Part 126: Mission 51 - Strange Eons - Part 2

Despite what Master Therion said, he’ll immediately make a beeline for Kurou, so you don’t need to worry about his mooks (though only the Dagons and Riot Xs are any sort of threat). He’s unlocked both his Hyperborea Zero-Drive and Shining Trapezohedron attacks since our last battle, so be very careful when engaging him – a clean hit from the Trapezohedron will oneshot most units and leave bulky Supers severely injured. Thankfully, like Kurou’s, both weapons can only be used point-blank.
He doesn’t have MAPWs, though, so you could have Kurou tank him while you grab the mooks for cash (do note that Arnie’s still injured from the event battle, so make sure to heal him up). FYI, the plot kicks in when you get him under 210k HP.

Secret Alert!
Demonbane secret – 11th step: set Ruri as your tactician and take out Master Therion with Kurou.

Same as always.

Oh, and do be warned of something: there’s a “bug” in this stage, in that if both Kurou and Therion (triggering Counter) attack with their Shining Trapezohedrons in the same battle, the game will crash. You can avoid this by skipping the animation or outright turning the battle animation off.
I say “bug” because many people, myself included, find this to be too perfect to not be an intended feature due to reasons we’ll see in a jiffy. What does your heart tell you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtlGXsOkVw4
Oh, and before I forget, here’s the Harute’s absolute best attack.

SRW UX - The Will of Man Awakens







SRW UX - LEGEND OF KAISER







SRW UX - Deus Machina

: At long last, I will be freed from this unending horror and despair…
: Master Therion, you…
: However, a mere conclusion would never satisfy me!
: I shall carve the hate that I have forged over the eons – this eternity of horror – into your very souls!
: Such a crushing hatred… Nay, ‘tis as though he has become an avatar of hatred itself! He has forsaken his humanity!
: Then, there’s just one thing for us to do: take out the force of evil standing before us!
: We wield the unholy to defeat the unholy! We are Kurou Daijuuji and Al Azif – the sword that smites evil and the blade that slays gods!









: …
: I hate…
: I hate you, Kurou Daijuuji…!
: What…?!
: I cannot stand that unflinching defiance. Through all the unending Samsara, that candor of yours never ceases to make my blood boil!
: Hate… You have taken my Master from me yet again…
: In all of creation, only you can bear my Master’s hate. You, not me…!
: Every fiber of his will has been stained by hatred… Is this what became of the despair etched into him across the Samsara?!
: Our struggle shall know no end unless we destroy him. It shall continue endlessly, from future, to past, to future once again.
: Meaning we just gotta throw everything we have at ‘im until we break that cycle!
: Then, stand back. I’ll use the Shining Trapezohedron to erase his very existence!
: Kurou?!

*Master Therion moves south.*

: Indeed, no other weapon could bring our feud to a conclusion.
: When these two Shining Trapezohedrons collide, one of us will be expelled from this universe.

*Kurou goes after.*

: Yeah, I hear ya. It’s like my whole body knows that this is what’s gotta happen!
: (“What must happen”… Indeed, I also have the same feeling…)
: (Yet, my dread only grows. What in blazes is it…?)
: Here we go, Al!
: “This is the land born of the gods’ original sin, carved into a howling spiral.”



: “This is the end of the saint’s journey—”
: “—where he arrived beaten, weathered and worn!”



: “Here and now, we shall fulfill the Covenant.”
: (What is it? There is something – something dire – that I am not realizing. And if I do not, I feel as though we may lose everything…)
: (Remember, Al Azif! There is no hope of salvation except for now, at this very moment!)
: “With the deep darkness of hate within our hearts—"
: “With the desperate cry of life within our hearts—”
: “Upon the flowers of mourning we swear—”
: “Upon the flowers of blessings we swear—”
: “—We are the Weavers of Worlds!”

*Tzeep.*

: It is time…
: Th-That’s it…!
: KUROU, STOP! This is… all part of the evil gods’ plan!
: What…?!







