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Flames writhe in the burning air. The facings of the inner walls have been cracked and blown down - loose crumbs of crystal, of pitch-black stone, like dry sand - crunching underfoot. Smoke swirls, thickly, through the splintered ruin of the memory towers - Drawn by the flash, the phototropic towers fidget, rotating, the echoes of the last and greatest jarring detonation dying away.

Behind Alura, Anima inhales. A tiny point of unutterable blackness - a perfect sphere of anti-light - gathers, as the Cryptid's lungs swell beneath hardened carapace. Razor-sharp blades bristle from the leering, skull-headed beast, a single elephantine abomination that towers above the line of battle - the gargantuan creature's rotting hands slamming down, fingers with too many joints twitching against the ground, raking handholds into the splintered surface-

When it *exhales*, that breath becomes an ear-shattering blast that sucks all the air in the chamber into a whirl that follows the sideways column of black fire that roars towards the Thief. The corrosive flame roars up around him, as he beats Inox Fang's guard down - his killing stroke becomes a sideways leap that takes him through the inferno, diving and rolling to efficiently snuff the flames as he comes up to one knee, vapour rising from charred coat-

"Shizuka-chan, take this~" Alura purrs in that saturine lilt, and the knot of twisting, overlapping serpents in her hand shoots into Inox Fang as the black flame slides harmlessly off her-

Inox Fang shudders, convulses.

Vanishes.

Before, each time she flickered out of existence - It was like a missing frame in a projector, there then gone. This time, when she teleports - she vanishes into a jagged hole in space, a ragged *absence* filled with roiling energy and clouds of black light. As the Thief reels to his feet, the Fatal Abyss in his fist, the second thunderclap sounds-

-Behind him-

He wheels. His sword is an all-severing line.

He isn't fast enough.

(Continued)

>>43573525
Well we're completely fucked. Jobbers the lot of them.

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Inox Fang's kick takes him in the side, lifts him off the floor, and hurls him across the chamber - crashing, tumbling. A second flash of light, she comes at him again - He's rolling, not knowing where she's going to manifest, skittering to his feet, the embers in his helm glowing with furious heat-

It turns out she's behind him, and he's not rolling half as fast as he needs to. This time, his arm - his wounded arm - takes the blow, and you *hear* the crack of the bone. A muffled grunt of agony chuffs from the Thief's speakers as he staggers upright - A crackle of seething unlight, and she's behind him again. Inox Fang's klaive slams into the ground where his head was, raising sparks - Her next kick takes him in the torso, and he doubles up around the spiked boot that gouges into him-

"Akira-!" the wrenching shout rises from Daegal's speakers as he staggers forward - His attention momentarily diverted, Ascalon's blade draws sparks as he drags it behind him, gouging a jagged line across the ground-

And then he turns, at the last moment, as the hissing arc of Bell Zephyr's scourge splits the air. He doesn't swing Ascalon to parry it - he would never be fast enough. Instead, he hauls the blade up, to one shoulder - Hunching down behind it, like a man behind a phalanx shield-

Blue sparks splinter across Ascalon as the scourge keens away, in a high deflection. The fractious whine splits the air, as Bell Zephyr swirls her weapon for another strike, the segments of the monofilament whip in constant motion - Her other arm hanging limp at her side, her form charred by the Tempest Scrander's electric discharge.

"Help him-!" Megumi's voice is a buzzing snarl, from her speakers - Her words directed at Alura.

"Hmmmm~?"

"You have to *help* him-!"

Alura turns her head. Dark lips curve against quicksilver skin - A smile, or a sneer of contempt?

"Must I?"

(Continued)

>>43573576
>>43573525
Shit, this is getting worse and worse.

We need that QSC to kill Anima.

Daegal needs Rubicante and Cagnazzo. Maybe an upgraded Cagnazzo can do good work with its tracking property.

We need to stall Megumi and Rust Kaiser while we exchange weapons.

I also suggest sending any remaining interceptors to cover Akira. They should be able to inhibit Inox Fang's movements, at least, by pouring down suppressive fire.

>>43573576
Cobolt powered disrupt Inox Fang.

>>43573576

She hovers. Serene, untroubled.

Waiting for something.

At her side, Calcite Arrow stumbles to his feet. His grasping fingers find a splintered chunk of memory tower - It becomes a handhold that lends solidity to his world, as he makes to raise his bow again. He's staggering, unsteady - the violence of the last explosion has embedded shards of stone in his visor, cracks skittering along his battered off-white cuirass. The dull quartz crystals of his namesake are clustered, thickly, around the rents in his armor-

"Stay - Stay right there-" he rasps, dazed. "Stay right there - where I can *kill* you, Joker-"

He seems disorientated, off-balance. The fury, the scale of the combat around him - Like a car crash, over and over again.

The buzzing crackle of Bell Zephyr's lash - her speed's gone, but the lethal play of the scourge makes a serpentine hiss, as she draws back for another stroke-

Not far, Haze crawls out - Hands and knees - from beneath Rook's sheltering wing. Rook's bulk shudders, lachryma bleeding from a dozen wounds; the smoldering blackness has cleared from Haze's field of vision, but he moves like a half-broken thing, still racked with agony. There is a *snikt* as he makes a fist - an array of syringes deploying from his wrists, cycling-

He seems to be searching for something.

"Oh shit-" Daegal blurts out, as Rust Kaiser regains his footing. The blast of Ascalon's Barisage Cannon has left a gouting wound on his front, as if a great scoop - still smoking, a bloody, hard-edged illumination keening from within - has been carved from his flesh. Liquid gore geysers from the crater, weaves of his own tumorous flesh coiling over the damage, thick throbbing veins knitting back into *meat*-

(Continued)

>>43573675

There is a sound. A brittle, liquid *crack*. That huge, brutal form judders, as EXEC_CASTIGATE flickers burning glyphs against his substance. From Rust Kaiser's shoulder blades, down the length of his spine - a row of curved, club-shaped bone fragments, each shattered sharp at the point, are pushing out. Corded ropes of real and synthetic tendon, pushing up against his tormented structure, one rending hand fused into a hammer of bone and sinew-

Something moves in the depths of his eyes - one flesh, raw with pain, the other cold and ice-blue. Like a lightning flash, seen on a distant night horizon-

"J, Joker-" Kazuya says - "*Anon*-"

Side-by-side, now.

"-What do we-"

"What do we *do*-?"

HP: 69.6%
COBALT BOOSTER: 92%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 18%
METER: 72%
ENCROACHMENT: 7%

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>43573675
>Waiting for something.
This could mean so many different things.

Maybe reinforcements?
A charging ability?
Final stage of launch?

>>43573714
Use the Cobolt Booster to Disrupt Inox Fang.

>>43573714
Give him Rubicante and Cagnazzo.

"Red goes in your right hand, blue in your left. One tracks, the other treats armor like ordinary flesh."

Let our Assault Shroud engulf Bell Zephyr with fortress mode.

Send out one or two interceptors (If we even have any), fed from cobalt booster, to cover the thief.

This leaves Rust Kaiser and the pillar man.
I say we kill the arrow pussy and then stall Kaiser somehow.

