Part 37: Ar Ru

They rushed to the train station, hoping they’d reach Moocheriel in time.

Video Record- “To Moocheriel”

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They probably didn’t even realize it was weird that there was a train running the whole length of the Tower. Not that this was the time to worry about something like that.



...Sir Aoto, I'm sorry.
...? Why are you apologizing?
This is all our fault in the first place. We Clustanians pulled you into this ruckus...
We don't care. That's irrelevant at this point.
Yeah. I'm cleaning up the Clustanian's mess. I'm doing this all for Finnel.
Hmm...
What is it now?
Finnel has always been alone.
Because of her unusual upbringing, she was treated unfairly by the other Reyvateils.
Because of that, I was always worried about her. I should've stayed by her side to defend her, but I couldn't.
But if you stay with her, I don't need to worry anymore. You're strong. I know you can protect her.
...Hmph. She's not the type of girl who would rely on someone forever.
...You're right. In fact, she has already started to change. She must be in love right now...
Huh?
...Thank you, Sir Aoto, for falling in love with Finnel.

It’s really a good thing Finnel wasn’t the type of girl who would rely on someone forever.



You don't need to be so defensive about it.
Cocona!
Hmhmhm…
Anyway, Akane, don't you think you should ditch that Antibody?
Kukuro...? Why?
...Ahh, they didn't tell you, huh?
?
...You and Kukuro were used as decoys in order to hide the fact that Finnel is the Antibody Brain.
...Is that so? But still, I won't let go of Kukuro.
He is...my only mental support. Always and forever.
Even if we are only decoys, I'm still grateful and fortunate to have met him.
Kukuro: Kyu kyu!
…I see.
*sigh* You're all so stubborn.

Things were already in motion in Moocheriel. While Finnel had reverted to her original form, it seemed she was no longer in full control of her actions.

Video Record- “Vaccination”

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...Filly? Can you hear me?
...S-Saki...?
...I'm coming to save you, you don't have to worry anymore.
Save...me...? Saki...you're going to... save me? Why?
The vaccine that's in Saki will melt Ar Ru inside Filly. And then... Filly will be well again...
But...if you do that, what's gonna happen to you...?
I have been protected by a lot of people...
This time around, I want to protect the world, so Aoto and you all can live together... I want to save you, Filly.
…
...I like you all so much... Thank you...

And so Saki began to sing.





Finnel’s reaction was immediate.



Meanwhile, Aoto and his allies were just entering Moocheriel. It was a strange place indeed, a murky swamp contained in a huge bulb at the base of the Tower.



Hey, Aoto! This Song!
Yep, that's Saki's voice! This doesn't bode well...
Aoto! Cocona!
Doc! Where's Saki!?
She should be at the core of Moocheriel! Finnel must be with her, too!
So...this Song is...!
It's probably the Song to trigger the vaccine!
If Finnel's Antibody Brain gets neutralized now, she may not be able to maintain her identity!
Why is that!? Why are Saki and Finnel involved in this at all...!?
Anyway, let's go to the core of Moocheriel for now!
Yeah, let's go!

Elsewhere, a certain pair of people were taking advantage of the fact that the Archia Think Tank was empty.

Video Record- “J And K”

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Hmhm. Hmhmhm…
Hey, are you sure this is really alright? We're not supposed to be doing this...
What? When did you start worryin' about that? The Think Tank's empty. This is the chance we've been waiting for.
But this isn't even a gray area... It's a flat out crime, y'know?
Then whattaya think we should do? The Archians ain't gonna tell us anythin'. What other choice do we have?
They shoulda at least given us a list of employees or somethin'.
...We gotta find Luke...
Do you call this bravery...
…
Huh…?
This ain't gonna work! That Master Frame ain't openin' with all that security they've got equipped in it!
Well, it's called a Master Frame, y'know... Of course this ain't gonna be easy.
Huh? This is...! Yo, Jack, come over here!
Hmm...? What? Did you find something!?

She had found something alright.



Did we find something we shouldn't have found?

I told them before they left not to trust Archia. Anyway, Aoto and the others began to rush through Moocheriel, hoping to reach Saki and Finnel in time.

Video Record- “A Symphony of Despair”

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Feinne on Qoga: Moocheriel
There are no enemies in Moocheriel right now, so make sure you get all the chests. They’ll be a huge bitch to get if you wait until after this segment.

As they neared, things began to get much, much worse.



Filly!
…!
Something is...flowing inside me...
This is...!
…
I remember... Yes...Saki...is...
...Supposed to sing...

The Song began to enter its final stages.



...The death knell of Ar Ciel...! I have a bad feeling about this. Let's hurry.

They rushed into the center of Moocheriel.



For just an instant I think Aoto still considered just letting everything take its course. Idiot. Fortunately for all of us he didn’t.



Feinne on Qoga: The Bitch Ending
Here’s where you choose whether you want a real ending or a little bitch ending where Aoto’s cowardice ensures the world will end very soon. Hint: Stop the damn song.

He at least stopped Archia from murdering the world, I have to give him that.

Urghhh!
Aoto!

Raphael tried to stop him.



But Saki already had doubts.



Unfortunately, that did lead to a small issue.



Since it did sort of release the only thing holding Ar Ru back.




And so Ar Ru’s power was unleashed.



Moocheriel bloomed…







The Heart of Gaea took on its true form...



And for the first time the truest Will of the Planet, Ar Ru, came into being. Hey, it’s not my fault you believed me when I said that other woman was Ar Ru.



Saki was down and Finnel wasn’t doing well either.



