Part 201: Mission 54 - With Unforgettable Memories in Our Hearts - Part 3
Only a handful of mooks have come out, so let’s get to work – Dearka had the only remaining move, so he starts working on the Tetsujin.
Enemy Phase!
Tetsuya’s lowered HP draws the attention of a few units.
Aside from that Sekishiki, the Stern Kugel and Birdman attacked and got wrecked in one go, while the Majin was weakened by a Thunder Break.
The Tetsujin, Denjin and CGUE gun for the Nadesico but it can handle them easily.
Finally, Kira is attacked by most of the other SEED units.
Unlike the GuAIZ, both the Strike Dagger and M1 Astray took a critical hit and got killed.
As expected, Applicant guns straight for Kazuma with both his moves.
: You're too slow, Kazuma Ardygun! Your evasive form is terrible, so you'll get shot down as you shift!
: He knows all of Kazuma's weaknesses...
: Can we even beat him?
: Even if he's our dad...in fact, we can't let him beat us because he's our dad!
: Kazuma...: I always wanted to grow up to beat my dad someday...so I might as well make it today!
: You bet, Kazuma! Show us what you're made of!
: Fight, Kazuma! I'll be right here with you!: Join all your power together! Otherwise, you will never defeat me!: Aw, shut it! Sorry, but you're just a step on my path to being a grown-up!Valarm’s attacks are quite interesting (this one has Great Zeorymer’s Non-MeiOh explosion!), so I’ll try to get the big ones on film.
Player Phase!
Applicant’s Valarm is dangerous enough that it warrants a closer look, so let’s do that:
Even though the Valarm is nowhere near as big as Valzacard, it is certainly the most dangerous unit that we’ve faced – as expected, as we’re so close to the endgame.
With his higher level, Applicant got a huge boost to his stats (rivaling our best guys on all stakes) and Valarm has a boosted amount of HP and Armor that was meant to compensate for its smaller size when compared to the Arm Storer.
As expected from Database units, it has Debuff Immunity but it also packs 30% EN Regen.
Also expected from Database units, his attacks are packing a variety of nasty debuffs while also sporting huge power (higher power than any previous boss): Sphere Laser Focus will apply 50% Mobility Down, Remote Drill Buster will drain 50 EN as it hits and Final Hawk Strike will cut your Attack Power in half (and it not only has +40% accuracy but also a +55% crit ratio meaning that it will nearly always get a critical hit).
Alert is king against this guy.
Benefiting from Applicant’s leveling up, his Skills have been tuned up to eleven:
- Counter
- Break Morale Limit
- Double Movement
- Prevail L8
- Infight L9
- Gunfight L9
- Support Attack L4
- Commander L3
- Multicombo L2
Conclusion: Applicant has everything he needs to tear a new one into any unprotected unit he’ll find, so you’ll want to keep defensive measures whenever possible – at least Confuse to mitigate his ridiculous accuracy.
It should be noted that he spawns inside the Database Fortress positive terrain, which’ll boost his Evasion and Defense stats by 20% but baiting him out isn’t very useful as he’ll only do it in order to chain with his Final Hawk Strike, meaning that a Super will probably get weakened.
Whittling him down, like the previous bosses, is not recommended as he’ll probably hit your Super Robots with a counterattack and wreck their power – his HP isn’t very high, so if you’ve been conserving your SP, you can spend all that remains and take him down in one turn (if not, maximize Support Attacks from your supers, as they won’t be doing any damage once he debuffs them).
With that done, Akito takes a few steps forward and finishes off the last Sekishiki of the game!
Another quick Double Gekigan Flare will finish off the Majin.
Now, before we move along. I sat here for around 20 minutes taking screenshots of this attack and, as promised, here are the other lines for Double Gekigan Flare.
Oddly enough, the third try gave me what seems to be the proper “starting” state for Akito:
: Let’s go! Akito!
: …: …Well, fine! I’m going!: …: DOUBLE GEKIGAN! FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE!Next up, his second state:
: Geez! Don’t look so glum, Akito!: Let’s do it…Gai!: Eat this! FIST OF WRATH!: You will move out of the way…!: BURNING! GEKIGAN! FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE!I would believe his third state would be the one from the last update.
