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[McDohl]

He never really says "GET BENT" outside of the cutscene when he's interviewed on television.  Kanji is a rough-and-tumble kind of guy.  First-year student at the high school.  Has a reputation of being a thug, but he's really got a heart of gold.

[Classic]

Also maybe he likes men? It's ambiguous.

[Mothra]

Nah he is one hundred percent gay, make no mistake.

Although he does get turned on by [spoiler]Naoto[/spoiler], but it's when he thinks she's a he, so

[Classic]

He also gets turned on by basically any risqué scene involving any of the female leads.

[François]

*: Looks like the first basement of the Cathedral is already under Gaian control. The creatures we run into down here are Itzamu-Na, Assassins, Succubi, Vampires, Liches, Abaddon and Samael. There are as many random encounters as ever, but at least most of what we do meet is usually quite friendly. Every once in a while a Samael or something gets it into its head to try and take us down a peg, but Fleurety's ice spells come out faster than anything else, and then it's just a question of letting our melee beasts do their thing.

A bit further we start running into Gorgons, Choronzon and... Rusalka? Huh. Choronzon are Law-aligned but they know better than to pick fights with us.



The place is a pain in the ass to navigate. I find an up stairs leading to a section of the ground floor I haven't explored yet, but I don't know if it's worth going up there because I'm not sure if it's only accessible this way or if this is just one of multiple entrances to the basement. Hmm...

Eh, I'll keep going.

...never mind, my current path in the basement is a long winding dead-end. Back to the ground floor!


Lv62 Jashin Tezcatlipoca
A major Aztec god, presiding over a whole laundry list of things, including obsidian, sorcery, the night sky, beauty and war. He's usually depicted as a humanoid figure with its right foot replaced by a snake, so I guess that's close enough. He's said to collaborated with Quetzalcoatl to create the world, at a time where there was nothing else in existence but the sea and a gargantuan crocodile monster. Tezcatlipoca used his own foot as bait to capture the beast, and the two gods made the world out of its body. He's a pretty scary fighter with a high Magic stat; he knows Devil Smile, Mudo and Mudo-on, but doesn't have a whole lot of MP.

Okay, that's a Jashin. I must be on the right track. In fact, we start running into Scanners and Ganesha.


: Young humans... Do you not think that no matter how much you resist, there is nothing you can do to stop God from eventually destroying this world?
: I've stopped everyone who needed stopping so far. I don't see how God's so special that he'd be an exception.
: To resist even when you think you have no chance is truly to live. When we demons die here, we merely return to the Abyss... You resist even though you only get one chance. I think I shall lend my aid to you...
>Yousei Tam-Lin became your minion.

Lv55 Yousei Tam Lin
Tam Lin was a mythical Scottish lad who fell off his horse in the forest of Carterhaugh. The local Queen of Fairies rescued him and nursed him back to health, but it turns out that these particular fairies owed a sacrifice to the Devil and he was afraid they only helped him so they could kill him when the time came. Long story short, he met a virgin human girl in the woods, got her pregnant, and she managed to rescue him from the fairies. He's got passable fighter-type stats for his level, but he's most remarkable for his Raku-kaja and Raku-nda.


Lv50 Ryuu-ou Quetzalcoatl
The famous feathered serpent god from the Aztec pantheon. He's known as the Lord of the Morning Star, and is said to have invented the Aztec calendar and to have given corn to mankind, which may not sound like a huge deal but actually is one. It's an average fighter for its level, and doesn't seem to have much going for it; it has Bite, Shock and Tail.


Lv53 Jaki Girimekra
In Sri Lankan mythology, Girimekra (or Girimehkala) is the elephant mount of the demon lord Mara, an evil being who exists to tempt the Buddha with earthly pleasures. It has a single eye, and curses all that look into it. Just like Gurr may be a demonized Garuda, Girimekra could well be a demonized version of Ganesha. Most of its stats are pretty bad, but it has very high Strength and HP for its level. It knows Parala-Eye, Venom Breath and Panic Voice, but it's most remarkable for reflecting physical damage. That is definitely one demon you never want to use Auto-fight on by accident.

There are so many places we can go, it's getting exceptionally difficult to try and explore everything. I find another way back down to another area of the basement.

We meet a couple of Cu Chulainn, and they manage to Mahanma Hariti, Fleurety and Abaddon away. Kei raises them, but the first two lose their MP and are therefore all but useless for now. If this happens much more, I might have to Toraport and start over. Besides, I can't have Kei spend all her MP on Ricarm.

After entering a door in the basement, we meet Brownies, Lady Zombies and Gaki... In fact all we see here are the full complement of Kichijoji demons! That's weird. It's a nice breather, but it's weird.

I return to the ground floor again. Looking at the map, I can't help but do a double-take.



The place is at least 24x24. The biggest areas we've seen before were 16x16; frankly I thought that was as large as they were gonna get. Wow.

Back to the basement. This corridor leads to a one-way door. Hmm... Well, this place is big, but it hasn't been too difficult so far. If it takes me back, it's not the end of the world. We keep meeting older demons, like Orobas and Elves. If I want to fuse stuff, I may have more options than I thought.

Alright, found more stairs.

...wait.



That was just a long convoluted one-way loop! Who's the retarded Mesian architect who came up with this? Bah!

I backtrack to the nearest fork and keep going. Eventually we return to the ground floor, before a one-way gate that leads to the north-east corner, which we haven't been to yet. It looks like we're making progress.

And then we get taken back to the basement for good measure. I hope I won't have to do this again, it's gonna be all kinds of confusing.

Okay, we reach an area with apparently very few random encounters.



One of the corridors here leads to a sealed door. Feels like we're almost getting somewhere.

A little further ahead...



We're asked if we want to go inside.

: Ehhh, I'm not so su- ha! Who am I kidding? Let's go.


: Well, God did resurrect him. If anything, Kaneda is the type of guy who repays his debts.
: He's finally managed to activate the Cathedral's central nuclear reactor.
: WHAT?
: And if that wasn't bad enough, the Archangel Michael's arrived on the 8th floor of the Cathedral, bringing a small army of high-ranking, powerful angels along with him!
: To be honest I'm more worried about the reactor. I still haven't learned how to kick the ass of a nuclear explosion.
: Those Law types don't even care that we've got the Asura Lord holed up right here in the Cathedral!
: Who?
: They're hell-bent on summoning God, no matter who or what is here in the Cathedral to oppose it! We've got to stop them! We have to kill Michael before they get that chance! Come on, Rie! Let's go!



:

*: For some reason we get moved to the square just east of the Heart of the Cathedral, with no way back. Oh well.

Whew, after switching between the ground floor and the basement so much I've lost count, we find a staircase that takes us to the second floor. I hope it's not going to be an ordeal like that all the way up to the 8th floor.

Okay, so the floor is a maze, but at least it's content to not send us up or down.



Already? Alright then.



Yikes, this guy is so tall the camera has to pan upwards to show all of him. It must be one of the powerful angels Tetsuo was talking about.


: I'm not even going to try to reason with you. You're just as bad at this whole good-and-evil thing as Orias was, it's just that your skin is a different color.
: Begone! I shall purge you from the earth myself, along with the rest of the darkness!
: Just try it, Papa Smurf.



*: He hits hard and manages to Bind Kei halfway into the fight, but I replace Lich with Tam Lim, and the latter reduces Uriel's defense with Raku-nda until Francois hits for over 1000 damage per turn. That's one Seraph down.


: If he even shows up at all, it's gonna be the Five Minute Kingdom.

Lv? Seraph Uriel
His name meaning "Light of God", or "God is my Light", Uriel is one of the few angels with a known name, though he's apparently never named in typical Judeo-Christian canon, only in apocryphal scripture. Interestingly, when he is named, it is usually along with Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, as a guardian of the cardinal directions, just like the Heavenly Kings.

Seraph are the highest ranking angels, and the beings who are the closest to God, naturally Light-Law. They're technically the same family as Tenshi, but Seraph are all unique individuals, not to mention spectacularly powerful.

