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Arena Emperor generated a random number between
1 and 10000 ...
1010!
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 Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 1:57 am
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"His conversation with Dante was still fresh in his mind for a while after the encounter back on the 20th Floor. The next couple of levels hadn't proven to be very challenging after the battle with Yaksini, and no matter how he tried to pull it off, there was no way he had been able to execute the Finishing Touch again no matter how hard he thought about it. Maybe it really did take being pushed to the limit or in imminent danger in order to get him to the point of using such a Limit Breaking technique? That would be how it worked in the game, right? But this was real life, not a video game, so hoping that the game mechanics would carry over into their battles in this world was probably more than a little ridiculous. Or at least, it should be. Then again, what about the world that they were in right now was something that you wouldn't find in a video game of some sort? Demons in the streets, progression of learning skills, gaining allies in the form of demons, and casting magic spells in order to survive an absolutely ludicrous scenario in the middle of Japan? This was exactly the plot you'd find in a video game, anime, or something of the sort! Who was to say that they hadn't gone to sleep when the Red Viper put them under and woken up in the middle of some video game world with rules completely different from their own? It would explain why none of their other abilities worked, why they could only use skills that were 'within the system', and why the Cathedral of Shadows was so closely linked to their mobile devices.
Except, of course, for the fact that it was completely insane. They were obviously real! This was obviously really happening, and the fact that he was experiencing everything right down to the touch, the smell, the taste of this place was more than enough proof of what had happened. And that went without saying that unlike the others, he had been mostly conscious during the 7 days that passed while they were in the sleep...trapped within the stasis but aware, wanting to scream or fight or do something but being completely unable. He understood why the Red Viper had done it, but there was a little part of him that still regretted not having gotten the chance to fight as the world was falling, only after it had fallen. He didn't hold it against Obelyn...he knew that if he hadn't done what he had done, the first wave of the two armies likely would have wiped the world clean of them...but in a way, he still held it against himself. It was that guilt which was one of many reasons why he kept fighting, why he had wandered the cities to cleanse them of as many demons as he could. He wished he could have been out there...to find out what happened to his friends, where Yukiko and the others had gone, to try and change something...but this was his new reality. This was now his fight. This was his world...and he would do whatever he could to put it right.
25 Floors were behind them by the time he ripped through a fate, bearded Troll in a half-daze; landing behind the decapitated beast, he smirked back at Ellie and Shun and sheathed his two blades, smiling faintly at his companions.
"That was definitely the Heidegger," he quipped, referencing the ongoing gimmick of the Tower, "Only Hojo, President ShinRa, and any other Turks in the house to go, right? Barring Jenova-Sephiroth breaking out and Rufus flying in on the rooftop, of course."Quote: 81 Tokens
120 Macca
Demons: Trumpeter [76 - Used Evil Melody on Day 7], Gabriel (87), Michael (90), Metatron [98]
Secondary Demons: Mizuchi [34]
Items: Candelabrum of Eternity [Can move freely through the Amala Network, Give/Gain +2 with each Fate Link and MAX Fate with anyone, any day (May also give MAX Fate any day), Passion Fruit (Eaten on Day 7).
Fate Links: Shun [MAX], Minori [MAX], Youmu Konpaku [MAX], Obelyn Cernunnos [MAX], Fenrisulfr [MAX], Kisa [MAX], Nekura Myonmu [MAX], Jormungandr [MAX], Ellie [MAX], Dante [MAX]
Assembly of Nihilo Code: 7/5 Digits (Purchased from Ovan)
Mantra Power Nodes: 2/5 Nodes
Shards of Aradia's Mask: 0/5 Shards
Mannikin Talismans: 1/5 Talismans
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Arena Emperor generated a random number between
1 and 10000 ...
1626!
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 2:32 am
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"They had climbed half the levels of the Mist Wall Tower by now, and with each staircase they climbed he began to feel like Cloud, Barrett, and Tifa running up the endless staircase in the ShinRa Tower before they finally reached the executive levels at the very top. It seemed sometimes like the ascent would never end, like the enemies that lay before them and the trials they had to face were endless...but not even a challenging, heart-pounding endless in that they were constantly on the brink of defeat, danger, and even death, instead a repetitive, boring, dull sort of endless in which they repeated the same pattern over and over again until he started to wish that it would all just be over with already. Nonetheless, there was a prize at the end of all the climbing, all the fighting, all the repetitive struggles that made this worthwhile. The chance to stand eye-to-eye with the leader of the Reason of Yosuga and have a real, heart-to-heart talk about what made her tick and the chance to convince her to maybe give up this mad plan that she had devoted herself to, instead lending her power to the Restoration of the World and getting back the life she'd had prior. From what he had heard of her story, she wasn't a particularly sad person before...she had friends, a nice life, she was pretty and outgoing and a little bit into the occult and weird...but when the world had fallen she had suffered, been chased from place-to-place, been put on the verge of being killed more times than she could count, and the endless despair of hopelessness cracked her...changed her.
Now, she knew that this world was merciless and unforgiving, and that the world that surrounded them was governed by strength...or at least that's what she believed in. She believed that if she became strong enough, it would be she who dictated the terms of this unfair world, and that this was the only way to truly live after the end of all things. She had embraced the power of the Baal Avatar, she had given herself over to hatred, to strength, to this natural feeling of wanting to be the bully rather than the bullied. And he could understand how she had fallen that way. Honestly, it wasn't unbelievable when you got right to the heart of the matter. She was an example of what could happen to someone who was pushed too far, who had everything ripped away from them at a moment's notice, and who couldn't adapt to a world in which everything was survival of the fittest unless she became the very thing that oppressed her. If he hadn't had the power that he did, the sort of friends he could trust and rely on to keep him sane...if Genji and Minori and Nix and Shun and Dojima-san and Nanako hadn't all been here for him...if Fenrisulfr hadn't helped his family, Jorm hadn't backed down for Nix, if Kisa wasn't right there beside everyone fighting, if Obelyn hadn't guided them all this way...he might have gone the way that she had. But he had been able to rely on everyone else. And Chiaki hadn't.
Until now...
'You don't need to take this lonely road anymore, Chiaki,' he thought solemnly as they climbed to the 26th Floor, getting ready for the next bout of semi-challenges in their path, 'We will protect you, if you let us. We will fight with you, if you'll join us. Strength doesn't have to be everything...we can still go back to our world again!'Quote: 78 Tokens
120 Macca
Demons: Trumpeter [76 - Used Evil Melody on Day 7], Gabriel (87), Michael (90), Metatron [98]
Secondary Demons: Succubus [37]
Items: Candelabrum of Eternity [Can move freely through the Amala Network, Give/Gain +2 with each Fate Link and MAX Fate with anyone, any day (May also give MAX Fate any day), Passion Fruit (Eaten on Day 7).
Fate Links: Shun [MAX], Minori [MAX], Youmu Konpaku [MAX], Obelyn Cernunnos [MAX], Fenrisulfr [MAX], Kisa [MAX], Nekura Myonmu [MAX], Jormungandr [MAX], Ellie [MAX], Dante [MAX]
Assembly of Nihilo Code: 8/5 Digits (Purchased from Ovan)
Mantra Power Nodes: 2/5 Nodes
Shards of Aradia's Mask: 0/5 Shards
Mannikin Talismans: 1/5 Talismans
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Arena Emperor generated a random number between
1 and 10000 ...
6665!
