Part 117: 01/31/10 (Part Two): Under A Killing Moon
Much like before, we get a chance to switch our team around as needed. The only thing that's left to do today is... Very Long. But, well, I'm sure you already knew that.To that end, Makoto has the Tome of the Void (of course), Yukari and Ken have Narcissus Flowers and Aigis has the Lightning Glove just to nix a weakness that would be on two people. That's pretty helpful.
Under A Killing Moonyou are reading that timestamp correctly yes... this is a rerecording using alternate savefile makoto to make it quicker even
Hey, look at the sky!
Is it Nyx!?
I can sense it even without my Persona. This is the first time that's ever happened...
And as we take a trip to the anime zone (this will happen a lot here...), something materialises out of the aether near the moon.
It begins to descend, as everyone is in awe...
And they land on Tartarus. A giant sword in hand, with large, black wings...
Not just any wings. Special wings made from a part of Nyx. Fragments of Shadows used to operate machinery like Aigis and keep technology running during the Dark Hour: the Plumes of Dusk.
That Which Comes From The Darkness
Ryoji-kun...!?
I didn't mind it.
...What's going on? Wait, are you...?
Although, Nyx and myself are now one in the same.
Is that so...? Well regardless, I don't regret my decision. I'll defeat you, no matter what you are! I see... Then, you must already know. 
That is what I am.
We know that already.
Yeah. ...Everyone does.
You are what awaits all living things from the moment they are born...
...There must be fear in your hearts.
Yeah, of course I'm scared... But, it's no use carrying on about it! I wanna live!
...I'm tired of running! Living means looking death square in the face... So, I won't back down... not even from you!
I will stop you, even if it costs me my life. That is my own decision! ...I see. Calamity
Everyone, get ready! Nyx is preparing to attack!
Everyone who's not fighting Nyx should try to keep them at bay! This is our last chance... We can't afford to lose!
Nyx Avatar
The Battle For Everyone's Souls 
hey look its the single most well known track in the game and its also coincidentally the best final boss music in the series. definitely listen to it!
So, Nyx Avatar is probably one of the most infamous JRPG bosses possible. Not because they're especially difficult or anything, but... well, if you somehow don't know then you'll see.
Right off the bat, I'm gonna Auto the fight. Not a particularly big deal or anything.
Nyx Avatar has no real elemental resistances, but is flat immune to all ailments. All of them. Knock Down is kind of expected at this point, but they're immune to Shock and Freeze as well. That's just mean.
Oh and the reason I'm Autoing here is that they don't attack. Nyx Avatar just smiles and does nothing else. Autoing is most effective then, since it ensures other people just blitz 'em down nice and quick.
Nyx Avatar only has 1500 HP, 50 Strength, 50 Magic, 45 Endurance, 45 Agility, 45 Luck. Seems a bit underwhelmingly easy for the final boss, huh? As soon as that 1500HP runs out...
Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope. Yes, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed...
As an immediate action, Nyx Avatar uses the only move available to them as part of the Fool Arcana. Arcana Shift is really simple...
They summon a Tarot card, and change it from the current Major Arcana to the next one in sequential order. This gives Nyx a new max HP, stats, elemental resistances and move list. Technically ailment resists too, but they're all flat immune to everything so whatever.
Since the Magician Arcana specialises in Fire magic specifically, Nyx Avatar now uses nothing but Fire spells. All of them. Agi? Yep. Maragidyne? Yep. Fire Break if applicable too.
Be careful! Its properties have changed!
Yeah, since Nyx Avatar now uses Fire magic they drain Fire stuff too. That's kind of an odd outlier, honestly.
Oh, nearly forgot. Nyx Avatar gets two turns in a row. At least the turn order here is nice enough to tell you that. This applies to all stages of the fight from this point onwards (hence this being taken from way later, whan I remembered to look at it).
Each phase of this fight has its own HP bar (which are almost all 1500), which is both understandable but REALLY fucking annoying. It means you can't skip through the fight any faster and any excess damage does not carry over between stages. Do more than 1500 damage per phase and the rest is just wasted. Do over 3k (somehow)? Too bad, didn't help.
After another 1500, they go from the Magician to the High Priestess which means...
We're in the Ice phase of the fight now. Same as the Fire one, but with Ice magic.
As a result, they now drain Ice instead of Fire.