*: Right next to Uriel's room is a staircase to the third floor. We're still in good shape, but I'd feel much better about this if I still had Hariti's and Fleurety's MP fully charged. Oh well.

The third floor is more of the same, a vast maze. I got nervous for a while because Kei stayed bound for most of it, and I need her to cast Mapper, or even Toraport if it comes to that. Fortunately she recovers before we meet...


: I've killed a lot of people, and even more demons, but nowhere near as many as you lot. Don't talk to me about depravity.
: There can be but one penance for your sins -- the sting of death! And I shall be the one to deal it!
: How about a taste of your own justice?



*: Ow, Gabe knows Makala-karn, Bufula and Maha-Zionga, and is immune to physical damage (but not to firearms, fortunately). This is already a trickier fight. Many of my demons are capable of dealing some type of elemental damage, but Gabriel has high magic defense on top of that. I do most of my damage by summoning Cu Chulainn to use Taru-kaja, then unloading with Francois' and Kei's guns. I recruited that Cu Chulainn to get him out of my hair, but he's really coming in handy.

Eventually, I have the good fortune to Charm Gabriel with Kei's Magic Shells, so that about seals the deal.



Lv? Seraph Gabriel
Gabriel, "the Strength of God", is already a bigger deal. He visited the prophet Daniel, announced the births of John the Baptist and Jesus, and in Islam, he's the one who gave the Qur'an to Mohammad on God's behalf.

We get two levels for our trouble, and the way to the fourth floor is open.


Lv57 Ryuu-ou Yamata No Orochi
A legendary eight-headed serpent beast from Japanese mythology, said to be as big as a mountain. Legend has it that it demanded a yearly virgin sacrifice from a couple of earth deities. When they were down to their eight and last daughter, the storm god Susano-o showed up after being expelled from Heaven for being a douche to his sister Amaterasu. Susano-o turned the girl into a comb, hid her in his hair, then got Orochi massively drunk and cut the beast to pieces. In what's probably the most important part of the tale, Susano-o is said to have found a magnificent sword in the beast's lair, a sword which is none other than the Kusanagi-no-tsurugi. Orochi's fairly fast and durable, but its Strength is low for its level. Appropriately, it has a multiple-hit basic attack, plus the Bite and Crush skills.

There are damage traps here, but that's nothing I'm not equipped to handle. We find Bullets of Light in a chest (40 attack power, Law-only), which I'm never going to use, so I throw them away.

This floor also features many asinine teleport traps that take us all over the place. It only delays the inevitable, though.


: The last guy who talked to me about defiling some place got his Cheerios peed on. Just so you know.
: You, foolish one! Do you insist on continuing your wicked, murderous crusade!?
: YES!
: Accursed child of man, covered in the blood of the righteous! Francois!! I shall put an end to your crimes myself!
: You. Can. Not. Stop. ME!



*: Raphael has a very strong physical attack that can hit the entire group, but I'm the clever monkey here. Senko puts up Tetra-karn every turn, and I can just sit back and play "why are you hitting yourself" with the mighty seraph. Every once in a while Raphael strikes before Senko acts, but Ravana and Kei are more than equal to the task of fixing us up. It's over in a few turns.



That's three more levels. Wow!


: Whatever.
: There is nothing you can do to stop it! You will fail... it is only a matter of time before you and your heathen allies are destroyed...
: ...

Lv? Seraph Raphael
Raphael, "Healing of God", is only named in the Book of Tobit, which is only canon for Orthodox and Catholic Churches. He travels alongside the titular character's son to recover a sum of money stashed somewhere in Iran. He's associated with healing, but mostly on account of curing Tobit's blindness, at the end of the trip.

*: I suppose one of the perks of being a Seraph is that nobody has the stones to bug you about how ridiculous your hairdo gets.


I expect a staircase, but...



Hmm.



Well, that should be a good chunk of the Cathedral done right there. For next time, I think I'll warp back to the entrance, heal up, check out the Mansion, then come straight back here.

It's kind of strange. None of the Seraph so far have been in the way, they just happened to be in rooms right next to staircases. I could have passed right by them. But where would I get my fun, then?

[François]

*: Before I do anything rash, I have to try something on a hunch. I go back inside the way we just came through, I have Kei use Toraport to take us to the Cathedral Terminal, then she uses Toraest to take us outside.



Excellent! We're returned to the last exterior building we've entered, so we've essentially got ourselves a checkpoint. As long as we don't go to the overworld by any other entrance (like, say, coming out of the main entrance to the north, or using a Terminal to go to Tokyo Tower and then leaving with the friendly turtle), we should be able to Toraest back here anytime we want to. That's great news!

Alright, now for the fusions.

Senko + Takemikazuchi + Abaddon =

Lv69 Kijo Kali
In modern Hinduism, Kali is often seen as a goddess of time and change, but as the consort of Shiva, the god of destruction, she's better known as the bloodthirsty, warlike goddess of death. Even today there are still rare stories of human sacrifice committed in her name, whether ritualized in some remote region, or as the act of some deranged killer acting on his own. That said, for all of her darker attributes, she usually acts for the general benefit of the universe, and when she enters the field of battle in person, it's usually to combat the evil and the abominable. She's an outstanding warrior with immense Strength, decent Speed, and a basic attack that I've seen hit five times. She's got Tentarafu and Mudo-on, and her Death Touch and high Magic stat considerably increase her durability. She's really worthy of being the mightiest Kijo.

That was a ? fusion so maybe I got lucky there. Abaddon and Senko can be recruited again, and to be honest Takemikazuchi wasn't pulling his weight; his electricity spells overlap with Kei's, and his one-hit attack just doesn't cut it.

That leaves me with two slots, which is just enough to pick up a Scylla and a Dakini so I can make an Undine.

Undine + Fleurety =

Lv66 Datenshi Flauros
A Great Duke of Hell, commanding over thirty-six legions of demons, appearing as a terrifying leopard. Like other Datenshi are wont to do, he answers truthfully to all questions, but only if appropriate magical precautions are taken, or else he lies and misleads and cheats. If you need some people set on fire, he can do that for you as well; he'll even torch other demons if asked nicely. He's a well-balanced fighter mage with high MP and respectable attack power. Appropriately enough, he knows Agirao, Maha-Agion and Wall of Flame.

I heal up, save, then Toraest back to the center of the Cathedral island.

There are two buildings we can enter here. I don't think I have any indication as to which is which. Eh, let's go to the eastern one.

Hmm, wait.



There's a fourth entrance I hadn't seen, and it even looks like I missed a building further to the south, near the shore. I think I could have reach the place by swimming. Hmm.

Well, whatever. I still go to the east entrance.



We're still on the fourth floor, which makes sense. Right away there's a one-way door leading inside; whatever our way back will be, this won't be it. Now it's just a question of finding Michael and Kaneda, and ending this madness.

We run into some pretty serious damage traps, but again that's nothing Amulets can't handle.



Err... I'm trying to reach the 8th floor. Hmm. Well, maybe the nuclear core is underneath us, so we might as well check it out.

Checking the map on the 3rd floor...



Hey, I've been here. That's odd. I suppose it's all the same third floor no matter where you come from. I return to the fourth floor.


Lv62 Youjuu Fenrir
The son of Norse trickster god Loki and of a giantess, Fenrir is a monstrous wolf who had been prophesied to kill Odin when Ragnarok, the end of the world, came. The other gods sought to prevent this by capturing him, which they accomplished, though it cost the god Tyr one of his hands. Unfortunately that precaution was entirely in vain, as when Ragnarok came, Fenrir broke free, fought with and ate Odin, then went on to devour the moon. It took the intervention of Vidarr, god of vengeance and son of Odin, to finally put Fenrir down by tearing off its jaw. It's a very good fighter-type with high Strength for its level; it knows Claw, Bite and Ice Breath.

Aw, frikkin' teleporters again. Dang.



Huh. So I've been everywhere here. That's odd. I didn't notice the two exits either. Well, we came in from the east, let's the try the north one. I wonder why I didn't even see it while exploring...



Wait, what?

