Part 83: ...The Battle for Survival

...The Battle For Survival

Once again, two more levels worth of demons to fuse up. Once again, significantly less imposing than it sounds.



Abaddon and Kazfiel give us our newest Avian buddy, Anzu. It's one of those rare Avians thats worth using on account of being legitimately good rather than granting some minor convenience.



Granted, it gets one-upped by Rakshasa (Osiris + Baihu) though.

...And can I just say, getting Anti-Most onto this guy was a goddamn pain? It wasn't exactly necessary, since some form of Ice defense would've covered his sole weakness easier, but I set out to do it all the same.



Conversely, getting Kangiten from Python and Taown was less of a hassle. Just a good spellcasting Genma for a change of pace; beyond that, nothing out of the ordinary here.



And lastly... Tzitzimitl (Kazfiel & Bifrons). Our newest Tyrant and leading lady for many a future battle. Blood Treaty gives us back much, much more of everything than Tyranny ever could. If we use it actively, it triples the effects of all HP and MP recovery. If not, it still restores MP just like Tyranny anyway.

Blood Treaty is nutso good.



Needless to say, we won't quite see just how good immediately. For now, we'll just get our crew back together. Next up on the list is Io.



[Music: In the Devastated Town]

Ah... Hibiki... Um...
How are you?
Um... Huh? I'm, er, okay... Thanks.
So... why did you come here, Hibiki?
I came for you.



Um... Can I ask you something, Hibiki...?
Why did you join up with that weird guy...?
To start from scratch.
Huh...? From scratch!? You mean you're going to create a brand-new world...?
A new world... What kind of world are you going to make?
It depends on us.



I see... I kind of understand what you're saying.
But... do you not like this world? Doesn't the idea of a new world scare you...?
It won't change that much.



...You may be right. Since this disaster started, everything has changed.
So maybe it's best to change everything back and start over from the beginning.
Let's do this over.
Oh... yeah. You're right... The same goes for us.
Um... sorry, this might sound weird, but...

[Music: Over the Brink of Death]



I can't really imagine what a new world would be like... but if you're there...
So please, let me join your side.
Of course.



Well, um... I'm going to go get my things. I'll see you soon...

You say your farewells to Io before leaving...



That's one down. Now for the other.



[Music: Connected Hearts]

You did your best.
Uh...! Haha... I had a feeling you'd see right through me.



Man, though... even I was shocked to see you all buddy-buddy with that weird guy.
Really?
Geez, what're you up to? What have you got planned for this world of ours?
I'll start from scratch.
What...!? You make starting over sound so easy.



What you're out to do is to reset the entire world and start from a fresh slate.
It's too late for this one.
Well, don't hold back, man! Yeah... after everything, I guess it is too late in a way.
Though... we've changed, too. Like, we couldn't have done stuff like this back then...
That's why I'm here.
Ahh, I see. So you want to team up again.



I'll make up for it.
You'll...!? You just had to go and say that, huh? Man, how am I supposed to compete?

[Music: Over the Brink of Death]

Oh well. We've come this far together... You'll have to put up with me to the end, buddy!



Okay, I'm gonna take off. I gotta take care of soeme things. See ya later!

You say your farewells to Daichi before leaving...



We've got some time to kill. Not much, but enough for now. We'll spend our first half hour with Saiduq.



[Music: The Anguished One]

Hello, Shining One. You have taught me so many things...
You're welcome.
Haha...I must thank you.
You've shown me the potential for "freedom", and given me hope.
I've had a long time to think about it...ever since the birth of humanity...
Are you God?



But as I said before, I am the "Anguished One." Nothing more, nothing less.



What anguish?
Ah, yes. I should explain it to you.
My anguish began as doubt when this world was created, with the administrator's plans...



And then...I met Man. Beings that held the potential for true, personal freedom.
I began the civilizations that nurtured the seeds of freedom, and stayed to watch it grow.
And so, Man diverted from the plan and became a being that can freely decide its purpose.



And I realized that Man should be free after all, kept away from management.
But you still have doubts?



Life became easier...Desires were easily met...and the will to live was lost.