Oh and all non-Fool stages have the same basic attack. It's kinda mean, since it's friggin' Almighty elemental...
...hits everyone and can crit! That's just mean.
The early stages of this fight are pretty simple and uninteresting, for the most part. The Empress means that now Nyx isn't Ice, but...
Wind. Yep, that's it. That's the big change here.
So, let's just skip to the Emperor which as you might expect?
Makes the transition from Wind to Elec. That's pretty ho hum, but there's one other change as of the Empress.
Nyx no longer drains anything. The highest resists get from hereon in is Null.
Good news is after Emperor things get different and interesting! Bad news is Hierophant is not a good example of that.
I mean, sure, Nyx Avatar now has Rebellion and Revolution to boost crit rates...
But that helps us just as much as it hinders us, if not moreso.
Oddly, Hierophant Nyx Avatar nulls Strike only which took me a second to realise why. Strike was sorta Shinjiro's element and he was a Hierophant. I guess it's symbolic or something?
...But Nyx Avatar doesn't use Strike moves in this phase. At all. Fatal End is Slash and Almighty Attack is, well, Almighty. I dunno.
Lovers is, well...
Lovers. Mind elemental ailments aplenty.
Wind immunity is back, because it's Yukari's Arcana.
In this phase, Nyx Avatar does ailment attack > Almighty Attack every round. Most of the time it's Pulinpa/Tentarafoo/Marin Karin but sometimes the lead-in is Holy Arrow. It gets annoying to keep up with, and this fight is loooooong and...
It can be very SP intensive, so I'm gonna do an unusual thing and sometimes use Somas for the group SP healing more than anything else. Nothing else can restore multiple people's SP at once after all.
Lovers is a bit tedious and annoying, so what about Chariot?
Well, they've finally got a Strike attack.
And are immune to physicals. Sure, okay. You can't see it here, but Chariot Nyx Avatar is functionally weak to Fire/Ice/Force/Elec.
As in, takes 150% damage which makes this stage of the fight really quick and easy.
Probably for the best, because Power Charge is dangerous and not something you want to see a lot of. Or any of, ideally.
But after Chariot comes Justice. And Justice is bad.
Nyx Avatar just spams the shit out of Expel elemental instant death spells.
They don't have Hama Boost but good fucking Lord does it hit more often than it should.
Not even needed here, but they can cast Tarukaja now too. For some reason.
Oh and also they're immune to both Fire and Ice now for some reason. I genuinely don't know this time. It's just cruel for the sake of cruel, really.
After enduring that slog, that brings us along to the Hermit phase.
Which, of course, now includes the Curse elemental instant death spells despite that not being this phase's gimmick. They're just there as a fuck you.
...Just like Makarakarn and Tetrakarn, really.
Instead, Hermit brings a return to ailments. No Charm this time, instead swapping it out for Poison. A change I'm okay with, really. Mostly. Poison is technically crueller because party member AI cannot handle folks being poisoned and freaks the fuck out when it happens. I'll defend it for a lot of things, but the AI sure ain't perfect.
Hermit Nyx Avatar also has Foul Breath just to make them stick a bit more often, but not enough to care.
You probably thought after Justice that the Hermit would null both Elec and Wind, right? Pfft, nope. Just Wind.
Remember, each of these phases has 1500HP and get increasingly more annoying to cut through over time. And "annoying" is a great word for the Wheel of Fortune.
Nyx goes back to regular magic attacks, but this time they have all of them All 6 from all 4 elements and nothing else. No Breaks, no Buffs, no top secret special things. Just ST/MT 1st tier, 2nd tier and dyne.
So, of course, they're immune to all four elements here. No extra increase to Physical damage to compensate unlike the Chariot.
Strength comes next, then, and you know what this means.
A switch back to Phys immune. No magic weakness this time, though.
Oddly, Rakunda instead of Tarukaja is way smarter here because of the two-turns a round thing.
Not like they need it, when Strengh Nyx Avatar can drop fucking Power Charge Deathbounds. That's just plain lethal and mean this late into a fight that takes forever.
That's the only real trick there, though. How about the Hanged Man?
On paper, neutral to everything at last. Hurray!
...Except, whoops, Hanged Man Nyx Avatar resists Slash, Strike, Pierce. 25% damage reduction that's not mentioned anywhere.
But that's not the mean thing here. No, this is.
Mind Charge > Megidola. Just Megidola, mercifully, but...