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 4:35 am
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"Floors 26-29 went by in a flash, and if any of them had been expecting something more challenging than the 25 levels that had come before, they were sorely disappointed when nothing measured up to the trio of badass heroine and heroes that had scaled the Mist Wall thus far. It began to make Soji wonder if the Boss at the top of the Tower was truly going to be on the level of an Endgame Boss, or more of a Hojo at the end of Disk 3 atop Midgar sort of thing...but he knew that underestimating the power of the Baal Avatar was likely a mistake he didn't want to make. He'd have to stay focused; the 30th Floor, judging by what they had faced on the way up, would also prove to be an interesting challenge for the three of them. Bosses on the 10th, 20th, and 25th Floors meant that this floor was likely to be some kind of an ambush waiting on them as well...so with a smirk he decided to send ahead his Metatron to test the waters to make sure they weren't taken too off-guard...and as the silver-skinned servant of Law went through and closed the door behind him, the cacophony of chaos that erupted on the other side was enough to make him realize that he had done the right thing.
...A few moments passed...
And when his devil passed back through the door he was covered in blood, burns, fire still smoldering on the cloth of his tunic on his shoulder, and some black ooze that none of then even dared ask the origin of before Soji dismissed his devil back to the hammerspace of the Cathedral of Shadows. The glare that the angel had leveled him with was priceless and scathing...but it was too late to worry about spilt milk now. Obviously something very interesting was waiting on the other side of that door...and just the thought of a good challenge put the silverette on-guard even more than he had been before. Was it a Boss? A leader? Or maybe Chiaki had decided to ambush them herself and put an end to their ascent. Idly, he thought that if this was all the Tower had to offer so far, he wasn't surprised that Fenrisulfr had scaled the Tower faster than they had...if he was really here.
...Wait, a stoic white-haired badass sorta-villain scaling the Tower wielding an awesome sword before them, cutting a path of destruction as he went that they had to discover the end of at the top of the Tower?!
"Damn it, HE'S the Sephiroth!"
Obviously.Quote: 85 Tokens
120 Macca
Demons: Trumpeter [76 - Used Evil Melody on Day 7], Gabriel (87), Michael (90), Metatron [98]
Secondary Demons: Succubus [37], Okuninushi [40]
Items: Candelabrum of Eternity [Can move freely through the Amala Network, Give/Gain +2 with each Fate Link and MAX Fate with anyone, any day (May also give MAX Fate any day), Passion Fruit (Eaten on Day 7).
Fate Links: Shun [MAX], Minori [MAX], Youmu Konpaku [MAX], Obelyn Cernunnos [MAX], Fenrisulfr [MAX], Kisa [MAX], Nekura Myonmu [MAX], Jormungandr [MAX], Ellie [MAX], Dante [MAX]
Assembly of Nihilo Code: 8/5 Digits (Purchased from Ovan)
Mantra Power Nodes: 2/5 Nodes
Shards of Aradia's Mask: 0/5 Shards
Mannikin Talismans: 1/5 Talismans
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Arena Emperor generated a random number between
1 and 10000 ...
9957!
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 4:48 am
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy""mE! ORthRuS! mE stROnk!"
...A pair of swords slashed straight through the devil dog's face and cleaved him into shreds mere moments later, and whatever was left of him was finished off by the two companions of the silver-haired swordsman during their climb to the top of the Tower. His agitation had been plain on his face after the most recent revelation of their climb, and the sad Boss that had been waiting on them, buffed up from his recent gifts from the Baal Avatar had unfortunately borne the brunt of their annoyance, being picked to pieces in seconds by the trio of overleveled warrios and left to disperse into magatsuhi as they cleaned their blades and debated whether to go straight ahead to the next five levels or to take a moment to catch their breath. Or really, Soji was just considering whether or not he should take a minute to wind down from the sad realization that Fenrisulfr had taken on the aloof big brother-figure role to his always-striving underdog SOLDIER role now, whether he knew it or not, and if Fenrisulfr dared to burn Inaba Soji was going to have his goddamn head! I mean, he had already decided that he would be the Cloud since he was going to have a full three-man party on his side, but the idea of someone else getting to be the Sephiroth just didn't sit well with him at all. Especially when he was already covered in so much of the demons' blood! All he had to do was grow out his hair, get some anime bangs, change his eye color, extend the length of his blade by about 3 feet, and start talking as though nothing in the world could make him perturbed and something about his Mother and...
...Okay, maybe he wasn't he Sephiroth. He could live with that, he supposed. And to be fair, Fenrisulfr already had the issue of serving an otherworldly parent to whom he could try to appease but never quite achieve. Although since he had already been defeated he wasn't quite the same as the Sephiroth in the game, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. This could actually be fun if it meant he got a shirtless sword-duel rematch with Fenrisulfr at the end of all of this. Yesterday's crossed swords had been one thing, but now that the had seen him defeated, he knew that he could put some preparation into the fight and significantly improve his chances. But of course, those were thoughts for another time...not right now. Though the ascent up the Tower had been fun so far, and Shun certainly brought out the wackier parts of him with his eccentric personality, he knew that there was a serious endgame to all of this. He wasn't just hunting Fenrisulfr because of some tragedy he brought upon his hometown five years ago, but because he needed information on how to deal with Obelyn and Loki, and the Wolf of Ragnarok was the one most likely to be able to give it to him. And he was searching for Chiaki to try and turn her from the Reason of Yosuga towards the Restoration...to save her soul. And after that...
...The duel against Obelyn. It couldn't be avoided, could it? And so he had to be prepared, one way or another, for the fight that was yet to come. Sunspear versus the Silver Swordsman. Red Viper versus...well, he didn't have so many nicknames as his enemy, but that didn't matter. The dusk would soon be upon them, and the needed to know what to do before it was. For his friends...for the Restoration...and for everyone fighting for an ideology that strayed from the path of righteousness that he could save once the Conception's path was decided...
He would save them all...even Obelyn Cernunnos, if he could...Quote: 60 Tokens
120 Macca
Demons: Trumpeter [76 - Used Evil Melody on Day 7], Gabriel (87), Michael (90), Metatron [98]
Secondary Demons: Succubus [37], Okuninushi [40]
Items: Candelabrum of Eternity [Can move freely through the Amala Network, Give/Gain +2 with each Fate Link and MAX Fate with anyone, any day (May also give MAX Fate any day), Passion Fruit (Eaten on Day 7).
Fate Links: Shun [MAX], Minori [MAX], Youmu Konpaku [MAX], Obelyn Cernunnos [MAX], Fenrisulfr [MAX], Kisa [MAX], Nekura Myonmu [MAX], Jormungandr [MAX], Ellie [MAX], Dante [MAX]
Assembly of Nihilo Code: 8/5 Digits (Purchased from Ovan)
Mantra Power Nodes: 2/5 Nodes
Shards of Aradia's Mask: 0/5 Shards
Mannikin Talismans: 1/5 Talismans
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Arena Emperor generated a random number between
1 and 10000 ...
8396!
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 5:14 am
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"He was refocused now; the 30th Floor's ambush and the Orthrus that had been guarding the door as a Boss they made quick work of before, but the 31st-34th Floors had been ripped apart in a fashion that even the Mantra didn't quite seem to know what to do with. Demon after demon poured down the stairs and into the rooms, almost as though they were being called out of the Cathedral of Shadows on the upper floors by a Summoner with an endless supply of Tokens, but it didn't matter how many they sent. Between Ellie's tireless fighting prowess, Shun's slick movements with his own twin swords, and of course, the Silverette acting as a spearhead leading the way, demon after demon fell by the wayside. There were so many people counting on them to succeed in the missions that he had taken upon himself at the outset of the day, he couldn't afford to be bogged down in the Tower for too long. Every fight, every victory, it was more than just a duel to increase his skill and prepare himself for more battles to come...it was another step forward towards finding the Wolf of Ragnarok, which was a checkpoint en route to the duel with the Red Viper, which was the last step they needed to take before they could stand at last before the duo responsible for the Conception and the War of the Endtimes that had brought their world to the brink of ruin.
