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>>3997796

The hospital's guest room is a small, well-appointed place. Soothing pastel tones, for the walls and floor: A portrait of some kind of abstract landscape, a flame-red autumn forest. Soft yellow lights, a soothing glow. It's just the right size for a family to await news of bereavement or relief, wide enough to pace.

It seems like a strange place to discuss the end of the world.

Kazuya's restless figure seems to fill half of the space, all by himself. His coat – the gilded sequins flaking away – is still streaked with dust, giving him a wan, pallid appearance. His eyes are deep hollows in his skull, as he buries his head in his hands, drawing a deep, steeling breath.

He looks like you feel.

It's rare for Kazuya to get really, truly angry. He's not made for it: A flash, there and then gone. This is different.

In a way, he's not angry at you, not truly. There's a kind of consuming helplessness in the way he looks down at his hands – trying to make sense of something he simply isn't suited for.

“...It's too much for me,” he says, quietly. His brow furrows, his fingers flexing as if looking for something to hit. “All of them – They're just running rings around me. It feels like...Damn it, you know what Naoya's like.”

Kazuya looks at you, directly. “-You know how he gets under your skin.”

He seems embarrassed, somehow, by his earlier outburst. More than once, his gaze goes to your right arm, where it hangs in its sling; His eyes keep darting back to it, no matter how hard he tries not to. You can almost hear what he's thinking-

Is this how it will be, now? For the rest of your days?

You think it might be. Something – in your bones – tells you that this is for ever.

Outside, the sky is a roiling, flickering red. Nauseous, with the rotation that builds a storm. It feels like all the pieces are beginning to come together, at last: Even here, in the twice-filtered air, there's the acrid tang of another world.

The Red, coming to take its measure at last.

He exhales. Slowly, glancing at the shadows on the wall.

“It's not that I believe him. You know I don't trust the bastard – Look, it's better if I show you.”

And – in your field of vision – the flame-touched scarlet of the autumn forest deepens to a crimson smear of arterial red, a red than expands to swallow your world.

(Continued)

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>>3997797

STAGE: PURGATORY

Cold black stone. Ivory-and-obsidian tiles, underfoot. The faint, muted hum of distant machinery, beyond the pitch-black walls on all sides-

Here, all illusions of comfort are stripped away: the room is familiar, vaguely, the sole table a silver-dusted block of black marble, the chairs becoming baroque abstractions of themselves rising from the stone. There are symbols carved into the back of the high-backed throne you find yourself in, a mirror to the intricate lines of faintly-glowing script burned into your armor.

PAZUZU's parting gift. The work of both Nihl Spheres.

Even here, in the crimson light that comes from everywhere and nowhere at once, Daegal gleams. The imperishable orichalcum of his armor stands out, mainly in how it makes everything else around him feel less substantial, less real.

He weighs a black-and-brass cylinder in one hand, like a scepter.

“This is it,” Daegal says. Filaments of gold thread across the surface, like circuitry: You hear components moving, spinning within, as a cone of holographic light unfolds in the air.

(Continued)

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>>3997798

It's the Diadem. The vast shape of it, a strategic view. Chains of data shines in haloes around it, flowing with strength specifications, tactical parameters, firing arcs. Every detail of its defenses, circling in ghostly predictive orbits – even as it unfolds, you can see the angles of attack, the projected responses, a constellation of information so large you can barely grasp it-

If anything, it seems larger than before. It reminds you, acutely, of some vast ocean-faring behemoth, a supertanker or a carrier, expanded to grosteque, impossible size. Something this large cannot – should not – be in the air.

Your first guess was right. You'll need an army to assault it, this time-

And fortunately, you have one. Thousands upon thousands of Hellions, slumbering at the heart of the Hollow Sun.

You wonder if they'll be enough.

“Look at this,” Daegal says. “An – Ces – Joker, this...It's massive. Naoya – He said that Pazuzu has to drop the cloak when the time comes, that it'd be vulnerable. But-”

His voice trails off. Attacking the Diadem – the Ark – is beyond the limits of his imagination.

Red cones and lines overlap with the rotating display, as Daegal adjusts the view. Now you can see the fields of fire covered by the Diadem's arsenal, smaller windows displaying the countermeasures – In scrolling alien script that imparts the meaning directly into your mind – that can be brought to bear against attackers.

Corrosion charges. Metal-eaters. Gyre fields. Banks of thermal cannon and plasma weaponry. Damnation swarms of living flak. Unmanned fighters, ready to take their first and final flight.

“-They'll have taken steps of their own, too,” Daegal says. Not grim, not really – Contemplative, almost. As if wondering whether anything could hope to survive.

“If this is right, they've loaded everything they have on the Diadem – They're taking everything they can with them. That means those fucked-up Cryptid monsters, and maybe...”

He catches himself, just in time, staring bleakly at the ghostly image of the Diadem's vast bulk. Then, more softly:

“Naoya says – he said – Pazuzu doesn't care what happens when the Diadem leaves. He doesn't care what might come through, what could happen to the city. If there's a breach – after all this – this time, it might not stop. Not now, not ever-”

(Continued)

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>>3997801
The reflections of the display flow across the lens of Daegal's helmet, as he stares at it. Not comprehending, not really, but aware of what it means.

“There's one more thing. He says – It's life Pazuzu is after. He's got enough to power the Diadem, but...He needs more. If he's going to get where he needs to be – He might need all life in the city. Every living thing in it.”

There is a dry, brittle clatter within Daegal's form. An autoloader cycling – the Player equivalent of a dry-swallow. It's too big for him to grasp, almost too big for him to imagine.

Or perhaps not.

[ ] “-I believe him.”
[ ] “I don't believe him. There's more to this than he's telling us.”
[ ] “What do you think, Kazuya? Is he telling the truth?”
[ ] “Naoya's got his own angle. Pazuzu said as much.”
[ ] “...And he just gave all this to you?”
[ ] “We're going to need all the help we can get for this one.”
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>3997802
"i don't believe him, at least not fully. I don't think Pazuzu would knowingly destroy the city. There's one person he still cares for even now, and I don't think he'd go through the trouble of reviving Hecate if he was just going to kill her again anyways."

"No, I think Pazuzu has something Naoya wants, and I'm betting it's the Nihl Eyes."

>>3997802
>[x] “I don't believe him. There's more to this than he's telling us.”
>[x] “Naoya's got his own angle. Pazuzu said as much.”
>[x] “...And he just gave all this to you?”
>[x] “We're going to need all the help we can get for this one.”
Not all's lost, we might still salvage relations with Sterling Industries, and we still have the Hollow Sun, if we take this cylinder to it, it might be able to come up with some strategy to take on the Diadem with whatever it's got now. And regarding the Cryptids, didn't Naoya have them by his side when Daegal went to confront him? We have one of our own anyways.

As for other help, I remember Steppenwulf and Silver Cross survived the clusterfuck, but Steppen wanted nothing to do with us again and Silver Cross went MIA, we might be able to enlist his services again.

>>3997815
That's a very good point, I had thought that with both Eyes Pazuzu truly didn't care about what happens in the Red anymore and killing everyone else seemed plausible to reach Paradise

Happy new year everyone.
Who would have thought that this quest would run until the next fucking decade?


Anyway, time to somehow salvage this:
>>3997802
>[ ] “I don't believe him. There's more to this than he's telling us.”
"This doesn't add up. He wouldn't let Hecate die like this, Naoya likely has his own angle here.
The most likely thing is that he needs both Nihl eyes to complete the manifestation of the Black Joker.

What are your thoughts on this? Can you think of anything that makes sense?

That hologram projector, do you think the Hollow Sun could run a tactical analysis on the data?"

>>3997815

> "I don't believe him, at least not fully. I don't think Pazuzu would knowingly destroy the city. There's one person he still cares for even now, and I don't think he'd go through the trouble of reviving Hecate if he was just going to kill her again anyways."
>[x] “I don't believe him. There's more to this than he's telling us.”

"Can we take the chance?" Daegal says. He cants his head to the side - A film of light passes across the optics of his helmet.

“Can we?”

Even with the wordless affect of his synthesized voice, he sounds dubious. His gauntlet grips the armrest of his throne, hard enough to send little cracks skittering through it – An involuntary gesture, betraying his agitation.

He looks away from the rotating model of the Diadem. Hololithic light flickers, faintly, as it continues to turn.

“I...After all this, after everything we've seen – I still don't know what they're thinking. How do you – how can anyone do something like that...?”

> [x] “Naoya's got his own angle. Pazuzu said as much.”
> "No, I think Pazuzu has something Naoya wants, and I'm betting it's the Nihl Eyes."

Daegal's gaze darts to your right arm, again – As dead in this world as it is in the other. It would be better, perhaps, if you could still feel it. But now, it is merely a nullity, limp and dead at your side. No ghost-sensation of phantom pain, not the faintest vestige of feeling: It is as if you have never had a right arm, and all that remains is a lifeless weight strapped to your side.

It's been only a few hours, and already you can feel the dead weight dragging at you. Leaden, unmoving – Alien, somehow. As if it is no longer meant to be there.

You turn all you've seen – all you know – over and over again, in your mind.

Did Naoya know that the Nihl Spheres would be in Pazuzu's hands? Was he counting on it? It feels right, somehow, like you've intuited a fundamental truth. But perhaps it's only a fraction of a larger plan.

“Yeah,” Daegal says. “-yeah.”

He lapses into silence. The display winks out, the light shrinking to a pinpoint, then nothing.

> [x] “...And he just gave all this to you?”

A beat. Another.

“He-” You can hear the reluctance in Daegal's voice, the way his gleaming form tenses in agitation. “-He made me work for it. But...I – I think he'd have given it to me anyway.” His fingers curl into a fist, then back again.

“That's why...I think Naoya means it. I think he wants to stop Pazuzu. But...Why now? He could've done it before...all this.”

A glance at the window – swift, involuntary – makes it all too clear what Daegal means by 'all this'. There's a kind of relief in him, now, despite that flare of temper; He's desperately out of his league, and knows it. More than anything, he needs to know that you have a plan.

(Continued)

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>>3997831
>>3997826

> “What are your thoughts on this? Can you think of anything that makes sense?”

“I...I don't know.”

You can sense the frustration in Daegal's monotone words.

“-I know he needs Mio-” his voice catches, before he moves on- “...and he needs the city for – something. But what he's trying to do...What he's aiming for – I don't know how he's going to get there.”

Daegal's gaze settles squarely on you, now.

“I know one thing – He's not afraid of you. I mean, even before...I could feel it. Not that it matters now, but...”

