, I have thought that the people should be protected, and that it was the king’s duty to do so.
: But now I see that I was wrong. The people have beliefs of their own and have been fighting for those! They’re no different from us…!
: Lux…
: But I didn’t understand any of that. All I did was trumpet my own agenda, looking just to stop my father…!
: I could say the same…
: The same…?
: I’ve spent my whole life griping about my absent dad, about how crummy society is, just whining without engaging or trying to do anything about it.
: But that doesn’t help anything, does it?
: If you really want to change society, you have to be ready to put your own boots on the ground, side-by-side with others, to do it.
: Aesap…
Alarm!
: …?!
: This alarm is…!
: Guys, we’ve trouble on the horizon! The Hojo Army is heading this way!
: They’ve finally sniffed us out…!
: What happens now?!
: We’ll fight, of course, but can’t you guys please join us for this?!
: Leave them, Kiki. This is our problem to deal with.
: But general…!
: There are wounded, women and children in this fort, though, and we can’t let them simply be killed.
: I apologize for asking this of you, Overworlders, but could you escort them away from here?
: …?!
: And what are you going to do?
: We’ll hold them off for as long as we can.
: Amalgan, you…
: Get going, please. If you leave now, you won’t have to worry about any Hojo pursuers.
: Please wait!
: Aesap and I will say here and fight with the rebels!
SRW UX - Rebellion Against Fate
: ?! Lux…!
: I am the crown princess of Hojo. And if the king turns to harm his people, then it’s my duty to stop him!
: A-Aah… Your Highness!
: Well, alright, then. And the UX’ll be there to back you up…!
: Very much so. We’ll repay our debt to you straight away.
: “Debt”…? But we didn’t…
: You took a big risk by calling and letting us stay here, so it’s only fair that we answer in kind.
: …?!
: That was a pretty great soup you gave us, too.
: Hear, hear. And the heavens don’t appreciate folks who don’t give others their due!
: Y-You’re…!
: Th-Thank you…! Thank you so much!
: Alright, troops, get ready to move out! We’ll give those Hojo-Heads a warm welcome!
: Yes, sir!
Mission 27 (Byston Well Route) – The Overworlders’ Aura Power
: These accursed rebels really have allied themselves with the Overworlders!
: Then we need not show them any mercy! All of them’ll die by our hands!
: That’s a really big group they sent here…!
: I know, it’s great! And they’re gonna learn what happens when you mess with us!
: Lux, are you doing okay there?
: Yes, don’t worry. I’ve been undergoing pilot training for a while now.
: And, more importantly, I have to speak with those people and convince them to stop this fruitless battle…!
Lux flies a bit forward.
: I am Lux Sakomizu, daughter of King Sakomizu! Who do I speak to?!
: Princess Lux?!
: Wasn’t she missing? What is she doing with the rebels?!
: I’ll explain everything later, but I ask that you first listen to me.
: There are many non-combatants inside this fort, so, please, call back your forces.
: With all due respect, Your Highness…
: The king has commanded that in the event that we met with the princess, then we were to bring her home… even if it meant beating her into submission.
: …!
: A major opportunity has been given to us! Glory will be ours!
: Tsk, I feared they wouldn’t simply listen to me, but…!
: Forget about them, Lux. What we need to worry about now is finding a way through this!
: Come, rebels! Your days of rising against your king are over!
: Hmph, so much for the negotiations.
: We are left with no choice. Intercept the enemy forces and hold their advance! Troops, forward!
Kill everything without losing a ship, Aesap, Amalgan or Lux. The plot kicks in when 5 enemy teams have been downed or when Kasumi/Murassa are downed, whereupon the midbosses will both retreat, so if you want the extra cash/exp, go for them first.
It’s been a while since we fought Hojo troops, but they’re pretty much the same: accurate and dodgy-ish, but with absolutely piss for defenses. Keep focus/strike going, spread command auras, and take it to ‘em.
Mind you, our starting area is surrounded on all sides by rivers, so you’ll either want all your guys flying or send them aboard the Ptolemaios and give them a lift across. Split your forces across each bank, but keep a heavier presence on the eastern one – there’s more on the way.
Gim Ginen (Lux Sakomizu)
Pilot Skills:
Aura Power L3
Support Attack L2
Support Defense L2
All Attack L1
Spirit Commands:
Alert
Accelerate
Mech Features:
Sword
Repair Module
Ultra-High-Speed Evasion
10% HP and EN Regen
Squad Bonus: Money and Exp +10% (Money and Exp +20%, 1250 Barrier)
Lux’s voice actress: Yu Shinamura (other roles: Aida in Reconquista in G, young Flit in Gundam AGE, Zelda in Skyward Sword and BotW, and plenty more)
Gim Ginen (Amalgan Ludol/Kiki/Hebi)
Pilot Skills - Amalgan:
Aura Power L5
Support Attack L1
Support Defense L1
All Attack L1
Command L2
Pilot Skills - Kiki:
Aura Power L3
Support Attack L2
Support Defense L2
All Attack L1
Pilot Skills - Hebi:
Aura Power L3
Support Attack L2
Support Defense L2
All Attack L1
Spirit Commands - Amalgan:
Invincible
Focus
Fury
Spirit Commands - Kiki:
Focus
Vigor
Alert
Fighting Spirit
Spirit Commands - Hebi:
Accelerate
Focus
Invincible
Trust
Mech Features:
Sword
Ultra-High-Speed Evasion
10% HP and EN Regen
Resupply Module – Kiki only
Repair Module – Hebi only
Squad Bonus - Amalgan: Accuracy +5, Armor +100 (Accuracy +15, Armor +150, Crit +15, HP +500)
Squad Bonus - Kiki: Melee weapons +100, Exp +10% (Melee weapons +200, Exp +20%, EN +75, Mobility +5)
Squad Bonus - Hebi: Ranged weapons +100, Money +10% (Ranged weapons +200, Money +20%, S in Air, Accuracy +5)
Amalgan’s voice actor: Yutaka Nakano (other roles: Ishikawa in Ghost in the Shell, Bartlow in Tales of Zestiria and several more.)