"Ellie...Shun...thank you for helping me get this far," he told them as they cleared the last of the opposition on the 34th Floor...a bit random, but he wanted them to know that their help, however fun their path had been, was both necessary and something he was truly grateful for, "We're getting closer. If Fenrisulfr is at the top of the Mist Wall with Chiaki, then they could be fighting...but even if they aren't, that's all the better for us. I need to speak with him...and if somehow, we can save Chiaki from the path she's on..." He trailed off, not sure how to say what he wanted to say. Maybe he was just too hopeful, or maybe he just wanted to save the world. Whatever the case, he knew that he would do everything in his power to protect the people of this world who remained. That was what he had always done, hadn't he? Between last year's case, Izanami, Hetero, Nyarlathotep, his own Shadow...he was always fighting, always protecting the places and the people that he cared for. Only this time...the endgame was in sight. And he had the people around him...and Obelyn himself...to thank for it.
All they had to do was press on, fight a little harder, defeat a few more enemies. But they couldn't lose sight of why they were fighting along the way, or else...
...They might end up just like Chiaki and Isamu. And that he simply couldn't allow.Quote: 70 Tokens
120 Macca
Demons: Trumpeter [76 - Used Evil Melody on Day 7], Gabriel (87), Michael (90), Metatron [98]
Secondary Demons: Succubus [37], Okuninushi [40]
Items: Candelabrum of Eternity [Can move freely through the Amala Network, Give/Gain +2 with each Fate Link and MAX Fate with anyone, any day (May also give MAX Fate any day), Passion Fruit (Eaten on Day 7).
Fate Links: Shun [MAX], Minori [MAX], Youmu Konpaku [MAX], Obelyn Cernunnos [MAX], Fenrisulfr [MAX], Kisa [MAX], Nekura Myonmu [MAX], Jormungandr [MAX], Ellie [MAX], Dante [MAX]
Assembly of Nihilo Code: 8/5 Digits (Purchased from Ovan)
Mantra Power Nodes: 3/5 Nodes
Shards of Aradia's Mask: 0/5 Shards
Mannikin Talismans: 1/5 Talismans
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Arena Emperor generated a random number between
1 and 10000 ...
2706!
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 5:36 am
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"It might have been a little awkward timing to get all sappy there on the 34th Floor, but one of the selling points of the Investigation Team's leader and the charisma that he possessed was that when he said such things, he had a way of making you believe them...of saying them with such an earnest belief that it didn't feel as awkward as you might have imagined. He didn't seem perturbed by having paused and said as much, at the very least, and once it was out of his system he was ready to move on to the 35th Floor with very little delay. Soji did take the opportunity to stretch a little, to drink from the water bottle that he had brought with him for the duration of the day (not knowing if he'd have time to stop back in Inaba to grab something to drink or eat while he was out and about), and to clean the blade of his sword to get it ready for the road ahead once more. It was only after he was fully prepared for the upcoming battles over the course of the next 16 levels of the Mist Wall Tower that he glanced at his companions and nodded to see if they were ready to join him. His eyes flashed over towards the staircase and he wondered just what they were going to find ahead of them. More demon hordes? Ambushes? Traps? Bosses? All of that and more most likely, and at the top of the Tower there was, of course, the Main Boss that would surely be waiting on them. The Tower that had once been ruled by Gozo-Tennoh as he had learned was now being commanded by the girl who had absorbed her magatsuhi to summon Baal Avatar. He kept his eye on the prize and moved towards the door to the 35th Floor, wondering if the boss encounters were going to become more frequent from here on. Every 5 Floors until the 50th wouldn't have been unthinkable, which would mean 3 more mini-bosses before the Big Kahuna. He took a breath and decided that this time, he'd see for himself.
The door swung open, and the silver-haired senior strode through confidently, swords swinging loosely at his side.
His ashen eyes scanned the room and saw a very demons gathered around in what appeared to be a six-pointed formation, all of them eying him warily as if deciding when they were going to make their move. Soji could feel the tension, feel the staredown that had commenced just then. All of the devils were powerful Oni with weapons in-hand, glancing at one another with side-eyes and then back to him, as if waiting for him to twitch, to raise a blade, to make some kind of a move so that they all could strike at once. It was a Mexican Standoff...and Soji could feel that all chaos was about to break loose, so with two fingers he motioned slyly for his companions to wait just a moment before they entered. Letting the demons think he was alone would allow the others to get the drop on them once they all focused their attacks on him. He just had to stay alive long enough for that to matter, which mean he'd have to play this just right...he glanced to his let and saw one Oni shift uneasily...to his right, the other gripped his weapon tighter, antsy. They were nervous. The silverette smirked, letting his fingers tighten faintly on the hilt of his blades.
"All of this welcoming party, just for me? I'm flattered," he spoke, the rest of his body not yet moving...just tense, waiting at the ready...and then, "So...are we getting started, or aren't we?"
...He raised his blades swiftly and he watched their eyes go wide, their clubs and blades raise in their hands as they leaped forward, ready to strike...Quote: 71 Tokens
120 Macca
Demons: Trumpeter [76 - Used Evil Melody on Day 7], Gabriel (87), Michael (90), Metatron [98]
Secondary Demons: Succubus [37], Okuninushi [40]
Items: Candelabrum of Eternity [Can move freely through the Amala Network, Give/Gain +2 with each Fate Link and MAX Fate with anyone, any day (May also give MAX Fate any day), Passion Fruit (Eaten on Day 7).
Fate Links: Shun [MAX], Minori [MAX], Youmu Konpaku [MAX], Obelyn Cernunnos [MAX], Fenrisulfr [MAX], Kisa [MAX], Nekura Myonmu [MAX], Jormungandr [MAX], Ellie [MAX], Dante [MAX]
Assembly of Nihilo Code: 8/5 Digits (Purchased from Ovan)
Mantra Power Nodes: 3/5 Nodes
Shards of Aradia's Mask: 0/5 Shards
Mannikin Talismans: 1/5 Talismans
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Arena Emperor generated a random number between
1 and 10000 ...
4233!
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 5:50 am
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"Now this was a fight hat was more his speed! He could feel the air from a kanabo whip past his face as he stepped just out of the path of the studded club and twisted, slashing his blade into the thigh of the demon and watching as it stumbled back momentarily...only to block with two swords the downward katana slash over another, forcing it away just in time to turn and cross his arms in front of him as a devil shoulder-charged him back into the wall at breakneck speed! He slammed into the wall brutally and the thing attempted to pin him there, holding him in place for the others to close in and take a strike at his exposed head. Swiftly, he drew his knee up into the stomach of the former Oni, doubling it over so that he could smash his closed fists into the back of its head and bring it to a knee just in time to loose himself and roll out of the way of the club smashing into the wall behind him and leaving a head-sized indent where it had landed. Putting distance between himself and his attackers, he pulled up two blades and dashed aside an attackers' as it slashed at him from above, jabbing the tip of his other sword into the devil's stomach smoothly, drawing blood and doubling the beast over in howling pain! Another came at him on its own with a club and he slid down to his knees and avoided the attack, cutting both of the demon's Achilles Tendons as he passed by, standing swiftly and turning, slicing downward and cleaving its head from its shoulders in one smooth move.
