Part 26: Interdimensional Showdown

Chapter 25 – Interdimensional Showdown

Last chapter we cleared Demiurge Tower right up to the threshold of the final boss.

But we can’t fight no final boss, not when we have so much fun side content to do first!

First, we have one completely pointless thing to see in Nohl.




“You…Don’t tell anyone! It’s my big secret!”

Haha, geddit? Girls getting fat is funneee!

Sharon is also available for a scene in Tanza.




“That reminds me of something…I used to wait for my dad’s ship just like this when I was little.”



“My dad looked so cool back then. I mean it…Whoops! I’m getting all sentimental. Does this mean I’m getting old? Ha ha ha!”

And that’s that.

Now we have guild quests to complete. Yay.



So we’re going to Thunder Mine. Lovely, we get to experience more dull and grey.



Oh goody.

“Search all day, not find nothing! Me want go home now! Me hungry!”

“We’re not going anywhere! If you didn’t eat so many steaks everyday, we wouldn’t be in this financial mess!”

“No steak?! Balzac need steak! Need for muscles! Meat make muscles! Me big muscles!”

“Never mind! Stop talking and start looking! There has to be one around here! I’m going to find a ThunderWind Stone, even if it kills me!”

The lunkheads will stay here searching for a stone. I’m not even sure if this is connected to the quest we’re doing, or if it’s just something that will happen if you randomly check Thunder Mine.



To find what we’re looking for, we must complete this puzzle first. No, there’s no indicator that it’s here when we’re doing the quest.

Anyway, to get up that ledge, you need to:
-Galea punch one of those rocks.
-Lower the stone pillar with Kazan, get on it, and raise it again.
-Have Ayne push the face block.
-Shoot the creature with Arrode.
-Lower yourself and break another rock.
-Raise yourself and walk off the pillar onto the rock and block.
-Have Rivas grow the vines.

To think we went through the final dungeon and didn’t encounter a single puzzle, let alone one with this many steps.



Stiel is here, with one of those crystal things from Demiurge Tower.




“A key…to another dimension?”

“That’s right. It’s one of the few in existence. I don’t know how it works, but it joins this world to another dimension. You’ve seen some strange creatures, haven’t you? Some that look like they’re not from this world…? This key brought them here. Of course, the black sun has made more monsters than this key could ever bring here…”



“Don’t do it! I don’t want to have to fight any more tedious crystal battles!”

“Stay out of my way!”



“Stiel?!”



Despite being right in front of us, Stiel gets to ambush us and act first.



Against Stiel, one of our Tireless Ribbon abilities comes in handy: “No Double Attack” prevents Stiel from acting twice in one go. This makes Stiel significantly less deadly.



Unfortunately, his attacks still cause status effects, which will complicate our efforts to defeat him.

Stiel is tough enough to endure a Variable Art and more, but he goes down eventually. What helps is that Sharon has learned “Max AP”, allowing her to endlessly use Hyper Arts while Lang and Ayne use regular and Variable Arts.

Click the image below to see Stiel get his ass beat.




And then it’s gone.



“Hah…I should have known…It’s a fake.”

”How did you know that just from it vanishing?”

“That’s right…I was a monster that was brought here from the other dimension. Now look at me!”

”…I figured you were from the other dimension, but a…monster?”

“My body can’t be killed in this world….Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to die…? And can’t! Can you imagine the pain of knowing…that you can never go home? But I refuse to give up…The real key is out there somewhere…And I’m going to find it before this world is destroyed…”

”Well you don’t have to worry about that, cause we’re not gonna let the world be destroyed!”

”Really? Then why are you here?”

”Eh, I doubt the world will end until I choose to do something about it.”

And the scene awkwardly ends on that note. Stiel just pisses off, leaving us with his odd revelation.

Figuring that Stiel was older than he appeared could be guessed from hearing him talk about Kravia, but him being a monster from another dimension, forced into human form? And immortal too? It’s a twist, sure, but one you could never even guess at.

There’s a camp chat on this, as it were.



“Now I understand the secret…Why he’s so much stronger than normal people…”

“No place to go, a drifter…Well…Now I feel bad. Maybe I should buy him a drink…”

We head back to the guild.



”Sure, buddy, it’s all cause you showed us mercy.”



“…250,000 G? I thought this quest was for 200,000…?”

Sonnet: “The other 50,000 G is from Stiel. He didn’t say why. Just told me to give it to you. I wonder why…?”

Yeah, Stiel just gave us 50000 for kicking his ass. Trying to ask him about this doesn’t accomplish anything.

Anyway, we have one last quest to do: “Invaders from Another World”. Given the name of the quest and Stiel’s revelations, you’d think he’d be involved, but no…



But the lunkheads are!

“Originally, the Royal Knights were supposed to do that quest. It’s gonna be pretty tough to do on your own. Why don’t you let us help you?”

”You guys pissed yourselves over a dead monster. Why would I need your help?”

“OO! You have big pec muscle! You train? You eating meat? Right?”

Balzac only just noticed Lang’s muscles despite him putting them on display for all to see.



”Knowing how dumb you guys are, you probably hired Kenjiro again.”

”…no. We got a really good one this time…”

Anyway, we head to Drokonia, where the invaders are coming. Why anyone would care about a volcanic island being overrun with aliens is beyond me.



