Part 104: 3/20/12 Part 3

3/20/12

We all got together at the food court and went over everything again, just to make sure everyone was on the same page.

VIDEO- "To Yomi"

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So many things have happened up until now, but now we'll beat Izanami and put an end to this!
…Right?
Yes, but since we were spread out all over town until a moment ago, let's go over what happened.
This is the last measure that must be taken. We need to make sure that we end this properly.

We started on the most important topic of the day, our delightful new enemy.



We thought Ameno-sagiri was behind everything, but it turns out there was something behind it too…
And that "something" was… a guy at the gas station!?
I can't believe she was disguised as a gas station attendant smack in the middle of town…
Does that mean she knew Souji and Dojima-san would stop by there on that day he came to Inaba?
I guess it is the best place to greet people from out of town, but…
Then, did she come into contact with Adachi and Namatame also, at a different place and disguised as someone else…?
Who the hell is this Izanami!?
Izanami… and Ameno-sagiri…
Those names would be familiar to students of ancient Japanese mythology.
Huh? You're saying she's a god? Heh, like that's possible!
That reminds me, remember the Persona that Adachi summoned?
I dunno how to put it… but I thought it was kinda like the Persona that Souji first called.
"Izanagi," was it…?
Izanagi is also the name of a god, in the same legends.
Since both of them awakened with the same "push" from the same individual, their power may have been similar.
A Persona is one's heart given form…
The images of gods and mythical beings were created by humans, so if the Personas resemble them…
There may be a connection there, since the enemy reigning over that world calls itself Izanami…

Come to think of it I remembered this too, that crazy dude at that school on Port Island rambled about Izanami during the school trip.



Maybe I'm thinking too hard about this, but Namatame-san, Detective Adachi, Souji-kun, and even us…
Were we "invited" to play our parts in this case, as if there was some deeper meaning behind it all…?
Deeper meaning? Hrrm… I don't really get it…
But if she's trying to mess everything up, I can't let that happen.
We gotta defeat her!

I also wondered what everyone thought about what she told me.



By facing our own shadows on that side, we awakened to our Persona abilities…
However, that did not apply to Souji-senpai…
Yeah, even before all this Persona stuff, Souji could stick his hand into a TV.
I guess that sort of backs Izanami's claim that she personally awakened his power.
The same holds true for Namatame and Adachi…
She selected three outsiders to bestow powers upon, and watched what would transpire from there…
Well, now that we know all this, we just gotta beat the hell out of Izanami!
Let's hurry and get this over with! Souji's going back home tomorrow!

That left just one more thing to make sure we were all on the same page on.



The rumors about the Midnight Channel…
It may be that this "Izanami" was the one who originally spread them…
Neither Ameno-sagiri nor the Shadows have taken a single step outside the other world.
Simply put, the only one who could have spread the rumor was someone who had come from there…
The more it got passed around, the more extra junk got added to it… Like one big game of Telephone.
That's where all the "you have to watch it alone" and "the one who appears is your soulmate" stuff came from.
Since it took place on a TV, we never considered the possibility…
…that the images broadcast on the Midnight Channel could vary from viewer to viewer.
But whenever we talked about what we saw afterwards, there were never any inconsistencies!
What changed according to each person was most likely the image's clarity.
Yeah… I can think of a few places where that might've happened.
When Saki-senpai appeared, I was the first one who was positive it was her.
For Yukiko, it was Chie… And for Kanji, it was Yukiko that said who the person on the TV was.
I thought because each of us had a strong attachment to the victims, we linked the TV image to them in our head…
I bet we actually saw a clearer image on the TV than everyone else.
The same could probably be said for Namatame. That's why he was always a step ahead of us…
I thought it was because he knew the area well, as a deliveryman, but I was stymied by how fast he identified Nanako-chan…
Since he was a "savior"… he must have seen Nanako-chan's image from the very beginning.
Alright, but who cares about the details!?
Souji-senpai's leavin' tomorrow, right? Should we really be wastin' time like this!?
Yeah, he's right. Let's hurry and defeat this Izanami!

We entered the TV world. Even the fox seemed to know this was going to be the last battle.



And it seems like a new area has formed…
I bet it's that lady… She's waiting for us there.
That reminds me… That Ameno-something we beat said stuff like, "We'll meet again."
If that thing's gonna show up again, let's crush him completely so he can't cause any more problems from here on out!
Damn straight!
Let's go snap that thing in two. We'll do it, and give Senpai a big farewell tomorrow!
Let's do our best like always… Leader.
It is kinda sad that this… really is gonna be the last time we do something like this.
You know, this might sound like a weird thing to say… but it was a lot of fun.
That's because we all strove together toward a common goal.
There were many things we believed in without questioning them…
The culprit's identity… Their motives… There were many occasions where we nearly gave up.
It may have been easier if we had chosen to look the other way… but we didn't.
Even if we had to fight every inch of our way…
I wanna go on feeling, seeing, touching, and thinking for myself.
Yeah… Still, one person alone can only understand so much.
That's why we're all here together.
Right! All for one and one for all!
So long as someone's got your back, you can kick against the pricks no matter how tough they are!
Rise; This is for our future!