: Rrk…! What… What is this torrent of thoughts?!
: So much evil is gushing forth… It’s going to flood this universe…!
: That’s all coming from the Trapezohedrons?! Don’t tell me this is what he wanted…?!
: Oh, no, this is what I wanted…!
: Ms. Nya…?!
: Nay! She is…!
: All was as I, Nyarlathotep, willed it.
: ?!
: I have waited. How have I waited for the two Shining Trapezohedrons born amid the repeating Samsara to clash!
: Their powers are the same, yet diametrically opposed…
: While that clash may create life, the opposite is also true!
: And from that stream of negative energies, the Court of Azathoth will be freed!
: “The Court of Azathoth”?!
: Hear me, all of Creation… Return to thy true form!
: Gch… Uwaaaaaaaaaah!



So, to clarify: the Shining Trapezohedron? That’s actually where the Court of Azathoth’s been locked up – with all the bad stuff that’s in there. Nyarly can’t even touch it, and the only thing that can break the Trapezohedron is another one, so she found a second in a past cycle and worked to get two people strong enough to wield the things. Trapezohedrons collide, and all the trapped Outer Gods and Great Old Ones are freed to tear through the universe again.
By the by, now you know why Tiberius flipped out once he saw the thing. He’s still in there and you can bet he’s not having a good time.


Location: Arkham City

: …
: …re… ning?
: Hm? Huh?
: Mr. Daijuuji, are you listening?!
: Y-Yeah… Sorry, I got a bit woozy there for a sec.
: Well, you have worked a lot lately. Have you been getting enough sleep?
: Kurou’s a very busy man, you know. He can’t just tone it down.
: Hmhmm. Just the other day, I saw on the news that he’d cleared another major case!
: Yeah, he’s pretty much THE detective in Arkham City. You hear people talking about him pretty much every day.
: But you’re doing pretty well on that front too, huh, Joey?
: Yeah: “Joseph Carter Jones, the hero of Center City!” You make us so proud!
: Heey, enough with the wisecracks. I told you, I just got lucky!
: …
: Um… Since when do you three get along so well?
: Did you hit your head or something? We’ve always been best friends – ever since we were kids.
: Huh? O-Oh, yeah... I guess you have…

: Hey, now. What will the fans think if they see the “greatest detective in the world” looking so stumped?
: Richard! What’re you doing here?!
: Saya and I are taking part in a play over on Broadway, so we figured we’d stop by and see you guys.
: On Broadway…?
: Hmhmm, dad and I had to work very hard, but now it’s finally happening.
: Better yet, it’s one of my favorite plays: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”…?
: It centers a love quartet between Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena. The play starts with Hermia eloping with Lysander, after opposing her arranged marriage to Demetrius. As they flee into the forest, Demetrius and Helena follow.
: The King of Faeries, Oberon, overhears the yelling and, figuring he’d help, tells his servant, Puck, to sprinkle magic flower drops onto Demetrius’ eyes, which’d make him fall in love with the first person he saw – which would be Helena. Only Puck mistakes the men, and it’s Lysander who winds up in love with her, abandoning Hermia.
: And then?
: Long story short, both Demetrius and Lysander are at each other’s throats over Helena, who thinks they’re both mocking her. In time, Oberon undoes the spell on Lysander, leaving him to resume his love with Hermia, while Demetrius stays with Helena.
: In the end, both couples are married to one another, and the play closes with a very famous soliloquy from Puck.
: “You have but slumbered here while these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, no more yielding but a dream.” (Translation: “You were asleep when you saw these visions, and this silly and pathetic story was no more real than a dream.”)
: …
: “No more yielding but a dream…”
: Saya and Richard are making it big as actors, huh? Guess I gotta redouble my efforts!
: Come on, now. You’re already living the dream, Mr. Super Ace.
: Yeah, I heard they’re even making a biopic about you, Maj. Spencer!
: We have to go see it when it comes out, Joey!
: Absolutely!
: Hahah, thanks guys.
: Still, the only reason I made it as far as I did was you, Ayul.
: Jin…
: You’ve had my back every step of the way. I’m only standing here today because you were there for me.
: So, thank you, Ayul…
: No, thank you, Jin… I hope we’ll stay together forever…
: …
: Everyone looks so happy.
: Y-Yeah…
: (Just like she said, everyone’s doing well…)
: (But… for some reason, something seems wrong to me… Something’s missing…)
: (Something very dear to me…)