Now, for the fourth state:
: I hope you know what to do! Akito Tenkawa!: Leave it to me…Gai!: Outta the way! Outta the waaaaaaaaay!!: Do not bother us!: DOUBLE GEKIGAN! FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE!Finally, his fifth state:
: Now! Akito!: Leave it to me!: You’ll get an eyeful of how heroes fight!: We’ll hunt you down!!: DOUBLE GEKIGAN! FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE!I was half expecting Akito to shout out the attack at some point but I guess it’s good enough!
Hiver takes down the Sol Tekkaman while Gai Murakumo teams up with Kira to really weaken the Denjin.
Lowe will take care of the rest.
Good, good.
Following that, Prayer and Sousuke deal with the remaining Zaft mooks.
Gai is sent ahead to deal with the Serpent.
…There aren’t enough
smilies to represent my face when this happened.When was the last time that Gai missed a mook? At 94% hit rate!
Whatever. Dearka grabs an assist from Kouji to finally take down the last Successor enemy and Orgun does good damage on the Serpent.
Blade will finish it off.
That’s that.
Most units have already moved, so Ruri casts one last Confuse and Kazuma takes a quick jab at Applicant.
Enemy Phase!
Applicant uses both his moves to chain into Orgun, Gaogaigar and Wing Zero – missing both times due to confuse.
Player Phase!
Applicant has no unique lines against anyone other than Kazuma, so let’s just go all out.
Still, let’s have a look at his Final Hawk Strike – Tetsuya will be our guinea pig but I’ll have him cast Iron Wall.
Applicant smash!
Oddly enough, Applicant’s lost his BGM priority but this battle requires an appropriately awesome music; feel free to use the above one as it’s an SRW classic!
Now, enough playing around!
I’m still posting this because you cannot override Goldion Crusher – even as the LPer!
It says a good deal about Applicant’s bulkiness while on that positive terrain when Goldion Crusher can’t break 20k damage on him.
Once you get him below 50%, a scene triggers:
: Not bad…! Just as I expected from you!: I ain’t gonna go easy on you just because of a little flattery! My tension hit the red zone a long time ago!: Heh... at least your mouth grew up. However, has your skill done the same?!: After all, Valzacard is not meant as a child’s toy!: Heh…You’re starting to sound more like how you were back on Earth, not-Dad!: Brother…: Lord Applicant…: Let’s go, not-Dad! I’m gonna give it my all and take that blank mask off your face!: Try, if you can, Kazuma!: The Trailer Maxim says: “the weakest dog barks the loudest…”: The Maxim also says: “Only bark if it’s a victory howl”!!
Let’s get some more of Kazuma’s buddies to join in.
Yeesh…I’ve gotten too used to reducing an enemy’s defenses.
Regardless, Blade should get him low enough.
Alright.
Just one more thing.
It wouldn’t really feel right if we didn’t have Duo (or Quatre) do something, so I sub Dearka out for him!
Well, it’s the thought that counts (that was with Valor cast, mind)!
Alright, let’s wrap this up!
Applicant is worth a Guardian Stone of Haumea, a Max SP +15 and an Infight +1.
Kazuma yells to his not-dad that he’s finally surpassed him but Applicant still protests that he's not Bless.
Regardless, Kazuma says that Bless is unmistakably present inside him of Applicant.
It was Applicant who reminded Kazuma that his father could become emotionless if it suited his goals.
At last, Applicant takes off his mask of his own volition, saying that Kazuma has finally understood he as well as he understands him.
While he isn't Blessfield Ardygun, they shares the same heart.
It was at the moment Kazuma figured that out, due to Papillon’s insight, that he began to understand what his father is up to.
Gai (Shishioh) doesn’t understand and Kazuma tells everyone that his underhanded dad made sure to have insurance against the worst-case scenario, in the form of Valzacard.
However, the epiphany came when Kazuma realized what that "worst-case scenario" would mean to Bless.
That would be the loss of memories, in other words, the loss of The Database itself; if the universe is stuck in a perpetual cycle of death and rebirth, it was Bless’ wish to make memories the one and only eternal thing that could survive it.
Knowing that The Database could go out of control while pursuing this endless mission, he made sure to leave the means to form the Valzacard.
What makes Bless unfair in Kazuma's eyes is that he's counting on others to use the Valzacard and to put a stop to his own mess.
Applicant says that it was the only way left, as Bless created him to oversee The Database and to protect their proper existence – he failed, however.
Akane thinks that, since we all want The Database to stop going out of control, why did Applicant have to be our enemy?
Horis says that Bless was always the type to throw all of himself into his work - had we lost, both we and Earth would have at least "lived" on within the Database's database, even across the turning of the death/rebirth cycle.