...That's all they need. Since we're not overpowered to shit here, Nyx Avatar's Megidola is dangerous.
Oh and Hanged Man is also the actual Curse elemental specialist phase for good measure. Complete with Fear and Ghastly Wail. Just like the Justice one, but with real power and more dangerous tricks.
Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope. Yet, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end. It matters not who you are... Death awaits you.
So, after beating the Hanged Man, Nyx switches to the Death arcana...
Battle Hymn of the Soul (Reincarnation) 
And the real fight finally starts.
Yes, seriously. The previous 12 phases with a combined 18,000HP between them were the fucking prologue.
In this phase, Nyx Avatar just stops messing around with gimmicky shit and actually fights for real.
In addition to now having 6000HP, this is also the first time their stats have changed. They're now an SMTIV demon with 55 across the board, and also secretly takes half damage from every element but Almighty. Because fuck you, this fight is gonna take forever. Deal with it. No, Breaks don't work because this isn't an on-paper resist; it's just the actual internal elemental damage calculation. Use Almighty or deal with Nyx Avatar now being an ubertank.
Or, if you're a high enough level, tell 'em to fuck off and drop Armageddon. That works too.
When you finally get through about 15-2000 HP, Nyx Avatar decides to quip for a second...
And use the first of their two unique moves.
Moonless Gown is both more and less dangerous.
It's just a permanent, unbreakable barrier that repels all attacks. Even Almighty ones. Debuffs are the only thing that aren't repelled.
It might theoretically last forever, but in practice it doesn't. Two rounds after its cast, Nyx Avatar casts it again and its dispelled. You have to wait it out and it's annoying.
Oh yeah and just in case you decide to use that time to buff and heal? Doesn't matter. Nyx Avatar finally has Dekaja here too. Not many bosses have that at all, so of course Nyx Avatar does, just because. This is both good and bad because, well, it uses one of their two turns no matter what. It's bad because you really kinda want buffs here to make this not an eternal slog.
It does help with Aigis' AI being terrible at buffing, though, since she'll prioritise in weird ways and often cast buffs that only she, personally, is missing even if there's another one that no one has. Rakukaja on no one and Tarukaja on everyone but herself? Matarukaja it is!
...The AI has its issues, yes. This is an odd time to be bringing them up, but I've mentioned Aigis' wacky and dumb buff priorities before, at least. Offhandedly, but still.
Once down to about 1500, Nyx Avatar busts out their OTHER super move.
Night Queen is way more dangerous and potentially an instant fight ender.
Not for its damage. It's technically Megidola tier Almighty, but it rolls every ailment to see what it does. It does this separately for everyone. This move is the entire reason I have been sitting on Narcissus Flowers for dozens upon dozens of hours. If Charm procs here, and someone Diarahans Nyx Avatar, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Get through that, though, and the fight will finally, for real, eventually end. Eventually.
...Nyx Avatar gives EXP. Why does Nyx Avatar give EXP. (Makoto even levelled up from the final boss.)
Silence
Gonna guess "no" on this one, since Nyx Avatar just gets floats back upwards. Great. Really helps that feeling of accomplishment.
You understand fate, yet you still fight against it with all of your will... If more people were like you, then perhaps the Fall could have been prevented... ...but it's too late now. Nyx 
And so, we return once more to the animezone as Nyx Avatar floats upwards towards...
The moon!
But, the moon isn't just any ol' moon. Oh no, it turns out the moon is... alive? Maybe? That sure looks like a giant eye at least.
what is that!?
But, it's not an eye at all. Instead, it's an opening that Nyx Avatar shoots a beam of light(?) into...
This... This can't be real!
Soon... 
Soon it will descend upon us... upon us all...Meanwhile, back down on Tatsumi Port Island proper...
Things are changing. The coffins from transmogrifiation have disappeared.
Huh, what the...? I was...And then there's a cavalcade of a bunch of folks reacting simultaneously...
...As they see what we can only presume is Nyx herself and freaking out. But, well, as you might expect...
Not everyone feels the same way there.
Cultist in Blue: Look at the moon, it's glorious!
Off-Screen Cultist: It's just as the prophecy foretold!
White Hoodie Cultist: The end of the world, it's really here, everything they said was true!
And as they revel in the coming of that which they desired...
They explode and melt into goo. Similar to what we've seen people do when they were attacked directly by Shadows...
