Part 55: Update L - Release of the seal

Update L - Release of the seal

Music: Fourth Chimeric Lunar Sea - Second Floor


Well we're already here, so we might as well finish up the Arena today.



The second half is even more vertical than the first.



Also loot.



Further ahead is the floor's second healing fountain.



Which is guarded by a new Weather Drive-type, the Sandstorm.



Ah yes, the natural diet of all sealife: trees.



Moving on, we come up to an entirely new enemy type.

I think the last new regular enemy were, what, the Weather Drives back in Week 3?



This guy is so massive that he can't even move, and will just stare at you until you initiate combat yourself.



He's a Golem, and is the strongest enemy this week.



On the platform with the Golem are two chests. One holds some money.



While the other has Taiga's request.



Past that is a split path.



Heading down the ramp leads t-oh fuck yes.



The Elixir is the only item in the entire game that can refill Servant MP, and it restores all of it. So even if a fight went on for so long I completely used up all my Master and Servant MP, I can just toss one of these and keep going.

The one downside to them is that they aren't exactly common, so I'll have to ration them out.



Down the other path, we can see a Golem guarding the Trigger.



We also find the exit portal.



Before the Trigger is another Golem, but he doesn't actually pose a threat. The first Golem was surrounded by Sandstorms so you have to fight something no matter what, and the Golem guarding the Trigger takes up the entire hallway, but you can just waltz past this one and there's nothing it can do to stop you.





Two fights later, and the Trigger is ours.





But I still have a bit of the floor left to clear out.



Strangely, Golems will never respawn, just like the Nephilim.

Unlike the Nephilim, however, Golems have no restrictions on what days they spawn, so the three we fought today will be back tomorrow.



I gain a level on the way.



Turns out I just missed some loot by the second healing fountain.



I also remembered the hidden path here.



We have another Nephilim guarding a Mystic Code. Will it be as good as the Staff of Fortitude?





Eeeeeeeh.



And that's the floor picked clean.







Music: School I


Today's the last day of the prep period. Tomorrow...I'll settle the score with Julius. I should do everything I can, so that I have no regrets. I'm also worried about Rani. I have to thank her for yesterday.





Your battles from here on out will be pretty difficult.



If the timing's off, all that will be accomplished is revealing your Servant's true identity. Be careful when you use it.

Oh hey, another book!



Concealment- A very powerful technique that only a handful of warriors, most notably Bajiguan masters of the Qing Dynasty, were able to master. By harnessing their vital energy, masters of this technique were able to make themselves one with both heaven and earth. Doing this allowed them to effectively fade into the background, making them invisible. Bajiquan— That might be the fighting style that Julius's Servant uses. Considering the uniqueness of the form and its characteristic heavy blows, I'm probably not too far off. Beating him will be a challenge, but this knowledge will help. All I can do now is trust in my Servant's power.

hakuno it explicitly tells you he's a bajiquan master in the info matrix

Music: Down to Dawn


It was all thanks to Rani. After hearing her pained voice yesterday, I'm worried about her.



Injury?! I knew I shouldn't have let her put herself in harm's way—



On second thought... I wonder why he let me live. He must've seen me as a threat of some kind. But enough about me, did you learn anything about the Servant by seeing his form?

Julius's Servant. I didn't uncover his identity, but I was able to break through his nigh-perfect ability to hide his presence by throwing his chi into disarray.

I see- A practitioner of kung fu...if his mastery of Concealment is so advanced, he might be a master... I'm fairly certain that Julius's Servant may be a Heroic Spirit with such a background.

wow its almost as if the info matrix already said that

and the book we just read

and assassin himself

and tamamo

the information gathering thing is kinda tacked on, if you couldn't tell

A kung fu master— That would explain his fighting style. If his mastery of kung fu is that advanced, it should make it easier to discern his identity.

Today's your last day to prepare, so be careful. The scorpion will be at his most cautious now.

Music: School I




Rin shows up on 1F with something to say.



What is it you're lacking? Is it insufficient preparation, or is it a paucity of information?

What is it with her? Every time I see her, she immediately starts lambasting me without any warning whatsoever. If I weren't so numb to my situation, I'd probably just go back to my room and sob in humiliation.

Numb? Try blissfully ignorant. It'd be more accurate. Anyway Hakuno, I have time on my hands, so if you want to ask something...do so now. Of course, I'll only answer questions that pertain to being a Master. I normally can't be bothered with things like this, but I'm feeling generous. So, ask away.

So much for Rin saying she wouldn't help us anymore.

Although I'm a little wary of her offer of help, the opportunity is too good to pass up. That, and she's actually being nice...for her, anyway. So, let me see...



Your thoughts on the Grail War?

I want to know how she feels about the nature of the Holy Grail War. Not about the system per se, but the fact you have to kill to live.

Huh? I'm honestly surprised you're still hung up on that. I can tell you're still in shock that people are dying in this Holy Grail War... I wonder if it could be that your entire view of the Holy Grail War is completely wrong...? ...While I agree the conditions are severe, I cannot say that they are unreasonable. Everything has its limits. The land, resources, reputation; even time itself is finite. Everyone has different goals, and the resources to fulfill them are limited, which leads to conflict. To have your wish granted, another's wish must be denied. ...That's the way of the world. The rules found here in the SE.RA.PH are simple compared to those that govern the real world. I mean, in the real world innocent bystanders are frequently victims of the fighting around them. Compared to that, the terms of the Holy Grail War are quite fair. I'd go as far to say moral... The motivations and consequences are made clear, and there are no innocents here.



