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You consider laying low.

"Ryouma! I could really use your help!" Kokonoe pleads.

Well, there goes that option.

"Eat a dick, you shit-licking mutt!" Hazama shouts, turning to face you. "Why don't you just do the world a favor and die?!"

You get ready to fend him off–you can practically feel his hatred emanate. Just like last time, his rollicking insinuations of superiority torture you more than any wound. You start muttering, "Restriction 666 released..."

"I would do it for you," he goes on, "but, unfortunately for ME, I've still got a timetable to uphold and a Cocoon to prepare. But THANK GOD I caught wind of this possibility beforehand."

He adds that last comment with a few laced hints of envy and bitterness as he casually strolls off.

You attempt to pursue him, but are immediately greeted by a feminine figure cloaked in purple, wearing a witch's hat–among other occult forms of raiment.

Her face shrouded behind an impenetrable veil of darkness.

"Now, then... Phantom... I think we've overstayed our welcome," Hazama wryly comments.

The entity opens a portal without so much as a gesture or sound.

"Wouldn't you agree?" he asks in false amity.

And, with that, they vanish into shade.

As you direct your attention back at the Murakumo Units, Lambda starts to dissolve into seithr–without any warning.

"What?! What the hell's going on?!" Kokonoe demands.

"I wouldn't know," you remark as she disintegrates.

"...Damn it!" she resumes. "He reprogrammed Noel into getting Lambda to think she was some kind of upgrade!"

"What?! When?!" you ask.

Then it hits you.

"Wait... I've already got it figured out," you tell her. "It was on the 31st..."

You go on, saying, "That was when Terumi rewrote her memories with Ouroboros."

Noel gets engulfed by the seithr from Lambda.

"Well, there goes any means I had of killing Terumi..." Kokonoe morosely mutters as the two of you gawk and stare.

The gleaming mass of seithr fades, having fulfilled its function.

Still, you wonder why the wretched intelligence agent left you with your objective.

Not that it appears to be of any benefit; Noel looks just shy of catatonic.

No sooner do you think that than she slowly appears to rouse from it.

She stops kneeling like a marionette with her strings cut and stands, looking up at you.

"...Ryouma?" she asks.

"You rotten backstabbers," you overhear. "YOU INHUMAN FILTH!"

Tsubaki.

>"How'd you know my name?"
>"How much did Makoto tell you?"
>"Don't worry, Noel."
>"Get the hell away from her."
>[write-in]
>>
>>1020142
*insert OCD*
>>
>>1020142
*groan* Kokonoe, can you please sort this out? I can almost guarantee they will not listen to me."
>>
"Tsubaki?" Noel asks, backing away in terror. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Don't act like you don't know, you fucking slime," Tsubaki answers.

"Got any ideas, Kokonoe?" you ask.

Tsubaki charges at you, as if with a newfound resolve.

She screams, drawing Izayoi.

You reflexively parry her attack with one of your knives.

"Of course I do!" Kokonoe answers.

Noel provides cover fire with Bolverk, trying to keep Tsubaki at a distance.

"Noel, you there?"

"Yes, ma'am," she answers.

"There's a rendezvous point on the top floor. I transferred Lambda–that girl that was with you–there this morning in an attempt to take out Hazama."

You can tell from the sound of her voice that she's trying to choose her words carefully.

She adds, "You can see how well that turned out. But it's a common rendezvous point."

"Acknowledged," Noel replies.

You would raise an eyebrow–if it wasn't for the fact that Tsubaki was currently trying to stab you.

You eventually realize you can just walk around, avoiding her strikes altogether.

"Noel! GET BACK HERE AND DIE FOR ME!" Tsubaki screams and raves.

Noel pauses, turning around.

"Whatever you do, don't kill her!" she adds with tears.

>Nod.
>"You've got it."
>"I'll try."
>"I'll do my best!"
>"Tsubaki... have you gone blind?!"
>"Restriction 666 released..."
>"Hazama's been using you, you stupid bitch!"
>[write-in]
>>
>>1020477
>"I'll try."
>>"Tsubaki... have you gone blind?!"
>"Hazama's been using you, you stupid bitch!"
>he has the fucking dagger of memory rewrite, chill your tits, clear your head and try to think coherently.
>>
"I'll try," you respond, trying to focus on the fight.