*Steps.*

: You’re looking a bit bothered, Kurou.
: Ms. Nya…
: Hmhm… This place is my gift to you: eternity. An eternity that will last until even death dies, and beyond.
: You can do whatever you want in here – indulge in anything, destroy anything…
: I…see… This is…my…
: Ms… Nya…
: Yes, that’s it – just enjoy it. We’ll experience an eternity of pleasure together…
: …
: Come here, my spouse.
: I’ll love you now and forev—

*Stab!*

: Gaah…!
: Sorry about that… “Ms. Nya.”
: Kurou… What are…?
: Personally, I don’t have any beef with you, but…
: I can hear their voices… her voice. She’s calling me…
: Her… voice…?

Demonbane OST - Those Who Challenge the Divine Will


: …en… rou…!
: Impossible… that voice is!
: Had you asked me before, I might just have decided to indulge on this dream.
: But we’ve already found the answer – the answer that lied at the end of the repeating Samsara…!
: Th-The answer at… the end of the Samsara?!
: You can hear her too, can’t you?
: That’s the voice of that big softie of a grimoire! The voice of the woman I love from the bottom of my heart…!
: Open your eyes… Kurou! My beloved!





: Wh-What is happening?!
: Kurou’s consciousness should’ve been completely sealed away! Your voices could never…
: You still don’t understand, do you? What do you think we carry within us?!
: …?! It can’t be…!




*Everyone gets a full refill!*

*Flash!*



: The void…
: It’s been remade?!
: And that’s… that’s Earth?!
: Yeah… It’s the planet we’ve kept safe…
: And it’s the planet that’s kept us safe, too!
: The wishes – the prayers – of all those who call Earth home!
: They’ve all brought us back to this world!
: This can’t be! It can’t! IT CAN’T!
: I was so close! Just a bit more and the Court of Azathoth would’ve been freed!
: Too bad for you, Nyarlathotep!
: I reckon the people of that planet aren’t keen on an ending where justice doesn’t prevail!
: Hah, how amusing. Then, please, try and prevail!
: See if your “will of man” can overpower the despair the Samsara etched into me!
: Can you carry on, Kurou?
: Hell, yeah, I can! They ain’t seen nothing yet!
: Get ready, ‘cause we’re coming for you, Master Therion, Nyarlathotep!

Alright, home stretch – don’t forget to take Therion out with Kurou if you’re still up for the secret.

: I hear your roar, o furious beast... You mean to prove your existence against the Samsara, but it is nothing more than paltry barking.
: Heh, looks like he’s still not convinced after what he saw!
: The will of man could even remake space… If that doesn’t get you to rethink things, then I don’t know what to say!
: But I guess that’s telling of just how hopeless he’s gotten after all those cycles.
: In that case, listen closely! Our god-defying roar’ll light up every corner of your soul!

--

: This child’s also taken in Willpower even as he lay adrift in the currents of karma?!
: And that has caused a hero to be born?!
: Yeah! A hero exists because he has the support of so many people!
: That’s how we managed to get as far as we did! Everyone’s hopes and dreams helped us get here!
: Hmmm!
: Then, come, White Giant. My despair’ll paint your purity black!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOm5e06orOQ

: Well, isn’t this nice… I never figured I’d be fighting a legit god-child in a place like this…!
: Your youthful ignorance may embolden you, but it also makes you forget your place and that’ll be your death. Behold my power and bow down before me.
: What, you think we got through all that just to get intimidated now? And if this place links to all that was, is and will be, then here’s what up…
: We’re gonna beat you right here and prove our justice to the future beyond any shadow of doubt!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPKoKBQifew
And here are both of Therion’s best attacks.

Now to wrap this up.

: The power of song was only ever meant to be an opening act to my grand finale! What happened?!
: Your program irked the crowd a whole lot more than you thought it would – that’s the long and short of it!
: That’s why it got eclipsed by their “opening act”!
: Ahahahahaha! Then, I ask that you carry on with the presentation!
: Let me hear more of these galactic hymns that drown out even my despair!













