Part 56: Update LI - Elegant moonlight - VS Assassin

Update LI - Elegant moonlight - VS Assassin



The time has finally come.

Music: None


After delivering his reminder, Kotomine leaves. The Elimination Battle is here. I'm about to face my strongest opponent yet. I'll make some final preparations. That means getting outfitted at the commissary and sorting out information in my room.

Julius has been a thorn in our sides ever since we started this journey, even back when we were playing as Newshound.

Now we can finally surpass him.



Music: Down to Dawn




Julius Belkisk Harway. He's the Harway family's assassin, and an enemy since day one. Caster was fooled by his Servant's ability to...



Obfuscate his presence.

Julius's Servant can obfuscate his presence, which allowed him to take out Caster in one blow. Then, Julius's Servant attacked us again, and Caster saw through it. The attack was...



A magic circuit disruption.

Right. From his attack, I deduced that the enemy uses a special form of martial arts. After witnessing him in action, I have no doubt he's a master. In one blow, he skews his target's nervous and circulatory systems, as well as their magic circuits. Julius's Servant claimed that his technique was so effective that a second strike was needless. For anyone unable to sense his presence, that could indeed be a one-hit K.O. To get around his invisibility, we set up traps to disable it. Thanks to the traps, we learned the source of his invisibility was...



A martial arts technique.



Right, it was a Bajiquan technique based on becoming one with the universe, called Concealment. It is also a sign that Julius's Servant reached a level of kung fu that few martial artists ever do. In other words, Julius's Servant was a kung fu master. There's only one kung fu master in history who claimed he needed no second strike.





Julius is a professional assassin. He knows a heck of a lot more about killing than I do. And on top of that, his Servant is a martial arts master—they're a match made in heaven. I wonder how long I'll last against the two of them—






I think living until the 1900's makes Li one of the most modern historical Servants in the game, if not the entire Fate franchise as a whole.

And before you ask, fighting Li on update LI is sheer coincidence.

Music: None


Rani's gone from her 3F hangout.



So the only thing I can do is cash in my last bit of SP.



Video: Week 5 Elimination Battle


Remember, the only way to leave the Coliseum is to win. If you are ready, I will open the gate.



Enter the Coliseum.

The way to the Coliseum is now open, young Master. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you will return. Remember: It's kill or be killed.





Music: Duel - Prelude to Confrontation










Hahaha. What a pleasant surprise. You improved much since we last met in that sealed space!



Relax, I was just making conversation. Getting to know your opponent is the ultimate luxury! My foes usually crumble from a single blow of my fist, so I find this Holy Grail War to be truly enjoyable.



The opportunity for two people to face each other and try to crush each other's lives comes but rarely.



This master of Concealment and the strongest martial artist of all time must've saw something in my mien. ...There is definitely something I want to say to Julius, to whom I have several mysterious connections to, but—



Julius is special in that he has one of the longest pre-fight conversations in the game, so going through all of this will take a bit of time.

For Reasons, I'll be leaving the second option alone for now.

For what purpose do you fight?



Seeing to it that Leo makes his way to the Holy Grail safely— That is my purpose.



And that justifies your actions?





What you've done is immoral.



Do you think that you have remained untainted through all of this? ...Regardless, your path ends here. I will soon put an end to all of this unpleasantness.

~

I see. I can understand that.

Although, most people here probably think the same way you do. Limiting the range of your actions with some pious moral code won't get you very far.





Hahahahahahahaha! None. It was just an old folderol from an ancestor. In my time, faith and chivalry meant everything! Thoughts like yours were considered seditious. Being eccentric myself, I can appreciate the way you two think! To wallow in death... Whether you abandon your emotions, or have them stripped away, the result is the same. It's not really such a bad idea to get answers to your questions just before your life comes to an end!

Both of those end the conversation, so let's go back up a level.



You serve your younger brother?

Do I serve Leo...? Of course I do. From the moment he was born, it was Leo's destiny to become the next head of the Harway family. As a member of the Harway family, it is only natural that I serve Leo.



You're the eldest, yet you follow?

