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The differences in this stage between Josh and Rim’s routes isn’t that much, but I’ll point it out when it does come up. Gonna try out a different way to show both sides this late into the LP.


Puzzle puzzle puzzle. You just need to force Glavil to retreat by getting his HP below a certain amount. Have Max use Assault, Valor, and Zeal and transform him into Battleroid form. Move him above Basara and attack Glavil with Micro Missiles (supported by HOLY LONELY LIGHT SB). Next, Mylene’s Gubaba uses Spirit. Basara uses Assault and Valor and moves above Mylene. Attack the boss with HOLY LONELY LIGHT SB while supported by MY FRIENDS SB. Heal Max with Mylene’s Trust, then sing MY FRIENDS SB on him to restore his SP. Milia uses Valor, transforms to Battleroid form, and moves to Max’s left. Attack with All-Out Attack while supported by Micro Missiles. Finally, Max attacks with a Valor’d Micro Missile.


Victory gets 50k money and an Armor Breaker, probably the only good attack part in the game.

The previous stage didn’t give as much money as I would have liked, so just a quickie.

Glacies (or Ventus or the remaining sibling) will be a requirement in the last stages, so making sure their mech doesn’t suck is ideal.

Last time, we rescued Treize and were about to attack Ruina's Antarctic base, but something more important came up first.


Combined Route Chapter 36: Crisis Point
Chapter 34 if you went Space/Jupiter/Gishin. Chapter 35 if you went Space/Keilas/Gishin or Earth/Jupiter/Gishin. Chapter 36 if you went Earth/Keilas/Lux


[Battle 7, War Room]
Oh my god.
…
Hmm… I never thought something like this would happen. What the hell should we do now…
What else can we do? Dammit… I never should have left old man Earl on Planet Gishin.
At this rate, we don’t have enough time to test how effective Sound Energy is on beings like Perfectio. There is one other thing bothering me…
What is it?
If we take what Geppelnitch said at face value, it is currently existing in two universes at the same time. But if that’s the case, then what’s going on with its perception and thoughts…
…Originally, it had no intelligence or will. It simply received negative emotions while existing in the flow of time.
But that’s no longer the case?
Yeah, whatever that thing in the Antarctic is, it’s clearly acting with some sort of will.
That’s right. It created the mechs the Melior Esse are using as well as those weird soldiers and are sending them to attack us.
It probably constructed a pseudo-consciousness based on the first intelligent being it encountered in this universe. After all, it’s an entity that desires nothing more than to receive negative emotions, destruction, and to invade.
So that’s why it’s called Perfectio.
(The first intelligent being it encountered in this universe… It can’t be…)

quote:

The first intelligent being in this universe it could have absorbed…
Cliff… What’s wrong?

Everyone, I’ve confirmed it.
You’re late. So what’s going on?
A group we believe is Ruina is gathering in this area.
I guess they’re strengthening their defenses.
You’re most likely right.
Yes. Eve’s information processing capabilities have proven to be reliable.
It’s all Bahamut, not me. But thank you anyway. I’m glad to hear you say that.
It seems that their attacks in other areas have stopped for now. But the damage is worse than we anticipated.
In any case, we’re running out of time. We need to decide what to do right now.
Should we go to Antarctica, or this base first…
If the Earth gets sealed again, then even if we failed, we couldn’t go through with a backup plan. So then…
But if we let them keep invading, we might not be able to push them back.
Gamlin…
…This is tough. What do you think, Geppelnitch?
I don’t know either.
If we make the wrong choice here, it could prove to be disastrous.
Don’t say that big guy.
But he’s not wrong.
Hm… So this is the crossroads of our fate.
But we have no criteria for judgement. What should we base our decision on…
I know… But this isn’t the time for that.
He’s right. This is an extremely tough decision and no matter how much we think about it, we won’t find the best answer. Not to mention how little lime we have left.
Do you have an idea, Treize?
So what are you thinking?
THE BOYS is composed of the greatest warriors in the Earth Sphere. Until now, you have always fought on the front lines, risking your lives, and overcoming critical situations.
…So?
No matter what you decide, no one will disagree with it. Why don’t we just decide by a majority vote?
But Commander…
Sounds good. There’s no point in thinking about this anyway. We can just do what we always do.
Koji, it’s not that simple…
No… It is. We don’t have the time and we don’t have any criteria. It’s an option.
Yeah… We need to take action.
…I agree.

quote:

I-I agree….
(Yes. Either way, we have to do something.)