: It’s you…! The major unknown! The dissonance from a parallel universe brought about by the aggregated possibilities!
: I guess I wasn’t part of your plan, huh?
: But if I’m here now, it’s because of all my friends’ love. Your scheme’s already fallen through!
: Hahahaha! Ahahahahaha! I confess I did not expect this one at all.
: Still, as powerful as you may be, it won’t be enough to overpower my despair!
: “Despair”? You’re selling me short, I think! I bet I could get some sparkles of hope shining inside even you if I sang hard enough!









: A machine capable of leaping through space and time… However, even that won’t enable you to oppose me.
: Your fate is already sealed – endless grief is all that awaits!
: The Major’s wish and the Ensign’s will have helped us overcome fate several times before!
: But that’s not all; we’ve also taken up and lived on with the lives of all that we’ve fought thus far!
: And it’s with the power those give us that we’ll erase every trace of you from the universe!









: All those encounters were preordained by God’s unseen hand…
: Such is the fundamental law of this universe. Struggle as you might, as hard as you can, the fate that’s set in stone will not be swayed…!
: Humans are capable of changing…!
: Anyone, no matter how frail, can bring about an innovation so long as their will stays strong! The world is nowhere as complicated as you make it out to be!









: Oh, beckoned Otherworlders! Your reason for being here is to have your souls elevated as you die by my hand!
: I need not your help… My soul has long since become elevated!
: It doesn’t fall to any man to give reason or meaning to another’s life or death!
: Rather, ‘tis by giving of ourselves to an ideal that our lives leave a mark in the hearts of our fellow men!
: We unleash the light within by living to the fullest… such is the light of life!
: And our light shall rend these pitch-black clouds of darkness! Away with you, fiend of despair!











: You come and go from a different world, ever at the mercy of the Wheel of Fortune…
: Indeed, fate also dictates that your life will end here.
: This isn’t about where the Wings of Rean take me! I’m here because I, Aesap Suzuki, chose to be!





: Hmhmhm… You have a rather curious power for a human. Did you develop it as you traveled amid the churning flow of karma?
: You’ve a very bad habit of looking at people like they’re just pieces in a board.
: But that’s also coming to an end today! Your evil defiles life and urges the world closer to its end… and now I’ll cut it down!







: The outcome of destiny is already decided. The Samsara has repeated countless times before, and it’ll do so countless more… That is what should have been, yet…
: The outcome has changed at long last… but why did it change like this?!
: Flowers may yield seeds, but the ones that bloom from those won’t be the same as the original ones…
: Whatever plans you have in mind as you raise them, it’s just not possible to control how they’ll grow…
: But that’s just what life is like!
: Your problem is that you chose the wrong way to push the world in the direction you wanted!
: Because what it all boils down to is that it’s not destiny that shapes our future!











: I reckon you’re pretty sick of all that despair, right, creep?!
: Well, you’re more than welcome to lie down and get some rest… in our Hell!
: The Devil born of chaos and strife…
: Let death decide which of us is deserving of making the voyage towards the Underworld!









: You’ve been amid the endless flow of causality for so long that you became the stuff of legends?
: Ahahahaha! Amazing, simply amazing! There’s just no telling what surprises this world will bring!
: Then keep watching, ‘cause there’s another one coming your way!
: I’m bashing you into the dirt and bringing a close to what started way back in Arkham City, Master Therion!













: Will you be torn apart by me, or would you rather wallow in despair as you bear witness to the end of the world…?
: Those are the alternatives I present to you.
: I choose the alternative I decided for myself!
: And that’s to destroy you and stay here with all my friends!











: I take it you tampered with my memories, Crawling Chaos! However, that was all for naught!
: No, this isn’t even close to being over! Fate is still in the palm of my hand!
: Take them, demon of despair! The greatest force of hatred the world has ever seen! Set the Court of Azathoth free!
: We’re going, Etheldreda.
: Yes, Master…
: I’m never letting despair get the better of me!
: I’ve Al here with me! And Demonbane, and all my friends!
: And we all have the power we need to defend what’s dear to us!












