Update 27: Fifth Kalpa
I am deeply disappointed in you. How can you allow yourself to be swayed by this woman...? I've left you alone thus far, but now there is no point in letting you live. My faithful servant Samael will take care of you.
Samael, the Poison of God. As far as archangels go, this one is really strange. It's unclear if he ever fell, but even those sources that claim he remained a part of the heavenly host attribute really questionable qualities and actions to him. Among other things, he's said to be the serpent that tempted Eve, the husband of Lilith after she left Adam and an angel of death.
As a boss, he's not all that hard, if you can counter God's Curse, his unique spell.
What it does is attempt to put a random Mind- or Nerve-based status effect on all of our demons. The Fiends are safe because of their immunities, but Reggie can only gain one immunity via Magatama (we equipped Iyomante for the Mind immunity), and Uriel has no status effect immunities at all. This means Reggie will occasionally have to spend an action on using Sacred Water or other recovery items.
Another really annoying property of this spell is that it's never resisted, technically speaking. Instead, demons who're immune to its effects automatically dodge it, but dodging status effects doesn't reduce the attacker's AP pool. Because of this, Samael can always follow up God's Curse with Beast Eye and two castings of Rakukaja. Have Dekaja ready, or it'll take very long to kill him.
For damage dealing Samael uses his basic attack and Megidola. Both don't do that much damage after you Debilitate him. Speaking of debuffs, Samael has both Dekaja and Dekunda, but rarely uses them. Setting up Tarukaja and Debilitate is a very good idea.
Focused physicals are the way to win this fight quickly. Samael has a passive skill that gives him a chance to counter-attack with his basic physical for free whenever a physical attack hits him, but it stops being a major issue after Debilitating him, and the Harlot is immune to physical damage at all times.
Fighting Samael can take a while because a lot of actions are lost on Dekaja and removing status effects, but we're never at any real danger, as he's very bad at actually dealing damage to the party.
But, it's too late. You cannot stop the advent of my god.
I always knew the Japanese parliament building was a home to a portal leading to eldritch dimensions of infinite nothingness.
]
Frankly, I was expecting something even more stupid, given Hikawa's taste in suits.
You have no nipples. Why don't you have any nipples, Hikawa?
Ahriman, or Angra Mainyu ("destructive spirit"), is the embodiment of all darkness and evil that opposes Ahura Mazda in Zoroastrianism.
Guided by the wisdom of god, I shall create a new world, the kingdom of stillness. Eternal prosperity is possible through my power alone...
BGM:
Yahiro no Himorogi
All possibility has dried up in this world... But, there must be a world out there where freedom prevails... I wasn't strong enough, but... it seems your will is greater.
Hurry... to Amala Temple... This will show you the way to Kagutsuchi... The pilgrimage to creation ends there... If you so desire, you may create a world of freedom... however you see fit...
The final dungeon of the game can now be entered. However, the ending is not set in stone yet.
The old gentleman still awaits our final decision. We should complete the last Kalpa.
First, we take a short detour and visit the Third Kalpa again. The last Magic-checking door is opened. In the Mystical Chests behind it we find Soma and a Bead Chain.
With that deed finally done, we enter the Fifth Kalpa, where we immediately bump into an old acquaintance.
...You know, I have to admit. You've got guts. I'm impressed that you made it this far.
What the... But... The candelabra... The golden key... How... Why... What... Oh, screw it all.
A demon hiring a demon slayer... It's the joke of the century, don't ya think?
BGM:
Joint Struggle
I usually charge an outrageous amount of money. But in this case, I'll make an exception. Let's flip a coin.
If you win, just give me a dollar... Oh yeah, it's Macca here, isn't it? Give me 1 Macca then. But if you lose... you'll have to give me half of what you've got. Call it. Heads or tails?
Heads.
It's that coin from DMC 2.
Okay, you get the special discount price of 1 Macca.
Reggie paid 1 Macca to Dante.
...So, what's your name?
[Tell him.]
Reggie introduced himself to Dante.
This is what our new party member looks like. Dante's phenomenally good at destroying random encounters because of how many damage types he's capable of inflicting (physical, Force, Electricity, Almighty), especially after he learns Son's Oath, which gives a permanent 50% damage boost to all his attacks. Unfortunately, he lacks Focus, buffs and debuffs, which makes him a sub-optimal choice for fighting late game bosses.
