Part 77: Final Chapter - Update # 7 - The Number of the Beast

Update # 7 - The Number of the Beast

: Last time, on Obama and friends Forbidden Land adventures:







: We rejoin our heroes as they tromp through a familiar looking void.



: Are we doing an impromptu psychotherapy session?

: What? No!

: Helping you overcome your fears and/or your mysterious connection to the Demon King?

: I don't have a mysterious connection to the Demon King?

: So what are we doing here?

: Following up on a hunch. If the big boss let's you walk away, there's probably a reason to do so.







: See? That's why I'm the leader.

: Because you keep getting us into unnecessary fights?



: Let me at 'im!



Ouch.



: Time to finish this.



: Hate to shoot a man in the back, but what the hell is he backing away for anyway?



: "Hard hitting yet fragile" doesn't really work against a team of four hard hitters. Or a single Hurricane shot.



: The fifth piece of Ariel armor. Still pretty good as armor even if you have full party protection from petrification from the other four.



:...
Now what?

: We use this chance to explore and grind. See if we missed anything, upgrade our equipment, and forge a lasting bond of friendship that can only be forged through a series of dungeon crawls and heaps of random battles.

: A uncanninly long time later:





: Lame.

: Hey - we couldn't know we've done everything there is to do until we backtracked to make sure.

: And there wasn't.

: But there could have been!

: But there wasn't.



: At least we've all learned a valuable lesson here.

: You're a terrible party leader and a worse human being?

: Hey! Feelings are being hurt here, what with the words, and the doubts, and the hurtful doubting words.

: I nominate Bam-Bam for our next excursion.

: Hey! Again!

: He would have bashed his way straight to the bad guys, and we would be done by now, with no backtracking.



: Ah! But all that backtracking got us some essential loot that will make further bashing that much easier!

: And that was worth all the wasted time?

: Of course! Look at this helm - isn't it neat? Wouldn't you say our collections complete? Wouldn't you say we're the group - the group that has everything? Look at this hoard~



: Oh thank god.

: Oh, we're here already? I was a bit distracted.

: Did I say "worst leader ever" already? Because I'd like to reiterate that.

: Ahhem!







: (freaking finally you lazy assholes)
My name is.... Odio, King of Demons.



: You dragged us all this way just to satisfy your curiousity?

: You couldn't pick up a phone?



: Err... I'm gonna go with "gave birth to and raised"?

: Trained and gave a direction in life.

: Provided a lifetime supply of yummy sandviches for a short commercial.

:...
All anyone's ever done is ask for your help. They distance themselves from harm and rely on others to save them. Are such people even deserving of help in the first place?
This is my first question.

: Holy shit, this is going to be a multiple part test. Obama, do you have your lecture notes?

: No! I thought there was going to be a fight here, not an essay!

: You blowing off class to flirt with the flying kunoichi from the rival school has doomed the entire world!

: This is like a waking nightmare! Except I have my pants on... and there are no tentacles in sight.

: For which we're all grateful, I'm sure.



: What is the reason for your fight? Why do you continue?

: All right, I'm pretty sure this is the answer worth the most points. I'm gonna help you out here, and turn it into a multiple choice question. Obama, why do you fight?

A. Because I've been trained to obey the will of the Shinobi.

B. To unite all peoples within Glorious Nippon.

C. To protect the world from devastation.

D. All of the above.

: I'm gonna go with E:
I fight because being killed by monsters is bad.

: Super!

: Very well...



: Self-important and indeed, selfish!
Is it right to hurt others to achieve your own means, no matter how important?
You are all the same! The same as the maggots that lived in this realm...
Say goodbye...


: Finally.

: Let's get it on!







: Oh my. That... is considerably creepier than I expected.

: Is this the first RPG to go with the "winged Lovecraftian abomination" motive for its final boss?



: You're huge, and have huge eyesballs! That means... I'll take a huge poke at your eyeballs!







: And now for the other one!



: Wait! It keep counterattacking! We need to~

: Take the whole face out in one shot. Got it.



: We want to focus on the "face" while leaving the winged figure alone. Thankfully, our area attack can generally hit one eye and the mouth, and properly leveled characters will destroy the whole thing in short order.





: Is it over?







: Not by a longshot. Pure Odio loves to spam damaging attacks to make you cancel whatever charged move you're trying to make. Either spam a lot of quick attacks, or have everyone spread out and start a charged attack at once.





: In any case, having a lot of healing, provided by Cube or healing items, is a must.







: Pure Odio finally implodes.







: The Demon King departs... leaving behind a frail human body.



: I wouldn't hit a man when he's down.

: I would. He's behind the guy who killed gramps!

:... Don't we all deserve a second chance?

: I'm not sure what I should do here.

: This part is up to you guys. Orstedd has destroyed his own time and place, and has wreaked havoc across the dimensions. On the other hand, killing him when he's down seems... low. Pragmatic, but low. What do you think?