Thursday, September 1, 2016

Crossbell Archives: Ao no Kiseki Scenario (Epilogue)


Note: Taken from the Crossbell Archives. It took a long time, but we're finally at the last post of this story summary! This is Part 2 of the Epilogue Chapter.

Current Progress: 19 out of 24 pages completed. Hm I was planning to update this when I have everything completed, but... eh whatever. Something is better than nothing, right? I'll be busy with Ys 8 but I'll try to get the rest done. All that's left is the final boss really, and the ending.  @#!*%$ long summary (┛✧Д✧))┛彡┻━┻

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>> Orkis Tower Infiltration Begins

10:30 AM of the same day. The Orkis Tower infiltration finally begins and the Bracers acting as vanguards open the way by defeating the magi-tech golems standing guard. With that as a sign, the police cars speed up the slope and fly into the Orkis Tower grounds one after the other. In order to deal with the magi-tech golems defending the grounds to the entrance, the police attack while using their cars as barricades. While providing back-up support to the Bracers who have penetrated deep into enemy lines, they work together to cut out a bloody path leading to the Tower. Both Lechter and Kirika are fighting bravely alongside the others, and seeing the perfect chance, Sergei signals Lloyd's infiltration team. At his sign, the SSS orbal car accelerates to an immense speed and crashes through the front door of the Orkis Tower. Lloyd's group successfully gets inside.

At around the same time Lloyd's group gets inside the Tower, the other teams have also come to the decisive moment in their battles against the Aions. At the bridge of the Merkabah No. 5 which is now damaged all over, Kevin makes the decision to use their trump card, the "Stigma Cannon, Megidels", against Ries' strong objection. While receiving support from his bridge crew, Kevin channels his own Stigma's power into the Merkabah and readies the Stigma Cannon expanded outside. However, the Aion Type-β picks up on this and also changes its form to ready its main cannon. The instant the Aion Type-β fires off its main cannon, the Merkabah No. 5 also fires its Stigma Cannon, albeit with a slight delay. The surroundings are enveloped by a blinding flash.

In the meantime, Estelle's team is already exhausted beyond their limits from their continuous battle with the Aion Type-γ. Unable to find an effective way to battle against the Aion Type-γ, which continues to receive power from the Treasure, the balance of power between the two sides gradually crumbles. In order to save Renne who has fallen into a predicament, the Pater-Mater tackles the Aion Type-γ with its entire body. While holding onto the Aion Type-γ with both arms, Pater-Mater relays a message to Renne before quickly ascending into the air and moving farther and farther away. Renne realizes that Pater-Mater is planning to self-destruct and yells for it to stop. Alas, a blinding flash fills the skies along with the sound of the explosion.


After thanking their now damaged orbal car for its service during the infiltration, Lloyd and the others head for the Orkis Tower elevators. However, since there is security in place, only floors up to 21F can be unlocked. According to Tio who has already understood the situation from Chief Roberts, the control terminal is located on the 30th floor. Unless they deactivate that, it is impossible to control the security system through the orbal network. Although they will need to climb from 21F to 30F themselves, they first use the elevator to reach 21F, which was previously explained to them to be the maintenance floor.

Upon stepping out of the elevator, the group looks up at the enormous magi-tech devices before them and are dumbfounded. As it turns out, the explanation that it's a maintenance floor is false, and is instead the Central Block which serves as the tower's backbone; the essence of magi-technology are all gathered here. This area symbolizes the Crois family's deep-rooted delusion over a thousand years, which gave birth to the puppet organization D∴G Cult, sacrificed countless innocent people, and forced a cruel fate upon KeA. Witnessing the dreadfulness of the Crois family's obsession, Lloyd and the others make a firm resolve to end it and continue on ahead.

During exploration of the Central Block, the group discovers by chance the test prototype "Eidolon Gear" inside a tightly locked room. According to Tio, the prototype is something stolen from the Epstein Foundation and can be operated using her Eion system. Believing that it will become useful in their upcoming battles, they decide to take it with them.