Master Therion drops a Lacus’ Disk.


: I won't accept this! I have worked for an eternity and more just for this moment! You will not take it from me!





: The Liber Legis is readying its Shining Trapezohedron!
: Come, Kurou Daijuuji! Let us dance eternally together!
: No way in hell!
: What…?!





SRW UX - Sublimation of a Destroyer

: The Demonbane…!
: It’s absorbing the energy of my Trapezohedron…
: No, it’s absorbing my Trapezohedron itself?
: That’s impossible! A mere human could never…!
: I can do it because I’m human!
: …?!
: Up until now, we, mankind, had been consumed by Evil…
: So many were pillaged and violated, without reason or meaning. They were slain without any hope for a future!
: They are the grief of mothers whose children’s futures were stolen…
: They are the rage of fathers who could not protect their futures…!
: They are the powerless hate of all the worlds polluted by Evil…
: However… They aren’t blind resentment!
: They are righteous anger and hatred!
: They are the cry of life, the raw howling of those who drowned in blood and tears, yet never stopped struggling towards hope!
: They are the loving prayers of parents – that their children will have a future free of rage and hate!
: I don’t know this…
: I don’t know this! I don’t know this ending!
: ‘Course, I bet what you had in mind was something that fit perfectly with your plans, right?
: But you can try as hard as you’d like to push things your way, we’re always going to rise above it and keep going!
: There are an infinite number of events that can occur in this world. No one could ever predict them all.
: A god you may be, but I see your imagination is lacking!
: Stand beside me, Al. There’s nothing I can’t do if I’m with you!
: We are bound by ties of love now and forever! I am with you, my beloved!





: A pentagram…!
: That’s the crest of the Elder Gods! The Elder Sign!
: H-How…?! This is the Klein Bottle I created! They should be powerless to interfere!
: …! C-Can it be…?!
: You really shouldn’t underestimate humans, O “Almighty” One!
: You are finished, Nyarlathotep…!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2-an-2CDxw
Captions are available.




: Can it be… that you were the same as me?
: If so… I, myself, have been trapped in an enormous Wheel of Fortune…
: AAAAAAaaaaaaaahh…!



: I won’t… I won’t let you… destroy my Master!
: Enough. You have done well, Etheldreda.
: This, too, is the ending I sought. This is release from that unending curse.
: MASTER…!!



*BOOOOM!*



: …
: I see… I am also to head towards the other side of their Yuga…
: Yet, it’s the light of these stars that grip my mind.
: I had never noticed just how beautiful the world is…
: I will sail the heavens alone, ever amid this light…
: No, you won’t be alone.
: Etheldreda… You’ve come too.
: Yes, my Master… I could never leave you by yourself…
: Hm… I suppose it is a little too cold to be alone. Will you stay by my side, Etheldreda?
: Yes… Let us watch over this world forever…
: Without destroying anything, without harming anyone… Let us just spend eternity smiling with longing at the lives struggling to live…
: That, alone…
: Yes, Etheldreda… That, alone, is the salvation that has been granted to us…
: Yes, Master…

But if you did the secret, before Etheldreda’s final line…!

: You can’t just up and go to the other side, Master Therion…



: Kurou Daijuuji, Al Azif…?!
: The Samsara’s chains that bound you are no more. There is no reason for you to spend an eternity in solitude.
: You mean to forgive us? I’m shocked at how childishly innocent you are.
: The thought of accepting or forgiving what you did never crossed our minds.
: Still, maybe you deserve a shot at finding a new path through life?
: A new path…?
: Etheldreda, what are your thoughts on this?
: Master…?
: I owe you a debt of gratitude for staying with me since time immemorial.
: I see no harm in deferring to your judgment at least once.
: …
: If possible, then… I’d like to find a different future with my Master…
: A future without any destruction, where we may simply live in this world as a couple…
: Pnakotic Manuscripts…
: Heh, we have finally arrived at the terminus of the long Samsara…
: It could be interesting to live that way for once…
: Thank you, Master…