Also, can we share targetting data via the DIRAC channel?
If yes, I want to send Haze a target ping for Anima. Tell him over the dirac to make his movement inconspicious when he fires his missile at the thing.

>>43573733

Ascalon hits WAY harder than Rubicante and Cagnazzo though.

>>43573733
Anyway, gotta go for around one and a half hours.
Don't fuck up in the meantime.

>>43573714
EXEC_DISRUPT on Fang, shoot the Chain Mine at Kaiser, send two maser grenades at Bell Zephyr, speed towards Kazuya and give him R&C and have him finish off Bell. Shoot Arrow with another Nova and switch to the Malefactor to start burning Kaiser down.

>>43573738
I was hoping that the internal damage effect of Rubicante would be what we need. And Cagnazzo allows him to actually hit Belly Zephyr.

I'm unsure myself, but we'd need more guys to discuss that.

Holy shit, this quest is still going? how much it is, years? I'm pretty impressed

>>43573746
Hey, that's actually nice.

>>43573757
Well, we've been in the endgame since February...

>>43573757
3 and a half years, I think. It's close to ending.

>>43573757
When did you stop reading?

Everything has gone to shit. All the waifus are dead and Kazuya is now wearing the armor that Argent always wanted to have. That's after he managed to kill a Corrector with a prop sword.

>>43573778
>All the waifus are dead
I didn't ask for this

>>43573766
And there's still so much shit left to do, assuming JQOP isn't subtly finishing off unfinished business in the background.

>>43573787
Well, technically Kotone is getting married. Well, Kotone/Mio/Mio's mother amalgam.
And Asuna fled in terror, so she's safe. (Shit, I just realized that she would have turned the tide had she stayed at the festival. Remember her player form)
And Natsumi is currently fighting against time to get out of a barrier where everyone inside is dead if they haven't left by now, because we are sitting in a space ship that has pretty powerful propulsion.

Oh and our best allies are Utopia Ruler and Imago.
The former is a fedoramancerous sociopath who got us to kill his waifu for daring to give him the feeling of love.
The latter is literally Mengele. Our new tentacle arms were a gift of his.

>>43573746
Giving him R&C seems like a bad idea since Ascalon is far more powerful.

>>43573787
Well, except for Mio, but that whole sending Anon into the abyss of eternal inescapable torment neans I'm vetoing any attempts to rekindle that relationship automatically.

>>43573804
Ascalon is so powerful because it was boosted by his armour. Who knows how bullshit R&C will be in his hands
Also, Ascalon can only truly show its worth in melee combat and Kazuya doesn't stand a chance against Kaiser as he is now. It's better to give him something that he can actually use against Bell.

>>43573822
Can he even use R&C at full power? they need booster or meter to be effective. And his booster is broken and I don't think he has any meter moves.

>>43573838
He can just feed it directly. We have the same option.

>>43573848
Oh yeah, forgot about that.

>>43573746
>>43573723

You don't answer - Not right away. The Cobalt Booster stings with cold strength, as you focus - Charge filtering across your limbs, as your Auspex spears Inox Fang on your targeting cursor-

-A blurt of scrambled code-

You actually *see* the codeburst gather around Inox Fang's form - A visible distortion, lines of code tangling in a snarl - but before the *effect* spills forth-

Alura turns. She makes a gesture, and the Codeburst *splinters*. The effect is like taking a hammer to glass; You stagger back as the converging shapes of code shattering into viciously serrated shards. Feedback punches into you, a scrawl of static across your field of vision-

"Now, now, Joker-kun-" Alura says - Her gaze coming to rest squarely on you, as she wags a slender, admonitory finger. "-That's *cheating*. I can't let you break my toys - Not yet."

You don't dignify that with a response. Your Interceptors spear from your shoulder hangars, launching - they jag through the air on vector-thrusters, compact particle guns unleashing hissing lines of energy as they burn towards Inox Fang. They flit around her, die-straight zips of energy, carving beams, slashing across the distance as the converge; the first ray slices across Inox's shoulder, the second deflecting from the upraised blade of her klaive - With a hiss, she springs back, the lines of light slashing down around her in a burning web-

The Thief sweeps his hand out before him, and a dark blast of ozone-crackling energy - a concealed weapon, a hold-out - spits directly at Inox. Unlight inhales around her, and she vanishes a split-second before the round connects; Those lupine legs stumble, as she emerges from a flare of light - frost clings to Inox Fang's armor, corospant flickering across the distorted snarl of the muzzle-

Too many jumps. Too short a time.

The Thief's Furstenburg rips into her from the side - Burning shots stitching across Inox Fang, hailing rounds smashing plate.

(Continued)

>>43573859
So the bitch can break code bursts, this is bad.

>>43573859
>"-That's *cheating*. I can't let you break my toys - Not yet."
I hate this bitch with the passion of a thousand burning suns. Good Lord.

>>43573859

The muzzleflash casts a thunderous strobe light - sixty rounds a minute, hammering away, shards of metal spiralling through the air as the blizzard of shots makes Inox reel, buck, jerk, hammered by the kinetic impacts-

-a blinding flash-

But this time, the Thief is ready.

He is not as fast as Inox Fang. He is not as strong, or perhaps even as powerful.

But he is smarter.

This time, when the flash of light comes - He doesn't dodge. He doesn't turn.

Instead, his carbine clatters to the ground. Both fists curl around the hilt of the Fatal Abyss, and he stabs straight backwards. Under his own right arm. The Thief thrusts the blade back, as heat and wind and flickers past his body-

And then, resistance. A grunt. A hiss. The grind of steel on steel.

There is no flash of light. No other blow. Just a slow, whimpering gasp, a sound of absolute surprise.

Behind him *every* time, Shizuka?

"Predictable," The Thief says, and twists the blade. The Fatal Abyss protrudes from the center of Inox Fang's cuirass - neatly slotted through the ribs. Thick, arterial Lachryma sprays from her back, hissing and spitting against the unutterable blackness of the sword.

(Continued)

>>43573884
Hooray.
Wait. Couldn't Alura resurrect people? Could we Consume her or something, to make sure she doesn't?

>>43573907
Only her champion, I think.

>>43573923
Calcite Arrow is her champion

>>43573907
I think we're too far to do that. Hopefully the Thief has a trick or two.
>>43573923
She already revived Inox Fang once.

>>43573884

"Holy *shit*-" Calcite stammers-

The Fatal Abyss impales Inox Fang through the spine. Her klaive blades clatter from her plated fists - the savage cleaving swords striking sparks from where they *clang* off the ground - that warped maw working, making a sound-

"Hhhhhhhchhhhhhhh-"

She spasms. Clawed hands reach out for the Thief, as he wrenches the Fatal Abyss free - coolant fluids, tarry blood, smoldering against the black steel.

"What-?"

A sound, from Alura. Not quite a gasp, a stifled exhalation. For the first time, she falters; She makes an arcane gesture - stops - makes another-

"You can't-" Lachryma bleeds from the eyeslits of Inox Fang's mask. Her voice is clotted, now, as her legs fold up beneath her. There is a brittle crackle to her speakers - The slicing blade of the Fatal Abyss has ruptured things within her, vital systems, as the Thief turns to face her at last.