Kiki’s voice actress: Akeno Watanabe (other roles: Ibis in SRW Alpha/OGs, Sharla/Karna in Xenoblade, Viletta and kid Suzaku in Code Geass, May-yen in Zegapain and many more)
Hebi’s voice actress: Junko Minagawa (other roles: Cornelia in Code Geass, sagitta Weinberg in Sakura Wars, Ryouma in Prince of Tennis and many more)
Squaddies, squaddies, squaddies everywhere. The Gim Ginens are nothing to write home about in terms of power, but their size makes them quite dodgy and the rebel trio have the advantage of actually having a combo attack – that grants more stopping power than most.
Lux is the worst pilot of the bunch, being pretty much a pure support: her main draw is that she has Accelerate and, at level 37, will learn Bless. Bless casters are unusually rare in UX (we’ve yet to get one!), so that’s very good. Adding a barrier on top of a +money bonus makes for a nice squaddie, and you can only get her if you go on this route!
Amalgan, Kiki and Hebi are about on the same “good” tier of stats, with Amalgan being the biggest and more accurate hitter, Hebi being the dodgiest and Kiki being the jack-of-all-trades.
Hebi’s Squad Bonus, Accelerate plus Resupply Module makes her a GREAT squaddie (she’s a perfect fit with Magami, but even non-ranged attackers will love having her around), and she’ll probably get the most use out of the bunch, though Kiki’s also a good fit for EN hungry melee attackers like Kouichi or the SD Gundams. Amalgan, you’ll likely bench unless you want to use that combo attack.
That’s our homework done, so let’s get to it.
SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend
: So long as the king continues to oppress his people, we’ll stand and fight against him! We won’t hesitate, even if it means being tarred as rebels!
: Step up, Hebi! We’re gonna pay them back for everything they’ve done thrice over!
: That goes without saying, girl… Come on!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAorlY_KtpI
Here’s the Gim Ginen’s best non-combined attack.
: Come what may, I will put an end to the Hojo Army’s violence!
: This blade bears my ideals and my beliefs, and I swear upon them to see it done!
Son of a bitch.
But the enemy drops like flies anyway, which is a problem as I didn’t remember that 5 squads was the cut-off point. Oh, well.
: You are strong, indeed. Then I suppose we must make use of our secret weapon!
: What…?!
Flash!
: Aaack!
Flash!
: Hrgh… Damn it all! Who was that?!
: New Aura Battlers! Were they the ones who attacked them?!
: H-Hey, Shou! Those Aura Battlers…!
: Everyone be careful! The Aura Power those machines are giving off… there are Overworlders like us piloting those!
: Overworlders?!
: Oho, he can tell that we’re Overworlders? But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised – you are the Holy Warrior who took down Drake’s Army.
: Drake’s Army? Do you know about our world?!
: And seeing how Aesap’s there with you, I’m guessing what King Sakomizu’s told us was the truth!
: Rouri… Kanamoto?!
: What are you two doing in Byston Well?! And with the Hojo Army for that matter?!
: That should be pretty obvious! We and King Sakomizu’ll drive the Union off Japan and reclaim our nation!
: Our Aura Power’s a whole lot stronger than the other folks around here, which means…!
: You stop this idiocy right now! This is war!
: Yeah, it is! And the victors define what’s right and what’s wrong – so there’s absolutely nothing to hold us back!
: You’re…!
: We’re gonna make it all the way to the top! And we’ll destroy any who’d keep us from that… even you, Aesap!
: Their Aura Powers are synchronizing with each other?!
Both jerks run after Aesap!
: Get a load of this! DOUBLE DISPATCH!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhk8ehfwm1I
: Gwaaaargh!
: Aesap?!
: Gch…rgh…
: Wow, look at how easy we took out Aesap’s prototype! This power’s awesome!
: So this is our Aura Power. And with all this on my hands, I…!
: Those Overworlders are surprisingly capable, I see.
: Seize the princess and the rebels!
: Hrm… G-get off me!
: Stop them! They’re going to capture Mr. Suzuki and the others!
: Troops, rush over there and rescue the Nanajin and Gim Ginens!
: Not happening!
: Uwah! W-We can’t get close!
: See to the rest of the battle, Overworlders. We’re taking the captives back to the castle!
: AESAP!
: Damn it, they took them right from under our noses!
: Bring it! You’re dealing with us now!
: They’re trying to cut us off!
: Hrm… Focus all our attention on just the enemy! We need to deal with them or we’ll get taken out ourselves!
And all our protection targets are gone, leaving only the Ptolemaios to watch over. Kill everything else.
Shinden (Rouri Yahan)
Pilot Skills:
Aura Power L4
Holy Warrior
Support Attack L2
All Attack L2
Mech Features:
Sword
Ultra-High-Speed Evasion
10% HP and EN Regen
All-Canceller
Rouri’s voice actor: Hiroshi Tsuchida (other roles: J.J. Sexton in Gundam Thunderbolt, Ninja Blue in Kakuranger and some more)
Shinden (Kanamoto Heiji)
Pilot Skills:
Aura Power L3
Holy Warrior
Support Attack L2
All Attack L2
Mech Features:
Sword
Ultra-High-Speed Evasion
10% HP and EN Regen
All-Canceller
Kanamoto’s voice actor: Shingo Tanabe (other roles: Eeh, a few small stuff here and there, but nothing really noteworthy.)
Standard Holy Warrior enemies; we’ve dealt with Burn before, and he was way better. Expect limited range on their best attacks, very good evasion and accuracy, but not much in terms of defenses. Kanamoto has better evasion, but Rouri hits harder since he has a stronger Aura Power – pop Strike and something defensive and drop these dickbags quick.
The AI isn’t clever enough to position itself, so you shouldn’t be seeing more Double Dispatches unless you get unlucky.
: You’ve found your way to a different world, and fighting is what you’re looking to do?!
: That’s rich, coming from an American! Starting wars in other places is your whole bread and butter!
: Byston Well isn’t meant to have Overworlders fighting in it – much less to satisfy their own ambitions!
: What a high-and-mighty windbag we got here! Problem is, I can’t stand that kind of people!
We get another Celestial Being Movie from him.
: I-I’m not letting it end like this! No way in hell!
: ?! Th-That light…!
: Oooooryaaaaaaa!
: Aiiieee!
: Goddamn, this guy’s strong…!
: Haaaaah!
: This is Aura Power?! This is all my power?!
: Stop! Let that power run out of control and you’ll end up—
: Shut your mouth! I’m done letting you Yanks tell us what to do! That’s precisely what I got all this power for!
