Part 41: Eternally Young Scarlet Moon - Part 1b

Seriously though, the game. While everyone else starts assembling into a formation, Reimu keeps her eye on the prize and heads north.

And as a complete side note, I'd like to start this post off by saying that this is by far my favorite chapter in the game! Instead of a lame finale where you just gang up on Remilia, you're up against all of the SDM at once. And it's totally possible! Seriously, I don't consider this chapter bullshit at all, it's just a test of resource management. How hard the chapter is comes down to how much SP and MP you can save for Remilia, and speaking of the latter you can't land on this stage (since everyone's flying) so no easy infinite MP like in chapters 8, 9 and 10.



The only thing that happened on the enemy phase was danmaku going up, so on to turn two. The formation is complete now, and you'll see what it's for on the enemy phase.



And Reimu will be up here murdering everything.



Bats can hit kind of hard, but they're not a threat. Their -15% Defense/Evasion danmaku field is a hassle though, since conserving enough MP for all of the bosses is hard enough without having to be constantly Focused. Good thing Reimu is ammo based!



On the enemy phase of turn two, Sakuya shows up for her role as stage 6 midboss. I did say I was up against all of SDM.

...Milady...!

Sakuya...?

Wha... That's the maid we fought earlier!

Sakuya, you're all beaten up! Why are you here...!?

...Is the reason not obvious? I will not simply watch quietly.

That maid's all worn out, but she's still planning to fight!

You could call this the willpower of the chief maid, maybe? You're gonna be sorry you popped up.

...That does not matter. Even if I use up my last knives, even if all my limbs are severed from me...



Here she comes! Be careful!





Sakuya almost always goes for Cirno if she's in range, so you can very easily manipulate her movement. Just be sure to have Cirno cast Grit.

Music: Crumbling Silver Knife


Watch Sakuya's final frenzy!



Eternal Meek's damaging enough on its own, but when combined with its critical rate, Sakuya's stats, and its Danmaku field it just becomes completely absurd. Seriously, I saw it do 5800 damage to Keine once, and that wasn't even a critical.



Sakuya's holding this, by the way. The N-Shooter is a flat +10% to your hit rate, which needless to say is extremely handy! Marisa in particular wants it, even if it means giving up the Firefly Gem or the Grimoire.



You don't want to spend that much time on Eternal Meek, so arranging your units into a formation like mine that maximizes Support Attack capability is a good idea. You want to attack with people who can tank or avoid the damage, so Marisa, Youmu, and Cirno are going to be the main attackers.



And for the love of God don't have Rumia do anything. With her Skill, she's almost guaranteed to get slaughtered by a critical if she's not Defending.



Marisa and Alice start off,



though in hindsight Youmu should have gone first so she could take less damage.



Youmu might not be able to cast Alert or Grit, but the Focus spirit can severely lessen Graze damage.



...Assuming she Grazes anyways.



Anyways! Sakuya's below half health, so here comes an event.

...Ooh...

Sakuya!

Hah, we're gonna win for sure. If you wanna give up, now's the time!

She's right. Please don't push yourself any further...

...

Stop being so stubborn. You're far too injured to fight seriously.

Yeah. You may be passionate 'bout your work, but you gotta know when to quit too.

...I will not back down. I have no other place to return to...



This is straight from EoSD, and it doesn't really fit considering I don't even have any Bombs yet.

If you're still going to fight, then we'll have to knock you out cold!

...I will not allow that to happen!



Sakuya, please continue attacking. I will be your shield.

You will be... my shield...? ...Stop being foolish. Go back and protect Milady.

I will not. I cannot see you in such danger and do nothing about it.

Besides... Didn't I tell you before? I am Hong Meiling, the scarlet devil's dragon. And I will protect you!

...

Now come, humans! I will be your opponent!

As as this is,



it is a bad thing. Meiling was bad enough on her own, with Guard cast she's nigh invincible. And though you probably won't notice its effects that much, Meiling and Sakuya also have a Support! Meiling gets +10% Hit/Evade, while Sakuya gets +5%.



And of course, she has this too. Just be thankful that it's only at level 1, so only one of your attacks will do absolutely nothing every turn. And that Cirno exists.