Two demons down. Four were aligning themselves to attack in unison again. He smirked as they prepared...and even if he could have taken the rest on his own most likely, it was time to demonstrate that two could play at the numbers game in this scenario. Raising one hand, he beckoned towards the door...and that was the cue. Our from the stairs poured his two companions for the climb, weapons at the ready and immediately setting to work on dispatching the remaining devils that loomed ahead of them. Behind them was a perturbed-looking Metatron, soiled and probably still not pleased with him for that little ambush stunt earlier, but he would just have to learn to live with that one. After everything that had attacked them back on the 30th Floor, it was best that they hadn't gone in first and caught the worst of it. On this floor, though, he was the cavalry, so he didn't have anything to complain about, right? Soji smirked as the four of them combined their attack and one-by-one, picked apart their enemies with a mixture of individual brilliance and teamwork that left little to be desired. Though they weren't quite clicking on all cylinders yet, it would be hard for anyone to tell that they weren't used to working together. Their ascent had been machine-like, and had shown no signs of stopping.
Before long, the 35th Floor was cleared. 15 Floors remained ahead of them. Cleaning his blade and wiping his face of the blood, he noticed a small cut on his cheek that a sword must have made during the combat before his allies ran in. Huh...closer than he had thought. Still, they had escaped with little more than scrapes and bruises from another ambush, which meant their enemies must be getting frustrated. Just a little more now...then, the top.
"I guess that would be as close to the Turks as we're going to get," he smirked casually, knowing the worst was yet to come, "No reason to stop now. Let's go..."Quote: 76 Tokens
120 Macca
Demons: Trumpeter [76 - Used Evil Melody on Day 7], Gabriel (87), Michael (90), Metatron [98]
Secondary Demons: Succubus [37], Okuninushi [40]
Items: Candelabrum of Eternity [Can move freely through the Amala Network, Give/Gain +2 with each Fate Link and MAX Fate with anyone, any day (May also give MAX Fate any day), Passion Fruit (Eaten on Day 7).
Fate Links: Shun [MAX], Minori [MAX], Youmu Konpaku [MAX], Obelyn Cernunnos [MAX], Fenrisulfr [MAX], Kisa [MAX], Nekura Myonmu [MAX], Jormungandr [MAX], Ellie [MAX], Dante [MAX]
Assembly of Nihilo Code: 8/5 Digits (Purchased from Ovan)
Mantra Power Nodes: 3/5 Nodes
Shards of Aradia's Mask: 0/5 Shards
Mannikin Talismans: 1/5 Talismans
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Arena Emperor generated a random number between
1 and 10000 ...
7065!
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 6:04 am
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"There was a definite pattern formed by now, and if you have been paying attention through this point you already guessed what came next. The 36th-through-39th Floors posed about as much challenge as the 21st-24th, 26th-29th, and 31st-34th Floors had posed before them. It seemed that the Bosses of the Mist Wall Tower...now the Mantra Tower, he had to remind himself sometimes...had taken to the Video Game Logic of putting Bosses on the -5 and -0 numbered floors so that they could prepare for them as they ascended towards the top. Idly, Soji remembered his own time within the TV World and how the numbers that they had found the shadows on when they were looking for their friends had always been different, asymmetrical in that they were on the 7th Floor, the 10th Floor, the 11th Floor, the 9th Floor...never a predictable number, never some neat way that they could predict when they were coming. It was all the more reason why he was thankful that Rise and Teddie had been there to support them during those times, because without them it was hard to imagine they would have known when to be prepared for a Boss fight and when they would just be walking into another room full of Cupid Shadows or Idols or something. Not the Rise kind of Idol, but the Shadow Kind...you know what he meant. Probably. Hopefully. It wasn't like they went around in the TV smacking around parties full of Kanamins or anything, although Rise might get a kick out of the mental imagery...anyway! They mowed through the devils on the floors 36-39 fairly smoothly, until the door to the 40th Floor was before them and the stairs behind them...and now, he thought, was a good time to take stock and get ready for the fight to come.
After the ambush by the wannabe-Turks and the Orthrus before, the Yaksini that had threatened them, and the Troll which had definitely been the Heidegger of the Tower, things were only going to get harder from here on. And if the whole ShinRa-as-Mantra comparison continued, then there were only two-to-three members of the evil corporation hierarchy left for them to get through before the end...and only one of them promised to be anything other than a bad time. Sure, President ShinRa was kind of a pudgy waste of space, but he probably had, I don't know, some kind of a mecha robot thing to throw at them instead of fighting them directly. Rufus was a fairly standard fight, but he wasn't an easy one, either. He was your equal in ways that you didn't expect, and he always made a clean getaway at the last moment so that you never got to completely finish him off. Unless you were the Diamond Weapon, that was. In which case, you only survived in the sequels which, honestly, weren't quite as compelling as the original. Advent Children wasn't bad, though. Crisis Core was a prequel. And Dirge of Cerberus was...worse than you probably remember. Nonetheless...
The real threat that remained before them would be any parallel to Hojo. He of the three boss forms, of the Third Disk Final Boss, and of the many various scientific creations which you dealt with throughout the course of the game. Hopefully Jenova had already flown the coop, although that was technically the 'Sephiroth' you chased most of the game, which made that more the Fenrisulfr again, and...you know what? This metaphor was really stretching at this point. Whatever was on the 40th Floor waiting for them was bad news, that was the point. Bad, bad news.
And Soji was more than ready to kick the ever-loving crap out of it. He needed answers, and he was determined to get them.
"10 more levels after this one. ...Time to see what awaits behind Door Number 40..."
...
But what lay beyond the door wasn't what he was expecting at all. Instead of a powerful demon or an enemy that he recognized, he instead saw a face that he had only heard about through rumors. It was a man in a brown suit with slicked back hair, pale skin, and an unflappable air about him and he was standing over the corpse of a devil that looked rather powerful, actually. He glanced over his shoulder and spotted the silver-haired Senior, raising an eyebrow in bemusement as he realized who was standing in front of him.
"Oh. It's you. The silver-haired boy...the human among Fiends, is it not? I might have expected you to climb this Tower," he spoke calmly, his bloody hand still dripping with fresh, black lifeblood...though he did not turn around, he spoke instead in a voice that was both mildly disinterested-sounding and yet a little sad, curious, "I'd hoped we would meet eventually. There are many things I would have liked to ask you. Alas, there is little that can change the course of fate now. Ahriman has blessed me with the power to create the World of Stillness that I desire. ...You and the Demi-Fiend friend of yous are no longer required."
Soji listened closely, trying to analyze what little the man would give away with his carefully chosen words. He obviously knew more about what was going on than most people, having picked him out for the Candelabrum that he held...Kisa for the other on the side of Restoration with them, as the half-fiend that she was. He had wanted to talk to them...to win them over to his side, he wondered? But now that he had the power of a God, he didn't believe that he required them...or perhaps he was telling himself that since the die were already cast now? Soji could sense...that this was at least partially the case. The sadness in his voice reflected that, and reflected that perhaps there was a hint of...uncertainty in his voice? Was it about his choice, or his likelihood of victory? That felt like something worth pressing...
"The name is Soji Seta; yours is Hikawa, isn't it?" he asked, and when he got no answer he knew he'd hit the nail on the head, "You said you wished you had a chance to talk to me before? Well you've got one now. So tell me...why Stillness? Why choose a Reason with no potential for change? No individuality? What purpose is there in a life like that?" All relevant questions. Maybe knowing...would help him get to the heart of the man, help him understand how...if any way...he could help save him as well. But the answer gave him little hope of the latter.
