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prismphantomSRW Alpha 3 has a lot going on in it concerning its original plot, with 15 (!) Balmarian-affiliated characters introduced. Many of them are of nominal importance to Selena's own character arc (such as Hazal and Ace, who are much more closely tied to the SRX team) and thus I won't be featuring them for the sake of keeping things as simple as I can.
Additionally, Irui plays a huge role in Alpha 3. Since we don't have an Alpha 2 plot, I'm going to try to make due since Irui and Armana both play MacGuffin Girls in the game for different factions.
Mission 1: Operation Doll
Orders come in for the Unity Group to assist Team Jelba in a new, top-secret mission. This is so secretive that only Captain Symphonia has been allowed to know of the details and information will be given to us on a need-to-know basis. What we are allowed to know is that the mission will take us to a derelict location in space of some sort, which everyone is to search and report anything that seems un-Earthly or out of the ordinary. Some people will be in machines and some will be searching on foot, but the majority of Team Jelba needs to be on foot for when MYSTERIOUS ATTACKERS (in reality Golar Golem forces) suddenly swarm on us from out of nowhere.
It'll be a massacre. Were we set up? We'll only be able to find out if we get out alive, and Team Jelba's members drop like flies. Obviously the Unity Group people fair better because we're the main characters and get fancy machines/didn't have most of our people outside of their machines/are a dedicated combat group/aren't using mooks. The Gesterben needs to have an ugly, close-quarters exchange with the lead machine (Spectra's Varuch Ishar), leading to both Selena and Spectra needing to bail. Both on-foot now, Selena gets the better of Spectra thanks to Elma's flashbang and breaks her mask, revealing our enemy's leader to look like a female Ingram!
Spectra still manages to escape, swearing revenge on Selena for seeing her face and the Golar Golem forces escape. Team Jelba's been all but killed off, with only Selena, Elma, and optionally Albhard still alive, and with Symphonia's death we're left with no idea of what the point of this was except possibly get us all killed. That, save for a time-delayed message we receive, informing us that Captain Symphonia took this mission at the behest of Ingram Plissken, by that point a traitor to the ESUN. What could be going on here?
Enemies: Varuch Ishar (Spectra), Varuch Bens
In the wake of this, Selena will go on to salvage everything she can from Team Jelba's mechs (a mashup of Huckebeins, Gespensts, and other various suits that are at best customized mooks)... and from this will be born the Soleares.
Mission 2: A Diplomat In Jest
The Aerogators/Balmarians are stepping up their game, with a fleet emerging from the Crossgate. The fleet commander Ephesus Gozzo calls on Earth not to surrender, but to ally itself with the Balmarian Empire for the sake of helping the Balmarians ensure galactic peace. Additionally, Ephesus talks of a fugitive and enemy of the Empire hiding on Earth, one that the Earthlings must return to the Balmarians for their own safety. We're given twenty-four hours to comply, otherwise they will resign themselves to attacking. This doesn't fool anyone and the ESUN instead uses the time to prepare for a counterattack. Either through information given by Viletta and the SSR, or possibly Teoria, the pilots will also be told that the Zehirut is the key to the entire fleet; if it's destroyed then the rest of the fleet will be neutralized. Thus the ideal plan is to try to overwhelm the Hermrodr and the Zehirut within it with as much high-end firepower as possible from ships, with the individual mechs providing support and preoccupy the Balmarian forces.
Once the battle begins proper, Ephesus will feign disappointment and call Earth's attack foolish and a threat to galactic peace, but only momentarily. We've brought a great deal of powerful Earth Sphere weaponry to him as he'll be happy to point out, and now it'll just be a matter of taking it.
Early in the battle, Golar Golem forces will sortie to serve as the primary guard for the Hermodr, being commanded by Calico. Calico will personally engage Cobray at the first opportunity, calling him "Ayin", a Balmarian soldier of the Barshem series, and a defect. Before long the Wildschwein will be overwhelmed and trashed, but just when all seems lost, he hears a voice urging him to defy fate, and saying that it will give him the power to do so. That power is the Flame of Deen, the Werkbau. Said machine appears in a burst of light for Cobray to transfer over to, but Calico, curious about the Werkbau, continues to attack. Albhard will # here and get severely damaged/cut off/seemingly killed, and additional supports would be good too to give Cobray the time needed to switch machines.
Once the Werkbau's online, Calico will comment bitterly that the Werkbau's power isn't Cobray's own and beckon another person to respond, someone he refers to as "The other existence" and "The Originator". Before anything can come of this though, the Earth's forces get situated to deliver their all-out attack on the Hermrodr, and Calico reluctantly falls back with the remaining Golar Golem forces. The assault in the meantime succeeds in crippling the ship... but no more. Ephesus will congratulate us on our prowess and declare us worthy tools of the Empire, but also that the battle is not over and he wants to see how far our strength extends.
And thus, Ephesus sorties with the Zehirut, leading the Balmarian counterattack. Taking at least some damage from the Zehirut here should be the norm, and Ephesus will even say that this model has been further calibrated by the data gained from the fight against the Meteor-3 version. But Cobray begins to change, speaking in a superior tone with his voice overlapped by another, deeper one and his hair tuns blue and the Werkbau begins to fight more evenly with the Zehirut... but the regenerative powers of the Zehirut mean it's still not enough to defeat it.
Out of nowhere though will come the crippled but (barely) functioning Grungust, blindsiding the Zehirut and grappling with it to give everyone an opening to try to finish it off. Any pleas for him to get out of the way will be shot down with the fact his reactor's compromised and about to go critical; getting back in this fight has already killed him but at least this way his death can have meaning. Not that Selena'll stop from trying anyways to rescue him, but he'll actively push her away using the Grungust's Boost Knuckles.
Whether or not anyone else will attack the Zehirut and the Grungust at this point, Cobray/the entity will, keying in a code to unlock the Werkbau's strongest weapon: the Axion Buster. Its power -along with anyone else joining in- will be enough to destroy the Zehirut, though at the cost of Albhard's life and the Grungust as well.
Enemies: Varuch Baal (Calico), Varuch Bens, Haggais, Esrims, Megillots, Joelahs, Fulehs, Hermodr Echad (green one) -> Zehirut (Ephesus Gozzo)
Log: A while later, an individual comes to the Unity Group seeking asylum! Her name is Armana, and she is a princess fleeing from the Balmarians! Armana is, however, a very terrible liar ("where are you from" "from planet... uh... Rulia!") and it's obvious she's not telling us the whole story. Still, if she's the person the First Fleet was after then she's worth keeping around, just with an escort detail. Selena'll volunteer for this, due to her own suspicions and beefs with the Balmarians.