...I am what some would call an illegitimate child. But even if my birth were sanctioned, Leo is the culmination of the whole of Harway history. There was no opposition to his becoming the next head of the Harway family.

~

Well, he is superior to you...

Is that supposed to be an insult of some kind? I believe I've said this several times already. I have no intention of that. Leo is special in many ways. Our relationship as siblings is meaningless in the face of that fact.

Heading back up again...



...You're lying. Badly.

Hakuno Kishinami: Unable to tell when a girl is into her, but can instantly spot when someone is lying to himself.

...What are you trying to get at, anyway?



You don't seem to care about Leo.



Leo is the next head of the Harway family. I am simply meeting my responsibilities as a family member.



Is your job worth risking your life?



I do not care if I die, as long as I do so while fulfilling the purpose for which I was born.



What an empty life you lead.



I envy your ability to have a misguided sense of superiority in regards to things of that nature.

~

Is there no one you love?

...There is no one in this world worthy of being loved. I find your way of thinking both inexplicably bizarre and unpleasant. Your idea that you can only fight for someone you love is absurd in the extreme.

Rewinding a bit...



And you want nothing for yourself?



Nailed it.

...There might have been at one point, but I don't remember what it could have been.

Going back.



Maybe you want something else?

...More baseless speculation? How pathetic.



...Like, love?





...It's nothing. I was just caught off-guard by what this girl had just said.



I never imagined that would ever get flustered! Maybe you're still too young to embrace death, after all.



No need to glare. If you're this mad because she guessed right, how do you expect to make it to the Grail?

...Who said she guessed right?

Oh, right. You didn't actually confirm anything yeah or nay. My apologies for my false assumption. Hahahahahahahaha!

The scene advances here.

~

Then why are things so hard for you?

...Do I appear to be having a difficult time? You're actually concerned about your enemy's well-being? You are truly beyond any and all hope. Fortunately for me, I don't consider any injuries I may take during the course of the war painful.



That's because you only know pain.



~

I have nothing but pity for you...

...But if I were to wait to be saved, I'd no doubt be a monk at this point. Be silent. I've had enough of your misguided compassion.

Both of those are the final ends of this dialogue tree, but if you don't want to deal with it...



Actually, I have nothing to say...

You can just skip it.



But I must say I find all of this somewhat boring. Wouldn't you agree, Caster?





But since the game wants you to know that Julius is full of shit, Tamamo will speedrun the entire conversation for you!

I have to admit that I have a few things I want to ask that Gloomy Gus over there.

For example, what made you want to participate in the Holy Grail War in the first place?

Seeing to it that Leo makes his way to the Holy Grail safely- That is my purpose.

Eh—? You're lying, aren't you?

...



And being crazy in love right now, I can spot other people who feel the same way about someone.

And whenever you mention Leo, your eyes remain dead, without any emotion reflected in them.





You're here because you have a strong personal desire you want to fulfill.



Well, more woman's intuition, actually. But yeah, it's all pretty much the same thing. I, too, am my Master's Servant because of my personal feelings, and I can easily spot others who feel as I do.



So could you try to tone down your pathetic aura a tad? Like my Master, it's starting to get on my nerves.

... I have no intention of dignifying the ramblings of a delusional vixen with a response of any kind.



It's not like it matters; you won't be able to defeat my Master, anyway. You can die miserable for all I care.



I guess she came by her title of Caster honestly. She definitely has a way with words. Well, that was fun.



Okay, now we can go on to our regularly scheduled deathmatch.





Understood. There are only a few battles remaining. Let's make the most of the ones that lie ahead.

...

In one sudden movement , the man clad all in black turns around. Those dark , merciless eyes that used to scare the hell out of me—



Just like Julius said at the start of the week: Wizards can make extreme progress in just a short period of time.

Music: Duel - Kill Or Be Killed








I have shed the complacency of earlier and have been born anew thirsting for blood, like the kyuuki! Yes, it's like I've become young again! You are strong! Stronger than any enemy so far! Now, let us compare our strengths. Show me what lies beyond perfection!





C'mon, Master. Let's take him down quickly and cleanly.





As if YOU could defeat US! In one strike, you will understand my martial arts prowess—









I'm not about to lose to you!