: And now you’re all dead!
: Wh-What the?! Where’d that come from?!
Beep, beep.
: This is…! A new connection’s been established with the Siegfried System?!
: But this Unit ID code is…!
: Th-That mech is…!
: …
: It can’t be… the Mark Sechs?!
: You’ve got a lotta nerve messing with me!
Rouri goes after the Mark Sechs!
: Fine, you can die first! I’ll cut you in twain!
: This is their home, and I’ll keep it safe…
: That’s the promise I made!
“I’ve grown much since before!”
“I’ll soar higher than the skies! Higher! Higher! HIGHER!”
: U-Uwaaaaaaaaah!
: R-Rouri?!
: What’s the Mark Sechs doing here?!
: Th-This has gotta be a dream!
: It can’t be… but it is!
: Shouko! Is that really you?!
: Maya, everyone… how long it’s been!
: (That’s Shouko Hazama… Youko’s daughter…)
: Shouko, you… you’re alive!
: Yes… Yes, I am!
: Oh, my God… You’re really there?!
: Yes, Kazuki… I’m right here!
: Shouko!
: Well, dang… We thought she was just another Holy Warrior, not that she was your friend.
: Wait, she’s the Holy Warrior we’ve been hearing so much about?!
: Ha-Hahaha… Wow. Shouko, that frail girl, has been kicking tons of ass down here…?!
: I… I’m just so happy I don’t even know what to say!
: That’s enough! The battle’s still going, so pay attention to it!
: Hey! Can’t you ease up even a bit?! Your friend is alive—
: Exactly. She is alive, meaning we can celebrate our reunion later and she’ll still be here with us. Isn’t that right, Kazuki?
: Yeah, she will! Let’s take out the remaining enemies, guys!
: Hrrgh… H-How dare you humiliate me like this…!
: My lord, retreat! We’ll hold back the enemy!
: Damn it… I’ll get you for this!
Beep, boop.
: Enrollment complete, initiating crossing. Are you ready, Hazama?
: I’m on it, Minashiro. I’m not the same person I was back then!
: Shouko Hazama, March Sechs! Engaging!
Yaaaaay, we’ve earned our first secret: Shou Koha Zama, the Holy Warrior, and her Sechsbine!
Her bot’s still excellent squaddie material… though I’m disappointed she didn’t earn herself Aura Power and Holy Warrior skills to offset her lack of combo attacks in comparison to the others! Still, she’s pretty great.
If you need a reminder, here are the steps required to unlock her:
- Prologue – Destroy the Sphinx with Kazuki
- Stage 13 – defeat at least 5 enemies with her by the end of Enemy Phase 3
- Kazuki has 100+ kills by the end of mission 26.
- Mission 27 - take the Byston Well Route.
And I’ve been asked to point out that Shouko’s name is a huge wordplay that extends beyond it being like Shou Zama’s. So sit down, because I’m taking you for a trip.
If you’re familiar with Dunbine (or if you read the prologue of this mission), you know Byston Well is repeatedly referred to as “the land in between the earth and the ocean”. In here, they wrote “in between” using 間に (aida ni), but it’s more commonly written as 海と大地の狭間にある (hazama ni). But wait, there’s more!
Next up, Shouko’s name proper: it’s written as 翔子, where 翔means “soar/fly” and 子 is the standard name suffix indicating girls (as Youko told her in that flashback). So if you break it down, her name literally means Flying/Soaring Girl.
Pair that up with her surname and that bit of Byston Well info, and what could you read it as? The girl that flies in between – that flies to Byston Well. :thurman:
And that’s it for the trivia. Time to take out Kanamoto and everything else.
SRW UX - Dunbine Flies
Yes, she’s got her proper BGM on.
: I’ll protect Kazuki and my friends, just like I did before…!
: That’s why I am here!
Heey, I hadn’t noticed before that her Mine Blade breaks midway through the attack!
SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend
: This girl’s the rebels’ Holy Warrior, huh…?
: That said, there’s no one I can’t take on with my Aura Power!
: Everyone wants nothing more than to live in peace… and then people like you come along!
: But I’ll keep them safe! You will not keep us from being with our families and the people we love!
: Treating a different world like its your playground… If you’re really an Overworlder, then you should be ashamed!
: An American Holy Warrior?! Are you Yanks so self-righteous that you sent troops all the way here?!
–
: My Shinden’s afraid? Just who is this guy?!
: I feel the heart of that Aura Machine’s pilot…! If you’re worried about being hurt, then leave!
And we get more Nyan-Nyan Ramen from him.
: Bah, fine. They only wanted us to stall them today, so this should be good.
: All Hojo forces confirmed destroyed. No new signals on radar.
: Recover all mobile troops and then we’ll head back to Abuta Blas. We need to come up with a plan to rescue Aesap and the others.
: Aesap…
: I’m so sorry I put you guys through all that…
: But what happened? We thought you disappeared with that Festum when your Fenrir went off…
: Yeah, how did you end here in Byston Well?
: I don’t really know how it happened. When I came to, I was already here…
: It was a huge shocker for us, too. The second you guys opened the Aura Road, the Mark Sechs came flying right through it.
: Then the Fenrir’s explosion did cause the Aura Road to open?
: It could also be that the Wings of Rean led her here.
: It doesn’t matter why it happened… Shouko’s alive… I’m so… so…
: Waaaaah, Shoukoooooo!
: Thank you, Maya…
: And, Shouko, are you really not feeling weak, or tired or anything at all?
: It’s like a dream, but no. I’ve been feeling great ever since I came to this world.
: Your arrival here has obviously stimulated your Aura Power, so that might’ve strengthened your body.
: I think that’s it! Aura Power is the light of life, after all!
: And considering how strong hers is, that sounds pretty likely to me.
: Have I really become that strong? I don’t really feel that way…
: You’ve always been strong, as you showed when you tried to protect our island.
: Kazuki…
: Thank you so much for keeping my home safe. And…
: Welcome back, Shouko…
: It’s good to be back, Kazuki…
: …
: Sure you don’t wanna be there with the other kids?
: They’re all so happy that Shouko Hazama’s back…
: I think it’s better that I not be there…
: Canon…
: How’re things looking with your troops?
: Amalgan’s our leader, so him being captured has got everyone on edge.
: That’s understandable. He was clearly a very charismatic man.
: Do you think Aesap and the others’ll be alright?