Then it’s decided. Should we go directly to Antarctica with Geppelnitch’s help, or should we attack the enemy base that we believe is trying to seal the Earth again? We’ll take a vote. Raise your hand if we should do the former.


I see.
…Then it’s settled.
Yes.
Very well. We will now begin the operation to assault the enemy facility discovered in the Parana River basin in South America. Everyone, to your battle stations. We will launch immediately.


[Tower, Break Room]
The Tower… It feels like ages ago since we fought the Invaders.
You’re right. Even though it was only a few months ago.
Oh right. Everyone was fighting before we got here.
Yeah. Megazone only appeared right after we defeated the, in the Jupiter Sphere.
It really surprised us.
We’ve defeated the Invaders, held back Angel Halo, defeated the mighty Gishin Empire and Zuul, and made peace with the Protodeviln. All that’s left is… them.
Yeah… It’s been a long wait, but we’ve finally come this far.
Yeah… We can’t let the Earth be destroyed here… For Oliver’s sake too.
Danji…
You’re right… That’s why we’ve been fighting up until now…
…
…What’s wrong? You seem nervous.
No… It’s nothing. Sorry. Don’t worry about it.
You’re not going to say you can’t fight now, are you?
Laci…
I’ll be fine, Joshua. I was born to fight. Even if the opponent is the one who created me.
…

quote:

…
Ven… What’s wrong? You’re acting a bit off…
Yeah… A bit. I don’t really understand it myself. But I’m fine. Thank you for worrying about me.



Yes. I’ll be leaving then.
[The door opens]
Oh…
You are…
I’m Patricia Lovejoy. Secretary of Information for Commander Treize. It’s nice to meet you.
This isn’t the first time.
Yes, I think we’ve met quite a few times already, Miss Angel. This isn’t the place for someone like you. What exactly are you planning? Don’t you know what time it is?
What I’m planning? Please don’t say such nasty things. It’s purely business. For my own safety of course. Do you want to know who Schwarzwald really is?
Schwarzwald… That human who was with the Ruina?
Real name is Michael Seebach. He was a member of the first expedition sent to Antarctica immediately after the incident.
What? But I thought they were all wiped out.
They’re supposed to be dead, but for some reason he’s still alive and is now mankind’s enemy.
…”Ruin” is the truth of all things, huh?
Yes… He must hate humans.
From what I’ve gathered, if it gets too bad, the Earth will be sacrificed to stop them. I’m going to evacuate. Shouldn’t you also be running away? This isn’t your job in the first place. You have no obligation to fight and risk your life. You’re free to do whatever you want, so just run away…
…You’re right. It’s okay to run away from danger. It’s okay for people to dance in the rain without an umbrella. And…it’s okay for people to risk their lives just to follow their heart, even if it doesn’t benefit them in any way. That’s what freedom is.
Isn’t it the same thing as foolishness? Well, it’s your call. I’ll just watch from space. Bye, Negotiator. If you survive, I’ll see you again.


[Ra Cailum, Bridge]
Amuro, we’ve entered South America. We’ll be at the target area soon.
I see…
For better or for worse, we don’t have much time left.
Yeah. Apparently anomalies in the space-time continuum can already be detected by Battle 7.
Kamille, it seems you were talking to Ray earlier.
Nekki Basara seems to be in the groove.
Seriously, I’ve been on the front lines for a long time but I’ve never seen anyone as unaffected by the tension of battle like him.
Bright, we’re ready for battle.
Good. Everyone, battle stations! All pilots, be ready to launch at a moment’s notice!




You can pick between the Ra Cailum, Battle 7, or Tower.

That’s…
Hahahahahahahaha! Welcome, rotten people from a rotten world.
You’re speaking as if you were waiting for us. But you’re a human too, Michael Seebach.
Michael Seebach has vanished from this universe.
What are you planning!?
At this rate, won’t everything be destroyed, not just the Earth!?
Exactly! It’s impossible for humans to resist the fate of ruin. Accept that truth!
He’s insane.
I’ve confirmed the footage. The target is most likely underground.
Underground, huh? We don’t have much time. Let’s break through here and destroy the target facility. Got it?