: It’s over…
: Yes, somehow…
: (And, with it, so is the battle with the Black Lodge that started with my grandfather…)

*Door opens.*

: Are you pleased to bring peace to Kozo Hadou’s soul, girl?
: M-Master Therion?!
: You’re still alive, freak?!
: Put that lance away. Ill-tempered men are a disgrace.
: We have not come here to do battle with you again.
: Explain…
: They’ve made a choice of their own… and it was to walk alongside us.
: All in the interest of saving this universe…
: Huh…?!
: N-Now hold on just a minute! We took out that evil god, right?! Doesn’t that mean the universe is already safe from the void?!
: Not yet. If you truly wish to save this universe, then you must rise once more…
: And face the end of the Yuga…
: The end of the Yuga…?

*Tzeeeeep.*

: Oh, warriors who’ve seized fate itself… All possibilities are now united…
: Th-That voice was…!




Gather at the beginning...

And that is that! Every single secret unit has been recruited, with Master Therion being the final one… Where were you when SRW allowed us to save the literal spawn of Yog-Sothoth before ever giving Cima a chance? Ouch.
I forgot to take a picture but here’s what he has:
Pilot Skills:
Sorcerer L9
Grimoire L9
Prevail L9
Support Attack L2
Break Morale Limit
Counter
Predict
Guard
All Attack L1
Command L4
Spirit Commands – Therion:
Sense
Mercy
Fury/Direct Hit
Drive
Soul
Spirit Commands – Etheldreda:
Accelerate
Focus
Trust
Iron Wall
Love
Squad bonus: Melee AND Ranged Weapons’ attack power +100 (Melee and Ranged Weapons +300, 35% chance to trigger Double Image, Spec Debuff Immunity)

And Master Therion, as you might expect, is an absolute powerhouse for reasons that have been exposed since mission 4. While Kurou’s new Final Shining Trapezohedron is the second strongest attack in the game in terms of raw power, losing only to the 4 SD Gundam combo, Therion actually has better burst damage due to knowing Soul – only Liu Bei and Cao Cao can hit harder by virtue of stacking Soul and the Soul of the Three Sovereigns buff, and only with the combo.
I’m going to FUB him and laugh like a real sonuvagun!

The final scene, of course, changes a bit if you didn’t save him:

: It’s over…
: Yes, somehow…
: (And, with it, so is the battle with the Black Lodge that started with my grandfather…)
: Now we just have to go straight back to Earth!
: Hmm, I don’t think it’s gonna be that simple.
: What do you mean? We’ve returned to our world, no?
: Not exactly. As they mentioned, through the gate of Yog-Sothoth lies a space linked to all that was, is and will be. In other words…
: We’ve no idea if that Earth over there is the one we knew…
: Then, that Earth could be Planet Ladorio or Mirisha…?
: There’s even a chance it’s the Earth from the Frontier’s world…
: Not just. We aren’t even certain which point in time this is – that could well be a prehistoric Earth.
: Whuh?! O-Oh, no...
: We were all prepared for this to happen, but it doesn’t make it any easier…
: Are we to wander through time eternally, never making it back…?

*Tzeeeeep.*


: No. A possibility yet remains…
: Th-That voice was…!




Gather at the Beginning...

Finally, I screwed up and forgot to deploy Dr. West to take a stab at Therion… the shame!

: You were never meant to exist in this world! Fate should’ve been set that way!
: Bwahahahaha! Fate?! Fate?!
: Fate is nothing but a small bump in the road – a bump that I overcome with my blood, sweat, tears, and mind of 99.9999% undiluted GENIUS!
: Hah…hahahahaha! I cannot believe a man who once held such fear and awe for my strength would come to snub my despair!
: We’re going in, Eeeelsaaaaa! Press those pedals at the exact same time! (I don’t need to tell you what this is a reference to, right?)
: Invincible Robo, full throttle-robo!
: OH, NO! That’s too soon, ELSAAAAAAA!!

And, with that, the finale awaits!
(If we could get a new page by then, that’d be just peachy.