"-You can't-"

"-*kill* me-"

The Thief's skull-helm inclines, a fraction.

"Let's find out," he rasps, and punches his right hand *into* her. It is his artifical limb, the skeletal graft - It sinks through her armor without resistance, all the way to the wrist. Inox Fang convulses - the edges of her form blur, coiling lines of fractured code boiling forth - her jointed digits spasming into jointed claws-

And then she begins to scream.

(Continued)

>>43573935
>A sound, from Alura. Not quite a gasp, a stifled exhalation. For the first time, she falters; She makes an arcane gesture - stops - makes another-
Thief my buddy my man I'm sorry for ever doubting you.

>>43573935
I would've gone with a bisection, personally.

>>43573935
Goddamn, why are all of Joker's bros so based?

>>43573942
I think he might be trying to rip out her Essence Core. Also, he's severely damaged, so this might net him a decent heal.

>>43573935
Thief I take back calling you a Jobber i'm sorry. You're a fucking beast.

>>43573948
Her core is in her head. We once removed her faceplate.

(FATALISM activated)

>>43573935

It is a howl of absolute, unalloyed agony, high and appalling and utterly without shame.

Shizuka screams as if she's watching her sister die all over again.

As that wail splits the air, you *move*. The tatters of the Assault Shroud whirl from your shoulders - It forms a dome of off-red, pitted material, an abrupt barrier around Bell Zephyr-

There isn't enough of it. Not enough to buy you more than a moment - But when her scourge connects with the Fortress Shroud, brilliant sparks fly as the monofilament lash carves through the superdense nanomaterial, raking across it in a devastating blow-

-But it holds. It *holds*, for that singular blow-

And on the heels of Shizuka's shriek, Rust Kaiser *charges*. His speed is appalling - He covers the distance at full charge, at bull-charge. He surges forward with an inhuman burst of physical acceleration, an animal sprint - his legs hurling his body mass forward in a gallop that shakes the ground underfoot, that tears stone free as he lunges towards you, six or eight to ten steps at a time-

*Forget* the Chain Mine-

(Continued)

>>43573993
Is this the point at which we reply with a Boosted Crisis Arm?
Also, Jesus Christ, Kaiser fucking breathes Crits.

>>43573993

Rust Kaiser's arm draws back.

He swings-

You dive. You dive towards him. You dive towards death.

But you dive low.

The titanic battering ram of his fist is blurred at the edges. The air around it ripples, as it is whipped and heated. It whistles past you, and even than glancing impact sending threads of rust skittering across your faceplate, directly in line with your high-crested helm. The bone spurs of his iron knuckles fill your vision, as they scream over your head-

And then you are beneath the swing, and he buries his fist into the wall.

Architecture explodes. The bone-crushing blow hurls chips of memory crystal and riocheting flechettes of sharpnel in all directions. The glow of your Cobalt Booster is dim, flickering fitfully - Damaged by Enfer, the power conduits sparking-

But you still have one good punch left in you.

(Continued)

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>>43574013
>CROSS COUNTER

>>43574026
>But you still have one good punch left in you.
Aww yeah we're gonna Ippo his shit in.

>>43574026
FROST CESTUS BEST ORIGIN

>>43574026

Acceleration rings accrue, forming an astral pattern as the Crisis Arm materalizes with a thunderclap of crimson light. Blue flame crackles, like an arc-welder's torch as you bury your fist into Rust Kaiser's face - It is a huge blow, a massive haymaker that makes damage myomer-muscle scream, that makes compromised servoes *grind*. There is a sound of ringing steel and unwinding gears, as meteoric iron plate *buckles* beneath the titanic blow - the metal glows *hot* under the impact, deforming beneath the mauling force of your punch-

It rips across the outthrust jaw of his armor - wrenching overlapping plating away, crushing the lens of his remaining optic sensor to flinders - fanning a spray of optic fluids into the air, as part of his helm tears away. Shreds of meat cling to the Crisis Arm's knuckles, spitting and flash-igniting into tiny spheres of blue flame, burning fiercely as the impact snaps Rust Kaiser's head to the side-

The concussive force of the blow makes the ground *ripple*. Tiles crack, splinter - You can actually *hear* his gyros spooling, drive chains ratcheting his awesome limbs as he rocks back, checked a step; ruptured hydraulics pulse coolant fluids from his neck seal, an ugly grinding of servoes from deep within...

And then he hits you back.

(Continued)

>>43574089
>And then he hits you back.
Suddenly less hyped now.

>>43574089
And we're dead. GG guys it was fun.

>>43574089
>And then he hits you back.
Well that was a bad idea.

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>>43574089
>And then he hits you back.
Last time his hit solidly connected, we got smashed through the floor despite having a shield up.

>>43574123
Well, you know, maybe he's doing that gearing up for a punch thing before suddenly collapsing?

>>43574089
Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaz

Help

>>43574089
Hows that epilogue coming along OP?

>>43574089

If he hit you head-on, you'd be broken. But he has yet to find his footing, blind on one side from the mangling blow - And the back of one immense fist clubs you aside.

He simply smashes you out of his way.

There is a sound like smashing glass. Some reflex, some survival instinct, makes you turn *into* the blow - Sinistral and Crisis Arm crossing - as the ghost steel splinters into a million million shards; Your feet leave the ground for one dizzying moment as you pinwheel, beginning to rotate mid-fall - It is not a clean landing, but a skidding, screeching tumble that slams you onto your back, your armor scraping up flurries of sparks, slivers of plate spinning away from the impact-

You come to an abrupt stop, the recoil of your Abruption Jets wrenching you to a halt with an effort that nearly breaks you in half. The world reels, your sensors cohering as you get your right arm under you, force yourself to your feet-

You don't have a right arm any more.

(Continued)

>>43574163
>You don't have a right arm any more.
How many limbs has Joker lost today?

>>43574183
Amputation has always been our biggest weakness.

>>43574163
>You don't have a right arm any more.
I suddenly miss Cybele's healing.

>>43574183
I can for sure say we've lost more than ten arms by now.

>>43574163

An entire arm, gone. All the way to the shoulder, ripped out of the joint. The bent and twisted struts flicker, fitfully, trying to put themselves back together - Your Leech Module hisses, motes of pseudomaterial spooling, fighting to repair the damage...

-Not enough.

Red telltales record the damage. Your Interceptor System is crushed. The ripping, rending damage has crumpled your Tyrant Burst system into itself, jagged armor plating slicing into internal fibers with every move you make-

"-Bastard-"

Daegal reels forward. He plants his feet, transferring all his momentum into a great lateral swing. It hacks into Rust Kaiser's side - a great trench wound that punctures his flank, hacking through the torso plating - but Ascalon grinds to a stop, half-buried in him like an axe hacking into a great oak. Yellow cables, augmetics, processing sacs, spill from the hideous rupture, a line that joins the still-heading gash carved into his chest as armor plating buckles, scrapes; Feed tubes tear, as Rust Kaiser makes a subhuman noise through his voice plugs-

But Kazuya gets greedy. Cold power - the dissipating charge of his Cobalt Booster, the focusing orb shattered in his chest - stings through his limbs, ambling over his arms in crackling garlands of blue fire as he wrenches Ascalon free, bracing himself for a better stance as he swings again...