The biggest problem though is that Meiling just got in close range. She'll stay next to Sakuya as long as Eternal Meek lasts at least, but once she's loose you better have some Support Defenders ready.

As a final note, if you managed to kill Meiling before getting Sakuya down to half health you'll avoid the event entirely. I never bother though, because it's kind of a pain to bum rush an attack force north while some people stay behind stalling Sakuya.



Let's get back to the chapter. Dai casts her first Trust on Youmu to compensate for that earlier bad luck.



And then Cirno attacks Sakuya.



Her attack will be useless,



but Nitori's won't be.



If Keine already had Guard I'd be confident attacking, but as is it's not safe for any unit to attack Sakuya now. At 3700 health, Perfect Meek could probably kill even Keine if she doesn't Defend.



So instead I move Rumia out of harm's way and have Alice take her spot next to Nitori. Then I end the turn.



Predictably, Sakuya goes for Youmu since her health is still low.



I was hoping she wouldn't Graze so Keine would take the hit, but at least she's still alive.



This probably wouldn't kill Youmu even if she didn't dodge, but I want to be safe. And it's not like her attack would mean anything thanks to Guard.



On the next turn Cirno pops Meiling Support Defend again and levels up.



Speaking of level ups, Marisa's about to hit the EXP jackpot.

...Uwah!

Did we beat her!?

Yes... Please, don't struggle any longer...

Scarlet Pressure fades away at this point.

...Milady...



Sakuyaaaa!

...Sakuya...





We interrupt your mourning with a level up!



And loot.

...



This too is from EoSD. It's Remilia's first line when she shows up, actually.

She can't provide any entertainment for my party at all.

...! She saw her maid fall before her eyes, yet she still...!

...You take your servants being defeated calmly, I see.

You pollute Gensokyo with mist, and toy with humans... Is this all fun and games for you!? Are you happy with this, you vampire!?

Music: Emblazoned With An Eternally Young Scarlet

This is another SRW musical reference. Your hint is that it's a very original villain, which narrows it down to... almost all of the original villains, huh.



If you wanted to deliver a scolding, you've chosen the wrong target!

I am a vampire... The foe of every living being, and the ruler of the night!

...You must be exterminated, without a doubt.

Try it if you can. Your blood will run more red than the Scarlet Devil Mansion. With the moon so red tonight, you will know death.

Even though the moon is so red...



This is probably EoSD's most iconic "line" (or would conversation be a better word?). Marisa has her own version too, and I'll show that off when I get to her route.



By the way, I haven't been mentioning what Reimu's been up to huh? She's killed three Bats with a combination of Homing Amulets and Ascension Kick, and she's about to head for those maids. Normally I have her deal with Patchouli and Koakuma instead, but since I can't save I don't want to risk it.



I've got something to say about Remilia too. If you try to attack her before all of the other bosses are down she'll just avoid all your attacks and scold you for trying to kill the final boss first. This is Sanbondo's way of ensuring you don't have more than one spellcard on the screen at once.



Back at the bottom of the map, Dai heals Youmu up again.



And the Support Attack team turns its wrath on Meiling next.



please please please grazeeee



Whew.



The combined assault of Nitori+Alice, Alice, and Youmu+Keine have brought Meiling down to 25% health.



...Yeah, I'm not going to risk it. I'll kill her next turn, or on the counter.



Keine patches up Youmu instead.



Finally, Rumia heads for these bats. They attack with lasers so she'll be fine.




As you can see. Rumia's counter damage isn't too hot though.



Here's why I healed Youmu! I'm going to hope Meiling wins this coin flip because then Dai doesn't need to heal Youmu again.







Oh well, at least she isn't dead.



Milady, I'm sorry...



Marisa's honestly not that useful against Remilia, so this is probably the best use of her SP. Two levels to go before she learns Magician Lvl 3, and four levels until she gets Valor!



Now that Sakuya and Meiling are down, the team's splitting up to deal with the bats. Youmu's also getting some more healing from Dai.


_{look at that thing's mouth}

Rumia finishes off a bat spawning danmaku,



and Reimu continues her killstreak on a maid also spawning danmaku. I've been having her use Ascension Kick to finish off opponents both because Shotgunning lets it actually do that and to save uses of Persuasion Needle.