Silence
Ha... Hahaha... Hahahahaha! You...!
Shut up...! But, what're we gonna do!? ...!? Something's coming!
That it is. Nyx Avatar is still up there sustaining the beam of light into the... maybe moon...
...while Tartarus is beginning to shake.
What is this...?
This is... nothing...
How ridiculous... Are you out of your mind? Look who's talking! Death is imminent... Surely you know this... What do you hope to accomplish now? I wanted to see the end wth my own eyes... Jin...And then Takaya just... passes out again.
Aigis, meanwhile, sees what's going on and...
I will never give up! Never!
Since it worked oh so well last time, she activates Orgia Mode again. Remember that? Turns out it's just as garbage as I thought.
Why resist that which is inevitable? You will only suffer... Dammit, I won't back down!
I've made up my mind... I'll fight to the end! Aaahhh!
Nyx herself just shoots out this black wave aura thing that... knocks people the fuck out.
Ken!
Like, everyone. Even Aigis is floored by it. Orgia Mode proving its use in cutscenes rivals in combat.
Son of a...!
We've come this far! I will not submit!
It even knocked Makoto out, promptly bringing an end to the animezone.
Mistic
Understandably, the folks who aren't in Takaya's little death cult are either slowly giving up, terrified and trying to flee...
Or actual named characters looking up and watching.
That's basically just some of our old S.Link buddies. Notably not all of them, though.
Also, Officer Kurosawa is there too.
...just like Fuuka was when she saved me... 
I'm the one who said we'll always be connected... That's how I know you're still hanging in there, Fuuka. 
I'm scared as hell right now... but I won't give up! Right, Fuuka!? End
Been a while since we last saw this, but we're being dragged back to the Velvet Room...
The Poem For Everyone's Soul
This isn't the afterlife... You're still alive. Do you remember what I once told you...? How the strength of your Social Links will determine your potential? Listen... Can you hear the many voices? Each one's power is limited... Yet, they all reach out to you... Can you feel them?
Yes, I sense them... Close your eyes and listen carefully... Their voices may be faint, but certainly you hear them... Mistic
Now this thing is Special. We'll get to it in a second. It's unique and very important.
> The powerful emotions of your friends and loved ones are flowing into your heart...
Everyone who appears at this point is an S.Link that was maxed (SEES members not included). They're in Arcana order, since that's the most convenient and easy which is fine with me.
All I can do right now is pray... But, whatever it is, man... I know you can do it.
But, I truly believe that you can overcome any obstacle.
That's right, dear... Makoto-chan wouldn't want us to lose hope...
So, I won't lose my cool, either. You taught me that.
So please, hang in there...!
I don't even know what he looks like, but I hope he's okay... He has to be... I can feel it.
You were there when I needed you... I hope I can do the same...
I know you must be doing everything you can, so I will too!
You showed me how to be tough! I won't give up.
I am 'ere for you... like you were zere for me!
Well, I suppose you did teach me a thing or two about loyalty...
Well, you taught me that runnin' away never solves nothin'... ...So I'm here for ya, kid.
You taught me that, Makoto... I bet you're fighting right now too, huh...
I'm sure you've got things under control, right? You always do.
But, you can't just give up... You taught me that.Akinari being here is the only one that's maybe a little weird, since his link explicitly ended with his spirit leaving this world for the next. I'm not complaining, it just stands out some.
Can you hear them? These are the voices of hope that wish to help you...
Now is the time to draw on the true strength of the bonds you have forged!
This is indeed a surprise... Behold the last power you and I shall unveil... It is the power to bring about a new beginning, or the ultimate end. It may be possible now, with this newfound power... You may be able to defeat the one who cannot be defeated. 
The Universe Arcana is to The World what Aeon is Judgement. The equivalent numerically from the Thoth deck. What makes it important, however, is that this is the only time in the series the Universe Arcana is even mentioned or used. Makoto is, canonically, the most powerful Persona protagonist by default at this point.
We don't get to see its design here, unfortunately. While you can see the card spinning in this scene, its face is blank. The fourth movie just gives it The World's design, which is fair enough since that otherwise wouldn't appear (and it only appears once in-game too).
Nothing is outside the realm of possibility for you now.
We will soon reach your destination.
