The Let's Play Archive

Super Robot Wars Z

by Brunom1, Dr. Pepper, Caphi

Part 223: Mission 58 - Memories - Part 1

Welcome back, folks. Last time, everything went to shit: the Angels’ Tree died, precipitating the Coralians’ awakening since Dewey wrecked their core, forcing Eureka to replace it in order to keep everything from getting wrecked. Renton’s lost his Focus and Zeal caster! We’re doomed!
Oh and we might’ve been swallowed by a huge dimensional distortion and vanished… but, at the very least, we’ve drastically reduced our “shit needs killing” pile. Now, our deployment slots have increased to their maximum – 20 – and Roger is deploying as an event:


Since we’ve made our descent back to Earth, Elchi and Fatman have moved back to the Iron Gear. Take the time to make sure the people who need Minovsky Crafts are equipped with them… I kinda forgot to do that for Jiron, which’ll lead to Enil being grounded (and the Esperanza is not good there).
Also, consider adding Zeal users to Loran and Renton’s squads. I would have done it but I also forgot am so good, I don’t need it.

Off we go now.



Renton regains consciousness in a field of utter blackness. He wonders where this is, as his last memory was of being engulfed in light over by Atlandia.
He then starts looking around for Eureka and starts calling out to her.



His eyes snap open, and the first person he sees is his sister, Diane, who’s amazed at how much he’s grown.
Quickly recovering from the shock, Renton asks where she's been all this time as both he and Axel were worried sick – hell, even after Break the World, he still couldn’t find her. She apologizes and promises they’ll be together from here on out.
She also assures him that his friends are safe, but the real question is what became of the dimension collapsing world and Eureka. Diane asks him to calm down and says where they are is Eureka’s true home: they’re inside the Scub Coral’s core right now!
Renton remembers we were fighting over the thing’s remains when the light enveloped us but he has to ask: just what kind of place is this core and, for that matter, what is Diane if she’s here. Is she a Coralian?
She’s no more Coralian than Renton is right now, but tells that she's learned an awful lot after taking over their father's research. In here, she’s touched so many different people and things from various worlds and managed to figure out how everything – the Trapars, Compac Drives, this world, the universe, people and the Coral – is connected.



The place they are now is the commingling of everyone's personal data: as such, lies don't exist here. Everyone gathered here have done so of their own free will and now they know no death or unhappiness.
Renton asks if they’re between dimensions and Diane says he can look at it like that: this place existed very close to their old Promised Land world but never actually touched it. All that the Promised Landers’ saw was the metaphorical tip of the iceberg which was the Coral-covered surface of their world.
When the Break the World happened, most of that surface Coral was moved beyond the dimensional walls and into this “space” of theirs – in fact, Diane says, people from so many different worlds have come here thanks to the Break.
Many who were deemed missing and presumed dead from warps, were in fact living within the Coral.
Renton asks, then, if the people in here are still human, what does that make the Scub Coral? It is a life form, just as their father had theorized long ago, but not even its hive-mind knows how exactly it came to be.
All it remembers is an ancient Break which gave birth to many different worlds and the Coral itself emerged upon their Promised Land right at that moment.



The Scub sought to communicate with other creatures in order to learn about them so it started absorbing and fusing with the other life forms. This is what allowed it to grow so large as to cover up all of their universe’s Earth.
The humans, fearing this expansion, fled the land and the Coral proceeded to fuse with every other living creature… it was then that it realized that it was alone in that world. There was no one for it to absorb and learn, much less someone who it could talk to and it was so for thousands of years.
The emptiness of space taught the Scub how important the existence of other creatures is and it was very happy when humans finally returned to the Earth/Promised Land. For one thing, humans were the only life form the Coral had the potential to actually converse with.
The Coral acted very carefully, knowing already that humans perceived it as a threat and also knowing that it was very poor at sharing its feelings in any other way than assimilating things. Still, it wanted a way to reach out to us and the answer to the question of how to coexist was Sakuya and Eureka.

Speaking of, is Eureka in here? Not quite: she became the new Command Cluster to prevent the Coralians awakening (and subsequent dimensional collapse) that would’ve derived from the humans destroying the old Cluster.
The dimensional collapse would cause the universe to tear itself apart, consuming everything, and it was only thanks to Eureka’s sacrifice that it didn’t happen.
Renton can't see how it's fair that Eureka has to stop being herself, but Diane tells him that her being the Command Cluster is the only thing stopping the collapse from occurring – release her and the world will end.
There is a solution though: humans could survive by being assimilated into the Coral first and living on as beings of pure will. Even should the Limit of Questions be reached, the Coral and all beings therein will simply move into a different universe.