Select 15 units to bring into part one of this penultimate chapter.


Gameplay-wise, this first part is very no-frills. Just defeat all enemies. No special gimmicks or anything. Not even any boss dialogs. Do what you always do and start destroying Ruina.


If you’ve seen Big O, then you know what’s under these wraps. The Mummy itself is very uninteresting.

When there are five enemies left…


Hmph… I knew it would be you.
Aquila.
You’re back!
I knew you would come here. It is you after all. But it’s too late now, humans. The death, despair, fear, and hatred that overflow this planet… Those waves of ruin will open the door to the end of all. All that awaits you is death at the end of despair.
We’ll stop you!
Of course. I won’t let you get in our way!
I can see your impatience, humans. Let’s see if you can defeat me and still make it in time.
Of course we will. We’ll defeat you, destroy this place, and then move onto Antarctica!
That’s right. We’ll blow right through you!
We’ll kick your ass!
Then come. I will crush your hopes, your feelings, and the hearts that you humans rely on into pieces.
Aquila… Will you crush me too? I lack a human heart.
Oh… Glacies, huh? Interesting, but…boring. You’ve become weak.
What?
Don’t you understand. There’s fear inside you. I don’t think you can defeat me like that.
Laci… You mean…
…I am a Melior Esse, not human. I can’t bear fear.
Hmph… Very well. Either way, you will be crushed.
Dammit, I won’t let you do that!

quote:

Aquila… It’s useless. They’re too strong. To put it bluntly, you cannot shake their will.
Hmph… It’s you. I won’t ask why. It makes no difference if you join them. We’ll just crush you all the same.
Quit joking! It won’t be that easy!
Yes… I won’t lose, Aquila. Now I understand the source of their power. The source of human strength.
Human strength? Interesting. If that’s the case, then show it to me. Let’s go, humans.

All units, re-form your formations! Intercept them! We can’t continue until we beat him!

Thankfully, Aquila was kind enough to spawn all the way in the back of the map. That gives us plenty of time to beat up Schwarzwald and the mooks he rode in with.


When you do defeat his Mummy…


That’s…
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Big O…?
It looks similar…
What is that!?
Impossible…
Hahahahaha. I can see it, Roger Smith. The look of surprise on your faces. Quit your struggling.


For a “series final boss”, Big Duo is very lackluster. It’s just a midboss on this stage instead of its own thing. A missed opportunity in my opinion. Its reveal and fight in the Z series is a lot better.


And it goes down super quickly anyway.

Dammit, after all that… But whatever you do will be useless. Farewell! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
[He explodes]
…


Aquila falls not that long after. I know I keep saying it, but these bosses are nothing compared to Zuul and Geppelnitch. It’s like taking weighted clothing off.

Hmm… I still can’t believe you have this much power. Interesting… The power to resist despair and ruin…
Bastard, are you running away!?
Wait!
For the sake of the “King of Ruin”, I will retreat. If you come to our territory… I will ask you to show me your power once more. I will wait, strong humans.

And that ends the map.


Ruina forces have retreated!
There’s no signs of any enemies left on the surface.
Don’t let your guard down! It’s not over yet! Hurry, let’s charge in!
W-wait a second. I scanned the opening and it’s not large enough for Battle 7 or the Tower to enter.
Should have expected that.
I see… Looks like it’s all up to the Ra Cailum.
Thank you, Captain Bright.
Roger that. Ra Cailum, advance slowly. We’re entering the underground facility! All units, stay vigilant!


This is…
What is it?
This looks familiar…
Familiar? To what?
The Antarctic ruins of course. What else could it be?
So…
Well, there’s no point in thinking about it. We’re going to destroy it anyway.


Kukuku. So you humans are actually here. I’m surprised that you’re still alive.
It’s that guy from back then! Captain Bright, this is the guy from that plant!
Contagio.

quote:

Contagio...