And, with that, Noel takes off for the Cathedral.

You proceed to ask, "Tsubaki... have you gone blind?!"

She ignores your question and keeps swinging.

Of course she has.

In more ways than one.

As she advances on your position, blade in hand, her condition only grows worse. There are a few times when you consider you might be able to grip her arms, ending the fight outright–but you wouldn't dare risk turning it into a life-threatening situation.

You decide you ought to try to reason with her.

"Hazama's fucking using you!" you interject.

But all it appears to do is tell her where you are.

"Coming from an Azure Grimoire built for the sole purpose of imitating the Captain and ruining others' lives?!" she demands. "That's rich."

She runs after you. You take a few quick steps to the side and recline against a tree.

She runs right past you, oblivious.

You add, "He's got Ouroboros, you know; the twin knives of mindfuck."

"That's a hefty accusation," Tsubaki responds, sprinting back. "Sorry, but I'm not buying it."

As the fight progresses, the Armagus exacerbates her blindness to the point that she literally hasn't the faintest idea where you stand.

"Why haven't you asked yourself why the Imperator ordered you to assassinate your friends, or why there've been so few troops here while I've been running around, doing field work?! He's been using you, you stupid bitch!" you finish.

"Then what have I been doing with my life?..."

>"Hell if I know."
>"Aiding a bunch of murderous thugs."
>"Wanting to do good–but helping the wrong side."
>Leave for the top floor.
>[write-in]
>>
>>1020886
>>"Wanting to do good–but helping the wrong side."
>at least that's what it is from my limited perspective.
>>
She falls to the ground, clutching her face.

"Working for a bunch of murderers–but at least you want what's best," you helpfully try to explain.

You go on to tell her, "At least, that's what it is from my limited perspective."

And, with that, you turn around and start running for the Cathedral.

It takes an unnerving amount of time to make your way through the headquarters.

It's well into the evening by the time you reach the Cathedral.

You find Major Kisaragi asleep on the floor.

He's bruised and beaten–but not bleeding out.

>Let sleeping dogs lie.
>Tend to his wounds, then resume navigating your way to the top floor.
>[write-in]
>>
>>1021265
>>Tend to his wounds, then resume navigating your way to the top floor.
>>
You literally have 5 fucking blazblue threads up right now, most of them have less than 30 fucking replies before you make the next one.

Stop it.
>>
>>1022273 The funny thing is I was going to make a post about it:

>>1020142 Here's the archive. http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Geistalt

And, unlike the others, this thread'll actually last. It's meant to serve as the conclusion and epilogue of CS.

That's not to say there'll never be another thread; it merely means it's going to be longer than usual.
>>
>>1022994
Thank you. A thread could last a week if you update it regularly.
>>
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Fortunately, you don't find too many cuts or gashes. You do the best you can: make a tourniquet from his jacket to keep the few scars on his right arm and his abs under pressure. You lean the kid back against a pillar to ensure it doesn't come undone.

You charge up the stairway at full speed.

After about half an hour's worth of climbing, Kokonoe calls.

"Ryouma..." she remarks, enunciating each mora with a tone that says "I guess this is goodbye."

"What's the matter?" you ask.

"I haven't gotten any contact from Makoto, and Hazama beat the living shit out of Tager," she replies. "I'll have to assume the worst. Tager just transferred a Nirvana-esque Armagus of mine. If she gets there in time, I want you to follow the instructions I handed her to the letter. And, Ryouma..."

"Yes?" you ask.

"Try to stay alive," she answers. "Everyone's counting on you. And I mean that quite literally."

You remember your discussion with Rachel at Moonlight Castle.

"Understood," you respond with consternation.

After another few minutes, you reach the end of the stairwell.

You overhear a familiar scream.

"CARNAGE..."

And another voice.

"Hey there, kid; you're gonna hurt someone..."

You emerge to find Ragna and Hazama having a standoff.

"Is that some kind of family thing?" Hazama demands in a tone of insulting satisfaction.