Both of the remaining maids only have a 17% on Reimu.



So yeah, I hate my luck.



Well at least Reimu's only one level away from getting Shrine Maiden Lvl 3.







Dai continues healing, and gets Cheer! Now she can cast Gain on other people! You know, if I was using her SP for anything other than healing.



Alice finishes off the last southern bat,



and everyone goes up to meet with Reimu.



Who gets her bandage then zooms right into the fray.



Everyone else just gathers around Dai for healing, with the exception of Marisa and Alice. They're going after those maids.



Seems I underestimated Patchouli's range.



After casting Focus, Reimu gets the first hit on Patchouli. It's a good idea to target her first since Koakuma gets +10% Hit/Evade for being near her master. Depressingly, this Support is not mutual.



Marisa and Alice take out another danmaku field, and Keine takes the opportunity to get in closer and cover Alice.



...Though I didn't expect to actually need the Support Defend. This was a 21%.



Patchouli should go down next turn.



Oh that's cute, Koakuma wants to try too.



Exact same result.



Meh, why not? Reimu will mostly be using Persuasion Needle for the fight against Remilia anyways, so she'll recharge her MP.



With my condition today, I suppose this was predictable.



Keine and Alice took down the last two maids, and Keine got a level out of it.



And Dai continues to heal, and continues to level up.



Not the smartest decision Koakuma.



I intended to have Keine weaken Koakuma then give Reimu the kill,



but this happened.



Nitori picks up the slack though, and the fight ends with a boot to the face.

Lady Patchouli, I'm sorry~!



With that done, everyone begins assembling again.



Now before I start the last fight, I'd like to take a look at the map. It's hard to see with all of the red mist, but there's actually a bunch of energy gathering at Remilia's position. Or mist. Something.



With this formation, Remilia's harmless. She can only attack once per turn, and no matter who she targets (Rumia doesn't count) she's just going to end up hitting one of my tanks. This is why I made it a point to get Support Defend on Keine.



The bigger problem will be Remilia's stats. These are the odds Reimu has on her, and predictably everyone else is worse!

Shrine maiden of Gensokyo... You have done well to make it this far.

So you're the one who started this incident? I'll be kicking you right out of here.

This is my castle. It is the final bastion that remained after a long period of wandering... It will not be moved. You all will be the ones swept away.

Is that so? Very well then, I'll just have to kick you out from this world!







On the next turn I move the army in closer,



and have Reimu try again with Focus cast.



Here's Remilia. Her Mobility isn't that amazing, but between 197 Evasion (Reimu has 201, for perspective) and Size S it adds up. And while her size should mean she do less/take more damage, but her S rank in Night basically cancels it out.



Her HP Regen can be a problem, but you can avoid it by setting your team up to crush her in a single turn.



You'll have to make the choice on whether or not to Focus though. It'll boost your accuracy, but it also means risking Graze damage.

I have finally found you. The gardener of the Netherworld, Youmu Konpaku will be your opponent!

...A gardener, you say? What a strange fate this would be.

...? What is with your attitude? You will regret it if you make light of me.

No, it is indeed fitting for you to provide resistance against a vampire.

Now, come. I will skewer you all and line you up at the road!



Wow, I wasn't expecting Nitori to hit on a 48%.



Having Strike makes Keine a great Support Attacker here.



...I never thought I would ever fight a vampire face-to-face. But now that it's come this far, I suppose I'll have to test my danmaku out on you.

Are those toys your danmaku? How boring. Perhaps ripping the insides of those dolls out and tossing them into the wind... Now that would be more interesting.

...Unfortunately for you, I've already prepared a much more wonderful show.

The dancing seven-colored dolls will capture the bat and crucify her. And you shall be the star!





One level to go till Alert!

Hmm, you managed to anticipate my movements, and even dodge me. Not bad.

Trying to sell your speed and power? It ain't as good as I thought.

Yeah, at this rate, we might be able to win...

Don't let your guard down. Our opponent is a vampire with enormous power... The real show is about to begin!

Indeed. I have not used even a drop of my demonic power.

Bullshit. What's Servant Flyer supposed to be then?

