Part 50: Golden Poem - Dazzle

Dazzle



Behold: the last normal stage in the game. Both stages 6 and 7 of Golden Poem are boss fight stages. Let us begin.


Golden Poem stage 5 (this video contains all the gameplay of the stage. Cutscenes are in separate videos)

No time for cutscenes, it's time for action! The set-up is exactly the same as the penultimate stage of Flame Poem, just with Iskandar replaced with Elizabeth. As before, my advice would be to go for the closest under-attack Sector, work through the middle, then aid Gawain in fighting off Gilgamesh's attack.

It's worth pointing out that enemy parameters are increased from Flame Poem, so this is gonna be a long fight.



As always, as long as Gilgamesh is on the field he'll periodically attack one of your Sectors with long-range artillery, even if he's in the middle of a fight, damaging your occupying forces and making it easier for the enemy to take them over upon invasion.



I actually wanted to try and fight these things properly. Attacking them ground level is pointless. You'll need to maneuver behind them and hit them with aerial attacks, which is a lot easier said than done. Even if they're in the middle on attack, they're invincible from ground attacks, not counting EMs.



Cu will be our resident ally here (just like in the very first stage!), and he's pretty useful. He's quite good at quickly interrupting enemy attacks and dealing with crowds. May not have much killing power, but that's why you're here, right?



Two invasions stopped before they could start. Pretty good, unfortunately, we still have Jeanne and Elizabeth on the field, and Gil Gil Man will be rejoining us shortly. Also, here's something I discovered. I thought you had to use an antidote Code Cast to get rid of the Paralysis status effect, but nope. You can use any Code Cast to rid yourself of status effects, for some reason.



So, there choices here, of roughly equal importance: Elizabeth in the NE, Jeanne in the west, or Gil in the middle. I decided to go after Jeanne, but in retrospect, that was the bad decision.



Because of this. The ol' dog took more damage from Gilgamesh than I thought.



This late in the stage, for them to be pushing me this far... Quite a poor performance, or a pretty tough stage. I'd like to think the latter. Shortly after, I defeated the Holy Maiden, so now we can start to counterattack proper against Gilgamesh in the middle, before the damage spreads.



A long fight, but it's over. We'll never have him as an enemy again...in the main story.



Our fateful rematch...



Went about as well for her as last time, honestly. She got in a few shots, to be fair, but she just doesn't have what it takes. Corroded Liz, like Gilgamesh, will retreat when her HP gets to a certain threshold. We are not through with her, I will tell you that.



Tough battle. Well, as you might expect, there's not much else to talk about with the rest of the map, aside from my ol' "Get rid of status effects with any Code Cast" trick for the Sector Elizabeth started in, but otherwise, there's a big cutscene that occurs in the very middle Sector (the only one with a NP Circuit in it), so we'll finish the stage proper with that.


The sword

...We've come this far, at least. Altera awaits us just ahead. The outcome of this battle will be decided here. *teleports Hakuno out of ring* However, there is something I wanted to discuss with you before we move on, my Praetor. Would you mind?

The portal is already open. Once we head in, it won't be long until we arrive at the confrontation with Altera. Honestly, I wanted to stop and talk first too, so I appreciate her asking. I don't think we'll get another chance like this if we don't do it here.

I've used the Regalia to erect a barrier around us. It will be but a brief respite, but we can rest comfortably for the time being. Now, I have only one thing to discuss: the specific details of how we intend to save Altera. In a sense, this will also be how we defeat the Umbral Star. After all, rushing in without a plan will only get us so far. *laugh* To think that we face an unimaginably powerful enemy, and yet here we are discussing how to "save her".

It may seem like we've only started thinking about how we're going to do this now that we've headed into enemy territory, but that's not entirely true. We've thought about this over and over, in My Room and at our home base. We just haven't come up with an answer yet. For that matter, it doesn't really matter where we think about it. We can make just about any phenomenon possible within the bounds of SE.RA.PH, using the Regalia, the Royal Authority of the Moon Cell. Now that I think about it, we've been traveling around SE.RA.PH all the time with a literal Holy Grail right in our pocket.

Plans upon plans come to mind, but still no clear answers. However, we do need at least some sense of direction before we confront Altera.

