Part 63: Mission 27 (Byston Well Route) - The Overworlders' Aura Power - Part 1

Well be starting off with the Byston Well route, where Aesaps deploying as a solo event unit. Everyone else is fair game, so heres how were going:
Lockon/Michio
Zhang Fei/Sun Shangxiang
Sun Quan/Kenji
Kazuki/Allelujah
Mazinkaiser/Saya
Cao Cao/Tieria
Liu Bei/Canon
Mamoru/Sakura
Shou/Guan Yu
Kurou/Tsubasa
Setsuna/Marvel
Arnie
Tactician: Zhuge Liang
In hindsight, while Arnie has Continuous Action, he wouldve benefitted more from having Marvel allowing him to fly in this mission. Oh, well.
Off we go.

As the Ptolemaios sails through Byston Well, Ennea points out the twinkly stars up in the sky. And thats even more impressive considering its supposed to be daytime! Erebos and Marvel explain that those are actually phosphorescent lights given out by abyssal fish (again, in the sky) better put, those lights are flickers of vital energy that every creature possesses, a.k.a., Aura Power.
Furthermore, Byston Well is said to be the land in between the earth and the ocean, which is why you see the bottom of the sea up in the sky. Kurou sure didnt know about any of that, seeing how hed never been down here before.
As Mamoru wonders how worried the folks left in the Overworld must be over our sudden disappearance, Sima Yi turns to Lux and asks how we managed to find our way back before. Well, that was when the Wings of Rean shined during Aesaps battle with Sakomizu, which, as Soushi remembers, dropped us at Tatsumiya immediately after Shoukos Fenrir went off.
Cham wonders if the explosion contributed to opening the Aura Road, and Lux has an hypothesis: it could be that the overlapping surge of emotions at both the surface and Byston Well battles reacted to one another and caused the Aura Road to open. So its the old power of emotions deal, huh?
Maya likes that idea, figuring Shoukos wish to defend the island even at the cost of her life beckoned everyone to Tatsumiya. Whatever the case, Zhuge Liang says we still dont have a clear grasp on how to open the Aura Road, so we should probably try and look for possible options.
Right on cue, Feldt phones over and says were getting a message from someone identifying himself as being with the rebel army.

And its Amalgan, the leader of the group, and hes glad to see that, indeed, Lux came through the Aura World as it opened (and he had a feeling shed still be with the Overworlders). The princess, however, is not at all happy to speak with rebels who do nothing but disrupt peace and plunge the populace in the ravages of war. What does he want?!
Amalgan asks that she save her criticisms and extends a request to meet with our folks hed like explain his group and their cause to us, and Lux. If were on board, he can direct us to their stronghold of Abuta Blas. Sumeragi says well discuss his proposal and will get back to him on that. Amalgan will be waiting a positive answer.
So, what does Lux think? Richard doesnt believe Amalgan is lying to us but shes the one with the most insight here. Well, while he IS the leader of the rebels, Lux knows hes not the kind of man to resort to deception. Fine, she as Hojos crown princess agrees to meet with him.

And so, later on, Amalgan bids us welcome to their base hes glad we accepted their invitation. Our people look around, though, and Arnie notes that this doesnt really give off that wartime base vibe. For instance, Soma spots many kids and elderly up and about, and Saya figures this looks much more like a refugee camp than anything else. As Kiki tells, thats pretty much what it is: theyve taken in the people who lived in neighboring villages that the Hojo Army destroyed.
Kiki and Hebi properly introduce themselves as Aura Machine pilots and thank us for the assist during their assault at Hypp Kurene castle it was thanks to us that the enemys big battleship was stranded. Tsubasa points out that we only attacked there to rescue our friends, but the rebels arent ones to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Lux demands Amalgan to get to the point, though: what does he want to talk about? When he asks, Zhou Yu confirms that were aware of Sakomizus plans to expand his rule beyond the land of Herikon and into the surface which is why hes making a more aggressive push towards ending the rebellion here.
As Amalgan tells, Shinjiro Sakomizu was once the sole survivor of a Japanese kamikaze unit. While he traversed the Aura Road and wound up here, he has long dreamt of returning to the Overworld. Thats fine, but how does he figure he needs to invade the place as well? Lux explains that he sees the current Japan as a rotted shell of its pre-WWII self, and seeks to conquer and restore it to its true glory.
Say what?! He can argue about glory and all that, but Japan is now a peaceful nation ! Aesap tries objecting, but Sumeragi cuts in with a more important question. Is Amalgan suggesting that the Hojo Army still has a way to reach the Overworld and take it over?
That sounds impossible to Erebos without the Wings of Rean shoes, and while Amalgan doesnt know the particulars, hes certain Sakomizu must have something up his sleeve. The thought of Aura Machines swarming the Overworld is not one Shous happy to relive.