The group aims for the upper levels as they move through Central Block with caution. On the way, Lloyd once again asks about the control terminal. According to Tio, the control terminal is the reason why they're unable to hack into the upper levels of the Orkis Tower. However, as long as they successfully deactivate it, Chief Roberts will be able to provide backup and give them detailed information about the upper levels. Under the present situation, any information on Dieter's movements or KeA's whereabouts is valuable, and so the group continues onward after recognizing anew the importance of the control terminal.

Upon reaching the uppermost level of Central Block, they discover a room which has what looks to be the control terminal they seek inside. As the others watch from the side, Tio begins to work on removing the blockage on the orbal network. Not long after, the connection seems to be back online and Chief Roberts' voice can be heard through the ENIGMA. He confirms that connection with the orbal network has been successfully re-established and is ready to provide support to the group.

According to Chief Roberts, it'll take a while to hack through the elevator's security, however, the security system of Orkis Tower is generally under control. The group asks Roberts to scan the Tower for any signs of moving bodies and comes to discover that quite a number of people are gathered on the 36F. Tio quickly checks on the lock status of the upper floors and confirms that they can directly reach their destination using the emergency stairwells. After asking Roberts for his continuous support, the group moves on ahead.


>> Justice Entrusted by His Brother

They arrive at 36F, which used to be the VIP floor for the West Zemuria Trade Conference, and are suddenly called to a halt by Vice Commissioner Pierre of the Police Department. A sudden reunion with someone they're totally not expecting, they ask Pierre the reason he's here. Pierre says that he had his doubts regarding the martial law but when he seeked information from Arios, he was brought to this place and detained. Pleasantly surprised at this side of Pierre, Lloyd proposes an information exchange.

After gathering Pierre and all IBC-related personnel into a nearby room, Lloyd's group explains to them everything that has happened so far in detail. Pierre and the others are at a lost for words due to the unbelievability of it all, but they are finally able to have a grasp of the situation. When Lloyd asks about the whereabouts of Dieter and KeA, no one present has seen either of them. While they wait for further contact from Chief Roberts, Lloyd and the others decide to go ask around and see if anyone knows anything.

Going around several rooms and asking the people there, the group reunites with Shizuku, who was looking out the window, in one of the rooms. When they rush up to her, Shizuku turns to them and says, "So this is how you all look like...". At those words, they realize that Shizuku's eyes are healed. The group is overjoyed knowing that KeA has helped recover her eyesight, however Shizuku bursts out in tears uncontrollably. Thinking about the painful feelings KeA is going through, the tears just come out naturally for Shizuku.

Finally calming down after a while, Shizuku tells Lloyd that she has a message for him from Arios, and places a big package and a letter in front of him. Inside the package is the weapon Lloyd's brother Guy used when still alive, Zero Breaker, and written in the letter are the words, "This is everything. I have no intention to provide an explanation." Seeing these, Lloyd comes to firmly believe that Arios is not the one who killed his brother Guy. Lloyd thanks Shizuku and makes a promise to her that "they will bring back both KeA and Arios for sure", which finally puts a smile back on Shizuku's face.


Exiting the room after parting ways with Shizuku, the group receives contact from Chief Roberts who tells them, "I've deactivated the security on the elevators. Also, someone is detected on the Orkis Tower rooftop together with an Aion." In order to confirm the person's identity, they aim for the rooftop and get on the elevator, but in that instant, receive contact from Jona who's aboard the Merkabah No. 9. According to Jona's analysis, the Aion Type-α on the rooftop has erected a barrier in a 100-arges radius, which makes it impossible for the Merkabah No. 9 to back them up. In addition, Fran reports that the other two Aion units cannot be detected, and guesses that Kevin and Estelle's teams probably took them down. Hearing that, Lloyd and the others thank them from the bottom of their hearts and pray for their safety.