Now then, it's time I show you all a small portion of my terror. Dance to the whims and flashes of my scarlet danmaku!





Despite what the danmaku effect might lead you believe, it's still a good idea to focus on this spell. -15% is better than -30%.



Marisa will be moving back here to set up for Master Spark + Shanghai Doll,



and Cirno is going to take her place, attacking while she's at it.

So you're the culprit behind this incident! Are you ready!?

Ahh? What business does a fairy like you have with me?

Hmph, you're underestimating me. In that case, I'll go and freeze up all the mist!

You're going to freeze up all my mist...? Hah, even fools can come up with some amusing jokes.

It ain't a joke. Dai said that mist can be cooled into water. That's how I've come to that conclusion. I knew it, I'm the strongest!



That was Cirno's last Grit.



With Cirno out of the way, Dai can take her spot and be in Heal range of both of my tanks.



Hopefully this will not be a bad idea.

I've caught you. The culprit behind the incident... The perpetrator who covered Gensokyo in mist.

Indeed, that was all my doing. Did you enjoy it?

Enjoy it, you say...? Enough of your stupid jokes! Several villagers have collapsed thanks to you!

Mwahaha... Who do you think I am? The wonderful feelings of anger and thirst of blood everywhere here... This entire incident was created to lead this very moment.

...This is unforgivable. I will beat that depraved personality right out of you!



Ahahahaha Parry activated.



Next up is Nito... ri...



Next up is Reimu.



God damn it.



Thankfully, Remilia targets Cirno instead on her turn.





That was way too close a call.



So here's something you wouldn't know about Scarlet Shoot at first glance: it is imperative that you either end it during the enemy phase or very early in the player phase.



So Youmu's stepping up her game. She has Swordarm Lvl 1 activated too, so Remilia can't hit her.





I hope one of these hit. Rumia has Darkness Lvl 1 on too for the hell of it.

Once I beat you and make it bright, I'll finally be free~.

Once you beat me...? You certainly make it sound simple. Are you blind to this scarlet mist? This overwhelming aura that shrouds all of gensokyo into eternal night!?

Hmm, what's the point? It's good enough to just make it dark around yourself~.

...It seems words alone have no effect on you. Well then, shall we try a more hands-on approach!?



YES.



Rumia levels up too.

That's too simple. You're just trying to power your way through!

She still seems perfectly fine, Reimu...

There's still a long way to go. We can't be worn out by this!



The power of devil has come! The overlapping lights of the devil shall emerge! Converge, and form a crest that will seal all foolish living beings!





Star of David's field is kind of a mess, with three different layers. Here's the thickest it gets.



The danmaku field is a problem though. Why?



Because Star of David is a map attack. Specifically, a map attack that hits everything in a five panel radius around Remilia. My entire strategy revolves around Remilia only being able to hit one person per turn, so this is devastating.



That's why you want as many people ready to attack as possible, so you can essentially skip it. Alice here has a 95% thanks to the Focus spirit, but all Marisa has is luck.

If I defeat you here, it'll be me who'll resolve this incident instead of Reimu.

You're one to count your chickens before they're hatched, mm? Say that after you've beaten your opponent.

Of course I will. I'll defeat you, then resolve this incident. That'll be the first step for my magic.

Mwahaha... You have a very big mouth for a human. I will crush your conceit into pieces. You will realize how powerless you are, and fade away like the wind!

The only crushing here is gonna be done by me! Let's do this, hakkero! Give it your all!

Music: The Moment Dreams Reach the Stars

Sorry Remilia, your theme song has just been OVERRIDDEN. Also this time I've linked the OST version, so there's a new part to the song at about 1:55.



...God damn it Marisa.



At least she didn't mess up the Graze I guess.



Also go Alice.



Just a bit more...



Yeah, that works. As an added bonus, here's Dai's chat with Remilia:

...A vampire is here, right before my eyes...

A fairy like you is trying to do battle with me? You can't be serious. See, you're already crying. If you're so scared of me, then get out of my sight.

...I'm scared. I'm really scared.

...But we've come this far together. I have to be more like Cirno!

Hmph, what a fool. If you want to be like her so much, then I'll rip both of you to shreds!