What a surprise.

Anyway, we head into Drokonia’s interior. You know, the place you needed a fancy rock from Jinga to enter?



“Stop talking and just do it! We’re out of money, so you’d better get to work!”

“Huh?! Balzac get no steak tomorrow? No steak then have 100 Dream Burger.”

“Listen to me! You’re not going to eat at all, if you don’t get up and fight! Come on! Get up!”

“Me not want to smash! Smashing no fun now. Balzac want to eat!”

“Is that so?! Well that’s just fine! I don’t care anymore! I’ll find a new partner! Have a nice life!”



We can have a camp chat about this while Balzac sobs nearby.



“Hmph! That idiot. He deserves to get dumped!”

“But…I’m worried now. Drokonia is full of monsters. I hope that young lady is okay…”

“What, did you fall in love with Phanta at first sight or something, Kazan?”

“W, What?! No! It’s nothing like that, I swear! I was simply worried about her.”

“You’re so jumpy when you see a young lady!”

“Enough chatting. Let us move on.”

We press on, as Ayne suggested. We find Phanta further in…







“GRRR! GRRR!”

“Balzac! Why…”

“Balzac…Balzac need Phanta. Phanta in trouble. Balzac save. Balzac need Phanta. Need more than steak. More than anything.”

“Balzac!”




Nogartaris is tough enough to tank a Variable Art and has double attacks (negated by the Tireless Ribbon), but he goes down in one round nonetheless.



“Mmmm….Balzac see big steak. Me want big steak. Juicy steak.”

“Balzac!”

Something loud is heard, causing Lang to look about.



“The leader’s inside there. I came back to tell him that, when we were attacked by that monster.”



Cocky Lang tells Phanta to take Balzac to safety.

“You’re too injured to fight. Phanta, take Balzac and get out of here.”

“But Lang, what about you?”

”I haven’t been meaningfully threatened by anything in a long time, Phanta. I’ll be just fine.”

“UHHH…Lang good man! Strong man! If Balzac not hurt, me smash leader too! UHHHH….”

“All right. I’ll head back to town with Balzac. Don’t get yourself killed, OK Lang?”

And they leave. We can now camp chat about this.

“Balzac looks strange, but he seems to know what he’s doing! I changed my mind about him!”

“He risked his life for someone he loves…It’s so touching.”

“Sure. Anyway…Let’s take care of the monster, shall we?”

“Don’t you have any sense of tact!? We’re enchanted by love, here! Talk about a spoil sport!”



Who thought this? Lang or Maya?

Anyway, let us confront the “leader”.



The climax of these sidequests, and they couldn’t do better than a pallet swapped Storm Idol.



Ruglionaut can take a beating. Lang and Sharon have Max AP now, meaning I can use a Variable Art every round, but even then, Ruglionaut lasts a while.

We still beat him handily.

Click here to see Storm Idol’s attacks for the first time.





”Damn right I am!”

However, while Kenjiro says this, there are much stronger things than Ruglionaut to fight in this game.



The guild gives us more than the 240000 promised by the original listing. We also get an “Exorcist Katana”, but this is worthless by now.

For completing all the guild quests, we get the “Iron Hunter” and “Guildmaster” nicknames, as well as a Heaven’s Secret. We are now done with the guild and will never have to interact with it again.



We met this guy ages ago when first coming to the guild. He’s very easy to forget, but he’ll show up again during our end-game content run through.

Stekin: “Lang, o’l buddy. If you keep going the way you’ve been going, it won’t be long until you break Stiel’s record! And when you do, I want you to make me your manager! Then the two of us will go to the arena in Phorchoon….And then my dreams will all come true! Hoo boy! I’ll be rooting for you! Don’t let me down, Lang, ol’ buddy!”

Anyway, having saved Phanta and Balzac, they have something to say at their Tanza hangout.



“Lang! Howz muscles? You help us in Drokonia!”



Balzac gives us 30 Dream Burgers. They are utterly worthless to us at this point in the game.

“Ooo…What is this…”

“No, muscles want to give! What, not enough? Muscles give 30 more!”

“No! No thanks! Enough! I’ve got enough!”

“Thanks Lang…We were able to go back to town, thanks to you.”

We get a choice. We can say “That’s it?”, “I wasn’t trying to help you!” or “That’s good to hear”. Cocky Lang’s not gonna be a dick now.

“That’s good. Are you okay now, Balzac? You looked pretty bad back there.”

“Lang!! Lang worried about me? Ohhh! We big friends! No-muscle man maybe no recover. But no trouble for Balzac! Wanna see muscle? Steel MUSSSSSCLE!”

“I told you, nobody wants to see them!!”

Phanta casually hits her implied romantic partner once again. Isn’t love wonderful?

“*sigh* I knew I should have ended this partnership…”

“Noo! No way! We always muscle together, from now to….easternity!”

“Let’s hook something up…But without Balzac, okay? “

“That’s un-muscle! I risk all muscle for you!”

“Just kidding. You can’t do anything without me around, anyway.”

And that’s it.

Stekin mentioned hitting up the Phorchoon arena. What better place for end game content?

Join me next time, where we clear the Phorchoon arena and a special challenge on Jinga.