...Once more, I had doubts about what I had been doing.
Should life be guided by Polaris after all, or should it be truly free?



You're welcome.
Haha...really, this is all thanks to you.



Freedom...it can corrupt, yes, but it can also give people strong wills.
The world is filled with endless possibility. It's awful, but also beautiful.
Thank you, Shining One. All that remains is to defeat Polaris and gain true freedom.
I want mankind to create its own future, by the strength of its own hands.
Leave it to us.



With your potential, it is sure to become a world of wonder. You can do it.

Saiduq smiles ethereally...



Next up is a bit harder to say for sure. When I sat down to play this bit, Jungo and Io were tied exactly for second place.

So, we'll just do both.



[Music: In the Devastated Town]



Mrr?
...Hibiki. Good timing.
Hey, Jungo.
Meow!
I'm saying goodbye to Jungo now.



Are you okay with that?
Mhm... I'm okay. I can rest easy, knowing that there aren't many demons near here.
That's why I'm saying goodbye now.

Jungo gently places Jungo on the ground...



...Can you eat this now?



Murph!



He ate it!
Jungo... He's eating my chawanmushi...
Meow!



Let's go, Hibiki.
Enjoy your food... Goodbye.
Meow?
...!



Meow! Meow!



Jungo...

Mrrrow...?
Meow... Meow.



That... ...



Hopefully Io's scene will be lighter.



[Music: Connected Hearts]

Mom... Dad... I'm... okay now. Don't worry about me.
Whatcha doin'?
Oh, Hibiki. You're here...
Oh... um... I wanted to tell my parents...
That I'm okay and that I'll go on living for both of them...



But... I thought it would be better to keep quiet instead of risking making enemies...
I see.
Yeah... Airi and Hinako said that, too... and they're right.
But, remember when I talked to that boy? The kid who wanted to die...?



It made him change his mind. He wanted to live...

Io smiles happily...

[Music: Over the Brink of Death]

It's all thanks to you, Hibiki.
You were always with me... And you encouraged me...
That's not gonna change.
Hehe... Thanks. I'm going to depend on you.



...... Well, I'm going to go. Thank you... so much.

Io walks away...

[Music: Exploration]



Alright, we've got everything out of the way for now. Let's see what's happening over at the park.



Wh-- Seriously!? You can tell something like that!?



What's up?
Oh... Hibiki? H-Hey, Daichi, Hibiki's really here...
No way, he can't be--
Holy crap, he's really here! The weirdo was right!



Getting along well, eh?
What in the world makes you think that? This weir-- Saiduq said you would be here soon!
Then you arrived and...!
Indeed. I also told them that a new Septentrione is waiting for you ahead.
Let's hurry, then.

[Music: Connected Hearts]

Yes. The question is whether we should challenge it with our current strength...
It's that strong?



It may prove so troublesome that I am unsure whether or not to battle it here...
Wh-Whoa, hold it! We have the option of not fighting it!?



That's correct. Hence, I cannot reach a conclusion as to whether to fight it now.
This'll be a warm up.

[Music: Heroes Have No Fear]

Mm... Yeah. Even if we run, it won't help. We gotta fight it sometime.
H-He's right! You don't know unless you try!
It's not like thinking about it will get us anywhere. Let's give it our best shot!



True... If it proves to be impossible, we can flee. I see no problem.
All right, let's go.
Roger that! Here's hoping we don't have to run away...
The Septentrione is ahead... Follow me.



Gaaaaah! He's gone!
What's with that guy!? How are we supposed to follow him if he keeps ditching us!?



Huh? Ack! Wait!



Whoa, they both disappeared! Wh-Which way do we go...? Let's follow them, Hibiki!



[Music: Countdown]







And, of course, he's brought some demons and miasmas with him. Naturally.

Ack... It's really here... So that's the Septentrione we're facing now...



...It's rather regrettable, but I have no reason to lie to you.
That's not the problem! Anyone would be surprised if this kind of thing came true!
...Is that so? I understand. Now, let us begin the battle!
Let's go, everyone... I won't let it destroy the world any further...!
Leave it to me! I'll deal with it in a flash!
Mhm... I'll hurry and defeat it...!