: That’s…
: It’s a shame but this would be the better option for both sides.
: That’s how it’d all end? Even after you sent Sakuya and Eureka over to try and find a way for us to live together?
: There isn’t anything else that can be done.
: So you’re just gonna give up?!
: Renton…
: Haven’t we finally reached the point where we can acknowledge and communicate with each other?!
: …
: While I was listening to you, I realized how Eureka and I were both born on Earth… actually, not just us.
: All the people living in this world – and inside the Scub Coral – were also born there!

*People walk over.*

: He’s right.
: We might’ve been picked up from all sorts of different worlds, but we’re all living our lives on this one now.
: Gainer, Garrod!
: …The wills of so many people are gathered here.
: And they’re all alive, just in a different form.
: Guys…
: Still…I’d like to live in our world.
: Yeah… this place is a bit too quiet for my tastes.
: And this really doesn’t look like the kind of place my daddy would hang out on!
: Plus, there ain’t no mechs around. The Beater Services is gonna go bankrupt in here.
: So, I wanna go back to our old world!
: Same here. Nothing smells in here – it’s weird as hell.
: And I’d be real bored if I can’t have a little fight every now and then!
: That world may be filled with war and people hating each other…
: But that’s the sort of place where we’ve lived all our lives, right?
: Unification would enable people to understand each other but…
: But there should be other ways to bring that about.
: Yeah…! Just like the two of us!
: How can you get all lovey-dovey in a place like this?!
: And there are even times where people can reach an understanding by butting heads with each other.
: When teamwork can bring three completely disconnected hearts to join together as one, you know there’s something worthwhile going on.
: You can do that even if you were born in different planets.
: Or in different universes!
: That’s true. And, hey, you couldn’t even go hang out with your girl if we all fused together.
: Isn’t that right, Renton?
: Yeah!
: …
: We’ve made many bad calls and even fought each other... but we’re all together now.
: I’m sure we and the Scub Coral can understand each other, so I don’t wanna give up on that hope.
: And that’s why I wanna see Eureka again! So we can live together again - in that world!!
: …
: That’s how it is, Diane…
: Holland…
: Been a long time, huh… didn’t think I’d be seeing you in a place like this.
: Are you also against becoming one with the Scub Coral?
: I’d rather add stuff than become one with anything.
: Ah…?
: That’s my child inside Talho’s womb…
: …
: Children…family…
: And someday that kid’ll be all grown up, yelling at how I’m a crappy parent, while I’ll be this beaten-up old man…
: Still, that’s the life I wanna lead – Lifting over any sad, difficult waves.
: …
: …I understand…
: Sis…!
: But, Renton… know that there’s still more to come…
: Huh?

*Diane starts fading away.*

: You are approaching a crossroads… everything is resting upon your groups’ shoulders…
: The Primordial Power calls to you…
: Wait, sis! What crossroads…?!
: I believe in you, Renton…
: Sis! SIIIIS!!







: Where am…
: Welcome back, Roger…
: Big Ear...what happened to you...
: Understand, Roger… this city was created to be a stage without any memories prior to 40 years ago.
: It’s nonsense to ask if memories exist or not.
: …
: The final curtain draws near, so I just thought I’d let you know.
: “The final curtain”…? What for…?
: And what happened to ZEUTH…where are they…?
: You do not need to know.
: R.D….!
: You do not need to remember anything. All you have to do is play your assigned role as directed.
: Play…my role… who assigned it… who created this world…?
: Either way… aren’t you going to rescue the maiden?
: Rescue…the maiden…?
: That’s the job of the knight in shining armor, no?
: Job… my job is…
: Negotiator…




Mission 58 – Memories




: This is…!
: Paradigm City.
: But how… I was fighting in Atlandia…!
: Wait, what happened to Big Ear? And R.D.?! Or that theater?!
: What’s going on… the city’s completely empty! The Big O’s standing right here but there aren’t even any military police being dispatched…!
: …You’ve returned, Roger Smith.
: Alex Rosewater!
: But I’m afraid your continuous existence has become quite the annoyance.
: I see your towering hubris remains… what are you doing with this uninhabited city?
: I’ll show you.
: BIG FAU! SHOWTIME!