"Jumping out at people and scaring the shit out of them?!"

"Noel..." Ragna demands in turn.

"Where the hell's Noel Vermillion?!"

"'Where'?" Hazama asks with a smug, repulsive grin on his face. "Oh, I think you already know..."

"I've got to say, the Azure Grimoire is quite a thing... Smelting without a Cauldron?! Incredible!"

He goes on, saying, "And now the Life Link's working perfect, too. I couldn't have done it without you, Mr. Ragna the Bloodedge."

"Oh, shit..." Ragna mutters, glaring up at the Monolith in unfathomable rage. "Don't tell me... That's Noel?!"

He goes on, looking like he expects some sort of abomination. "No; stop. STOP, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"Oh, for heaven's sake; can't you just shut up?! Hmm?!" Hazama demands. "You'd better watch that attitude of yours, mister. It's liable to earn you a knife in the gut from yours truly!"

"I don't think so, asshole," Ragna mutters, lifting his arm. "You're the one who's going to eat it!"

"Oh, no; not the fearsome Azure Grimoire! Take me away, Ragna; I give up! How does it work again?"

"Restriction 666 released," he starts chanting. Hazama joins in in mockery. "Dimensional interference field deployed. BlazBlue, ACTIVATE!"

Hazama starts shouting, "NEWS FLASH, RAGGY-"

"You're the one who created it," he interjects.

And, with that, Hazama's shit-eating grin turns into a grimace.

>"Is this a bad time?"
>Stay hidden.
>"Ready to die, dipshit?"
>"Restriction 666 released..."
>[write-in]
>>
>>1023200
>Stay hidden.
>"Restriction 666 released..."
>Stroll out, saying "Is this a bad time?" when you're done (or if you're caught beforehand).
>>
Terumi mutters at him, scowling, "Way to ruin the surprise."

And, with that, Ragna's interference field vanishes.

"What the hell?!" he reacts.

You activate your own Azure Grimoire as you recuperate from your marathon up the stairway.

"Did you really think I'd let you run around with a weapon I couldn't turn off?!" Hazama sourly asks.

"Is this a bad-" you try to ask, having finished.

"And YOU," he says, turning to face you, his visage contorting as you walk across the stage. "Only a moron would try to interfere with plans such as mine. Why couldn't you just enjoy your few days in this world and die like everyone else?!"

>"No one's that heartless."
>"You expect me to just sit around and do nothing?!"
>"What are you trying to do?"
>"Shut the hell up! Like I'm really going to lay around and let a dickbag like you go around, doing whatever the hell he wants!"
>[write-in]
>>
>>1023373
>"Shut the hell up! Like I'm really going to lay around and let a dickbag like you go around, doing whatever the hell he wants!"
>>
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Ragna charges at Hazama, mammoth glaive in hand, hoping to take advantage of the diversion.

Just to be met–almost immediately–by Hazama's knives.

"Shut the fuck up! Like I'm really going to just lie around and let a murderous shitbag like you go around, doing whatever he fucking pleases!" you respond.

Terumi fires Ouroboros without a word.

You do a sidestep, narrowly avoid it, and charge at him with one of your knives.

He grips your arm and fires Ouroboros.

You hit the cold, gentle pavement, trying to pick yourself back up.

Everything feels dismal–as if you've started to lose contact with reality and forgotten what you're doing.

"Sorry, kid, but you really aren't the nicest thing to play with right now."

"Hey; don't worry about trying to kill him," Ragna says, trying to disrupt him. "Just try to stay alive-AGH!"

"You, on the other hand," he mutters, flying over the platform with Ouroboros and kicking Ragna across the face.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a weapon to finish," he adds, repeatedly stabbing him.

>"Why not?"
>Try to stab him again.
>[write-in]
>>
>>1029288
>Try to stab him again.
>>
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You remember what you're fighting for.

The lives Terumi's tried to ruin.

Hazama sends Ouroboros at Ragna. He blocks it with his sword, saying, "We're both better off if you're alive."

You charge at Hazama with your knife again.

He moves with unnatural speed, even for an Armagus user.

He takes your hand and stabs you in the base of the neck with it.