"Pointless questions. If you think to save me from the path I've chosen, I can assure you I do not require it, nor do I wish for it. My path is the only path that makes any sense in this world of upheaval...the complete erasure of the tainted world from which we were spawned...and the creation of a world devoid of individual desires, selfish motivations. Mankind is self-destructive by nature, surely a boy like you who has been dragged into this war can see that," he scoffed dismissively, sounding for all the world like the faith he spoke of having in this boy's perception wasn't really there at all...and yet, this man seemed to have no reason to lie, either. Soji sensed something in him...honesty? Clarity? Hikawa knew what he sought full-well and chose this path knowing what he was sacrificing. Just the thought made something inside the silverette so...sad.
"What a sad life you must have..." the Senior spoke at last, his pity for the man seeping into his voice...or rather, not pity, but empathy...as though he could understand feeling alone, feeling lost, wanting something, someone to connect with to feel...whole? It reminded him of himself before he came to Inaba. Before he made the friends who would last a lifetime. Across the room, Hikawa's eyes widened suddenly, a look of disbelief and annoyance crossing his pale features.
"What did you say? You must be mistaken...my whole life has lead me to this moment...this Conception. It is your life that was without purpose."
"You're wrong!" Soji answered vehemently, throwing his arm to the side as if to cast away the negativity that the man used to defend himself, "You wish for a world where everyone's hearts are one...where the hole in humanity's basic nature is filled, where we know our place in one, efficient machine? Aren't you just trying to make up for your own loneliness? Your own inability to connect with others? You're pushing your viewpoint on everyone else without even considering that your Reason erases the individuality and choice that makes us human!" He debated harshly, but Hikawa, unflappable as ever, seemed unmoved. But there was something...perhaps a hint of respect in his eyes? His lips curled faintly into a smirk as he turned completely to face the silverette now, his full attention focused upon him. Soji could feel that in spite of everything...the withering glares, the casual flippant way about him...something in what he said had just connected with Hikawa! Negative or positive...that was a step in the right direction!
"I can understand how you might imagine that, but I can assure you, I know what I am doing. You see, I understand both that individuality is what makes us human...and that individuality is the root of what makes man destroy itself. It is our gift and our curse, the self-destructive desire to be free, to choose, which will be the end of our world as we know it. In fact, hasn't it been already? It was we who made it possible for the Trickster and his Enemy to pass into our world with their armies, our choices which allowed it to reach this point. Individuality is the result of man's original sin," Hikawa debated, raising a hand to his side and drawing a circle in the air, "Man's self-destruction has been predetermined ever since that moment...we have merely circled the drain, coming closer and closer to the terminus, until now...we have finally gathered the means to achieve it. I seek to return man to blissful innocence...to sacrifice the fruit of knowledge for a complete unity with the universe. My Reason is the only Reason which ensures mankind's freedom from the spiral of self-destruction. Do you understand now?"
That was...hard to debate. Extremely difficult, in fact. And yet...
"But if returning to innocence is all that you say it is...if that is the way that mankind is supposed to live...if everything you say is true, then why...why did mankind fall from grace in the first place? Why did mankind devour the fruit? Isn't it because our impulse for freedom was a part of us even before sin? Hikawa...maybe mankind is destined to destroy itself...but I believe, I have to believe, that we can be better than that! IF we can only learn to understand one another...to believe in one another...we can fill the holes in our hearts without sacrificing who we are!"
A moment passed...and then another. Hikawa smirked faintly, and sighed, almost in defeat. Almost. His eyes leveled on Soji sternly, as if reconciling something within himself and deciding that this boy, for whatever disagreement they might have, was somebody to be feared and respected.
"It seems our goals are irreconcilable. Perhaps if I had met you when I were younger..." he turned his back and laughed, the first time he could remember outright laughing in a while, "There is no point in reminiscing now. Only the future matters. ...Do what you will, Soji Seta, but know that when you seek the path to Conception, I will be standing in your path, an enemy. ...Until then, you had best do all you can to become strong enough to survive the end. ...Excuse me."
He stepped into the door towards the 41st Floor, but Soji could feel his presence disappear before he ever set foot on a single stair. Hikawa was gone...just as fast as he had come. But now, the senior couldn't help but feel as though he understood the man much better than before. His reasons...his Reason...and though they were enemies now, when they fought down the road, if they should win, well...
Maybe, just maybe...his soul could be saved in the end, too.Quote: 86 Tokens
120 Macca
Demons: Trumpeter [76 - Used Evil Melody on Day 7], Gabriel (87), Michael (90), Metatron [98]
Secondary Demons: Pazuzu [45]
Items: Candelabrum of Eternity [Can move freely through the Amala Network, Give/Gain +2 with each Fate Link and MAX Fate with anyone, any day (May also give MAX Fate any day), Passion Fruit (Eaten on Day 7).
Fate Links: Shun [MAX], Minori [MAX], Youmu Konpaku [MAX], Obelyn Cernunnos [MAX], Fenrisulfr [MAX], Kisa [MAX], Nekura Myonmu [MAX], Jormungandr [MAX], Ellie [MAX], Dante [MAX], Hikawa [MAX]
Assembly of Nihilo Code: 8/5 Digits (Purchased from Ovan)
Mantra Power Nodes: 3/5 Nodes
Shards of Aradia's Mask: 0/5 Shards
Mannikin Talismans: 1/5 Talismans
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Arena Emperor generated a random number between
1 and 10000 ...
4775!
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 6:47 am
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"His discussion with Hikawa had been...enlightening on a number of levels. He felt now like he understood the Reason of Shijima and the thinking behind it a bit better now, and while he didn't agree with what Hikawa was doing, it was easier to see now how somebody might buy into the thought process and see a world of Unity as something they would want to be a part of. To eliminate the original sin, to return mankind to a state of oneness with the universe, to oneness with one another, and to filling the intrinsic hole in the hearts of men to eliminate the self-destructive desire that lead to tragedies such as this, as war, and so on. But to eliminate the individuality which makes men...human, to steal people's choices, that wasn't something that he could ever agree to. And really, while he certainly loved Yosuke like a brother, there was no world in which he wanted to know exactly what was going on in his best friend's mind at all times. It was probably a smorgasbord of work-related frustration, sexy nurses, and homoerotic sleeping bag issues between he and Teddie from their too-close-quarters living arrangement, and none of that was something that he really wanted to get to know about better than he already did.
He laughed uneasily as he started up to the 41st Floor at last, somewhat apologetic towards his companions for how long the conversation had been with Hikawa and the delay in their mission they might have suffered as a result. But it hadn't been a fruitless conversation, and now he had an understanding of how, perhaps, he might save even more people by the end of this. It was important to save those who he could, how he could, and wherever he could...otherwise, what was the point of saving anyone at all? By the time he came to the doors to the 41st Floor, he was ready to fight again, and his twin swords were drawn and leaning against his shoulders, ready for the fight that was surely awaiting them beyond this last divider. Four more floors of casual enemies before the next Boss if things kept on as expected. They hadn't fought the Hojo on the last floor...and since their enemy was already defeated with an enemy-ish figure standing over them, they could probably call that one the President ShinRa of the group. Which left just Hojo and Rufus remaining...the latter of which he would just assume was probably Chiaki. But maybe it wasn't. They'd figure it all out soon enough.
But first...
"We're almost there...just a little bit longer. We can do it!"Quote: 91 Tokens
120 Macca
Demons: Trumpeter [76 - Used Evil Melody on Day 7], Gabriel (87), Michael (90), Metatron [98]
Secondary Demons: Pazuzu [45]
Items: Candelabrum of Eternity [Can move freely through the Amala Network, Give/Gain +2 with each Fate Link and MAX Fate with anyone, any day (May also give MAX Fate any day), Passion Fruit (Eaten on Day 7).