He shakes his head, bleakly.

“It's...I've seen what you can – could – do. Hell, you scared the shit out of me. If he wasn't scared – What kind of monster is he?”

>>3997819

You remember Eita - FULGURITE AXIOM's – words. The careful focus, something bordering on reverence, when he spoke about Daegal. He wasn't even trying to conceal it: They need him. Or – perhaps – they merely need something from him.

Leverage. But will it be enough?

Sterling Industries, and the army of angels that rests within the Hollow Sun. Your pitted, gunmetal-grey armor lacks the icon you were using mere hours ago – Could it really have been that soon? - but you know that at least STEPPENWULF and SILVER CROSS survived...

-And you remember VOLT REGIOS's words:

> “Will be too late to make a difference.”
> “But will try.”

Are they still on their way? When the Halcyon Tower fell, burning – with a roar fit to shake the city, the dust-cloud still in the air – it may have been impossible.

> “That hologram projector, do you think the Hollow Sun could run a tactical analysis on the data?"

“I...I guess,” Daegal says. “I mean – I suppose it could. But...I think we should let Natsumi see it. If anyone knows what to do with it, it'd be her...You think it'd be enough to convince them? Like, let them know what we're up against?”

Then – Almost in spite of himself-

“...assuming it's accurate. Assuming it's not all bullshit.”

(Continued)

>>3997832

For a moment, he sounds like he devoutly wishes that none of this was real. That he is – somehow – half-expecting to wake up, any moment now.

But only for a moment.

The prospect of annihilation tends to strip away the most comforting of illusions.

“-I wish she was here,” Daegal mutters, almost to himself. “I wish Akira was here-”

Then again, Kazuya never knew him. Not really – Perhaps no-one did. Or perhaps he merely seeks the comfort of the familiar.

He shakes his head, rousing himself. Amber light gathers, writhing across Daegal's gauntlets – a miniature thunderclap echoes in the chamber, as the gleaming edge of the Lucid Blade materializes in his grasp. He sets it down on the stone table; Another convulsion of space, another thunderclap, and the perpetually-ticking mechanism of the Chronometron joins it.

“Look-” Daegal says - “These are...You need these. Really. Just for now, until we find a way to fix you – There has to be something we can do. I mean, there's got to be a way, right?”

Right?

Maybe he knows his good cheer sounds forced. Or maybe he's not sure he wants your answer.

Metal scrapes on metal, as Daegal's gauntlet passes against his helm – an achingly human gesture, one entirely out of place.

“I'm...not sure I can stay awake much longer,” he admits. “I keep – I keep making mistakes. I mean, it feels like forever since...”

His voice trails off.

“-Can't go home,” Daegal says, low. “Can't even tell them I'm alive. Not until we're done, not until it's over...”

With an effort, he straightens.

“Tomorrow. We'll think of something – tomorrow.”

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>3997838
"Rest well, Kazuya. Your human body is just as important as your robot one.
Let's get Natsumi in tomorrow, she's the tactician among us. We also need to visit the Hollow Sun to really gear up.

And hey, I haven't always been the Red Joker. I know how to fight as a mere standard player.
In a sense, being Frost Cestus is more familiar to me than being Red Joker."

Let's talk to Hecate about this. Maybe she has an idea.

>>3997838
By the way, what happened to the orichalcum shroud? Has Kazuya forgotten it?

Also, might this be a good opportunity to grind some essence and regain our bearings in the Red? Or are we as sleep deprived as Kazuya is?

>>3997848
(My apologies - You're right, you did pass it to him earlier. I'll add the AURIC SHROUD to the list of returned items when I update the sheet.)

>>3997838
"Get some rest, Kazuya. It's been a long, long day."

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>>3997852

You reach for the Lucid Blade, your steel-grey fingers closing around the peerless hilt of the gleaming blade. It lacks the baroque ornamentation, the inlaid circuitry of the Condemner in Daegal's hands – but the subtle edge hums, shivering against the mundane, as you sweep it through the air in a practice swing.

> RELIC ACQUIRED: LUCID BLADE

Even one-handed, it so perfectly balanced, it feels like it could swing itself.

For a moment, it hangs in the air – Until schematic lines, slower than the crimson contrails of the hypersphere, unweave and unmake it. The weapon shrinks away to nothing, awaiting your thought-command.

Better.

> RELIC ACQUIRED: CHRONOMETRON

As the patient, eternal ticking of the Chronometron joins the low hum of your reactor, the mirror-finish of the AURIC SHROUD sheaths your form. Overlapping hexagons, like tessellating tiles, settle themselves in place: Like chainmail, but mag-locked into position, the cohered structure melding seamlessly with your armor.

And – just maybe – you feel a little more like yourself.

The Red flickers, at the corners of your vision. It recedes – Reality is in the ascendance. There is something sluggish about the transition, something reluctant, as if unwilling to relinquish its grasp. For a moment, the steel-threaded absence of sensation lingers...Until, once again, you feel the pressure of your dead arm against your chest, feel every ache and pain that was held at bay until now.

>>3997848

Exhaustion, utter and complete, hits you like a wave. Fatigue sinks steel hooks into every muscle, and drags them towards the floor. It feels – just for a moment – like you've been lost in the desert, without food or water, for a year or so.

It feels like you could sleep for a week.

>>3997847
> "Get some rest, Kazuya. It's been a long, long day."

Kazuya's face swims back into your field of vision, pale and drawn – still smudged with dust, enough to turn his hair grey.

“Yeah,” he says, the fatigue evident in his voice. “-yeah.”

He looks guilty and relieved all at once, as if he's glad that it's over. He gnaws on his lip, seemingly at odds with himself; For a moment, you think he might say something more-

But then he merely shakes his head, and levers himself to his feet. You see that he's limping, slightly, tracking plaster dust as he – half-heartedly – brushes it from the lapels of his increasingly tattered coat.

When he opens the door, the first thing you see is Amane's worried face; She looks like she's been standing the whole time, her back against the wall. Her hands are at her sides, but you can see how the nails have been worried all the way to the quick. Something, some pent-up tension, unwinds at last when she sees the two of you emerge.

(Continued)

>>3997867

“Oh,” she says, stark relief – poorly concealed – in her voice. Her gaze goes to Kazuya, then to you, then to Kazuya again. For an instant, she hesitates, but curiosity wins out.

“Is, is everything all right?” Amane asks, her eyes worried behind her glasses. “I – I heard shouting...”

There's a question in her gaze that her voice – carefully measured – doesn't show.

“It's-” Kazuya begins, a hand fidgeting with a bruise on his cheek. “It's nothing. Really, it wasn't anything. It's fine...really.”

His voice is light, but you feel more than see him wince when Amane sighs in relief. “Thank goodness,” she murmurs, the sentiment heartfelt. “I'm just glad it wasn't – Well, never mind.”

Her straight bangs sway against her cheeks, as her gaze flickers back and forth again.

“-Is there anything I could...?”

> Let's talk to Hecate about this. Maybe she has an idea.

She nods at you – There's something almost grateful in that gesture.

“Well...” Kazuya clears his throat; “It's just...It looks like I'll be around for a while,” he says, with the slightest catch to his voice. “If there's somewhere I could, you know, stay for a while-”

“Yes,” Amane says, quickly. She fishes for the keys she's been given. “-I, I mean...Of course. There's the dormitory, a-and guest rooms for visitors...”

As she looks down, Kazuya catches your eye. Somehow, in spite of everything, his tired face creases in a smile.

Until tomorrow, then.

“Good night, Anon,” he says. “Take care of yourself, yeah?”

Then – a little more gruffly - “...Tsukimi, too.”

That smile lingers, as Amane leads him away. You see his worn figure standing a little to her side, the distance between them narrowing slightly in the confines of the corridor. With an effort, he draws his shoulders up, hiding his limp with measured strides; somehow, you think he'll be just fine.

(Continued)

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>>3997874

It's later than you can imagine. So late, it's almost early.

The hospital's exclusive ward is dark. It's so advanced, it's almost entirely automated – the corridors empty of people, except for the faint purr of a wheeled drone making the round. It purrs sleepily, as it passes you; an electric chirrup assuring itself that everything is fine.

For the second time tonight, you're at the door to Hecate's – Tsukimi's – room. Only the faintest light issues through the sill, the only sound the faint beeps and sighs of the ubiquitous medical machinery.

The door opens, at your touch.

Inside – the room is cool, dark. The curtains have been drawn, shrouding the sole window, shutting out the crimson skies and ravaged city beyond.

And you see-

A spill of wan light crosses Tsukimi's bed, and gleams on her spray of dark hair. She lies with the stillness of sleep, and – for one breathless moment – you cannot shift your gaze, until the slow rise and fall of her chest beneath the blankets unlocks your eyes.

She's alive.

For an instant, the flood of relief turns your legs to cloth.

Too late to talk to her, then. She must have waited until she dozed off-

A faint glow meets your eyes. A glow more than merely natural. A pale, slender wrist – almost wasted – rests atop the blankets, the violet unlight of Harmonia shimmering at the very edge of perception. There is a sound, an atonal hum, like the distant refrain of a long-forgotten melody.

And – though you know you shut the door behind you – you hear something that might be a drawn breath, the scuff of a bare foot against the carpeted floor.

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>3997882
Did she manifest her avatar? Should we go into the Red again? Or do we look for it in this world?

>>3997882
>>3997888
It's hecate in her avatar form. Let her sneak up on us.

>>3997891
If that's the case, I certainly want to giver her the moment.

>>3997882
>[x] Free
"Who's there?" This is gonna sound dumb but it's better than suddenly turning on the lights

>>3997888
>>3997891
Pretty sure her Red self died and ain't coming back

>>3997891
>>3997893
>>3997894

Another step.

A faint rustle of fabric against skin, achingly close-

> "Who's there?"

You feel a cool hand settle against your back. Another.

A scent – distant, faded, like brimstone and perfume all at once...

And you hear – Soft, just above a whisper-

“-It's me.”

Hecate's slender arms encircle you from behind, as she leans into you; the faint chime of Harmonia's links lingering in your ears, the bracelet encircling one wrist – a twin to the one Tsukimi wears. You can feel her breath against the nape of your neck, the slight tremble to her form...

-then an yielding softness against your back, somehow firm all at once.

She laughs – a soft, sweet sound, her chin against your shoulder.

“Joker-kun...As I thought, you're too sharp for me.” she sighs, the gentle surrusation of breath tickling your cheek. “And here I wanted it to be a surprise...”