-Mission arc begin-
Mission: Fugitive's Truth
Without warning, the Golar Golem launch a large-scale attack on Sakihama base, helmed by Spectra McCready. She calls out for the return Princess Armana, and to force our hands the Golar Golem forces attack the surrounding city with surgical precision, steering clear of the base itself. The Unity Group naturally scrambles defenders in response, Armana being taken to a TSEN teleporter to get her to safety.
Or at least that's what people try. Within a round and a half of actions Armana comes runninig out, having given her escort the slip and trying to order the Balmarians to leave, finally revealing (to nobody's real surprise) that she's in fact a Balmarian herself. She pleads for the Balmarians to leave and that her "time" is not yet up, and any kind of confusion or arguements get derailed as reinforcements arrive led by Luria Kayitz, who introduces herself as Armana's protector and bodyguard and reveals that Armana is more than just a Balmarian princess, but the current Priestess of Zehirut and someone who the Empire's stability hinges on. Armana tries to insist that the Spirit Emperor promised that before the time of her duties came, but Luria soberly answers that conditions in Balmar are worsening and the Spirit Emperor has entered a meditative communion with Zehirut himself, leaving Prime Minister Shiva Gozzo in command. And Shiva's orders are absolute: they are to take Armana back whether she likes it or not.
More Varuch mooks move to try to capture Armana, and her route back to Sakihama base gets cut off. Before too long, collateral damage from the battle causes rubble to fall above Armana. Selena will move in with the save, taking the hit for Armana instead at the cost of heavy damage to the Soleares. But as Spectra moves to try to capture Armana, Selena finally makes her move, rising up once more and strike her down! Or not, as the Varuch Ishar quickly counters, destroying the machine while barely breaking stride. "I thought you would try something like this. Predictable," Spectra comments, before snatching up Armana. The Balmarians pull out immediately afterwards, having gotten what they came for.
Afterwards, it will turn out that only Elma (who's fine) was in the Soleares when Spectra struck it down, with Selena nowhere to be found. All part of a contingency plan cooked up in the heat of the battle between the two...
Enemies: Varuch Ishar (Spectra), Varuch Bens
Reinforcements: Shemuel Ben (Luria), Esrims, Haggai Yads
Log: A two-fer! On Earth, Elma's fretting how to not only save Selena but also repair the trashed Soleares. Fortunately there'll be help to be had, and some of the encrypted data inside him regarding Operation Doll decodes itself. The mission's true purpose, he learns and reveals, had been to find and secure the Priestess of Zehirut. Unfortunately things had not worked out in reality, Team Jelba and the Unity Group too late to find Armana and instead being ambushed by the pursing Golar Golem. Nevertheless, Elma resolves to save Selena and works to repair the Soleares, incorporating what's left of Albhard's Grungust into the machine.
The Golar Golem forces that abducted Selena are moving to regroup with detachments present from two other fleets (made evident by the presence of two more Hermodrs), but Viletta proposes that this situation can be turned to Earth's advantage. The bulk of the Fifth and Sixth Fleets are not accounted for, and on top of it their Zehiruts would not be formatted yet to counter Earth's forces, meaning that this is our best chance to destroy them and entirely neutralize the fleets. Seeming Earth's best chance to stave off an even larger-scale Balmarian invasion, plans are drafted up to launch a surprise attack, with our various allied races signing on as well with whatever forces they can spare. Plus, it would possibly give Selena the chance to escape with Armana.
Meanwhile, Selena has managed to infiltrate the Balmarian ship transporting Armana and manages to find the princess in her quarters. Armana explains that yes, she is the High Priestess of the Balmarians and a worshipper of the god Zehirut, of which Ephesus's machine was just a fragment of a copy. And yes, her ultimate duty will be as a sacrifice to the Spirit Emperor to ensure the Empire's security and strength. And though Armana is still overjoyed with the ability to help ensure the survival of her people, she had requested and been granted two year's leave before the time came, and she chose to travel to Earth after hearing about it from Ingram.
Armana also explains her sacrifice is to help maintain the power of the Spirit Emperor, and thus to stave off "Apocalypsis"... the Balmarian concept of endtimes which they believe has now come. Even with the numerous threats to the Earth and the galaxy defeated, extinction still looms for countless races. The Wulgaru are in danger of going extinct from genetic stagnation. Balmar is wracked by near-endless meteor storms. And most notably the Lady has re-emerged. The Balmarians call this Apocalypsis: the force responsible for so many potential mass extinctions happening so close to one another. A force that can be delayed, but will always return shortly with new dangers.
Their conversation is cut short when Luria arrives, discovers them, and raises the alarm, but Selena takes the opportunity to make a break for it, taking Armana along for the ride back to the hangars.
Mission: Counterattack of the Unified Fleet
The Golar Golem detachment is returning to the Crossgate, meeting up with a strong (but not necessarily large) Balmarian force including both the Hermodr Khamsa and Shisha along with parts of the Balmarian Fifth and Sixth Fleet. On Selena's end, she and Armana reach the ship's hangar with Balmarian soldiers in pursuit, and she opts to hijack Spectra's Varuch Ishar and trash the surrounding machines before making good on her escape.
Selena escapes, but more mooks follow, and attempting to hide in an asteroid field falls apart when it is completely obliterated by a new machine leading the Balmarians: the Vayikran, piloted by Spectra. Trapped and in a crippled machine, with both Spectra and Luria moving in, Armana tries to step in, telling Spectra to stop because if Selena would die then she would to, but Spectra doesn't relent, ordering mooks to tear the cockpit loose.
But it doesn't get to that point, as the Earth counterattack on the Balmarian fleets (and the mission proper) begins and the other players can join the fray. This should all be covered in no more than one or two actions. Elma arrives as well, bringing the AS Alegrias with him for Selena to switch over to.
From there, the battle becomes an all-out brawl, both sides throwing everything they can at each other, though for the players the primary concern will be Spectra and the Vayikran's raw firepower, though breaking past it and the Golar Golem to get to the Balmarian ships is possible, and Selena will gladly hang back and keep Spectra preoccupied for the others to go ahead. Ultimately though, the Alegrias will come out on top when Selena uses the Servant Sluggers to project not images of the Alegrias itself, but rather Spectra's face, infuriating the Balmarian and giving Selena the chance to cripple the Vayikran.
