Part 64: Mission 25 - A God to Bring Woe and Grief to an End - Part 2
: Gworgh…!
: There you have it, Proist! That’s all our power for you!: No, no, nonononoNONO! The Final Dvorak can’t… I CANNOT HAVE LOST!!
: Y-Your Highness!*All four generals fly towards her.*
: All hostile signals are gone! The Darius Core’s confirmed intact!
: Does that mean…?!
: That the battle with the Darius is over!
: Very good. Now we just have to send a team to recover the Core.
: Well done, Daiya. You’ve grown so strong…: Dad… I trained so hard to get like this. “I know my dad’s alive, and, someday, I’ll save him”… that’s what I believed, and why I fought all this time!: You went through a lot of hurt because of me, haven’t you…: That… That doesn’t matter. What I wanna know is why were you with Emperor Darius…?: You are aware of all the people trying to live their lives despite the government’s abuse in the Darius World, right?: I am. : I wanted to save their future… which is why I proposed the Ark Project to the Emperor, and helped him advance it. If his people had the option of migrating to a new world, there’d be no need for them to invade the surface, or for more blood to be spilled without reason.: Dad…!
: Hey, your dad’s a pretty stand-up guy, eh, Daiya?: Yeah… he wasn’t helping with anything bad, just as I thought!
: As I thought, indeed…: Proist?!: You’re the one… the one who tricked my father into betraying me…! Both of you’ll die for this!
: What the hell?! Didn’t we beat her?!
: She came back with the lives of her four generals?!: I did. After all, my loyal commanders were simply biological parts grown for such an eventuality. Higant, Banishum, Telmina, Nikita, you shall live eternally within me!
: What… How can you think it’s OK for anyone to exist just for someone else’s sake?!
: Shinn…: I’m sorry, but are you giving me attitude? Lest you forget, I have just lost my beloved father… Sorrow grips the heart of the greatest of all beings…: And I’ll make you vermin pay for all of it! With my father gone, I am now the leader of the Darius! And I’ll show you all the power that gives me!!
: Th-That’s… Emperor Darius’ castle…!: It is the mightiest of Giants. A guardian of steel that only the Darian ruler may command…: Its name is King Darius XVII! Oh, wait, I guess its XVIII now!: Come on, Earthlings! This is where it ends, and I won’t stop until every single one of you have been crushed into bloody paste!
: Damn it, she just won’t quit!
: But I’m sure she’s on her last legs! Go for it, guys!
And here it is, Proist’s last trick. On one hand, it is better than the Dvorak in most ways with more HP, range, defenses, power, the works. That said, it is not perfect: for one, its MAPW is only directional (3x7 line), instead of a selectable target – way better for us – and its two strongest moves only have +10 accuracy modifiers.
All other Darius mooks have died, so we don’t have them wearing us down either. Depending on how crazy you got, you might be running out of juice, but the good thing is the King Darius doesn’t regen like the Dvorak did.
That said, since most of your guys have likely moved, I suggest you spread outside her MAPW range and bite the bullet for a turn. You’ll likely need most of your units to take her in one round, and you don’t want Proist to blast you while running Prevail.
Like so.
Thankfully, Kyo dodged it. After the first battle…
: Damn, that thing’s strong…!: Oh, King Darius… you are overwhelming in your splendor. Not even the Final Dvorak could compare.
: Col. Katsuragi, we might want to consider a temporary retreat to reorganize…!
: We also can’t ignore the increasing damage to our forces!
: Hrm…: But we’ve no idea how long the Darius World will last without the Darius Core… We must fight to the bitter end!: Your attitude annoys me… Do you fancy yourself the heroine of some light novel?: Proist, stop! The Emperor wouldn’t have wanted this!: And who was it that turn said Emperor against me…?: That was you, and there’ll be no forgiveness! : And, actually… You’re gonna go through the same pain as me, Daiya Tsuwabuki! Wait, no, you’ll taste a Hell a thousand times worse! : What’re you doing, Proist?!: Open your eyes! Watch as your dearly-missed father and the Daiku Maryu go down in flames!!: !!
: Stop!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGBRel7siJk
Proist: The Daiku Maryu shall now fall to earth. > Scream for them, Daiya Tsuwabuki!!