And this time, when Ascalon carves across, Rust Kaiser smashes the blade aside with the ball of his fist. The recoil sends Daegal staggering back - He travels with the recoil, just as he's been taught, spinning and using the momentum to drive a thrust directly at Rust Kaiser's chest-

Rust Kaiser's iron talons close on the blade. Ascalon's edge severs two fingers, before the remaining digits vice down and stop it dead. Daegal makes a startled, strangled sound as he tries to wrench the weapon free-

(Continued)

>>43574222
> Arcadia is littered with Joker arms and hydra heads

>>43574246
Use the Dirac Channel to Kazzuya: "SHOOT OR LET GO!"

>>43574246
Hope he can use the Barisage Cannon now.

(Gentlemen: Note that I took FATALISM from your Meter, because you simply didn't have enough Cobalt Booster left after EXEC_DISRUPT)

>>43574287

Daegal jerks back. His gauntlets spasm open, as he releases the blade - there is the dry click-click-click of the Barisage Cannon's trigger mechanism, charge expended, falling on empty chambers. He stumbles back a step, another, as Rust Kaiser looms over him - He can't seem to decide whether to try and shield himself, or to run-

With deliberate patience, Rust Kaiser releases the weapon. The neutronium claymore does not clatter against the floor - It falls, blade first, and sinks silently halfways to its length in the stone.

>>43574246

> JOKER

The thread of the urgent communication crackles across the distance, arrow-straight, the *wrench* of the Thief's icon pulling at you. Your head snaps to the side, as the Thief turns; a brittle flare of light heralding Inox Fang's catastrophic end, her body *folding* and crushing and *compressing* down onto itself-

As the Thief's hand wrenches free, her helmet comes with it. For one terrible moment, you actually *see* her Essence core - migrating from the sullen depths of her faceplate, in terrible osmosis, down to the ripping, tearing bones embedded in her soul - flicker with a desperate, caged light. And then all her substance *condenses*, reshaping it into-

Something. A shape. A steel emblem fashioned in the shape of a bifurcated wolf's skull.

No - Half a wolf's skull.

The other half of the Orthrus Crest.

The Thief throws. The motion is smooth and beautiful.

The Orthrus Crest vanishes.

It vanishes because it is coming towards you.

HP: 41.2%
COBALT BOOSTER: 17%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 0%
METER: 66%
ENCROACHMENT: 19%

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>43574319

(Apologies, a very quick correction - I didn't take into account the charge for the Crisis Arm punch:

COBALT BOOSTER: 4%)

>>43574319
Fuck yeah.

We lack one arm. Our booster is fucked, our interceptors dead and the Scylla useless. We barely have any HP and our arsenal is dimishing.

Time to party.

What would work better right now, petrifying or burning Kaiser?

Should we also send a few missiles to Calcite Arrow?

Hey, wait, isn't Calcite Arrow basically a health pickup at this point?

We need to stagger Kaiser, kill Arrow and hope that Zephyr doesn't break out.

>>43574354
Use Catobeplas. It doesn't cost resources.

>>43574319
Dirac Channel to Kazuya "Take the shield, do not attack Kaiser."
Accept the Orthrus chest. Use EXEC_Barrier with the Nihl Sphere if Alura attempts to interfere. Switch to the Chernobog and fill Arrow with holes. Give Kazuya R&C. He's going need them until he can retrieve the Ascalon.

>>43574354
Petrifying, since it doesn't cost anything.

I don't think there's any point in attacking Arrow since Alura will just revive him.

>>43574382
Yeah, but we'll still get a free heal.

>>43574398
Free heals forever, thanks alura

>>43574374
Guess we should. If we can delay him, even if by a bit, we should. I don't want Joker to die, but Kazuya even less so.

>>43574319

JQOP, what's the Orthrus Crest again?

>>43574412
It's Inox Fang's relic.
We got the first half when we killed her sister.

>>43574319

CATCH THE RELIC

>>43574379
True, a retreat for Kazuya is our best bet and gives us a chance to get backup firepower by giving him R&C.

However, we lost Barrier about ten months ago to Alura's fondling of our essence core.

>>43574421
We still have Barrier, anon. She took other CodeBursts.

>>43574421

(You still have access to EXEC_BARRIER, actually - Unless my records are incorrect, Alura removed your ability to use EXEC_DICTUM.)

>>43574421
>>43574354
>>43574379

(Gentlemen, note that you only have one arm. As Rubicante and Cagnazzo are two separate Relics - though meant to be used together - I would say that you can't throw them both together.)

>>43574435
Is Scyla still dead?

>>43574426
Oh, right, she took repulse, which was similar.


...Why did I just get the urge to switch to our flamethrower and then destroy our gas tank to turn into burning Joker?

>>43574435
Can't Scylla grab one of the guns?

Otherwise through Cagnazzo first.

>>43574448

(Yes, you've lost both heads.)

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>>43574435
I don't suppose we could use one each?

>>43574450
We can't pull a capoeira move and throw the guns with the mag clamps on our feet, can we?

>>43574435
>(Gentlemen, note that you only have one arm. As Rubicante and Cagnazzo are two separate Relics - though meant to be used together - I would say that you can't throw them both together.)
We can always move close to Daegal and just drop them in his hands right out of the Vector Trap. Alternatively, hope we regain our second hand if we manage to kill Arrow.

>>43574463
Yeah, abruption jets and Kazuya making a retreat with the shield.

>>43574462
That would be hella sweet, anon. But probably not.

>>43574476
>Joker uses abruption jets to get the circular movements needed for making a handstand and throwing with your feet.

But seriously, that's so off-key that it would require a confusion round if it actually happened.

>>43574463
Arrow gets resurrected anyway, so maybe we can farm him for Essence?

> Dirac Channel to Kazuya "Take the shield, do not attack Kaiser."

Kazuya-

Use the damn *shield*-

He hears you. His hands come up, as the black bulk of the ADAMANT shimmers into existence - golden filaments already playing across the surface, a lion's-head maw emerging from the pitted surface. Black-banded neutronium fuses with orichalcum circuitry-

The hiss of arrows-

Calcite fires. Obsidian-headed darts spear across the distance, moving so fast they are just lines of light. They zip across the narrow space, faster than you can track. He's not aiming for you - He's aiming for the Orthrus Crest.

For the first time in his miserable life, Calcite has developed a sense of priority.

Two arrows miss high. One misses low.

The last one clips the Relic in mid-fall, and it riochets off at a new angle - hits a crease on the rough-cut stone, bounces wildly into the air. You hear Calcite's sharp exhalation - He's lost it in the flickering light-

But you have not. You track the steel wolf-head with your eyes, with your Auspex. And with one desperate lunge - Flinging yourself forward, slamming to the ground with grinding forward, sparks flying from your armor in a baseball slide-

-You catch it.

(Continued)

>>43574527
The essence is taken by Alura. From our people.