Don't say that, fox woman. My spear would be a bit too much for the elderly!

For a Servant, you talk too much. Take her down, Assassin!

So what's going to be the star of the show today? The Staff of Fortitude with mp_heal(16);? Tamamo's Noble Phantasm?

The answer? Neither.



Today's MVP is the humble Exorcist's Blade we got waaaaaaaaay back in Week 1, and the hack(16); it has.



Just like the duel we had on Day 6, Li will always, always, always spend his first action on Focused Chi every single turn. hack(16); has a 100% proc rate against Skills.

Why is that so important?



See that Failed marker?

That was his Noble Phantasm.

Li has a random chance of using it every turn, but he has to use Focused Chi in order for it to work. By using hack to stun him out of it, he'll never be able to use it.



It's mere child's play no matter how you spin it. Just end it.

And since his first action every single turn is safe, Tamamo can use it to leech a ton of MP via Spirit Theft over the course of the fight.

Li has a few tells on if he'll use his NP or not, but the simplest one is, well, having his second action revealed on the preview. If I know he isn't using it, I can safely use my Master action on mp_heal instead of hack.



Li will also never use his NP and an actual Skill on the same turn, so this is another safe turn.

And as a bonus, Julius will always go for a Guard seal when Li buffs up like this, so you can tell Li won't be using his NP even if you don't get any good moves revealed.



This turn also marks Tamamo hitting 9 Skills used, letting us have the shiny Extra symbol!



Next turn has him break out a new Skill, but it still means he isn't using his NP.



Charged Chi is a three turn Defense buff.

He actually doesn't have any offensive skills at all, relying purely on normal attacks and his Noble Phantasm for damage. This works wonderfully with Tamamo, as it lets her get a safe Break any time a Skill shows up for even more MP.



The buff shaves a good hundred damage or so off of physical attacks. If I had Saber or Archer this could pose a problem, but the majority of Tamamo's damage is coming from Magic, and that doesn't touch Defense in the first place. The only real issue is dropping how much MP she's getting from Breaks.



Naturally, actually seeing the NP icon revealed is an instant hack.



I finally knock him under four digits. In total, Li has 21K HP.



Tamamo's magic damage, for comparison. At this point, her physicals are just to counter revealed moves.



Don't enjoy this, Assassin. Hurry up and get serious.



I gamble on Li using his NP this turn to try and sneak in another Break, and eat a hit for my troubles.



Another turn gets him near death, but Tamamo is starting to run low.



Good thing we have a way to deal with that.



Music: Caster - Extra Life With Anyone She Wants (You should probably listen to this)




Gods residing in Izumo, whose beauty breathes life into our souls. Amaterasu, who illuminates earth, water, and sky. Let it be proof of your purity. Weighted Stone of Tamamo, become the Sacred Mirror of Uka! ...just kidding★



Now we get the fancy status icon!

Tamamo's theme plays for the rest of the turn.



I gamble on Li using his NP again. If he actually uses it, I'll get the full 100MP from blocking it, instead of having to pay 40 for Aphotic Cave.



I lost the bet two times in a row.

For some extra salt in the wound, he Guarded it, so I don't even block a basic hit.



The rest of the turn goes better.

So, after 5 weeks of waiting, is Blessings of Amaterasu worth the wait?

Honestly, not really, for a number of reasons.

First off, Blessings only lasts for a single turn, meaning I only get, at most, five free Skills. So by paying 270~ MP on the 9 skills needed to use her NP, I save 150. On top of that, most of those turns were revealed in the first place, so really I'm just saving 90 MP on the three unknown moves, then getting a small boost in damage over countering the known moves normally.

And as a major flaw, Blessings still counts as a normal buff, meaning using it against an Attack or a Break causes Tamamo to take a free hit. So my options are to either eat the damage, hold off on using it until I see a first move Guard/buff on the preview, or use it later in the turn and have less time to sling Curses around.

Blessings of Amaterasu is still good, mind you, I feel that Saber and Archer's NPs are much more useful.

_{You may have noticed Land of Eternal Bane's massive 80 MP cost in the tutorial image last night, it has its own set of problems I'll go over once we actually unlock it.}

Music: Duel - Kill Or Be Killed


The normal battle music kicks back in as soon as the turn ends.