...Uh...Aoto?
Oh, Goddess! You're alive...!
Archian Soldier: Urghhh!
Hrgh! Antibodies are swarming out!
This is the end! Run! They'll eat us alive!
Hey! Wait a moment!
Kh! Ar Ru has manifested. There's no way to save the world now...!
That's Ar Ru...!? Then her previous appearance was...
Finnel...!
*huff* *huff*
Finnel! You hafta be alright!
...She's alright. Her heart is palpitating, but it'll settle down soon. Don't worry.
Whew...

It was a good thing he didn’t have to worry about Finnel, because there sure was something that deserved most of his worries.



...! What are you saying?
You have such an empyreal existence. And yet, you're more cold-blooded than El Diablo.
This planet will be changed by the Will of the Planet herself.
What nonsense are you talking about!?
At this rate, the world will be abound with Antibodies! Once that happens, it's doomsday for this world!
No... I won't let that happen!

Ar Ru did not seem to terribly care what they did, which gave them a moment to prepare before challenging her.

Video Record- “Ar Ru”

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Bring it on! I’ll stop you, deadly diva!

Boss Battle: Ar Ru and Furia Model antibody
Here comes the fun. We’re up against Ar Ru and one of the soon to be ubiquitous Furia Model antibodies. Ar Ru’s got two common normal attacks. The first is an attack on an area in front of her, like this:



The second is a point-blank attack around her like this:



She’s also got a cast ability, Ar Ru I Love Therefore I Kill. You really do not want to let this go off and if it does that sort of says your level wasn’t high enough going into this. It hits everyone for massive damage and could easily wipe you out. The Furia Model is kind of nasty itself, it’s stronger than any normal enemy you’ve seen so far. Watch out for the status effects both can cause, being frozen in position sucks. Ar Ru doesn’t have much health so a good Flipsphere or even an Ultra Supermove can end this fight.

Ar Ru vanished after the battle.

Video Record- “Retreat”

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She disappeared!?
Did you defeat her...?

For a being like Ar Ru, though, a body is just a tool.



...Saki? Finnel? What's wrong!?
No! Ar Ru...!?
What? Didn't she disappear!?
For me, the body is merely an ephemeral residence...or vessel. I only need a body to sing, so I struck a deal.
A deal…?
But...you ruined it. I can no longer use this body.

And with that, Saki and Finnel collapsed.



You've gotta be alright!
...Don't worry. They just passed out.
Aoto! What were you thinking!? That was a horrible thing you just did!
Whoa! What are you doing!?
The same could be asked of you! We finally cornered Ar Ru inside a body!
But you let the bird out of the cage, and it flew away! Are you trying to finish off the planet!?
Chairman! A swarm of Antibodies are raiding the Tower of Origin!
...Damn it! ...Set forth!
Aoto! Are you alright?!
Yeah...barely!
...The situation has grown dire. The Tower of Origin is under attack by numerous Antibodies...
I don't know what's really going on, but we'll be eaten by them eventually!
Okay...we better escape!

Practically leaking out of Raphael’s ears. Anyway, as they rushed out they were joined by Katene and Mute.



Katene, Mute!
Hurry, the Gauge is pulling out!
Y-yeah!
Katene, get on the Gauge, too. I'm staying. There's something I gotta do.
Mute... Fine. I'll call when everything's settled. Take care!
You, too.
Let's hurry, everyone!

They got on the train to Clustania.



...Aoto...Filly... I'm so sorry.
...Saki?
What are you apologizing for all of a sudden...?
I really wanted to...save this world. I...wanted to save Filly, too... But... I couldn't do either one...
I almost...made Filly disappear. I'm...really, really sorry...
...Saki...
Don't worry about that. I actually wanted it to happen.
I'm the Antibody and...you're the Vaccine. It really couldn't have been helped.
But...!
Saki, forgive me. Please don't cry by yourself anymore.
...Filly...
Don't cry, you two. You need to rest. I'm sure you're both tired.
...Yeah...
I think I'll do that.

Aoto was feeling pretty useless, and I’m pretty sure Finnel didn’t actually manage to make him feel better.



Aoto…
Aoto, stop acting sorry. I'm happy with you. I'll never forget that night we spent together under the stars.
Well, I didn't know you enjoyed it so much. Okay, we'll do it a lot more often!
...Hehehe. Yay!
So, you gotta get well again. Rest up!
Uh-huh. I'll try...

They both went to sleep, which gave the Doctor a chance to see how they were doing. It was obvious how bad things might have become if they’d not stopped Alfage.



They must've been really exhausted. They consumed quite a lot of energy...
...Doc, are they gonna be okay...?
So far I haven't discovered any abnormalities.
I see... That's good.
But...there's something I am concerned about. The personae who reside in their bodies are combining into one persona.
What!?
The cracks that used to divide their Soulspaces are fading away.
That may be because their souls interacted with each other when Saki sang that Song.
Does that mean...the personae are all totally disappearing?
So what's gonna happen? Will Saki and Finnel stay the way they were?
I don't know... Anyway, you better dive into them.
...Alright, I'll do it!
In that case, once you arrive in Clustania, come to my house. I have a Dive Machine at my place.
Really!?
That's great. Then I can examine them again.
Very well. The train is about to arrive at Clustania Central Station. Get ready to unboard.

Stopping it, though, had set them all on a totally new course.

Video Record- “To Ar Ciel”

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Yes, I am.
I feel much better after sleeping on the train.
Alright, everyone, I invite you all to my house.
Thanks!

I think that’ll have to be all for tonight, what they learned will have to wait for next time I’m afraid.