Dick: You’re not hurting Lulu!
: Dick?!: Psh… I’m supposed to be the level-headed guy. What was I thinking with this…?: Daiya… take care of Lulu’s dream.: Huh…?: … Good luck!
: DIIIIIICK!: No… this can’t be real…!
: Damn… A God of Death isn’t supposed to die, man…!: HYAAHAHAHA! At least now there’s a bit less trash in the world!
: How could you…! We’ll get you for this!!Here are the rest of Proist’s attacks before we get going:
: How can you not be ashamed of your idiocy… You are not worthy of being Empress!: Cheeky ‘til the end…! But the hooey that comes off a traitor’s rotten mouth means absolutely nothing!: My thoughts are turned to just one thing: the future of the Darius…! The army may have lost its way, but I have never betrayed my people!--
: Look at how strong that flame burns… I’ve no idea if even my Giant of Flame can handle that one.: Losing your nerve, are you, surfacer?!: Come now, don’t sell me short. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t see this through!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVMy8585YyU
Here’s her strongest move.
: I know firsthand how much it hurts to lose your dad! And if this battle keeps going, the world’s gonna be full of people like us!: What is your point…?: Are you comparing the grief of garbage like you to mine?! : I killed my own father! Even if millions of your pathetic, trifling parents got slaughtered, your suffering would still mean peanuts next to that!: That’s where you’re wrong! And if you refuse to stop, then I’ll just have to make you!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXfFW3zauuo
And her second weakest, which is actually pretty elaborate.
Now we wrap this up.
: It’s your fault that my father’s dead! Only your lives could ever start to make up for that!: And what about all the people that’re dead because of you?! I’m sure there were tons of fathers you took from their families!: Don’t you dare compare the lives of trash to his! The only life that could ever match my father’s is mine!: …! You…!: You’ve no right to say that! No one has that right!!
: Is it your turn to be killed now, maggot?
: Screw you! What I’ll do is back up Daiya and my friends all the way through this!: Because I’m Puria Richardson, the top ace of the Daiku Maryu!--
: Trust me with your lives, my friends! We’ll bring an end to the war with the Darius here and now!
: The engine’s in the red! We’re good to go!: You insects are getting too uppity for my tastes!: Proist…! The red flames within us will never fall to a monster like you!
: What the hell is the point of just your group coming up to the surface?! : All your subjects are still back in the Darius World! Didja ever think about them?!: Whoops… I only cared to pick the best of the best, but I guess you’re kinda right… Oh, well! : What?!: My Operation’s the only thing that matters now! Just this battle! Everything else can eat it!: You are a real monster…! I can’t let you live!
: How can you still not get it?! It’s wrong to think that you’re better than everyone else!: This maggot’s still ranting about that even after seeing my power…? Guess you’re a bona fide idiot!: Being an idiot’s fine with me if the other option’s being kill-crazy tyrant preying on the weak!
: This battle’s just the prelude to the end of this world. Rue your weakness and just die. And don’t worry… You’ll have company soon!
: We still have much we need to do. Taking back our own Earth from the Katou Organization, for one!: And until that happens, come what may, we refuse to die!
: I got a score to settle with you… might as well be now. I’ll give back a million times what you gave me!: We’re pulling the plug on this war today… So not only are you not settling that score, we’ll be adding to it and dunking you straight into the pits of Hell!
: A crab… You got a death-wish, I see!
: Y-You’re not scaring us off…!
: Everything we did was for this day!
: You might kill us, but we’ll at least get one punch in on you!--
: You truly are the spawn of nightmares… but soon you’ll be no more…!
: Proist, wait! I’ve recovered the remains of your late father!: My father’s…?: And by his heart, I uncovered a device containing his last will and testament. This device… it is a regulator for the DNA of the ancient Zelans, the ancestors of the Darius. : The one who inherits this is Emperor Darius, and it’s the duty of the previous Emperor to nurture his or hers successor as a suitable vessel for it. : At the crowning ceremony, the successor’s mind bonds and becomes one with the souls stored within.: The Emperor said that he wanted to give the Zelan DNA a chance to endure.: “Let your soul join and be purified by the spirits of Emperors past, and set out to a new world…” That was his message for you. : What… I… I’m just a vessel…?: Please, Proist, call off this battle and take up your due legacy! It is consensus among the Emperors that this war wasn’t supposed to happen!: No… No… NOOOOOO!