: The king showed himself to be interested in Aesap when we fought him, so…
: So they won’t hurt him – at least not right away. What could King Sakomizu be after, I wonder…?
Location: Hypp Kurene Castle – Hangar
Slap!
: Rgh…!
: Lux, you may be of royal blood, but cooperating with the rebels is an immeasurable disgrace.
: Who are you to speak of disgrace, father?! You’ve forgotten your duty as a Holy Warrior, and now oppress and fight your own people…!
: Excuse me?
: King Sakomizu, the princess is concerned for you! She just believes that a military rule that mistreats the weak doesn’t befit a Holy Warrior such as yourself!
: And just who is she to question that her father, the king, should or shouldn’t do? To say that is being disrespectful would be an understatement.
: B-but…!
: Be at ease, you two. I have captured Amalgan, yes, but I have done so in a bid to establish a peace accord with the rebel army.
: Peace…? Then you will stop your offensive?
: Naturally. I never once sought a war that would lead to the extermination of my own country.
: King Sakomizu… can I really trust your word?
: Ah, to be young and so outspoken… You are a fine lad, young Aesap Suzuki.
Door opens.
: Yo, Aesap. Sorry about what happened there.
: No hard feelings, yeah? We were just following orders.
: Rouri, Kanamoto! You…!
: Pipe down! You stand before the king!
: Hrm…!
: Rouri and Kanamoto are fellow Japanese warriors. They share in my will.
: Step this way, you three. I have something to show you.
Curtain rises.
: I-Is that?!
: An Ohka, a purpose-built aircraft fielded by the old Japanese Army during World War 2.
: WW2 was over 200 years ago up top, but you said the flow of time is different here, right?
: And what’d you mean “purpose-built”?
: These were used by kamikaze squadrons… the strategy was to cover the plane in bombs and fling it at the chosen target.
: Whaat?! Can you even call something like that “strategy”?!
: I used one of these to thwart a third nuclear bomb from being dropped at Kokura following Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
: At that moment, the impact flung me here to Byston Well and, later, I established the nation of Hojo.
: (… Hm? What’s that hanging inside the Ohka’s cockpit?)
: …
: (An origami doll…?)
: As for myself, I foster the growth of His Majesty’s nation by developing newer Aura Machines for his men to use.
: Aura Power is what gives this world life, and I have worked nonstop to create engines capable of converting it into large amounts of energy.
: (Your Aura Machines only added more fuel to the fires of war, you snake!)
: It’s not my wish to conquer the Overworld. Rather, what impels me even now is the thought of failing to protect my homeland.
: Then…
: Yes… My true goal is and has always been to defend my beloved nation of Japan! Nothing more, nothing less!
: You want to defend Japan…?
: But if I’m to do that, I cannot be fighting a war in this land. Thus, young Aesap, I have a request for you.
: For me?
: Yes, a very important task in the interest of establishing peace with the rebels. A task that must be carried out by you, whom I expect to rise as the next Holy Warrior.
: …
: Hold him down!
: Uurgh… G-Get your hands off me!
: Did you get it?
: Yes, my lord.
: “I accept our unconditional surrender to the Hojo Army”…
: Hmhmhm… your blood seal is very much appreciated, Amalgan Ludol.
: Rrgh… Y-You scum!
: And with it, the agonizing cries of the rebels that taint our nation will pave the way for our dream to be realized…!
[i]And Michio just unlocked his second Tactician bonus, which is 10% attack power boost to all ranged weapons. Eh.
Oh, and before we close off, have some fanart of our newest teammate that I was given/came across on Pixiv:
And the convos we missed today:[/i]
: You are a Holy Warrior, no? Then why do you oppose King Sakomizu?!
: Because being King doesn’t make you right! I’m putting a stop to your evil Aura Power!
–
: This is our nation you stand in! You might be a Holy Warrior, but we won’t suffer an Overworlder walking through it uninvited!
: Byston Well… I didn’t think we’d have to fight a war in it again. Still, I know just who I need to beat!
–
: Why do you not lend your strength to the King?! You are both fellow Overworlders!
: Because you guys are too trigger happy and it’s clear who’s in the wrong here!
–
: You accursed Overworlder! First you steal our Aura Machine and then you have the gall to parade it around?!
: First off, I didn’t want to steal it, and, secondly, I didn’t want to come back to Byston Well either!
–
: Kasumi! If you insist on bearing your blade against innocent people…
: Then I’ll take mine in hand and correct your misguided path! Come and face me!
: Such a stout Aura Power! It’s like I’m staring down the King himself! Is this really the princess…?!
–
: A warrior is meant to protect the people! You disgrace yourself by forgetting that spirit and raining violence onto the land!
: All is as the King commands! We are merely following his guidance!
: Then the King has to be stopped! And I’ll do so with my own hands, not that of others’!
: Her presence feels so different from before! What in blazes happened to her at the Overworld?!
–
: Are you deaf?! Can’t you hear the people’s cries as the flames of war rage around them?!
: That may well be the masses’ lot in life, but I won’t suffer you lecturing us!
–
: Amalgan Ludol! You are a rebel and a traitor to Hojo, and now I take your head!
: You are free to try! But I won’t fall to the sword of a warrior who isn’t even capable of stopping her King’s insanity!
And so the first of UX’s many secrets come home, and the effects on the plot are already starting to show.
Wait, is this a non-depressing Fafnir development?! How is this possible?
Through the magic of crossovers!
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Click to see the mission!
Welcome to the Surface Route, where Kouichi, Soubi, Eida, Arnie and Saya are deploying as event units and I forgot to get a screen of the unit arrangement. Blah. Here’s how we’re going:
Dancouga/Deceive
Yamashita/Canaria
Shinn/Klan
Fei/Mike
Moritsugu/Joe
Michel/Ozma
Alto/Luca
Heroman/Rennie
Tactician: Moritsugu
Spread Accelerate/Flight around, as our starting area has some cliffs and forests to prod through in order to get to the enemies. And do keep in mind that this is the last mission you have to push Joe, Rennie and Mike’s total kill count over 150 if you haven’t unlocked that secret before.
Here we go.
: Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for coming to Shimane’s Idol Jamboree!
: We’ve a ton of singers coming up on stage today, so we hope you’ll have a very fun time!
: And with that said, listen to my song!
:bravo: :bravo: :bravo:
: Wooow! Fei’s the best!