Both Zehiruts emerge, taking their larger, anti-Zentradi form, but as they do every Balmarian machine remaining, save for Rulia's, stop completely. And then all at once, all of the cloned soldiers ranging from Sardis and Philadelphia down to the mooks speak as one, the ludicrously powerful psychic force controlling them introducing himself as Ruach Ganeden; Spirit Emperor of the Balmarian Empire. His long communion with Zehirut revealed to him the course Balmar was to take, and announces an end to Balmar's hostilities. As arrogant and condescending as Ruach comes off as (which is EXTREMELY), he explains that with the meteor storms devastating Balmar the empire can not afford more war, and that the recent attacks ordered were the work of Prime Minister Shiva Gozzo, who Ruach learned during the meditation was intending to launch a coup and seize power. Any arguments or accusations of him wanting peace abruptly after all the death and destruction the Balmarians have caused will lead to Ruach just offering to let those present take any frustrations out on the helpless cloned soldiers. With the exception of the Zehiruts themselves, Ruach states he is content to let any number of Balmarian soldiers or machines die if it can ensure peace and avert Apocalypsis.
What's more, Ruach states that another component of the Discovery is on Balmar, and that he is willing to part with it... albeit it will come at a cost. To activate it, he will need to be at the height of his powers, a state only attainable immediately after Armana's sacrifice. He is in no hurry, and tells Armana she may still spend what time he afforded to her however she wishes, but the time will come soon. Until then, he leaves us the remaining Balmarian forces sans the Zehiruts to do with however we please.
So in the aftermath... we're buddies with the Balmarians now? Yay? The surprisingly friendly and boisterous Baran Doban becomes Balmar's liason with Earth, as well as help bodyguard Armana alongside of Luria.
Enemies: Vayikran (Spectra), Varuch Bens, Esrim Roshes, Hermodr Khamsa (red one/Sardis Gozzo) , Hermodr Shisha (blue one/Philadelphia Gozzo)
-Mission arc end-
Mission: The Planet Abandoned by God
The time has come for Armana to return to Balmar and fulfill her final duty to the Spirit Emperor and in doing so, let us procure another Discovery component and solidify relations with the Balmarians. Offworlders have been forbidden to set foot on Balmar for centuries, but due to the various circumstances Ruach makes an exception for a small Unity Group escort to accompany Armana (in our machines, naturally), since evacuation of the planet is in full swing and the remainder of the Balmarian military is overseeing it. The meteor storm is getting worse, and Shiva Gozzo and the Golar Golem are still unaccounted for. Ruach does have one other condition though; that the Discovery is brought to Balmar as well to help with the evacuation. With his power failing he can no longer safely maintain the planet's Crossgate for extended periods, though the Discovery's own pseudo-Crossgate systems can compensate.
Balmar's cities are devastated and virtually deserted now, but the Spirit Emperor's palace still stands, and we're beckoned by Ruach to proceed through an underground passage that leads us to an immense chamber, housing the great Zehirut that all others were merely derived from; the immense Geber Ganeden, an ancient relic from the war against the Lady and the conduit through which Ruach communes with the god Zehirut and guides the Balmarians. And the time has come for Armana's sacrifice, to become one with it and restore Ruach's power so that their people can survive the battles to come. There's some tearful farewells and Armana puts on a brave face before entering the Geber Ganeden and being absorbed by it, replenishing Ruach's power entirely. The machine comes alive, and Ruach happily declares... "And now it ends."
... And subsequently opens fire on us. The Geber begins to emit overwhelming power, Ruach dropping what little politeness he had before as he attempts to kill us all. "What do any of them really amount to? What use is there caring about those fools, clones, and aliens?" Ruach makes it plain as day for us that he doesn't care about anyone or anything except himself, and this was all just so we'd be willing to hand Armana over to him so he could restore his powers to full. Reports come in from allied ESUN people that all Balmarian tech across the entire planet has gone completely dead, their power flowing into the palace (and the Geber) just as another wave of meteor showers are detected, and Ruach channels the power of the Geber to generate a crossgate-style portal overhead, revealing... the Discovery, the other tool Ruach needed for us to bring to him in order for him to survive the battle against the Lady. Thus it becomes a battle to keep Ruach from escaping into space and hijacking the ship.
In spite of this power though, the Geber proves to be far from invincible. The first bit of serious damage inflicted on it will break Ruach's sense of invulnerability, and within a turn and a half he'll be confused and in disbelief about how he is losing when he commands all the power of the Balmarian Empire. And that is when a new voice answers him: the Geber has the power, but Ruach does not. And to demonstrate that, the Geber suddenly begins smashing its fist into its chest where the cockpit is.
The Golar Golem and Spectra arrive on the scene, led by Shiva Gozzo himself with the Black Judecca, Shiva wasting no time order the Golar Golem to seize the Discovery. His own attention turns to verbally tear into Ruach for all the Balmarian lives lost from the constant battles and the complete disregard for the meteor storms, and that it's all come to this moment. Ruach's communions with Zehirut himself left him oblivious to the goings on of the real world, including separating the Golar Golem machines from the Zehirut and the Geber Ganeden itself being sabotaged such that a "sacrifice" for it would in fact draw power from its "pilot" rather than the other way around. Realizing his powers have been drained and transferred to Armana, Ruach cries out, begging for Zehirut to save him just before he is completely crushed.
The battle begins to bleed out past the portal into space as we fight Spectra and the Varuch Bens. Notably, Spectra is not wearing her mask, resolutely declaring that she will prove her worth by doing her part to usher in a new golden age for Balmar. She engages with Selena once more, but as she once more begins to lose takes drastic action and has the Vayikran grapple with the Alegrias, telling Shiva to finish them both off. Shiva reluctantly complies, and through the portal comes not just the Black Judecca, but the Geber Ganeden in its monstrous dragon form, firing a massive beam of energy to obliterate both the Alegrias and the Vayikran. Selena barely cuts her way free in time by firing her gatling guns and deploying her Sol Razors from her wrists, while Spectra isn't so lucky.
With Armana is still in the Geber, it will attack with even more power than before, but attempts to get through to her will just be met with trance-like mumbling, Shiva explaining that Armana is under a similar state of control as Ingram was. Any accusations that he's a monster or as bad as Ruach will have Shiva vehemently object, in that he is working for the sake of the Balmarian people, that he will be a BETTER Spirit Emperor than Ruach and that Armana's fate as a pawn for controlling the Geber is still better than what Ruach would have done with her. However, the damaged section Shiva previously smashed in is still there, making for an ideal weak point on the Geber, and as the damage builds up both on it and the Black Judecca, Shiva's control over Armana and the Geber begins to falter until finally, Armana is freed and the Judecca is crippled. And just in time too for those previously mentioned meteor showers to begin hammering the planet.