Around that time, some distance away from the Aion Type-β which has been destroyed beyond recognition, the Merkabah No. 5 lies fallen on the ground. Beside it, Ries is looking after Kevin who's fairly exhausted from releasing his Stigma's power but otherwise safe and sound. Despite worrying for his current state, Ries gives him some harsh words and tells him that he's getting what he deserves for his reckless action. While joking around as usual, Kevin suddenly asks her in a serious tone, "...I'll probably continue to be reckless in the future and make you worry...even so, are you willing to keep on supporting me...?" Ries answers him in a quiet voice, "...Isn't that obvious... there's no way I can leave you alone..."

At the same time, Aion Type-γ has been completely destroyed with its pieces scattered about. Nearby, Renne desperately tries to talk to Pater-Mater which barely escaped total destruction. Estelle and Joshua watch over her but both understand that repair of Pater-Mater is impossible with its thought-processing unit damaged. Pater-Mater reaches out its hand to comfort Renne and uses its remaining power to say the parting words, "Farewell," before shutting down forever. Seeing Renne kneeling on the ground aghast, Estelle softly embraces her small shoulders.  At last, unable to contain her sorrow, tears come streaming down Renne's face and her cries of grief sound out into the surroundings.


>> Holding High Their Own Torches of Justice

The moment Lloyd's group rushes up to the Orkis Tower rooftop, they are greeted by Dieter and the Aion Type-α. Seeing their arrival, Dieter says, "I can't believe these uninvited guests have come so far." Although the group is surprised at Dieter's presence here, they demand him to return KeA, to which he easily agrees. However, he adds, "No one is forcing KeA. She is assisting us by her own free will."

Lloyd severely questions Dieter, "Forcing KeA to make a decision after creating a situation where she has no other choice but to assist, is that what you call justice?" Dieter replies, "Justice is justified with power and will, and using that justice to stabilize order in the world has been my life-long wish." However, Lloyd denies his words straight-on and refutes, "Justice is something that easily changes and does not have a fixed form. The act of pursuing justice itself is where the true value lies." Lloyd criticizes that Dieter's way of thinking too much adheres to form and that he is merely imposing his views onto others.

Dieter realizes from their exchange that their beliefs clash and uses the Orkis Tower's 'spirit conversion mechanism' to become one with the Aion Type-α. He declares, "This is my justice taken form. My justice and your justice, shall we prove which is the correct one?" Lloyd and the others raise their weapons unflinchingly and challenge Dieter's "justice" straight on.


At the end of the fierce battle, Lloyd's group manages to drive the Aion Type-α to an immobile state. However, since the Aion Type-α is able to receive infinite energy from the Treasure of Zero, it begins recharging its spiritual energy shortly after. Having restarted the Aion Type-α, Dieter triumphantly advises the group to surrender. But at that moment, the energy supply to the Aion unit is abruptly cut off and Dieter's body is forced out of the Aion Type-α. Dieter is flustered at the sudden break-off of his fusion with the Aion unit, but Dr. Novartis appears before him to tell him, "There's no time for this." Dieter suspects that Ouroboros must be behind the Aion Type-α's malfunctioning judging by Novartis' sudden appearance, to which Novartis replies, "There has been a change in our contract with Miss Mariabell, and on that basis, we're taking back the Aion Type-α."

Straight after, the face of Mariabell appears in mid-air in front of everyone by way of video transmission, along with those of Arios, Sigmund, and the other members on the president's side. Last but not least, lawyer Ian also appears and claims himself to be the "true mastermind" behind everything. Dieter realizes at that moment that all of the actions he has taken so far are nothing more than a part in Ian's master plan. No longer able to stand Dieter's hopelessness, Ian has decided to take into his own hands the "Azure Zero Plan" that they have been preparing for so long.


Lloyd's group is yet unable to react to this quick turn of events, but Mariabell proceeds to declare "the birth of the Azure Tree". As if hearing her declaration, an azure light shines out from the direction of the wetlands, and a big tree so huge it feels like it could reach the heavens appears. These sequence of events leave Lloyd's group and Dieter dumbfounded. After saying goodbye, Ian's group ends their video transmission, and Novartis also leaves behind the words, "I still have a mission," before departing together with the Aion Type-α.