: I can’t believe I get to see the giant robot-idol’s debut show! That’s already made the trip totally worth it!
: Hoo, I’m up next. I’m getting a bit nervous here.
: You’ll do great, Ranka. After all, the Galactic Fairy herself is here to cheer us on!
: Hahah, right you are. I don’t do this often, you know, so I want you to put your back into this!
Door opens.
: Hey there, girls! Go and bring down the house, ya hear?!
: H-Holly!
: What’s Joey’s sister doing back here?
: Yo, why’re you so confused for, eh?
: We’re all UX buddies, so of course I’m gonna hang by and root for ya!
: Huh… UX?!
: What, ya didn’t know, kid? We’re 100% certified—
: H-Holly, shush…!
: Sis, please! You’re bothering them!
: Bother-schmother! We’re all besties here after that time at Innsmouth!
: Ain’t that right, Galactic Fairy?
: Heheh… That’s right, Holly.
: I… I can’t believe you’d speak like that to an intergalactic star!
: Psh, chill, little bro. And, hey, who’s this quiet girl here? You’re not part of this crew, I don’t think.
: …
: She’s Miu Kujo, a member of the Smash Dolls idol group.
: Miu Kujo? Hmm, where’d I hear that name before…?
: S-Sis… We met her back at Innsmouth, by that cliff…
: Ooh, right, right! The one Hayase saved!
: Eerr, well… Listen, girl, you can’t let stuff get to ya! There’s a ton to enjoy about life!
: N-No, I… I’m fine now, I promise!
: I’ve found who helps my heart stay strong… so don’t worry about me!
: I know exactly what you mean. Having someone like that is what lets us do so much!
: Yeah, yeah! That’s what I was getting at! Wahaha!
: Sis, for crying out loud…
: (Hayase…)
: (I know he’ll be here to see me. He promised…)
Cut to Yomotsu Hirasaka, Kouichi’s amazed at the wide open underground ruins – a Machina wouldn’t look out of place here, Arnie thinks. Saya warns him to watch his step, though, as this is the gateway to the Underworld. He might not find a Machina here, but an envoy of Enma himself!
Is that why she’s dressed as someone straight out of an Edo-period play? To fit in? Precisely: “I’ll lay restless souls to rest, and extinguish the lives of those who cannot be allowed to live…!” (Hissatsu Shigotonin quote.)
Well, the Hissatsu-style attitude certainly suits the old “Hell’s Executioner”, Kouichi laughs… but Kizaki isn’t laughing with him. Is she mad about something? “And what reason, exactly, would I have to be mad, hm?” she sniffs, but then what’s gotten her so crusty? Domyoji pokes him and tells that Kizaki heard of his secret meeting with Miu back at Innsmouth.
Ah, crap. B-But it’s not like that! She’s got this all wrong! “Saya, do you mind answering him for me?” Emi asks and Saya’s right on point: “Would you like to see what death is like?”
No, he’s already done it once and really doesn’t care for repeats!
But, as Damian points out, we arrived on the scene while they had that whole comedy routine going. Our experts had already been at work excavating the area and, when Soubi asks, Denton points out a boulder further ahead: there’s a robot buried in it! Arnie sees what looks like two heads in there, and Rachel says that, from what analysis tells, there are actually two bots in here.
What, so folks uncovered not one Machina, but two? Actually, no – there are no Machinas in that boulder at all. That being said, the two bots are equipped with armor and engines with tech very much similar to the things. So what does that mean? They’re still looking into it.
Domyoji asks if they know how old this stratum is, and Denton estimates its over 2000 years. That’s a very long time for robots to be buried – very mysterious, indeed. “Who would have thought we’d excavate two giant robots from the so-called ‘Gates of Hell’ ruins,” Denton’s excited, but now Arnie’s worried that we’re really uncovering envoys from Hell here.
Domyoji’s deep in thought, and so is Kouichi… only he’s thinking that Miu’s show should be starting soon. And he’s stuck here while the eggheads are doing their investigation…
: Ahaa, I get it! Hayase got you to swear that you wouldn’t try something like that again, eh?
: I never had anyone there for me. It’s been… very difficult. But he showed me that I’m not actually alone, that someone cares about me…
: So, I thought maybe I should try pulling myself together…
: You look so happy when you talk about him.
: Hah, I reckon lil’ Hayase’s Miumiu’s knight in shining armor!
: P-Please, he’s an actual Champion of Justice, I would never…
: I just thought that maybe I could bring myself to change for the better if I made an effort to show him a more enthusiastic side of me.
: Hey, now, that’s a great smile you got there, Miumiu!
: Tell ya what, when you get out there, I want you to flash that smile right at Hayase! Pour all your heart into them lyrics, alright?
: O-Okay…!
: (Hrmmm… I really need to get back. Kujo’s show’s just about to start…)
: Then, Domyoji, you believe these ruins really are linked to Hell?
: Not actual Hell, more like Yomi.
: Yomi…?
: The Realm of the Dead, is what I’m getting at.
: Legend has it that Izanagi, the god that founded Japan, once traversed Yomotsu Hirasaka and into Yomi in a bid to be reunited with his late wife, Izanami.
: Which meant breaking the promise he made not to go after her…
: But death had rotted Izanami away, leaving her horrid and deformed. Once Izanagi saw her that way, he fled in terror.
: Izanami didn’t want her husband to see what she’d become…
: But it goes to show that across history, men are always completely clueless to how women feel.
: (Brrr… that glare she’s giving me could freeze Hell over…)
: Anyway, once Izanagi made it back to the surface, he blocked the entrance to Yomotsu Hirasaka with a boulder.
: So that his dead wife could never step outside…
: The Greeks have a similar legend to that, of how the musician Orpheus traveled to Hell and back to rescue his wife.
: Right, the Orphes took its name after him.
: There’re legends like that across the entire world, really. And they’re not pure fabrication – all of them have a kernel of truth to them.
: Very much so. The sealed-away Talisman is what gave birth to the tale of Akoro’s demon.
: And what you’re getting at is that this rock with the robots is the source of the legend about Izanami and whatnot?
: Not quite. This place is Yomotsu Hirasaka – it’s just the entrance to Yomi.
: Meaning, behind this rock, we’ll find the actual source…
Beep, boop.
: Macross Quarter calling the excavation team!
