Part 116: 01/31/10 (Part One): The Witching Hour

January 31st. The day Nyx makes her arrival and ushers in The Fall...

Living With Determination -Iwatodai Dorm-



Newscaster: The hordes of people seem to be a gathering of the cult. Some members are holding placards reading "Nyx" or "Quiet Revolution", making for an enigmatic scene...

The news is about the cult, but only insofar as they're making a bit of a scene. Otherwise, to everyone else, today is a Sunday like any other.

Troubled



...Is everyone ready?
...U-Um, can I say something?
I know that we have to defeat Nyx...
But if you think about it, that means we'll be getting rid of the Dark Hour...



But, even if that happens... I want you all to know, I won't forget you!
Even if it robs us of all of our memories together... I will still remember you all!
*laugh* We know you will, Yuka-tan!
I won't forget you, either!
Neither will I!
I will not forget you, Yukari-san.
Don't worry, even if you do forget about us, I'll remind you.
...Yeah, so don't worry about it.
Oh, I'm so glad to hear that...



Good idea! But, where should we meet?
I don't think it should be the dorm... We'll come back here anyways if all goes well...
Hey, shouldn't we also decide on when we'll meet?
Yeah, it should be a special day...



When the Dark Hour vanishes, our memories might not disappear right away.
So we shouldn't plan to meet too soon after the battle.
And there's no day that will have more significance to us all.

Ken and Koromaru might not exactly agree, but...

Wow... You're really smart, Yukari-san!
Graduation Day...! Yes, that will be easy to remember.
Yeah, that's probably our best bet... Graduation Day it is!
Now, where should we meet?



And when we meet again...
...we should remember how we're feeling right now...
That no matter what may happen, we will never look back...
...I agree.
Arf!
*laugh* Sorry, but you'll just have to wait!
Alright then, let's get going.
Let's do this like always.
Yeah...
...Together.
...I will do my best.
Good, cuz I'm counting on ya!
...This is going to be easy.
...Yes it is.

Living With Determination -Iwatodai Dorm-



This is it. Our last chance to make any preparations that we can do outside of Tartarus.

Our last chance to see what everyone has to say about what lies ahead.



I want to strengthen our bonds, so I can't let the world end today.

You don't have to worry about that, Fuuka. When it comes to bonds, we've already forged some very strong ones. Both as a team, and between individual members.





...so he could pass me the baton. And I'm going to run with it until the very end.



I will fight with my all. It's not for revenge; it's so we can live.



That's what I'm going to fight for.



I'm gonna beat the hell outta Nyx!



But don't worry, I know we'll win...
Shinji will be fighting with us tonight.



But, his dreams live on inside of me...
I'll make sure they come true...
Alright, let's get going.



Now that we're in Tartarus, we cannot leave until we're done. If we need any more resources, better hope they're stuff we can get in here. At least we have the Velvet Room available and technically infinite time and money.

Speaking of which, let's just head on in there real quick...

The Poem for Everyone's Soul (Reincarnation)



In order to have gotten on so well, with so many different people... You must have worn many faces...
Perhaps you'll find this useful, since you seem to be able to adopt any sort of face...
A cipher like you should have this.



With it, you'll be able to summon... that Persona.
I'm interested to see what kind of Persona results from this... I'll be looking forward to it.

To obtain the Cipher's Mask, you need to max every single link in one playthrough. NG+ transfer stuff helps a tiny bit, but way less than you'd think. Since you'll invariable do most of your social stat training at night, and there only being 2 night links, it barely helps in practice.

We won't be using this Mask today, though. It unlocks the final Persona, and it is also level 90. We can, on paper, now make everything which isn't too bad. I've taken the opportunity to make everything available as we've progressed and as of level 75...



We have 88% of the Compendium already filled in. Without the Mask, even if I did grind to level 90+, it'd be stuck at 99%.