Oh, wait. So these must be two exits from the same area, that's why the north exit was on my minimap even though I didn't even see it while exploring: I had already taken it when I arrived here the first time. That's more confusing than it needed to be. Anyway. Let's go west this time.



Okay, I think I see what's going on. This west entrance won't be any help, it's just gonna be a mirror image of the eastern one. Let's hope the southern building will take us somewhere useful.



Whew! Alright, we're back in business. Fifth floor, here we come.

There are more traps here. Francois gets hit for almost 300 damage, so they're serious business. The rest of the floor is fairly straightforward. I don't explore everything, because I'm not sure what I could really find that'd be worth it now that I've got some of the best (if not the best) equipment I'll ever have, more money than I'll ever need, healing items up the wazoo, and a quantity of magnetite that's literally game-breaking. Anyway, on to the sixth floor.



It's unusually wide-open, which makes me expect teleporters or pitfalls or invisible walls or something. There are certainly more traps, though. Craploads of them, even. I don't know how we'd survive this without Amulets or Core Shields. The stairs up to the seventh floor aren't too hard to find, though.

I can take about a dozen steps on 7F without running into any encounters, which for a moment gives me hope that there won't be any... but...


Lv71 Jashin Totetsu
Totetsu is the Japanese name of the Taotie, an ancient Chinese monster said to be one of the Four Evil Creatures of the world. Appearance-wise it was said to be a sort of predatory, vaguely humanoid sheep, with prominent horns and sharp teeth. It was known for its insatiable appetite and bottomless greed, so much so that even today its name is still associated with these concepts. It's a decent fighter, fairly durable, but it's most remarkable for its high Intelligence and Magic, wih which it can cast Tentarafu, Maha-Agion and Death Touch.


: Well, you certainly look out of place.
>The demon is ignoring you.
: Just so you know, either you go through the meat grinder like everything else in here, or we talk this out like civilized people.
: You are foolish, Francois! I tire of seeing your stupid face!
: Wow. If you've heard of me, you should know better than to front like that.
: Do you think a mere human could scare me?
: Haha, "mere human"! You really the king of fairies, or are you the court jester?
: Now you've done it, you've made the great Yousei Oberon mad... En guarde!!

Well, I tried.

Lv64 Yousei Oberon
Oberon's fairly famous for his role as the king of fairies in S-Peezy's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Being the upstanding fellow that he is, he slips a love potion to his wife Titania on account of a domestic dispute, causing her to fall in love with a donkey-headed weaver and causing all sorts of wacky mishaps and Jesus I am not summarizing this play to you any longer because seriously. That said, The Bard didn't come up with the name himself; it's apparented to Alberich, a figure from Medieval Frankish lore who also plays a major role in Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. He's a fast caster-type, not so weak that he can't fight, but much better suited to using his massive MP on Hapilma, Maha-Zionga, and the ever-so-useful Makala-karn. He's the highest-level Yousei in the game.

*: I later recruit a less ornery version of Oberon, for enough magnetite to drop me below 90k, which is great news. Can't say no to a Makala-karn user! We also start running into loose Pendragon, which obviously aren't a problem.


: No. Don't lose confidence in yourself, Tetsuo. You have the power. Calm down, surely there must be some way to get it open. Let's just think for a moment.
: Hey, Mister T, what's up?
: Oh! Hey Francois! So you made it here too, eh? As you can see, we've pretty much hit a dead end. And after all this way too!
: Wait, after all this slaughter, we're being kept out by a freaking door?
: The path to Michael's command center is beyond this door, so if we could only open it, we could get there, kill him, and end this conflict once and for all...

*: There's nothing else on that floor. I must have missed something on the way. Well, that's typical. Let's fine-tooth this mofo.

Whew. After a long bout of revisiting, I find a down staircase near the Heart of the Cathedral on B1F. Man that took a while to find.


Lv54 Kijo Rangda
A demon queen of Balinese folklore, leading armies of witches against Barong and its allies. She also rules over the Leyak, horrifying creatures that resemble floating heads with entrails and organs still attached. She's is usually depicted as an ugly, half-naked old crone with bulging eyes. If something goes wrong somewhere in the world, it's probably her fault, directly or indirectly. She's an okay fighter for her level; she knows Sibabu, Happy St(?) and Marin-Karin, but doesn't have the Intelligence to back them up. Her true threat lies in her physical damage reflection.

There are a bunch of annoying teleport "puzzles" here on B2F, but after a bit of fiddling around...



Well, that's new and exciting and almost a little creepy!

*: Next time, we explore further down into the bowels of the Cathedral!

[François]

So. Either the Mesians have hired a new interior decorator, or the Gaian leadership is already set up down here and has been doing a bit of pre-emptive remodeling.

Can't say I'd blame either.

*: Our computer doesn't work in here, so no reinforcements, and no automap. Even Kei's Mapper is scrambled.

The area doesn't seem too complex, though. It has several corridors and doors, and they all seem to lead to dead-ends of various lengths.

Hmm.

I walk to the end of the red platform. This isn't just darkness. It's an empty dark void.

: Kei, how do you feel about doing something crazy?
: You mean, crazier than usual?
: Good point.

I jump off.



Well, that was anticlimactic.

: It's safe to come down!

*: Still can't use the computer, but this seems like a new area. Nowhere to go but forward!

There are Basilisk, Choronzon and Manticore, plus more of what we've been seeing down here so far. Nothing to worry about, in any case. That's good, because there are still buttloads of 'em. At least there are way fewer four-group encounters than at City Hall.

I find an up staircase before long, but that's probably the way back. We need to go deeper.


: That's us alright. Say, is there any chance we could talk you into putting on some bottoms? Looks like you're making yourself a little too much at home here.
: It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to one as powerful as he! Truly, your actions are to be admired! That you have been victorious in your battles so far is a boon to our cause!
: Hence, it follows that I'm important enough that one should put some pants on when I visit.
: If you continue on your winning streak, then perhaps there is a chance that one day I will be able to discard this hideous body of a Maou that God cursed me with, and return to my true form as the beautiful goddess of fertility, Ishtar! Ho ho ho ho ho ho!
:
: Courageous little ones, do not fall prey to the deceptions of the minions of God! The law and order they espouse only serve to bind you! Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!
: I kinda wish they would.
: I think he said "bind".
: ...right. Well, mister madam, please don't let us keep you from whatever it is you're doing down here!

Wow. At least that snake had two eyes.



*: So yeah, I don't keep all of those on display. How'd you guess?

Lv? Maou Astaroth
Either a Duke or a Prince of Hell, depending on who you ask. He's represented as a nude man with dragon limbs and angel wings, riding a wolf and holding a serpent; he comes to the aid of accusers and inquisitors, and is apparently capable of seducing men. His shpiel about Ishtar checks out, by the way, so he really was a Babylonian fertility goddess before he got demonized.

And close to Astaroth's room...



I bet Astaroth is an equivalent to the Seraphs we met, but for a Law-aligned character. Anyway, B4F!



Aw balls. There are invisible walls in the darkness, too. I never did find a torch or something, have I?

We start running into large groups of Fleurety down here. Flauros can put up a Wall of Fire to defend us from cold and then whup them with Maha-Agion, but that's only if he doesn't get frozen before he can act. I had recruited a Succubus to get them out of my hair (so I wouldn't have to deal with their paralyzing kiss), but Fleurety are much more dangerous, so I might get one instead.

After a bit of searching, I find Bullets of Darkness (40 power, Chaos-only). I think I'll try them out, but I don't expect them to be more useful than my old Magic Shells.

...



Gah! This is going nowhere, slowly. Eh, what the hell: I have four Fuma Bells, which are basically an Estma cast each. Rag trades those, but he's exclusively dealing with fish these days, so unless something drops 'em, they're the last I'll ever see. But this darkness is just too much of a pain to backtrack through.

...as if on cue...





Oh.

Oh my.

I don't think words can properly express the...

Eeesh.


: Yyyyyeah.

One one hand, I'm glad we're on the same side. On the other hand, what the fuck have I gotten myself into?