Fate Links: Shun [MAX], Minori [MAX], Youmu Konpaku [MAX], Obelyn Cernunnos [MAX], Fenrisulfr [MAX], Kisa [MAX], Nekura Myonmu [MAX], Jormungandr [MAX], Ellie [MAX], Dante [MAX], Hikawa [MAX]
Assembly of Nihilo Code: 8/5 Digits (Purchased from Ovan)
Mantra Power Nodes: 3/5 Nodes
Shards of Aradia's Mask: 0/5 Shards
Mannikin Talismans: 1/5 Talismans
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Arena Emperor generated a random number between
1 and 10000 ...
388!
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 7:43 am
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"The 41st Floor had been a bit harder than the 31st and 36th. Then again, pie crust was harder than a cake, but they still both crumbled into flaky delicious goodness in your mouth when you bit into it, didn't they? That was the general feelings that these 'in-between' floors were giving to him, the mere transition from being a cakewalk to being merely 'easy as pie'. Nonetheless, they cleared the 41st and were on to the 42nd with very little trouble. It went without saying that Soji, Ellie, and Shun were a fearsome team at this point, and the demons of the Mantra were starting to wonder if perhaps they had thrown their weight behind the wrong God...at least, until a rumble from the very top of the Mist Wall Tower reminded them that they had chosen the right side thankyouverymuch, and they weren't about to say otherwise lest their all-powerful leader, the Baal Avatar, decided to take their insolence out of their asses! Not that it would have been especially preferable to the beating that the demons on the 43rd Floor got from the Avalance Trio (name patented and definitely not copied from a video game they had been referencing for the entire run-up through the Tower!). Perhaps it would have been even better for them simply to be erased by their leader than to face this torrent of pain...or at least, so they might have thought if they had the chance to think about it at all.
"One more...then we get to find out who's waiting for us on the 45th Floor," Soji thought as he twirled one of his blades in his hand and settled it casually against the totally non-existent sheath on his back, moving towards the entrance to the 44th Floor with his allies in-tow. He came to the door and as he was about to open it he found himself pausing, glancing back at his companions with a half-smirk. Right around now, he thought...this was when things would start to go completely batshit insane if they were climbing the ShinRa Tower. Imprisonment, Turks, Hojo's experiments, Jenova...he was starting to get excited and nervous about the enemy they would meet on the 45th Floor. But there was just one more to clear before then...one last level. He drew his blade and pushed the door open, rushing out to meet the charging horde of demons without any last bit of hesitation.
"Blade Beam!"
...Wait, WHAT?! How'd he do that?!
"...How'd I do that?!"
Oh, well then...Quote: 91 Tokens
120 Macca
Demons: Trumpeter [76 - Used Evil Melody on Day 7], Gabriel (87), Michael (90), Metatron [98]
Secondary Demons: Pazuzu [45]
Items: Candelabrum of Eternity [Can move freely through the Amala Network, Give/Gain +2 with each Fate Link and MAX Fate with anyone, any day (May also give MAX Fate any day), Passion Fruit (Eaten on Day 7).
Fate Links: Shun [MAX], Minori [MAX], Youmu Konpaku [MAX], Obelyn Cernunnos [MAX], Fenrisulfr [MAX], Kisa [MAX], Nekura Myonmu [MAX], Jormungandr [MAX], Ellie [MAX], Dante [MAX], Hikawa [MAX]
Assembly of Nihilo Code: 8/5 Digits (Purchased from Ovan)
Mantra Power Nodes: 3/5 Nodes
Shards of Aradia's Mask: 0/5 Shards
Mannikin Talismans: 2/5 Talismans
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Arena Emperor generated a random number between
1 and 10000 ...
5199!
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 7:27 pm
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"The mysteries continued to compound during this radical ascent through the Mantra (formerly Mist Wall) Tower, and each battle against a horde of demons or a boss that was particularly dangerous had a way of revealing new abilities that the silver-haired senior neither knew that he could use or was capable of reproducing later on during the series of battles he found himself a part of. Even looking at his companions, none of them could explain how he had just done what he did with his blade, unleashing a powerful wave of blue energy from the sharp edge of it that smashed into the lead demon in the horde and split off, carving well into the rest of the devils in the room as well. He had called out the name Blade Beam, but that was more of an instinct than anything that he actually intended to say or do. Carving through the remainder of the horde had been relatively easy for their bunch after the shock of the initial Limit Breaking technique, and by the time they had finished them off, the walls of the 44th Floor were splattered with black blood, the floor littered with body parts of demons reducing to magatsuhi as they cleaned their blades and prepared to move forward, and each of them had a moment to rest, regain their breath, and prepare for the Boss Fight that was sure to come next. For his own part, the leader of the Investigation Team looked down at his twin blades almost as if he were in awe, even as he brushed away the blood from the edges of them. How had they done what they had done just now? And the whirlwind that blew their enemy out of the window earlier in the Tower? Those were...his moves...but now they were tools he was using. But he couldn't reuse them. What exactly did it mean?
"There's something not right about this Tower," Soji mused as he finally sheathed his weapons, leaning against a wall and crossing his arms thoughtfully, "It's like my fighting style is...feeding off of the energy in here, some force that I can't see, but I can feel. I don't know how else to explain what we've been able to do...those abilities. Although I'm open to any other interpretations..." He chuckled under his breath, glancing up at the dispersing Magatsuhi of their enemies, almost as though curious if they had something to do with the unusual aura inside of the Mantra Tower. If all of the dead devils, including Gozo-Tennoh, had been the fodder to create Baal Avatar and give him form in this world inside of Chiaki, perhaps the lingering magatsuhi was what they were feeding on to exceed their normal abilities and do things, in the moment, that were truly incredible. It wasn't implausible...and it would explain something, even if he didn't totally understand the mechanics. What was important, however, was that they were happening. And with a Boss Fight looming, he was grateful for any power that he could muster.
Idly, he wished that Teddie were here. His nose would be able to sniff out all sorts of inconsistencies with what was going on here. Thinking as much made him miss his friends all over again, but his steel determination wasn't about to waver now, even in the face of pain. They were so close to their current goal now...the Top of the Tower, Fenrisulfr, Chiaki and the Baal Avatar...and beyond that, the Red Viper and the Trickster. And of course...
"The last stretch starts now. Let's mosey!"Quote: 96 Tokens
120 Macca
Demons: Trumpeter [76 - Used Evil Melody on Day 7], Gabriel (87), Michael (90), Metatron [98]
Secondary Demons: Pazuzu [45]
Items: Candelabrum of Eternity [Can move freely through the Amala Network, Give/Gain +2 with each Fate Link and MAX Fate with anyone, any day (May also give MAX Fate any day), Passion Fruit (Eaten on Day 7).
Fate Links: Shun [MAX], Minori [MAX], Youmu Konpaku [MAX], Obelyn Cernunnos [MAX], Fenrisulfr [MAX], Kisa [MAX], Nekura Myonmu [MAX], Jormungandr [MAX], Ellie [MAX], Dante [MAX], Hikawa [MAX]
Assembly of Nihilo Code: 8/5 Digits (Purchased from Ovan)
Mantra Power Nodes: 3/5 Nodes
Shards of Aradia's Mask: 0/5 Shards
Mannikin Talismans: 2/5 Talismans
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Arena Emperor generated a random number between
1 and 10000 ...
6307!