With the Geber disabled, its power flows back to the innumerable Balmarian machines on the surface. But it's too late. The shower is like none that came before it, and the billions on the surface won't be able to escape in time. Attempts to # the planet by attacking the meteors is admirable but futile; for every one destroyed there's ten thousand more. All seems lost until the Black Judecca powers up once more, Shiva refusing to accept that this is the end for his people. Accepting that he will not rule over a new age for them, he resolves to make his last act be one to ensure they HAVE an age after this. Drawing on the Black Judecca's own Crossgate Paradigm System, he pushes the Judecca past the breaking point to replicate the portal that brought us into space across the entire planet again and again, entrusting the Balmar people to Armana and begging the Unity Group that if they intend to protect the galaxy from Apocalypsis and the Lady, that the Balmarians may fall under that protection too.
The Black Judecca explodes moments before portals open up across space, thousands of Balmarian ships pouring through just as the meteors strike. Shiva Gozzo dies less than a hero, but far more than a villain.
In the aftermath the Balmarians will have to find a new home, Armana resolving to help guide them as best she can. It's goodbye for now.
Additionally, Irui plays a huge role in Alpha 3. Since we don't have an Alpha 2 plot, I'm going to try to make due since Irui and Armana both play MacGuffin Girls in the game for different factions.
Mission 1: Operation Doll
Orders come in for the Unity Group to assist Team Jelba in a new, top-secret mission. This is so secretive that only Captain Symphonia has been allowed to know of the details and information will be given to us on a need-to-know basis. What we are allowed to know is that the mission will take us to a derelict location in space of some sort, which everyone is to search and report anything that seems un-Earthly or out of the ordinary. Some people will be in machines and some will be searching on foot, but the majority of Team Jelba needs to be on foot for when MYSTERIOUS ATTACKERS (in reality Golar Golem forces) suddenly swarm on us from out of nowhere.
It'll be a massacre. Were we set up? We'll only be able to find out if we get out alive, and Team Jelba's members drop like flies. Obviously the Unity Group people fair better because we're the main characters and get fancy machines/didn't have most of our people outside of their machines/are a dedicated combat group/aren't using mooks. The Gesterben needs to have an ugly, close-quarters exchange with the lead machine (Spectra's Varuch Ishar), leading to both Selena and Spectra needing to bail. Both on-foot now, Selena gets the better of Spectra thanks to Elma's flashbang and breaks her mask, revealing our enemy's leader to look like a female Ingram!
Spectra still manages to escape, swearing revenge on Selena for seeing her face and the Golar Golem forces escape. Team Jelba's been all but killed off, with only Selena, Elma, and optionally Albhard still alive, and with Symphonia's death we're left with no idea of what the point of this was except possibly get us all killed. That, save for a time-delayed message we receive, informing us that Captain Symphonia took this mission at the behest of Ingram Plissken, by that point a traitor to the ESUN. What could be going on here?
Enemies: Varuch Ishar (Spectra), Varuch Bens
In the wake of this, Selena will go on to salvage everything she can from Team Jelba's mechs (a mashup of Huckebeins, Gespensts, and other various suits that are at best customized mooks)... and from this will be born the Soleares.
Mission 2: A Diplomat In Jest
The Aerogators/Balmarians are stepping up their game, with a fleet emerging from the Crossgate. The fleet commander Ephesus Gozzo calls on Earth not to surrender, but to ally itself with the Balmarian Empire for the sake of helping the Balmarians ensure galactic peace. Additionally, Ephesus talks of a fugitive and enemy of the Empire hiding on Earth, one that the Earthlings must return to the Balmarians for their own safety. We're given twenty-four hours to comply, otherwise they will resign themselves to attacking. This doesn't fool anyone and the ESUN instead uses the time to prepare for a counterattack. Either through information given by Viletta and the SSR, or possibly Teoria, the pilots will also be told that the Zehirut is the key to the entire fleet; if it's destroyed then the rest of the fleet will be neutralized. Thus the ideal plan is to try to overwhelm the Hermrodr and the Zehirut within it with as much high-end firepower as possible from ships, with the individual mechs providing support and preoccupy the Balmarian forces.
Once the battle begins proper, Ephesus will feign disappointment and call Earth's attack foolish and a threat to galactic peace, but only momentarily. We've brought a great deal of powerful Earth Sphere weaponry to him as he'll be happy to point out, and now it'll just be a matter of taking it.
Early in the battle, Golar Golem forces will sortie to serve as the primary guard for the Hermodr, being commanded by Calico. Calico will personally engage Cobray at the first opportunity, calling him "Ayin", a Balmarian soldier of the Barshem series, and a defect. Before long the Wildschwein will be overwhelmed and trashed, but just when all seems lost, he hears a voice urging him to defy fate, and saying that it will give him the power to do so. That power is the Flame of Deen, the Werkbau. Said machine appears in a burst of light for Cobray to transfer over to, but Calico, curious about the Werkbau, continues to attack. Albhard will # here and get severely damaged/cut off/seemingly killed, and additional supports would be good too to give Cobray the time needed to switch machines.
Once the Werkbau's online, Calico will comment bitterly that the Werkbau's power isn't Cobray's own and beckon another person to respond, someone he refers to as "The other existence" and "The Originator". Before anything can come of this though, the Earth's forces get situated to deliver their all-out attack on the Hermrodr, and Calico reluctantly falls back with the remaining Golar Golem forces. The assault in the meantime succeeds in crippling the ship... but no more. Ephesus will congratulate us on our prowess and declare us worthy tools of the Empire, but also that the battle is not over and he wants to see how far our strength extends.
And thus, Ephesus sorties with the Zehirut, leading the Balmarian counterattack. Taking at least some damage from the Zehirut here should be the norm, and Ephesus will even say that this model has been further calibrated by the data gained from the fight against the Meteor-3 version. But Cobray begins to change, speaking in a superior tone with his voice overlapped by another, deeper one and his hair tuns blue and the Werkbau begins to fight more evenly with the Zehirut... but the regenerative powers of the Zehirut mean it's still not enough to defeat it.
Out of nowhere though will come the crippled but (barely) functioning Grungust, blindsiding the Zehirut and grappling with it to give everyone an opening to try to finish it off. Any pleas for him to get out of the way will be shot down with the fact his reactor's compromised and about to go critical; getting back in this fight has already killed him but at least this way his death can have meaning. Not that Selena'll stop from trying anyways to rescue him, but he'll actively push her away using the Grungust's Boost Knuckles.
