Part 9: The Law of Devil's Land

Alright, enough messing around! I mean, this is my girlfriend we're talking about.



Hibarigaoka, as many have alluded to, is the city's posh district. Not posh enough to pay for more than one paint color, but posh enough for what looks like an ancient Japanese castle.



Kumiko's neighborhood is the fenced building with the blue roof to make sure it stands out from the rest.

DUNGEON 8 - NEAR KUMIKO'S HOUSE
New demons:
Killer Chopper Tuofei Domovoi Okiku-Mushi

BGM: Otherworld Dungeon 2



Hmm, Kumiko's neighborhood sure is similar looking to Azuma's. Maybe the extra money goes for the blue and purple paint?



So, this dungeon. It's extremely short, because it's just one big warp puzzle.



Remember this?

It's very easy to either go straight to the goal, or to spend way too long wandering around between warps.



I wanted to show off this badass demon - KILLER CHOPPER. Really liking the pinstripes.



Alright, nothing much to this dungeon, so let's hurry up and save Kumiko.

BGM: Conversation



STRIX: If we can kidnap this Kumiko girl, that should be good enough. This is an easy job compared to what Master Sid usually asks for.
STRIGOII: Who might you be? Oh, are you that Devil Summoner who keeps getting in Master Sid's way? He said to kill anybody who interfered, and you are a nuisance. You're going to die here.
STRIX: The other guys will grab the girl while we're dealing with this guy.

Boss #9 - Strix and Strigoii

BGM: Boss Battle

VS Femme Strix and Haunt Strigoii



Strigoii and Strix are the first real "team battle" of the game, in that they actually have a combination. I wanted Lehan Sidhe to actually do something, but she ended up being the demon team's guinea pig.



First, Strix uses Mirror Prison - an Expel move that inflicts the SMTDS-exclusive ailment Mirror. Mirror causes the affected to be unable to move and weak to physical attacks. Strigoii follows up with his move, Killing Step - a high-damage physical attack. Luckily for us, both Rei and Naoto null Expel, so their combo is not much of a problem.



Other than that, Strigoii can inflict Confusion with Shipani and both demons can use Blood Sucker to inflict the SMTDS-exlusive ailment Vamp (afflicted absorbs the HP of teammates outside of battle and can pass on the ailment). In addition, both demons are weak to Fire and so are easily taken out.

BGM: Sid Davis



KUMIKO'S FATHER: I-It's terrible!!



: Our daughter Kumiko has been kidnapped!! Those monsters swooped into our house and took her!!



KUMIKO'S MOTHER: Calm down, dear! I'm calling the police now.
VOICE: How about everybody just shut the hell up!



: Your daughter's safe.

That... is not the bloodthirsty vampire Takashi I know.



: I, the Great Takashi, saved her. No need to thank me.
: Just look for yourself, she's alright. Later.



: That... couldn't have been...
: That guy looked like he was possessed by a spirit...Could that have been Kyouji...
: I'm a little curious now. I'm going to try following him. Wait for me at the office. If I find out anything, I'll come right back.

BGM: Conversation



: You goddamn bastard!! Here you are again, you asshole. There was a report of an abduction, so I came racing over here. Why the hell are you always at the scene of the crime!!
: But it looks you aren't the culprit this time. Everybody's safe, so it looks like my job's done.
: ...T-Shirt, let's go.
: Yes! Inspector!

Now for some alone time with my girl.

BGM: Safety Zone



>You're at Kumiko's house.



: You are...? Right, that detective Kyouji Kuzunoha. You were the one who revived at Seaside Hospital, weren't you? ...Naoto never regained consciousness...
: Mr. Kuzunoha, I feel like I've known you for a long time...It's strange. I wonder why that is?

Man, between Rei, Marie, and now Kumiko again, I'm juggling quite a few ladies. Let's go see how Rei is faring.



: I'm back. I totally swung out on this case. I was following that punk Takashi and completely lost sight of him. He's way too quick and nimble to just be some ordinary guy.
: It was almost like he was completely possessed...If I had a partner who could move like that, he'd be a lot more reliable, even more than you.
: ...By the way, it seems demons have been popping up more now. That seal Professor Azuma told us about is probably related. He said the seal was somewhere in Hirasaki, but it sounded like there was more than one. All the places having to do with the seal are being broken one after another as part of this redevelopment plan.
: For example, there was a small shrine to the southeast of Mt. Kasagi but they just tore it down and left nothing. We're in a recession and these apartment building plans have been getting cancelled all over the city.
: All of this is just a little suspicious, and it doesn't feel like it's all a coincidence. I feel like it has a relationship with those seals. I didn't know if I could trust you with this work when you wound up in Kyouji's body, and I honestly still don't know if I can, but there's nothing we can do about it.
: Let's head to the other seal locations and gather some info. Maybe we can see the whole picture.

