Part 44: CH37: It's Over

CH37: It's Over



: Of course, I told him about what happened. How in the arena they'd not only defeated his replica, but replicas of the entire Chimaeriad, reinforcements he no longer possessed.


: Wingul!
: So you've made it this far.
: I'm assuming you're not going to just let us pass.
: Of course not. You should know well enough why I stand before you.
Turn back now.
: He said that as a human possessed motivation a 'mere replica' could not.
: Ha. I have a story to tell about 'mere replicas' if you'd like.
: You know we cannot oblige to that.
: Why are you so adamant about meeting His Highness?
: We must stop him and dispel the schism. It is the only way for the people of Rieze Maxia and Elympios to come together.
: So you side with the Elympions now. Your fickle self-righteousness sickens me.
I don't understand what His Highness sees in you! You will die here before you become any further burden to him!
: We'll see about that!





This battle is foregone.


Remember how I always complain about every boss I fight being able to waltz through my attacks like a refreshing summer breeze, never flinching? So remember that skill tome we got from the boss at the end of the last update? Yeah. Shoe's on the other foot now. We can NEVER be staggered as long as we're touching the ground. By "we" I mean Jude and whoever is linked with him, so hope you weren't hoping for me to do something other than Milla linked with Jude.


You can steal a pretty decent weapon for Jude here. I consider equipping it, but it's wind-elemental and Wingul resists that. So later.


My resistances are so high that, depending on which skills are active, elemental Mystic Artes can heal me instead.


: Or maybe he did know he couldn't win, and was keeping up appearances with me.






: His Highness is right. If we destroy the spyrixes, the world will change.
: You cannot force the world along a path it has not chosen for itself.
That's a revelation I have finally come to accept.
: Rowen...
: Only now you stand there, after all that has transpired, at the front of the fight. How pathetic of you.
But I'm not finished with you! I must help His Highness achieve his vision!
: Wingul loved Gaius, but I think he knew Gaius never would, or even could, return it.
: Why push yourself to the limit?
: Silence!
: Wingul, Gaius has not killed all of us for precisely the same reason...
...that he keeps you at his side.
If you were to die here, then Gaius' ideals will--
: Not another word! Say no more, Ilbert.


: He tried to fight again, but activating his booster in that state...


: Pull yourself together!


: Could this be a reaction to the booster?
: (No! I could never fall prey to a mere tool!)






: (Ilbert... Only Gaius is worthy to rule the world.)
(Perhaps you finally know how I feel.)


: Ultimately, his death was as futile as it was inevitable.



: Now what? I can't exactly leap these gaps in a single bound.


: Huh?
: You'll make it. Just flap your arms and believe in yourself.
: Now who's a big fat liar?
Seriously, though, what's the plan?
: No getting back up there.
: ......
: Rowen, I hate to say it, but it's hard to believe Wingul survived that.
: I know.
Still, I think I heard his voice right at the end.
: What did he say?
: I could not make out his words.
Regardless, it is not something that requires our attention at the moment.
We need to focus on how to extricate ourselves from our present predicament.
: Right. I think the best plan is for each of us to move forward separately.
: We're all heading to the same place, after all.
: This a race? We all know I'll get to Gaius first.
: Was that lie meant to discourage those of us who will reach him sooner?
: Whoa, gramps. Getting feisty!
: Hah, I'm totally gonna be first!
: I'll say hi to Gaius for everyone!
: Zing! Good one, Elize!
: Happy trails, everyone.



: It wasn't long before Jude and Milla met back up.


: Let's make this quick!


: You okay?
: Don't worry, I'm fine.
But I have to say, it's like fate keeps pulling us together.
: Ah ha ha! Took you long enough to notice.



Skit Video: Onward to the Final Battle


: Jude! I trust you're well. We have no time to talk.
: Right. I knew you'd be fine.
: I'm sure the others are too.
: What matters now...
: ...is moving forward!





: You've come.
: Why? Why did things end up like this?
: No one is to blame.
: You're right. Thank you.
: Muzét, return Maxwell to us.
: The world no longer needs him.
: No one is unneeded. If he is unneeded, then so are you and I.
: Shut up! I don't need a stupid lecture from you! And I certainly don't need him!
: Muzét...
: Hold on, we--
: There is nothing left for us to discuss here. You already know that.
: Of course that busybody had to interfere.


: What's happening?
: At last I have found you.
I shall sever the link between the Temporal Crossroads and the outside world. Leave those two to me.
: You fool. How dare you, Maxwell!
: Do you intend to just seal us away in here?!
: Wait a minute, Maxwell! What about all of Muzét's power?
: I will annihilate this space once I have severed the link. She will have no time to use her power.
: Hold on! Our friends are still here, too!
: I am sorry, but it is too late for them. This is our last chance.
: What will happen to the schism?
: When this space collapses, the schism should vanish.
: Why?! Damn you, Maxwell! Why do you always do this?
: Muzét, I regret putting you through this ordeal.
: Shut up! I won't let you take everything from me again!