>>43574528
>For the first time in his miserable life, Calcite has developed a sense of priority.
Man, even Joker thinks Arrow is fucking pitiful.

>>43574540
Oh. Whoops! Best not do that, then.

>>43574546
To be fair, he's so insignificant that we forgot twice why he even hates us.

Joker doesn't have brain cells to waste on Calcite Arrow.

>>43574559
Something something bird friend something something REVENGE something something can you feel it too? Something something all for revenge

>>43574570
Well, that and incompetence.
He's even more pathetic than Inox Fang.
And Inox Fang fucking commited tactical suicide just a few moments ago, by always using the same move.

>>43574540
We can always CONSUME him. That also nets us HP, though not XP.

>>43574584
This requires us to be close enough, though.
We can fist him to death, but we'd need to abandon Kaiser and Megumi for that.

>>43574580
Eh Calcite isn't as pathetic as well he's just a idiot I feel sorry for him

Then again Fang ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTS me on a spiritual level for some reason

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>>43574586
How does Consume work again?
We should eat Kaiser

>>43574601
Kaiser would rip our head off if we tried that. We have to at least wait for Scylla to regenerate to pull that off with any certainty.

>>43574528

Your left hand vices around the Orthrus Crest - But only for a moment. Schematic lines whirl around you, as the Crest *writhes* in your grasp; It is an uncertain thing, struggling, still molten with the heat of Inox Fang's death. Articulated fangs sink into your gauntlet - It is a vicious thing, a hating thing.

And then you bring it to your pauldron - where the other half of the orphaned emblem rests - and the circuit is complete.

Ruby light blazes, in the pinpoints of the wolf-head's skull. And in that moment, everything *changes*.

The world lights up. You feel a pressure, a *reaching* - A sense linked to your Auspex, linked to your Argus sensor, linked to the emblems Rook, Haze, Daegal, the Thief all wear; As if they are right next to you, as if you could reach for them in the span of a second. But there are others, too-

Calcite Arrow. Bell Zephyr, sealed with the barrier of your Assault Shroud. Your new senses slide off Alura, past Rust Kaiser - too remote, too *solid*-

But the others you can reach. The others, you can grasp.

RELIC ACQUIRED

ORTHRUS CREST:

(COST: 35% METER for personal teleportation/50% to exchange two targets.)

Created from the two halves of INOX FANG - reunited in death - this heavy sigil is formed entirely from raw steel, a wolf's-head emblem with scarred and uneven edges, as if crudely hammered into shape. While - at first glance - little more than an exceptionally savage trophy, the Crest conceals a sophisticated teleportation system.

Through expenditure of Meter, the wielder can forge a spatial link between viable targets - Exchanging their positions through quantum entanglement. Notably, this only functions with Players (and Correctors).

(Continued)

>>43574630

(tl;dr - The ORTHRUS CREST allows you to exchange the locations of two targets, with each one assuming the same facing as the other. Effectively, they swap places. Targets must be within line-of-sight. It is cheaper to teleport yourself, than to swap two other targets.)

HP: 46.8%
COBALT BOOSTER: 17%
ASSAULT SHROUD: 9%
METER: 68%
ENCROACHMENT: 11%

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>43574630
Neat let's teleport back to the hollow sun

>>43574646
...Can we jump in front of Kaiser's attack and then swap Arrow or Zephyr in? If so that'd be really cool.
It's pretty damn expensive, though.

>>43574630

SWAP ZEPHYR IN

SWAP HER WITH DAEGAL

>>43574664
>or Zephyr
That would be funny enough that I want to spend 50% of our Meter on it.

>>43574674
>>43574670
She could probably dodge. Though I hope she wouldn't.
..imagine the look on their faces, though.

>>43574664
>Getting Kaiser to kill Zephyr
While it's a nice idea, it would deprive us needlessly of resources.

>>43574670
Can we teleport behind Zephyr and kill her from her blind spot?

>>43574646
Considering swapping targets to get someone hit by an ally attack has no net Meter profit, I'd prefer to avoid doing it until we have a decent Cobalt charge. Now as for doing something that would profit...

>>43574646
Do we still have the Crisis Arm on? Teleport above Arrow and smash + CONSUME.

Man, the tactical options this provides us. We never should've listened to What's-Her-Name the Tin Tyrant and killed both of them when we had the option.

>>43574705
>Teleport above Arrow and smash + CONSUME.
MERCER MODE

Thank fuck for having Crisis Arm available on both hands.

Still need to do something about the other combatants, though.

Two teleports would be too costly just for giving Kazuya a gun, though.

I wish we had the upgrade that would have allowed us to use the Fortress Mode that Zephyr is currently in to stab her to death.

>>43574699
>>43574705
I don't think we can teleport around like she was doing. Just swap places, with it being cheaper to swap us and someone else than two other people.

If that's the case, I'd be up for taunting Kaiser and then swapping ourselves with Zephyr.

>>43574729
>Two teleports would be too costly just for giving Kazuya a gun, though.
Can't we just swap ourselves with Kaiser?

>>43574737
Oh, good point. Guess getting Kaiser to attack us and then swapping with Arrow or Bell IS the best choice.

>>43574744
>Your new senses slide off Alura, past Rust Kaiser - too remote, too *solid*-

>>43574744
True, it would be the easiest way to group up.
Then we can easily give Kaz the guns. We both kill Kaiser, then make short work of the other two.

>>43574755
Definitely Zephyr.
Because a) she dies when killed and b) it'd be funny.

If we can react in time we should also petrify her, to make sure she takes the blow.

>>43574755
Wait, can't we leave the guns on the ground and then switch with Kaz and use our Abruption Jets to gain distance while firing the petrification cannon?

>>43574772
Does that really have enough of an impact to justify spending 35% of our Meter?

>>43574779
It allows us to give R&C instantly to Kazuya, instead of waiting a round, and allows us to kite Rust Kaiser with an attack that should slow him.

>>43574789
>and allows us to kite Rust Kaiser with an attack that should slow him
That, or it allows us to get hit again. With our encroachment at 11% we effectively only have 35.8% HP remaining.

>>43574646
Anyway, send a Tau shot Arrow's way and use the Jets to approach Kazura. Drop R&C telling him to shoot when a signal is given, switch to Catoblepas and start shooting Kaiser until he attacks. Switch with Zephyr at the last moment and give Kazuya a Dirac signal to fire at them, followed up by our own shots.

>>43574806
Sounds like a decent plan.

What if we get close to arrow switch with Thief and let him dig deep into arrow like he did inox?

>>43574813
>What if we get close to arrow
Puts us in range of both Arrow and Alura.

>>43574806
Sounds good.

>>43574857

(Gentlemen, my apologies: I had to step away for a bit. I'll be working on the next post shortly.)