It's just as Saber says. Right now, we're still stumped. We filled our allies in on the situation, and we trusted their opinions. All the Servants did their best to think of a plan, but none of them were able to come up with anything solid.

The Son of Light only said, "If we can kill 'em, we should kill 'em", and the Master of the Demon Fist suggested a similar plan. Lord Gawain and Archer only furrowed their brows, and added nothing to the discussion. It was the same with Caster's underlings. Though they are all dependable in battle, none of them are suited to this sort of thinking. It's a shame Archimedes isn't on our side. I'm sure he could come up with something...

The engineer of the Moon Cell Automaton's system maintenance process that happens every 10,000 and some odd years. That was the title Archimedes introduced himself with. Truthfully, he did fulfill that role, and he had the skills to support it. Normally, Archimedes would be the sort of person we'd go to for this sort of thing. But that'll never happen. That "Hero" is the man who abused the trust of the Moon Cell, sided with the Umbral Star, and ultimately betrayed all of humanity.

Of course, we do possess the power of the Regalia. If we can find an appropriate way of using it... Hm, a portable version of the Holy Grail that can grant any wish... What wish should we ask of it? Hmmm...



Well, we've already tried the second and the third is positively absurd. I'm not entirely sure what the Mythology Mystic Code is, but Hakuno's thinking of it, so let's see what she's talking about.

Ah, the Mythology Mystic Code! The physical manifestation of a Hero's Origin... The torrent of power that forms the root of a hero might be enough to face the Umbral Star... the only caveat is that my Cyber Frame would not be able to handle that amount of pressure for long... But with the Royal Authority of the Regalia, we have the power to make miracles happen. Indeed, that's not a bad idea.

Yeah...Well, to be honest, even though I'm the one who brought it up, I'm not entirely sure it would work. Just as Saber says, the Mythology Mystic Code is just the "manifestation of a Hero's Origin". It's not enough to influence Altera, since her strength is backed by the Umbral Star, which is on a whole different level of power. We need power on the same level as Altera if we want to free her from the shackles of the Umbral Star. Even if we used the incredible power of the Royal Authority, and even if Saber was able to release her full power with the Mythology Mystic Code, the formats of the Moon Cell and the Umbral Star are too different. I feel like it doesn't address the root of the problem. Since its power is ultimately just a function of the Moon's Holy Grail, all we could hope for at best would be to destroy her. And even that's not guaranteed.

...That's true. Altera's existence is fundamentally different from a Servant such as Caster or myself. A power on the same level, hm...? In theory, my brilliant Praetor, what you say makes sense from a logical standpoint, but... I feel as though the solution to this mystery lies within arm's reach, and yet I remain vexed. Before us stands the final threshold. In our hands, we hold two-thirds of the Regalia. We are nearly prepared for the climax of our play, but...

To break her chains, to change her fate... There has to be a way. I understand Saber's frustrations. I feel especially useless, because we have the Regalia with all of its functions at our disposal, and yet we can't see a way out of this situation. But we won't give up, no matter what. And we will never despair. Every part of me is sure of that. Mind and Soul. Even the Body. I know it. The three of us all agree. It's not impossible. We can save Altera... No, this time, we WILL save Altera...

You need not speak your thoughts aloud, my Praetor. I understand. It is not necessary for us to reach an answer just yet. In any case, we must first confront her. We have no intention of killing her, naturally. That being said, she does stand a chance of killing us... No! No chance! I will not! Lose! To anyone! I never could. Not while you are with me. I face the destroyer who has laid waste to gods, and with you beside me, I have nothing to fear. First, we must cross blades with Altera and emerge victorious. After that, we can think of a solution together. An inelegant approach, perhaps, but a sound one. Moreover, Altera most likely knows more about her situation than we do. Yes... Haste makes waste.



Well, she bounced back fast...

I mean, duh. The Sword of Mars is her main power source. You know that, right? Nice barrier you've got here! I bet it would've stopped Altera cold.

...!

Corroded Elizabeth Bathory. Could she have slipped past the Regalia's barrier so easily?! Regardless of how she managed it, she doesn't seem to have broken a sweat. She's positively brimming with confidence.

*giggle* Oh, you should see your faces! You look like a baby-faced idol who's bumped into a top idol in the green room by accident, and she thinks to herself... "Oh no, tomorrow they'll find my body in the dumpster!" No, it's more like...like you found out some shameful secret on a talk show... Well, whatever. Anyway, I'm not int he mood to fight, so I'll let bygones be bygones for now. How're you doing, squirrel?