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 8:33 pm
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy""Humans. I have awaited the arrival of a worthy set of challengers such as yourselves," a massive, muscular demon wearing a horned helm and wielding a hammer chiseled out of celestial stone in his right hand greeted them as the team ascended to the 45th Floor, his eyes glowing lightning gold, his white cape flowing out behind him as he loomed dangerously...an air of challenge emanating from him that Soji immediately recognized as the sort of that they could not refuse to back down from. Instantly his hands were upon the hilt of his blades; he knew that the moment the battle began they were going to have their hands full with this one. Unlike the rest of the demons, this one actually felt like a challenge, like any wrong move could end in their own swift demise, and this was exactly the sort of enemy that he had been waiting with anticipation and dread to encounter during their roughshod crash through the first 44 Levels of the Mantra Tower. His lips curled into a faint smirk in spite of himself, his body twitching in anticipation of the fight to come. And his opponent noticed the way that he reacted, smirking in response to the threat...something in the Norse deity awakened at that like a fire, his voice booming with both pride and anticipation. "I can sense your excitement...you would make a mighty War God, yourself. In another world...but upon this Earth I am Thor, second-in-command of the Mantra and the God of Thunder! If you think to rise to the top of this Tower, I would say to disavow yourself of the notion and descend before I destroy you...but I can see that is no option in your mind. ...Very well. Come, then! Face the wrath of Mjolnir in honorable combat, and may the strong survive!"
If Soji had intended to response, Thor's thorough way of reading through to the heart of him had removed the need to do so; the way he attacked now without hesitation, sending a crashing bolt of immeasurably powerful lightning at the spot where he had stood just a moment ago was proof that the conversation was already over and the fight had just begun! If he hadn't dodged that attack he would have been completely fried, he realized right away. This...tension, this type of battle, was exactly the type that he needed to stay sharp and on top of his game! This was an enemy worth fighting, a foe worth defeating, and a life that was worth saving if they could just convince him to yield before they destroyed him! The senior flashed across the distance and swung his blades, but they clattered effortlessly away from the head of Mjolnir and they passed by one another without either having truly left a mark on the other. Between the two of them, this would be an epic duel...the type that the bards would sing of in days long past, the days that Thor himself had come from when the Vikings reigned on Earth and the Norse Gods walked among men and reigned in the heavens. But there was one thing different between this and other legendary duels of their ilk, one that would tip the balance of power between them...
"You've made one big mistake, God of Thunder," Soji spoke sternly as he turned, readying himself for the next dizzying attack from his worthy adversary, "Between you and me, I don't know for sure which of us would win...but unlike you right now, I'm not alone!" Reminding Thor of that fact, Ellie and Shun had the opening to make themselves known through an attack that could offset the tide and swing things in their favor! It wasn't as though they were cheating...Thor knew the score when the battle began. That he got caught up in the moment dueling against Soji was his own mistake, his own blunder.
And now they would take advantage of it. Quote: 103 Tokens
120 Macca
Demons: Trumpeter [76 - Used Evil Melody on Day 7], Gabriel (87), Michael (90), Metatron [98]
Secondary Demons: Pazuzu [45], Sati [48]
Items: Candelabrum of Eternity [Can move freely through the Amala Network, Give/Gain +2 with each Fate Link and MAX Fate with anyone, any day (May also give MAX Fate any day), Passion Fruit (Eaten on Day 7).
Fate Links: Shun [MAX], Minori [MAX], Youmu Konpaku [MAX], Obelyn Cernunnos [MAX], Fenrisulfr [MAX], Kisa [MAX], Nekura Myonmu [MAX], Jormungandr [MAX], Ellie [MAX], Dante [MAX], Hikawa [MAX]
Assembly of Nihilo Code: 8/5 Digits (Purchased from Ovan)
Mantra Power Nodes: 3/5 Nodes
Shards of Aradia's Mask: 0/5 Shards
Mannikin Talismans: 2/5 Talismans
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Arena Emperor generated a random number between
1 and 10000 ...
8670!
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 9:00 pm
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"One-on-one, three-on-one, it didn't seem to matter with the God of Thunder as the Avalanche Trio gave it their all to try and overcome the Norse God that blocked their path further up the Mantra Tower; he was formidable and matched their every move either with an equally powerful physical attack to repel their forward assaults, a terrifyingly terrific magical assault when they tried to go about the fight at range. And whenever they went on the defensive he managed to break their guard with the slightest of ease, making them engage him directly or not at all...which was where they found themselves now, the grander, wider-swinging, flashier assaults they had used at the outset of the battle having started to give way to a grittier, more close-quarters, more blood-sweat-dirt-and-grime give and take on the inside of one the range they each had. This was a game of chess and it didn't matter that there were three sets of pieces on their side, Thor somehow managed to hold his own and force a stalemate with the single set that he was using against all of them. Each bit of damage that was inflicted was minor. Every little nick brought out a dab of blood, but couldn't cut deep enough to inflict a fatal or crippling wound. Every blow only got them closer to the one breakthrough that would end this give and take between them.
...Soji capitalized on Thor's hammer's weight on a swing and landed a small gash on his side with his twin blades, though the devil had tightened his abs significantly to cut back on the surface area and increase the tension, reducing the damage to a minimum...a pawn sacrifice instead of a knight.
And Thor had responded to Soji's surprise at missing the critical blow and overextending with a boot that slammed into the senior's chest; his arms crossed overtop of it at the last minute and kept the wind from being knocked out of him, only feeling the bruising on his arms instead of the wheezing pain of a broken sternum...another pawn, sacrificed to protect the king.
And so it went, back and forth...each of the four fighters making sacrifices, giving and taking, blood slowly flicking onto the floor from pawn sacrifices, but never pooling in response to a severe wound inflicted. Soji's cheeks scuffed with grime, his arms bruised, but their enemy was leaking blood from a variety of small cuts and nicks...and he knew that Ellie and Shun were in a similar way to himself. They needed an opening, a feint that would leave their enemy open for the blow that would cripple, that would change the tide of the fight for all of them! But they had to be sure they weren't sacrificing too much in order to obtain it. Whatever the move would be, they needed absolute confidence in it.
...
'That's it,' the silver-haired senior thought with a rueful smirk, rushing forward and leaping high into the air...the point of his twin blades shimmering with a brilliant light that nearly blinded the devil that loomed below! This was their chance, that moment of hesitation when he winced from the brightness of the light! Ellie, Shun! This was their moment to shine and pin him down for...
"OMNI...SLAAAAAAAASH!"Quote: 113 Tokens - 35 Tokens (Draw Dominion - 51, Fuse Dominion + Sati = Amaterasu - 56, Draw Kin-Ki - 59) = 78 Tokens
120 Macca
Demons: Trumpeter [76 - Used Evil Melody on Day 7], Gabriel (87), Michael (90), Metatron [98]
Secondary Demons: Pazuzu [45], Amaterasu [56], Kin-Ki [59], Futomimi [63 - Avoid death by replacing self with a mannikin - 0/1]
Items: Candelabrum of Eternity [Can move freely through the Amala Network, Give/Gain +2 with each Fate Link and MAX Fate with anyone, any day (May also give MAX Fate any day), Passion Fruit (Eaten on Day 7).
Fate Links: Shun [MAX], Minori [MAX], Youmu Konpaku [MAX], Obelyn Cernunnos [MAX], Fenrisulfr [MAX], Kisa [MAX], Nekura Myonmu [MAX], Jormungandr [MAX], Ellie [MAX], Dante [MAX], Hikawa [MAX]
Assembly of Nihilo Code: 8/5 Digits (Purchased from Ovan)
Mantra Power Nodes: 3/5 Nodes
Shards of Aradia's Mask: 1/5 Shards
Mannikin Talismans: 2/5 Talismans
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Arena Emperor generated a random number between
1 and 10000 ...