>>43574664
>>43574670
>>43574699
>>43574705

The Tau Gun is in your remaining hand, as you stagger to your feet. When you turn to face Calcite Arrow, he blanches - He has his bow in his hands, levelled at you. But when he sees the cold lethality in your gaze, the careful way you level the Nova Cannon directly at him to wipe him out of existence-

His hand comes down, against the ground. The earth rumbles - Shards of calcified stone erupting upwards, interposing themselves like great fangs of granite, an instant barrier that seals him off as you wrench both triggers. With one arm, the recoil shoves you back - the Nova Cannon's charging coils humming, heat venting from either side of the weapon as it judders. The tracer beam slashes across the distance, and splinters against the rock - the blurringly-fast, nearly-invisible antimatter round discharging with a shriek of power-

Another explosion. Somewhere behind his barrier, Calcite flinches.

That is Calcite's limit. With his power, he could have the earth pulverize you. He could engulf you in rock, grind you apart with great teeth of stone, incinerate you with lava from the Red World's heart.

But when it comes down to it, Calcite doesn't have the stones for the dirty thing.

(Continued)

>>43575002
Poor Calcite Arrow. He really shouldn't have joined the Endboss team.

>>43575013
If I recall, we met him by bum-shooting him and using him and Push Dagger to make our logo.

This should've been a sign, honestly.

>>43575002

If he had more time-

If he had Bardiel to teach him-

But even as he huddles behind his barrier, waiting for the next shot to tear through, your Abruption Jets flare-

And you leave him behind.

CHAGAN finds the link. Brass filaments unwind - Mechanisms blossoming, like a flower. Circuitry and acutators converge, swallowing up the Tau Gun. Spines and flanges of clear crystal extrude from the brass limb, studding the basalt; Grey lightning sizzling between the weapon's spines as you level it directly at Rust Kaiser-

His fist lashes out. He does not strike at Daegal - Iron fingers closed on the top of the Adamant, and *wrench*. Kazuya lurches forward, off-balance - You hear a grinding shriek of mechanical agony, hear Daegal's grunt of ragged pain as servoes spool, his arms nearly pulled from their sockets. Threads of rust crawl along the tempered neutronium, erosion in fast-forward, seeking to find purchase-

"-Help-"

Targeting glyphs writhe across your sensors. You fire - A single bolt of seething blackness spewing forth, bleeding tendrils upon itself as it *curves* towards Rust Kaiser from behind-

He turns. He releases Daegal's shield, and stamps an abrupt kick into it. Metal distorts - Daegal's servos and joints shearing under the pressure, as his own shield crushes *into* him; One leg buckles at an ugly angle, skidding out beneath him as it nearly twists out of alignment-

(Continued)

>>43575089
Daegal's not doing too great.

>>43575099
No one does great against Rust Kaiser. I'd reckon he could take down Kraken in a solo fight. Jesus, just imagine if a Hyades picked him as her champion

>>43574812
He's still essentially a level 1 Player against one of the strongest ones around. It's not surprising.
>>43575089
Wondering if Daegal doesn't realize how to use the shield's anti-impact abilities.

>>43575114
>I'd reckon he could take down Kraken in a solo fight
A lot of people could do that. Kraken isn't all that strong without his army.

>>43575089

And Rust Kaiser takes the whole charge of Catoblepas right in the palm of his hand. Which does not turn to stone, which does explode in a shower of gravel and gore.

The blast does nothing more than to knock his hand away. The howl of the fastest wind that seethes around his fist, that makes the air around his form smoke with killing potential, is gone-

That was just to get his attention.

"Joker-"

"Joker, he'll *kill* you-"

And then Catoblepas is out of charge - trigger spines rustling, gathering silent filaments of grey lightning. Slow, too slow - and Rust Kaiser's hooves come down on Daegal one more time, as if trying to grind him right through the ground-

"-aaaaaaaaaaaaa-"

You've never heard a sound like that before. The sound of endosteel bones giving way, the sound of metal twisting out of alignment, as the oriachulum that encases Daegal begins to split, begins to warp out of alignment from the hideous pressure he's subjected to. But Rust Kaiser's lightless gaze never wavers from you, and you never move as Catoblepas's verdigris-veined charging coils throb with new charge-

The pinpoint of the targeting cursor settles squarely on Rust Kaiser's helmet. Crosshairs, Auspex and Argus Sensor chime as one.

Target lock.

Then he comes for you.

(Continued)

>>43575119
We already told him how, OP has to gimp the Red Joker's team to make false tension for their narrative.

>>43575133
See above for why Kraken isn't dangerous.

>>43575171
baka senpai desu

>>43575171
Knowing how to do something isn't the same as having mastery over it. RJ can do it because of his insane experience in the Red and familiarity with artifacts. Daegal barely just became a player, he's still struggling with how anything works.

>>43575166
I forget, how did Rust Kaiser become this tough/strong again? Like did he just keep upgrading physical attributes?

>>43575219
Imago's chucklefuckery.

>>43575219
Imago did it for him. I can't even imagine what kind of freaky shit was involved.

>>43575219
There's this dude, Imago.
He's basically Mengele, like others have said.
Rust Kaiser was his 'masterpiece'. I think.
Basically, this guy is doped on Lachryma and Lord knows what else along with a shit ton of upgrades to make him an unstoppable juggernaut of bullshit.

>>43575166

Even now - Even now - Rust Kaiser has the capacity to surprise you. When he lets out a roar, and catapults himself across the chamber in a blurring shoulder-rush - howling winds venting from filthy black armor in a personal storm of all-consuming decay - his speed is appalling. His iron-shod hooves shake the ground, his furious bellow hurling out sound from the brazen core of his being. He is winding up for a killing blow with a smoking fist that you cannot possibly evade-

And that's fine, because you never intended to.

Concentrate.

He swings his arm in, left to right.

*Concentrate*.

The Orthrus Crest *flares*. You reach out from *here* to *there*, contracting the space between you and the presence that is Bell Zephyr as your Meter bleeds away, the light swelling to encompass your world-

"JOKER-!"

Now.

(Continued)

>>43575244
Oh right, and Imago was also the guy that we got EXEC_CASTIGATE from right?

Man he built Kaiser so strong that even the kill switch is only leveling the playing field.

>>43575219
RK gave up his soul and mind to Imago in exchange for crazy experimemtation done to him to become what he is today. He barely knows anything that isn't PROTECT MEGUMI.

Man, we should've boned Megumi, keking Kaiser.

>>43575255
OH FUCK. INCOMING KEKENING

>>43575255
yes yes yes yes
Please let this work.

>>43575255
>never intended to
>between you and Zephyr
Ooooohhhhh myyyyyy.
don't fuck this up dont fuck this up dontfuckthisup-

>>43575261
Yep.
Fucking Bullshit, Kaiser is.

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>>43575255
DRAMATIC IRONY

BAIT AND SWITCH

SUCK IT, BOTH OF YOU

>>43575219
He's been modified, like the thief and others.
We do know that he slowly lost part of his mind with every defeat, so his upgrades were getting more and more invasive.

>>43575255
It's a pity that Alura is too powerful to be affected by our teleportation. I feel like even if this wouldn't kill her, it'd at least knock the smirk off her face.

But if this works, that'll be good too.

>>43575255
I actually feel sorry for RK. This is worse than just killing Megumi.

>>43575318
Wouldn't want to antagonize her right now, anyway.

If we are rid of Bell Zephyr, we will be able to recombine our forces.