: You are indeed gallant and true -- most humans take one look at us and do not even try to understand our cause, believing us to be wicked and evil!
: don'tstareatthegiantvaginamouthdon'tstareatthegiantvaginamouthdon'tstareatthegiantvaginamouth
: Are you staring at my giant vagina mouth?
:
: ...
: ...
: I, err, I wouldn't dare! Please carry on!
: Continue on your path, be true to yourselves, and fall not prey to the wiles of God's minions.

Someone sounds like a self-help booklet.

Or, an atheist self-help booklet.

With a giant vagina mouth.

Lv? Maou Arioch
Arioch is the name of a couple of biblical characters: a king who opposed Solomon, and the man whom Nebuchadnezzar put in charge of executing the wise men of Babylon. He was later repurposed as a demon by grimoire scribes in lack of inspiration, I suppose. He also appears as a fallen angel in Milton's Paradise Lost.

*: There are stairs nearby. B5F! And no wretched darkness this time! The place is trapped, but that's not a problem.

The path winds on itself a bunch, but it's straightforward, and I'm still high on the beautiful sound of the Fuma Bell, so I reach the stairs to B6F without problems.



That's another wide-open floor with tons of traps.


: I could ask you the same, but I'll be gracious. We're looking for a big mean battering ram from Hell.
: Let me assist you. I have some information that might prove useful to you. The demon Maou Beelzebub has arrived at the island to the west. If you make him your minion, he will prove to be a strong ally, and will make your fight significantly easier.
: Hmm, that is helpful. Thank you.
: I doubt that he will refuse to cooperate with you, but on the off chance that he does, tell him that I sent you.
: Alright then, we'll pay him a visit.

Well well well, what a man of wealth and taste! And he was pleased to meet us, too. I didn't even have to guess his name!



*: There are stairs to B7F just behind big man Lou. Still no encounters for the moment!


: Maybe he can give us a hand with that door.
: Oh yeah, that's right... Rie said she needed to talk to you about something. Hey, Rie! Francois' here!




: No, really? You mean the strange new girl suddenly appearing at my comrade's side is actually the girl who had just made a scene at me for not being with her? Somebody help me, it's like my world is falling apart here.
: This isn't the way it was supposed to work out.
: I dunno, I'm feeling pretty good about it on my end.
: You and I were supposed to be the new Adam and Eve, and start a new age together.
: what
: But... I was kept away from you. That's why I... Why I tried to take... the one you had chosen instead of me. I wanted to be your partner so much... But it just didn't work out that way.
: ...
: I'm sorry. Please forgive me for what I did. I won't ever bother you again. Farewell, Francois...

You know, for a moment, the murderous bitch almost made me feel sorry for her.


: Oh, wow, Tetsuo. You still kinda deserve better than this. I don't know what to tell you.
: Damn, so all this time I was just a fill-in for you? That kind of pisses me off.
: What can I say? Chicks, man, they crazy.
:
: Present company excluded, of course!
: Eh, no big deal I guess.
: Rrrright.
: Anyhow, the Asura Lord wants to meet you. Go on already.
: Are you gonna be alright?
: Me? I'd... kind of like to be alone for a while. See you.

Awwwwwkwarrrrd!

*: We're let through the door not one moment too soon. I guess this is where Law characters get blocked off. There's the staircase to B8F soon afterwards.



Lots of doors here. At least the three before us, and three more behind, including the staircase. Let's go right ahead.




: Pleasure's mostly mine, sir.
: I am Tenma Asura Lord, though before I was turned into a demon by God I was known as the god Ahura Mazda. I am the general of the army of Chaos demons.
*: Ahura Mazda is the Zoroastrian demiurge, their equivalent of the Judeo-Christian God. Zoroastrianism is a monotheistic religion as well, so he's about as big a deal as it gets.
: I led the invasion of this Cathedral, in order to crush the plans for the establishment of the Thousand Year Kingdom. Our original intention was to destroy the Cathedral entirely, eliminating the possibility of its unleashing the havoc that would come should God be summoned. But the invasion went so much better than planned -- we have already gained control of half of the Cathedral.
: Good job on that, by the way. I was expecting to be knee-deep in angel feathers by now, but this is nice. Or, well, nicer. I suppose.
: Destroying it would be easy enough -- we control the lower floors so it would only be a matter of collapsing its foundations. However, I have decided to go for the extra push and not destroy it, but conquer it entirely instead.
: I don't know if that's such a good-
: Once the Cathedral falls fully under our control, I plan to hand it over to the Gaians, who want to convert it into a Grand Gaian temple.

You know, Gaians are humans, mostly. To think that a demon general would just hand this place over to us, well, I think I can get behind that.

: The Cathedral will become a sanctuary to the ancient gods who have suffered for so long, after being turned into demons and imprisoned in the Abyss by the God of Law. It will tower of Tokyo forever as a symbol of the friendship between humankind and demonkind.
: Even when I was nominally on their side, the Mesians never talked about friendship. They mostly talked about slaughtering everyone. I kind of like where this is going.
: However, there is one obstacle left in the way of our conquering the Cathedral --  the general of God's army himself, the Archangel Michael. If he does not die, we will never be able to win.
: Wait for it... Waaaaait for it...
: This is admittedly a huge task, but I would like you to undertake it, Francois.
: How'd I guess?
: You have been a beacon of hope to our forces so far, and I can think of none other who would be better suited to take on this responsibility. Will you do it for us?
: Well, it's nice to feel needed. Yeah, what the heck, I've come this far.
*: We don't get a yes/no option here. Well, we've already punked three Seraphs, it's not like they'd take us back even if we apologized.
: In order to make it to Michael, you are going to need the Belial Pot, Arioch's Fang, Astaroth's Feather, retrieve Surtr's Claw, and return here.
: Alright then, I'll go pick up your stuff for you, whatever. And hey, if you see Echidna, tell her hi for me. She doesn't call anymore, I wonder what's up with that.

*: Well, we got our game plan. I have a good idea of where to find Arioch and Astaroth, but I don't know where Surtr is, and I have no clue where Lilith took the Belial Pot. Hmm. On top of that, we might want to find Beelzebub; I wouldn't mind having a Maou in my squad. An island to the west, eh?

Looks like there's more to this game yet!

[R^2]

Taotie is adorable in DS2. Arioch and Astaroth haven't changed at all.

But, uh...

You have to get one of Arioch's fangs? You know where those things come from, right? 

[Mothra]

Abaddon noooooooooooo

[François]

*: We could get out right away, try and find Beezelbub, then make our way back down here while collecting assorted Maou bits... But hey, we're here already, might as well explore the rest of this floor first.



Okay then. There's literally nothing here but the Asura Lord and the staircase we came down from. Eh, it's just as well, it spares the duration on my precious Fuma Bell. I Toraport back to the Cathedral Terminal, heal up, and check the Mansion. If Beelzebub is to come with us, I'll need a minion slot to put him in, and I'm already at capacity.

...oh hey, I have 12 allies now. How did that happen?

Tam Lin + Cu Chulainn + Ravana =

Lv64 Megami Lakshmi
Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of prosperity, wealth, wisdom, fertility, generosity, courage, charm, grace and beauty... among other things. She's basically the major positive female deity, and is in fact Vishnu's consort; she's the Kali to his Shiva. She's an excellent healer, with a high Magic stat and Me-Diarahan, Samaricarm, and the rare Petra-di.

Lakshmi + Fleurety =

Lv67 Tenma Indrajit
Indrajit is Ravana's son, originally named Meganada. Known to be a mighty warrior, Meganada captured and humiliated Indra, the Hindu king of the gods, and was thereafter known as Indrajit, "conqueror of Indra". Brahman offered him a boon in exchange for Indra's freedom. Indrajit asked him for complete invicibility from everything, and he got it, at the condition that he maintain a Yagna, a sort of ritual burnt offering at an altar, to a local fire goddess; so long as he did this, he would never fall in battle. Eventually the hero Lakshmana destroyed his altar and prevented him from performing the sacrifice, therefore removing the source of his immortality. And yes, according to some traditions, Lakshamana was an avatar of Vishnu (who else?). Indrajit is a very powerful fighter with decent overall stats and a multi-hit basic attack. He knows Zio spells, but his MP's mostly valuable for Makala-karn.