What? Dammit, not again…
Will there be another energy field… No, Captain, I don’t think so.
I concur. If they’re trying to create a dimensional fault, they probably don’t have that much excess energy.
R-right…
Kukukuku. Foolish humans. Soon this planet will be sealed. You cannot stop it, for it’s already too late. Tremble in fear, for the ruin is about to come. Kukukuku. Eventually all life on this planet will die, and with it, the “King of Ruin” will gain the power to bring everything else to ruin.
What!?
We can’t let them do that…
…There’s still time. Look at these four places.

quote:

…There’s still time. Maybe it’s these devices…









The energy could be concentrated here. If we can destroy them…

quote:

I believe the energy is concentrated here. If we can destroy them, then maybe…

Are you sure?
…Glacies, huh? I see… Since the humans are alive, it makes sense that you, the broken one, are alive too. Kukukuku. Yes, you are correct.
What do you mean?

quote:

Eh!?
(Why… Why would he just tell us…?)

I’ll tell you. Indeed, if you destroy them one by one, you might be able to stop this. Kukukuku. Go ahead and try it, if you can. However, those are areas where negative thoughts are concentrated. It won’t be easy to get close to them. Well, you’re running out of time. Kukukuku. Apologies, but I will excuse myself.
What!?
Kukuku. No need to panic. I’ll give you someone to play with.


I knew it…
Struggle as best you can. In the midst of your unstoppable regret, be overcome with despair. That too will become the “King of Ruin’s” power. Farewell, mortals. Kukukukuku!


Dammit. Doctor, what did he mean by that!?
I see… So those devices are protected by the same kind of energy field.
What?
No way…
So you’re saying that we can’t do anything about it?
Then what can we do!?
…Perhaps that mech…
What is it?
Oh right…
…Joshua, can you do it?
Got it. This mech… The systems that my and Glacies’ units have can withstand it for a short time. If we can destroy it within that time…
…It’s the same as back then…when you saved me, Joshua…

quote:

…Cliana, can you do it?
(Eh? EH? What?)
It’s just like before… Our mechs’ systems… We can bear it but only for a bit. We’ll do it.
…Same here. I think I can do it too.

…Sorry. Anyway, we don;’t have much time. Destroy them as soon as possible.
Alright, let’s go! Stop this at all costs! I’m counting on you all…


Select 13 units for, in my opinion, the most annoying stage in the game. Force deploys are your chosen main character and either their Ruina counterpart or surviving sibling.

Okay, destroy this first. I’ve just discussed it with Manabu. This one should be taken care of first. I think.
[Points it out]
Be careful! It can’t take more than seven minutes to destroy one! Destroy it as soon as possible within those seven minutes!
Roger!
Joshua, don’t screw up.

quote:

Got it!
Rim, if you make a mistake I will never forgive you!



This map is too large for the GBA screen.
There are four points on the massive indoor map that the main character and either their Ruina companion or their sibling must stand on. These points are in about the 7, 10, 4, and 2 o’clock positions in order. The main issue is that you have a time limit and there are endlessly spawning reinforcements.


When you break through the first line of enemies, five more enemies spawn on top of the first point in a plus formation (of course they can and will support each other). If you defeat enough enemies that there’s less than five on the map, five more will spawn in at whatever the current objective point is. So you need to defeat as few enemies as possible to get Josh, Rim, Glacies, or Ventus to where they need to go. But you also don’t want to keep too many enemies alive, since they will swarm you and prevent access to those squares. And then there’s what happens after you get to the four points…


This is why you don’t send someone to capture a point solo.

I also mentioned a time limit. Each objective gives you seven turns before it’s game over. But it’s not seven turns from when you get the last point, but an increase of seven turns to get to the next one. So for the first objective, the time limit is seven. For the second, you have fourteen. The third gives you twenty-one and the fourth gives you twenty-eight total turns.

The strategy I used both times I had to do this stage is to bring one of the Sympathsia users to each point along with one to three allies, while the rest of the group starts heading to the next point. Focus on luring out the enemies away from the objective, create a hole in their formations, and break on through. Accel, Zeal, and Awaken will be your best friends here. The mooks aren’t that hard and there’s no boss to worry about. Just the pressure to get to the objectives as soon as possible.


The last point has more enemies, but more will still spawn when there’s less than five enemies on the map. Be extra careful.