: Oh, gimme a break! We were just getting to the good stuff!
: Katou Organization forces have been sighted at Shimane! They’re headed right towards you!
: The Katou Organization?!
: Tsk, what an inconvenient bunch.
: The Orphes, Lyras, Linebarrel and Talisman have been ordered to deploy. The rest of the team will be with you shortly!
: They just had to do this right now, hm?
: Don’t worry about us, folks. We’ll manage things here, so get going!
: Roger that. C’mon, guys!
: O-Okay!
: (I’m sorry, Kujo. Doesn’t look like I’m gonna make it…)
:bravo: :bravo: :bravo:
: Thank you! Thank you so much, everyone!
: Now, I’ve a brand new song for you! It’s called Interstellar Flight!
SRW UX - Interstellar Flight (LIVE in Alcatraz)
: Uoooooh, RANKAAAAaaaaaaa! Our Superdimensional Cinderellaaaaaaaa!
: Wow, those’re some crazy fans she’s got. Ranka’s grown pretty popular, huh?
: Sorry, Alto, but that’s all the music we’re gonna get. Emergency deployment orders just came in.
: What?!
: You’re up next, right, Miumiu? Everyone else already went up on stage.
: Ah… Y-Yes.
: (Hayase, where are you…?)
Bing!
: (…! He sent me a message!)
: (…?!)
: (N-No… No!)
Miu runs off!
: Hey, Miumiu! The stage’s not that way!
: Miumiu?
: She didn’t look well… You don’t think she’d do something dangerous again, do you?
: I’m going after her!
Eida leaves.
: Wait! We just got an emergency call from the Quarter…!
: She’s already gone.
: An emergency… What do we do, then?
: We’ll just have to let Eida handle Ms. Kujo. Let’s head back to the ship.
: But we’re gonna have to cancel the rest of the show if we all leave.
: No way, girl. You guys go on and I’ll fill in for ya.
: Sis, you’re still…
: No, no, she might just be the perfect person for the job.
: I mean, it’s not every day we’ve someone who’s been the cover of Men’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Monthly, and who’s topped New York’s Indie’s Chart!
: Holly Jones, the Super Guitarist… I say we can trust her with this!
: M-My sister is…?!
: Heheheh, did your homework, eh? You ain’t the powerhouse manager for nothing, I guess!
: Yeah, just leave this to me! I’ll have this whole party on fire by the time y’all get back!
: Miu!
: Are you here?! Talk to me, please!
: Hayase, where are you? I-I… help…! Please, help me!
: Hayase… Hayase, Hayase!
Mission 27 (Surface Route) – Fading Pain
: The target Machina’s inside the ruins by the mountain area. All troops, attack…!
: That Machina…!
: It’s the Glain-Neidr!
: Remember that the enemy Machina’s equipped with anti-beam defenses. Make sure to engage it with regular attacks.
: We’re fighting in an urban area, so we need to put them down fast to keep damage to a bare minimum.
Just the usual bevy of Katous with a boss – we’ve had way worse before. Standard tactics apply, but, to make things easier on you, get down to the city level, and draw the Glain-Neidr in while you angle your troops due west/northwest.
The plot will kick in once you get Masaki below 30%, so if you care about the extra cash, set up a good support attack.
SRW UX - Future-Bound Fighting Spirit
I didn’t point it out before, but Arnie’s known for shifting his attitude as the plot goes along. Thus, he got some new lines when we entered phase two, like this: “Do you want a fight that badly? Then I’ll give you one!”
: Put yourself in your opponent’s mindset…
: I just have to do that, and not even a Machina’ll be too much to handle…!
: Are you trying to anticipate my actions? You’ll learn what a silly idea that is.
: Didn’t bring a whole lot of guys with you today, eh? Did you already forget the beating we gave you before?
: You have a very simplistic way of seeing things. A lone victory isn’t enough to decide the outcome of a war.
: Too bad your whole sat cannon strat didn’t do anything! But you better get used to that feeling, ‘cause none of this is gonna go your way!
: How proud you get over stopping a single operation…
: You truly are a waste of oxygen, Kouichi Hayase.
: Psh, I really can’t stand you.
: Come on, guy, how many times did we fight before? We already know just how to deal with you!
: That’s the conclusion you reached from just a few encounters, hm? That’s telling of how limited your imagination is.
: However, reality doesn’t conform to your limitations…!
: What?! Another mech…!
: It came from inside Glain-Neidr?!
: And now our battle can really begin.
: Stay frosty, everyone! Focus all our firepower on that new Machina!
: Alright, that should be good. We can get through the boulder!
: Let’s go and see what awaits us beyond. Maybe an emissary from Yomi, or…
: Ah, I see…
: Hm? There’s someone on the other side…?
: Hmhmm… That’s your name, then?
: “Painkiller”…
: M-Ms. Kujo?! What’re you doing here…?!
: Miu?! Y-You’re…!
: Eida, what is going on here?!
: I-I don’t know! I was chasing after her and wound up here…!
: That’s ridiculous! How did either of you find this place?!
: Heeheehee… Oh, I have to go and find Hayase.
: I’m just like him now!
: (Did that Machina… Did Izanami call her here?!)
Alarm!
: We’re picking up a new Machina signal around the ruins! I-It’s…!
: …
: Oh? So that’s the newly-discovered Machina.
: That’s the one from the ruins? So it really wasn’t either of those buried mechs?!
: But who’s piloting it?!
: Hayase… I’ve finally found you…
: Kujo? Why are you inside that Machina…?!
: Miu found the unit inside the ruins and became its Factor!
: Wh-What?!
: Look, Hayase… I’m one too… I’m a Factor just like you!
: Heehee, heeheehee…
: K-Kujo…
: Aaiiee!
: There’s the new Machina. And it’s already picked up a Factor, eh?
: Dang it, it’s that jerk again!
: Kujo, get away from here!
: Don’t worry, I won’t lose to them! Look at what the Painkiller can do!
: These people are the enemy…! They’re Hayase’s enemies… and mine!
: I admit that your pink toy’s hardy… but you’re still just a rookie!
: Gaaah!
: Miu!
: …
: What, over already?
: Well, if you wanna blame anything for this, blame yourself for becoming a Factor!
SRW UX - Linebarrel (Full Intro)
: W-Whaat?!
: There’s another Machina inside that one too…!
: That Machina… it was using its outer armor to conceal its true form.