You can hear a giddiness – a kind of joy – beneath the husky words, sense it through the faint, faltering contact. Harmonia whispers against her wrist, your eyes drawn to the violet glow – Already, one of the gems has turned dark, lightless.

“Um.”

“Could we – stay like this for a while? It's just that...I'm not sure I'm mentally prepared, yet – Even this is...really embarrassing.”

Subtler details begin to trickle into your mind. The fabric is faintly coarse where it touches your skin, not like her costume at all. You can see the long sleeves of a too-large white shirt, loose against Hecate's pale arms – Hear the faint scrape of her bare feet against the floor, feel the playful tension in the way her form brushes against yours...

A soft chuckle, in a way that rather belies her words. “Well – I suppose you can turn around, if you want ~ After all...It'd be a waste not to.”

Then, softer still-

“...I know I told you, but – I missed you. I really, really missed you.”

“That's why...I couldn't say it earlier, but – I'm glad you're here with me, now...”

“-Joker-kun.”

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>3997904
(Gentlemen, I must pause for now, but I'll see if I can get up another post before I have to turn in.)

>>3997904
Embrace her. The state of Harmonia can come later, but will need to be addressed at some point.

"I have been fighting non-stop all this time, trying to find you. Let's finally rest for a while. Everything else can wait for tomorrow."

Kiss her and go from there.

>>3997904
Wait, is she naked under that shirt?

>>3997916
She could be wearing panties.
Not that it matters in this context.

>>3997904
"I'm not a Joker anymore. Look at me, I'm like some disgraced prince. Do you feel any difference when you're like this?"
Get comfy as well as we can (I think we're still wearing the remains of our costume?) and take a spot next to Tsukimi. I'm sure the staff won't mind if we crash here for the night. Wonder what'll happen if she touches her Tsukimi self like this

>>3997916
anon everyone's naked under their clothes

>>3997925
>love of your life wants to fuck for the first time
>nod and crash on the couch while thinking disparate thoughts and making weird statements
I can smell the spaghetti from here.

>>3997929
dude we're dirty as hell, exhausted as fuck both physically and mentally and wearing dirty tattered clothes. We're in zero condition for a fuck. Remember we were gone for 2 weeks

>>3997904
Might as well enjoy the moment and do what comes natural.
Just bloody hope nobody tries to check in at night.

>>3997932
That statement would ring true in real life, but we are a fictional character.
After all, we don't need to manage toilet breaks either.

>>3997935
alright what the hell, if she's willing to overlook all that then go for it. If Anon here can still get it up he's in a beast physical condition. Yeah changing my vote for let's get it on

>>3997925
Jesus lmao

>>3997904
get ready to rumble

>>3997909
Great to have you back OP. Hope you are doing well and happy new year !

>>3997994
(Happy New Year!)

>>3997915
>>3997925
>>3997932
>>3997933
>>3997935
>>3997937
(Gentlemen, my apologies - It's extremely late here and tomorrow is a workday. I'll get the post up when I can.)

>>3997904
Turn around and kiss her. "You wouldn't believe what it took to bring us both here."

If she asks about it, tell her just a little bit.

>>3997867
So the Auric Shroud is like a full body suit of chain mail?

>>3998078
It sounds like a layer of bling on our torso.

>>3998009
Does Daegal still have Rubicante and caganazzo?

I wonder whether the Hollow Sun will provide us a Terminus upgrade.

At the very least, I hope for some funky upgrades in the same vein as our Crisis Arm restoration thing that we got as the Red Joker.

And we really need to gather some essence. I assume our level up thresholds are pretty low right now, which should make it reasonable to get a few levels in before the final showdown.
Also, Hecate will need that essence for Harmonia.

>>3998096
What if the curse is like that handgun Death Caliber had and it fades with essence absorption?

>>3998096
Let Daegal use the Terminus Upgrade if he can. He'll get a lot more out of it than we would because we likely have all of our upgrades unlocked and it was made from the assembly device that constructed the Daegal armor anyway.

>>3997796
>no joker abilities
>only cestus and orichalcum now
Guess we get to see what happens if we never became the Red Joker. Auric Cestus is go.

>>3997904
Was Hecate this forward before? Don't get me wrong, it's very sexy, but it's quite a departure from the other girls.

>>3998647
It's not too far from her already established personage, but with more intimacy since we brought her back from comaland.

>>3998213
wat

That's, like, the opposite of how this works. WE are a basic chassis, HE is an endgame chassis, not the other way around.

>>3998874
But we are in a needed form right now and we won't be auric cestus forever. So any upgrade we give ourselves now will be a waste after

>>3998874
That's not how the Terminus Upgrade works. It goes like
>50% open up one new formerly closed off upgrade
>100% open up 1 new upgrade and get a level in it
>150% Get an upgrade in every newly available upgrade path
Daegal has more to upgrade and more options than Cestus. His frame is basically brand new as well and has more potential than us. Plus, any upgrades he gets may help him get/use more from the Hollow Sun.

I'd be really surprised if there are any closed off Cestus options as well.

Holy shit this has been alive all this time? I need to get upto speed asap!

>>3997915
>>3997925
>>3997933
>>3997937
>>3997962
>>3998028

All this time-

All this time, you were trying to find your way back to her.

You turn, slow. Away from Tsukimi's pale, slumbering figure. Towards Hecate – into her - her breath caressing your neck for one moment more, her whispered “Oh-” thrumming in the air. Soft, like she's just woken from a dream.

Your hands – your hand – grazes her skin. Just a light touch, as if to assure yourself she's really here. That's she's real.

For a moment, it seems like she might vanish. Like a mirage, like an illusion. The surreal glow of Harmonia's cut-glass stones cast strange shadows on alabaster skin, on pale lissome legs left bare by the oversized shirt she's wearing, a glimpse of something achingly soft and curving just barely visible where the second button meets the third loop.

She's blushing. You can see the flush spreading beneath her skin, illuminating those fey features – see the way she bites her lip, doe-eyed but somehow sober all at once.

“I couldn't find anything else-” Hecate begins, lightly – Almost playful, leaning back to keep you at arm's-length. “You'd think a place like this would have-”

But then you're looking into her eyes – Into those deep emerald pools, warm and alive. Her breath catches, those slim fingers tightening slightly against your shoulders, as if she's suddenly realizing you're doing this-

“Anon-kun.”

Then the smile. The no-matter-what happy smile. As if everything that has come before, and everything that might lie ahead – Worth it, for this moment. All of it.

And – Even here, even now, you can feel the fatigue dragging at you. You can feel the weight to your leaden limbs. You're aware – achingly aware – of your dead arm, interposed between both of you like some final, fundamental barrier.

But it doesn't matter, as you lean forward and kiss her.

A sound. A whisper, merging with a gasp, then something that might be a moan. The subtle shift of her form, up on tiptoe, as her chin comes up and her lips part-

Midnight hair, so dark it's almost green, spills in a waterfall over her slim shoulders. Down the sleek arch of her back. Your hand slips into that incredible, effortless tumble of silken tresses, as her arms go around you all over again.

“Mmmmmn-”

She tastes – Something sweet, but exotic like spice. Her lips move against yours, those long, long lashes left to flutter – Hecate's eyes going soft, as they part. Her tongue darts against yours, tentatively and then greedily; You can feel something like electricity crackle through her, like a current running just beneath the skin as she leans into your chest.

At some point, her hands move against your chest, then down against your dead arm. For a moment – For one electric, thrilling moment – you can almost feel it...But perhaps it's only your imagination.

(Continued)

>>3998986

At some point, her hands move against your chest, then down against your dead arm. For a moment – For one electric, thrilling moment – you can almost feel it...But perhaps it's only your imagination.

You must have closed your eyes, at some point. Because - when you open them – Hecate soft gaze meets yours; her emerald eyes wet, like she's been crying.

Slowly, reluctantly, she leans back. As if reluctant to break the contact, as if she never means to pull away.

“I'm sorry,” Hecate says. You can feel her gaze dip down, see the flicker of sorrow that passes across those pale features. “Joker-kun...I'm sorry for – For everything.”

And yet-

-in spite of it all-

Here and now, you are alive.

She leans into your chest, her shoulders drawing up. Making herself small. Tears track against the tatters of your coat, leaving trails through the dust.

“I...dreamt of you.” Soft, like a whisper. A confession.

“Sometimes, sometimes – It felt like I was almost there. I knew – I could feel – I was in my body, but I couldn't, I couldn't...”

Then-

“...I didn't know if you'd ever come back. I didn't know if I'd ever be awake again...”

Her pale face turns upwards, turns towards yours, her fingers gripping your dead hand, squeezing. As if she could – somehow, somehow – make everything all right again.

This time, her smile slips. This time, it wavers – As if moments from collapse, her breath hitching in her throat.

“It's strange,” Hecate murmurs, almost to herself. “Before – I didn't care about anyone else. But seeing you like this...It hurts. It hurts more than anything – But I'm happy, too. Happier than I've ever been...Isn't that strange? I never thought-”

“-I never thought I could feel like this.”

Her gaze goes past you. Wondering, lingering on the wan figure of Tsukimi's form at rest. Different, in so many ways – How she sees herself, and how she truly is.

But which is which?

“Look at me,” she says – a sudden heat to her voice, like a flash of fire. “Look at that. Before, I'd have done anything – anything at all – never to go back. Never to be here again. But now...”

She leans in, slowly. And this time, it's a long, slow kiss – the kiss that means she doesn't want to say goodbye. Ever.

And as her lips move against yours-

“Joker-kun...”

There's something vulnerable in her gaze, in her voice. Something that goes all the way to the very core of Hecate's being, as if she can't quite allow herself to believe.

Not yet.

“-is this a dream?”

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>3998997
(Gentlemen, I must pause for now, but I'll continue at the next opportunity.)

>>3998997
"Sometimes reality is better than dreams. Listen, Hecate. I have a lot to tell you, a lot we need to discuss but if you want to just focus on us tonight, I'm fine with that."

>>3998997
"The long dream is over. From now on, it's all reality."

>>3998997
https://youtu.be/NAkEfIb99rU
We emotional catharsis now op. How long have you being waiting to write this section.
>Free
> Hug her close and say "no this time it's for real. You're here with me for real"

>>3998997
No wonder she was working with the Smilers. She really wanted the same thing as Pazu. I wonder if she would have thought the same way if she was actually a Player and not a Hyades-in-waiting or whatever its called.

>>3998997
"It is a dream. A dream come true."

This is a scene that I think a lot of readers have been waiting for.