*Bzzzt!*
: Hrk?! The flames of her hatred destroyed the device…!: Daiya Tsuwabuki! Surfacers! I’ll swear it once more… I’ll massacre every single creature in this world!: Enough with your tantrum! We’re not gonna let your selfishness destroy our planet!!
: Gaaaaah!: Did we get her?!
: Why… Why?! I was born to be Empress…! I am the greatest being of all…! : Why should I be unhappy just to bring happiness to my lessers…? I refuse to accept that world!!
: Goddamn, look at how fast it’s regenning!
: There’s no end to this! What’re we gonna do?!: … There is a way. The Gaiking’s body, the Raiking’s arms, the Vulking’s legs…: By uniting the strongest parts from every Giant, we may bring forth the ultimate Giant of Flames…! 
: They can do that?!: Theoretically, though we had no pilot who could withstand its supreme might. That said, with the massive growth Daiya’s flame has gone through…: I believe he could handle… GAIKING THE GREAT!: “Gaiking the Great”…?!: Do you speak the truth, surfacer scientist? Could that Giant of Flames actually defeat this monster?!: Yes…!: Then it is decided…!
: Set your soul ablaze, Daiya! And burn Proist to cinders!: Raiking, Part 1! GO!
: Vulking, Part 2! GO! Fly, Daiya! Everything’s in your hands!
: Believe in yourself, Daiya! We do! We know you’ll bring forth a miracle!
: Damn straight, Daiya! You can handle this!: Give Proist a taste of what your… of what OUR hearts are all about!: Bring it home, Daiya! That’s what a real man’s gotta do!
: We’ve all seen how bright your flame shines!: Do it, Daiya! Burn stronger than ever before!
: … All of their flames are joining with mine…: And with them, nothing can stop me from burning stronger and stronger!!
: Pah, and how do you figure that gigantic mish-mash’ll help you?! Don’t make me laugh!: I believe in my friends, and they believe in me. I realized the second we joined our powers how amazing that is!: But you wouldn’t know. All you do is flare up by yourself! And that is absolutely not going to smother our combined flames!: That’s not true…! VICTORY’LL BE MINE!: Here’s everything we’ve got! TAKE IT AAALL!!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1qCePX-bXA
: Th-These maggots…
: King Darius, signal lost…: Proist… Our willingness to learn from our enemies… that’s what separates you from us. : Your downfall was a result of nothing but your own pride. : It’s over… It’s finally over. And both the surface and the Darius World are safe!: Badass, Daiya! Everyone here saw the flame of your soul!: Seriously… that was pretty fantastic. (From across the map!)
…Ah?!: Dick! You’re alive!: Don’t kill me off like that, Mister. I’m not one to call it quits at the moment of truth. I do have the goddess of luck on my side, after all.: Dick… thank goodness…
: Talk about weird, dad… I’ve looked forward to this for so long, and now I dunno what to say…: I understand; words are failing me, too. Time and again I wondered what I’d say when I went back to the surface and saw you and your mother again…: Dad…! W-waaaaaah!: I’m so proud of you, Daiya…: (Oh, Daiya…): D-Damn it! Who’s peeling onions ‘round here?!
: He’s finally found his dad… Ah, that’s just the best.
: Yes… I’m so happy for him…: Come on, folks. We should give them a moment.
: …
Later, at the Daiku Maryu’s bridge, Garis lets everyone know he’ll be personally taking the Darius Core back to the imperial capital – as an envoy of peace between both worlds. Daiya’s Dad will be coming with, unfortunately, telling his son that he still has work to see to: namely, carrying out the Emperor’s Ark Project.
See, while the Darius World isn’t breaking down RIGHT NOW, it’s still going to do so eventually. So, Dad needs to get the ships ready, gather up the surviving Darians and send them off towards their new homeworld. Daiya’s gonna be a bit lonely up top, but he understands that his father isn’t one to abandon people in trouble. He does promise to come home as soon as it is done, though.