I won't let you! I'll protect Cirno no matter what!



Keine and Reimu then team up to take down the last few scraps of health.



Reimu's hit her next tier of ridiculousness. Now she gets a flat +10% Hit/Evade in every single battle.

...And in four more levels she'll get a +15%.

...You deserve praise for being able to sneak past this attack.

Smashing it before you could use it is a perfectly legitimate tactic.

It was some really annoying danmaku. We had to break this spellcard. If you've just used such flashy danmaku, you must be at your limit now, right?

Yup. Star of David was her second to last spell.

My limit? You amuse me. The real thing begins now.



The screen is indeed trembling.

This is the full, unleashed power of a vampire... Her unholy energy makes even the ground tremble!

Impossible... The mist is still as strong as ever too... Is her demonic power limitless!?

This devilish mist is the bloody crystallization of my mystical power... It cuts off the abominable sunlight, forming a magical scarlet veil. The current Gensokyo is now the domination of the devil in red...



Title drop. *fanfare*

There's no way I'll allow such absurdity to occur. It doesn't matter how powerful you are. I will resolve all of Gensokyo's incidents!

This is the final spellcard. Come with all your might.

Gensokyo! You will be transformed into a vivid and dark world of scarlet!



Yet another cluster of stacked fields.



Also Remilia stops messing around with Evasion percentage and just straight up cuts your stat. I would be worried if anyone was actually in danger of getting hit.



Now I'm really glad Keine bought Berserk.


Watch a graphical glitch! Also Remilia's finisher.



I start the final turn with a bomb. Here's Nitori's dialogue too just to round them all out:

Ooh, the pressure is overwhelming just from getting close... Vampires really are monsters.

Hmph, you're shaking in your boots. Do you think you can challenge me in that state? If you beg for forgiveness, I will let you go. Feel free to cry and run away.

D-Don't mess with me! I'm not scared, everyone's with me... And furthermore... No matter how strong you are, there's no way I'll leave my friends behind!



Dai heals Keine again and gets another level,



and Keine commits suicide on a coin flip.



She wins it.



Kind of.

Sorry, I'm counting on everyone for the rest!



Next is Marisa and Alice again. Alice is out of SP so they both have hit rates in the sixties.



They both missed.



You're up Youmu.



I don't know what's causing the black background of the finishers to disappear, but honestly it looks pretty cool for Meditation Slash.



Whew, Youmu lived. Now to finish this.



...I didn't equip Youkai Buster Lvl 2?

Well, as you can see, since Reimu's at WP level 2 her first WP skill now has two uses.



The game let me use Youkai Buster twice, though I doubt they actually stack.



More importantly, let's finish this.

Music: Sealing Charm, Blessed Light

This is also from the OST, though there's no changes.


Watch Reimu resolve the incident! Also, another glitch.



I seriously have no idea what's up with my game today. I had to cancel out of the full animation to get out of that black screen at the end.

Did we do it!?

That was the finishing blow. Victory is ours!

...So I have been... defeated.





The Tengu's Clogs boost Move by 1 and Mobility by 5.

...Did we really... just beat a vampire...?

She was a truly outrageous opponent, but we've pulled out a victory somehow.

Ohoho, it's all thanks to me!



Yeah. But with all of us working together, we beat that vampire up!

Well, that was the result anyway.

...So it's over, Reimu.

Yeah, and what a time-consuming incident it was. But this should return Gensokyo to normal now.

Look, the mist is dissipating...









------

Thanks to Pearl for making a replay of EoSD stage 6 Hard. I am already terrible at Red Magic, no way in hell I can do its Hard version.

Remilia Scarlet

------

Elly~, listen~.

Hm? What happened, Kurumi?

I heard just now that the player doesn't know about us. Don't you think that's really bad!?

Ehh? Hmm... I don't think it can be helped, but I guess it does annoy me a little.

Yeah, doesn't it? So since we have a chance now, let's introduce ourselves. The player will be able to enjoy the game more that way!

That's true. All right, let's do this!

I'll start. My name is Kuru...

Lady Elly, Lady Kurumi, we are out of time.

EDIT: The worst thing is missing one image, not noticing, and having to come back and replace it and the twenty images after it.