: A white Megadeus…!
: The Big Fau has been brought back to life with the memories of your little android.
: I see… that’s why you kidnapped Dorothy…! So, this Megadeus is the culmination of your ambitions…?
: That’s right. And I’ll crush your own Megadeus with it.
: !
: The people do not want to live in a world where gods fight amongst each other. One God is enough.
: And that’s you…?
: Paradigm City lies under the care of the Great Power – it is a world in itself. Whatever disturbances envelop the lesser world, this place will always know peace.
: And you fancy yourself king of this circumscribed land? Such a small-minded man.
: I would expect someone who does not know the true value of this place to say that. Your words mean nothing to me.
: You know exactly who you are… while I don’t have the slightest idea…
: But there’s one thing I do know!
: Even if everyone else excuses you for the sins you’ve committed to obtain your power, that’s not something I can agree to!
: I’m getting tired of your spiel.
: This…didn’t even qualify as a negotiation.
: No. Just for today, I outright refuse to try.
: Let’s deal with this mess quickly and rejoin ZEUTH.
: You dare take that tone with me…?! Big Fau, action! This is the grand finale!
: I will not show mercy to someone who’d harm my very being. And I certainly have no intention of wasting my words on your ilk!
: Alex! It’s high time you felt the weight of the people’s rage!



Well, shit…ain’t this guy far away. Oh, wait a minute!



: My dear Roger Smith, things would’ve been so much better had you simply stayed in the lesser world and never returned.
: Had you done that, I could have easily let you be.
: And, yet, you kidnapped Dorothy. That is tantamount to an attempt against my own life.
: So you’d bare your fangs at me over that android?
: If you believe an additional reason to be necessary, I’ll give you one.
: I simply do not care for you, Alex Rosewater!












And that's 27k damage! Also:
Roger attacking #1: “You are no more than a monster, cursed by the memories of the past!”
Special Final Stage line: “I now pull this trigger, in the name of all our future memories!”
Alex taking good damage: “At least you’re decent enough to properly wield the Black Megadeus.”



Either wait until turn 3 or do enough damage to trigger the plot and our people’s immediate arrival (don’t worry about Roger's SP) – you’re not on any timer yet.


: Ah, ZEUTH!
: Roger!
: Are you alright?!
: Of course. I can’t well die in such incomprehensible circumstances.
: It is the same for us, Roger.
: I dunno what was it that warped us here but we still got a job left to do!
: (It wasn’t an illusion when I saw them all inside the Scub… they really haven’t given up…!)
: Let’s rock, Renton! We’ll kick that suit’s ass in a hurry and go get Eureka!
: Yeah!
: Brother…
: I am neither human nor Fallen Angel now – I’m simply Sirius d’Alicia.
: Sirius…
: My doubts are no more…I shall bear my blade for the sake of our world!
: Always gotta be so fancy even when speaking the obvious…
: Heh… we’re countin’ on ya, Sirius.
: I don’t need you telling me that.
: The Big, Machine Angel, Turn Type, Early Overmen and ZEUTH…
: You vagrants disrupt the order of the world…! Here’s your due judgment for trespassing into Paradigm City!




Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!

: What’s going on?!
: These enemies are—!
: They’re all relics of the Black History…! Why are mankind’s worst creations here?!
: This is another portion of the power at my disposal.

*Alex backs away.

