Part 106: Update XCII - Overlooking View

Update XCII - Overlooking View

This update covers the events of Update LXX to LXXII.



Today, we finish Nero's playthrough.



Music: Deathly Silent




I shall miss this place, even this room, but it can't be helped.

Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes. I reconmend you make your final goodbyes now.

Turns out that Tamamo's room chat for today wasn't a fluke, Nero's is unvoiced as well. Were they added in at the last second, perhaps?



I go talk to Kotomine to open up the Arena...



...But there's something new here this time.



The only words I can think of to describe it is "yet to be determined?" Also, stay away from the Arena! It's too dangerous and you'll just get yourself killed. Maybe. I'm going home now, so good luck! And kudos for making it this far. Nice meeting you, Hakuno.

As I mentioned a long time ago, the requirement for fighting Extra's bonus boss is to complete all of Taiga's requests on NG+.



So let's go see who it is.

Music: Fear


Sound: Electronic screeching




If it is a haunting, it's a major one. It's like the air is whining because something's warping it.



Though we have won the Holy Grail War, traps may yet await us. Be on your guard!



Fear continues to play throughout the floor, but the center room only has the usual enemies.



No, our foe is waiting down by the exit portal.



That outfit looks familiar...



Is it human? Could a human even give off such a threatening aura? My instincts halt me, buzzing around my head like a swarm of frantic insects.



In another bit of tying together narrative and gameplay, running away is the default option here.

It is a very wise option.

Head back.



But that's incredibly boring so-

~

Keep going anyway.



Outside the path stands a woman in a long Japanese dress. —Is that a Servant? But there shouldn't be any Servants besides Saber left, now that we've defeated Leo... Could she be the bizarre thing that Tiger supposedly called forth...?





That's right. If Arcuied as a mid-game boss wasn't bad enough, we get to fight Shiki Ryougi. She of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception herself.



Since there's not a chance in hell that I'm doing a fourth playthrough just to grab Tamamo's version of this, I'll just grab her lines from elsewhere.




Just so you know, it's nothing personal. I just need to kill you.

What...? If you do not even consider a Master your enemy, then can it be you only wish to kill ME?






I don't like this place. Killing you, spirit, will free me from this nightmare.






Music: Infinite Chimeric Lunar SeaMonster - She Who Sees Death








Surprisingly, Shiki gets a custom battlefield, plus an entirely unique camera angle for the opening.



There's an end even to eternity, red one. I'll end your Golden Theater's performance!


Now, before we actually do this, I want to break this fight down.



And for that, I'll need cheats.





First off is Twin Towers, which Shiki will always use as her first action in the battle, and will periodically use after that.

Even with Nero Guarding, it dealt half her health in one shot. If Nero doesn't keep Thrice Setting Sun up at all times, (or if you aren't like me and actually invested in Defense) she can just get deleted by this move if it lands cleanly.



Her normals are just as terrifying, easily dealing 1K damage a hit.

As you might imagine, doing this as the incredibly fragile Tamamo would be absolute hell.

Good thing you all voted to use her on the one playthrough I can't do this fight, chumps!



All that is trivial, however, compared to her real trick:







Shiki has a quartet of Skills with this animation, one for sealing Attack, Guard, Break, and Skills.

This seems managable at a glance, but there's just one teensy-tiny catch to them.

Namely: these Seals are permanent. recover() and Sakura's lunches cannot clear them, and they'll never time out. Shiki just uses her Mystic Eyes to kill your commands entirely.

Losing Attack or Break is bad, but you can push through that by using Skills over her Attacks and ignoring Guards. But if Guard or Skills get sealed? Just die, there's no way you'll be able to stay standing if you lose the ability to blunt her Skills, and gambling on Extra's core gameplay will get you killed as soon as you lose that 2/3 chance.



She has Decrease Vigor for Break.



Suspending Esoterica for Skills.



And Barrier Break for Guard.

And when Attack, Break, and Guard are all sealed...



...She breaks out her finishing move.

This was actually a massive pain to set up, as there isn't a 100% chance of a seal landing, plus Shiki won't change her patterns based on what you have sealed so she'll happily try to seal an already sealed move.



So, can Shiki kill a Servant?





The answer is yes, but it depends on which Shiki you're talking about.



