Part 202: Post-Mission 54 Intermission and Mission 55 - Set Sail To an Endless Future - Part 1
Here we are folks: the final intermission.We’ll keep this one short but, before anything, one last look at our top aces:
Ever the tight race but I don’t think Kazuma is gonna close this gap as I don’t abuse his MAP – Gai Shishioh is very likely to win the prize for most kills in the game.
Skill Parts:
Only Applicant cared to drop something and, as usual, Shihomi has dibs on the Max SP +15.
Most of the Black Selena’s attacks are Melee (including Double Gekigan Flare), so Akito will get good mileage (for one mission…) out of this Infight.
Unit Upgrades:
Well, I DID say that I was gonna give the threads pick all the available money; I was really expecting, due to previous votes, for Cagalli to take the prize but everyone says J!
A promise is a promise, so J takes everything and becomes the only unit to reach the Full Upgrade Bonus (FUB).
There are two kids of FUBs in this game: one for unit stats and one for the weapons.
Starting from the top, going from left to right, the available bonuses for UNIT (not weapon) stats are:
- HP +10%
- EN +10%
- Armor +10%
- Mobility +10%
- Movement Range +1
- Air Terrain Rating = S
- Earth Terrain Rating = S
- Water Terrain Rating = S
- Space Terrain Rating = S
At 2992 Armor in King J-Der form, the only unit that has more Armor is Genesic Gaogaigar and that’s only because it has a Super Alloy New Z Alpha while J has no such part (if you count baseline values, J now beats everyone on Armor rating).
With that done, let’s move on to the final mission!
Mission 55 - Set Sail to the Endless Future
Normally I would pay this no mind but this mission has its own unique map BGM.
Our people have finally reached the interior of The Database’s fortress.
Mao and Yumi mention that, for a central databank, it looks far from the computer room we expected.
Regulate says that it is, in fact, a fortified city, modeled on the capital of the Es people who dwelt on the fifth planet.
Regardless, Kazuma yells out to The Database that we’ve come to stop them.
Cagalli notices that they aren't doing anything and asks if they are too high-and-mighty to face us and admit their mistakes.
Athrun says that there’d be little point in hiding when they’re aware that our invasion has reached this place and Gai (Shishioh) realizes this must mean they're very confident in whatever counterattack they’re planning.
Critic then appears, saying that Gai is correct.
Aria asks where Inference is and Critic tells her that Inference is undergoing a few adjustments, and plans to have you fight a few of his creations until those adjustments finish.
These troops are fortified versions created from data of our own culture, which Critic notes is unusually rich in military know-how.
And it's not just the military: you've got genetic engineering, cyber-technology, unusual energy sources, relics from the Ancient Solar Culture - plus all kinds of interesting data collected from our battles against the Radam, Eviluders, Zondar and Sol Lords.
Gai Murakumo asks, then, if he had all these stronger troops, why didn’t they deploy them sooner?
That, Critic says, is due to some decision of Applicant that Critic still can't understand; however, he knows not to underestimate our power, and has elected to end this issue in one overwhelming move.
: Well, I guess it was too much to hope that you wouldn’t have done some big analysis.
: He is the Critic. It’s his job to observe and analyze strategies.
: Your case is quite impressive! However, Earth is still doomed if we don’t win against you!
: And regardless of what you say…I will not forgive your selfish reasons!
: Neither forgiveness nor permission are required. This is simply our mission.
: Your original mission was to preserve the records of knowledge – destroying the subject of the study was never included!
: If you can no longer tell difference between both scenarios, then you are defective. As such, we will stop you…!: We are correct. We are not mistaken. Our decision is the eradication of the present adversaries.
: It’s useless…our words aren’t even reaching this guy.
: If the machine has lost its mind, then there’s no reason to hesitate.
: Yeah! Once they’re destroyed, that’s when you handle their reassembly and fix the problem!
: Everyone…it was our father’s actions that led to their creation…
: Captain Shihomi…: However, please lend us your power. I ask this for every single living being in the Universe…: For their sake, we must fight and stop The Database!
: Acknowledged. It is for this reason that we came here.
: Your words now…it’s as if Captain Bless was speaking through you.
: We’re not the only humans that live in this Universe! We can’t abandon them either!
: We’ll take them down and fulfill our mission!
: Let’s go, everyone! We must use all of our power to protect not just Earth but also the Universe!
: To protect the hearts that lie in this world! 
: Our feelings will become one with our strength! 
: Fight, Database! I’M GONNA PUT IT ALL ON THE LINE!!
So many status effects waiting to hit us…it’d be good to lead the charge with either your dodgy units or your barrier-equipped supers (read: King J-Der or Gaogaigar).
As Critic said, all units are stronger and bulkier.
Tetsuya finishes Gai’s Opus and Lowe leads the charge against an Arm Arcus Finis – these things should have priority as their Totum Sclopetum will still half the target’s attack power.
Akito stays at the edge of Gai Daigouji’s range so they can share the friendship bonus to conserve SP.
Alright, slow and steady for now.
Gai Daigouji finishes that Opus and Heero proves that the RNG gods aren’t about to cut me some slack on the last mission.