Lloyd and the others explain the situation to Sergei who has rushed up to the rooftop. After entrusting Dieter's arrest and everything else to Sergei, Lloyd's group board the Merkabah they have called over and plunge themselves into their final battle to reclaim KeA.


>> Imaginary Landscape Painted by the Heart

During preparation for their final battle, the group pays a visit to Guy's grave before getting on the Merkabah and heading to the Azure Tree. On the way, they suffer ambush from the Red Constellation's airship Beowulf but manage to force their way through into the Azure Tree.

After landing inside the Sanctuary of the Azure Tree, Lloyd and others begin their exploration using the Merkabah as their operation base. They aim for the central part of the Tree while defeating the monsters loitering about on the way.

At last, the group discovers three mysterious doors protected by barriers. At that moment, Mariabell appears before them as an illusion and tells them, "This Sanctuary is a world which reflects KeA's inner feelings. She desires to meet you all, but at the same time also feels that this place is too dangerous for you to come. This conflicting thought of hers creates the guardians roaming inside the Sanctuary." Hearing that, Lloyd and the others once again realize the immensity of the Treasure's powers. Mariabell continues, "So that you'll all enjoy yourselves here, I've even prepared special stages." She means the doors to the left and right, each connecting to a world called a "territory". One assistant of their Plan awaits at the end of each territory, and the barrier to each door will deactivate when the person who is tied by destiny to the assistant touches it. After finishing her explanation, Mariabell disappears, but not before leaving behind the words, "I'll be waiting at the main stage."


Lloyd first reaches out his hand to the barrier on the left, but there is no sign of anything happening. Just like Mariabell said, it appears that the barrier only responds to someone who is strongly tied by destiny to the person waiting on the other side. Just when the group wishes to at least know who's inside, they hear Wald's monologue coming from within the door. Hearing his voice, Wazy's expression becomes serious and says, "Looks like he wants to settle things with me." He puts his hand on the barrier and it deactivates. In this way, Lloyd and the others step into the world reflecting Wald's inner feelings, the Territory of Shou.

After proceeding through to the deepest part of the wasteland, Lloyd's group is welcomed by Wald. "I nearly died of waiting," Wald says to them while holding a wooden sword in his hand. Wald and Wazy exchange some words just like old times, showing their undesirable but inseparable relationship. From their side, Lloyd interrupts and asks Wald whether he was given the Gnosis by Mariabell. Wald admits that he received the blue Gnosis from her. According to Wald, he has the potential to draw out his power to the max without the need for the red Gnosis. In addition, he was not instigated by Mariabell to take the pills, but has always desired power since he was little. Having said that, he demonizes and readies his weapon. Wazy activates the power of his Stigma in response and confronts the demon Wald.

At the end of a fierce battle, even after exhausting all of his physical strength, demon Wald shows no sign of stopping. Seeing him like that, Wazy declares, "It's time to settle this. Not as a member of the Grals Ritter nor as a possessor of the Stigma, but as the leader of Testaments." Wazy lands a strong blow through a combo of powerful attacks and sends Wald, who is unable to endure it all, flying backwards. Following that, Wald returns back to his original human form and at long last admits his defeat. Before losing his consciousness, Wald encourages Lloyd's group in his own way, "I really can't stand to see such a sad face on a kid like KeA!" On the other hand, Wazy is also experiencing extreme fatigue from using the power of his Stigma, He borrows Randy's shoulder and returns to the Sanctuary with the others.


With Wald's defeat, the group has successfully released one "territory". When they approach another door in order to challenge the next "territory", they hear Shirley's joyful monologue coming from within. Hearing Shirley's voice, Rixia's gaze becomes sharp and she turns down Lloyd's concern. She tells him, "I must confront her once more," and proceeds to deactivate the barrier. Accompanying Rixia who looks to have arrived at some kind of decision, Lloyd and the others step into the Territory of Shiki.