Essentially, I ranked up Ravana twice by spending three common demons. Lakshmi would be pretty damn sweet to keep, especially since we haven't seen any Megami since Ame-no-uzume, but such a thing was not meant to be.

Alright, so. An island to the west, eh? It saddens me to leave and lose my sweet Toraest checkpoint, but I'm sure it'll be worth it. Let's go.



Oh hey, there's the south Heavenly King shrine.



Eh wot?



: Hey, that looks nice!
: Yeah, but it doesn't fit. Oh well!

I toss it back down. Who needs an old piece of junk like that, anyway?

*: A bit further west...



This may be one of the hills of Shirokane district, a quiet residential area mostly known for being one of the greenest in Tokyo.



: I am the Chosen One. Alright. Let's dance.


: Yeah, and so was everyone else whose asses we kicked. You in?
: However, I still have a duty to carry out Louis Cypher's request. If you wish, I will join you, and become your minion.



: Does Kaneda take a deuce in the woods?
: Very well. I am Beelzebub, I am at your service......
: ...
: That's what I'm supposed to say now, right?
: That would be the norm, yes.
>Beelzebub joined your party.

Huh. I thought I would have to fight him to prove my worth or something, but it looks like Cypher has him on a tight leash.

*: Let's see his staAAAAAAAAH HOLY SHIT


Lv99 Maou Beelzebub
Originally Beelzebub was a major Philistine god, whose name meant "lord of heaven", but he was demonized by Israelites, and his name changed to "lord of the flies", which as I understand it had a very similar spelling or pronunciation. He was later recycled by demonologists, who made him into a Prince of Hell who used to be a Cherubim before the Fall; he is the master of all false gods, and presides over either pride or gluttony. Here he is obviously a spectacular ally, most interesting for his massive Strength, but with other stats that could easily put him among the best specialists in any other domain. He knows Tentarafu, Maha-Agion, and Mudo-on.

...

Well, I'd say that was worth the detour. As far as I can tell, he's the only recruitable level 99 demon in the game. In fact, the next strongest is apparently Lv96 Seraph Gabriel.

Alright then, let's get back to the Cathedral.



You know, as long as I'm out here, I might as well check out the south entrance.


: Yeah, that's probably for the best. I hear the top angels are being taken out one by one.
: But if I fake belief in their God, they let me into this town without question -- not a bad tradeoff for some safety. And I'm not the only one either. There are a lot of people here faking their belief too.
: I hope you guys are ready to become apostates pretty damn soon.

*: This must be the Mesian half of the Cathedral!


: Could this have ben the will of God himself?
: Yeah, when your house burns down and you survive by hiding in the fridge, it's only appropriate to thank the fire.


: Those who are lucky enough to be here will be able to witness the coming of God with their own two eyes!

They clearly don't know who I am. That's for the best, I think.

*: There's a Mansion and several shops near the entrance. The stores have a wide selection of recent and older stuff, clearly meant to make up for all the shops that got sunk. Hey, maybe there's a Rag's somewhere in here! That would be beyond awesome, I've got gems coming out my ears!


:


: That's such a measured and reasonable response! Glory be to god!


: Err, yeah, keep that dream alive, kid.

*: Anyway, they have a Mesia Church, a Healer's Dojo, and...





: I never thought I'd be so happy to see your ugly-ass fucked up mug again, Rag.
: The feeling is mutual.
: Haha, normally I'd kill you for that, but I'm in too good of a mood right now.



*: As I said, coming out of my ears.

I'd like a Salamander, just for their Estma, but they're the only Seirei that require a Diamond so that's out of the question. I'll have to settle for trading my two Amethysts for more Fuma Bells; Amethysts are only needed for Earthies and Flamies, so it's no big sacrifice.

Next up, I trade Pearls for Soma. Pearls required for Aquans and Undines, but the latter need Aquamarines too and I only have two of those, so I don't mind unloading a bunch of Pearls.

Well, that should be all for now. Let's go.


: Our savior, Master Kaneda went in towards the heart of the Cathedral, but hasn't returned yet.... I won't tell you not to go, but please, be careful....



*: That's the south end of the Cathedral ground floor we know and love. That makes an awful lot of sense. Well, we're here anyway, might as well go back down and find Astaroth and company right away.

Hey, a nearby staircase takes us fairly close to the Heart of the Cathedral; I'm gonna have to do slightly less backtracking than I feared.

I resolve to explore a bit more thoroughly this time, since I don't know where Surt is... and it pays off on B2F.






: Yeah, we're almost done here.
: You two have done magnificently. Your strength, conviction, and dedication to the cause are truly admirable!
: Wow, thanks for remembering Kei. She doesn't speak much, but I don't know where I'd be without her.
: You humans are naturally passionate creatures, full of desire, ambition, and an inner fire. What good is a peace that is obtained by repressing those qualities? If you have to sacrifice your freedom and happiness for it, does that not merely defeat the purpose?
: Couldn't agree more, sir.
: You two are true to yourselves, and for that, you should be commended.
: You know, I'm glad to you hold us in such high esteem, because... we... err... we kind of need one of your claws.
: I see... So, you wish to deprive me of my claw?
: If it's alright with you.
: Hmph! Such an inappropriate request!
: Look, I know it sounds crazy, but you need to take it up with the Asura Lord.
: ......However, I can tell that you intend to use it for good. Very well. I entrust my enchanted Surtr's Claw to you.
: Well, alright then. Thanks.

*: That's another guy I thought I'd have to fight. Man those Chaos people are, like, super reasonable.

Lv? Maou Surtr
Surtr (or Surt) is a jötunn, a mighty Norse giant, guardian of Muspell, the realm of the fire demons. When Ragnarok comes, he is prophesied to lead the hordes of Muspell in battle against the gods, personally slaying the fertility god Freyr, and later engulfing the entire Earth in flames. He's basically the great fiery warlord of the apocalypse.

I find a nearby staircase to B3F; looks like I didn't have to go through that weird red and black area. Hmm.

Anyway, finding Astaroth again is no trouble.

: Err, hello again, ma'am. We're in an errand for the general. Turns out we need one of your feathers.
: So, you want one of my feathers...
: Well, not so much want, but, yeah.
: How could I deny the request of one who so bravely opposes God? My feather is yours! Ho ho ho ho ho ho!
: Okay, thanks.

*: That's two in the bag.

And we're back on the dark B4F. At least now I kind of know where I'm going. I think. Fleurety are much less dangerous now that I have Indrajit to put up Makala-karn quickly, and I found out that they're weak to Panic (and therefore to Kali's Tentarafu), so I don't feel like using a Fuma Bell.

: ...
: ...
: Look, I try not to be prejudiced and everything, but... you could wear a skirt.
: ...
: Okay, never mind that. I'm here for one of your fangs.
: What? You want my Arioch's Fang?
: Err, that's one way to put it.
: Very well, it is yours. Take it!
: do i have to
: Francois!
: Well, it is for a good cause.
: No, you need not explain -- I can tell that you will use it to do the right thing.
: No, yeah, believe you me, I wouldn't do this without a good reason.

*: A bit later, on B6F...


Lv60 Jaryuu Fafnir
In Norse mythology, Fafnir was a strong prince of the dwarves. One day, his father and his two brothers captured three gods and held them for ransom, at which point the trickster Loki paid them with a cursed treasure (consisting of gold, and a ring that created gold) that he knew would cause the death of its owner. Overtaken by greed, Fafnir, who had been left at home to guard his family's hoard, murdered his father, stole the treasure, and fled into the wilderness. He was so taken by Loki's cursed gold that he transformed himself into a fearsome dragon and poisoned the land around him, so no one would come and take it away. He was later slain by the hero Sigurd, wielding the legendary sword Gram. As the highest-level Jaryuu, it's a fairly strong fighter, if not an entirely remarkable one. It knows Makala-karn but doesn't have high enough Speed to make it worthwhile.