Honestly, Li isn't surviving this turn, so I might as well take pity on him and let him show off.








Hey, what gives? That damage is pathetic! Arc did 400 damage through Aphotic Cave just last week!

Well, see, No Second Strike is a special Noble Phantasm. Instead of dealing damage normally, it deals 90% of your current HP. It bypasses Guard, but, and say it with me now, Aphotic Cave is a Skill, not a Guard, so Tamamo barely notices it. Hell, if I wanted I could have blocked each use of it for an easy 60 MP refund every time.

And yes, this does mean that No Second Strike, ironically enough, can't kill you without a second strike!



Week 5 is just such a massive power boost for Tamamo that combat has completely flipped sides. Remember when I called Extra's combat 'solved or RNG' back during our very first dungeon crawl? Well now I have so much MP at my disposal that combat is just solved. Unknown move? Use a Skill. Known move? Counter it. Julius has been built up since the prologue, and he could only land a single unintentional hit on me!



Music: None




Music: Game Over








The famed warrior of the fist walks to Julius's side as he speaks. The black-clad harbinger of death has fallen to one knee, and crouches on the ground.



It's been a long time since I've been in the world. Thanks to you, I was able to fight in it again.



His Command Seal flares up.

The Command Seal on Julius's hand flashes red and starts to vanish.



...

...What's wrong, Julius?

Leo said that Julius wouldn't fight it if his fate was to fall here.

Julius said that he doesn't care if he dies, so long as he fulfills his purpose.

But here, in his final moments, how does Julius face his end?



He breaks.

A scream that sounds like it's been wrenched from his heart echoes in the chamber.





If Julius was telling the truth, he would have accepted his end and be satisfied with how many threats he removed from Leo's path.

He clasps his hands together as if in prayer and continues to deliriously scream. I don't know if the strange light in his cold eyes is a blaze of madness or what.

Sound: Electronic screeching


But he can't. As Extra has been saying all along, every life has value, whether it's a glitched AI or a broken killer.

Julius begins reciting words that sound like a code or spell in a anguished tone. His reckless opposition to the system causes him so much pain that he can't stop screaming.

For those of you who don't watch the videos, Julius is entirely unvoiced for this.

Kiiiiiiinda kneecaps the whole thing, if you ask me.



Sound: More electronic screeching


And what does this say about Leo's proposed rule? He sees everyone in the world as tools to help maintain the world, but even his own brother rages against that for no greater reason than to just keep on living.



Knees bent and face twisted in pain from defiance, he nevertheless faces imninent deletion. It's a shamefully uncharacteristic display of desperation. And then—



Julius was Leo's right hand for the entire Holy Grail War, so what chance does Leo's reign hold when even he can't accept it?



Sound: Even more electronic screeching


The look in his eyes as he throws his head back and cries out is pure madness.



And with one last, desperate effort...

Music: Stops




He... vanishes? Master, Servant, and barrier all disappear.



I don't think I can really say 'farewell' here, so uh...



See you later, Julius Belkisk Harway, Li Shuwen?

... ... After the flash of light, the two of them have disappeared without a trace.



I wonder what happened to Julius—? I have no idea. All I know is that he's gone. ...That means I'm the winner of the fifth round. I'm starting to feel like the end goal is in sight. For a change, I feel invigorated.

Music: None


Suddenly, I notice there's a person in front of me.



It's Leo... I just defeated Julius, his brother... It only makes sense that Leo would be here. He would want to know the results of the battle.



This changes my opinion of you. You are strong. I see that now.

Leo's voice is so detached. It's not betraying any emotion. As far as I can tell, he doesn't seem to be harboring any feelings of revenge, hate, or the like. I'm not sure I should ask, but I can't stop myself—

That's an odd question. Why would I resent you? People die in battles. This time around, it just happened to be my older brother. That's all. The only noteworthy thing is that you exceeded my expectations.

I think his words are sincere. Leo's tone of voice, body language and facial expression back up what he's saying.

The only thing that's different is that I see you in a changed light.