Lloyd's group advances through a world with scenery like that of a hanging garden. At the end of their path, Shirley welcomes them happily, "You're finally here!". Shirley desires to start her "death match" with Rixia right away, however Rixia declines and says, "I didn't come here so that we could kill each other, but to prove that I am stronger than you right now." She continues, "Having walked the path of Yin ever since birth, it's true that I am very much similar to Shirley who spends her life on the battlefield being born among Jaegers. However, I have come to gain many precious things, like my friends at the Arc-en-Ciel. Shirley, who only knows of the blood-stained path of gunpowder and smoke, cannot possibly be compared to me who has gained light after being born in the darkness." Rixia's words bring Shirley joy far greater than that of a simple death match, and she readies her Testarossa with excitement.

Different from their past encounter, Shirley comes at them mercilessly this time. Although she is a formidable opponent, the group manages to defeat her with everyone's assistance. Shirley admits her defeat as she lies on the ground, legs and arms spread out. She complains about their difference in numbers, to which Rixia replies, "This is the power I have found." At long last, when Shirley loses consciousness, Rixia thanks her friends and accompanies them out of the Territory of Shiki in order to tackle their next challenge. Shirley, who has been feigning unconsciousness, sees them out and murmurs to herself, "Geez...they're seriously messing with my head..."


>> The Strongest Karma-Burdened War Demon

With both the Territory of Shou and Shiki released, the barrier blocking their path forward disappears. Now able to press onward, Lloyd and the others follow the road into the deeper parts of the Sanctuary. After defeating the powerful gatekeeper guardian, the group finally comes up to a spacious area where they discover a new barrier and door. Lloyd first touches the barrier with his hand but nothing seems to be happening. From within the door then comes Sigmund's voice calling out to Randy. In order "to settle everything once and for all", Sigmund tells Randy to put his hand to the barrier. Randy replies, "Exactly what I wish for," as he steps forward to reach out his hand. It makes a noise and shatters. Confirming the barrier gone, Sigmund leaves behind the words, "Discard all your doubts and regrets, and come at me with all you've got," before his voice disappears.

Thinking back to the difference in power they felt during the battle at the IBC building, everyone foresee a very harsh battle ahead of them. However, when Randy asks for his friends' aid in helping him settle things with Sigmund, all of them no longer hesitate and together they step inside the Territory of Gou where Sigmund is waiting. The group breaks through the scorching hot lava zone and arrives at its deepest area. Sigmund greets them with two big war axes in hand, "So you made it through the preliminary skirmish?"


Despite Sigmund's overwhelming and intimidating presence, Randy boldly confronts him. Sigmund declares that the age of peace is over and explains, "Crossbell's current situation is obvious, but with the unrest in Erebonia and Calvard, the Zemuria continent will enter an age of turbulence. Jaegers will come to play a more active role, spirit of the terrorists will rise, the secret feud between Ouroboros and the Septian Church will expand, while the Bracers will no doubt become more active as well to deal with the situations." Sigmund's precise analysis leaves the group wordless, and Randy admits to being made keenly aware of all those things. Sigmund persuades, "That is proof you're a Jaeger to your very core and it is the burden all warriors of the Orlando clan must carry," and compels Randy to inherit the position of War God. Furthermore, Sigmund adds a proposition that is very much in the Jaeger style. If Randy truly becomes the leader of the Red Constellation, it is also in his freedom to aid Crossbell in times of turmoil if he so chooses.

A painful smile appears on Randy's face as he listens to Sigmund's calm and rational words. However, Randy rejects him without a doubt and says, "In seeking peace during turbulent times and justice in a world of deceit, there exists no romance or illusions. We walk steadily down our path doing the best we can within our power. And in finding that foundation, I have parted from the Jaeger path." In front of Sigmund who's now silently listening, Randy resolves to "bravely face his own retribution upon that foundation and bid farewell to his past self." Soon after, Sigmund smiles and says, "Are you done talking crap?" as his entire body emits enormous combat spirit. He acknowledges Randy's resolve and declares that he won't go easy on them. With two war axes in hand, he charges at the group.