: Heeheehee, that’s right. This is the Painkiller’s true form…
: My true form…! : Kch, you getting cute with me, brat?!
: Kujo… What happened to you…?
: Heehee… I told you, no? I’m just like you now…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDLLkLT4tjU
: I’m a CHAMPION OF JUSTICE!
: …?!
: This isn’t good… She’s just become a Factor, so I fear her mind’s very unstable.
: Cover her, people! We can’t let the Katous trash that Machina!
Still need to destroy everything, only we can’t lose Miu either.
Painkiller (Miu Kujo)
Pilot Skills:
Factor – D-S.O.I.L. baseline is 50
Prevail L3
Support Attack L2
Counter
All Attack L1
Spirit Commands:
Strike
Alert
Accelerate
Mech Features:
Sword
10% HP Regen
Squad Bonus: Money +10%, EN +50 (Money +20%, EN +100, Melee weapons’ +150)
Miu’s voice actress: Aya Hirano (other roles: Nene and Mina in Macross Frontier, Suzumiya Haruhi, Lucy Heartfilia in Fairy Tail and many more).
And now for something completely different to the sweet, tanky long-range girl we had in L. Psycho Miu’s all about dodging and fighting at mid/short range, though the Painkiller still has a decent amount of HP. The lack of Focus makes sending her up front a dangerous proposition unless you pair her with someone that gives S rank, mind.
The Painkiller’s got good attack power (of our Machinas, only the Linebarrel and Vardant have more), plus Accelerate, melee damage, EN and money make her a nice squaddie for a lot of people, so it’s not difficult to find a spot for her. Finally, she doesn’t have any tricks outside her whip YET, but that’ll be fixed soon.
Now, Miu and Eida’ll need some help up top, the Sawatari’s crew is still a turn or two out, so have them land atop the nearby cliff for the terrain bonus, get rid of Masaki, and send our guys over. Despite it being the penultimate Linebarrel boss in the anime, the Naked’s actually a rather fragile (albeit with decent firepower) Machina that relies solely on its evasiveness and strong regen.
: The festival had to cancel one of its acts because of your attack… How about some sympathy to the folks who have to manage refund claims?
: Don’t worry, they’re gonna pay a heavy price for messing Eida and the girls’ show! Come on, guys!
: Dancouga… I’ve a score to settle with you after that last battle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdo-5rVrVXo
Case in point, it lost 40% of its HP from a single attack.
: This day was supposed to be all about fun for my first gig!
: I might’ve sung plenty, but I still have a lot of energy left in me … think you can handle it?
: She draws energy and power from the emotions of those around her, I see… but this is where it ends.
: How many people are in this city right now? We need to finish this battle, and fast…!
: You should be more concerned about yourself. The people you’re fighting to protect are wholly incapable of protecting you.
: Do you want to make people to imagine their deaths, or do you want to destroy the Machinas?! What the hell are you after?!
: I’ve no reason to explain what you’re supposed to imagine for yourself.
: You must really want to destroy Machinas if you’re willing to look for and use them yourselves!
: Do you have the leeway to be hypothesizing right now? Either you underestimate me or you overestimate yourself.
Arnie: “This is…!”
Saya: “Our resolve!”
And we get another of Lina’s pom-pom’s for our troubles.
: I believe this is good enough. We’ve collected plenty of intel on that Machina.
: Hrm… He ran off again!
SRW UX - Love 14 ver. HD (Vocal)
: Ooh, I’m gonna make you pay for pushing Miumiu around! There’s only one thing people like you deserve!
: You don’t get it, do ya? That girl’s the craziest one around here… I’m a frickin’ choir boy next to her!
: You’ve caused enough trouble for a day! I’m not letting you trash the girls’ show!
: You better quit crowing and start paying attention, lil’ bird! Your life’s way more important than their show!
: It’s because of groups like yours that the world gets more and more messed up! How do you not see that?!
: Hah, and I’m supposed to care what you think?
: Remember what Hisataka’s always saying: y’all gotta start imagining, and that’s why we’re here!
: My mission ain’t about you today, Horns! Piss off!
: Mission?! You’re here to kill Kujo, aren’t you?!
: I thought I told you to piss off! You got two seconds to do that before I run you through!
SRW UX - Future-Bound Fighting Spirit
: Do you ever stop to think of how many people you’re hurting with stunts like this and that satellite weapon?!
: Math’s never been my strong point, guy.
: But they’ll see the light when it’s all said and done, and then they’re gonna thank us for saving ‘em!
: “Saving”?! Just what are you people after?!
: …
: What’s up, greenie? Too busy pissing yourself to fight?
: Hmhmhm, no, I was just imagining…
: Imagining what I need to do to destroy you…
And Sawatari drops a Sheryl’s Disk (Accuracy and Ranged +10, Evasion +5).
: I’m not done yet!
: And here’s your payback, greenie!
: Aaargh!
: Kujo…!
: A-Aaah, no… Please! Stop! Don’t… don’t kill me! Someone help!
: Psh, and now you’re pleading? Come on, save that crap for the afterlife!
: Miu, watch out!
: Heehee… Come, Pard, Roc!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E10jwj9AvRk
: Gwaaaargh!
: Wh-What just happened?! The Painkiller’s controlling…
: Are those the two machines buried in that boulder…?!
Beep.
: Correct! They freed themselves and flew straight out of here, apparently reacting to the Machina’s call!
: By the looks of things, they’re meant as personal drones for the Painkiller.
: Drones…?!
: That’s that Machina’s – the Painkiller’s – unique ability?!
: Y-You… so all that begging, that crying was just a hoax…?
: Heehee… you make it sound so bad, calling it that.
: You underestimated me and got caught off guard…
: What I did was just a little something called acting.
: (“Acting”? She…)
: Hah, guess I took things a bit too easy…
: Fine, then. You might be a chick, but the gloves are coming off right now!
Beep.
: Oho, having a tough time dealing with a rookie, are you?
: Bite me! I’m just about to rip her apart!
: I’m afraid not. You’ve been given the order to withdraw – the situation’s grown too uncertain.
: And you think I care?! I ain’t letting her get away after that—
: This is a direct order from the commander…!
: …! Goddamn it… retreating!
: We’ve confirmation that all Katou Organization units have retreated.
: Hey, Kouichi! Did you see that?
