Part 69: Update LXVI - Featuring: GEORGE!'s true power

Update LXVI - Featuring: GEORGE!'s true power

Music: Tokyo - Cascading Ordeals




Please tell me we're near the end...



Fork in the road.



South leads to a wall.



To the west is a dragon.



Spy Dragons are a fair bit more threatening compared to Tower Dragons, with their poison being bumped from 30 damage to 70 and also picking up Poison Tail, which inflicts Venom Boost. This boosts the damage per tick by 1.3x and sets the poison duration to 4 turns.

This is the only source of Venom Boost in the entire game, it has been completely pulled from player hands.

Oh look, I forgot to heal up Valerie and Brave Sword is now useless!



Anyways.



And since the proper protocol for dealing with Tower Dragons and their ilk is to never give them a chance to move...







The damage is nowhere near just hitting the Brave Sword button, but a priority full heal is always nice.

And as a small thing, if we go back to when we first fought Eigur-



Odin's Rage is a prettied up version of his super move!







Fallen Blossoms, meanwhile is just... Samurai's EX Skill from 2020. And spoiler alert: the single sword EX is Samurai's Super EX Skill from 2020-II.



















This loops back to a previous room.



So here's that barrier from earlier.











End of the World is the second of three (three!) EX Skills that just shut an enemy out of acting.







Cat Owner: I came here to look for my cat, but I couldn't go anywhere with all these dragons around...





Down to the bottom left path.





That was the only thing down that way, so off to the other path.

















And that's most of this floor done. There's probably a path on 4F that leads back down to that dragon.



Stairs.





*nods*

I'll leave the timing of the attack up to you.



Of course, we have to get to him first.





Another barrier on the south path.





Seriously why are there so many cats in here.

















That's the last cat in the game! We can go get Aria's EX Skill!



Also an exit, so let's check everything else out/go murder Spectus first.



Back up to that split on the top.









Which leads to a save point.



And that barrier.





As always, the word of the day is 'barely'.



And as you might expect from a save point-



The boss is right past it.



How did Spectus get here anyways? Not like it can fit through the hallways.







Video: VS True Spectus
Music: Battlefield - No. 7 Incursion


As an actual fight, True Spectus comes in with 8.4K LF, a bit above Tiamat. He kept all his moves from the unwinnable fight in the prologue, but also picks up a new party attack in Tempest that has a chance to inflict Downer, Burn, and Confusion, making him a much bigger threat than Tia-



Oh, the fight's already over, I see.







A turn 1 Breath Charge is nasty, as there's no way to break it this early so we'll have to deal with increased damage next turn.



Of course-



That implies that Spectus will be getting a second turn.











Music: Finish Them Off


Music: Tokyo - Cascading Ordeals


Congratulations on the swift completion of your mission.

*nods*

Now then, let us finish our conversation from earlier before we head back.







Which means Mio is technically related to Mina and Miroku from the 2020s.

Every NAV that they created had a strong mind, but a weak body. That includes Miharu. Despite all of Professor Nagumo's best efforts... every single NAV died of Dragon Sickness. Furthermore... Mio is the only person alive that carries NAV genetics within her. In the current climate, if the existence of a NAV were publicly known... There would be no end to the demand for that level of information processing ability. It would be nigh impossible for Mio to lead a normal life... That's why I erased Mio from my family registry and left her in Professor Nagumo's care.



You should have stayed with her.

Hmph... You are relentless... When I look back on it, it is clear that I didn't have the courage to do so at the time. By the time I realized what I had let go, it was already too late. As long as I live, I will never be able to live down this regret. Someone who abandons their child has no right calling themselves a parent... But now Mio has Professor Nagumo, and good friends like you. It seems that after all this time... she no longer needs a father.

~

Is Yuma her replacement?

Hmph... You are relentless... He was, at first. Yuma was the fruit of Miharu's research... He was almost like a child to me. I don't know why. Maybe it was to carry on Miharu's will... or to atone for what I did to Mio... Regardless, as long as I live, I will never be able to live down what I did to her. By the time I realized what I had let go, it was already too late. Despite that, I do indeed think of Yuma as my son. Though I'm the only one who thinks that...

~~



Although, she is intelligent... I fear she may already suspect something. It is simply too late. I cannot think of myself as a parent after all this time. My apologies. For some reason, I felt the need to tell you everything...

Sorta a missed opportunity to not mention how Mio came to Nodens specifically to look for leads on her father.

*shakes head*

Hmph...



Yuma... He is beginning to crumble under the weight of his mission, and his perceived lack of purpose. He lacks confidence in himself, his value, and even in whether he is fit to continue on...



He shouldn't worry.

Yes, it is just as you say. All I want is for him to live a happy life...

~

What can I do?

Treat him the same as you have been. Stay close to him. Be his friend.

~~

This is all my fault... I am the one who made him shoulder this burden... I'm the reason he questions his purpose in life... It seems I am always one step too late in offering my hand for assistance... That's all I wished to speak with you about. Let us return.





Well I sorta have more of the tower to clear, so...

Next time: We finally finish the day.