Well, that's not exactly a vote of confidence, but it'll do. Before I look into the seals, there's another rumor going around in Mt. Kasagi that I want to check out.



MAN: When I was out on a walk with my dog the other day, a woman's ghost suddenly showed up! I know I saw it. There was a full moon out, so I could see her clearly. But ghosts are supposed to be hard to see, so maybe that wasn't one after all...



WOMAN: I heard that empty lot where the shrine had been is haunted by an idol who killed herself. You remember that girl Julia, who gained over 200 pounds after her debut and then committed suicide? I'd forgotten too, until I heard about her ghost. But it happened right after the shrine was demolished. And then a ghost all of a sudden... it's probably just somebody pulling a prank.



Only one way to find out. I walk around until a full moon, then head onto the empty lot.

BGM: Safety Zone



>There's an empty lot.

>Kumiko is here.

Call out to her?
>YES
NO

: ......



>Call out to her again?
>YES
NO



: ...Ah, this is...What am I doing here?

>Kumiko left in a hurry.



: Don't you think something seemed off with her? As if she was possessed.

Wandering around in random lots after you were almost kidnapped doesn't seem like the smartest thing to do, but what do I know. Now for the seals. Perhaps Redman can offer some clues?



: Kuzunoha, are you in?

Oh no, she's spread.



: I have another job for you. There's been demolition going on at Asahi's Hikawa Shrine, but there have been so many accidents that there's rumors of a curse. If it was just a curse then I wouldn't be calling on you, obviously; it seems that a demon has taken up residence in the shrine.
: It sounds like the job of a Devil Summoner, so I know I can count on you, right?

It's always one thing or another with her...I take her up on her offer. Might as well talk to Redman while I'm here.



: I heard that there have been many accidents at Hikawa Shrine, right by where you live. It seems all of the accidents are related to the shrine's demolition, and many of the construction workers have been injured in the process.
: There have been rumors of a curse on the shrine. Magnum, will you be safe living so close to it? I am not even sure of the demolition's purpose in the first place.
: By the way, I am going to go to the Hirasaki museum soon. I like visiting museums, and I often went to the one in Hirasaki. There are quite a number of exhibits, so it is one of my favorites. I have not visited in some time, so I am looking forward to see what new features they have.
: Well, I'll message you again later. That's all for today.

Enough goofing about; Marie gave us a task, so we might as well get it over with. Our destination is the Hikawa Shrine, located in a corner of Asahi and tucked behind some trees.



BGM: Otherworld Dungeon 3

DUNGEON 9 - HIKAWA SHRINE
New demons:
Itsumade Tokebi Maruts Hinoenma
Agony Enku Alraune Todomeki



Well, usually it is, but now we've got a veritable forest on our hands. More demonic funny business, I'm sure.



An entire forest popping up means - of course - that it's going to be a maze.



In addition to being a maze, the forest also includes warps as well as poison and damage floors. Very irritating- I mean fun stuff.

But a larger dungeon also means a new gaggle of demons to find.



First up is a demon that later received an alternate color palette - Tokebi. Tokebi became a festive red, white, and blue for Soul Hackers.



Next is a new fire demon, Enku. Perhaps Inferno should pick better friends than a fire-breathing demon...?



Lastly we have four new humanoids. There's three ladies - Todomeki and Alraune are baring it all (with Alraune flashing the demon Itsumade in the back), while Hinoenma prefers to stay covered up. The odd one out is Agony, an unsubtle reference to Jesus Christ.



While traversing the forest, I get hit by a new ailment: Close. Known as Mute in other games, Close causes the affected to not be able to use magic. Perfectly fine to let Naoto be hit by it, much less okay to have Rei be affected.

After some exploring, I find my way to the shrine proper.

BGM: Cornered



MAN: Who is it that has made it this far?

Uh, I think "man" might be a bit of an understatement.

: I am Susano-o. I am this shrine's deity, for the time being.
: Ho, a Devil Summoner, I see. It seems that you have a great deal of power. Why, then, is your heart so weak? It is almost as if your body and mind are not one...
: It seems that even you are unsure of who you are. No matter, it is like humans to dwell on such trivial things.
: It is I who placed a curse on this shrine, to warn the humans working here. You are a Devil Summoner, so you must know that the land of Hirasaki is being overrun with demons. The seals, which once decorated these lands and held such demons back, are being broken one after another.
: Even I have been weakened to the point where all I can do is place a simple curse to give warning. As you can see, these seals cannot be broken lest an even greater evil occurs. All I can say is....



As the darkness turns to light, Susano-o slowly fades away.



Guess I was too late on this one. Maybe if I just go back in...?



>The power of Hikawa Shrine's seal is fading.

Ah. Not good.

______________

Next update: We rob a museum.