We WILL be using the Mask's persona though. Just not today.

tartarus_0d06



With everyone at level 75, we're as ready for what lies ahead as we're getting. I could spend more time in Monad pushing further but right now? We're fine. There's nothing we're particularly missing that would make things any easier on us. It'd just be for bigger numbers which would make things quicker and nothing more.

We'll be putting everyone through their paces at least once tonight. Two people are inevitably going to have to pull double duty but that's not a big deal.

...it's not a Shadow!
It's Strega!

As soon as we reach floor 255, Fuuka immediately discovers that we have one more thing to deal with before we can reach the very, very top. No one should be surprised by this. Even Fuuka isn't.

There are no new Shadows beyond floor 254. We have seen almost all of them before anyway. Some may not have spawned in earlier sections, but here? Here, we're just gonna run past everything and get to floor 258.



We have a free full heal if we needed it, a Terminal to quickly descend if we're overwhelmed (...but it's Strega so don't count on it) and can switch our team around if we'd like. Eh, we're fine.

Jin Shirato

That Which Comes From The Darkness



You...!?
Where's your partner?
Takaya went on ahead of me.
He's destined for greater things.
So, it looks like you're serious about fighting Nyx.
How do you know about Nyx...?



But, not all of it made sense... He was a real nut job.
Did you know Ikutsuki?
We were surprised to find out he was your boss.
We really only knew his name...



He "created" you!?
Who are you!?
Heh... There's no use in telling you... The end is near.
We don't have time for this... Get out of our way.
Can't do that, little lady...
There's no way you'll be able to stop Nyx...



Do you even understand what you're saying!?
If Nyx isn't stopped, all life will be destroyed!
Exactly.



That is Takaya's wish... so I'm not backing down.
Enough talk.
Let's do this.

Let's.



Jin Shirato 「Hermit Moros」

Unavoidable Battle (Reincarnation)



Oh Jin... the problem is? I am.



So, Jin has a neat new gimmick. Unfortunately for him, well, this team composition was custom built to just skip it wholesale. Really, any team could in a much easier way but this is more fun.



After Makoto's very first turn, Jin decides to reveal that he's also kind of a Navigator I guess. He knows that we don't have any elemental weaknesses to exploit!



Beyond now being level 74, Jin is very different to the last time we fought. He has a lot (and I do mean a lot) of mid-tier and multi-hit attacks. He has two attacks of every single element, including the three Phys ones, and covers his bases pretty well. If you leave any elemental weakness vulnerable, he's more than capable of exploiting them. And he has Megido just in case.



This time around, Jin has 5000HP. Like before, he has a quip after he loses a quarter of it.



And again when he loses half.



...Then he gets his first turn and reveals that he knows what our weaknesses are... if we had any.



Since we don't, he just foregoes doing damage at all. Instad, he opts to use ailments which is fairly annoying but not that big a deal. He only has 3 and they'll sound familiar: Sexy Dance, Poison Mist and Infuriate.



We could theoretically crush Jin with no effort at all because of that. We do anyway, because he's Strega, but that's beside the point.



Aside from having 5000HP, Jin has 45 Strength, 50 Magic, 45 Endurance, 45 Agility and 45 Luck. He's incredibly unimpressive and it took actively holding back for him to get to do things.

The Voice Someone Calls



What're you waiting for...? Finish me off!
I would do anything for Takaya...
Why are you so loyal to him?
Heh... You wouldn't understand...
Takaya showed me the light when I was in the darkness...

Are you ready for Strega's Tragic Backstory^TM? Good, because we're finally getting it now.

It was a long time ago...
In order to better understand the Dark Hour...



...so they could investigate Tartarus.
What...?
But, when that power doesn't emerge naturally, it's difficult to control.
So the kids had to take experimental medication so their powers wouldn't kill them.



Then, those three were...
You all suffered at the hands of Kirijo...
Takaya saved me from it all...



To be honest, I don't even care about Kirijo anymore.
But, Takaya's wish... must be... fulfilled...!
You...

Calamity



We're running out of time! We have to go! Now!
But... We can't...
You idiots! I don't want your pity...!