: His teleport dodge was good, but...


: You insolent little--
: Stop Maxwell!
: Muzét, wait!
: You will face me now!





Gaius is pretty much the same as he was the last time we fought him, but we're much stronger.


So I've never actually picked up Beast before now for Jude, since it was on the outermost edge of the first lilium orb and I missed it. For those of you who don't know, it's a Tales staple that knocks people in front of you forward and down.


Gaius actually used his less than a second later.


Now the blue shield of bullshit is MINE asshole.


Gaius is feeling the burn.


Swallow Fury can be annoying except he can't knock me into the air anymore. Tough luck pal!









: Gaius!
: He probably went to Muzét.
: Let's go. The others must be around here somewhere, too.
: Right.



: In the end, it would all come down to this.






: Each of us was blocking the other's attacks.
: Maxwell!
: You fools! Why have you come?
: Muzét, grant me strength!
: It was time to pull out the big guns again.


: The Dimensional Blade.


: Gaius! Muzét!
: I don't understand. Why do you keep trying to stop us?
: I warn you. Keep this up and you will lose the person who is most dear to you.
: If I run, I won't be able to face her. Then I would really lose her.
: Milla, you already have something important to protect!
: And I can't let him see me back down.
: So I won't. I won't run!
: And I will fight!
: Your resolve is commendable. And I have no intention to stray from my path in any way, either.


: He transformed himself with the full power of the Dimensional Blade.
: The time has come! We shall see whose path continues into the future!







So this is it. But there's more here than meets the eye, this fight can be incredibly hard if you don't know what you're doing.


Gaius and Muzet will link, because duh.


Muzet can revive Gaius, so focus on her first (most people will, since she has less hp).


: Our problem was that Milla and Jude just had more friends than we did at that point.


So each party member is going to enter, then do their Mystic Arte. Including Elize, whose Mystic Arte I've never gotten around to showing (because it didn't want to trigger for whatever reason when I tried that time).


Gaius and Muzet have a few linked artes, here they do Twin Lance (similar to Milla and Jude's) on Leia, saving Muzet from my linked arte.


Elize's Mystic Arte is Scary-Go-Round.


Teepo fills with dark magic.


Then spirals around the target, forming a channeling circle.


Elize is the scariest little girl on the planet.


Pretty sure I showed you Rowen's before, but here it is.




So, Overdrive is one of two arte tomes we get from beating, well, this fight (did you notice a little hitch right before the fight started? EDITING IS HARD GUYS ). It's an arcane arte. That means...


: Their teamwork was amazing. I'd never seen anything like it.












Hell yeah.


Alvin's getting his Mystic Arte in too. Unfortunately I feel the need to swap him for Elize.


So Muzet can heal with those if you give her a chance, so we won't.


I'm not sure if he can use that, but let's not take any chances. Then I immediately switch back to linking with Jude, because it's just optimal once I've stolen everything.


Let's not forget we're not the only one with Mystic Artes. Too bad they don't have a team MA like we do.


I did this a few times to get some good footage of Tiger Blade Sigma, and the only time I ever got a game over was to having both Jude and Milla confused before Leia showed up.


Muzet's TP drain attack.


So here's a thing that can drive you up the walls if you don't know it's going down: Muzet heals when you attack her while she's blocking. It won't show up in green numbers, but it will happen. You can either use Alvin as your link partner to break her guard, or if you have the skill tome on Jude you can just attack her while she's attacking you or someone else.


Aaaaaand she has Opportune Moment like Rowen does, and will occasionally stop time when her backstep timing is right. Or something.


: Let me tell you being air-juggled by fiery kicks and swords is exactly as painful as it sounds.


Better shot of them using Twin Lance.




Not content with ripping off Rowen's Opportune Moment, she's got Elize's Angel's Cry too.


Huh, never noticed that. I'm not sure that's a good trade, AI.


Oh right.


It's the same Mystic Arte as before, however I've seen it hit a party member that straight-up had enough resistance to absorb it a few times.


Here's their other linked Arte, Flight of Kings. It's triggered off Swallow Fury, and is essentially a bigger, dual-character version of the same.


Leia is not having a good time up there, even though most of it missed her.


Here it's giving me an even worse time. Jude auto-revived and Milla got a life bottle.


: I thought I was really finished. It was all I could do to hang onto my mana and not turn into a spirit fossil right then and there.


All that linking, life leeching, and Leia and Elize beating on him has got Gaius pretty low too.


And now it's just a giant dogpile.


Burn!


: And he fell.