Yosuke's got a bad habit of trying to get the last word.



Eeeewww…
Yosuke always has to try to make himself look all cool…
But he's so pathetic, it makes my skin craaawl…
Probably just fleas on your ratty old suit. I spilled juice on you earlier.
No wonder I smell orangey freshness…!
Well then, let's do this!

Our good humor faded slightly when we reached the new area. It felt much different than anything we'd seen before, yet at the same time familiar.

VIDEO- "Yomotsu Hirasaka 1"

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Whenever we'd go in to rescue someone, I could sense their restless heart, and how unstable it felt…
But there's none of that here… Does this Izanami person not have a heart or something…?
Who is she…? Anyways, be careful Senpai!

And as we pushed on, her presence became more immediate.



I can't believe you came without cowering in fear… Is that bravery, or ignorance…?
Very well… I'll be waiting for you at the end of the Yomotsu Hirasaka…
Was that Izanami!?
L-Let's not freak out… C'mon, Senpai!

As we pushed on, she confirmed something I'd already been suspecting. I had indeed seen this place before.



The scenery of this corridor… You've seen it before, haven't you?
Yes, I remember.
What you saw in your dream that night was the result of your awakening to your power…
Could it be fate that I now await your arrival…? *chuckle *
Was that Izanami again…!? Senpai, is it true what she just said?
Anyways, no matter what kind of enemy we're facing, we have to fight!
…Right, Senpai!?

Rise sensed a dark presence from behind a door in the third path.

VIDEO- "Neo Minotaur"

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Let's see how strong they are…

Boss Battle: Neo Minotaur:
The Neo Minotaur is a big nasty guy who does really powerful physical attacks. His only options are big single target hits and Rampage. He's pretty vulnerable to everything, especially physicals. Just stay healed and pound him. Nothing else to it.

We dropped the Shadow without much problem. Izanami remained unimpressed.



Come, then… Though my may accomplish nothing but to needlessly prolong your suffering.

Still, she decided to 'reward' us.



Despair, emptiness, and hope… Those are the three qualities by which I selected those coming from outside…
You showed the most grounding of the three; I would expect nothing less.
In which case… I will personally and directly test your power.
"The three qualities"… Did she mean Senpai, Namatame, and Adachi…?
Izanami saw those qualities in them…? What kind of power does she have…?

She was pretty shocked that we were continuing, I think.



One had not the eyes to see things as they were, and failed to awaken to his power…
One chose to avert his eyes from the truth, and allowed evil to taint his awakened power…
But this one… He has come this far, yet he still yearns for the truth… He still fights…
It sounds like Izanami's surprised by Senpai's power… even though she's the one who awakened it.
Could it be that Senpai's power went beyond her expectations…?

And I think we can be sure Izanami was behind Ameno-sagiri now.



I did not choose three pawns in jest… It was all to ascertain what mankind wished for.
I learned that man gladly favors falsehood over truth…
Thus, I sought to fulfill their desires by shrouding the world in fog…
True, there's a lot of things we don't see… And yeah, some of them we'd prefer not to…
But that doesn't mean everyone wants to live blindly! Izanami has it all wrong!
We've gotta end this…

She had another surprise waiting for us here.

VIDEO- "Sleeping Table"

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You cannot surpass me… Learn that!

Boss Battle: Sleeping Table
Okay, this is the last mini-boss of the game. You're misty eyed, I can tell. It also really sucks. Its main gimmick is that it will use Evil Smile to fear us and then Ghastly Wail to kill anyone who's still feared. This actually almost wipes me out because it got a second action much faster than I expected. Once it does this it'll just start casting big group damage spells like Ma-dynes and Megidoloan. As long as you don't get killed by the Ghastly Wail this is pretty easy.

But there was just no way we could lose to something like that.



And I know Nanako-chan and Dojima-san would agree!
We're not gonna let her do whatever she wants! Right, Senpai!?

I'm pretty sure it was much more malice than kindness motivating Izanami's plan.



…What is best for mankind is to return the world to the void of its origin, where they need not shy away from the truth.
All that exists will be thick fog and writhing shadows-a tranquility called peace, that will last forever.
Everything has been wished for and chosen by mankind. I shall abide by their decision.
A thick fog and writhing shadows…? So it comes down to her screwing up our world…?
We have no idea what we're about to face…
…But we have to stop her whatever it is that Izanami has in plan!

It seemed neither of us would back down.



…Then I shall fight for the "good of mankind" with all my strength.
You are but a few pitted against the wishes of many. Your strength is truly astonishing, but you are the exceptions.
You will soon reach the place where I am.
Now… come.
Like she said, I'm sensing a strong reaction from just ahead…
This really is the last battle… Keep your guard up, Senpai!

Which led us inevitably to the end…



Next Time on Persona 4: The Yomotsu-Okami