You yell at him as blood drips out of the gaping wound.

With anger, since this sadistic douchecanoe claims to find others' screams so exhilarating.

Ragna deflects Ouroboros yet again.

His resilience slowly appearing to waver with every hit.

"Damn," he remarks, noticing how injured you are.

"Alright. I'm done," Hazama tells him, oozing with contempt and satisfaction.

"What?! You bastard!" Ragna reacts. "I can still go! Bring it on, you bastard!"

"No; you can't," Hazama responds in an assertive tone. "Now quit your whimpering or I really will end you, boy."

"Gah..." Ragna mutters as the Captain stabs him in the chest with Ouroboros.

"Right; right. Time to stop messing around," the Azure Grimoire appears to tell himself. "I've got to admit, that was a nice warm-up, Rags."

Ragna screams again, a massive torrent of blood pouring out of his mouth, swelling into a puddle on the ground.

You feel a sudden, recurring shockwave. The stage repeatedly reverberates.

"It's finally time..." Hazama celebrates.

"What's that pulsating noise?" Ragna demands. "Is that the sound of the Black Beast's beating heart?! Are you planning on using her to revive the Black Beast? That's it, isn't it?!"

"What? What?! What did you just say?! The Black Beast?!" Hazama answers, laughing at him.

"Man, they don't make 'em any dumber than you, do they? Tell me, why THE HELL would I want another failure like that?!"

"...A failure?" Ragna asks, almost at a loss for words.

"Holy shit; do you even understand words?!" Hazama teases him. "Yes! A FAILURE! It means it FAILED."

"Who the fuck wants a monster they can't control?!" he goes on, rambling. "At the end of the day, the Black Beast was just a cauldron gone haywire. A CAULDRON!"

"A cauldron?!" Ragna asks, dumbfounded.

"Ugh," Hazama says, doing a facepalm. "You're not going to shut the hell up until I tell you; are you? I could just kill you both, but... why the hell not?! Story time!"

"The entrance to the origin, the Gate to the Boundary, and you. ALL of those things are called 'the Cauldron,'" he relates. "The BlazBlue is an imitation of that."

"So, basically, the original form of the BlazBlue is a Cauldron," he adds. "I built it so that I could pull some of the foundational Azure energy out of the Boundary. I needed it to create the sword, you see," he explains, as if you were infantile children.

"I had the basic bits together, but, to refine the sword, I needed lots and lots and lots of souls," he goes on. "That's basically what the BlazBlue is."

You catch your breath, waiting for the gaping incision he made in your neck to mend.
>>
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"Behold the Sword of the Godslayer, Kusanagi!"

"Let all lies fall before your divine blade."

>"Stop listening to him, Noel!"
>"You're not going to get away with this!"
>[write-in]
>>
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"So, as I'm sure you've GOT to be aware by now, your BlazBlue is pretty much a prototype," Hazama adds, sounding as snide and insulting as he can. "Well. I mean, kind of. It's like an imitation of the Cauldron. Then, when I was refining the sword, the whole thing just kind of went batshit crazy and turned into the Black Beast."

"Then the Murakumo Unit..." Ragna muses.

"Good job," Hazama answers, sarcastically clapping. "Yes; the Murakumo Unit on its own is incomplete. It needs the power of the BlazBlue. The 13th sample just wouldn't shut up about it."

The shockwaves grow bigger and louder until it becomes impossible to ignore the source.

"This time, though–this time, things are different! Noel Vermillion! She's the first and ONLY subject to contain the true power of the Azure. She doesn't need the Grimoire!"
>>
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"Now, Murakumo," Hazama exclaims, turning his attention elsewhere. "It's time to AWAKEN!"

"This world... is made of lies, lies, lies, lies, lies, LIES! ALL OF IT!"

"Let's give this fruitless, shitsack world a dose of the truth. The truth called despair!"

"In the name of Susano'o, I command you! You are Murakumo no longer."
>>
>>1035164
>"Stop listening to him, Noel!"
>Distract Hazama as long as you can. Let Ragna do the fighting.
>>
>>1035322 Well, that was a disaster. And I just noticed I left "Cauldron" lowercase in post 1035155, too.