As an aside, I had a bit of a thought about the state of our arm. I don't know whether it actually matters in-universe, but the dead arm would surely atrophy if it works anything like a normal arm in this situation.
Would it make sense for anon to start a carnifex-based morning routine to exercise the arm to counteract atrophy? Would be kinda bad if the arm had to be used IRL but ripped itself apart because it hadn't been used in weeks.

>>3999976
I think our worries are immediate enough that we don't need to worry about weeks from now.

So the Diadem situation doesn't seem as bad as originally advertised. Like even if it's all true, we don't necessarily have to destroy the Diadem all in one go, just damage it enough that it can't safely be launched. Or even better, stop it from gaining enough life juice.

>>3999014
>>3999016
>>3999037
>>3999976

Here and now-

-this is real.

You can feel the tension released from Hecate's form. Like some great mechanism, unwound at last. This time, when her lips find yours, she kisses you as if it's her very last breath. Her fingers bite down into your shoulders, so hard it nearly hurts – As she clings to you, she makes a low, wordless sound, infinitely soft-

Her hands are on you. Caressing, exploring, long delicate fingers sliding down, down over your arms. Lower, still...Her back arching, her head canting back just a little, in a sound that merges something that might be a sigh, something that might be a moan.

She kisses you like she's fighting for her life.

The descent into the Underworld. The long journey across the black sands. The endless night of war, and the razor wind keening through the towers of the nameless city. Those memories will always be with you, now.

But you're not there anymore.

You're here. You're fading into those fingers, that skin, her hair, and everything seems to wash away for an eternal, blissful moment.

And – at last – you have no armor left. Whatever remains – whatever you are – is hers.

Was it worth it? To be here, now, after all this time – after everything? At this moment – in this instant – you can't imagine anything else.

And at last, you come up for air. For a moment, there's something like an instant of panic, long delayed – the same hesitation you glimpsed in Hecate. A kind of disbelief that the hoped-for, longed-for moment has come at last. That somehow, you're here with her-

-she's here with you-

-together.

Something, circling without taking hold.

But your eyes find nothing except the dark pools of Hecate's, and they drive you back under. It's enough to make you question if you've actually ever opened your eyes. If you've actually ever been awake. Or if all of life was just this dream.

And then, softly – once again – she whispers your name.

(Continued)

>>4003998

Hecate leans her forehead – cool, a balm to your skin – against yours. That peaceful silence lingers, for a long moment. It's quiet, now; Even the moan of the wind against the windows has faded to nothing. As if the weight of the world can wait for just this night.

It feels like you're infinitely, unspeakable clumsy compared to her. As midnight hair frames Hecate's pale features, you can see the way her perfect teeth work against her lips, the rising heat to her cheeks. The white shirt clings to pale, perfect skin in a way nothing else ever could, accentuating than rather concealing – Even as those slim fingers find the first button...

And the next.

Then the next.

Fabric whispers, as it slides against her slim shoulders. For a moment, it lingers on her arms – but then it yields to the inevitable, pooling around her feet. The moonlight caresses her form, lingering on every curve and fall, flanks dropping then rising as Hecate draws a slow breath, then another...

No words remain.

She takes your hand between both of hers, with an exquisite tenderness. There's a vulnerability, a surrender, in every motion that you didn't expect – Her breath coming faster, faster now, as she guides it to something soft yet firm, yielding and warm all at once. You can see the contact ripple through her form, like an exquisite instrument waiting to be played...

Hecate looks at you as though she's asking you a question. Like it's your turn to answer, and she's waiting.

But she's the one who asks, instead.

The bed rests at the corner of the room, silver moonlight spilling across the sheets. A liminal place, awaiting farewell or healing. Hecate's perfume, her scent, seems to linger even as it fills the room – Those long, smooth legs against yours, as she moves astride you. There's a tentativeness to every subtle motion, something crystallizing into certainity; An instinctiveness shyness mingled with anticipation and trepidation all at once-

Everything fades.

Her skin is cool, but not cold, against yours – Her form moving against yours, flowing, melting into you. It's a haze, a kind of surrender; her fingers finding yours, entwining, slender arms bare except for the silver links of Harmonia coiling around her wrist-

Even as a second violet star goes dark.

She doesn't notice. Or perhaps she doesn't care. There's only that moment, as glossy dark hair caresses your cheek, spills against your chest – the way Hecate clings to you as if she means to never to let you go. In the passing quiet, your embrace becomes deeper and more meaningful, as Hecate's breathing comes faster still; the shivery, heady sounds welling up from deep within, the wan light gleaming against the sleek arch of her back, before her lips close on yours again to smother the cry-

(Continued)

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>>4004021

...

..

.

After, you hear Hecate murmuring in your ear. Whispering something that might be a song, from long ago. She sinks into sleep, first, or something like it – those long lashes fluttering almost imperceptibly as her lissome form curls against yours. You can feel the weight come off her shoulders, at last.

The doubt. The fear, beneath the quick wit and mask of mischief.

It's something you know, too; the dread that perhaps she was wrong, and every terrible thing she had to endure – that you had to do – had been for nothing.

“I'm not asleep,” Hecate says, after a moment. “I'm just dreaming.”

At some point, your eyes have closed, and you didn't even know it. It feels like you're the only people in the entire world. Like all of the world is just this.

“You. And me.” her voice sounds strange, as if from far away. As if it's not Hecate speaking at all, but Tsukimi – Even as she leans against your chest, her eyes closed, softly murmuring.

“-I'm dreaming about you and me.”

She sounds as though she's even farther away, now. At last, the quiet filters into her words, and then there's only the gentle surrusation of her breath.

And at last, you sleep.

You sleep, and you do not dream.

(Continued)

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>>4004027

Slowly – without haste – you wake. Thought filters into the prism of consciousness, as the world coheres once again.

The quality of light has changed, subtly. Something more wholesome, less crimson, though perhaps that is merely your imagination – It doesn't feel like dawn. Not yet.

Your gaze settles on first Hecate, then Tsukimi. Slumbering, they are – at last – true mirrors of each other; Harmonia's glow dimmed to nearly nothing, now, motes of radiance bleeding from the stones. Her fingers curl around the one thin sheet that covers the bed, drawn up around her legs; as you stir, she murmurs as she rolls over into the space you've vacated, lips curving upwards in a slow smile.

It could only have been a few hours. It can't have been enough, but – for now – your mind is clear. Wide-awake, at long last. Here and now, once again.

Four days until the end, you remember. If there is any truth in Naoya's words – anything at all - soon, all this will be gone.

It's hard to think it. Harder to grasp.

And as the light before true dawn limns Hecate's form, it feels like this is your last reprieve. That something like this may not come again, now or ever.

A last hour, before the world begins to move once again.

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>4004044
I don't remember, did we mention the book from the underworld to Tsukimi?
I think that might have been important to do before she depleted Harmonia.

Anyway, right now is still time for some sentimental stuff.

"Let's have breakfast."
Spend an ordinary hour with her. Time for some normalcy before the storm.

Afterwards, it's time to talk business. First to her, then to Kazuya and Natsumi.

>>4004063
(It's locked away with the rest of your inventory.)

>>4004063
Supporting. Let's get her some food she can eat without relying on tubes and try and at least figure out *something* we can do with her.

"I wish I could have showed you the Hollow Sun or the Beam Magnum. You would have loved them."
If getting solid food isn't viable, we need to ask her if there's anything we can do to remove the seal on us locking away Joker or if there's anything we can give her now to let her help us in the Red.

>>4004068
Op can we get any sort of blessing from hecate like we did with cybele?

>>4004082
(Unfortunately, no.)

>>4004072
>If getting solid food isn't viable, we need to ask her if there's anything we can do to remove the seal on us locking away Joker or if there's anything we can give her now to let her help us in the Red.
Also, if she has an idea for recharging Harmonia.

But first, food and comfortable topics.

>>4004091
>>4004072
>>4004063
These. We need to keep our eyes on the prize though. Tell her about Pazzy.

>>4003998
>>4004021
>>4004027
>>4004044
Wait, are there in fact two of her? Is she basically astral projecting? It looks like we fucked her spirit while leaving her body untouched, unless I'm reading this wrong.

>>4004108
This

>>4004108
>>4004129
She probably didn't want to get pregnant/move too much in her still broken body/us to interact with the body that she considers ugly yet.
Take your pick.

>>4004108
ghost blowjobs, woo woo

>>4004096
That seems like the immediate concern since I think it's clear that we don't fully understand that guy, while she at least should have a better handle on things.

>>4004044
Actually wait does this mean that Tsukumi won't be able to project Hecate for the rest of the game, or just that being able to peacefully spend time with each other ain't gonna happen for a while?

>>4004142
We have no way to recharge harmonia and it's a out to break so probably the former until we get her a Nihil Sphere

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>>4004142
>>4004108

> Wait, are there in fact two of her? Is she basically astral projecting? It looks like we fucked her spirit while leaving her body untouched, unless I'm reading this wrong.

(Yes. She was interacting with you as her Player avatar, using Harmonia as a catalyst.)

> Actually wait does this mean that Tsukumi won't be able to project Hecate for the rest of the game, or just that being able to peacefully spend time with each other ain't gonna happen for a while?

(A bit of both, really. She can't manifest as Hecate without Harmonia or a Nihl Sphere.)

>>4004063
>>4004072

“...Morning already?”

Hecate's voice is a low murmur. She doesn't open her eyes, not yet – A little yawn purrs from her lips, somehow theatrical, as she eases her head against the pillow. Her legs cross with a smooth scrape beneath the trailing hem of the oversized shirt. It – just barely – preserves her modesty and little else, her feet kneading the mattress, savoring the feel of it beneath her.

> "I wish I could have showed you the Hollow Sun or the Beam Magnum. You would have loved them."

Her eyes open, just a sliver. That sleepy smile lingers, as they adjust to the half-light; In the velvety darkness, Hecate eases herself to her elbows, then up. She leans her back against the wall, her pale feet hanging over the edge of the bed; Cupping her cheek, just so, a little laugh teased from her lips.

“I suppose I would have,” she says, lightly. Her gaze turns inward, searching – down towards her wrist, turning Harmonia's fading links around over and over again.

“-But then again...That was before. I suppose – I'm different now.”

Softer, almost to herself.

“We both are.”

> "Let's have breakfast."

She blinks – Even newly-awakened, Hecate looks somehow pristine. More significant than Tsukimi's wan form, still slumbering...

“I...” she begins, a little belatedly. Like a confession.