As an aside, Elizabeth has always referred to male Hakuno as a "piggy", and female Hakuno as a "squirrel". However, I wouldn't really call squirrel an insult, so Elizabeth is really much more polite dealing with a fellow woman.

...She's not attacking us? Her words are sharp, but she seems to have come in peace. She's always been rather temperamental, so it's not beyond the realm of possibility that she might join us... But even if she did, she'd probably...scratch that, DEFINITELY be watching for the first sign of the tide turning. In a twisted sense, we can completely trust her. No matter how powerful she becomes, no matter how cruel the expression on her face is, Elizabeth is Elizabeth. She's a cruel and reckless creature, but similar to Saber, there's a part of her that sticks to her own rules for what she considers "beautiful". Her own rules. No one else's. It's a problem.

*giggle* What's with that face, squirrel? You got the right idea. Just stay there. Anything and I'll flat-out kill you. You want to do something about Altera, right? Then yeah, you'll have to steal her sword. You've already seen it, yeah? Altera's Noble Phantasm, the Sword of Mars. The physical embodiment of the concept of cutting. It's a super-old divine weapon. Back in the day, only the gods could even hold it. It used to belong to the God of War, one of the pillars of the original pantheon. Later, they'd call him Ares or Mars.

Mars...? Wait a moment, you speak of one of the Roman gods. Who, of course, were based off of the Greek gods, but...what are you driving at, Elizabeth?

You know, most people would've picked up on all the hints by now. Oh, whatever. I'll spell it out. You know ALL about Sephyr's battle on Earth, right? The one where she should've killed everything? Altera's sword is a spoil of that war. She fought the God of War, the guy she thought was her only threat, and then she picked his sword up off the ground...

I don't know if I can keep up with all this information she keeps throwing at us. So what she's trying to tell us is... Altera's sword was plundered from the ancient gods?!

Yep, that's right! One hundred points to you, little squirrel. Now, I don't really care about that. To me, a sword is just another tool. But she must've cared, 'cause she still has it.

T-To think...she has been fighting...with a weapon of the gods...!

Incidentally, it's not the same physical object from way back when. It totally became a part of her long ago. It's more like the core of her begin. Any weapon she holds will turn into it. Even if she touches a rusty old pipe, abracadabra, Sword of Mars. Over time, that precious little war trophy of hers became her own personal truth...her very identity. It's like the nucleus of Altera you know her, something that sets her apart from the White Titan. The ancient blade of the gods. In essence, it's the prototype of a Divine Construct. I wonder what sort of things might happen if you used that as a catalyst for the Regalia?



Divine Constructs are weapons made / used by gods, as you might expect. We won't see too many examples of such things in this game, but Karna's spear is an example, having been bestowed by Indra.

Hmph, she's gone... It would seem my rival moves at her own pace, no matter the situation. My Praetor. Do you think she came all this way to feed us falsehoods? I think not. Her words were replete with malicious mischief, but that hardly differs from her usual behavior. ...The Sword of Mars. Perhaps we should give it some thought.

The theory itself makes sense. I can't say I'm not a bit overwhelmed by the enormous scale of what we're talking about, and I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around everything. If I heard this story out of the blue, I never would have believed it. But...both Saber and I touched that record. We both saw the White Titan's battle with our own eyes. Before it was engulfed in that light, before it fell to the ground, the White Titan had a sword in its hand. If Elizabeth is right about that sword...then there might be a way to unbind her with the power we have...no, we'd better not try it without the entire Regalia. At the very least, it sounds like a better plan than trying to directly negotiate with her or relying on the Mythology Mystic Code.

I see. At the very least, there is a glimmer of possibility. ...But...Mars. It had to be Mars... Could it not have been the Muses, or...? No matter! Either way, we must first confront Altera, and then obtain the sword that acts as her core. Hold fast, Altera! My Praetor and I are coming for you now!

So as I mentioned, you're free to complete whatever business you may have before going after Altera, but I already did that. So we're going on ahead to our final confrontation with Altera...




Theater

Yes, of course I have! Coolheaded as ever, I see.