You must accept your destiny. Our contract has been fulfilled. I have completed my role as well. ...You were truly a remarkable guest. Burn My Dreadcovers the rest of the update, just watch this instead really
As Elizabeth promised, the Velvet Room elevator is finally coming to a stop as it reaches its destination at last...
Determination 
The elevator begins to open its actual door; the giant wall of chains behind Igor and Elizabeth. And beyond it...
We'll never know. Instead, we're back outside to Tartarus and the real world.
As Tartarus continues to shake, the members of SEES are able to try and pull themselves back up off the ground. Who knows how long its really been since the last pulse from Nyx, though. Probably only a few seconds.
While they don't succeed, Makoto stands without issue...
And stares face to... giant eye thing... with Nyx.
Before he flies off towards her.
What the!?
No, don't go! What is he doing? Dammit, why the hell can't I stand up?
Why, after all we've been through... 
Stop, don't do this! Come back!! Mistic
Inside Nyx's outer shell, things look really weird as Makoto just floats towards the center unimpeded.
Though we do get this really cool shot of him, like, seeing forever as he continues on...
...until he finally comes face-to-face with innermost core. Nyx's true form.
And the invisible hands of Death that are always behind you...
Nyx Burn My Dread -Last Battle- (Reincarnation) 
The final fight is, like the first, a fight that Makoto does on his own. That one was by circumstance, this one is by necessity.
Nyx only has one attack, but it lives up to its name.
Death is not a hunter unbeknownst to its prey. It comes for all in the end. It cannot be avoided. It cannot be blocked.
We cannot Rush, though we cannot do anything but attack right now anyway. Our Personae from before are all gone. We have no items.
All we can do is attempt to fight back in vain. Nyx cannot be defeated.
Don't give up! We have to believe in him! Give him strength! Take my life if you must!
...So, yeah, Nyx is just a glorified cutscene.
Somehow, the Power of Friendship(TM) makes Death miss the third time its used.
Yeah, I'm willing to risk mine too!
He's going to face it all by himelf!
No, he's not alone! I won't let him die!
Slowly, the tide is turning. While Nyx still cannot be defeated, Death is not anything to fear.
*bark* *bark*
I won't allow this world to be destroyed!
Alright, let's do this...Being this close to Death allows Makoto to hear Shinjiro's voice one last time. Unlike the others, Shinji's line is just pure audio without subtitles.
And as we, and Makoto, can see we've gained the power of the Universe officially.
Death is inevitable and comes for all. Nyx, as the personification of Death, cannot be defeated. She can, however, be sealed...
Silence
Without the fear of death, the evoker is useless. It cannot be used to force a Persona to manifest anymore. But it's not needed. Not here...
Mistic
Did Nyx create this place? ...Or, was it him? Is he alright, Fuuka!? What happened!?
Don't tell me he... No! That can't be! Try again! He can't be the only one...!
Dammit... Not again...! We all decided to put our lives on the line... In fact, we came here knowing we would most likely die. How could I be so powerless...? 
You're there, aren't you!? I know you are! I refuse to believe that you're gone! Answer me! I know you can hear me! We're here! Please let us hear your voice!> Everyone is desperately calling out to you.
It's alright...
...!?
The "familiar voice" isn't a coy way of making Makoto speak in a cutscene and not say as much. Intstead, it's Ryoji. Like, normal Ryoji and not Nyx Avatar.
That voice...!?
I will sleep once again. Normal days will return to this universe, for you... and for him. ...!
It just happened a bit sooner than it will for the rest of you. Life's greatest question... Aigis... You'll find the answer one day as well. You, too, are a precious living thing... You just need to realize how the bonds of friendship have changed you... 
All will truly be reliquished from its dominion, and the legacy of life will continue. Congratulations, you have the miracle you sought. We shall meet again some day... Silence
Told you there'd be a lot of animated scenes here. This is the last one though, don't worry.
As everyone is watching, the bells of Tartarus are ringing once again. This time though...
It truly signals the end. Tartarus itself begins to disappear.
Almost everyone has a happy reaction at this point, at least. Almost...
But Aigis doesn't. She sees something that no one else noticed.
And as she begins to cry, relieved that Makoto is still alive...
The moon reverts back to normal. The Dark Hour is over.
> Tartarus and the Dark Hour have disappeared.
> By an unexpected miracle, the world was saved from the Fall.
> Peace was restored, and people resumed their busy lives.
> No one remembered anything about the extraordinary turn of events.
End