130!
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 9:19 pm
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"He could feel his body moving, feel his arm swinging his swords in a perfect harmony...a series of downward slashes, cross slashes, upward slashes, slashes from every which way but loose...but he didn't entirely understand how or why he was doing it. He only knew that his body was doing it, that the inclination had come to him at the most critical of moments during the fight...as though it had been gifted to him from a voice in the Lifestream of magatsuhi flowing through this Tower. In his descent from the leap into the sky, as Ellie and Shun took the chance to strike him in his surprise and render him pinned to the spot just long enough...Thor could only watch as the first of what would be many slashes crashed down and ripped right through the front of him, leaving a large angry gash streaming the crimson blood that had eluded them in this fight until now. Inside of his mind, Soji could feel something clicking...numbers, numbers for each of the slashes, like there was a quota that he needed to hit in order to complete the attack that he had unleashed. And as he tore through Thor with his opening salvo, he began to count them off...unable to stop until his move was complete.
"One..." he thought as he landed, but no sooner had he done so than an upward diagonal slash tore Thor from hip to shoulder, one smooth trail almost as though his twin swords had fused into one, "Two!"
What followed was a a horizontal slash, left...right...and two arms winding to cut right down the middle again...two slashes simultaneously!
"Three, four...five and six!"
His arms whipped around sharply, almost like a windmill, but cross at the last second to tear two more simultaneous slashes in an X-pattern across Thor's chest...before his right arm ripped up diagonal and up to the left, his left arm diagonal up and to the right thereafter...followed by another downward X slash, but this time in the opposite manner!
"Seven, eight, nine, ten! Eleven, twelve!"
Next was an upward slash, right up the middle...followed by another downward slash, the labor of the assault beginning to show in the slower speed of the last one.
"Thirteen...fourteen...aaaand...!"
And then one more time he leaped into the air, the tip of his weapons shining, Thor crippled below him...the power gathering, culminating, charged to its maximum! And then...descent!
"FIFTEEN!"
He cut clear through the demon's middle and split him completely in half...but from the entire combo his body was already in ribbons, reducing to magatsuhi even as he finished tearing down through him with the last overcharged attack.
Thor didn't even have the chance to praise them...to concede defeat. This absolute victory was theirs, and it was necessary...the only way to win if they were to advance beyond the bulwark that was the God of Thunder.
Soji rose slowly...a moment later, exhausted in that moment, wiping sweat away from his forehead...before twirling his blades once more and replacing them upon his back, Victory Fanfare playing somewhere in the back of his mind.
"...We won the battle..."
But the war remained.Quote: 78 Tokens
120 Macca
Demons: Trumpeter [76 - Used Evil Melody on Day 7], Gabriel (87), Michael (90), Metatron [98]
Secondary Demons: Pazuzu [45], Amaterasu [56], Kin-Ki [59], Futomimi [63 - Avoid death by replacing self with a mannikin - 0/1]
Items: Candelabrum of Eternity [Can move freely through the Amala Network, Give/Gain +2 with each Fate Link and MAX Fate with anyone, any day (May also give MAX Fate any day), Passion Fruit (Eaten on Day 7).
Fate Links: Shun [MAX], Minori [MAX], Youmu Konpaku [MAX], Obelyn Cernunnos [MAX], Fenrisulfr [MAX], Kisa [MAX], Nekura Myonmu [MAX], Jormungandr [MAX], Ellie [MAX], Dante [MAX], Hikawa [MAX]
Assembly of Nihilo Code: 8/5 Digits (Purchased from Ovan)
Mantra Power Nodes: 3/5 Nodes
Shards of Aradia's Mask: 1/5 Shards
Mannikin Talismans: 3/5 Talismans
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Arena Emperor generated a random number between
1 and 10000 ...
6426!
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 11:42 pm
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"They didn't move on from the 45th Floor right away; Thor had proven to be more than a worthy enemy, the sort that Soji had anticipated a myriad of encounters with throughout the Tower, only to discover now that they were fortunate this had been the first and only time they would encounter him before the top. If the bosses on the floors before this one had quite so strong...he couldn't say for sure that they would have made it this far. It was likely the reason that on top of all the other chaos in the ShinRa Tower they never had Cloud face off against Jenova or Sephiroth until they were well beyond Midgar, really. Having to fight Hojo's experiments, deal with Turks, duel against Rufus, the machines that barred their escape, and so many other enemies all in the same segment of game would have been overkill, and it was possible that the team might never would have survived it. This...wasn't quite the same as that, but it was as close a comparison as he could make while using the same metaphor that they had used for the duration of their climb. Now, however, they would take their rest not unlike the segment where they all slept inside of the holding cells in the Tower in Final Fantasy VII. Even if it was just for a few minutes, to catch their breath, rest their muscles, recover their magical power, and of course, to prepared their demons for the final push to the top...they needed that breather in case there was one final terrible surprise waiting for them ahead. After all, they hadn't encountered Chiaki yet...and Fenrisulfr, if he was here, must be waiting for them at the Top of the Tower. They were so close now...
The silver-haired senior rubbed the soreness out of his shoulder a little, still aching from the violent motions of the Omnislash technique, something he still didn't know how he had performed it...but by now had given up wondering how he did things and simply allowed himself to do them when the moment struck. His inclination that it was the thick magatsuhi in the Tower, the remnants of whatever Baal Avatar had left behind when taking form inside of Chiaki Tachibana, was still his best guess but without somebody like a Ciela to really explain the ins-and-outs to him, there was no way for him to know just what was going on. Even Kisa didn't know, and she was at the heart of everything. It felt like they were puppets being strung along throughout this entire event, never really grasping at the truth behind it all and only striving to do what they could, when they could, and eventually to break out of the cycle without ever truly understanding it. That part was more frustrating than any other. That lack of understanding...that fighting without knowing the truth.
He leaned up from the wall and glanced towards the staircase to the 46th Floor.
Whether they understood exactly what the root cause of all of this, the nature of this Tower and of many of the beings that had pledged themselves to the Reason of their choice, or the other mysteries surrounding the Conception they had fought their way so close to the endgame now that they could practically taste the victory beyond the horizon of despair. Five floors left...and then they would stand atop the Realm of the Mantra, the home of the Reason of Yosuga, and perhaps there...they would find at least a few of the answers that they desperately sought. Quote: 85 Tokens
120 Macca
Demons: Trumpeter [76 - Used Evil Melody on Day 7], Gabriel (87), Michael (90), Metatron [98]
Secondary Demons: Pazuzu [45], Amaterasu [56], Kin-Ki [59], Futomimi [63 - Avoid death by replacing self with a mannikin - 0/1], Black Frost [66]
Items: Candelabrum of Eternity [Can move freely through the Amala Network, Give/Gain +2 with each Fate Link and MAX Fate with anyone, any day (May also give MAX Fate any day), Passion Fruit (Eaten on Day 7).
Fate Links: Shun [MAX], Minori [MAX], Youmu Konpaku [MAX], Obelyn Cernunnos [MAX], Fenrisulfr [MAX], Kisa [MAX], Nekura Myonmu [MAX], Jormungandr [MAX], Ellie [MAX], Dante [MAX], Hikawa [MAX]
Assembly of Nihilo Code: 8/5 Digits (Purchased from Ovan)
Mantra Power Nodes: 3/5 Nodes
Shards of Aradia's Mask: 1/5 Shards
Mannikin Talismans: 3/5 Talismans
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