Whether or not anyone else will attack the Zehirut and the Grungust at this point, Cobray/the entity will, keying in a code to unlock the Werkbau's strongest weapon: the Axion Buster. Its power -along with anyone else joining in- will be enough to destroy the Zehirut, though at the cost of Albhard's life and the Grungust as well.
Enemies: Varuch Baal (Calico), Varuch Bens, Haggais, Esrims, Megillots, Joelahs, Fulehs, Hermodr Echad (green one) -> Zehirut (Ephesus Gozzo)
Log: A while later, an individual comes to the Unity Group seeking asylum! Her name is Armana, and she is a princess fleeing from the Balmarians! Armana is, however, a very terrible liar ("where are you from" "from planet... uh... Rulia!") and it's obvious she's not telling us the whole story. Still, if she's the person the First Fleet was after then she's worth keeping around, just with an escort detail. Selena'll volunteer for this, due to her own suspicions and beefs with the Balmarians.
-Mission arc begin-
Mission: Fugitive's Truth
Without warning, the Golar Golem launch a large-scale attack on Sakihama base, helmed by Spectra McCready. She calls out for the return Princess Armana, and to force our hands the Golar Golem forces attack the surrounding city with surgical precision, steering clear of the base itself. The Unity Group naturally scrambles defenders in response, Armana being taken to a TSEN teleporter to get her to safety.
Or at least that's what people try. Within a round and a half of actions Armana comes runninig out, having given her escort the slip and trying to order the Balmarians to leave, finally revealing (to nobody's real surprise) that she's in fact a Balmarian herself. She pleads for the Balmarians to leave and that her "time" is not yet up, and any kind of confusion or arguements get derailed as reinforcements arrive led by Luria Kayitz, who introduces herself as Armana's protector and bodyguard and reveals that Armana is more than just a Balmarian princess, but the current Priestess of Zehirut and someone who the Empire's stability hinges on. Armana tries to insist that the Spirit Emperor promised that before the time of her duties came, but Luria soberly answers that conditions in Balmar are worsening and the Spirit Emperor has entered a meditative communion with Zehirut himself, leaving Prime Minister Shiva Gozzo in command. And Shiva's orders are absolute: they are to take Armana back whether she likes it or not.
More Varuch mooks move to try to capture Armana, and her route back to Sakihama base gets cut off. Before too long, collateral damage from the battle causes rubble to fall above Armana. Selena will move in with the save, taking the hit for Armana instead at the cost of heavy damage to the Soleares. But as Spectra moves to try to capture Armana, Selena finally makes her move, rising up once more and strike her down! Or not, as the Varuch Ishar quickly counters, destroying the machine while barely breaking stride. "I thought you would try something like this. Predictable," Spectra comments, before snatching up Armana. The Balmarians pull out immediately afterwards, having gotten what they came for.
Afterwards, it will turn out that only Elma (who's fine) was in the Soleares when Spectra struck it down, with Selena nowhere to be found. All part of a contingency plan cooked up in the heat of the battle between the two...
Enemies: Varuch Ishar (Spectra), Varuch Bens
Reinforcements: Shemuel Ben (Luria), Esrims, Haggai Yads
Log: A two-fer! On Earth, Elma's fretting how to not only save Selena but also repair the trashed Soleares. Fortunately there'll be help to be had, and some of the encrypted data inside him regarding Operation Doll decodes itself. The mission's true purpose, he learns and reveals, had been to find and secure the Priestess of Zehirut. Unfortunately things had not worked out in reality, Team Jelba and the Unity Group too late to find Armana and instead being ambushed by the pursing Golar Golem. Nevertheless, Elma resolves to save Selena and works to repair the Soleares, incorporating what's left of Albhard's Grungust into the machine.
The Golar Golem forces that abducted Selena are moving to regroup with detachments present from two other fleets (made evident by the presence of two more Hermodrs), but Viletta proposes that this situation can be turned to Earth's advantage. The bulk of the Fifth and Sixth Fleets are not accounted for, and on top of it their Zehiruts would not be formatted yet to counter Earth's forces, meaning that this is our best chance to destroy them and entirely neutralize the fleets. Seeming Earth's best chance to stave off an even larger-scale Balmarian invasion, plans are drafted up to launch a surprise attack, with our various allied races signing on as well with whatever forces they can spare. Plus, it would possibly give Selena the chance to escape with Armana.
Meanwhile, Selena has managed to infiltrate the Balmarian ship transporting Armana and manages to find the princess in her quarters. Armana explains that yes, she is the High Priestess of the Balmarians and a worshipper of the god Zehirut, of which Ephesus's machine was just a fragment of a copy. And yes, her ultimate duty will be as a sacrifice to the Spirit Emperor to ensure the Empire's security and strength. And though Armana is still overjoyed with the ability to help ensure the survival of her people, she had requested and been granted two year's leave before the time came, and she chose to travel to Earth after hearing about it from Ingram.
Armana also explains her sacrifice is to help maintain the power of the Spirit Emperor, and thus to stave off "Apocalypsis"... the Balmarian concept of endtimes which they believe has now come. Even with the numerous threats to the Earth and the galaxy defeated, extinction still looms for countless races. The Wulgaru are in danger of going extinct from genetic stagnation. Balmar is wracked by near-endless meteor storms. And most notably the Lady has re-emerged. The Balmarians call this Apocalypsis: the force responsible for so many potential mass extinctions happening so close to one another. A force that can be delayed, but will always return shortly with new dangers.
Their conversation is cut short when Luria arrives, discovers them, and raises the alarm, but Selena takes the opportunity to make a break for it, taking Armana along for the ride back to the hangars.
Mission: Counterattack of the Unified Fleet
The Golar Golem detachment is returning to the Crossgate, meeting up with a strong (but not necessarily large) Balmarian force including both the Hermodr Khamsa and Shisha along with parts of the Balmarian Fifth and Sixth Fleet. On Selena's end, she and Armana reach the ship's hangar with Balmarian soldiers in pursuit, and she opts to hijack Spectra's Varuch Ishar and trash the surrounding machines before making good on her escape.
Selena escapes, but more mooks follow, and attempting to hide in an asteroid field falls apart when it is completely obliterated by a new machine leading the Balmarians: the Vayikran, piloted by Spectra. Trapped and in a crippled machine, with both Spectra and Luria moving in, Armana tries to step in, telling Spectra to stop because if Selena would die then she would to, but Spectra doesn't relent, ordering mooks to tear the cockpit loose.