Music: Fear


Shiki even kills you harder than Savior did. At least he gave a Retry prompt after. Losing to Shiki just instantly kicks you to a Dead End.





The woman says something, but I don't hear it— My Servant and I are one being. If my Servant is defeated, then I'll share the same fate—



Video: Battle Against Shiki (Saber ver.)
Music: Monster - She Who Sees Death


Alright, serious fight time.



By which I mean the usual strategy.

Come on, this is Fate/Extra! Were you expecting some kind of tactical brilliance at the 11th hour?



Of course, just blitzing her down doesn't work here, what with her 65,535 HP and all!

That's close to double what Savior has!

And as an extra kick in the pants if you bring Tamamo into this, Shiki resists all the stuns on her Curses, not just the low chance of Chaos Heaven. That means that the only time she can safely set up Merciful Sky or leech some MP is when you see a Guard on the turn preview, massively cutting down on her damage output and sustain.



The plan here is simple: Spam as many Skills as possible to kill Shiki fast enough so she doesn't have a chance to land a Skill seal, while slinging Elixirs to keep me going.



Even with Nero specced entirely into Strength, two turns spent draining her MP only cuts one third off Shiki's HP.



Shiki goes for a Guard seal on turn 3, but doesn't manage to land it.



Then Nero's NP comes up.

Music: Saber - Everything Is In Her Hands




Even Shiki's ludicrously bloated HP count can't stand up to Nero running at full steam.



And with the defense buff from the Golden Theater, Twin Towers wouldn't be able to kill even on a clean hit.



And with one more mp_heal-



Shiki falls.





And as a reward, the last Mystic Code in the game.





...Hmph. That was a decent effort, lady killer. But thanks for setting me free. I'd be happy to do battle with someone as powerful as you again.

Female Hakuno gets called 'silly girl' in this line.



And then she gets the most basic fade-out in existance. Not even some cheap particle effects or anything.

Farewell, Shiki Ryougi.






And that's it.

Since there's no good place for it, I'll just throw all of Shiki's lines here:

Battle start

What a dangerous tale...

Command Select

What's wrong? Giving up? (High health)

~

This isn't going very well... (Low health)

~

I invite you to the Riverbed of the Underworld. (NP ready)

~

Ha, you're quite durable. The hell do you eat to get like that, huh?! (NP survived, unused in gameplay)

~

Let's go! (Commands confirmed)

~

I'll finish you off! (Commands confirmed)

Attacks

Back at ya! (Counter)

~

I'll tear my way in! (Break)

~

Fall. (Enemy Extra attack)

Hit reactions

You! (Damaged)

~

Ugh, you're annoying! (Player Extra turn)

~

You're really going for it, aren't you? (Consecutive Player Extra turn)

~

I'm surprised... Not bad. (Defeated)

Skills

This'll be fun... Twin Belfry! (Twin Towers)

~

There are no second chances. (Suspended Esoterica)

~

You're defending? I'll make you defenseless! (Barrier Break)

~

I'll kill that movement of yours! (Decrease Vigor)

~

Well then, I'll just destroy that weapon of yours! (Hero Slayer)

~

Farewell! If you're alive, even if you're a god, I'll kill you...! Boundary of the Void! (Boundary of the Void)

~

Death cannot stand before me! Boundary of the Void! (Boundary of the Void)



The Demon of Atlas Mystic Code we got was worth it, though. 120 MP is the biggest boost in the game that isn't tied to Servant gear, and add_invalid(); is straight up god mode for any attacks that aren't an instant game over.



Music: Deathly Silent


Shiki is pretty obviously the friend Touko was looking for, so does she have anything to say now that we've found her?



Hahahaha you fucking wish.



...



I gotta.



I just gotta.





Is this enough?



Shit.





As a bonus, the Nephilim here have a chance of dropping Elixirs, building up my stockpile again after I burned through most of them on Shiki.



Yes.





...

They have lines for that???

Like, keep in mind that I have invested in nothing but Strength all game, and I still had to go out of my way to grind at the last minute. If I put any focus on Defense over the course of the game I'd have to grind on Nephilim for ages to max out Strength.

What a bizarre thing to put effort into.



But with all that out of the way, we can finally go punch Twice in the face again.

Music: Infinite Chimeric Lunar Sea


Right after the corridor walk, of course.