On B7F, we run into Kali and Flauros. I had the Bell on last time I was here, so this is a first.


: Yyyup. It was a hassle, but at least I didn't have to take them to a cold room, then to a hot room.
: Very well, I shall turn them into Devil Ring for you.

*: Huh, what about Belial's Pot? That's weird.

: With the power of this ring, you should be able to open the way to Michael with no trouble whatsoever.
: It's about time.
: However, keep in mind that the Devil Ring allows full access to the source of power from which all demons get their strength. If you overuse it and try to take too much, your body will not be able to take the strain, and could easily kill you. Take extreme caution and use prudence when using an artifact of such incredible power.
: Don't worry, I read all about these sorts of dangers. I should be fine as long as Jashin Sauron doesn't show up.
: I'm counting on you, Francois.

*: Well, we got a lot done today. It's beginning to smell like endgame! I might get one last intermission in next time, and then we're gonna be knocking on Heaven's door. Or, kicking it in, whatever works.

[François]

: Intermission. *sigh* Hee-ho.

So, what happened to your-

: You fused her into a dragon, remember?

I'm kind of surprised that sort of thing would stop you.

: I'm made out of snow, you hee-ho jackass.

...oooh, right.


1- La music!

We've already been through my favorite tracks. What's left, well... I don't care much for it. It's alright I suppose. Anyway, for the sake of completeness: enjoy!


That song first played in the US embassy building, and I think it was used again in Shinagawa, and maybe in a few other places. It's actually not completely bad, but with the encounter rate you almost never hear more than the first ten seconds or so unless you need to heal up between fights or something.


Huh. I don't know if that's a glitch or if this piece was extended for the soundtrack release or what, but the game only ever loops the first 40 seconds, which gets old pretty quick. The rest is actually kind of badass, now that I actually listen to it.


Here's the Cathedral's unique dungeon music. Again, the game literally only ever plays seconds 2 through 10 over and over again, so yeah. You know, I said I didn't care much for these tracks, but these complete versions are beginning to do it for me.




While I'm at it, here's the rest of the arranged tracks, and by that I mean "the ones that aren't crap": in order, that's the dreamscape music, mom's theme, and a gorgeous string version of the Mansion theme.




Oh, what the heck, here are the awful ones too. I'm sure a couple of you are gonna be all "how is it that you're still breathing? you're too wrong to live!", but no, no, I'm sorry, you are ridiculous. So ridiculous. And now everyone knows it. Good work.


2- Les random comments!

***: The inventory in this game is... interesting. Everything stacks up to 9 in a single slot, but that in itself is not a limit; if you acquire a tenth (or nineteenth, or twenty-eighth) copy of an item, it starts a new stack in a new slot. If you build your party so that you generally don't need to rely on Orbs and Magic Stones for healing, they can start taking up more space than you're comfortable with. Everything you get shares the same inventory space, too, from quest items like the Four-door Gem and the Maou bits, to restoratives to attack items to gems to currently unused equipment. It gets to a point where you have to make some difficult choices; normally Magic Stones are the first to go, but you need to keep some around for negotiation.

***: Experience rewards from combat scale to your level; this could have been a mess, but it actually works alright. Since I built a talky main character who went through most of the game by avoiding battle as much as possible, I was afraid I'd get underleveled and that I'd have to grind, but it so happened that I got most of my EXP from bosses, and that was more than enough to let me keep up with the difficulty. In fact, as we've seen, talking our way out of trouble gave us game-breaking amounts of money and magnetite. I'm beginning to think that building one's main character for combat first is actually kind of a dumb idea. If I had a recommendation to make, I'd say to focus on Intelligence and Constitution until your survivability is acceptable, then to start picking up Strength, Speed and Luck depending on how you want to play.

***: I probably could have returned to all the Heavenly King shrines to pick up the rest of the Masakado equipment, but I still couldn't have used any of it so I didn't bother.

***: It turns out that the patch glitched me out of a couple of things. The Antiques dealer in Kichijoji does eventually start selling firearms at one point... in the Japanese version. What's more unfortunate, however, is that I never officially became a Gaian, and therefore was locked out of the ultimate Chaos equipment. Normally, if you're Chaos and at least level 65, you can go to the Head Gaian Temple in Ueno, get your "baptism" or whatever, and then the sealed doors open up and give you access to the Tenma set of armor, which is about equivalent to the Masakado set. But the game never acknowledged either my level or my alignment, so it never let me in. Had I known that at the time I could have used my save file on the unpatched Japanese version, got my baptism, and picked up the armor... but by now Ueno is underwater and it's far too late. Oh well!

***: Hey, I haven't shown you our stats in a long, long time, have I? Here's how they look, now that we're (probably) near the end of the game.


We can clearly see the difference all those Incenses have made. It turns out none of Francois stats are close to maxing out, so I didn't have to worry about that. Further level ups will probably go to Intelligence and Speed. I think Kei's going to get more Magic and Speed, and possibly Intelligence. Her Powered Armor's defense stat is pretty bad, but since she's always in the 6th party slot she almost never gets hit by physical attacks, she's got extremely high Evade anyway, and she has her Magic to protect her from spells.

***: If I have a complaint to lodge against the battle system, it's that elemental magic is not strong enough, even when used by specialized spellcasters. It gets good when you can hit an elemental weakness, but otherwise magic damage is usually quite low. Unusually, status effect magic is where the money is.

***: So that's my only complaint about the battle system itself, but I have a bigger overall complaint against the encounter system in general. I don't know if I've made it sufficiently obvious, but god damn are there fuckloads of them. In the beginning, getting two groups in the same encounter was unusual and almost cute in retrospect. But now we're getting an encounter with 3-4 groups every 2-4 steps. That's crazy. I still love the game for a lot of reasons, but I can't in good conscience try to hide the truth: it's getting a bit of a pain to play. Fortunately I got a few Fuma Bells now so I won't be stingy with them in what I suppose are the final sections; I don't see it being a problem from now on, but honestly, where before I wanted to finish the game just to know how it ends, now I also want to be done with all that fighting.

***: You know, being Christian myself, there are probably people out there who would wonder if certain elements of this game would put me in a sort of personal spiritual quandary, especially given the path that we ended up following. But that's a non-issue for me. I mean, it's fiction. I can read about Greek gods without making a statue of Poseidon and burning a cow in front of it. And yeah, the game's using, you know, God's name, but it's a different entity; it doesn't reflect my beliefs, and as such, it doesn't feel even a little bit offensive. Of course, if I was a warmongering American fundamentalist, this would be a different story.


3- Les weapons!

We've run into quite a few legendary weapons on our travels. Some of them I've already talked about, but mostly I figured the demon descriptions were already interrupting the flow enough so I decided to put them up all at once here in intermission.

