Part 68: Update LXI - Nutcracker doll - VS Berserker
Update LXI - Nutcracker doll - VS Berserker
Music: Down to Dawn
Let's just skip to this, shall we?
This round, the bulletin board was tampered with to show my name, but not my opponent's. After an escape from the unknown Master, I found residue of their magic in the mark their attack left on the school building. Right, and the source of that magic was... 
Blind Rage. Right. Upon investigating the damage done to the wall the next day, Rin guessed the Servant had unleashed its Blind Rage. After that, I finally encountered my opponent on the second floor. They wore the guise of an effigy, but inside was a strong warrior. The enemy Servant's class was...
I thought it was a Berserker. Right, the Servant's attack pattern screamed Berserker. Additionally, from the power of the Servant's attacks, I felt they had to be a famous Heroic Spirit. In order to repel the effigy, Rin used a uniquely calibrated Firewall Bypass she had prepared earlier. From its effects, it seemed Rin knew the true name of the Servant, and the identity of the Master. She called the Noble Phantasm... 
The Five Kitties of Cuddly Squee! Yeah right. I only WISH I was lucky enough to be done in by fluffy-wuffy kitties of doom... *Meow* The Noble Phantasm's name, according to Rin, was... The Five Whirling Dervishes No. Catchy, but no. Definitely no. But maybe— NO. The Noble Phantasm's name, according to Rin, was...I think this is the only set in the game that gives two separate joke answers.
The Five Warriors of Guan Yu Right. The Noble Phantasm I'll be facing is called God Force, the Five Warriors of Guan Yu. It is guided by a halberd named Sky Piercer, that can decapitate, pierce, strike, wallop, and sweep.
Said blade comes from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and belonged to Lu Bu Feng Xian. I had actually seen him once before, fighting as a Servant in the battle between two of my friends. His Master is Rani VIII. That girl, who saved me from danger time and time again, is now my opponent. But I— I will fight fiercely. The Coliseum doors beckon now.
Just like with Cu, Level E nets us his background and nothing else.
Character Background posted:
His name is synonymous with treachery and betrayal, though his fame as a mighty general was known throughout the period of Chinese history known as the era of the Three Kingdoms.
His martial abilities are so advanced that he can easily be classified in any of the five classes present in the Holy Grail War: Lancer, Rider, Assassin, Berserker and Archer.
Video: Week 6 Elimination Battle (Rin Route)
Here's hoping they didn't reuse lines for Rani...
Music: Duel - Prelude to Confrontation
I wish you the best of luck today. Um... Did we need to talk about something before we reach the bottom? ...I have no questions of my own, but do you have any for me?
They actually didn't! After the letdown of Rin, Rani's pre-fight conversation is about as in-depth as Julius's!
Why are you fighting?
...Because I have been permitted to know a part of the Magnum Opus.
What's the "Magnum Opus"?
My professor told me that this war can lead to that transformation. Don't worry. Though my professor doesn't know how, what happens here is of import.~
Do you have a wish you want granted? My own wish...? I am an extension of my professor. I am the pneuma breathed into my professor's plans to achieve their greatest wish. I must defeat you and fulfill my role as the fifth element in this grand experiment. What use do I have for a "wish"?This is the downside to Rin's route. On the other side, Rin dies knowing that Hakuno will be able to pull off her ultimate goal in her stead, but Rani? Rani never gets to move beyond being a doll, and will die thinking herself just a puppet for her professor to use.
~~
Why did you become an alchemist?
I was created to be an alchemist, and so I am one, and I desire to act as one to fulfill my mission.
T-that isn't something to smile about, Rani...
~
I don't get it... I see... That is sad, but I admit my professor's teachings are quite difficult to comprehend. ...Indeed, my professor often said, "Humans just don't understand." If I were not so inexperienced, I could have illuminated the general concepts better. I apologize. If the Atlas Institute is ever in your travels, please pay a visit to my professor.Rani one of us will die in this fight, and even if Hakuno wasn't an AI bound to the Moon Cell, I don't think your professor would be pleased to meet the one who killed their final homunculus.
Oh hey, I completely forgot her professor actually gets named here.
The scene advances here, so back up to the top.
How can you be so confident?
...Um. Do you have the choice of "losing," perhaps?
It doesn't work like that.
I was designed to be the "winner." I was given superhuman strength so that I would emerge victorious. Things that are strong persevere; things that are weak fade away. Because I am strong, I cannot lose.~
I guess I do... ...You do? Insufficient ability will render the achievement of a desired result impossible. ...I apologize. A fight that has been settled before the combat is no fight at all. My professor says that such a battle is consumption of the weaker by the stronger. It is slaughter. The Atlas Institute originally prohibited that sort of battle, but in this case... I apologize. I will have to engage you anyway.~~
You sure like your professor.