Well, okay then. Later, shitlord.



I believe in you, Takaya... Fulfill your wish...
I will hold on the freedom you gave me to the very end...!



Jin's going to put that grenade he keeps carrying around to a real use for the first time...



...and for the last time.

The Voice Someone Calls



Did he...!?
......
Let's go.

End

tartarus_0d06



So, now that we're done we have another free full heal and chance to switch our party around. Let's do that then.

...This is also the point where I ended up doing it twice for, uh, reasons. Nothing particularly exciting or major or anything, don't worry about it. Just keep that in mind when things change somewhat apropos of nothing.



Needless to say, it's not gonna take very long to get to Takaya either. We'll just skip right there, since nothing's changed here either.

Takaya Sakaki

That Which Comes From The Darkness



Indeed.
Then, let us through.
I am not standing in your way.



What is it that you seek? These are your final moments...
The end is nigh.
Sorry...
But, we're not gonna let that happen!
You are merely wasting your energy...
Why not celebrate this wonderful moment?
What better way could you spend your final moments together?
Will you shut up already!?



And so, I learned that the future is only a delusion.



That is why we welcome this glorious revelation, to shine a light upon this darkened world!
You're so full of shit!
I'm not dying so you can have a friggin' night-light!
This is not merely my desire.



That's just because all these weird things have been happening...!
That is untrue...
Who is responsible for reviving Nyx? Can a single person boast of this great accomplishment?
You all worked tirelessly to prevent it, and yet in doing so, you unwittingly aided in her coming...



Man cannot face death without first finding meaning in life...
But the world has realized that any meaning in life was lost long ago...



That can't be...!
I-I don't believe you!
And yet, there is truth in what he says...
Aigis...
But, now we know that it was a mistake...
And that's why we're here.



That's what it means to "live".
The world isn't so simple that one person can decide whether we all live or we all die...
So, even if there is no hope, we won't give up.
......
Hmph. What do you know of this world?



Just as death is eternal, a truth that has been lost can never be found again.
Are you really so desperate to die that you will stand before the almighty Nyx!?



If you insist on asserting your way of living, then I shall do the same!
The coming of Nyx is but moments away!
*laugh*
Ahahahahahahahah!!

Oh good, Takaya's gone completely insane. Let's just end this, already.



Takaya Sakaki 「Fortune Hypnos」

Unavoidable Battle (Reincarnation)



It's only a matter of time.
Please be careful! I sense even greater power than before...!

In comparison to Jin, who changed so much he gained a potentially irritating gimmick...



Takaya has changed VERY little.



He's technically stronger this time around, sure, but he's still just the same boring "casts spells for straight damage" and that's basically it.



The only change of note in his repertoire is that he ditched regular Megido for Megidola and sometimes Megidolaon (he never wanted to use this against me though...).



He does at least have the usual "more dialogue at 75%"...

I pity those who cannot see it for what it truly is... a blessing.



50%...

You would be foolish to deny it...



...and 25% HP remaining.

How can you summon such power... even in the face of death...?



On the plus side, the closer he gets to being beaten, the more likely he is to use Mind Charge and follow it up with Megidola(on). That's potentially a threat for once. Good job, Takaya!



...Shame that it comes too late, then. This time around, he has 7000HP, 45 Strength, 60 Magic, 45 Endurance, 45 Agility and 50 Luck. Still just a giant barrel of disappointment all around.

The Voice Someone Calls



......
There is nothing more I can do...
Now... kill me.
...Are you scared?
...What a peculiar question.
You know nothing of death, if you think that it is something to fear...
What do you mean?
You fear it because you do not understand it...
I will not explain to you any further.
There's no honor in taking the life of someone who can't move.



Yeah, lie there and repent for what you've done.
*laugh* You are all so odd...

> Takaya slowly closes his eyes...

We're finally here...
Up ahead is the top of Tartarus...
The promised place Ryoji spoke of.
...Let's regroup for the final battle.

End