• An Athame Knife (or, more appropriately, just an "athame") is a double-edged ceremonial dagger, closely associated with the Wiccan religion. It might have had an association with animal/human sacrifice in the past, but by and large this is more a sort of ritual implement imbued with magical/spiritual significance than an actual weapon.
• Raiden's Whip is certainly the weapon of the Shinto god of thunder, who is usually depicted as a terrifying figure surrounded by a ring of drums, but also sometimes with a whip.
• I've seen the name "Brionac" in a lot of games, usually applied to a polearm of some description, but I can't seem to track down an origin for it. Some put it as the name of the Irish god Lugh's magic spear, but it was actually called Areadbhar. So who knows?
• The Shichiseiken (Sword of Seven Stars) is an ancient Japanese sword, dating from the 7th century, named for a gold inlay depicting clouds and the Ursa Major constellation. It's currently located in Osaka.
• I'm not sure what the "Gift of Hades" is supposed to be. In Japanese it was called "Meido no Miyage" (souvenir for the underworld), which is an expression that means something to the effect of "I've seen X, I can die in peace now", like it's the culmination of one's existence. I guess it's a real nice sword?
• I still don't know what the Headhunter Spoon is supposed to be (well, a spoon, obviously), but it shows up again later in the series so .
• Renki-no-ken apparently means "refined spirit sword". I can't track down a mythological origin, but in the series it's a weapon most notable for being the base of many sword fusions.
• Yatsuka's Sword (aka Yatsuka-no-tsurugi) is one of ten treasures brought to Japan by an immigrating Korean prince named Amenohiboko. It's kept in Isonokami Shrine, alongside the Kusanagi-no-tsurugi.
• Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi (Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven) was the original name of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. Legend has it that the sword was wielded by a certain Prince Yamatotakeru sometime in the first or second century; he was once stuck in an enemy's fire trap, and he used the sword to cut the grass around him so the flames would not reach him. Seeing as we made the Ame-no-murakumo from a fusion of the Kusanagi-no-tsurugi, this probably means we were restoring it to its original power.
• The firearms have been pretty self-exaplanatory, being either actual real world guns or clearly made up (I haven't even bothered to Google the Gigasmasher). That said, Kunitomo's Gun is interesting. It's a pneumatic rifle, invented around 1820 by Japanese inventor Kunitomo Ikkansai, who was inspired by Dutch firearm designs. It sounds like it belongs to a museum, but in SMT, old + Japanese = powerful, so of course it ends up as one of the strongest guns in the game.

Alright, that's should about do it. Next time, we pay a visit to the remaining Archangel, keep taking over the Cathedral, and hopefully step over all the flowers in Kaneda's atomic garden.

[François]

*: Making our way back up, we defeat a Flauros who drops a Soul Blade (160/40, hits 1-2 times, +3 Intelligence, females only). It's stronger than the Fuujin-ken and hits fewer times, but that +3 is worth it.

I could Toraport right away, but Francois is like 10000 EXP away from level 74, and getting there should allow us to fuse at least one last interesting ally. The demons I can easily beat here give like 150 EXP per battle, but fighting large groups of Fleurety, Kali and Flauros (which is surprisingly dangerous) gets me about 1k per encounter, so it doesn't take too long. We lose a few allies to Kali's Mudo-on, but Beelzebub, Indrajit and our own Kali are fortunately immune to that.

I also learn that the Vampire's Blood St(?) skill actually causes the Curse status effect, unfortunately because it bounced off an enemy Kali and the poor sap inflicted it on himself. I'm still not sure what that does, though.

When we finally do level up, I return to the Gaian-controlled area of the Cathedral to heal up. The priest seems to have trouble actually lifting the Vampire's Curse, though. He takes my money (3750 makka), but a buzzing sound is heard and a garbled error message appears. Hmm.

Either way, it's not too big of a deal, because back at the Mansion...

Hariti + Pendragon + Vampire =

Lv74 Ryuujin Ananta
Ananta, also known as Shesha, is a primordial serpent creature, on whose countless heads rest the entire universe. When he coils up, time passes and history marches; when he uncoils, the world ends. He's also used as a bed by Vishnu, the cheeky fellow. He's got the most Strength we've ever seen on anything, and that includes Beelzebub. His other stats seem unremarkable by comparison, but they're not actually that bad. He knows Paralysis Bite, Tail, and a Rampage made devastating by his immense attack power.

And with that we obtain the strongest Ryuujin, which is one of the strongest Chaos families. I think we're ready to take this fight all the way up at last.

I also fuse a random Rangda and a Succubus to make Samael, just so I never have to worry about resurrection. I guess I could go hire one instead, but I only got Rangda and Succubus because they kept getting in my way on the lower levels, so it's no trouble. Plus, I want the free slots because I'd like to pick up more Tam Lin and Cu Chulainn on my way up.

So, our line-up at the moment:
-Kali (summoned)
-Flauros
-Ananta (summoned)
-Samael
-Senko
-Lich
-Oberon
-Indrajit (summoned)
-Beelzebub (summoned)
-3 free slots

I wouldn't say no to a Hariti, just for Diarama, but I've got Orbs coming out of my ears. We should be fine.

I make sure I have a full stack of Amulets just in case, then I go save.

Let's get this done.

*: I remember the Mesians have easier access to the Heart of the Cathedral, so instead of going through the long-ass passageways from the Gaian zone through the ground floor and the first basement, I go outside and ride the friendly turtle around the island to the south entrance.

I'd use a Fuma Bell, but as I said I want a Tam Lin and Cu Chulainn, so I endure the encounters until then.

Oy, the Girimekra are getting as annoying as the Rangda were, but they're Jaki so I can't hire them. Bah!

I met a Tam Lin early on, and got my Cu Chulainn halfway through 2F, so we should be good from now on. I use one of my five Bells; it's just a question of getting to the top floor as fast as possible.

One might say I'm kind of cheesing through this, but we've been here before. Hell, we took down three Seraphs on our way, and we might have been able to take care of the fourth if it hadn't been for that door. And we're even stronger now than we were then.

We make it to the overworld on the fourth floor, and start meeting demons again. I suppose the Bell stops working outside. But that's not a problem, I just use another once I'm back inside.

Aaaand we make it to the seventh floor without further incident.


: Read 'em and weep, my friend.
: Oh! You got the Devil Ring!? Let me borrow that for a sec! That might be just what we need!
: Huh, wha-? Hey, wait, don't-



As much as I'd like to play the Gandalf here, I'm actually kind of relieved I won't have to put on that ring myself.

: Wh...whoa, this... Oh! Wow! This is incredible! I can feel the power surging through my veins!!
: Are... are you okay, man?
: Hrm, raagh!



: Well, aren't you a little glory hound.
: This is fantastic! I feel so strong! It's as if I've tapped into an unlimited well of power!
*: Looks like he finally got what he's been looking for all this time. For good or for ill.
: I have enough power to do whatever I want! Wa ha ha ha ha ha!
: Dude, would you cut it out with the laughter? I'm getting creeped out over here.
: Ha ha ha ha ha! This is... ha ha ha!...this is great!
: Seriously man, settle down.
: Ha ha ha! Now nobody... Ha ha ha!...nobody can beat me! My power is virtually unlimited! Ha ha ha ha!

I lay my hand on the pommel of Hinokagutsuchi. I hope it won't come to that.

: I'm even more powerful than God! I can do anything! Wa ha ha ha ha ha ha!
: You gotta take it off, Tetsuo! The Asura Lord warned me about this! I don't care how much worm you got in you, you can't possibly handle this!
: Eh? W..what's this? Wait a minute now...my body! Th...the power won't stop! It's too much! M...my body won't...Aaaagh!



: TETSUOOOOO!


: How dare you say that, you son of a bitch? He was our friend!
: It's too bad, but it's only natural. After all, he continued to oppose the will of God. And so he suffered the fate that will befall all the others that refuse to follow God.
: Just come right out and say it to my face.
: Now...It's your turn, Francois. You too oppose God's will. Therefore you too must die.
: ...
: As God's chosen savior, it would be most fitting for me to be the one to carry out your sentence. It's truly a shame that it has to come to this...
: You should have stayed dead the first time, Kaneda. I don't know how bad it was to have your soul ripped out of your body by Nebiros, but I have it on good authority that my sword ain't no picnic either.
: This is goodbye forever. Farewell!



*: On the first turn, everybody attacks, except for Indrajit who casts Makala-karn, Kei who casts Makajama, and Ananta who returns to the computer. I'll summon Cu Chulainn to replace him so he can buff the rest of us.

Kei silences Kaneda before he can act, then he tries to cast a spell. Francois hits for 110 damage twice, Beelzebub for about 80, and Kali for 50. Yeah, I can use a Taru-kaja or two.

It turns out Kaneda's not immune to Zio, so Indrajit can almost stun him indefinitely. The guy does get a couple of attacks off, hitting three times for about 110 damage each, but with Cu Chulainn accelerating our physical damage, the fight is over before we get really hurt.



Wow, that's impressive. Francois and Kei both level up twice; most notably, Francois' HP reaches the 999 cap.