“-I don't need to eat, not really. Before – with the Nihl Sphere – I could, but...I don't know how long it'd last. I don't know where it'd go, when I-”

She catches your meaning, a moment later – Realization flitting across her features, as she bites her lip. This time, when she glances past you – over your shoulder – you know there's only one thing she could be looking at.

"-Oh."

(Continued)

>>4004162

Then, at last, you see the first flash of something new: Reluctance.

She doesn't want to go back. Even though she knows she must, eventually.

>>4004096

Hecate pouts. Just a little. She draws her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees; Her eyes meet yours, as if to say-

Are you sure you won't rather...

But then she sighs, and relents. Not entirely, not yet – Her gaze going distant, staring at something only she can see.

“All right,” Hecate says, softly. “-Tell me.”

And you do.

To tell her everything would take more time than you have. But keep it short, to the point.

The return.

The summoning.

The face of the enemy, and all that came after.

You can see the emotions chase each other across Hecate's features. Surprise, then disbelief – that become warmth, as her eyes lose their distance and flick to you. She almost smiles, looking appalled and somehow pleased all at once. For a moment, you think she might laugh – But at what, it's hard to tell.

And then you reach the end, as past and present merge into one.

Could it have been mere hours ago? After those long, unsleeping, endless months of subjective time, the speed of events as they unfold is almost bewildering. To be in a world where time is a thing that matters, instead of the slow crawl of endless days unmarked by sensation or hunger or even the memory of flesh-

Hecate's silent, for a long moment. A moment measured in Harmonia's failing, flickering light.

Then, at last – strangely reluctant – she speaks.

“I didn't think he'd actually do it. I never thought he could.”

“I always thought...I thought he was lying, you see. He promised that – one day – when he had both Nihl Spheres, he'd...do what he did.”

“I never trusted Pazuzu. Not from the start. I thought this was how I would live, now. But-” If anything, she pales a little more. Realization, crystallizing.

Hecate draws a deep breath, steadying herself.

“Five years. It took – Five years to find the second one. Five years of searching, five years of waiting...Of knowing he was watching me, knowing what he was thinking-”

She shivers, involuntarily, as if against the cold.

(Continued)

>>4004187
Can we talk to her about what the Marshal told us about the Black Joker? The need for the instrument, the functions of the White and Black Jokers? She might know something and that's *as* if not more important than this.

>>4004187

“But now – I don't think I understood him. Not really. Not at all.”

Her expression sours, as if biting into something foul.

“Can you imagine what it was like? Being near him and all his...creatures? Knowing that any of them could snuff me out with a thought-”

Hushed, now.

“...And knowing that he was the only one stopping them.”

Involuntarily, she rubs at her arms. As though she can feel her skin crawling.

“I...always knew I was different from other Players. I can't – I don't know how to fight. But – There was one thing I could do...”

A deep breath.

“-I knew how things worked. I still do...And – Joker-kun, I know what he did to you.”

Her slim fingers trace a pattern in the air, an achingly graceful motion. For an instant, something seems to swirl, to writhe, at the very tips of her fingers-

“It's...” Hecate's voice trails off. “-This is the hard part. Explaining it in a way you can understand.”

“He couldn't take away what you are, but he could seal it off. Lock it away, beneath a curse – Until something more...Powerful? Something with a higher authority?...breaks it.”

She bites her lip, her brow furrowing in thought.

“But – Joker-kun – he used both Nihl Spheres to do it. There isn't anything more significant than both of them, used together...I don't think so, at least.”

Then-

“...There's a way. A way that will definitely work, no matter what.”

Her voice is colder, now. Like a blade.

“Joker-kun...You're going to have to kill him.”

[ ] “You mean – I have to fight him like this?”
[ ] “Is there another way?”
[ ] “But he's on the Diadem, where we can't get to him.”
[ ] “Could the Hollow Sun do it?”
[ ] “If you had the Nihl Spheres...Could you do it?”
[ ] “It's strange – Everyone seems to want me to kill Pazuzu.”
[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>4004196
(I'll keep that in mind for the next post.)

>>4004204
"You helped make some of those monsters too, didn't you? The Thief said you helped make him. Helped make the Silencers."

[ ] “Could the Hollow Sun do it? My friend, Kazuya, he's Daegal. The Lord of the Hollow Sun."
[ ] “You mean – I have to fight him like this? There's no other way?"

[ ] “If you had the Nihl Spheres...Could you do it?”
[ ] “It's strange – Everyone seems to want me to kill Pazuzu. But if I do, it just means that Naoya can bring back the Black Joker which would be even worse than if Pazuzu wins."

>>4004204
>[x] “It's strange – Everyone seems to want me to kill Pazuzu.”
>[x] “Could the Hollow Sun do it?”
>[x] “If you had the Nihl Spheres...Could you do it?”

>>4004204
>"Saw that one coming. Killing the source almost always solves whatever problems you have in the Red."

>[ ] “Could the Hollow Sun do it?”
>"Its true owner is awake and capable of taking full control."

>"Must it be a singular authority, or is it possible for multiple sources of power to be used to break the seal?"

Honestly, I fully expect that Naoya intends to force us into his debt/subordination because he has a way to break the seal. Perhaps the Crux will also come into play here.

>>4004226
He needs the complete Crux and both Nihil Eyes, so I doubt it. The Nihil Eyes to open the gate for the Black Joker, the Crux to try and revive his woman and the Chalice Queen as fuel.

>>4004187
>>4004204
So is she saying Naoya is telling the truth about Pazuzu ending the world, or that she doesn't know one way or the other?

(Gentlemen, my apologies - Tomorrow is a workday, and I must turn in. But I'll get a post up at the first opportunity.)

>>4004231
She's saying Pazuzu had hinted at this before/talked about it but she'd never taken him seriously.

Which seems like horse shit to me to be honest. She's downplaying her involvement but that's understandable.

>>4004235
Also, wow, he really had a fucking creepy crush on Hecate. No wonder she can't stand him. I wonder if killing Pazuzu is really the answer, since we have literally won the fucked-up love triangle.

>>4004235
I mean, if you were friends with a guy that said he'd blow up the planet would you take him seriously or laugh it off?

>>4004240
I mean I think one of the things we're learning is Pazuzu really might be petty and spiteful enough to wake Hecate up just so she can be consciously aware of her impending doom for spurning him, especially if it means he got the other Eye without any risk (he probably was in a string enough position to take it regardless but we could have turned things around).

>>4004240
It seems like it's an issue simply because it's the expected, and most straight forward, play. It's the one everyone's counting on; us, Hecate, Pazuzu, White Joker and everything else. If we do do this, we're playing into basically everything Pazuzu and White Joker would have planned. There has to be another solution. So far all I can think of are
>The Chalice Queen
>The Fatal Abyss
>The Nihil Eyes
>The fully restored Crux
>The Black Joker's Heart
Like, the thing is, if Pazuzu could do this with *both* Nihil Spheres and the incomplete Crux, why wasn't the Black Cardinal doing things like this?

>>4004243
Considering what they were already doing/had done, you'd have to be an idiot to think he was joking or not planning that. Dude made a machine out of people and created players liek Rust Kaiser and the Thief to serve as his minions.

>>4004204
I guess the important question is if there's anything we can do to derail Naoya's keikakus, or if being an opportunistic dick who won't hesitate to throw everyone under the bus really is an unbeattable strategy.

Like it feels like Pazuzu is just another domino that he needs us to knock over even though he should be perfectly capable of killing Pazuzu himself right? That's what really frustrates me about this, that he's making us do his plan for him and we know it but seemingly can't do anything about it

>>4004252
>>4004244
We should actually tell Hecate this. She might be able to think of another solution if we tell her that's what White Joker is counting on to summon Black Joker.

Also if White Joker joins us on the raid/appears at any point, backstab him immediately. No matter what. We have to negate his plans.

>>4004204
So, we have Harmonia, which is far less significant than the NIHL eyes.
We have Daegal, who can improve things but likely not give them higher authority. I assume his function is more like a stabilizer, similar to how gold is an inert metal.

In losing the Red Joker armor, we likely lost our system access authority... By the way, shouldn't we have also lost the "extended stays in the Red" upgrade that we gained early in the quest, if we are at level 1 again?

The Forge could probably override this, but it's not an option without being the Red Joker in the first place.

Lachryma might do some help, but it's fucking lachryma.

Chalice Queens are also very powerful, especially in their demenses.

What about the Manifold Towers? Didn't one of them increase our system access authority in addition to giving us upgrades? They are likely very significant in their own rights.
Same might go for vitruvian devices.

I also wonder whether we need to actually break the seal outright. Just weakening it would already save our ass and allow us to murder Pazuzu.

Mio is out. I don't want to deal with Mengele. Shouldn't the fabulous sociopath dude maybe know some secrets of the Red?
The Hollow Sun can at least run some diagnostics. Maybe Daegal's presence will augment it. If we are very likely, we can get some essence bleedover or something.

If all else fails, we need to collect essence. We aren't just Frost Cestus with a broken arm, we are Frost Cestus at level 1 with a broken arm.
Natsumi should know how to hunt correctors efficiently.
In fact, a Terminus Upgrade would likely be very helpful in our situation, but without essence it's an operation that will most likely kill us.

Hope my rambling has given someone ideas.

>>4004253
I mean we were at best evenly matched with Naoya back when we were Red Joker, as it stands I don't think we can oppose him in any meaningful way and, evidently, Daegal can't oppose him for us.

I'm not sure if we really can do anything but grit our teeth and hope White Joker trips over his shoelaces at the finish line.

>>4004316
That's never worked out for us before. Trying to kill Pazuzu first is just going to be the Diadem Harvest all over again. We can't do what they expect first.

Why don't we try killing the White Joker first and THEN Pazuzu?

>>4004335
We should also parley with the white joker and get him to put some skin in the game or else we will destroy him first csue the black joker is a universal threat and pazuzu is only destroying one city

>>4004316
>>4004335
>>4004348
We really need to talk about those manifold towers.
If we can cut off the Red, none of them will be able to do anything.
At the very least, we might buy time by removing the time synchronization between the worlds.

>>4004360
The Manifold Towers will never work. They were a pipe dream from the start; they require too much co-ordination and too much time and effort to have fire into the sky of the Red.

Sterling Industries have been wrong with how they've done EVERYTHING from the start. Their method of operating left them inexperienced and less powerful than regular Players, their plans for the Manifold Towers were completely destroyed when the Diadem blasted a hole through it and what remains of the Veil will be fucking shredded the moment the Black Joker comes through.

The Black Joker will be a nuclear holocaust against the Manifold Towers.