But it doesn't get to that point, as the Earth counterattack on the Balmarian fleets (and the mission proper) begins and the other players can join the fray. This should all be covered in no more than one or two actions. Elma arrives as well, bringing the AS Alegrias with him for Selena to switch over to.
From there, the battle becomes an all-out brawl, both sides throwing everything they can at each other, though for the players the primary concern will be Spectra and the Vayikran's raw firepower, though breaking past it and the Golar Golem to get to the Balmarian ships is possible, and Selena will gladly hang back and keep Spectra preoccupied for the others to go ahead. Ultimately though, the Alegrias will come out on top when Selena uses the Servant Sluggers to project not images of the Alegrias itself, but rather Spectra's face, infuriating the Balmarian and giving Selena the chance to cripple the Vayikran.
Both Zehiruts emerge, taking their larger, anti-Zentradi form, but as they do every Balmarian machine remaining, save for Rulia's, stop completely. And then all at once, all of the cloned soldiers ranging from Sardis and Philadelphia down to the mooks speak as one, the ludicrously powerful psychic force controlling them introducing himself as Ruach Ganeden; Spirit Emperor of the Balmarian Empire. His long communion with Zehirut revealed to him the course Balmar was to take, and announces an end to Balmar's hostilities. As arrogant and condescending as Ruach comes off as (which is EXTREMELY), he explains that with the meteor storms devastating Balmar the empire can not afford more war, and that the recent attacks ordered were the work of Prime Minister Shiva Gozzo, who Ruach learned during the meditation was intending to launch a coup and seize power. Any arguments or accusations of him wanting peace abruptly after all the death and destruction the Balmarians have caused will lead to Ruach just offering to let those present take any frustrations out on the helpless cloned soldiers. With the exception of the Zehiruts themselves, Ruach states he is content to let any number of Balmarian soldiers or machines die if it can ensure peace and avert Apocalypsis.
What's more, Ruach states that another component of the Discovery is on Balmar, and that he is willing to part with it... albeit it will come at a cost. To activate it, he will need to be at the height of his powers, a state only attainable immediately after Armana's sacrifice. He is in no hurry, and tells Armana she may still spend what time he afforded to her however she wishes, but the time will come soon. Until then, he leaves us the remaining Balmarian forces sans the Zehiruts to do with however we please.
So in the aftermath... we're buddies with the Balmarians now? Yay? The surprisingly friendly and boisterous Baran Doban becomes Balmar's liason with Earth, as well as help bodyguard Armana alongside of Luria.
Enemies: Vayikran (Spectra), Varuch Bens, Esrim Roshes, Hermodr Khamsa (red one/Sardis Gozzo) , Hermodr Shisha (blue one/Philadelphia Gozzo)
-Mission arc end-
Mission: The Planet Abandoned by God
The time has come for Armana to return to Balmar and fulfill her final duty to the Spirit Emperor and in doing so, let us procure another Discovery component and solidify relations with the Balmarians. Offworlders have been forbidden to set foot on Balmar for centuries, but due to the various circumstances Ruach makes an exception for a small Unity Group escort to accompany Armana (in our machines, naturally), since evacuation of the planet is in full swing and the remainder of the Balmarian military is overseeing it. The meteor storm is getting worse, and Shiva Gozzo and the Golar Golem are still unaccounted for. Ruach does have one other condition though; that the Discovery is brought to Balmar as well to help with the evacuation. With his power failing he can no longer safely maintain the planet's Crossgate for extended periods, though the Discovery's own pseudo-Crossgate systems can compensate.
Balmar's cities are devastated and virtually deserted now, but the Spirit Emperor's palace still stands, and we're beckoned by Ruach to proceed through an underground passage that leads us to an immense chamber, housing the great Zehirut that all others were merely derived from; the immense Geber Ganeden, an ancient relic from the war against the Lady and the conduit through which Ruach communes with the god Zehirut and guides the Balmarians. And the time has come for Armana's sacrifice, to become one with it and restore Ruach's power so that their people can survive the battles to come. There's some tearful farewells and Armana puts on a brave face before entering the Geber Ganeden and being absorbed by it, replenishing Ruach's power entirely. The machine comes alive, and Ruach happily declares... "And now it ends."
... And subsequently opens fire on us. The Geber begins to emit overwhelming power, Ruach dropping what little politeness he had before as he attempts to kill us all. "What do any of them really amount to? What use is there caring about those fools, clones, and aliens?" Ruach makes it plain as day for us that he doesn't care about anyone or anything except himself, and this was all just so we'd be willing to hand Armana over to him so he could restore his powers to full. Reports come in from allied ESUN people that all Balmarian tech across the entire planet has gone completely dead, their power flowing into the palace (and the Geber) just as another wave of meteor showers are detected, and Ruach channels the power of the Geber to generate a crossgate-style portal overhead, revealing... the Discovery, the other tool Ruach needed for us to bring to him in order for him to survive the battle against the Lady. Thus it becomes a battle to keep Ruach from escaping into space and hijacking the ship.
In spite of this power though, the Geber proves to be far from invincible. The first bit of serious damage inflicted on it will break Ruach's sense of invulnerability, and within a turn and a half he'll be confused and in disbelief about how he is losing when he commands all the power of the Balmarian Empire. And that is when a new voice answers him: the Geber has the power, but Ruach does not. And to demonstrate that, the Geber suddenly begins smashing its fist into its chest where the cockpit is.
The Golar Golem and Spectra arrive on the scene, led by Shiva Gozzo himself with the Black Judecca, Shiva wasting no time order the Golar Golem to seize the Discovery. His own attention turns to verbally tear into Ruach for all the Balmarian lives lost from the constant battles and the complete disregard for the meteor storms, and that it's all come to this moment. Ruach's communions with Zehirut himself left him oblivious to the goings on of the real world, including separating the Golar Golem machines from the Zehirut and the Geber Ganeden itself being sabotaged such that a "sacrifice" for it would in fact draw power from its "pilot" rather than the other way around. Realizing his powers have been drained and transferred to Armana, Ruach cries out, begging for Zehirut to save him just before he is completely crushed.
The battle begins to bleed out past the portal into space as we fight Spectra and the Varuch Bens. Notably, Spectra is not wearing her mask, resolutely declaring that she will prove her worth by doing her part to usher in a new golden age for Balmar. She engages with Selena once more, but as she once more begins to lose takes drastic action and has the Vayikran grapple with the Alegrias, telling Shiva to finish them both off. Shiva reluctantly complies, and through the portal comes not just the Black Judecca, but the Geber Ganeden in its monstrous dragon form, firing a massive beam of energy to obliterate both the Alegrias and the Vayikran. Selena barely cuts her way free in time by firing her gatling guns and deploying her Sol Razors from her wrists, while Spectra isn't so lucky.