: God wants martyrs, Kaneda. He wants blood, and blood you gave him.
: Wasn't I... Wasn't I to be God's chosen one... One who offered his everyth...!!
: I think it was meant to be me...
: So that's it... Now I see. I was nothing but a sacrifice. Nothing but a mere pawn to accomplish God's ends... to be discarded at any time...
: It was meant to be me, Kaneda. He wanted me to be in your place. But I said no, because I could! Just like you could have! It wasn't worth coming back for this! It wasn't worth it!

He's gone.

Damn it!



*: It's only a short walk to the next staircase, and the eighth floor is very small. We find the final door without problems.




: You should have saved everyone a lot of grief and showed up before my friends had to die.
: What kind of a pathetic excuse for a savior are you!?
: ...what? What!?
: In his compassion, God has extended his hand to humankind to bring them peace in the form of the Thousand Year Kingdom... And yet you stand in his way, selling your soul to demons and dedicating your life to opposing his divine will... even going so far as to slay your friend, Kaneda!!
: ...
: Are you perhaps trying to claim that you are better than God!? You are but a mere human! Who are you to challenge his will!?
: I'm Francois, from Kichijoji. You've heard about what I do to those who want to do my people wrong. Get out of my way.
: It is he that decides what is right and what is wrong, not you!! It is not possible to be more arrogant!!
: Ha!
: I will cast you into the flames of Hell myself, where you will burn and suffer for all eternity!



*: On the first round, I put up Makala-karn and Taru-kaja, but Michael strikes five times for about 200 damage each. We're tough, but we can't take that sort of abuse forever. My plan is to exchange Kali for Senko and Cu Chulainn for Tam Lin. The former will use Tetra-karn and the latter will use Raku-kaja until we can survive without healing every turn, then I'll start using Raku-nda and trade Senko for Cu Chulainn to boost our attack again.

Things go as planned for a while. Michael knows Critical, and it can bypass Tetra-karn, but it only hits once for 200-300 damage, which is about what Kei's Diarama can cure so it's not actually a major threat. He can also cast a relatively formidable Maha-Agion, but it hits only for 40-80 damage, and Beelzebub is immune to fire.

...whoops, he can also cast Megidoraon, which is the upgraded Megido. It hits everyone for 80-150 depending on their Magic stat. I start having Indrajit put up Makala-karn again as well instead of attacking.

After a while, Tam-Lin's Raku-nda starts letting us put a serious hurt on; Francois and Beelzebut hit the hardest (Francois for 300 damage per hit, and that's without Taru-kaja), and occasionally Kei when she's not healing somebody. If Mike has run out of tricks, it should be smooth sailing from now on.

Eventually I bring Cu Chulainn in, and with a few Taru-kaja, Francois starts doing 600 damage per hit, and Beelzebub about 500. And the fight goes on and on. Michael must have absolutely ludicrous HP.



...but not infinite. We get one level for our trouble.


Lv? Seraph Michael
Michael is the commander of God's Army, the patron of warriors, police officers and soldiers. He's possibly the most important named angel, being mentioned in Daniel, Jude and Revelations, in the latter as the one who leads the final battle against Satan during the apocalypse. His name means "Who is like God", which is usually interpreted as a rhetorical question implying that nobody is, rather than actually likening him to God.



*: Well, I guess that if you're supposed to be the strongest warrior in existence, you kind of owe it to everyone to stay in shape.


: Forgive me for being so weak... Forgive me for failing to fulfill your will... for failing to summon you here on Earth... For failing to bring your divine compassion to all those that seek it.........

Could it be? So I'm not too late? Did we really prevent him from summoning God here?



*: We're taken to a new area of the 8th floor. There's only one way to go. What could be waiting for us up there?

Let's Play Shin Megami Tensei - Chaos

[François]

Well, there we are. The war is over. Of course it doesn't mean we can rest, but... who else is there to challenge us? As long as I'm here, humans have nothing to fear, be it on Louis'... on Lucifer's word, or just because all the demons have good reason to be afraid of me.

Could I have done things differently? Maybe. I'm still not entirely at ease with the allies I've made, and I'm not sure I liked Lucifer's speech about the strongest and the most beautiful or whatever... But in a way, those demons, the Datenshi and the Maou and who knows what else, they were wronged, long ago. I'm their savior too. Now that they've got their original forms back, maybe they'll show some gratitude. Some of them were even honorable, so who knows?

And when I'm gone?

Taira no Masakado was only a human, and he became a god because he led a failed rebellion against a regular old human emperor. I successfully foiled God's genocidal plan by taking down his highest ranked servants and his new messiah. What would that get me?

Hmm...

Kishin Francois.

I rather like the sound of that.

It's not "Doctor Francois" or anything, but I still think it'd make Mom proud.

: And I can't forget Kijo Kei.
: Aww, you're so cute when you're trying to flatter me.
: I know you told me people are gonna come back, but how about we get a head start on that whole "repopulating the Earth" business anyway?

*: This concludes my Let's Play of Shin Megami Tensei. Again, thank you for reading and watching and listening and voting and weighing in and commenting, and frankly thank you for providing a motivation to keep going while I was fighting my hundredth random encounter on any given update. It always bugged me that I had never finished this game, and I can finally put it behind me.

I don't know if the format was right, if the colors were too garish or whatever. I mostly made it up as I went along, which must have been quite apparent. But if I had to do it again I'm not sure what I would change so maybe it's not so bad.

You know, when I started this, it was like "I should do a LP of SMT", and I didn't even give it a second thought, it just happened. Later I saw there was already one on lparchive.org, and in fact a second one popped up there like a week ago. But yeah, it didn't even matter, I did it blind, and I did it to find out if I could keep it up until the end.

And it turns out that I could.

: Hey, uh, aren't you forgetting something?
*: Eh?
: Kei and I! Are we making out? Don't leave me hanging here!
*: Dude, I stopped watching you two like five minutes ago! Why haven't you made your move already?
: Wait, what? Wow, okay! Okay then! Goodbye everybody! Thanks!
*: Farewell!

[McDohl]

yaaaaaaaaaaaay

Congratulations on the LP, Francois.

[Mothra]

Awww yehhhhhhhh

[Mothra]

Which one was the ending you really liked that you mentioned earlier? Neutral?

Also kind of surprised they never put you up against the big guy himself.

[Classic]

Gotta save some things for the sequel.

[François]

Which one was the ending you really liked that you mentioned earlier? Neutral?

Well, I never finished this game before, so I couldn't tell you. I had never made it much further than the Kongokai, on account of severe emulation glitches.

(Speaking of glitches, I heartily recommend bsnes for SNES emulation. It's very resource-intensive so you probably don't want to put it on a phone or something like that, but on SMT it kept going where others choked so it gets a big thumbs up from me. Sure, I lost some money when I broke the magnetite cap, and I got locked out of the Chaos equipment, and there were some harmless text window overflow issues (as you can see with the "all..." in the screenshots for the final encounters with Kaneda and Tetsuo), but seeing how smoothly the rest of the game went, I'm inclined to blame the translation patch for those.)

The ending I mentioned liking a lot is one of the Neutral ones in Nocturne. [spoiler]In that game, all along my line of thought was "I know the world used to be fucked up, but I loved it anyway; this whole destruction/rebirth thing is a horrible crime and I don't care who wins as long as Hikawa loses because that son of a bitch has to pay for what he's done". When the other Reasons appeared, I decided they were abominable too, so I fought against them as well. And just before the end, I was beginning to get worried: I had broken all the Reasons. The world was about to be created, but all those who had the ability to give it shape and direction were dead by my hand. At this point, the game has two possible endings, which depend on how you answered Aradia's questions: either the world is more or less aborted and stuck in its embryonic, formless state for all of eternity, or it is restored to the way it was before it was destroyed. Fortunately I got the latter, and that made me about as happy as a video game ending ever could.[/spoiler]

[Brentai]

If you feel uncomfortable about all the survival of the fittest stuff you were left off with, just remember who is undoubtedly the strongest person in the world is at that point.

Anyway, congratulations for beaten Xenogears!  I mean SMT!  Why did I say Xenogears!

[Classic]

Guilt?