Part 91: ...The Fate of Man

...The Fate of Man

As usual, we've got some fusing to get out of the way.



Bifrons and Titania start things off by giving us Remiel. He's a pretty solid Divine, and if we get to a high enough level can be a perfect base for the best one.



Lugh and Sleipnir give us Nata Taishi. A good enough Touki who can help obliterate things with that Agitate. Not much else to it really.



It turns out making a Magical Parvati was easier said than done, but Kangiten and Kartikeya gave us something pretty good to work with. Dual Shadowing Megidos can be quite effective and useful albeit absurdly costly.



We'll worry about that later. For now, let's spend a long time hanging out with dudes. Start off with Al Saiduq as per usual.



[Music: The Anguished One]

...And so I wondered: "Is Polaris truly correct?"
Oh, I see... Yeah, I get that a lot sometimes...



Please continue.
I will, thank you.
I began the civilizations that nurtured the seeds of freedom, and stayed to watch it grow.
(H-Hey, Hibiki...! Tell him to dumb it down a little! I don't understand any of it!)

Saiduq continues talking...

Then humans began to fall at the peak of their civilization, and I grew doubtful again...
Oh, yeah. That's understandable. Totally.



Oh, uh, yeah. Hibiki's a pretty reliable dude. Haha...
I'm glad you understand. Let us welcome freedom together.
Right, sure.

Saiduq vanishes...

[Music: A Moment of Rest]



Did you understand what he was talking about?
Of course.
Ugh... Seriously? I don't even think he was using real words!
Anyway... Freedom and the meaning of life? I think that's what he said...
Does this mean that he's been troubled since the world began?
And because humanity went against Polaris's management and gained freedom...



And THAT got him doubting again, but you put those doubts to rest...?
I give up. I'm gonna stop thinking about this...
Uh... At least we know he's not a bad guy. That's all we need to know. Yeah.
Ahh, I think I'm running a fever. I'm gonna need some ice the next time I talk to him.

It seems that Saiduq's conversation was too much for Daichi to comprehend...

[Music: Exploration]



Oh, that Daichi~!

...But seriously, let's see what Fumi's up to now.



...Hm? Hibiki? Haha, strange to see you here.
I've got a lot of free time. The machine can't be fixed, and all the data's been lost.

[Music: Connected Hearts]

It's been so long since I've had free time... I've forgotten how to occupy myself.
...Spacing out like this reminds me of what Charles told me.
Oh, Charles was my host father. You remember that photo?



I thought he was crazy then, but I think I understand now.
...Well, this is good. I shouldn't even be doing tests if things go awry like that.



I was a good researcher, but not so great at people.
Thank you, Hibiki. Now I have something new to study. I love my curiosity.

Fumi smiles, embarrassed.

Oh! I just had an idea! If I run electricity through---
You're a mad scientist!



Well, now I have something to do, so... See ya.

Fumi walks away...

[Music: Exploration]



Next up on our agenda is Hinako.



Thank you, everyone! Oh, it's you, Hibiki!
Nice moves.
Haha, thanks. Hearing that from you makes me happy.
You know back when I danced before, because you and Ai asked me to?
Ever since, other people have been asking me, and I've danced from time to time.



Dance CAN be useful!
Especially on a horse.





Even if the world is crazy, maybe I can help make the world a brighter place by dancing.
I want to do what I can to make the world a better place.

Hinako is beginning to get embarrassed...

I... I really like dancing. I'm glad I was able to remember how I did it.
If you want to see it again, come on by. Oh yeah, I'll teach you how to do it!



Hinako's passion for dance seems to have been restored...



And this is where we'll be getting Hinako's Fate 5. Much like with Io, her last real scene requires Airi to be in the party.

Unlike with Io, Hinako does get an extra scene without Airi. Problem is that it's one that is basically just a variation on the scene we'd get if Hinako wasn't in our party.



My biggest issue with this is that Isis is, well, already outclassed! She's a level 55 Megami which is all well and good, but Parvati does her job just as well if not better.

She would've been a pretty good Megami were it not for Parvati already having turned up though.



We might make an Isis later on anyway, but no promises. For now, let's get Saiduq's final scene done next.



[Music: The Anguished One]

Hello, Shining One. It won't be much longer to the end.
It was so, so long.
An elephant's nose?