>>4004335
I mean... How? Unless he happens to have a gigantic Achilles Heel that Hecate is going to tell us, like something really asinine like "he actually auto-scales to Red Joker's level and is thus crippled right now and only tricked Daegal into thinking he wasn't" I don't see how we can kill him and still have time to kill Pazuzu.

>>4004398
Pay an assassin to shank him IRL?

...I guess he'd just end up luckily avoiding all attacks like some kind of Mr. Bean montage, because he's a high-level player and thus bends reality to his whims just by the sheer magnitude of his existence.

We could tell the Hollow Sun to attack him, but then we'd have nothing on the Diadem.

>>4004398
Chronmetron doesn't effect us or our allies. If we trigger it on him we have an open shot with Ascalon/lucid blade/absolute zero.

It's something we need to keep in mind. We HAVE to fuck him up somehow. We cannot just be his meat shield again.

>>4004404
Assuming he is at least as strong as we were, that is already a big fucking problem. With just the Beam Magnum and the Carnifex alone, he'll be a nightmare to deal with.

What I don't understand are the respective endgames. We now know exactly what Pazuzu is trying to do, and harming people is just incidental. But we don't know how WJ is going to accomplish what HE wants.

Naoya has a supernatural ability to know what we’re thinking. He even figured out we made a deal with Pazuzu while being in a completely different location. We can’t beat him by making more plans which we’ll fuck up anyway because the anons who came up with them end up not winning the votes during execution. We are *transparent* to him.

The White Joker is the final boss not just in strength, but in how we approach him. We need to relinquish control to trustworthy allies, the one thing we never did throughout the entire quest. This is the endgame, people, where the protagonist overcomes his fatal flaw and shit.

Naoya’s counting on us focusing on Pazuzu first to get the Red Joker armor back. He’s betting on us acting out of the desperate hope that we can outmatch him directly. Following through with it is just playing into his hands.

We need to help Daegal to git gud and defeat the ultimate villain like the golden knight he is. Anon and Pazuzu are just the broken men who serve to make the story slightly more interesting. If we pin our endgame decisions on either of them, we’re going straight for a bad ending.

We need the hero to fulfill the hero’s role, only then can we fulfill our role. As weak as Frost Caestus is, he is a bigger spinner in Naoya’s plans than the Red Joker ever will be.

>>4005149
I don't think he knew we made that decision, he just detected that both Nihil Spheres were still around and deduced that we'd gone there given the fact it happened so quickly. Not only that, he probably detected the sealing on us given how powerful it must have been. We almost *killed* White Joker before when he had his Beam Magnum and his Carnifex (though he didn't seem to use his actual meter abilities).

He does have a mind reading Relic but it doesn't work from all distances and we know that [spoilers]he can't read spoilers[/spoilers]. He uses a combination of mind reading and speaking with the Black Joker/lachryma to inform himself and learn secrets he shouldn't know. Not only that, most of your argument doesn't make sense; Daegal can't beat White Joker. He lacks the instincts, his power isn't designed to fight Naoya's and even then, even then, if he kills White Joker he absorbs him and then we can't permanently kill the Black Joker and this all fucking happens again *next time* someone fucks with Lachryma. Likely enough, it will be Imago given the fact he's still alive and ticking. So we *have* to be the one that kills him or absorbs his Essence, one way or the other.

>>4005149
He doesn't necessarily know, but he can make educated guests. Daegal went to the tower dungeon instead of us, so Naoya knew we were going for Pazuzu's deal. That's why he was so amused, he knew what we would choose.

Also, Daegal literally got buried in a collapsing building. He's tough, but doesn't have the offense to match it. He can take incredible amounts of punishment but just isn't a good fighter.

>>4005210
He's probably vastly improved now but he did have to fight Megara, Tisiphone and White Joker by himself. And ultimately, no one has killing instinct like Voivoid, Red Joker or White Joker do.

>>4005234
What I really want to know is, what is Naoya doing with all the extra Essence cores and body parts he took from his fellow WJ candidates. What can you even do with those?

>>4005269
You really don't want to know, anon

>>4005269
I think we already know that; he made the White Joker a combat frame and a mirror to the Red Joker, as opposed to Mikogami's Black Cardinal that wasn't built for combat and had sculptor's hands. Naoya has claws and talons. Plus, when he starts glowing red and shifting his feet into foot blades/foot swords, I think that's him using the parts of his former allies.

tl;dr he jury-rigged the White Joker armor into a combat armor by butchering his friends and using lachryma as glue.

>>4005275
The symbolism is pretty obvious. We're the red rider, War. Naoya is the Pale Rider, Death.

>>4005275
If that’s the case, is there literally anyone we can ask for more information on what Naoya has up his sleeve? Assuming his current powers can be traced to original sources. Four days is a short-ass time, but we’re dead-set on not letting Naoya get his way, so we need to get some research in wherever possible.

>>4005286
Father Yasuda at the orphanage might know something. The one with all the kids.

>>4005283
I think it has more to do with the fact that a traditional set of cards has four suites, matching the four player classes, and 2 Jokers. One black/white/uncoloured and one red. The red joker is, in some card games, the strongest card in the deck.

>>4005286
Imago would likely know, considering he was there for the beginning of the Smilers and was key for helping make Kraken and Rust Kaiser which eventually led to Naoya using lachryma on himself. Otherwise, I can't think of anyone who survived the last game and would have known besides Osseuous Hireophant but he'd had his memory ripped out.

>>4005286
It seems that no matter what, we have to reach Pazuzu and find a way to cancel the curse. Either we kill him or we convince him to lift it somehow. We cannot fight WJ as Frost Cestus, it's just impossible. Dropping the Hellion army on the Diadem is basically the way to even the odds.

>>4005286
>If that’s the case, is there literally anyone we can ask for more information on what Naoya has up his sleeve? Assuming his current powers can be traced to original sources. Four days is a short-ass time, but we’re dead-set on not letting Naoya get his way, so we need to get some research in wherever possible.

I think at the moment we should focus on those towers Argent was trying to capture: The one that could *reinforce* the walls between the red and the real.

>“There's one more thing. He says – It's life Pazuzu is after. He's got enough to power the Diadem, but...He needs more. If he's going to get where he needs to be – He might need all life in the city. Every living thing in it.”

If the Diadem's rocket-blasting off to the paradise has fallout for the world, then the world needs a shield.
Everyone's seeking endgames; we should spend our time trying to control the narrative.

If we were able to get all the locations (manifold towers?) linked together, (like, say, the hollow sun) being able to cut certain problems off from having access to the red would go a long way towards giving us a fighting chance.

>>4005361
Jesus Christ will you let this go, the Manifold Towers have never been and never will be viable. They failed for Argent, completely, and now the world is in even worse condition with less time to fix it. In fact, the Manifold Towers are a large reason that the Raid even happened because instead of dealing with the Smilers, Argent thought the Towers would fix it and now you want to make the same mistake.

>>4005377
>Jesus Christ will you let this go

uh.
I'm a little taken aback by your rampant hostility! Tone it down, anon, too strong, put the dick away.

I think the plan has merit because it worked for a while, and it didn't succeed because he didn't control them all. if you're gonna go for 100% completion on a win condition, you need to go all way to touchdown.

With everyone else on endgame conditions and the apocalypse, there's never been a better time for territory grabbing.

Lets put it this way:
How many Major Landmarks that have the fundamental power to alter the Red are NOT held by our enemies?

Taking on the Diadem is going to require equivalent infrastructure.

What other bases of power can we snag in a short amount of time?

>>4005617
>he didn't control them all
He said he didn't need them all when he had Yggrdrasil and he still failed. Not only that, some of them were outright destroyed in the bombing and the tear was made even worse than it was before. I'm not being hostile, it's just that bad of an idea. They have never worked, ever. They have never actually helped the situation besides the one time we got an upgrade.

>>4004132
It's funny to think we've never actually slept with a 'real' woman. Cybele and Alura were both Hyades-form Players. The extra scene with Yui is the closest we got.

>>4006035
We never slept with Alura dude, we wouldn't have a dick

So how do you imagine most Joker armors to look? Are they like Gundam and all big and clunky? Streamlined like an Eva? Something else? Any artists who match them well you think?

>>4006227
There was one anon who made a really good sketch a few years ago.

I wonder whether he is still reading.

File: 6bd5717de783367f635f8065e(...).jpg (41 KB, 403x512)

41 KB JPG

>>4006227
I know it's not canon but I still can't help but think of Red Joker looking like Canti, just the idea of a spindly robot pulling out a stupid amount of guns appeals to me.

>>4006285
God I wish. I'd love to commission some art of the series but jesus christ, how would you?

>>4006227
I take the pictures jqop posts as accurate. God knows they're cool

>>4006227
I imagine a sleeker and more streamlined looking Sinanju.

>>4006227
Isn't it mostly Accel World's former Red leader, combined with Sinanju, but much more organic?

>>4006683
I thought the organic stuff was from Red Joker stabbing himself and it was purged when he was reforged?

>>4006764
No, we're still filled with lachryma and have a ton of myomer.

>>4006321
That's the cutest thing ever. I want to see him going all axe-murderer with Golgotha. Doesn't the Red Joker basically look like the Sinaju from Gundam Unicorn now?

>>4006801
>we're still filled with lachryma
That's only the Core, and everyone has myomer muscle analogues, I wouldn't say that counts as 'organic'. No we're not "organic" anymore, we're back to being a robot except for the BJ's heart, which is kept contained anyways

>>4006822
>everyone has myomer muscle analogues
No, myomer actually marks the Red Joker as a high-tech frame.
Frost Cestus has pistons and shit in contrast.
Myomer is meant to be both strong, fast and dexterious, in contrast to ordinary muscle analogues.

>>4004044
I like that Hecate just seems to *get* Joker on a fundamental level. The dynamic is really different compared to every other girl. Hecate being aware she's a little greedy, a little cruel and more forward makes her seem more mature in general.

>>4006822
Our armor is literally described as red laced with black/black and red plating now. THe lachryma is not restrained to our core, it's everywhere now but it is *separate* to the rest of our frame rather than integrated.

>>4006764
The Red Joker armor was always made to contain the Black Joker's heart. That's why were we initially immune to Lachryma. The half of the Crux we had allowed us to channel it to constructive uses.

Looking back, it's amazing to see how even the smallest details turn out to be relevant later. Like how Crux LITERALLY means 'cross' and we have a crucifix handed to us. Or how Pazuzu never attacks Hecate any point even in their first confrontation, because he's in love with her. How Kazuya keeps getting described as 'someone special' even before he gets his armor. Or how Naoya is seen in the club with Kraken, monitoring his experiment, and how he deliberately disguises himself when fighting Thief but lets him live so we can meet him at the Diadem. Or how he IMMEDIATELY starts flirting with Mio because he knows what she is!