But this brings us to Amalgans request: hed like us to assist him in putting a stop to Sakomizu and his plans (Lux flinches). As Ruri sees it, this was what he was after when contacting us, and Hebi notes that the Hojo Army IS very strong. Having us on their side would certainly ease a lot of minds.
Plus, Kiki points out that while they have their ace Holy Warrior lady, shes only one person. Marvel didnt think said Holy Warrior would be in with the rebels but, yup, shes joined them in their battle to save the people against Sakomizus oppression mind you, shes out on the field right now.
As Shou wonders who this Holy Warrior flying an overworld machine could be, Lockon and Allelujah arent too excited that were being called to take part in another worlds civil war. Especially considering what our potential enemy means to Lux.

Cut to Hypp Kurene, Sakomizus already received intel that the Overworlders are back and were contacted by the rebels. Codour shakes her fist at Amalgan for shacking up with the Overworlds armies, and Kotto is worried. As seen with the Holy Warrior lady, such alliances can make for not-insignificant headaches for them.
But they have confirmation that were at Abuta Blas, so Murassa is ready to set out and hunt us down as soon as the order is given. And Codour does so immediately destroy anyone who threatens peace in the land of Herikon!
With that in mind, Sakomizu tells Murassa to take them along with her. Shes a bit queasy with that, as those guys are kind of loose-cannons, but Sakomizu says that thats not really a bad thing when dealing with Overworlders.
Shot Weapon approaches the king and points out that Aesap Suzuki may have resurfaced along with our team. And, in that case, Sakomizus dream the reclamation of Japan is now closer than ever!



































*Lux leaves.*





















*Alarm!*


































Mission 27 (Byston Well Route) The Overworlders Aura Power










*Lux flies a bit forward.*















Kill everything without losing a ship, Aesap, Amalgan or Lux. The plot kicks in when 5 enemy teams have been downed or when Kasumi/Murassa are downed, whereupon the midbosses will both retreat, so if you want the extra cash/exp, go for them first.
Its been a while since we fought Hojo troops, but theyre pretty much the same: accurate and dodgy-ish, but with absolutely piss for defenses. Keep focus/strike going, spread command auras, and take it to em.
Mind you, our starting area is surrounded on all sides by rivers, so youll either want all your guys flying or send them aboard the Ptolemaios and give them a lift across. Split your forces across each bank, but keep a heavier presence on the eastern one theres more on the way.

Gim Ginen (Lux Sakomizu)
Pilot Skills:
Aura Power L3
Support Attack L2
Support Defense L2
All Attack L1
Spirit Commands:
Alert
Accelerate
Mech Features:
Sword
Repair Module
Ultra-High-Speed Evasion
10% HP and EN Regen
Squad Bonus: Money and Exp +10% (Money and Exp +20%, 1250 Barrier)
Luxs voice actress: Yu Shinamura (other roles: Aida in Reconquista in G, young Flit in Gundam AGE, Zelda in Skyward Sword and BotW, and plenty more)