The maiden in white stands before us. We've finally come this far. The wish of my past self resonates in me more strongly than ever. She stands by her role as she prepares to take a stand against Saber. The Body's wish was to tear her away from that role. To stop the Umbral Star, and to write her a new ending. And now, both Saber and I share that same wish. We'll make it come true, here and now!

You are doomed if you engage me face to face. If you want to stop me, your only chance is a fighting retreat. ...And yet...here you stand, unyielding. You still point your sword at me, knowing full well the difference in our power. You fight to avoid destruction, but you do not deny destruction itself. You even see the value of it. You are strange, Red Saber. Who... What are you?

I am myself. Even when I lived as a human, even as my story inspired a Heroic Spirit, and even when I was summoned as a Servant. Few can describe themselves clearly. But I shall make my best effort to indulge you, for you are a most worthy adversary. I am filled with arrogance and greed. I am a wicked monster who lusts for glory more than peace, and for luxury more than stability. I am lovesick for whirling flowers, lovesick for searing fire, and fascinated by the brilliance of the long-dead stars that litter the night sky. That is who I am: The tyrant who refused to change the way she lived, whose tyranny ran rampant through ire and condemnation! I am Nero Claudius! Nothing in this world is eternal, save the one thing I know to be everlasting. Bear witness to my soul! Know that not even the Umbral Star itself could ever change who I am!

...Eternal... You claim to be everlasting, do you? There is no such thing in the universe. Resign yourself to the truth. All is vanity. Your actions and existence have no meaning at all. Deny that truth, and I will force it upon you at once. ...After you hand over the remaining two-thirds of my Prisoner, that is.

I don't see my Body. But I do feel a presence from within Altera's sparkling ring. Guess we know where it is, at least.

No. Your words will not find their mark, Altera.

What...?

I refuse to accept such a hideous sentiment! What's more, none of those words belong to you! You speak on behalf of the Umbral Star! And so they are not worth hearing! Of all the things that ever were and shall ever be, the thing I hate most is not destruction, but ugliness!

So that is the basis for your judgment. You are unlike any Heroic Spirit I have known up to this point. ...You are the slightest bit interesting.

Oho. "Interesting", you say. You project an indifferent facade, but it is clear that you conceal something deep within your heart. Altera. You seem like a reasonable person, so long as my words happen to intrigue you.

A "person", you say... You would call me a "person". I, who only exist to hunt down and subjugate the enemy. I, who only exist as a vassal of destruction... Sometime... Not too far in the distant past... I saw a dream. A dream of days spent in far-off grasslands.

That... That was something we saw in the records. Her memories from many centuries ago, when the lifeform created from the remnants of the White Titan spent her time as a human. The days she spent running through the grasslands as Altera...as Attila the Hun. The dream she dreamed while she was awake, the dream that played in front of her eyes as she spent those years unsleeping in the Zero Dark. The memories of the grasslands. I knew when the record first reached us. It must have been the same for Saber. Even though it wasn't part of the recorded image I saw in my dream the other day, I knew.

...I was human then... But it was nothing more than an illusion. In the end, I am a monster. The Altera of the grasslands is nothing but an ephemeral dream. No matter where I go, I AM a monster. I will always be a threat to life and civilization alike. I will always be your "enemy". And so be it, because my Prisoner has accepted me for the monster that I am. So...



Hm. So that is what you have to say. ...But is that truly what you think?

...?

You truly think there is nothing you can do? Even knowing that you and I have not attempted every recourse, challenged every possibility?



...So suddenly?!

...

We aren't going to be able to keep talking like this! It looks like we can't avoid this fight!

Indeed. Regardless of our plans, I will have to begin by beating sense into that thick skull of hers!



For the record, one of my Side Missions was to eat 5 loaves of Yakisoba Bread, but I hadn't taken enough damage / gotten the drops necessary to complete that one and go 5/5. However, if I fought Altera like I normally would, I probably wouldn't get the drops. So the hits I take at the start of this fight are in no way due to me falling asleep at the switch, no sir. Luckily, I only needed one.

Otherwise, it's the same Altera fight. Nero kinda suffers in these head-to-head fights with lack of power, but she's also much faster than Altera, and can dodge out of the way of her most powerful attacks / rush in to do damage.



This was a pretty fun moment. Managed to stop her Photon Ray just in time.



Not bad, not bad at all.