...Honestly, I'm surprised at all your spirits desiring freedom. And your strength.
Perhaps humans could free themselves from providence, with or without my help.
It's because of you, Saiduq.



It's only a little while longer until Polaris. Let us claim true freedom together.

Saiduq looks at you and nods strongly...



Saiduq's probably the hardest person to get to Fate 5 if only because you cannot skip a single one of his events.

Not sure why you even would, but hey. Everyone else has some leeway. No dice here.



His demon is more than a little worth it, though.

Only, um, no... we, uh, we kinda can't fuse Lucifer. Oh once we get a high enough level we'll get it then buuuuuut that level is so far out of our range that it's not even funny. Lucifer's required level? 99. You need to hit the level cap to fuse this guy.



So that's two more Fate 5s. Can we get a third? Let's head over to see Otome and find out.

[Music: Connected Hearts]



Hibiki...! Have you seen Koharu... my daughter... anywhere!?
What's up?
Oh... R-Right. I'm sorry for asking you out of the blue...



I told her to stay in her room, too... I gave her a JP's phone and she's not answering.
She's probably outside... with all the demons and the Void! What should I do!?
I'm going to go look for her. If something happens, give me a call...

[Music: Countdown]



A man runs into the room!

We have more injuries! Everyone's in bad shape!
Huh...!?
Please, get to them! Hurry!
B-But Koharu...! What should I do...!?
Leave Koharu to me.

We could totally refuse to go find Koharu ourself, but that's kind of a shitty thing to do.

Really...? Thank you so much, Hibiki!
That reminds me... She's come with me to Nagoya before, for work!



So... she's probably gone to one of the tourist spots. Somewhere kids would like.
Please, Hibiki... Without Koharu, I'm ... I'll look for her once I'm finished here...!

After being asked by Otome, you decide to look for Koharu...

[Music: In the Devastated Town]



We have three options for where to go next, but we can only pick one. Two of them are deadends that if we pick, we don't find Koharu.

Yeah, sod that. To the TV Tower!



The child stares at you...



Did I talk to you on the phone? You're so handsome!
Thank you.
Check this out. I bought it at the store.



Fumi said that it's "the strongest energy drink known to modern science!"
Mom's been really busy at work... And she's always looking so run-down...
Do you think it'll make her feel better?
Of course.







I'm finally free, so I can look for her, but...
Subject is in custody.
Really...?

You told Otome where the two of you are...

That's so close... Thank God! Thank you!

Otome ends the call...



[Music: Elegy]

Was she... mad?
She's just worried.
Worried...? I don't believe it.



She's always so busy with work.. It'd be better if I wasn't even around...
That's not true.
Really...? I'm sure she'd say that she doesn't want me around anymore...



If I wasn't here... then Mom would be...
Trust in Otome.
...... But!
...Koharu!





...Mom?
I'm so glad you're safe...



......
Where were you? If you were gone... I don't even know what I'd do...
You can't just run off any time you want anymore. You'll always be with me... okay?



D'awww.

You decide to give them a moment of privacy and go...

[Music: Exploration]



Now that we've helped resolve that dilemma, let's finish up Fumi's events next.



This goes here... And this goes there... And we're ready.
Mhm... It tickles.
Don't worry. It'll be over quick.
Rest in peace, Jungo.
Hey, Hibiki. No, no, I'm not doing anything dangerous.



I built this machine from scratch.
With a single flip of a switch, I can see whatever's wrong with him. It was hard!
...Are you okay?



Well, let's do this, then. Initiating... now!

[Music: Silence]



......
......



[Music: A Moment of Rest]

Hahaha... I guess I didn't have it completely thought out. Well, I expected that!
It's trial and error. I'll build a new one, so just wait a bit.

Fumi fiddles with the machine...

Go, Jungo!



...Hey, what's that supposed to mean?

It seems Fumi has not lost her thirst for experiments...

[Music: Exploration]



And with that, we're done with Fumi's events and have her at Fate 5 to boot.



Agares is... okay-ish I guess. He'd be adequate if he was available right now, but he necessitates level 71. Which is pretty bad for how average he is.



Ah well, at least he's available. Let's go finish Otome's events now. If we didn't find Koharu in the previous one, this event wouldn't be accessible so it's a good thing we did that, huh.



