Part 28

Update #27


First, let's go to Holytown.


Kind of defeatist, eh?


Believe it. These asshats DO NOT PLAY GAMES.


They are perfectly capable of destroying a town with a bigass church.





He really is an idealist. He has no chance, I think.

A quick trip to the megachurch:

Of course!

Ah, the abyss, it is good to be back.
Wait what?


Aww. They are happy together at last.


Tiphareth.
One of the spheres of the Tree of Life. I'll let Wikipedia do the talk.

Wikipedia posted:

Tiferet ("Adornment", Hebrew: תפארת ti'feʔɾɛθ or Tifereth, Tipheret, Tiphereth - also known as Rakhamim ("Mercy", Hebrew: רחמים ɾaħăm'im) or Shalom ("Peace", Hebrew: שלום ʃɔ'lom) - is the sixth sefira in the Tree of Life in Kabbalah, which is the spirituality of Rabbinic Judaism. It has the common association of "Spirituality", "Balance", "Integration", "Beauty", "Miracles", "Compassion", and "Masculinity".

Tiferet is the force that integrates the sfira of Khesed ("Compassion") and Gvura ("Overpowering"). These two forces are, respectively, expansive (giving) and restrictive (receiving). Either of them without the other could not manifest the flow of Divine energy; they must be balanced in perfect proportion (by sharing), and this is the role of Tiferet, wherein the conflicting forces are harmonized, and creation flowers forth.

Tiferet is unique amongst the Sephirot as it is connected to all the other Sephirot (except Malkut and Daath) via the subjective paths of the unconscious. Its position down the center between Kether and Yesod indicates to many Kabbalists that it is somewhat of a "converting" Sephirot between form (Yesod) and force (Kether). In other words, all crossing over the middle path via Tipharet results in a reversed polarity. The law of conservation of energy and mass tends to corroborate this - in all cases of energy transmutation, a sacrifice is necessary so a new form may be born.

Tiferet is the middle of the tree. Five Sefirot surround it: above are Khesed at the right (south) and Gvura at the left (north), and below are Netsakh at the right, Hod at the left, and Ysod directly below. Together these six comprise a single entity, Zer Anpin, which is the masculine counterpart of the feminine sfira Malkhut. In certain contexts, Tiferet alone represents all the sfirot of Zer Anpin, so that the entire tree appears with only five sfirot: Keter, Khokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut.

In the standard tree, Tiferet has eight paths, leading (counterclockwise) to Keter (through Daat), Bina, Gvura, Hod, Ysod, Netsakh, Khesed, and Khokhma.

Looks similar to what happened in Valhalla... Could it be the work of Abbadon as well?



Hm. Second time that being was mentioned. Let's see.


They do move!


Interesting.


Set?


Time to check this place.


Hms. So he is an ancient god, eh?


JESUS FUCK WHAT'S THAT?

Wikipedia posted:

In H.P. Lovecraft's fiction, the term Old Ones is used in different contexts. In his short story "The Call of Cthulhu" (1928), Lovecraft used "Old Ones" to refer to Cthulhu's spawn.[1] Lovecraft also mentioned the Old Ones in "The Dunwich Horror" (1929), naming them as mysterious entities associated with the Outer God Yog-Sothoth. In "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" (1936), the Old Ones (whoever they were) had the power to keep the Deep Ones in check. In Lovecraft's revision story "The Mound" (1940), "Old Ones" referred to the denizens of K'n-yan.

In Lovecraft's novella At the Mountains of Madness (1936), "Old Ones" was another name for a fictional alien species, the Elder Things, which were described in vivid detail in the story. These aliens built cities around the world during prehistory but were eventually relegated to Antarctica. At the end of their reign, they were all but destroyed by the shoggoths, a slave race of their own creation.

Old Ones can also refer to the Great Old Ones, alien beings of immense power. Along with the previous definition, these two uses of the term are the most popular among Cthulhu Mythos authors.[2]

They fall because they are weak to bullets. They have insanely high HP, though.


Recruited a Naga and a Yaksini.



I wonder what the sign says.
And unfortunately for Aleph, only Hiroko was hurt and in need of a restorative bath.


What the hell?



Gun upgrade time!


Gigasmasher
Attack = 150 Hit% = 38 # of Attacks = All Enemies
Gender: MALE
Alignment: LAW, NEUTRAL, CHAOS
A lot better than the Death Colt and well worth the money.




A full set (minus helmet and boots) of Panzer and Jagd armors.
Panzer is for Hiroko, Jagd is for Aleph. Hooray.


But


A DISCO!


Holy shit. Can it be?
CAN IT BE?


That will have to be visited later, then.


Yeah! Let's DANCIN'!


HOLY FUCKING SHIT. IT IS.

Video! MR THRILLER!


Oh hohohohoh.


An ACTUAL BUNNY GIRL.
They got furfags in the abyss.


And they never learn.




Delicious upgrades.



Awww.


To the East, eh?


Wait what.



Well, since that guy asked Aleph, he will have to do so. Eventually.


Hrgh.


Sure. If you say so.



MAP!


To the east there's this guy and tht weird cross.



He flickers. And obviously, he is not going to find it.


Durr.


Hms. Red.


Two buildings and a raised tile. lET'S see that raised tile.


What the fuck.


What the fucking fuck.



Oh holy fuck.

They are. They are.

Tied to computers. Plugged into computers. What the Christ.


HOORAY!
















What the hell.
Just what the hell.
















Oh holy shit that is just wrong.
So that's why there was no direct access to Arcadia. Aleph was never really in arcadia. No true Et in Arcadia Ego. Not at all. It was all an illusion, and Aleph was probably drooling in the gate building. The physical Arcadia is NOT in Malkuth/reality, but both in the ABYSS and Malkuth.
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON.

Also. Boss fight: He never had a chance
Notice Anubis' cheap spell.











Two points. And a choice. Should Aleph register himself as the Savior, allowing the denizens of Arcadia toresume their lives as if nothing had happened and Apollo was never there, allying himself with the forces of Law? Or should he destroy the computer, killing everyone that was connected to it, allying himself with chaos? Or should he follow a third path, of not doing anything and leaving the place alone, which does not kill the Arcadians, but puts them in a depressed mood permanently?