: I’ll enjoy watching you struggle from over here.
: How did you manage to get your hands onto these things, Alex?!
: If you’re so curious, I’ll explain: it’s all thanks to my business partner.
: More like “partner in crime”!
: Now, now. Let’s refrain from name-calling.
: That voice…!
: It can’t be…!
: It’s been a long while, Laura. And, of course, ZEUTH.
: Lord Gwen! You were the one who brought these relics back to life?!
: That’s right, Laura. And I now command enough strength to rule the entire world.
: And are you going to turn that strength against us?
: That depends on what you’ll do next.
: But how did a guy like him manage to get all these dangerous things?!
: It all started with this book I got from Duke Medayu.
: !
: “Duke Medayu”…that’s Ana’s dad, isn’t it?!
: Yeah but what does Wulgusk’s feudal lord have to do with the Black History?!
: “Metropolis”…
: The book Gordon Rosewater wrote, which describes the end of the world…?!
: Correct, Roger. However, my book has one decisive difference from the one you know: this one has been completed.
: WHAT?!
: I was just as surprised as you are to find a complete version of this once-thought unfinished work.
: How unexpected that it existed in a world outside of Paradigm City.
: What does all that mean, Roger?
: Just what is “Metropolis”?
: A book that describes the end of the world… though it appears to merely be a novel, I believed what is written in its pages to be the absolute truth of what happened in the past.
: The truth…?!
: Then what that bandaged man spoke of was…!
: Schwarzwald, somehow, found out about this city’s…or rather, of the world’s past. He gained knowledge of the Black History and it took hold of his mind.
: The Union and Schwarzwald both scoured the lesser world in search of this book.
: Everything is written within it: about the Break at the Black History’s end… and about the Great Power which brought it to bear.
: I joined forces with Mr. Rosewater and we began gathering relics of the Black History from various locations across our world, amassing all these troops.
: I also shared his interest in what was recorded in that book. So we struck a bargain: I’ll become the king of this city while he’ll rule the lesser world.
: Father… why did you give something so dangerous to him…?
: This book would be no more than a fantasy novel to the common folk. The only ones who can appreciate the truth written within are those who know that it is there in the first place.
: But my father would never give away something from his private collection!
: Your father loves you very much, Princess Ana.
: Huh…?
: I merely had to mention your name and he was so quick to surrender the book.
: Lord Gwen! You threatened Ana…?!
: How could you do that! Have you no shame?!
: Pipe down, child! Your father could not even understand the worth of what he had! The Great Power is meaningless to such people!
: Father... I’m so sorry…
: You two are some disgusting men!
: I thought you were better than that, Mr. Gwen! How could you turn out to be a common scoundrel?!
: All I had in mind was the world’s welfare.
: I’ll lead it well. At the very least, I’m certain I’ll do a better job than Scirocco or Durandal would have.
: I’ll rebuild society under the pillars of meritocracy and equality, where the invigorated industry will bring prosperity to all of humanity.
: You’re despicable, Gwen Rhineford.
: I never thought your ideals were so weak as to be corrupted by power...!
: Please. Do not bunch me with the likes of Gym Ghingnham, who was controlled and, ultimately, consumed by his newfound strength.
: While we have both been taken with the Black History, what I’m trying to accomplish is quite different. My ideals are as rock-solid as they’ve always been.
: And you think your goals justify all that foul play?!
: You are the same as all the others, trying to remake the world according to your self-serving vision.
: Say whatever you will. My army of Black Dolls will eliminate any who’d oppose my work.
: And you’re gonna pit those against the White Doll?!
: Psycos and Destroys… dolls of darkness…
: I don’t sense any pilots… they’re AI-controlled?
: Still, using those sorts of weapons is…unforgivable!
: Stop, Lord Gwen! The war is over! Why would you do this?!
: Laura, bring the White Doll and come to my side.
: Wh-what?!
: Join me, and fight as my general. I will set the world right but I'll need your strength for that, Laura.
: My name is Loran! And what you’re trying to accomplish is wrong, Lord Gwen!
: But it is necessary in order to keep our world from falling into the hands of foreign enemies or the corrupt!
: Your methods would only bring us closer to repeating the Black History, Gwen!
: Any rule with strength as its foundation is doomed to fail...! How can a man of your caliber, aware of the events of the Black History, fail to grasp that?!
: Ah, Amuro and Quattro. The two of you have absolutely no right to speak that way.
: Excuse me?
: A detailed account of the Black History is written within Metropolis. It tells of how your personal conflict grew to involve the whole world and ultimately led Earth to its death.
: Amuro and I...
: That’s correct, Lt. Quattro… or, should I say, Char Aznable. The inescapable past that haunts the dark corners of your mind will bring about Earth’s destruction.
: …
: And if ZEUTH’s existence will bring the Black History to life, then I’ll have to destroy you! If your wish is to avoid that future, surrender your strength to me!
: Power has transformed him completely…
: You disappoint me, Mr. Gwen. I had supported your struggles as they were fought with dialogue but…
: But now you’re no leader – just a tyrant who wants to control others!
: Please reconsider, Lord Gwen! Help us again!
: Why… Why don’t you understand, Laura?!
: Lord Gwen…
: Why won’t stand with me?! It is my deepest wish that we be together and yet…!
: Laura, I…I…!
: My name is…Loran…!
: These insolent men require a show of strength, Mr. Gwen…!
: …
: Laura… if you won’t be mine, then I…!
: …Farewell, Lord Gwen.
: But if what Gwen said is true, then… this battle raises a major issue around my own being…
: Lt. Quattro…
: If we’ll cause the Black History like he said, then perhaps we cannot be allowed to exist…
: To hell with it! You two would never do something like that!
: He’s right! And if it did happen…
: What would you do?
: I’ll fight against it!
: Me too, Lt. If that time comes, I’ll be there to stop you.
: …I guess that works. Looks like they’ve got this matter under control, Lt.
: Yes…
: Now that your minds are at ease, what say you we deal with these men who’d uproot our lives?
: Lord Gwen… here I come…!
: Alex! I shall bring an end to your precious Big Fau and shed light upon both your delusions!
: I am the true Dominus, Roger Smith!
: BIG O! ACTION!!

…Yes, those are THREE OverDevils. Their HP and defenses are the same as they were during the mission 35 fight but, of course, the problem is that they’re all packing that OverSkill and debuffing attacks.

…I’m going to need a moment to scream.

See you guys next Thursday, where we'll wrap this mission up!