[Music: Septentrion]



Benetnasch is... well, he's not the seventh for nothing.


(Alkaid is just another name for Benetnasch, hence why its racial skill is Alkaid Proof.)

A culmination of everything that has come before. Thankfully, he has two weaknesses we can abuse even if he does have around 3000 HP. Shouldn't be too bad, even with Beast Eye to let him get four hits in one go. The attack range of 7 is the biggest issue because we can't beat it. Yet.

...Wait, what's that "Pacify Human" thing?



Oh, it's his gimmick. Okay then. Team leaders can't hurt him? Pfft, whatever. Somewhere in the range of 3000 HP but can only use demons? Not a problem.



Not really much that we can crack here. Nothing from Benetnasch, which somewhat makes sense. Only thing we could potentially get is Phys Repel, but that's not available here for some reason.



The other four are on three demons. Be easier to do it like this though; Hibiki gets the ones from Baihu and Saiduq takes out Laksmi.



Hinako and Jungo then worry about clearing out the trash on the lower level.



Assassinate speeds things up significantly. And, uh, at this point Jungo just has 38 Attack. It's still able to go up from here.



Hinako can't get close enough to anything to help, so instead she'll get rid of the miasma.



As an added bonus, the Orobas can then get to her.



Scarcely matters one way or the other, though. She can still wipe the entire enemy team with minimal hassle.



Back upstairs, we'll take out the two guards on the way to Benetnasch.



If the Baihus were to use Piercing Hit, like one did to Tzitzimitl, then they'd be an issue. But when they just use regular attacks? Not a problem.



Kangiten's not quite at max blasting power just yet. They'll get there soon enough though!



Not sure it's explicitly necessary, mind.



Even at this stage, they're able to oneshot things without issue and then some.



So that's one down. Now Saiduq takes out the other.



Well, his Byakko does at least.



Multi-Strike will never be disappointing, will it?

The Taown is for what comes next. I have a cunning plan, you see.



But there's just the one enemy demon left. We'll take this out first.



Nice and easy. Still even managed to pull this off whilst being out of Benetnasch's attack range.



But, of course, it's not quite that simple. With the last demon wiped, one more pops in from a miasma. These two are too risky to touch. The one on the left is very firmly within Alkaid's attack range, the other one requires getting through it.



So, instead, we'll just get ready to finish this off now. Switch out Byakko for Laksmi. She has 39 magic, Elec Dance and Elec Amp. Alkaid's weak to Electricity after all.

Just heal Taown up with a Diarahan for now. Depending on who Alkaid targets with Binary Fire, he could wipe it out even with a resistance.



So before we dive in, we'll let Jungo take out the newly spawned Orobas.



Fun fact: I didn't bother to have Mithra use Enlightenment here. If I did, this damage would be significantly higher.



I will never tire of seeing Jungo smack dudes for over 1,000 damage. Never.



Both miasmas spawned new demons this time. Doesn't matter at this stage; Taown throws up a Devil Flash letting Saiduq get from right outside Alkaid's attack range...



To right next to him. Time to drop Benetnasch in a single go.

What? It's only 3000 HP. That's more than doable.

[Music: Break Out]



Both demons can hit a weakness. Saiduq's sole contribution on this fight is to use Debilitate. Can't damage the thing after all.



Taown's not a traditionally magical demon, so this damage is expected. A bit underwhelming, but it's not much of a problem.



Laksmi can deal over 1200 damage without issue. In this case, it hit thrice so it dealt over 1800.

Even if it didn't, she's now got an Extra Turn so two 1200s from her and that 300 from Taown would nearly get it done. So, yes, this is VERY possible.



Thankfully, his Binary Fire opted to go towards Laksmi. If it hit Taown, then he would have been dropped here.



Saiduq's extra turn is pretty unnecessary, but he gets to use it to heal Laksmi anyway.



Not quite 1200, but it is, uh, exactly 1199. At this stage, Benetnach had a little under 500 HP.