Just smash Calcite Arrow to finally collect 100% meter and then go to town on anima, followed by killing Kaiser.

File: 1446616257862.gif (675 KB, 480x270)

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If this doesn't work I'm going home and crying myself to sleep

>>43575255

There is a bang like a fusion bomb. There is an aftertaste like bile and burned paper. A sickening sense of dislocation - As if every fibre of your being has been pushed through the mesh of an electric sieve, every molecule of your form scorched and jolted.

A jagged hole in space-

Roiling energy-

Clouds of black light-

No wonder Inox Fang was insane.

It is dark where you are. A confining space. There is something about it that completely scrambles your sense of perception, your sense of time; In the distance, you hear a shriek. In the distance, you hear a keening howl. The inside of the enclosed space is lit by brittle flickers of electricity, illuminated by the molten scars carved into the surface of the sloping walls-

A name enters your mind:

> Fortress Mode

Around you, the barrier crumbles. It becomes ash, becomes smoke, crumbling away into a fine dust - Spilling down, down, like faint sand-

Somewhere, there is laughter.

And then you see.

If it was a less singular blow. If it was anything less than the absolute force needed to wipe you entirely from this earth, to crush the life from you in a shower of splintering ribs and shredding armor and ruptured ruin.

Bell Zephyr doesn't even have a chance to scream.

"-"

There is Lachyrma inside her, of course. There is Cicatrix, too, and the cunning mechanisms of the alien Relic would bind her together, fight to hold fast, to survive. But Rust Kaiser is too far gone with pain, with distress, with fury, to react fast enough. The impact of his huge fist is so great that she comes apart on impact - that fleshmetal and shards of an ivory mask and the blood of the Black Joker spatters the walls in great, grotesque display, and Megumi is neither alive nor in one piece when she hits the ground.

All of this before the blistering flash of light can fade.

(Continued)

Wait, guys...is Rook kill? Or critically wounded?

Also I think we're gonna need Haze's toxic anti-organic poisons to counter Kaiser's fleshy regen. That's the trick, I think.

>>43575395
>Bell Zephyr doesn't even have a chance to scream.
YES
E
S
I CAME

>>43575372
Pretty sure RK has done some stuff to deserve it right?

Though then again, I'm pretty sure everyone but Daegal more or less has earned whatever terrible things could happen to them. I know we have.

>>43575395
>comes apart on impact
>neither alive or in one piece
IT.
FUCKING.
HAPPENED.
Ohhh man. Rust is gonna explode after this.
...
TOTALLY WORTH IT.

>>43575408
>Pretty sure RK has done some stuff to deserve it right?
As far was we know, everything he has done was either because of his madness or to protect Megumi. It's hard to judge whether he was evil prior to Imago's operation.

>>43575405
Huh, that's some good thinking. Especially since I think Rust Kaiser is now gonna get even stronger.

Or he could surprise us and just start crying. ...That'd kind of make me feel bad.

>>43575405
Huh, that might make sense.
We removed his armor, now we have to destroy his flash.

Too bad Haze is blinded.

>>43575432
>That'd kind of make me feel bad.
I wonder if the one laughing is Imago, somewhere far away? He'd definitely be getting a kick out of this.

>>43575395
That's really cruel. I'd hoped she'd at least have enough time to say something. Whelp.

>>43575444
Probably is.
He told us to kill Megumi, iirc.
We said no back then, but...
Well. Shit happened.

>>43575477
She tried to kill us and the rest of the world and nearly succeeded. I'm not really bothered by her death at all.
Wish she'd had last words, though.

>>43575477
>I told him to kill Megumi
>And he made Kaiser himself do it, the madman
Imago must be thinking that he's found a nice apprentice in us.

>>43575395
On Alura's side: Two dead, presumably staying that way, one heavily wounded but is functionally invincible, one a shit, and Alura herself who is just fine.

On our side: One dead, one mortally wounded/a giant bird but taking a while to die, one blind, and three who have moderate to heavy damage.

This is still gonna be rough.

Jesus, Megumi came apart like a smashed tomato.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from all the potential waifus Megumi was the thickest, right? She's the deliciously HEALTHY girl with meat in all the right places, isn't she?

>>43575506
They're Asian, and Japanese at that. I doubt any of them are thick.

>>43575500
Wait no, that's three dead. Completely forgot about Enfer.

>>43575500
Three dead: Inox, Enfer and now Bell.

>>43575395

All of this happens in a moment. A moment, as Daegal claws for his Immolator - half-crushed, unable to see, yelling your name hoarsely while Calcite Arrow's barrier shudders back into the ground as he shouts "Did he get him? Is he dead? *Is he dead*?" until the Thief advances towards him like a specter of imperious and imminent death-

And Rust Kaiser just stands there.

Looking down.

As if he could stand forever.

In one moment, he has wiped away all that has ever mattered - his past, his present, his future. There is a single word for what he feels, and he says it now-

M̤̥̻̬̫̤͔̥̰͈̹̩͕̤̜ͫ̈̿͋ͭ͒ͩͣ̓̇̓̔͛̈̕͠È̵̛̫̮̹͔̣͙̯͓̯͚̠̬ͬͧͪ͗ͮ̚͟ͅ
̷̙͚͉̲̹̖͙̺̗̬͇̰̤͍̹̖͕̤̺ͦͫ̍̓̊͐̓͛̆̋ͮ̅ͪ̔͢
̵̶̼͕͍̉ͪ̃̍̓ͧ̔ͨͪ͒ͨͭ̆͆̂̊Ǧ̀̽ͭ͆ͯ͛̎̓͂͏̡͓͖̗͎̪͉Ų̶̓̿̏ͥ͛̈̔̈́̓̿ͮ̌̋ͬ͞͏͚͚̣̞̺͉̖̖̮̫̠̟̗̼ͅ
̢͒̍ͦ̃̍ͨ̿̐̓ͣͦ̊̐҉̵̶̡̟̖̹̼̼̫̝
̡̨͈͖̣̥͙̫̰͖̠̜̦̆̿ͧ̑̈́̾ͬ̋̍͐̏̂ͤ̈́͡ͅͅM̶̢̖̗̦͈̤̩̠͔̜͍̗͋̄̐̆̐̉͢͟I̢̞̞̺̜̲͖͍ͭ̓̔ͮ͊͢

The girl who cared for him. The girl who kept him human.

And when he lets go - There is a sound that you can only call the absence of a flash, the low beginnins of a monstrous noise. It is the end of silence, and the beginning of catastrophe.