Since his skill set cannot be modified in any way, and I'm a bit of a control freak, we won't be using him.
Right after the room where we encountered Dante is a ladder leading deeper.
Demon: This is where the women loyal to our master gather. You have done well in not disappointing him. But, if you underestimate us, you will not live to regret it!
The B1 floor of the Fifth Kalpa is essentially a harem. Female demons of all levels can be encountered on this floor. Some of them we haven't seen yet.
Couldn't find the concept art of her current design, but that's Kali on the left. She's the Hindu goddess of time, change and death.
Lilith, the original wife of Adam. She was created from earth like him, refused to acknowledge his supremacy and chose to left Eden.
In the Irish mythology, Scathach is the one who taught Cu Chualainn how to fight and gave him his spear, Gae Bolg.
Sati, the first wife of Shiva. Her father disapproved of the marriage, and after a particularly heated argument with him Sati decided to put herself on fire with the sheer force of will. She was reincarnated as Parvati and married Shiva again.
There are two Mystical Chests (containing a Magic Mirror and a Balm of Rising) and two Cache Cubes (containing a Chakra Drop and a Bead) on the floor.
As you can see, there are two ladders leading below. We'll take the eastern one first.
The eastern half of the B2 floor has this demon door.
Voice of the door: If you are a true demon, then you may see what lies beyond this door.
The door lets us in, but nothing appears to be in the room. If we go for the true demon ending, things will change a bit. The room is still a good place for grinding: high level demons like Surt, Aciel, Mada and Mot spawn here.
Activating a switch in this section unseals a Burial Chamber.
One grave belongs to Mithra, and one is still unoccupied.
The Trumpeter learns Makakaja. It will serve us incredibly well in the next boss fight.
Let's explore the western half now.
This switch gives us access to the ladder leading to the B3 floor.
Soul: Would you like me to measure the movements of your soul?
Sure, go ahead.
Soul: Imagine you are in the mountains... and you see a human about to be attacked by a wild animal. The animal begins to maul the defenseless human! As a fellow human, your heart would compel you to chase away the beast and rescue the victim. Ah...! But, now you're a demon! Suppose you kill the animal with your newfound strength... You crush it barehanded! The human would then fear you, since you had proven yourself more powerful than a wild animal! With your demonic strength, you can no longer be human. You are more dangerous than a wild animal...
Once again, this soul delivers.
Demon: Are we fallen ones to blame...? Or is it the fault of those who cast us down...? I wonder what our master thinks... I'd like to ask him one of these days.
This is a small floor, and we soon find another ladder.
Demon: They test various attributes and may even kill a demon if they are inclined to do so. Some will ask for specific demons. If you want to go on ahead, be sure to bring a variety of demons with you.
This floor is a trickier version of the Third Kalpa. Stat requirements to open demon doors are higher. The main character and Dante can't be offered for evaluation. If a demon you offer doesn't pass, he's killed and the party is teleported to the beginning of the floor.
Have Uriel step forward?
Yes.
Voice of the door: Your comrade's strength is admirable indeed... You may pass.
Behind the strength door we find another demon door. This one can only be opened by the Pixie who joined us at the hospital or her descendants.
Have Blob step forward?
Yes.
Voice of the door: You have with you a mighty comrade... You may pass.
Blob: !!
This is our reward for not sacrificing or dismissing the Pixie.
I've been right here by your side from the very beginning.
I'm Pixie of the Fairy clan. Please take care of me...
This is our new Pixie. The skill set is nothing to write home about (although it can be customized with Mitama fusion, unlike Dante's), but the stats are exceptional. The Pixie can open all doors on this floor, except the ones that require specific demons.
She also makes a great sacrifice. All that XP it takes for a Pixie to reach level 80, multiplied by 1.5, will be transferred to a demon you fuse.
Have Black Frost step forward?
Yes.
Voice of the door: Your comrade's luck is admirable indeed... You may pass.
The Luck-checking door leads to a small optional area. There's a Cache Cube with a Bead in it, but, more importantly, there's another demon door here.
Have Black Frost step forward?
Yes.
Voice of the door: You have with you a comrade as black as night... You may pass.
Only Black Frost can open this door.