Oh, well. At least you can tell which comment was last.
>>
"Behold the Sword of the Godslayer, Kusanagi!"

The Prime Field Device once known as Noel Vermillion swiftly emerges from the Cocoon above the Monolith.

"Let all lies fall before your divine blade."

Hazama gives you a bizarrely satisfied sneer as she descends.

"Finally, I've got the true successor to the Azure!"

He looks up at the sky again, singing, "Hey, Amaterasu... better get ready to choke on it!"

"I have arrived," the doll proclaims, "reborn as Kusanagi... the destroyer of all living creatures."

"I am death."

"Noel, stop listening to him!" you try to tell her.

Hazama kicks you in the face, muttering, "That's enough out of you, you worthless piece of shit."

Ragna charges at him, screaming.

Hazama dodges his next swipe with ease, and proceeds to stab him in the back with his knives.

"Agh!... You son of a bitch..." Ragna bitterly reacts.

"Hey, Kusanagi. Get over here," Hazama commands.

"Acknowledged," the Murakumo Unit responds.

"Hope you don't mind, Rags, but you know, no matter how many times I take this face away from you, it never gets old."

Ragna spitefully answers, "It got old the first time, dipshit."

"Sorry to rub it in your faces, but Kusanagi, why don't you go down to the Gate, and..." Hazama suggests.

Kusanagi turns and faces him.

"KILL THE SHIT OUT OF AMATERASU?!"

"Acknowledged," she replies.

Not good.

"Noel, wait! Don't go!" Ragna begs.

She ignores him, activates a teleportation ars on the ground, and vanishes.

That's not good.

"Whoa there, children," Hazama chides the two of you. "You're getting a little bossy there."

"Also, SHE'S GOT A NAME, YOU KNOW!" he adds, kicking Ragna in the gut. "Kusanagi! Not Noel. Noel's just a puppet.

"Just like you," he murmurs, belittling you both. "She's just some-"
>>
>>1044913
Just decided going full fanfic mode was the best way to finish this.
>>
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It looks as if the cavalry's arrived.

A black-haired, Nirvana-esque doll with red eyes reaches the end of the stairwell. It stares at Hazama with unblinking intent.

"And who the hell are you supposed to be?!" Terumi demands.

"Pleased to meet you, too," Kokonoe's voice resounds across the floor.

"Allow me to introduce you to Minerva."

"...Is this some kind of joke?" Hazama sasses.

Ragna charges at Hazama, hoping to catch him off-guard.

Hazama blocks his one-edged sword with his balisong knives.

"Talk all you want," Kokonoe responds. "I'm going all-out."

"Minerva, if you'd be so kind..." she adds.

Minerva hands you a sheet of paper with instructions on how to dismantle her, remove some kind of high-tech device, and reassemble her. It ends with Ragna using his Azure Grimoire to melt the device in question.

"Yeah; we can't do this," you tell her while Ragna and Hazama trade blows a few meters away.

"It'll take too long," you add, dodging Ouroboros.

"Nonsense!" Kokonoe replies. "You turned your suite into a surveillance room in a matter of hours! You can totally handle something as simple as this."

"What's the Idea Engine supposed to do, anyways?!" you add as Hazama dances around with his knives, being sure to keep your distance.

"Fuck," Kokonoe sighs. "Guess you'll have to get it the old-fashioned way."

"Ryouma! Why aren't you fucking helping?!" Ragna demands.

You snap back to the matter at hand.

You tackle Hazama, hoping to take him down.

To no avail.

He stabs you with his knives.

Over and over again.

He has snake apparitions bite you.

The pain is slightly more tolerable than that of Ouroboros.

Speaking of which, he proceeds to let it loose on you–impaling you and quite literally getting you off his back in the process.

Ragna screams in the distance as you endure Hazama's relentless bloodbath.

By the time he's done, you're just about ready to die forever.

"I'm getting real sick of this," you faintly mutter.
>>
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"Oh, and you know your dear Iil' Lambda? I reprogrammed her to disintegrate while Kokonoe and I duked it out with each other just last morning!" Terumi boasts, smirking at Ragna. "Guess that's ONE Saya clone you won't get to bang, you whiny bitch!"