: I beat him! This was my first fight and I think I did very—
: What were you thinking, Kujo…?
: Huh?
: You can’t fight the way you did. Look at this…
: You’ve turned a chunk of the city into rubble.
: …?!
: Ah…Aah…
Back at JUDA, things have already wrapped up at the festival and Eida’s heard how Holly and her guitar closed the event on a major high note; “Please, Eida, tell me something I don’t know! Wahahahaha!” Rennie confesses that she’d read Holly wrong – she thought she was just an oddball sister, but didn’t expect her to be such a great musician.
But Holly isn’t surprised, as she prides herself as being an Indie artist. She topped a chart or two, but that’s it. Nearby, Psy is pushing Joey to go and get his sister under control before she picks up too much steam. “That’s not happening… No one can stop her once she gets like that…” Joey sighs. “Ya know, I heard that the Japanese crowds were a quiet bunch, but they got fired up real good. ‘Course, when you got me playing, it’s like dumping a gallon of gasoline on everyone! Wahahahaa!”
Alto interrupts Holly’s glee and asks about Ranka and Sheryl, but both have already headed back to the Frontier (they asked her to give him their best). Alto hopes Sheryl’ll get better from whatever she’s got soon.
: That’s our report for the battle at Shimane.
: Miu Kujo, the Painkiller’s Factor, is currently getting examined at the infirmary.
: Hmm… that’s quite the dangerous Factor we picked up, huh?
: You’ve told us that people tend to get aggressive after becoming Factors, no? Kouichi Hayase wasn’t much different…
: “Aggressive” doesn’t quite sum up the way she fights, though.
: True. As she herself said, it kind of feels like a piece of acting.
: Like she’s trying to draw everyone’s eyes to her. The whole thing looks like she’s going “Look at me, look at how amazing I am!”
: She did acquire a lot of power in the blink of an eye. It’s not impossible that she’s deluded herself into thinking she’s a “chosen one”, a superior being.
: Whatever the case, she’s a very unstable girl.
: Hmhmm, when we first met her at Innsmouth, she’d tried to kill herself.
: And you say she was out of her mind when you found her at Yomotsu Hirasaka?
: Considering how abruptly she left the stage area, I’d say so. And then she found her way to the underground ruins…
: Where the Painkiller caught and infused her with its nanomachines.
: But why did the Painkiller choose Miu Kujo as its Factor? This was no accidental death or anything…
: There’s a lot of risk to this one… and not like Hayase used to be. Her personality, the circumstances behind her becoming a Factor – everything’s a different ballgame.
: I’ll say…
: Either way, I’ll need you folks to keep a close eye on things.
: On Miu Kujo?
: No, on Hayase.
: S-So… Are you feeling alright, Kujo?
: Yes. Actually, I’ve never felt better. Plus, I’m also so happy right now!
: Happy…?
: Because we’ll be fighting together now! Just the thought of it fills me with joy!
: …
: But, Miumiu, why did you rush out the festival like that?
: Well, I… I just wanted to see Hayase in the show. I wanted it so, so much…
: By the time I realized what I was doing, I was in that cave. And, then, the Painkiller saved me…
: (Saved you? What does that mean…?)
Elsewhere, Grathan is busy trying to phone home; he eventually manages to get in touch with Charme Veker aboard her G-Excellent. She’s very surprised to hear from him, as he’d been presumed dead following his disappearance while chasing the Elshank through a wormhole. Grathan apologizes, but notes that their comm systems have been malfunctioning since coming to Earth.
Whatever the case, Charme is glad that he and his men are safe. She asks him to report, so Grathan gives the rundown on being by the third planet of the Solar System, how they’re working on capturing the Elshank, and how the former Ladorian commander Ylbora Saro has defected to their side.
Still, Charme can see that he’s been having a hard time here, but tells him not to worry: the G-Excellent will be arriving on Earth soon. Once they’re there, they’ll reorganize and bolster The Boom Army’s forces.
Grathan’s does a double take at the mothership of their army being on its way – does that mean that Emperor Annex’ personal fleet will be here too? Of course, as Charm tells, the Emperor has decided to personally see to Romina’s capture. Oh, boy…
Later, over by the G-Excellent’s bridge, Charme relates to Annex that Grathan, the C-Terahertz and their troops are safe. It won’t be long before they make it to Earth, where the Elshank’s hiding out, BUT there’s a perplexing bit of information Charme would like to investigate before they initiate operations.
Perplexing how? They’ve lost all communications with the homeworld after going through the warp hole, and haven’t been able to reestablish them since. Moreover, there’s the added problem that much of their Kylhasium was lost during the warp. Investigations are underway and solutions are being devised.
That’s fine for Annex, who then asks Charme what she thinks of Earth. Honestly, she couldn’t help but be enamored with that beautiful planet from just the few images she’s seen of it. Charme can tell that Annex isn’t satisfied with having just Planet Ladorio under his control. “I cannot be at ease until all that is beautiful belongs to me. You know that, I’m sure,” Annex gloats. Mwahahahahahaha!
Finally, here are the convos we missed today:
: You worried about me, ya white blow-up doll? Come on, just try to hit me! I’m over here!
: Treating battles as a game is bad enough, but hurting everyone else because of that is unforgivable! Go, Heroman!
: …!
–
: I ain’t letting your gang off the hook for what you’ve done, but I guess we gotta be grateful to you a bit?
: I mean, it was only because of your sat cannon stunt that we managed to clear our names!
: That’s great to hear. Now you can die without regrets!
–
: You said this is the Painkiller? A shame you’ll leave this world so soon after finding it.
: No. I’m going to be a Champion of Justice like Hayase…
: If justice is what you’re after, then you’d best join the Katou Organization.
: Heehee, I don’t think so…
: You are all villains… it’s your destiny to die at the hands of Champions of Justice…
–
: You sure have been busy nowadays, eh? Then I trust you’ll keep that momentum going and show me a good time!
: Did you hear that, Aoi? This guy’s craving for a battle that gets his blood pumping.
: Well, who am I to turn him down? One electrifying battle, coming right up!
: We don’t guarantee you’ll live through it, mind!
Wow. I didn’t expect Magna!Mio to be so…crazy. Heck, I didn’t realize it was her until the Painkiller came out! It’s weird looking through the SRW L LP at the same time I’m reading this one and doing a compare/contrast to the Linebarrel crew in both games.