That said, Kazuma can't forgive his not-dad and The Database for letting everything they recorded get destroyed - and that has nothing to do with any family ties.
That's what Applicant wanted to hear, and he owns up to committing unpardonable sins.
Even if it was just aiding external enemies who planned invasion anyway (like the Radam, the Galra, etc.), the end result was cultural devastation.
In acknowledgement of what he's done, he opens the gates ahead, and leaves everything else to you.
He believes you can put his twisted colleagues back to rights, and Kazuma yells at him for leaving all the hard work to us again.
: Let’s go together, Papa! You can come with us!
: Forgive me, Aria…for saying that you should’ve been discarded…: That doesn’t matter anymore! You’re still my Papa!: It’s not only that. I still cannot go with you…: Since I, Applicant, have just abandoned my mission, this will be the end for me…: That’s…!: Don't be sad, however. You still have a family...: Though you'll have to put up with that brother of yours.: No! No, Papa! You can’t die!: Don’t think as if I’m dying because my memory will live on inside you, Kazuma and the others…: That’ll be enough for me…: Applicant…: I have a request, Regulate: continue to look after my child and the family of Bless.
: I understand, Applicant. I will carry out your dying wish…: Go, Kazuma. Go with the thoughts of myself and Bless’…: I got it, Applicant. You really were another father to me…: Always remember, Kazuma: the terror of space, the weakness of the individual…and the importance…of…life…
: The Database’s Guard System has fallen silent.: There’s nothing to obstruct our advance now…: Let’s go…with the memories of both our fathers.: Yes…their wishes are now present in Valzacard.: Papa…: Aria…: Let’s go, Aria…to our final battle...: Right…I almost forgot what Papa trusted us to do…So, I will…I will fight!: (Father, Applicant…You were the greatest men I’ve known…): (So, I’m going. As your son, I will take your pride into my heart…): (And we’ll stop The Database no matter what!!)
Inside the fortress, Critic is relating Valarm’s destruction.
Applicant's death quickly makes Inference’s calm expression crumble, as he starts screaming and crying.
Critic asks for instructions, pointing out that Applicant's shut down all their defenses and says that they've got to sortie themselves.
Inference demands to know why Critic doesn't feel anything at Applicant's death.
Critic states that this plant can create any number of observers, and says that they merely need to build themselves another maintenance machine.
Inference tries to protest, but Critic says his outburst is illogical and tells Inference to follow him once he's stopped “overheating” - Critic will be activating Scientia in the meantime.
Inference in turn can't comprehend why Critic seems totally unaffected by the death of their creator.
Kaname asks Inference if he's feeling sad.
She asks if he, like Aria, thought of Applicant as his father?
He quickly falls silent and she knows she hit the mark: this is why he wanted to study the dynamic of Sinclyne and his father – to get a better understanding on how to relate to his own!
He furiously yells at her to shut up - he's the head of the Scribes of Knowledge, not some misprint like Aria.
She retorts by demanding to know what about emotions makes someone a misprint.
Someone’s father is not unimportant and it must’ve been very hard for him to remain unaffected all this time; up until this day, Inference persevered to fulfill his mission – the mission given to him by that man…he’s done it all just to win his father’s praise.
It starts to dawn on Inference that he indeed has emotions, and Kaname remembers how Tessa said that, before he became Inference, he was known as Recorder.
It was the rise of those emotions that transformed Inference so much from his original self.
Inference starts to stalk off to help Critic sortie and prepare for the upcoming attack.
Kaname has another insight, though: if Inference awoke to his emotions, then Critic certainly did the same and asks him to see that Critic has been manipulating him to further his own agenda.
Even so, Inference is still going and Kaname realizes that Inference knew, he has long since stopped being a program – the way he reacted to Applicant's death, with such emotional breakdown, was a human reaction.
Once he heard of Applicant’s death, the grief and rage that he showed is the absolute proof.
Inference acknowledges the emotions that mark him as human.
In that case, Kaname says he must now understand the importance of life and must realize how foolish it is to continue this fight.
Inference isn’t listening, instead saying that his emotions have been telling him something all along: he hates Critic.
Even with his father dead, he's still got to accumulate memories in the database, to preserve them into eternity and he won't let anyone stand in his way...
Here we go - only the final mission remains!
Come next mission, we'll break into the Heart of Scientia and see what awaits.
See you all soon!