And don't forget that conflict between individuals is not necessarily a bad thing. Understand your foe to win. Anticipate your opponent to win. Respect your opponent to win. These three things are what I consider to be the essence of the Grail War. How this reality came to be the Holy Grail War, I honestly couldn't tell you. I personally think the system was created for the purpose of better understanding mankind.



What is the fate of the world?

I want to ask about the fate of the world. Because I have no memories of the past, or what it is like on Earth, everything is a mystery to me.

Hmm... It seems that even after being told, nothing has really registered with you. It's obvious that you still have no idea what state the real world is in. Let me try to explain it again from a different angle. The world is doomed to wither and die. It's not going to happen right away, of course. There's no easily identifiable danger to prevent. There was a global catastrophe thirty years ago, but it actually helped stabilize the population. However, with the massive loss of life, all progress came to a crashing halt.



Thanks to everything that came after this, namely Extella and Cosmos in the Lostbelt, this line has become retroactively terrifying.

New discoveries, scientific breakthroughs, even space travel have all come to a standstill. Mankind has yet to even explore the moon. History itself has somehow been corrupted. Since the near-extinction of mankind, human society has stagnated, like water in a marsh. The Harway family wants to keep the status quo, as it is easier to maintain than change. That may work in the short term, but resource scarcity and environmental decay isn't far off. Like walking down an incline, it's only really noticeable if you look ahead instead of at your feet. And if the incline was endless and there was no hope at the end, would you keep going? I don't hold to that fatalistic view. That's why I'm here; to fight against a hopeless future. To defeat the short-sighted plutocrats who'd allow the world to rot away— Namely, the Harways.



The value of a person's wish isn't determined by its grandeur or its intent. Everyone has their own reasons for entering. I just thought I'd share mine with you. So, is there anything else you'd like to ask?

I'm good. Thanks anyway.

I don't really have anything in particular to ask. Sorry if you think I was wasting your time.

Is that so? ...Well, if you say so. I'm surprised at your diligence, to be honest.



Hakuno Kishinami: Slowly getting brighter.

Oh, you were busy? Sorry for holding you up. I take it you were going to the Arena? Be careful.

As she watches me go, she raises her hand and waves at me. ...That was...totally unexpected. Could today be the one day of the year when Rin is actually in a good mood?

~



Oh, you were heading to the Arena now? Be sure to train seriously.





To commemorate this moment, allow me to give you my prized tea service.



~

It looks like I'll be eating well tonight! I'd better hurry home to see what I've been missing!



Over a month into the Holy Grail War, and Hakuno finally has something to drink.





It may be hard to believe, but I think the reality of this place is just now starting to set in...



*Sigh* I wish I could have gotten my hands on one. Are they as good as people say?



Honestly, I've never even entertained the possibility of you defeating Kuzuki, but... The more I think on it, the more I begin to feel that you're the one I should be worried about.



Music: Fourth Chimeric Lunar Sea - Second Floor


Today is a free day, in case you weren't able to get the Trigger after dealing with Julius.



Seriously, how do you justify this? Hollow Earth theory? Global warming?

Tamamo has a few things to say.



I hate this Arena. I don't want to get bit by a bug. I don't see any bugs, but—



I get one more level.



And leave.



Music: School III


It's a little annoying for Tamamo to have been lent a hand by that woman, but sacrifices must be made.

And, Tamamo knows how to milk a rival for all she's worth... Because she's clever as a fox!

She emphasizes her pun with a big smile. I'd ask her what she means by rival, but now's not the time. Sacrifices needing to be made and all.

Okay, Master. I've written down everything you need to know about my Noble Phantasm. Please read the instructions really carefully. If you don't know how to use it, a Noble Phantasm is useless.

That's right.

Tamamo tells me the name of her Noble Phantasm without hesitation. It's...a blessing?!



We finally get Tamamo's Noble Phantasm.

Yes. A blessing of energy, or blessed energy. There were other forms my Noble Phantasm could have taken, but this fits me best. It's the most important piece of information to know about Tamamo. Please use it to its fullest, my dear Master. ♥

Her tone is sweet, but the words she speaks are serious. Just as Tamamo says, I have to use her Noble Phantasm to its fullest if we want to win. ...She trusts me completely, so I have to make sure I'm worthy of her trust on the battlefield.


Caster's Noble Phantasm, Blessings of Amaterasu, can be used after using any Skills 9 times in a single battle. Once activated, the MP cost for all Skills used in the current turn is reduced to zero. Also, your Servant's Noble Phantasm can only be used in battle once. Be sure to use it to your greatest advantage.

I'll talk more about Tamamo's NP when we actually use it tomorrow.

Also, fun fact, the screenshot here is impossible. We've never fought an Unknown enemy that has just 600 HP, Tamamo has Land of Eternal Bane (her final Skill) but her health is so low that there's no way she's a high enough level for it, her MP is way too low for what level she is at (Tamamo broke 1000 HP at level 21 and had 272 MP, for comparison), and if you look closely, the battlefield looks like the same purple-pinkish of Week 3 Floor 1, which is way too early for any of this.





Tamamo's Level 3 Matrix just holds her NP.




Next time: The Elimination Battle