The curtain falls on an intense battle that feels like there's no end with Lloyd's group's victory. Surprised at his defeat, Sigmund has no choice but to acknowledge their strength. Randy apologizes for failing to perform his social obligations but Sigmund tells him, "Your worst failure is in not settling the matter sooner and living life without purpose." He also relays Baldur's feelings to Randy, "He never said a word, but he was also worried about you." With that, Sigmund collapses backward onto the ground with a satisfied smile on his face. From the two's conversation, Lloyd feels the deep familial bond between Randy and Sigmund. Randy once again confirms within his heart that he has finally settled the matter, and leaves the Territory of Gou with the others.


>> Self-Disciplining Swordsman

The barrier outside deactivates with the release of the Territory of Gou, and the group is now able to proceed onward. Later, they defeat the third gatekeeper guardian and finally arrive at the deepest part of the Sanctuary, where they discover a door that presumably leads to the last Territory. Reflecting on the people they have encountered so far, they predict that Arios is the one waiting inside the last Territory. Lloyd puts his hand to the door and as expected, Arios' familiar voice comes from within, "So you've come." Arios commends the group for defeating Sigmund and acknowledges their growth, then the barrier barring entry into the Territory disappears. On top of that, he tells them that further words are unnecessary and leaves behind the words, "I'll be waiting at the end of the Territory," before his voice disappears.

From that little exchange, Lloyd and others reminisce about their bond with Arios, who has up till now been not only their biggest competition but also someone they looked up to. Feeling that he is closing in on the truth behind Guy's death, Lloyd promises his brother again that he will bring everything to light and proceeds into the Territory of Kai where Arios awaits. Countless chains which reflects Arios' inner world hinder the group's advancement, but they manage to get over these difficulties and arrive at the end of the Territory. The Arios they find there is neither the Commander donned in military uniform nor the Bracer who has come to their aid countless times, but a mere swordsman.


Meeting with Arios again at last, Lloyd struggles with his words since there are too many questions he wants to ask. Keeping his eagerness down, Lloyd requests to "inquire" the answer to some questions. Arios promises to "answer them all except for one question."

In order, Lloyd asks about the "explosion incident 5 years ago", "Ian and Arios' relationship", and the "reason why KeA was at the Black Auctions", all things that they only have a general knowledge of up till now. In response, Arios tells them all the information that he knows without hesitation. The answers serve to fill in the blanks Lloyd had in his speculation regarding the Azure Zero Plan, and now only one question remains.

Making up his mind, Lloyd asks about the day his brother Guy died. With a solemn expression, Arios begins to speak calmly. Two years after the death of his wife Saya, he became an assistant to the Azure Zero Plan and carried out several shady jobs for them. However, his former partner Guy had been chasing down those conspiracies and secrets through sheer perseverance and incredible intuition. Then, on one rainy day, Guy called Arios out to the Orkis Tower construction area. Although Guy didn't have all the details to the Plan, his deductions were shockingly accurate and captured the general outline of the Plan. Dieter's entrance into politics, attack on Crossbell with the false appearance of it being the work of foreign country forces, and pressure and control of the various nations of the Zemuria continent by using "something" from the Crois family-- Guy had already predicted all of that three years ago.

Guy advised Arios to pull out from the Plan, but Arios did not accept the warning, and the two proceeded to a fight to the death. After many exchanges of blows, the death match amid the rain continued as both of their stamina gradually depleted. In the end, Guy lost his life in the fight. Afraid that others would find out who the culprit is upon seeing the sword cuts on Guy's tonfa, Arios took the tonfa with him.

Toward this explanation, Lloyd points out that "it doesn't explain the fatal gun wound that caused his brother's death." Arios states that he was just "annoyed at Guy's persistence and so he shot him with a gun." However, Lloyd concludes that Arios is lying and argues that in a heated fight, there should be no time to pull out a gun, much less shoot from the back.


Stubbornly, Arios says, "the responsibility of Guy's death rests on me." He continues, "In choosing the path of assisting in the Plan, I have sacrificed my former comrade. I have used KeA's feelings in order to complete the Plan, all for the sake of Saya and Shizuku's future." Arios takes his fighting stance and tells the group, "If you desire to get back what is most important to you, carve out a path with your own hands!" With Guy's dying wish in their hearts, and as the Special Support Section entrusted with the feelings of Shizuku and many others, Lloyd and the others challenge Arios in battle, determined to get over their barrier.