The entirety of my being, including the content of my thoughts, was created by my professor— If that is what it means to trust, then I...trust my professor.~
Let's not talk about your professor. Is something wrong with it...? The entirety of my being, including the content of my thoughts, was created by my professor— To ignore the framework that my professor has provided me with is to deny my own existence.Both choices advance the scene.
What ARE you?
I am Rani VIII. But, you already possessed that information, right?
Not your name. WHAT are you?
I am a homunculus. An artificial life form created by my professor. Unfortunately, the refining process was lost some time ago. Thaumaturgy did not yet hold sway. So, I am not a homunculus created by natural means. However, that knowledge, along with other lost information, will be restored once I obtain the Grail.
...I was hoping we could be friends?
*Giggle*...~
You're fascinating. Um... You complimented me? In that case, I will accept your praise on behalf of my professor.
Heading back up a choice...
Then, who's the giant next to you?
His name...? It's Berserker. You mean he has...a real name? Really...? But--That's... actually rather fucked up.
Good point, actually.
...How nice that I've finally met a Master whose opinions align with my own.~
I don't think that's the issue here. ...? I do not understand...And that's the final end point of the conversation.
She doesn't know what she's doing!
But, that's good news for you, Master! Even you can't feel bad about killing a doll!
Well then...
After giving a polite bow, she walks briskly toward the Coliseum, her long hair waving gently. The fierce giant trails after her, bellowing deeply. I step forward, but not without a bit of sadness for what I've just witnessed. The curtains have been raised on the sixth Elimination Battle— Music: Duel - Friend Turned Foe (
You should still listen to this. )
As you might expect, both versions of this fight reuse a lot of the same camera motions.
When the moon rises in the southern sky, all impurities will be cleansed and the proper conclusion reached.
Master, we ought to teach her what magic is all about.
Berserker, activate God Force! Connect magic circuits!I, uh, actually died here.
See, there's a very simple rule to fighting Lu Bu: If you don't have full HP...
Stop. Lu Bu's damage is massive, and a single Skill that slips through can end Tamamo in a blink if she has any damage on her.
Like, I'm not kidding around when I say that this fight is the reason I raised Defense early on. With her base Defense, it wouldn't be out of the question for Fallible Bow to kill Tamamo from full.
On the plus side, this is the last unintentional death of the entire game! It's all smooth sailing from here.
Lu Bu comes in with sightly more HP than Cu, at 32K HP. He also doesn't get early access to his Noble Phantasm.
I ended up bringing the Malificent Garments into the fight, and what the hell is that Cast description?
While Rin went offense to back up Cu, Lu Bu's already stupidly high strength means Rani will go for a more defensive moveset. Remember: Magic covers both attack and defense, so this will take a good chunk out of Tamamo's Curses.
While the big guy himself adds a Stun to his Breaks, which would be very bad if he could ever land a normal hit, as two consecutive blows could easily kill Tamamo.
However, vanish_add(a); clears up both.
Also, turns out I've been an idiot about Tamamo's Curses. I played around when going through the week, and it turns out the unreliable stun chance is only on Chaos Heaven to balance out the Guard break bonus. Fiery and Frigid Heaven both have a 100% stun chance, plus higher base damage to boot!
As expected. We'll win at this rate....I hate Berserkers.
Funnily enough, he instantly reapplies Armistice.
Next turn Rani steps in with her other Code Cast.
A Defense buff, to pair nicely with her Magic buff.
However, as always, Tamamo doesn't give a shit about Defense.
Lu Bu's NP trigger is dipping below half HP.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Beginning to overheat... Endure it, Berserker.
A few more turns gets him under 9,999.
Aaaaaaand that's the NP line.
Unlike Cu, who would always use Gae Bolg at the end of the round, Lu Bu can use his NP at any point in the turn and will use Wait on every other action. Since it didn't get revealed in the preview, that means I have a 1/3 chance of getting it right.
So I just pop Aphotic Cave on every unknown move.
Sure I'm burning 120 MP, but since blocking an NP refunds 100 I'll get most of it back. And trust me, you do not want Lu Bu to connect with this.
The first Cave whiffs.
I throw in a Sky-buffed Curse for kicks.
The second whiffs.
And it seems that Cave number 3 is our winner. What do we win?
910 damage.
Aphotic Cave blocks 75% of damage. Meaning that would deal 3.6K damage unblocked! As a quick heads up, Tamamo will not be breaking 3K HP by the end of the game. Hell, she won't even break 2K.
And if you'll recall, a normal Guard cuts skill damage by 50%, meaning even Guarding it would still deal 1.8K damage, more than enough to instantly kill her regardless of HP.