M̤̥̻̬̫̤͔̥̰͈̹̩͕̤̜ͫ̈̿͋ͭ͒ͩͣ̓̇̓̔͛̈̕͠È̵̛̫̮̹͔̣͙̯͓̯͚̠̬ͬͧͪ͗ͮ̚͟ͅ
̷̙͚͉̲̹̖͙̺̗̬͇̰̤͍̹̖͕̤̺ͦͫ̍̓̊͐̓͛̆̋ͮ̅ͪ̔͢
̵̶̼͕͍̉ͪ̃̍̓ͧ̔ͨͪ͒ͨͭ̆͆̂̊Ǧ̀̽ͭ͆ͯ͛̎̓͂͏̡͓͖̗͎̪͉Ų̶̓̿̏ͥ͛̈̔̈́̓̿ͮ̌̋ͬ͞͏͚͚̣̞̺͉̖̖̮̫̠̟̗̼ͅ
̢͒̍ͦ̃̍ͨ̿̐̓ͣͦ̊̐҉̵̶̡̟̖̹̼̼̫̝
̡̨͈͖̣̥͙̫̰͖̠̜̦̆̿ͧ̑̈́̾ͬ̋̍͐̏̂ͤ̈́͡ͅͅM̶̢̖̗̦͈̤̩̠͔̜͍̗͋̄̐̆̐̉͢͟I̢̞̞̺̜̲͖͍ͭ̓̔ͮ͊͢


(Continued)

>>43575499
You know, that's actually a neat idea.
We could be like Rick and Morty.

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>>43575533
>"Did he get him? Is he dead? *Is he dead*?" until the Thief advances towards him like a specter of imperious and imminent death-
Oh god the mental image.

>>43575533
>And when he lets go - There is a sound that you can only call the absence of a flash, the low beginnins of a monstrous noise. It is the end of silence, and the beginning of catastrophe.
I have a really fucking bad feeling right now.

>>43575533

His form distorts. The sound he makes is agonized beyond belief, a ochnone howling that crackles like an untuned radio. It is so anguished, so spavined, so dreadful. But there is relief in it, too - as that already-hideous body begins to warp out of shape, growing, changing, becoming stranger, losing the last tie to humanity as a terrible pressure is unleashed from within-

One by one, the plates of his meteoric armor buckle. They burst. They snap off his swelling, distorting form.

The pain has been inside him for so long, wearing him down, wearing his out. A lifetime, it seems. Buzzing, buzzing, buzzing.

And oh, there is such horror in letting go. There is such relief, too, such a terrible joy. Because at last, it is over forever.

At last, he is free to lose his mind.

The Diadem shakes. The ground shudders. A roar comes out of the night, so loud and throaty it bruises your soul. It is part scream, part wail, part howl, part bellow, a drawn-out ululation of huge volume that blots out the fury of the storm.

It is the roar of a predator, the voice of a billion billion-year-old predator that has just woken, and realised it is hungry.

JOKER QUEST

EPISODE 144

TO BE CONTINUED

>>43575533
*Steve Irwin voice* He's angry! HE'S ANGRY!!

>>43575570
Oh, fuck.
Fuuuck.

....Still worth it.

>>43575570
I think we just uncanned Pandora's box.

Now we just need him to wreck Alura and smash the Diadem apart.

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>>43575570
FFFFFFFFFF-
OKAY. I KNEW IT WAS GONNA BE BAD. BUT THIS IS SOME SERIOUS SHIT.

...
Well, least he'll fuck everything up, besides just us, I mean.

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I don't even know what I should be feeling right now

>>43575560
Yeah I think it probably wasn't the best idea to use our new ability in the most shortsightedly spiteful way possible.

>>43575570
I'm not sure we have enough guns to take him down now.
I think now would be a good time to summon Caliban. Maybe he'll at least work as an appetizer while we finish Alura.

>>43575570
I hope Haze hasn't been idle, we literally need his strongest combinations of toxins and anything else he's got pumped into Kaiser.

Oh god, I just had a mental image- if RK is going nuclear and becoming a true demonic organic....thing... Should we summon our corrector serpent to fight with him? It's like fucking Leviathan fighting against...dunno, King Kong or some shit.

>>43575603
We didn't exactly have many other targets. Besides, now that Kaiser doesn't have armour, he's extremely susceptible to Haze's toxins.

>>43575605
If we could somehow set him on Alura that'd be amazing. Doubt we'll be that lucky, though.

So instead of this, we should have used our teleportation to do a combo attack with Haze to poison Kaiser right?

And in general, should NOT have killed him before Megumi, because even though Bell Zephyr would have been really upset, she wouldn't get a super form.

That being said, the problem with that strategy was Zephyr would have escaped eventually and generally hampered our attempts at killing Kaiser, right?

>>43575630

(Gentlemen - My apologies for the abrupt ending, but it is extremely late for me. I have a full workday ahead, and this looks like a natural endpoint. Good night and God bless - I hope to see you again at the end of the week.)

>>43575658
What's done is done, anon. Besides, I don't think we'd have been able to kill Kaiser. He's just absurdly tough, and Zephyr's support would surely have wrecked us before we could've wrecked them.

>>43575605
The Arsenal Beacon was destroyed earlier.

Fuck, I wish we had the ability to summon the Hellion entourage.

>>43575674
True. As dire as our current situation seems, I feel like there's a decent chance probably -couldn't- have killed Rust Kaiser before he reaches his final(?) form, because of, until now, how densely packed he was under his armor.

>>43575691
Wasn't it just knocked out of Daegal's hand?

>>43575665
Could we get Garo next session?

This is too much

>>43575691
Remind me, what do we need to do to get the Hollow Sun in this shit?
Cuz we really need those reinforcements.

>>43575691
The pastebin says we gave the Arsenal Beacon to Daegal. Did he get it broken?

File: Run_bitch_run.jpg (29 KB, 310x235)

29 KB JPG

There's two ways out of this

Somehow getting what remains of RK to get into a Kaiju battle with Anima

Or

Pic Related

>>43575506

She's the bustiest girl of the lot. She isn't a beauty like Mio or Kotone though.

>>43575712
>>43575715
>>43575718
>"It's not working-" he blurts out, frantic. "-It's not..."

>Alura turns her head - A hiss of surprise, a flicker of attention-

>Inox Fang's klaive blade whirls out of the moiling chaos, and rips it from his hand. Kazuya's appalled, startled "Fuck-!" is lost as the beacon tumbles from his gauntlet, skittering away across the floor - He reels with the impact, trying to bring the Revolve Bazooka to bear-

>And then, a blast of azoic light. In the fading glare, the grip of Inox's blade whistles through the air, to meet her hand in perfect synchrony with a sweeping slash. It carves through the tube, with a shriek of rending metal - Her sword slices a burning line across Daegal's cuirass, shredding through his Assault Shroud; he staggers back, clawing for the Condemner-

It still exists, but lies on the ground somewhere.

I want to get the Sun Crusher and another Assault Shroud module.

>>43575555
Hopefully when we cut back to Totemaz he'd have given Arrow a hearty stabbing. Becuase right now we do not need any of Calcite Arrow's bullshit.

>>43575773
Oh so even if we do find it, it's useless because it's being jammed by someone? Alura, or a third party?

>>43575800
The force field blocked it, but by now it should be down.
Otherwise Natsumi and everyone else is dead, as the ship has already started.

Also, the revolve bazooka in that scene was summoned by the beacon. It's most likely just a time thing. Or maybe the Hollow Sun is getting raided right now.

Thread is archived.

So instead of botheirng to fight Rust Kaiser, can we get him to chase us through the ship, ultimately trashing the whole thing?

Or wait, there are people on board we don't want dead, right?

>>43575936
I don't think Joker is fast in his current state to attempt that plan.