When you knock out one point, reinforcements spawn at the next one, following the same pattern. Keep going until you knock out all four spots. But before you get to that last point, make sure you bring your strongest units to the top left of the map.

I’m going to save the character limit and just say that when you destroy a point, Glacies/Ventus or Cliff points out the next point and tells you to hurry up.

When you knock out all four points…


Did you do it!?
Yes! We did it!!
You did it… Everyone, good work.
[Earthquake]
What the…?
This is… It can’t be.
Yea… I bet it is.
[More Earthquakes]
Dad, does that mean…
No way… It’s going to self-destruct again!?
Dammit, I should have known. Bastards!
Dammit, this isn’t funny! We need to escape!


Based on past cases and the current situation, I calculate there is a 95% chance that this place will explode in about seven minutes. Please escape within seven minutes!
All units, did you hear that?


Don’t bother with the enemy and escape! Hurry!!

We’ve only got seven minutes to play with them. Sorry Bright, but we need the dosh for Perfectio. The reason why I told you to send your best units to the top left is to take out these enemies as soon as possible. The map ends either when every single unit gets to that line or if all enemies are defeated. I sure hope you didn’t leave anyone alive back at the other points.


In both my runs, I finished them all off.


Bright, it looks like all the enemies have been destroyed.
Good job everyone! Evacuate now! Hurry!


[Ra Cailum, Bridge]
[Explosions]
Whew… Looks like we made it in time…
Yeah… So what’s the situation? Did we stop them?
The sky looks the same at least.
Apparently we did.
We were able to stop them from sealing the Earth for now…
Yes, I think we can view this as a victory.
However…
That’s right, Amuro. Even after all these battles, we’ve only bought ourselves a little more time. But…even that might just be optimism. Beltorchika, call Captain Max. We’re going to Battle 7.


[Battle 7, War Room]
Damn, that was a close one.
Way too close to call.
Yea, but it worked out in the end somehow.
Sure… But only for the moment.
Right… Our situation hasn’t changed much.
Yeah… Antarctica is still there.
Nothing’s over… I know that, but…
Dammit!
Did you confirm it?
Yes. Considering that I can contact you, I conclude that the Earth is no longer about to be sealed. But immediately after you succeeded, an energy reaction began to concentrate in the Antarctic.
What?
The drops of time are running out. It will soon appear in this universe. If you want to save this planet, I suggest you hurry, Earthlings.
No need to consider it now, huh?
I agree.
Yes. We will head straight to Antarctica.
Hmm… So this is the final battle.
No matter what happens, this will be it. Heh. Easy to understand.
Let’s go. We must protect the Earth no matter what.
Yes. To save the Earth. To save the universe. Let’s do this.
Everyone… Are you okay with this?
Isn’t it obvious
What do you think we’ve been fighting for?
Exactly.
Amuro, what are you talking about now?
Well hold up, Kei. This is just the final confirmation. If anyone wants to back out now, no one will blame them. If you want to reconsider, now’s the time.
Yeah… This is the last chance if you want to get off.
I’d be surprised if anyone would do that.
I agree. The same goes for the kids. I know they would want to be here no matter what.
Yeah. Everyone is here of their own free will.
We’ve been resolved for this for a long time now.
Resolve… That sounds kinda sad.
Max…
Bur right now, we have to do this.
Yeah… Leave it to me. We’ll fight with everything we have.
Yes. We absolutely cannot lose.
If that’s where you all stand, then we have nothing to worry about. We just have to win, right? So let’s just sing a song and relax while we can.
Basara… Are you going to sing?
Yeah, it’ll be a great performance. I’ll let the whole galaxy, even another universe, hear my song.
That’s just like you.
Same as always.
Heh… That’s fine. Colonel, Commander Max, we’re good. All that’s left is to go to Antarctica.
Yes. Bright, Captain Max, Yamazaki, start preparations at once. This…is the final battle.
Yes, Colonel.
Roger. We’ll depart as soon as we’re prepared.
Seconded.
All pilots will be deployed as soon as we reach Antarctica. Everyone, make sure you get some rest. You’re prohibited from helping with maintenance. Got it?

Next time, the final chapter. The final battle.