With Armana is still in the Geber, it will attack with even more power than before, but attempts to get through to her will just be met with trance-like mumbling, Shiva explaining that Armana is under a similar state of control as Ingram was. Any accusations that he's a monster or as bad as Ruach will have Shiva vehemently object, in that he is working for the sake of the Balmarian people, that he will be a BETTER Spirit Emperor than Ruach and that Armana's fate as a pawn for controlling the Geber is still better than what Ruach would have done with her. However, the damaged section Shiva previously smashed in is still there, making for an ideal weak point on the Geber, and as the damage builds up both on it and the Black Judecca, Shiva's control over Armana and the Geber begins to falter until finally, Armana is freed and the Judecca is crippled. And just in time too for those previously mentioned meteor showers to begin hammering the planet.
With the Geber disabled, its power flows back to the innumerable Balmarian machines on the surface. But it's too late. The shower is like none that came before it, and the billions on the surface won't be able to escape in time. Attempts to # the planet by attacking the meteors is admirable but futile; for every one destroyed there's ten thousand more. All seems lost until the Black Judecca powers up once more, Shiva refusing to accept that this is the end for his people. Accepting that he will not rule over a new age for them, he resolves to make his last act be one to ensure they HAVE an age after this. Drawing on the Black Judecca's own Crossgate Paradigm System, he pushes the Judecca past the breaking point to replicate the portal that brought us into space across the entire planet again and again, entrusting the Balmar people to Armana and begging the Unity Group that if they intend to protect the galaxy from Apocalypsis and the Lady, that the Balmarians may fall under that protection too.
The Black Judecca explodes moments before portals open up across space, thousands of Balmarian ships pouring through just as the meteors strike. Shiva Gozzo dies less than a hero, but far more than a villain.
In the aftermath the Balmarians will have to find a new home, Armana resolving to help guide them as best she can. It's goodbye for now.
Enemies:
Phase 1: Geber Ganeden (Ruach)
Phase 2: Geber Ganeden (Armana), Black Judecca (Shiva Gozzo), Vayikran (Spectra), Varuch Bens
But the story's not over yet! BECAUSE...!!!
Much later, near the end of the RP, things suddenly go very bonkers. Countless Crossgate portals open up, Balmarian-like machines pouring through, all converging on the Discovery. However, in spite of their appearances, they exude a different, unsettling sort of aura. Communicating with them falls flat and psychics would feel just a dark, tortured essence from inside the machines. But none is more warped and destructive than the massive black egg that seems to coordinate them (and throws out the occasional MAP to defend itself), and upon enough damage the egg opens revealing Keisar Ephes, both the man and the machine, as he introduces himself as Balmar's true god, Augustus.
He is cold, partonizingly complimenting humanity's tendency to endure and also restoring the Discovery, but also that the time has come for him to take it for his own ends: to reshape the galaxy to his very will. Unlike Ruach who wished only to save himself, or Shiva who wanted to save the Balmarian people, Augustus desires control over all life in the galaxy, just as he has been asserting control over death.
Augustus's power is immense, and to make matters worse, destroying any of his mook machines only releases the trapped, warped spirits inside before they take shape and continue fighting. He refers to them as the Neshamah, dead souls from countless galaxies he has subjegated for his own ends. He will freely admit that he is not the cause of Apocalypsis, but he has still helped it on its way and taken advantage of it to bolster his strength. Countless worlds, Balmar included, died for this end, and now all that remains is to seize the Discovery.
He is cold, partonizingly complimenting humanity's tendency to endure and also restoring the Discovery, but also that the time has come for him to take it for his own ends: to reshape the galaxy to his very will. Unlike Ruach who wished only to save himself, or Shiva who wanted to save the Balmarian people, Augustus desires control over all life in the galaxy, just as he has been asserting control over death.
Augustus's power is immense, and to make matters worse, destroying any of his mook machines only releases the trapped, warped spirits inside before they take shape and continue fighting. He refers to them as the Neshamah, dead souls from countless galaxies he has subjegated for his own ends. He will freely admit that he is not the cause of Apocalypsis, but he has still helped it on its way and taken advantage of it to bolster his strength. Countless worlds, Balmar included, died for this end, and now all that remains is to seize the Discovery.
Augustus's own machine is even more resiliant than his mooks, able to regenerate from even severe damage, and he regards us all as powerless. The mobile weapon begins to move towards the Discovery and Augustus himself emerges from it, and Selena takes the chance to try to attack his physical body only for the attack to be effortlessly stopped and then answered with the sheer mindfuckery of of his End of the Galaxy attack. The physical damage is minimal, but the bombardment of spiritual power and horrific knowledge overwhelms and kills Selena inside of the Alegrias. Elma furiously tries to continue fighting to no avail, but before Augustus can finish off the Subot, a voice calls out for Augustus, no, Keisar Ephes, to stop, and hearing that name gives the god pause.
Just long enough for another crossgate portal to open up, and with it a humongous blast of energy that knocks him off course. The cavalry arrives; a small group of true Balmarians led by Armana, piloting the Geber Ganeden once more She tells everyone to not give up, addressing Ephes as nothing more than a false god; a veteran of the war against the Lady who had went on to shepherd a group of humans who eventually became the Balmarians. The Geber Ganeden had been his machine, and yet the power and longevity it provided him only made him wish for even more. Balmar's wars and the countless deaths caused were all just to to claim souls and sate this desire, as was having Ruach replace him as the Spirit Emperor so he could directly but discreetly continue gathering power and bolstering the Neshamah.
When Ephes asks how Armana's learned all this, she'll answer that the Geber had, awakening in response to its former master's return, intent on opposing him now that he stands for everything he once fought against. Ephes will bitterly remark that had he known it would do this, he would've destroyed it at the first opportunity. He summons even more powerful Neshamah mooks in response, and in an exchange of attacks, the Geber still comes up short against Ephes's power.
Things seem bleaker than ever until a song begins to ring out softly, coming from the Alegrias. In the midst of Armana's return and the revelation about Keisar Ephes, Elma'd used the distraction to successfully restart Selena's heart using her own electro-whip. Ephes is confused and angered by it, demanding to know what it is and how it is even possible; the Neshamah should've overwhelmed Selena's soul and added her to their ranks instantly. But as more voices and purified spirits begin to converge on the battle to continue the song for her, Selena answers. She doesn't know how she was able to last long enough for Elma to revive her, but the song is a gift, a song of the dead but meant for the living. A song to sound the gong heralding Ephes's defeat.