In this death match, both sides have beliefs that they refuse to yield at stake. Emerging victorious is Lloyd's group, who has grown considerably in their chase after their goal, Arios. With his sword thrust into the ground, Arios refuses to fall. Lloyd asks him, "Is Ian the one who killed Guy?" To his question, Arios gives him a passing grade of 60 and begins to talk about the truth behind Guy's murder.

In the midst of their fight, Guy had revealed to Arios that "he didn't speak of the Plan to anyone" and proposed a truce. Feeling Guy's genuine concern from his calm attitude, Arios had also decided to stop fighting. However, in that instant, a gun shot fired. With a bullet to his chest, Guy turned around to find Ian with a gun. In his last breath, Guy told Ian, "Someone will take my place one day and arrive at the truth."

After revealing the entire truth behind Guy's murder, Arios tells the group, "Ian and KeA's resolution are firm." Soon after, he collapses onto the ground. Lloyd has finally learned of the truth behind his brother's death, and he expresses his thanks to his friends. Once again, they continue onward to the Sanctuary where KeA is waiting.


>> The Farthest End Weaved by Fate

Lloyd and the others return from the Territory of Kai and discover an elevator past the now vanished barrier. Everyone believes that the truth to everything and KeA await just ahead. They step onto the elevator and steel their resolve to settle everything and bring back KeA.

As the elevator moves upward, many different visuals appear around them. Some of them show the current situation in various places around Crossbell, and others of past events. As the group gazes at these mysterious visuals, they are swallowed by a scene depicting their battle with Joachim at the Fort of the Sun. However, Estelle and Joshua are not present, the only ones there fighting Joachim are Lloyd, Elie, Tio, and Randy. What's more, the scene depicts them losing tragically to Joachim and no longer able to fight back. Lastly, they see a scene of KeA in shock before they returned back to reality. Judging from the scenes just now, Lloyd says, "I feel like I'm starting to understand KeA's true powers..."

In this way, they arrive at the Road to the Farthest End and look up into the distance at the place where KeA awaits. Words are no longer necessary between them as they all start running on the road before them. And then, upon arriving at the stage of their final battle, they are greeted by Ian and Mariabell, the two propellers of the Azure Zero Plan.



<to be continued>

95 comments:

  1. Just shared your article ( via Google + ).

    Thanks for your hard work :D.

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  2. Thanks Raindrops for all your hard work!

    Sadly the Archive doesn't briefly detail what all of Crossbell's inhabitants are up to after Ochis Tower (all of whom you can visit after beating Dieter and getting on the Merkabah) but details, details!

    See you next Kiseki game!

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    1. You mean all the NPCs? Yeah sadly that's one of the things that's inevitably left out from these sort of summaries :( The other Kiseki guidebooks don't touch on the NPC stories either.
      and you're welcome!

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  3. So is this almost done or is this the end?

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    1. It's not done yet. There's still 9 pages left I need to translate. The remaining 9 pages basically deals with the entire final dungeon until the end.

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    2. What are the last 9 pages about? This seems like its pretty close to the end.

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    3. The final dungeon basically. The fights with all the major villains, final boss, and ending (which ties in to the side story chapter in CSII).

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    4. Oh good I just got that yesterday and was gonna play the Zero/Ao games after.

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  4. You're awesome! Thanks for making these great games accessible to the west.

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  5. always refreshed the first page of the epilogue, didn´t see that you continued already :o hooray o/ o/ ^^ thx again, coming closer to the end ;(

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  6. About how long does it take to translate each page?

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    1. Honestly? Not long. I can probably get the rest done in a day or two if I dedicate myself to it. Except I get distracted really easily by other stuff, especially when I'm on the computer. And I only really work on this if I have nothing else I'm interested in doing. Sooo... judging by the speed I've been updating these in the past... expect the rest in a couple of months?... =_=

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  7. do you planning to complete the translation ? just asking

    anyway thanks for the translation it really help :D

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    1. yeah I do, but I'm only doing this when I feel like it...so, it'll probably be a while before you see the next update.