Lu Bu ended up becoming so infamous for utterly butchering glass cannon Tamamo builds that in Extella he's introduced as "the Tamamo Killer."
Thankfully, the fact that he only uses Five Warriors on that turn makes it easy to heal up if you can survive it.
I originally planned to use one last Sky-buffed Curse to finish it here, but I kinda fat fingered Chaos Heaven and its lower base damage nixed that plan.
Oh no.
Oh no.
Lu Bu following up with a Guard is the only reason I survived this fight.
He doesn't get another chance.
He also has his own critical HP buff, Immortal Red Hare, that gives him an auto-revive, just like Cu. Unlike Cu's however, Lu Bu can and will reapply it every time it gets used up, forcing you to either kill him twice in one turn or use vanish_add(a); to clear it early.
Or just kill him before he's able to use it.
Music: None
An explosive roar rips through the silence of the Coliseum. 
Music: Goodbye
The crazed warrior's death growl shakes the earth. And yet, that massive frame gradually disintegrates into thin air.
Farewell, Lu Bu Feng Xian.
—The next moment, tranquility dominates the Coliseum once again.
The demise of the Servant who has been her companion this whole time does not faze Rani. She whispers something as she traces the back of her hand. Where her Command Seal used to be. That can only last so long. Her fingertip is already disintegrating.
She mumbles quietly as she raises her head, a slight smile on her face.
Rin gets a whole speech on how she's glad she lost to Hakuno, as at least she'll be able to entrust her dream to her, and asking Hakuno to enjoy life in her stead.
Rani gets two lines in her own death scene.
Farewell, Rani VIII.
The vanishing girl's lips mouth "goodbye." With hollow eyes and a sad little smile— Rani disappears. Not even a hint of her fragrance remains under this virtual sea.Music: School III
Taiga's requests still count against the stat screen even if you never take the request, so the second floor is stuck like this.
Gate Halberd Shot posted:
Lu Bu excelled at archery and was especially adept at shooting from horseback, earning him the nickname the "Flying General." He was very close to Liu Bei, one of the heroes of the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, and considered him to be his brother. When Liu Bei found his armies surrounded by Ji Ling, an ally of Lu Bu, Lu Bu went alone to meet with the heads of the opposing sides in an effort to stop the impending bloodshed.
Upon arriving at the gate of Ji Ling's encampment, he ordered that a halberd be set into the ground 150 paces away from where he stood. He then turned to the two leaders, and said the following:
"I will shoot an arrow, and if it hits the small blade sticking out from the side of that halberd, you withdraw your forces immediately. If I miss, you are free to slaughter each other down to the last man."
Both the Earth and the Heavens aligned in perfect harmony, and Lu Bu's arrow hit the intended target, forcing Ji Ling to withdraw his forces.
Red Hare posted:
"Among men, Lu Bu; among horses, Red Hare." As Lu Bu was considered the most powerful warrior in China, so was his most favored horse considered the most powerful steed to be found in any of the major kingdoms. The animal would allow no other person to ride it, or even allow anyone but Lu Bu to handle its reins. Its physical prowess was also legendary and it has been said that Lu Bu managed to jump across a 30 meter wide moat while riding Red Hare.
Fortitude (B) posted:
Gives one the ability to negate any type of mental interference. It also improves the damage done by melee attack and increases one's bravery. However, as Lu Bu was sunmoned as a Berserker, the importance of bravery has been made moot.
Restless Soul (B) posted:
Gives one the temperament of a lone wolf; unable and unwilling to settle in one place or serve one master. This person will never be able to follow greatness, yet is incapable of finding greatness on his own. This skill negates the effect of Charisma skills of the same rank.
General of Recursion posted:
Lu Bu Feng Xian, the traitorous general mentioned in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
While he had considerable success on the field of battle, his legacy will be forever stained by his callous betrayal of the two men who took him in as a son. His military prowess elevated him to one of the strongest generals of the Three Kingdoms, though his inability to trust or follow led to his downfall. His lack of judgment was such that he slew Ding Yuan, the first of many confidants he betrayed, at the urgings of Dong Zhou, who was frequently referred to as the Demon Warlord. But once again Lu Bu's true nature emerged and he ended up slaying Dong Zhou.
After this second act of treason, he wandered around the provinces of North China, attempting to bring them all under his domination. However, his inability to rule led to his capture and execution by the general Cao Cao.
In the end, it was Lu Bu's hubris that brought him down as he believed that he was the mightiest general alive and that no one could defeat him. And although his patron Chen Gong was disappointed and disillusioned by him, he was able to use Lu Bu in his own machinations until his student's death.
Next time: We finally get out of Week 6.