Gim Ginen (Amalgan Ludol/Kiki/Hebi)
Pilot Skills - Amalgan:
Aura Power L5
Support Attack L1
Support Defense L1
All Attack L1
Command L2
Pilot Skills - Kiki:
Aura Power L3
Support Attack L2
Support Defense L2
All Attack L1
Pilot Skills - Hebi:
Aura Power L3
Support Attack L2
Support Defense L2
All Attack L1
Spirit Commands - Amalgan:
Invincible
Focus
Fury
Spirit Commands - Kiki:
Focus
Vigor
Alert
Fighting Spirit
Spirit Commands - Hebi:
Accelerate
Focus
Invincible
Trust
Mech Features:
Sword
Ultra-High-Speed Evasion
10% HP and EN Regen
Resupply Module Kiki only
Repair Module Hebi only
Squad Bonus - Amalgan: Accuracy +5, Armor +100 (Accuracy +15, Armor +150, Crit +15, HP +500)
Squad Bonus - Kiki: Melee weapons +100, Exp +10% (Melee weapons +200, Exp +20%, EN +75, Mobility +5)
Squad Bonus - Hebi: Ranged weapons +100, Money +10% (Ranged weapons +200, Money +20%, S in Air, Accuracy +5)
Amalgans voice actor: Yutaka Nakano (other roles: Ishikawa in Ghost in the Shell, Bartlow in Tales of Zestiria and several more.)
Kikis voice actress: Akeno Watanabe (other roles: Ibis in SRW Alpha/OGs, Sharla/Karna in Xenoblade, Viletta and kid Suzaku in Code Geass, May-yen in Zegapain and many more)
Hebis voice actress: Junko Minagawa (other roles: Cornelia in Code Geass, sagitta Weinberg in Sakura Wars, Ryouma in Prince of Tennis and many more)
Squaddies, squaddies, squaddies everywhere. The Gim Ginens are nothing to write home about in terms of power, but their size makes them quite dodgy and the rebel trio have the advantage of actually having a combo attack that grants more stopping power than most.
Lux is the worst pilot of the bunch, being pretty much a pure support: her main draw is that she has Accelerate and, at level 37, will learn Bless. Bless casters are unusually rare in UX (weve yet to get one!), so thats very good. Adding a barrier on top of a +money bonus makes for a nice squaddie, and you can only get her if you go on this route!
Amalgan, Kiki and Hebi are about on the same good tier of stats, with Amalgan being the biggest and more accurate hitter, Hebi being the dodgiest and Kiki being the jack-of-all-trades.
Hebis Squad Bonus, Accelerate plus Resupply Module makes her a GREAT squaddie (shes a perfect fit with Magami, but even non-ranged attackers will love having her around), and shell probably get the most use out of the bunch, though Kikis also a good fit for EN hungry melee attackers like Kouichi or the SD Gundams. Amalgan, youll likely bench unless you want to use that combo attack.
Thats our homework done, so lets get to it.











https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAorlY_KtpI
Heres the Gim Ginens best non-combined attack.






Son of a bitch.

But the enemy drops like flies anyway, which is a problem as I didnt remember that 5 squads was the cut-off point. Oh, well.


*Flash!*


*Flash!*





















*Both jerks run after Aesap!*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhk8ehfwm1I
























And all our protection targets are gone, leaving only the Ptolemaios to watch over. Kill everything else.

Shinden (Rouri Yahan)
Pilot Skills:
Aura Power L4
Holy Warrior
Support Attack L2
All Attack L2
Mech Features:
Sword
Ultra-High-Speed Evasion
10% HP and EN Regen
All-Canceller
Rouris voice actor: Hiroshi Tsuchida (other roles: J.J. Sexton in Gundam Thunderbolt, Ninja Blue in Kakuranger and some more)

Shinden (Kanamoto Heiji)
Pilot Skills:
Aura Power L3
Holy Warrior
Support Attack L2
All Attack L2
Mech Features:
Sword
Ultra-High-Speed Evasion
10% HP and EN Regen
All-Canceller
Kanamotos voice actor: Shingo Tanabe (other roles: Eeh, a few small stuff here and there, but nothing really noteworthy.)
Standard Holy Warrior enemies; weve dealt with Burn before, and he was way better. Expect limited range on their best attacks, very good evasion and accuracy, but not much in terms of defenses. Kanamoto has better evasion, but Rouri hits harder since he has a stronger Aura Power pop Strike and something defensive and drop these dickbags quick.
The AI isnt clever enough to position itself, so you shouldnt be seeing more Double Dispatches unless you get unlucky.