Countless dead who fell in the battles to defend Earth, be they human or otherwise, manifest to encourage the Discovery's defenders and destabilize the Neshamah, a chorus carrying on GONG as fallen friend and allies with more personal messages share them. Ingram, Commander Antov, even fallen PCs can join in on this.
The power of GONG tremendously weakens the Neshamah mooks, and more importantly frees the Neshamah spirits from Ephes's control when the machines are destroyed so he can't reconstitute them endlessly. And as his army collapses, Ephes resorts to trying to draw all their power inwards to heighten his own power even more in a desperate attempt to salvage the situation. But doing all of this leaves him vulnerable for a massive all-out assault by everyone, and the mobile weapon is spectacularly destroyed.
Unfortunately Keisar Ephes's physical body escapes, trying to flee through a Crossgate portal elsewhere. Though only able to salvage and reclaim a fraction of his power, Ephes vows to rebuild and return the day that all life has forgotten of him to claim what is his. Selena tries to give chase, but even without the mobile weapon, Ephes's psychodriver powers are peerless and he attempts to telekinetically destroy the Alegrias slowly and sadistically, furious that Selena robbed him of his dreams.
"It's not just her!"
And then the spirit of Albhard suddenly emerges from the Alegrias, cold-cocking Ephes. The rest of Team Jelba follows, one by one and ending with Captain Symphonia. Ephes is in absolute disbelief that these spirits could physically manifest, but Symphonia points out that it's not unsimilar to Ephes's Neshamah, and besides... "Your mission is your mission, your life is your life. The end of one's not the end of the other... and our mission is protecting Selena and Elma's lives!" Their bond with Selena, piloting a machine built from all of their own, was too strong for them not to be there for her, to try to warn her of Ephes, and protect her when she briefly died and would've been subsumed by the Neshamah.
Spiritual threads connecting the Jelba members manifest, even ones for Selena and Elma as the Alegrias and the Jelba spirits fly around Ephes, binding his body with their energy and leaving him absolutely helpless, and with her free hand Selena delivers the final, fatal blow to Ephes and kills him off once and for all.
"Adios, Spirit Emperor. Adios, our fight."
Enemies:
Phase 1: Keisar Ephes (Egg), Ra Kanuf, Ra Kerun, Ra Zanav, Shemuel Bens
Phase 2: Keisar Ephes (true form), Zehiruts, Zehirut Eveds
Just long enough for another crossgate portal to open up, and with it a humongous blast of energy that knocks him off course. The cavalry arrives; a small group of true Balmarians led by Armana, piloting the Geber Ganeden once more She tells everyone to not give up, addressing Ephes as nothing more than a false god; a veteran of the war against the Lady who had went on to shepherd a group of humans who eventually became the Balmarians. The Geber Ganeden had been his machine, and yet the power and longevity it provided him only made him wish for even more. Balmar's wars and the countless deaths caused were all just to to claim souls and sate this desire, as was having Ruach replace him as the Spirit Emperor so he could directly but discreetly continue gathering power and bolstering the Neshamah.
When Ephes asks how Armana's learned all this, she'll answer that the Geber had, awakening in response to its former master's return, intent on opposing him now that he stands for everything he once fought against. Ephes will bitterly remark that had he known it would do this, he would've destroyed it at the first opportunity. He summons even more powerful Neshamah mooks in response, and in an exchange of attacks, the Geber still comes up short against Ephes's power.
Things seem bleaker than ever until a song begins to ring out softly, coming from the Alegrias. In the midst of Armana's return and the revelation about Keisar Ephes, Elma'd used the distraction to successfully restart Selena's heart using her own electro-whip. Ephes is confused and angered by it, demanding to know what it is and how it is even possible; the Neshamah should've overwhelmed Selena's soul and added her to their ranks instantly. But as more voices and purified spirits begin to converge on the battle to continue the song for her, Selena answers. She doesn't know how she was able to last long enough for Elma to revive her, but the song is a gift, a song of the dead but meant for the living. A song to sound the gong heralding Ephes's defeat.
Countless dead who fell in the battles to defend Earth, be they human or otherwise, manifest to encourage the Discovery's defenders and destabilize the Neshamah, a chorus carrying on GONG as fallen friend and allies with more personal messages share them. Ingram, Commander Antov, even fallen PCs can join in on this.
The power of GONG tremendously weakens the Neshamah mooks, and more importantly frees the Neshamah spirits from Ephes's control when the machines are destroyed so he can't reconstitute them endlessly. And as his army collapses, Ephes resorts to trying to draw all their power inwards to heighten his own power even more in a desperate attempt to salvage the situation. But doing all of this leaves him vulnerable for a massive all-out assault by everyone, and the mobile weapon is spectacularly destroyed.
Unfortunately Keisar Ephes's physical body escapes, trying to flee through a Crossgate portal elsewhere. Though only able to salvage and reclaim a fraction of his power, Ephes vows to rebuild and return the day that all life has forgotten of him to claim what is his. Selena tries to give chase, but even without the mobile weapon, Ephes's psychodriver powers are peerless and he attempts to telekinetically destroy the Alegrias slowly and sadistically, furious that Selena robbed him of his dreams.
"It's not just her!"
And then the spirit of Albhard suddenly emerges from the Alegrias, cold-cocking Ephes. The rest of Team Jelba follows, one by one and ending with Captain Symphonia. Ephes is in absolute disbelief that these spirits could physically manifest, but Symphonia points out that it's not unsimilar to Ephes's Neshamah, and besides... "Your mission is your mission, your life is your life. The end of one's not the end of the other... and our mission is protecting Selena and Elma's lives!" Their bond with Selena, piloting a machine built from all of their own, was too strong for them not to be there for her, to try to warn her of Ephes, and protect her when she briefly died and would've been subsumed by the Neshamah.
Spiritual threads connecting the Jelba members manifest, even ones for Selena and Elma as the Alegrias and the Jelba spirits fly around Ephes, binding his body with their energy and leaving him absolutely helpless, and with her free hand Selena delivers the final, fatal blow to Ephes and kills him off once and for all.
"Adios, Spirit Emperor. Adios, our fight."
Enemies:
Phase 1: Keisar Ephes (Egg), Ra Kanuf, Ra Kerun, Ra Zanav, Shemuel Bens
Phase 2: Keisar Ephes (true form), Zehiruts, Zehirut Eveds