>>4010489
When was Naoya disguised and attacking the Thief?

>>4010504
Chapter 111.5, looks like. Akira gets attacked by a mutated Simulation Body when he was in the Diadem. He says it's WJ, and it taunts him the way Naoya does.

>>4010489
>The Red Joker armor was always made to contain the Black Joker's heart.
This doesn't make sense, considering that the Marshal was he one who put the Black Joker's heart into the armor.
Also, the Black Joker itself is a recent creation. The thing only came into being thanks to a certain individual trying to revive Kotone, the White Joker, with lachryma.
The Black Joker is just the entity at the end of the world, merged with one of the White Jokers.

By the way: It makes sense that the Red Joker armor is passed on via defeat.
But have we actually found out whether that is true for the White Joker? The creator armor sounds like something that would be passed on voluntarily.

>>4010633
What I really want to know is what Naoya thinks will happen if he succeeds. He's not stupid, he likely knows it's going to be armageddon. But he's still doing it anyway.

>>4010633
Assumedly, it's passed on via defeat or by death. It's not necessarily passed on while still living as of the three White Jokers we know of (Kotone, Mikogami and Naoya), two pass it on on their deaths but likely, not their defeats. I don't see Mikogami killing Kotone and I don't think Naoya came across Mikogami again before he died; if he had, there would have been no reason whatsoever to leave a message in the Joker's memory for his successor as said successor would have been the last person he'd ever spoken or talked to. It could be that that is the *actual* function of the Joker's Memory. The Memory has a way of storing the White Joker's power on death and then can be passed on to someone else. It would explain why the 12 disciples had to decide amongst themselves who got the power because it was physically something tangible and it gives an actual reason for the Memory to exist *and* allows us to access the Forge.
>How is that related to the Red Joker's upgrade?
I think the Red Joker stored his plans and schematics inside of it because he knew it was the one thing the White Joker couldn't destroy and it's designed to store and distribute powers.

>>4010661
He believes he *can* do it properly is the thing. He's not stupid but he is insane and utterly convinced. As long as he and Kotone are able to have a tolerable existence and she's alive again, he doesn't seem to really care. Not only that but he was, initially, trying to revive her as the Black Joker *in* the Chalice Queen armor.

Naoya and Mikogami have a very distorted view of lachryma as Naoya was by Mikogami's side while he made a city that ran on lachryma in the Black. They both think it's something you can control. And the thing is, they're right about that but it's extremely volatile. It's also unlikely that either Naoya or Mikogami ever actually saw the Black Joker in its full malice. Even RJ hasn't seen the full thing. Only the Marshal did and, even then, that was years ago and now even more people have died and been absorbed into lachryma while its festered so its stronger than last time.

>>3997796
OP, do we have any idea what the Hollow Sun has been spending it's charge on?

>>4016477
Presumably we'll find out when we get there which imo is our biggest priority

>>4016477

(Yes, but that will probably require a full chapter on it's own. You'll certainly get the opportunity to visit.)

>>4004213
>>4004222
>>4004226

> "You helped make some of those monsters too, didn't you? The Thief said you helped make him. Helped make the Silencers."

“I...”

Hecate bites her lip. Her gaze slides away from yours.

“-You don't know what it was like,” she says. “You can't. I didn't have a choice – it's not like I could've done anything else. The Thief...”

She exhales, softly. A low sigh.

“Well. There's a lot of things I regret.”

She doesn't look at you, as she says it. “I did what I had to do to survive, that's all. Everyone did. I can tell you one thing, though-”

Slowly, Hecate turns her hand, wrist upwards. Gauging how much time remains. In the gloaming light, it's impossible to tell.

“...They were failures. I know Pazuzu was – He never took them seriously, not really. He needed more soldiers, needed more monsters, to keep the ones he'd chosen safe...So he used them. But – I think there was more to it than that. There was something he was – someone was – trying to accomplish, but it didn't work.”

Her gaze is distant, now. Fey features seemingly carved from marble.

>[x] “Could the Hollow Sun do it?”

Hecate's brow furrows. She rests her chin against her knees, her arms curled around her legs. Moments pass, as the gears of her mind turn...

“I'm...not sure,” she says, at last. “I don't think so – No, I don't think it can. It's a weapon, isn't it? I don't think it can do what you're hoping for.”

She bites her lip, restless now.

“It's – From the sound of it, it's something to be used. You've found – I don't know – something left over a long time ago. A fortress, maybe, or a bunker. But what you're talking about...What you need – That's more like surgery. It's not the same thing.”

> [X] “My friend, Kazuya, he's Daegal. The Lord of the Hollow Sun."

A low sound, quickly smothered. At last, a laugh.

Hecate's slim shoulders shake, against the thin fabric of her shirt. Her hand presses to her mouth, to try and muffle her laughter; it doesn't stop her emerald eyes from shining with mirth, all the same.

“Him?” she says – half-incredulous, half-delighted. “You mean – Him?”

(Continued)

>>4018755
It takes her a moment to catch herself, though the laughter in her eyes lingers.

“It's nothing. It's just that...he's the one?”

She shakes her head, once.

“I've...really been gone for a long time, haven't I?”

As she sobers, her smile fades - “You should ask him,” she says. “He'd know better than I do...which isn't very much. If he hasn't – if he can't – then...I don't think it'd work.”

>[x] “If you had the Nihl Spheres...Could you do it?”

Hecate's lips twitch – For a moment, you think she might laugh again...But something tells you that she doesn't want to hurt your feelings.

“...There's a lot I could do with both Nihl Spheres,” she says, at last. “That is – If you could get them away from Pazuzu. If you could get them back to me. And, oh, there's just the small problem of the Diadem and everything else he has...”

Her voice trails off.

“If you manage that – Let me know, all right?”

Well, that's one way of putting it.

> [x] “It's strange – Everyone seems to want me to kill Pazuzu.”
> "Saw that one coming. Killing the source almost always solves whatever problems you have in the Red."

“...It does seem that way, doesn't it?”

Hecate's voice is light, almost airy now – But her expression is serious, her eyes narrowing minutely.

“In this case...He's the one who set the Codeburst on you. If you can kill him, it'd be broken – that's just how it works.” A light laugh, as she shakes her head - “Well...Unless you think you can convince him to undo it. I'd leave that to you...”

“Joker-kun...Don't try it, all right? He's...”

A pause, searching for the words-

“This – It means everything to him. He's been waiting for this for...his entire life. You can't take that chance. Please – do it for me. Don't speak to him...If you get the chance, just – Just put him down."

"End him.”

(Continued)

>>4018762

She falls silent, abruptly – Aware of the heat in her voice.

Then, softly-

“If...” Hecate begins, just above a whisper - “...if you died, I couldn't bear it. The first time – It was like my body moved, by itself. I needed to know you were safe. If – after all this, after all we went through to be here...”

For a moment, her eyes glimmer – A trick of the light, certainly.

The bed creaks, lightly, as she moves to stand. There's a translucency to Hecate's form, like a heat-mirage, dopplering in and out of existence...

“...So that's all the time we have,” she says. Twin stars shine on Harmonia's silver links, somehow forlorn. “So soon...I thought we'd have longer.”

Her gaze goes past you, to Tsukimi's slumbering form – When she sighs, her breath seems to ripple through her form, her eyes half-closing.

But then a secret smile touches her lips – Impish, somehow knowing – as she takes a slow step towards you, slim fingers brushing stray strands of dark hair (Fainter, now, translucent enough to see the light through) back from her elegant features.

“At least it wasn't wasted – Isn't that right, Joker-kun~?”

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>4018767
>“At least it wasn't wasted – Isn't that right, Joker-kun~?”
It certainly wasn't. Now that the important stuff is done, I can solve these minor issues without regret.

Rest well, while I prepare for war. You wouldn't by chance know a way to quickly increase the power of this armor, something like the Vitruvian Device that gave me the Cobalt Booster?

>>4018767
"If that's how you waste time, we should time waste more often. And don't worry. I'll be seeing you, both of you, real soon." We should ask her about if there's any weapons or allies we can use against Pazzy and about everything with the White Joker, Black Joker and our time in the Black.

Go find Daegal. Hollow Sun. Also, doesn't the Hollow Sun have that surgery function? It has several such functions.

>>4018767
>Free
> When I lost you Hecate I became a monster obsessed with inflicting my fury on anyone who stood in my way. having you hear again was worth it all.
>I will return to you.

>>4018892
>Go find Daegal. Hollow Sun. Also, doesn't the Hollow Sun have that surgery function? It has several such functions.
The Forge was surgery. This is a retrofitting station.
The White Joker has surgery. Imago has surgery. Any others?

Also, don't leave Natsumi out. She will also need to see the Hollow Sun and get some gear there.

>>4018899
No, the Hollow Sun's viturvian device was originally a method of construction and recreation plus there's the augment facility for correctors. But ultimately, yes, I don't see it working.

(Gentlemen, my apologies - It's extremely late, and tomorrow is a workday. I'll get the next post up as soon as I have the opportunity.)

>>4018767
What the others said, but bring Natsumi to the Hollow Sun.

And what about, uh, Volt? Something. I've forgotten people's names and who is and isn't dead. She was one of the tri stars and I'm pretty sure survived this hullabaloo.

>>4019313
Volt Regios and Tyrian Edge are likely already at the Hollow Sun. What we need to bring are Silver Cross, Steppenwulf and Geist. But we should get Natsumi and Volt's input on that.

>>4019129
The hollow sun does have the ability to do soul-surgery though : Its equipped for that sort of operation with Terminus upgrades.

But I do think that without innately superior system access, someone would have to be -great- diagnostician to have a chance:

As in, you don't only need a scalpel, you have to know where and how to deal with the 'curse'.

Sooooo.

I think Hecate with the sun has a chance; but she'd want to team up with someone else.

Who else do we know that's a good Player-surgeon, or barring that, codeburst wizard?

we have the operating theatre, we just need staff.

>>4019975
>Who else do we know that's a good Player-surgeon, or barring that, codeburst wizard?

Mengele

>>4021216
He's probably really happy we killed Rust Kaiser. We 100% suceeded at that. The question is, do we want the kind of help he can offer?