The reward for getting in is 5 Great Chakras and 5 Beads of Life. This literally doubles our supplies of these two valuable items.
To get to the end of this Kalpa, you have to be able to open a Magic- and an Agility-checking doors. The Pixie can open both.
Reggie learns Gaea Rage. This is the best physical AoE in Nocturne, and it can rip most random encounters to shreds. Just make sure the enemy doesn't reflect physical damage. That can lead to a very embarrassing game over.
Demon: I CAN FEEL GREAT POWER FROM THIS DOOR, WHICH LEADS BELOW... SOMETHING EVEN STRONGER THAN BEELZEBUB... IF YOU CHOOSE TO PROCEED BE CAREFUL.
It is time we faced this update's main attraction.
Will you enter?
Yes.
The familiar sound of the SMT I Law theme can be heard.
I can see by the darkness in your soul that your have chosen to disregard my warning...
I cannot turn a blind eye to the fallen angel's abominable plan... to foster the birth of a new demon.
Listen, Fiend! Foul demon whose soul is tainted with darkness!
I am Metatron! I am one with god! ...By his will, I shall destroy you!!
Metatron is the highest of angels, the voice of God and the scribe of Heaven.
BGM:
Metatron. My favorite boss theme. Love the bits of Law integrated into it.
Metatron's AI goes through three phases.
In the first one, he only attacks. He has his basic attack, Megidolaon and a number of Expel-based attacks, like Holy Wrath and Mahamaon. Immunity to Expel on all demons is mandatory. Metatron doesn't use any buffs or debuffs on his own, but he'll remove all our support spells pretty much instantly. We avoid using them for now.
At first, we stick to physical damage. Reggie does Focused Deathbounds, the Harlot Focuses her basic attack, the Trumpeter just attacks, Uriel heals. It's not the best way to damage Metatron, as he's resistant to physical damage (Ice and Almighty are the only attack types he takes full damage from), but it saves MP, which we'll need in the latter two thirds of the fight.
His attacks stay the same in the second third, but he gains Tarukaja and Makakaja. He also becomes less trigger-happy with Dekaja and sometimes won't bother removing our buffs for 7-10 turns. We take advantage of this and keep Makakaja and Rakukaja going at all times. Metatron still uses Dekunda very liberally, so Debiliate is out.
Reginald casts Dekaja to remove Metatron's buffs, uses MP recovering items to keep the party in fighting shape and casts Glacial Blast when there's no need for the other two functions. The Trumpeter casts Mabufudyne, the Harlot uses Beast Roar, Uriel heals.
Metatron becomes really dangerous when he enters the third phase.
The eye laser is Fire of Sinai, an Almighty spell that can hit multiple times. Get hit twice without Rakukaja protecting you, and you're dead.
Metatron also gains Debilitate, but he rarely bothers to use it.
Our attack pattern stays the same, except the Harlot now has to take a break from attacking to cast Dekunda sometimes.
The key to victory is the same as to the Beelzebub fight: don't get lazy about healing.
We can get to the bottom safely now.
The last ladder is behind the door.
It brings us back to the place where we got our first taste of combat and defeated our first Preta.
Soul: Yours is existence unbound by this world, and for that reason, you have infinite potential. Will the battle with god occur as our master wishes...? Or, will we forever remain in waiting, while history repeats itself? ...I have thought about this at great length. May I ask you a question?
Go ahead.
Soul: Very well. It is true that all living things must perish... Bound by the invisible threads of fate, humans die tragic deaths... Does that seem fair to you? If you lost a loved one in a horrible accident, would you curse god? ..................There's no need to answer. But, if you feel that fate has cheated you... then go and see our master. Yes... Though long frozen, time shall flow again... towards the final battle.
This is it, the final decision.
Taking this elevator will lock us on the way to the true demon ending. Reggie will accept the old gentleman's proposition and become the champion of Chaos. The final battle will begin, and the cycle of death and rebirth that all worlds go through, taking countless human lives with each rotation, will stop.
But is it the right choice to make? We know nothing of the old gentleman's own vision of the universe and of the world he wants to create on the ruins of the old order. Should we ignore him and face the final trial alone, owing allegiance to nobody, in an attempt to fulfill the dream Ms. Takao entrusted us with?
You decide.