"Ragna, don't fall for it-" Kokonoe interrupts.

"YOU SACK OF SHIT!" Ragna replies, lifting his sword.

"What's the matter?! Had your siscon dream ruined?!" Hazama responds.

Hazama effortlessly dodges Ragna's attack.

Ragna swings his sword at him again–this time, sideways.

Hazama fires Ouroboros at his unguarded rib cage.

A half-melted Minerva rushes into its path to intercept the attack.

It gets crushed and beaten.

It lands in Ragna's arms.

"How many people have to die?!" Kokonoe demands. "How many people have to die for you to realize the more you hate him, the stronger he gets?!"

Exasperated, Ragna reiterates the access code for the Azure Grimoire.
>>
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"Restriction 666 released..."

Minerva melts into seithr-infused scrap metal.

"We already went through this!" Terumi reacts. "Are you stupid or what?!"

"Dimensional interference field deployed," Ragna goes on, undeterred.

"Now engaging the Idea Engine!"

"What?!" Hazama demands, squinting at him.

"BlazBlue, activate!" he yells, the Gate on his right hand opening. "It's time I showed you the TRUE power of the Azure!"

"Time to die, you degenerate son of a bitch!"
>>
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"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! What the hell is going on here?!" Hazama demands.

Ragna rushes Terumi, grabbing him by the neck and smashing him into the ground.

"Terumi..." Ragna growls. "Get back here; I'm not done yet!"

"Be... Devoured by Darkness!" he snarls, his right arm transforming into a claw-shaped mass of seithr reminiscent of the head of a serpent.

"Agh!" Terumi screams as Ragna encases him within it, attempting to crush him.

He emerges from it a broken, bloody mess–not shrieking, but laughing.

"What?!" Ragna demands.

"Yes... This is it! THIS is what I've been looking for!" Hazama exclaims.

Ragna raises an eyebrow.

Understandably.

"Ahahaha!" Hazama goes on, coughing blood. "Come on, Ragna the Bloodedge! Let's go! I haven't had enough yet; give me more! Entertain me!"

For the first time, you can tell how sick he is.

"That Life Link is going to make killing you a bitch. Besides, I'm not done with you yet. Just lay there and suffer, okay?" Ragna answers.

"Heh heh heh... You're just... chicken..." Terumi replies rather weakly, hoping to agitate him.

"Shut up, you pathetic little worm," Ragna says, heading down the staircase.

Your wounds having healed, you opt to follow him.
>>
You find the fact that Hazama didn't mindfuck you as severely as he did on New Year's Eve strange enough to be vexatious.

"What does the Life Link do, anyways?" you ask.

"It resurrects one of two people who share it if they aren't killed at the same time," Ragna answers. "I know 'cause that's what he used on Nu and me to ensure we survived turning into the Black Beast."

You hear a whiny creature flying up the staircase.

It's that red stuffed animal of Rachel's that looks something like a pig-bat hybrid.

"Ragna, Ryouma, you've got to help! It's the princess! She's in trouble! The Imperator and Terumi and a witch got her, and trapped her with magic, and I don't know what to do; she's been there an hour, and-"

"Gii," Ragna tells him, snatching him out of the air. "No need to scream bloody murder. Just calm the fuck down and lead the way."

"Got it," he replies.

After about half an hour, you reach a floor of the Cathedral with an unusual glyph in the middle of a corridor.

He shoves his arm through the sigil and plucks out Rachel.

The veins on the right side of his face blacken while he does so.

"Hey, Rabbit: how the hell did you get yourself captured?!" he demands, panting.

"The only man who makes no mistakes is the man who never does anything," Rachel callously answers in her defense.

"Hey, I just saved your ass. The least you can do is say thanks or something!" Ragna retorts.

"I beg your pardon!" Rachel replies, full of contempt. "You expect ME to thank YOU?!"

"Don't act so surprised!" he comments. "Whatever... We have to go after Noel!"

"My goodness, Ragna..." Rachel remarks. "You seem to have become somewhat more of a man."

"Rachel... I just beat the living hell out of Terumi," he informs her.