Though we've only faced seven foes, each battle was unique in its own way. And though our opponents were all heroes taken from human history, with me as your companion, they obviously never stood a chance. Thinking about how inexperienced you were before brings a smile to my face. That innocent little chick has grown considerably since then. In the past, I only cared about myself and gave little thought to others. In my attempts to lead, I made many mistakes and destroyed many lives. But now, I am truly content. I am no longer ashamed to be your Servant.



There is still one thing that I find perplexing; your lack of desire. You claim to have no wish for the Holy Grail. I think that's a grave mistake. Regardless of whether your wish has merit, man is defined by his desires. You'd do well to follow my example. Even now, I enjoy life to its fullest. Also- Also, I get a great deal of pleasure from looking upon your smiling face. ...That is how much I've enjoyed the battles we have shared. For me, who has never been loved, our time together has been precious.



You, who mean the world to me, let's go! May you defeat all who oppose you!



I'm sorry, what was that, Nero?





Thankfully, Nero only chimes in after Hakuno gets their five choices of rebuttal to Twice's bullshit, so we can just skip over the majority of his cutscene.





Spilling the blood of others even as they shed their own, they prove their worth through their deeds.

That is the way humanity has always been, and will always be. It is utter stupidity to think that beauty only comes from a delusional sense of righteousness.

Saber speaks to Twice in her normal indifferent, slightly superior tone, but a slight edge starts creeping in.



But I do have one question I wish to ask of you. You claim to have been here for a long time. There must have been others who've come before us... What happened to all of the previous winners?

Good question. Now that I think about it, there should be some sign of those who came before me.



Twice looks meaningfully at the pillars in the surrounding area. —His answer couldn't be any clearer.

The pillars gathered together are their gravestones.



That fact alone is enough to make you an enemy of mine.

Saber draws her sword. Like her, I can't excuse his actions, even if it means becoming another stone pillar.



The scene then progresses like normal until Savior comes in.

Music: Savior - All Shall Become One




Now that I have someone to share my pain with, I know that we shall both blossom! As long as you're with me, there is no Servant more powerful than I! Enlightenment will not shield him!



You are not one to devote yourself wholly to violence and, like the man before us, incomplete when alone. While some may consider your need to reach out to others a weakness, I consider it your greatest strength.



Video: Battle Against Savior (Saber ver.)








All for my lovable hero!

I'll extinguish that passion here. The karmic weight of your sins as a tyrant will be your downfall. Your sword will break here.



With EX rank Strength, Nero's normals can now break four digit damage.



This seems like a good time to test out the Demon of Atlas.





Archer will certainly get some use out of this. Just keep in mind that while it negates all damage, enemy Skills still cancel your own Attack/Break, so no sneaking in a free hit.



We know how this will go, so let's just skip to the end.



Hilariously enough, Savior rolled a mono-Guard turn here.

When the Golden Theater and Blossom of the Court both ignore Guard.











Bye, Twice.





Music: Goodbye




I can hear my Servant mutter into my ear. They aren't there in person, but as a part of the Holy Grail. My guess is that my Servant had somehow slipped unseen into the Holy Grail the same time I entered.

...Don't act as if you just noticed me. It is your duty to be aware of my presence at all times, after all.

However, something doesn't feel right. With the war over, there is no reason for her to follow me here.

This is your final duty as a Master, correct? Then it is only natural that I am present at this time.

Especially since it seems as if this is a time when you are in need of my strength.

...So that's what she's doing. With the additional presence, the time the Moon Cell needs to finish the elimination process is increased. As is her way, she has come to aid her worthless Master one final time. However, a delay this long can't be the result of my Servant's presence. Something else must be going on. Since I'm connected to the Moon Cell, it shouldn't be too difficult to find out what's going on. In what seems to be only a heartbeat, the whole of my consciousness arrives as one long data file.

—? This...appears to be you. What does "cryogenic storage" mean?



We then get the bit with the Hakuno on Earth before the credits.



And there's Shiki's voice credit.





Then everything should work out fine. You are my Master. You know what needs to be done, correct?

And you do have my permission to visit me occasionally. Actually, come anytime you wish!

I'd be happy to see you again. It makes me happy to know our relationship won't be ending soon.

...It sounds like it would entail an incredible amount of effort, though. I sympathize with him for having such a burden. Though it's someone else's problem, it's my responsibility.

A few text boxes later and...







Next time: Archer is an asshole.