Fuck.

Music: Breach


It's just as if his eyes were the sun— gentle, yet searing. Like my skin is being burnt away. Leo's emotions really did change. He's never shown that much emotion before. Why did he choose to show it to me, of all people? Me, a stranger. Me, his future enemy.

That's right. Perhaps you'll end up being my final opponent. Huh, that's sort of exciting. I look forward to it if that happens. Well then, I look forward to when we meet you on the battlefield.

Music: Stops


Leo is as unrelenting as Julius, if not as obviously sinister. It's like the North Wind and the Sun. I feel like Leo is more advanced than me for sure. The sun sits in the sky as king of the world. The chosen one. I've never thought about how far away it is before. Hopelessly far. ...But eventually, I have to reach out and fight it. Because only one person can obtain the Holy Grail.

And to make Julius' fate even more of a waste, Leo is so much stronger than him that his help wasn't even needed in the first place. He was sacrificed as a precaution.



Music: Down to Dawn


Noble Phantasms. Recreations of the miracles performed by Heroic Spirits. I've seen a few now. Tamamo's Noble Phantasm doesn't have much value as a single strike, but is excellent in a long engagement. But, even now that I know her Noble Phantasm, I still don't understand enough about my Servant. ...Maybe I should ask Tamamo...?



...What are you, Tamamo?

What are you, Tamamo? Are you more than a normal fox spirit? ...Without thinking, the words slipped out.



She scolded me like a teacher. ...Well, I shudder to think about a world overrun with Tamamos.

I'm a fox, mostly. Just like the magical nine-tailed foxes in Japan folklore, yep. I mean, strictly speaking I'm a yakan. Like Dakini or the great goddess Inari.

A yakan? Those Japanese tea kettles?

Hmmn, is that some kind of Freudian slip, Master?

Don't you know what a yakan is in Chinese buddhism? Would it help if I were to say jackal instead?

Jackal? Like that species of wolf? But I didn't think those lived in ancient Japan...

That's riiight. That's why people mistake me for a fox! And since I'm not really a yakan either, I don't mind being treated like a fox. In fact, foxes are better! They're so much cuter.

This is an actual thing! A bunch of foreign religions drifted into Japan over the centuries, and since they don't have any jackals to go with their new gods, they just syncretized them with foxes to make things simpler.

I understand now. That explains the weird aggression she has sometimes, but I still don't understand her Noble Phantasm.

My Noble Phantasm is a mirror, but in essence it is a symbol for the sun and water, for life and death. Obviously anything that gives life also has power over death. Haven't you ever noticed that the Egyptian god of death has the face of a jackal? As a fellow jackal, I have the same powers. Dog-faces aren't my thing, though.

She must be talking about Anubis. He's the Jackal-headed gatekeeper and judge of the realm of the dead in Egyptian mythology. They say he has a scale where he weighs the heart of a dead person against a single feather. If the heart was heavier, it would be devoured. If it was lighter, the person passed to the afterlife. Is she really comparing herself to such important figures? I know Tamamo-no-Mae is famous, but...



This is... not entirely a Nasu-ism? Like the core myth of Tamamo-no-Mae doesn't tie her to any gods, but there are a few things that came in later on that can be used. It's complicated, I'll talk about it more once Tamamo herself brings it up.



I m-e-a-n, I'm a god.

A big scary god, you know?

Hmn. ...Maybe that was a little too much for an ordinary person like my dear Master to handle.

But, Tamamo's happier this way. I don't want to make my Master too uncomfortable, so let's stop now.

I mean, there are all sorts of gods, anyway! And lots of them are really useless and can't help people! Just don't think about it too much, and the power of love will see us through to the end!

...She dismisses it. It seems Tamamo doesn't want to talk about her identity-or, I should say, her past. I don't want to make things awkward by pressing her about it, so I'll continue this conversation later.

~

...No, I shouldn't probe into this.

...I'll just let things be for now. I don't want to cause any trouble. Tamamo doesn't want to talk about it, either. It's kind of a downer to have this distance between us.

The scene ends here, but asking Tamamo opens up a dialogue option during next week's yellow chat.














Next time: A quick step back.