"Oh? Well done, then," she responds.

"I..." he muses out loud, evidently trying to call her out or formulate some kind of argument. "You know what? Forget about it."

"Sorry to disrupt your pleasant little discussion," you sardonically tell them, "but we've still got work to do. A Prime Field Device whose mind needs to be mended and an Observer to save."

"Indeed," Rachel replies.

And, with that, you head for the Cauldron.
>>
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You eventually reach the lowest floor.

Upon reaching the Gate, you find Major Kisaragi and one of the three Sankishin trying to fend off Kusanagi.

"This is pointless," the Sankishin remarks.

"Stay out of this! I told you this was OUR fight!" the Major responds.

"Target's threat level decreasing," the Murakumo Unit claims, stabbing the Major in the side with one of her blades.

"No..." he mutters. "I can still..."

He blocks another sword and falls back–right into Ragna's arms.

The two of them stop and take notice of you, Rachel, and Ragna.

"The Beast," the Sankishin says.

"And what I can only presume to be another of Terumi's vessels," he adds, turning to face you.

For some reason, you can't recall what its name was.

Or its purpose.

"You're late..." the Major says, gazing at Ragna intently. "My dear brother..."

"Huh?" Ragna responds. "Well... I was just waiting for you to get the crap kicked out of you."

"That is so cruel..." he replies with a fat, obnoxious grin. "Brother..."

"You think?" Ragna dismissively reacts. "For now, just stand back."
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"New threat detected," the Murakumo Unit states with calm hatred.

"Target identified as the Azure Grimoire."

"Noel..." Ragna demands, "what the hell were you thinking?! Coming down here to bring an end to everything?! The Sword of the Godslayer?!"

"Fuck that! To hell with it!"

"Can't you see that's Terumi's poison?!"

"Unable to identify target's emotional wavelength," Kusanagi responds.

"It's impossible to change her soul back to the way it was," Rachel comments. "The smelting of a weapon as perfect as her cannot be undone..."

"Not immediately, at least."

"But people's souls are constantly changing," you respond. "They learn more and gain new values with each and every experience."

"You said you wanted to talk before, right?" Ragna asks.

"I'm sorry I pissed you off and drove you away, okay? So let's talk," he requests.

"I hate..." Kusanagi faintly replies. "I hate this world... and all who inhabit it."

"But before we do, I'm going to have to do something about that armor," Ragna adds. "Bring it on, you idiot!"

He fends her off for a few minutes.

Eventually, she starts talking.

"This world is a filthy cesspit of degeneracy, vanity, futility, and worthlessness," she mutters.

"You know, those few days I spent with you, my life didn't suck as hard as it used to," Ragna replies.

"And I know I've given you a lot of grief about being an idiot, Noel..." he apologizes. "But, at the end of the day, it's you being gullible, kind, and honest that I really like."

"How can you say you've lost hope... when you ARE that hope to the people who care about you?!"

"So, that's it? You're giving up? They all have to die 'cause life ain't perfect?!"
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"I can't fathom where my soul came from," Ragna attests, "and it's rotten and violent beyond reason. Beyond words. But it doesn't matter. I still care about people! I have my own will and make my own choices, same as you."

"I am not a human," Kusanagi responds. "I am a doll. One that will destroy everything. I was made to be loathed. Hated..."

"I hate the world," she goes on, "and the world hates me."

"What about that one time a week ago, when you saved me from getting fused with Nu?!" he argues.

"Because of you, I realized I'm not some heartless machine that does whatever the universe tells me! I'm me: A HUMAN BEING!"

She starts forming a massive sword out of seithr.

The Lux Sanctus: Murakumo.

If that thing gets through the Cauldron, it's all over.

"Let the destruction begin!" she yells, looking as if she's about to burst out in tears and laughter.

Ragna charges at her, blocking her sword with his glaive.

"Invert Idea Engine connection!" he exclaims. "You idiot!"

He shoves his left arm onto her forehead. "Wake up! For all of us!"

His arm melts down, but it appears to finally undo Terumi's brainwashing in the process.

The sight is simultaneously heartwarming and horrifying.



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