...Unfortunately, we're not allowed to win here. Depsite that he had been dropped to like -600, he still keeps 1 hit point.

That we just ruined his day is in no way going to be reflected in any actual scenes.

[Music: Silence]



Oh and he has a second gimmick.



Thankfully this one affects enemy demons as well as ours.

Wh-What the--!? Benetnasch is making the other demons go away!

[Music: Countdown]



.....But, yes, it does affect our demons as well. So now we can't hurt Benetnasch even if we wanted to.

The demons we controlled were returned by force as well... It's as I thought.



We don't stand a chance like this! We have to run away!



Yeah, we straight up can't even HURT Alkaid at this point.



It is definitely best just to run.



...But our problems don't just end here. Remember that thing about being a culmination of everything that came before?



That doesn't just mean he can use former Septentione's unique skills.



No, it means he can do anything they could do. Except, maybe, Mizar's replication.

[Music: Desperate Situation]



Doesn't stop it from using Star Pressure though!

...Also Dragon Eye is fucking terrifying, holy shit. 7 space attack range, can still Extra Turns, Dragon Eye lets it get 3 actions in each. It's like a full team in one demonic cocoon.

and yes all 3000 hit points are back

its emphasising how boned we are like that was even needed



This bud is kind of in our way. Need to get rid of it so Saiduq can get out and so it doesn't get a turn.



Aside from having Dark Thunder, these things are just Megrez Buds but with a new name. Same trick, same attack range, same lack of real threat.



Holy Dance makes quick work of it.

It's only worth like 200 EXP too. Bleh.



Sadly, without demonic assistance there's no way to get out of his attack range if you didn't fight with Evil Flow in the first place.



In retrospect, I probably should've given Saiduq Null Phys for this fight.



But, thankfully, he is immune to Ruinous Wind. If not?



He would have lost here. Miracle of miracles kept him alive with 1 hit point though.



Even with his resistances, a Diastrophism would still wipe him out at that point. Good thing I gave him Diarahan.



And now we can begin our great escape.



Well, that's halfway done already. But just before the other half can get through?



Yeah, Diastrophisms are indeed a thing. Still do physical elemental damage, so they can be nullified easier now.



Saiduq's quicker turns enable him to overtake Hibiki by the exit and get out first.



For all the difference it doesn't really make, mind.



So, yeah, I'm a bit miffed that even though we totally couldve obliterated Alkaid here without issue, the game doesn't let us. Purely because of what comes next. Bleh.



Oh, and naturally our demons don't get the bonus EXP because they were all sent to our stock.

[Music: In the Devastated Town]



I-I'm outta breath... What the hell was that!? And how are we supposed to fight it!?



As well as preventing us from summoning replacements. A very unusual ability...



It nulls human attacks?
Yes, that is correct.
That skill nullifies attacks by humans or those who take their form, such as myself.



he does not have a countermeasure to being blasted by demons before he can remove them. which is what we did.

Gah... Seriously!? Next time, mention little things like that before we go in!
Hm? Didn't I say I wasn't sure we could defeat it with our current strength...?



Th-Then what can we do...? We can't even scratch it as things stand...
I have no knowledge of a way to counter this. We must use man's abilities instead.



All right.
Y-Yeah... *sigh* What a way to start this off.



How do we beat something like that? Who'd know what to do about this stuff...?

You all leave, troubled by your discoveries...

[Music: Exploration]



It's a tough one.
Yes. It interrupts out summoning and controls our demons.
Let us consider. The procedure you use to summon is something I handed down to you.
You queries travel into space, where a response regarding the demon's information is formed.
That data is received by your handset. Dark matter in the space around you is altered...



I see...
You understood? Interesting... But what matters is not the process, but our priorities.
There are factions operating out of Osaka and Nagoya who are opposed to our cause.



That would be a problem.
Indeed. That's why I believe it may be better to unify man's forces first.



Much as I don't really like it messing with how we could ruin Benetnasch regardless, this does sounds like a good plan for the moment.



Whichever faction holed up in Osaka before are our next opponents, it seems.