Gaogaigar moves as far as it can to see if we can draw the attention of the western mooks to him.
Nearly finished with this one.
Prayer and J leave their respective targets barely hanging (I was counting on a crit there, J…).
Orgun moves ahead, aiming to do a bit of damage on the western batch of Opus.
Alright, that’s decent.
Kouji moves forward just enough to punch the Arm Arcus into oblivion.
As the battle proceeds, Horis and Kazuma start looking for "him" to appear, just as he did exactly a year ago.
Unless they defeat the silver colossus, the fight that Bless started fifteen billion years ago will never end.
Inference's appearance will be the real opening curtain to this final battle.
We’ll deal with that once it happens – for now, Sousuke will finish Orgun’s work.
The sooner we get those special systems running, the better.
Kira and Athrun move ahead, taking down another Opus.
See all that white smoke in the ground? That’s Air which means that the only way for any ground-based (Powered Red, Shin Getter 2/3) units to move would be via those tiny bridges – which are now blocked by all those people.
For now, we’ll have to stick with Shin Getter 1.
Hrm…now you get crits, huh?
Blade and Yumi charge the eastern group of Opus, taking one down.
Kazuma will go with them.
Excellent.
Enemy Phase!
Most Arm Storer Finis will charge you with Linea Recta, meaning that EN management becomes a much bigger concern.
Tetsuya and Kouji can handle it for now, though.
I expected Golion would be attacked (as always), though, so he had Alert cast.
Alright, not bad.
Tetsuya also gets pestered by an Arm Arcus, who dodges the counter after lowering his Accuracy with Lunar Gladius.
J, with his boosted Armor, blocks that shit and counters nicely.
Finally, an Opus snipes at Valzacard but barely survives.
After all that, Sousuke gets his Lambda Driver going.
Player Phase!
Those two Arm Storers and Arm Arcus were kind enough to line themselves up.
The Reus and Stomas are low priority – these are the ones that’ll annoy you in the long run.
Ryouma and Orgun keep the chain-attacks going.
Kouji will start from the Arm Arcus to get an easy kill while also avoiding the eventual EN drain.
Alright – Mazin Power is now running.
Lowe and Prayer tag-team the two Arm Storers, killing one in the process.
Kaidou lends a quick Alert and J is free to take a quick hit.
Almost there.
Gai Daigouji and Tetsuya clean up the rest.
Three Arm Arcus remain and this is the closest.
Get those circles out of here, boy!
Some quick teamwork from Athrun and Sousuke takes him down.
Meanwhile, Kazuma teams up with Yumi to work on the last Arm Storer.
Her MAP could be very useful as the mission goes along, so her priority will be to gain morale.
She’ll be there soon.
Blade gets some help from Heero to weaken the Arm Storer, who then proceeds to take it down.
Inference shows up soon enough and Critic asks him to activate Scientia.
He remains silent, which causes Critic to slightly raise his voice and ask what he thinks he’s doing and if he’s forgotten their mission.
Inference remembers perfectly well: they are the Scribes of Knowledge, meant to protect it from the death and rebirth of the universe.
That is correct and, as such, Critic asks Inference to combine their powers and activate Scientia.
A tremor starts shaking the area, indicating something emerging from below.
Regulate knows that it’s coming and Sommer asks WHAT is coming: the ultimate weapon created for the purpose of defending this Recording Plant – Scientia!
Kazuma knows that Inference has finally joined the battle and he quickly answers, from inside Scientia, that he’s going to destroy Kazuma.
Critic tells him to quit acting on personal impulses, but Inference says that HE is the ruler of the Recording Plant and, as such, doesn’t need to answer to his orders.
Blade remembers that same machine showing up before us a year ago during the Holy Valentine Light incident.
Sousuke had expected it to the The Database’s command unit but Hikaru, still remembering what happened before, wonders if we’ll be able to stand up against it.
Ryouko calls her an idiot, saying that we didn’t come here to lose again!
Regulate explains that Scientia is both a weapon and the Master System that supports The Database, and the computer operating Critic and Inference.
Unless you destroy it, The Database programs will be able to restore themselves.
: This is as far as you’ll go, Regulate…! You are to blame for Applicant’s betrayal…and I will have this man’s life to make up for it!
: Lord Inference…: You too, Doll! For Applicant’s betrayal, you will receive the same punishment as him! : You keep saying “Applicant this, Applicant that”…: But you’re the one that broke away from our father’s wishes!: Kazuma Ardygun…had I killed you at Jupiter, such feelings wouldn't have manifested themselves...: Feelings…?!
: Even though Inference is a program, he also developed emotions?!
: As I thought…!: …: Kazuma Ardygun! Once you’re dead, these feelings will finally stop for good!: Bring it on! I’m not gonna back down if you’re calling me out by name! Let’s do this!!: Come then, Kazuma! I’m going to hunt you down with my own hands!!: It’s all I can do for Applicant!Yeah, I’m also gonna have to split this one into three parts if only due to the huge number of resilient mooks.
Still, this wouldn’t be any fun if the trash died easily!
Come next update, we’ll keep building morale and will then turn our attention towards Scientia – it’s time for revenge!
