Part 84: Update LXXXI - Featuring: Old faces

Update LXXXI - Featuring: Old faces

Music: Final Battle - Grateful Seventh


The teleporter took us to the inner loop we could see on the map.



Again, this is the entire dungeon.









The inner loop leads to that chest we couldn't reach up top.



Armor upgrade.



On the way back we can see a dragon flying in the distance.







And the loop ends with another teleporter.





It immediately throws you into a quick cutscene.

Take that bitch down, Unit 13. It might give us some more info.



But first, that flying dragon.



It took 2 turns for it to break in even when I was as close as possible to it. It'd probably take like 4 to break in when fighting the center dragon.





Despite having a cutscene pointing it out, it's literally just a Demon Dragon.



Killing the dragon summons our good friend the Mysterious Masked Man.

He really does get around.



Surprise, it's Iod, the First True Dragon!

No build up or anything, they just wander around all game only for their identity to get dropped on you with no fanfare.



Who's Iod again?

Eeheehee... The 1st True Dragon Iod... The one who planted the Seed of Life on your planet. Damn, you don't even look phased. You're taking this whole calm and collected thing to a new level.

~

We should just ask it.

Eeheehee... That is true.

~~

That fearless attitude of yours is pretty refreshing. You good?



We're allowed to take a moment before talking to Iod.





Why do you choose to resist? Why do you not accept evolution? It is the guiding principle of life. You must surely understand.



I do.

Then become one with VFD. The billions of people within you must certainly seek that result.

~

I don't want to understand.

I do not comprehend. The billions of people within you must certainly seek evolution.

~~

*shakes head*



Evolution doesn't equal sacrifice.

It is clear that you do not understand. Only through sacrifice can a species truly evolve.

~

That's not what we want.

Your will is strong... It is clear that you do not wish to create a new universe...

~~

So, you reject synthesis... I see... In that case, prove to me the will of humanity.



We then get teleported away.









It turns out that, 'the billions of people within you,' is 100% literal. We do actually contain the souls of all our friends.

C'mon, don't worry so much. You seriously think Unit 13'd fall so easily?





It appears that Iod has dispersed your party throughout Grateful Seventh. Our first goal should be to reconvene with the others. Our willpower shall guide us forth...!

Don't be afraid, you guys! I'm right here with ya!

Unit 13, you granted me the strength of mind to resist fate until the very end. The light of hope that saved the people of Atlantis shall never fade from within my heart.

This time it's more than just the Lucier, though! We're gonna be the light of hope for the whole planet!

Let us enter the abyss. The souls of the Lucier will be with you...!







For the final dungeon, we have one last party split with Team 2 up first. The teleporter we start on leads back to where Iod was, so the old trick of hopping back to Nodens and shuffling the parties around still works.

Oh, and that thing about the Future of Atlantis?



That wasn't figurative. We have it in our actual inventory and can eat it at any time for a full party revive.



Guess what, the party split is more hallways.







We do have a few new dragons, however.

Megamaws get a new Bleed rider on Devour and can inflict Freeze with Numbing Ice Ball, but past that they're the same old palette swap.



For whatever reason, Megamaws take massively increased damage from everything, but has 12K LF to compensate.



It dies before it can move, as always.





ATK/MAT +10.





The Iron Rosier trades out the full party Confusion from the Noble Rosier for full party Petrify. Valerie was running low on MN so I took the chance to fill up with Aspir Blade.





That's the inner loop done.



Which brings us to an entirely new area.



Although I take a moment to go bait that flying dragon.



At this point in the game, Brave Sword's damage output is starting to overtake Earthquake, although a War Cry proc will still give GEORGE! an edge.



The new area is still hallways.





The downside to using Brave Sword so often is having to patch Valerie up between fights.







There's a dragon directly below me.



Also there are robots in Grateful Seventh.







There's also another flying dragon.







And that's another loop down. We outta be nearing the end of this par-



Nyala????





This is not the barrier dragon, this is the flying dragon right behind it.



And this is another flyer that goes around the area.



This is the barrier dragon.







They really looked at the final dungeon of the entire series and made it a series of identical rooms.







Alright, let's go kick Nyala's teeth in again.







I have existed in shame since our first meeting... but I shall clear that now!



Video: VS Nyala (Again)
Music: True Dragon - 1st Encount


Nyala comes in with 11K LF, putting him only a bit below ND.



His only new move is Authority, a repurposed normal attack animation from 2020 that now hits the entire party.

He actually gets a small nerf here. True Dragon Meteor has been cut from 5x damage to a much more managable 2x, to compensate for how there's no way to break his buffs and therefore no way to avoid Meteor if a fight drags out that long.



He still won't get a chance to use it.







Nyala knows who the real threat is.





That probably would have killed if I remembered to use EX.





Oh look, the self damage actually got Valerie killed for once.



HAHA SIKE!





EVEN IN DEATH VALERIE CAN STILL KICK YOUR ASS!

Music: Finish Them Off


Music: Final Battle - Grateful Seventh


Gyahhhh...!











That is the principle which guides the whole of space and time. There can be no creation without an end. Can your pretentious thoughts truly bring change to universal law?







Simply accepting our demise is not the proper way to approach things. We cannot lose the light of hope amidst the darkness of despair. We cannot abandon those we love. We must fight, in order to prevent the end and the loss that follows it.

I agree. Even the collapse of our country wasn't the end. Someone from the future was there to inherit our will...

Now then, let us depart!





Next time: The rest of Grateful Seventh.