I was hoping we'd finally get to the Hollow Sun this thread but looks like that won't be happening, so I'm leaving it for next time. So, let's discuss our current objectives, here's some that I've thought of, tell me what you guys think:

-See Natsumi in the morning, get her version of the events during the 2 weeks we missed out and ask how far along Sterling Industries are with reclaiming their relay network for the Manifold Project (bear with me here, I'll explain below), then suggest Daegal and us can join her on that
-Visit Imago to collect our payment, tell him how we took out Rust Kaiser for good and warn him the White Joker is about to make his move. With RK gone, WJ is definitely on top of his shitlist now, we could use his assistance, whatever it is. Dude probably hasn't been idle since he ended up down there. Also ask what exactly did he teach WJ about bringing back the dead with Lachryma, will help us understand WJ's objectives and plans better.
-Contact Asuna and visit her IRL with Kazuya and Natsumi preferably, poor girl's been suffering from Cassandra syndrome this entire time, and I say it's time we spilled the beans about the Red to her as well, if only enough so she can understand what her dreams mean. Don't know if she can help us much at this point but she doesn't deserve to suffer like that.
-Visit the Salvation Children's Home, sure Kotone's body isn't there anymore but there might be something there in the Red, we never fully explored that since we got visions last time we tried. Also if we can search through the Smilers' possessions (Megumi, Ren, Kou?), it might yield something useful. No idea how we'll convince Father Yasuda to let us peek into their rooms, but we'll get there. Only downside is that we may run into Naoya
-Regarding Sterling Industries, I say we help them out because we're back to level 1 and need essence, Daegal needs to learn to fight better, there's safety in numbers and they're mostly fighting correctors which is good for grinding. Can't see them saying no when they're short on manpower, and especially if Daegal's joining, hell if we get him to a Manifold Tower he might even pull off something. The secondary reason for helping them is that repairing the Shroud is a good thing for all of us although imho I don't have much faith in their efforts but it's two birds with one stone.
-Regarding Volt Regios and Tyrian Edge, I think we can recruit them to assist us in helping out Sterling Industries, after checking if they made it out of the Halcyon Tower's collapse safely of course. After that probably a tour of the Hollow Sun but that'll be another thread.
-Last but not least, since we're Frost Cestus I say we go by that name for now instead of Red Joker, we can easily claim we're one of the newly 'activated' players during the Shroud's collapse, helps disguise ourselves even more since we're weaksauce at the moment.

And that's it from me, if anyone else has thought of anything then throw it out here

>“Him?” she says – half-incredulous, half-delighted. “You mean – Him?”
Hey, we need to tell Hecate that Kazuya tries real hard and is more moral than we have the capacity to be.

>>4018828
>>4018892
>>4018893
>>4021586
>>4021704

> It certainly wasn't. Now that the important stuff is done, I can solve these minor issues without regret.
> "If that's how you waste time, we should time waste more often. And don't worry. I'll be seeing you, both of you, real soon."

“-Mmnnn.”

A little blush touches Hecate's cheeks, her soft laugh purring from deep within.

“Joker-kun...There's not much I can do for you, now,” she says – Her voice is wry, a little self-aware. “After this – I'll be here, but...I don't think I'll be much help.”

Her hand settles lightly on your chest, her touch so delicate it seems to hover above your skin.

“I think...the time for subtlety is over, really. There's so much I want to tell you...But I don't think I have the time. None of us do. You'll have to do your best, by yourself...”

That smile again, as her hand reaches up to cup your cheek. Her fingers are cool to the touch, like silken ice.

“But...You'll need to think like him. What matters to the White Joker? Where did he begin – And where will he end?”

“Unless-”

For a moment, her expression goes contemplative, thoughtful.

“-Unless, of course, he's been lying to everyone...even himself...all along.”

> Hey, we need to tell Hecate that Kazuya tries real hard and is more moral than we have the capacity to be.

“Is that so? You're going to make me jealous, you know.”

Before you can go on, Hecate lays a finger against her lips. Shushing you, now.

“Hush.” Her eyes search yours, for a moment.

“In the end – It'd have to be you. You'll be at the heart of it. You've always been. Oh, the others matter...But not the way you do, I think. Somehow, somehow – It all turns on you, now.”

In the gloaming before dawn, her words are almost prophecy.

“Good luck,” Hecate says – and then she leans forward, her lips brushing against yours. It's a kiss as insubstantial as a sigh, as her form begins to fade – diminishing, becoming less real, the first rays of dawn passing through her. Until only the kiss is left, shaping words carried on the breeze...

“Win for me.”

Motes of violet light shimmer, faintly – like the last, lone glow of fireflies, fading into nothing at last. There is a sound – something like laughter – before the silence closes in again.

(Continued)

>>4021586
Fighting with Sterling will be a waste of time. Not only will we not get experience, since the Silver Circuits absorbs it all, we could be making more pointed or directed actions. I say we clear out some Corrector infested places ourselves and take them over.
>Hokoplosion
>The Lake of Minir, if possible
>The Original Hive
Place Void Anchors in those positions as well.
I'm fine with the Natusmi, Asuna and Imago ideas. Going to the Salvation's Children's Home in the Black is an inspired idea. Definitely do that. Volt Regios and Tyrian Edge have already indicated a willingness to help us.

In regards to Sterling, show them the Hollow Sun and let them work with Daegal but he and Natsumi can handle that if they wish. Also, we should see if we can still control the Red Comet or not.

>>4021740
Imago could provide information on what the White Joker wants and his methods, what his surgery actually achieved and any other insights into him but we do have some idea of this
>killed all of the friends he had to but couldn't kill the last one
>manipulated and used the Smilers as fuel for his plan before double crossing them
>probably did not kill Mikogami himself
>he cares about just himself and Kotone. We have not found anything else he won't sacrifice but that may exist. Try to dig up info about Naoya; family and such.
>he wants to bring Kotone back but we still haven't established methodology.
A good question might be 'How did he find Mio in the first place?' He's been chasing her longer than we have.

Hecate is a dead end.

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68 KB JPG

>>4021740

So much to do.

So much to do, and so little time to do it.

But for now – You have a while to make your peace. To watch the sun some up.

>>4019313
>>4019332
>>4019975
>>4021586

At last, Tsukimi stirs in her sleep. Her breathing becomes a little easier, a little more perceptible – her lips curving, in something that might be a smile.

You wonder if she's dreaming, too.

>>3999976

Water bleats on the shower tiles, the mirror misting up as you weigh the Carnifex in one hand. Clean again, at last; You feel like your skin has been scrubbed raw. When the half-mask locks itself in place, your right arm rises in instinctive motion – the return of sensation is as abrupt as its absence.

Slowly, you rotate your wrist. Curl your fingers into a fist, relax them again. The illusion of wholeness is complete – Strange to think that it can simply be taken away once more.

You settle your arm in the sling. When the Carnifex comes away from your face, it is as if it takes your arm with it – No spreading numbness, no growing weakness. Just that absence again, returning as if it was never gone.

Your phone rests by the side of the bed, the cracked screen glimmering faintly.

You reach for it.

And then you remember, and you reach for it again.

It buzzes – Once, then again – as outside, the world comes to life.

You can hear the first footfalls approaching, muted amid the chorus of the machines. Behind you, the door eases open with the faint hiss of hydraulics – Natsumi's breath coming hard and fast, as if she's run all the way. Her shadow falls over the threshold, as she takes in the tableau before her...

Her hands go to her mouth.

She's changed, in the time you've been gone. Perhaps – for her – it was a lifetime, too; You can see the fatigue that rings her eyes, the pallor to her skin, the minute tremble to her fingers-

The emotion that flickers in her eyes is too profound for words.

“...alive.”

It's soft, like a whisper. Her footfalls make no sound, now - stepping lightly, as if hardly daring to shatter the illusion.

"Anon-kun...You're alive-"

A sob escapes her lips. Her shoulders tremble, as if bowed by weight.

[ ] Free

YOU HAVE CONTROL

>>4021767
>Yes, Kaz and I have return. It was a long and expensive road back. But we made it.
> How are you these 2 weeks have been a lifetime for me

>>4021767
"Don't start crying on me now Nat-chan. I didn't lose any of my rogueish good looks, did I?"

Hug it out with her. "So, Kaz and I had to take a detour through the Black. What's happened while we were gone? You been in contact with Regios or any of my guys?"

I think we should enter the Red. Take her and Daegal to the Hollow Sun, *now*.

>>4021771
>Hug it out with her.
Probably shouldn't do that right next to our sleeoing girlfriend. Especially after how many times we BTFO Natsumi.

>>4021771
I wouldn't flirt with her. Especially with Hecate nearby.

>>4021773
>>4021774
Is that flirting? She's our childhood friend and we've known her for years and we hugged her after she found out we were Red Joker.

Us coming back from the dead and crippling ourselves to save Kazuya is a huge deal. If you guys think that's inappropriate that's fine but making a joke and then hugging her seems ic to me.

>>4021781
>>4021774
Give her a (platonic) hug. That sounds reasonable enough.

>>4021770
>>4021771
>>4021773
>>4021774
>>4021781
>>4021785
(Gentlemen - I must turn in for now, but I'll continue at the first opportunity.)

>>4021785
I'd have thought our hugs would be platonic by default.

>>4021785
Give her a handshake, maybe a pat on the shoulder. That probably can't be misconstrued.

>>4021787
OP do you know when you may get an opportunity to post for a more substantive period.of time? I love you are updating at all; but the wait is killing me!

>>4021767
"Yeah, though I'm honestly not sure how we even managed to do that.

Thanks for holding the line."

Also, platonic hugs.

>>4021767
Check who's on the phone

>>4021801
Oh shit, that's a good point.

>>4021767
So hopefully Tsukumi will be able to wake up now right? Or is she still comatose until we hook her up to a power source so she can be Hecate again?

>>4025098
We've seen her awake, but her real body is an atrophied mess. She seems to just generally prefer being Hecate. Tsukimi is likely in no condition to do anything but talk and slowly recover, seems like.

>>4025935
That's not bad in and of itself

>>4025935
>>4026344
She's a Player. If we get her a high source of essence or system access, her body should repair itself. Plus, now that she's awake in and of herself, she'd be a good choice for Chalice Queen potentially; she'd be the only Hyades besides Mio that is awake and active before becoming Chalice Queen.

But then again, Mio had been spending her entire life gathering essence from all of her surroundings passively. Hmm hmm.

>>4026556
She's not a Hyades though, I think Moratoriums were...unpicked Hyades IIRC? Or they had to die IRL to fully become one, it's rather vague what they truly are. Whatever it is, they exist in a state much lower than normal players. And as far as we know the Quantum Vault is no longer accessible