Re is for Remiel♪ Mi is for Mithra♪
Hey, Koharu... That's nice and all, but why don't you sing about some cuter demons?
Oh, Hibiki! Wait here a bit, Koharu.

Otome leaves Koharu and approaches you...



She's got a bright future.
Hehe, you think so? She's very studious... Maybe she can be a scholar when she's older.

[Music: Connected Hearts]



After everything that happened, I realized that I need Koharu...
The state of this world is leaving me feeling a little vulnerable, is all...



Thank you, Hibiki, for finding Koharu and keeping her from leaving.
I did it for you.

[Music: Over the Brink of Death]



Now I know why everybody likes you.

Otome looks at you and smiles knowingly...

...We have to save the world for her sake, too.





Otome goes back to Koharu...



No, Mom! A cuter one!
...And you think Mithra is cute!?

Otome and Koharu seem to be even closer than before.

You walk away...

[Music: Exploration]



With that, Otome's are brought to their conclusion. Wasn't sure if this one would happen but glad it did.



Because now we can get Amaterasu if we ever hit level 77!

Amaterasu is the highest ranked Megami demon and a very, very good even disregarding that. Totally worth it.



At this stage, we're just doing small side scenes that don't really matter too much but are filling in our last bit of time.

And by "last bit" I mean "last two bits."



Oh, it's you, Hibiki. What's up?
Hey, look. This is the Hills, and there's nobody here.



......
...That doesn't sound like much fun. Never mind.

Hinako falls silent...

[Music: Elegy]

...I went to see my house in Osaka earlier.
Maybe I told you before, but my family's had a long history of famous dancers...



How's your family?
Oh, right. My family's all right, too. But...
My parents were in front of the destroyed house, with this dead look on their faces...



And here's what I told them!
I said, "It's times like this when people need dancing than ever! Snap out of it!"
That's right.
Haha... That really pissed off my dad.
He's all, "I know that, dammit!" and then we fought like usual.



Hinako looks a little happy...

Well... No use brooding over it! We've got to hurry and do something about this world.
See you later, Hibiki! Let's do this!



Daichi's event here is the one he would get if he didn't join up. But that's impossible.

Instead, Daichi just gets 2 different events if he has sub-4 Fate after rejoining.



[Music: In the Devastated Town]

Shibuya seems to be even more of a wreck than it had been a few days ago...

Hey... It's you, Hibiki. What are you doing here?
I'm just... looking around Tokyo. I'm worried.
...... H-Hey, look. This is Shibuya, right...?



There are no people.
Yeah, I haven't seen anyone. Have they all been evacuated?
...I mean, I hope so. Don't tell me they've all been killed by demons or worse...
At first, all the earthquakes and fires scared me...



And now there's nobody... Shibuya, with no people. That might be scariest of all.
Just last week I was complaining about the crowds here... It's hard to believe.
Hibiki, let's work really hard. We have to end this...!
It depends on you.



...All right! I'm done talking about this.



Daichi smiles brightly...



As a nice bonus, Daichi even gets to his Fate 3 just in time for it to not matter any more.



Hanuman's a great demon, for, uh... pre-Alioth. He's the first Genma that gets True Phantasm, and is pretty good otherwise too.

Sadly, we'll never use Hanuman now for, um, obvious reasons.



That aside, we're now done with Saturday too.



I thought this ended.
...Ah, forgive me. My prior statements may have caused some confusion.
My services as a liaison for the death image site Nicaea are no longer needed.



I am the AI face of this app, here to serve you...
And I will do so unto the end of your journey.
Now, to start afresh...
I have compiled a simple summary of your actions on this day...
Well? Would you like to hear it?
Let's hear it.
Understood. Well then...
After awakening, you first discussed with my Master your course of action from here on.
You also discussed the other factions around Japan, as well as the Septentriones.



The new Septentrione, known as Benetnasch, which appeared afterward...
It was a troublesome foe. No human attacks were effective, and it sealed your demons...



You then faced the Osaka group which had invaded Tokyo, defeating them as well.
Next, you made for Nagoya...
Despite the trap that faction had set for you, you managed to best them in combat.
You then made the choice to counter Benetnasch's powers with special waves...



It was a wise choice. You soundly defeated Benetnasch after that.
...This concludes my overview of the day's events.
May your tomorrow bE a nICE daY As wEll...