As for the Daichi and Tenku Maryus, Garis says they’ll be staying up top to help LOTUS; consider it atonement for all the troubles they caused the surfacers. Darian warriors always repay their debts, though Norza wants us to know that he ISN’T INTERESTED in making friends.
Daiya sighs that he’s been working with us long enough that he could stand to not be so prickly. That’s about as friendly as the guy can manage, Kain laughs. “Stop talking this instant, Kain!” Norza yelps.
As Dick bids Norza welcome to LOTUS, Sakuya and Michel wring their fists at him for getting us all worried he’d died. Everyone in this team is insane, Michel grunts. Ichitaka isn’t about to give him too much crap for it, though, as he understands one tends to act without thinking when someone important to them is at risk.
Whatever the case, Duo’s happy the guy survived – it’d suck to be the only God of Death in the team. Granted, Hilde points out that having a bunch of folks with that nickname around isn’t very auspicious…
Whatever the case, we just closed the book on the war with the Darius and took a major step towards bringing true peace to this world. Quite the emotional sight for Misato, seeing races that spent nearly the last ten years fighting come together like this. Kenji was just a kid when it started!
Sounds to Heine that this was less of a victory for humanity, and just a victory for everyone. But what do we do now? There’re no emergencies at the moment, so Misato orders us back to JUDA. Sounds great, especially since Kenji’s FAMISHED.
Cut back to Island 1, Sheryl’s been caught slipping out of the hospital AGAIN, but she needed to have a talk with Grace. She just has one question: “why?” Care to be more specific? Why did she become Ranka’s manager? Why’s she keeping her pretty much locked up in this hospital room? Why does that girl’s song work on the Vajra, and not hers?
As Sheryl starts coughing again, Grace sneers at how pathetic she is. She can style herself an artiste, a singer, but at the end of the day she’s merely an idol – an image without substance, crafted by another’s hands.
Sheryl yells no, saying she got to the top by her own efforts, but Grace doubts it: “Had I not picked you up when I did, you would have met your end as another nobody in the Macross Galaxy’s slums. But that’s over. Sheryl Nome is dead.”
Is that sad excuse for a threat supposed to intimidate her? No, she’s not going to give up on her career, Grace or no Grace. Oh, what an ignorant girl she is. Did Sheryl forget how Grace had her hospitalized for a while as soon as she found her?
So? As it turns out, they weren't actually HEALING her of anything - quite the opposite. And the disease had simply been dormant until now. See, she wasn’t speaking figuratively: Sheryl is literally a dead woman walking.
: Haah… Kouichi, Quatre, Emi, Ichitaka, where’d you all run off to…? They didn’t even call to celebrate the end of the war or anything…: I’m feeling so left out here… Hrmm…
: … Risako.: Huh? A-Aaah!
: It’s been ages, hasn’t it…? You doing alright?: Ya-Yajima…?!: …Now, since the plot stopped us before:
Gaiking The Great (Daiya Tsuwabuki)
50% Squad Bonus: Armor +200, Mobility +15, 1500 Barrier, Movement +1
Play this in honor of the new king. Daiya has officially become death, the destroyer of games. Gaiking the Great is one of two units that compete for the title of “most goddamn broken thing” in the game, and the first one to arrive (quit faffing about, Yumi!). A.k.a. “the reason why Daiya’ll likely top our ace list”.
It hits like a truck made out of dynamite, any attacks against it hit with the consistency of a spitball (if they ever get through its barrier, which is unlikely outside of bosses), it has 3-7 weapon for range (which causes attack-down); its movement goes to 8 with the 50% bonus, meaning said truck now has a rocket attached to it, and it has S ranks on ALL terrains, meaning Daiya’ll likely dodge very well. Don’t forget that this is all on top of all those Flame bonuses!
Its only “flaw” is that its weapons are rather EN hungry, but 300+ EN means any resupply bot will give it 30 back every turn. EN-Save further reduces the game’s attempt to stop Daiya from killing everything forever. As with Rom, it will not work.
Two things to keep in mind: EN spent with the Gaiking will not be restored when you combine, and Norza and Lee are NOT subpilots. Once you combine, they are effectively removed for the rest of the battle. Way I see it, since they’re both so good by themselves, I can set them aside as a duo of their own and have them play around for part of the mission before going to town.
Respect Daiya, lest he realize he could now conquer the world.