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    2. nah nvm im just gonna wait
      still playing zero anyway haha

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  8. Hey There Raindrops !! You remember me right ? x) well that's not important anyway x)

    Anyway x) I saw this update since the day it was out but decided I would comment for another day so that day has come

    I just wanted to thank you again for the huge work you did here, and that I'm really looking forward to the Translated Final Confrontation Scenes against Uroboros (and supporters to not name them even if they will hahaha)

    I'm almost done with the game, started the last Chapter of the game x)

    I wish you luck for the rest ! Take care ^-^

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    1. Yes I do remember you :P Hello again!
      You're pretty fast, almost done with Ao! I know I really should be getting this summary translation done, but so many distractions lol, especially with FFXV out right now! Hopefully I can get in another update before the year ends.
      And as always, you're welcome ^^ and take care!

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    2. Hahaha I see, I'll be cheering you on x)

      And about my speed, hmmm I don't think I was that fast x) I took my time with this one and I am still at it at the moment still not done with the Records Section, and I am at the untranslated part so I am doing my best to try to understand some bits though I get like.... 1% of what I'm hearing x)

      I'm still looking forward to seize the truth ! xD (yeah that was bad x) )

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    3. Thanks! ^^
      I'll try to "Get over the Barrier" in my "Sophisticated Fight" with getting more translations out so that you can "Seize the Truth" hahaha :P

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    4. Epic x)

      You still got a few "Barriers to Surmount" x) good luck in your quest to deliver the "truth of the rainy day" (what was your username again ? xD )

      "I pray for you" in the "Shrine of Eidos"

      xD Enough references x) spend some quality time for the incoming days :D

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    5. Hahaha that "truth of the rainy day", nice! xD
      Have a Merry Christmas too!

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    6. Same to you, Merry Christmas and I hope you had good gifts x) and good day :)

      Merry Christmas again :)

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  9. Hi there, I'm currently working on a guide for Ao no Kiseki.

    http://www.gamefaqs.com/psp/625212-eiyuu-densetsu-ao-no-kiseki/faqs/74205

    I was wondering i can put a link to your translation for those that need help with the main story.

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    1. Hello there! :)
      Why yes of course, feel free~ Always nice to see guides being written for these awesome games!

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  10. Hi Raindrops, can you please confirm something that is driving me mad in regards to the epilogue? Does it explicitly state anywhere that Crossbell is only part of Erebonia/regains its independence in two years. I look at videos of it and I've talked with people who've played the game but none of them could confirm it yet everyone on boards and stuff state it like it's a fact... Thanks so much if you could finally clear this matter up for me.

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    1. Hello there :)
      Regarding your question, I took a look at the Crossbell Archives and yes it does say that after two years, Crossbell manages to regain independence. I went and checked out a video playthrough of Ao just to make sure, and right before the ending credits, it's also explicitly stated in words that "Crossbell faces 2 years of hardship under Erebonian occupation". Here's a direct link to that part: https://youtu.be/oMWqXi6PcFY?t=777
      Hope that clears everything up for you! :)

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    2. 2 years of hardship under Erebonian occupation isn't the same thing as explicitly stating they got independence though. Maybe Erebonia manages to make the transition successful and it's no longer a hardship, maybe Lloyd and co. manage to negotiate a return to an autonomous state for Crossbell for the Empire, hell maybe Calvard actually manages to take Crossbell back and begins ITS brutal occupation. So all things considered nothing is certain in my mind, only that something happens within two years and we'll see if Sen III reveals anything by then. Thanks for confirming the line for me in any event, very much appreciated and I look forward to when you finally complete the translation for the remaining parts of the epilogue, including that one :)

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    3. Hm I guess you're right in that the in-game text doesn't really make it super clear that Crossbell gained independence. It's just implied at the end. Though it's not explicitly stated in-game, in the Crossbell Archive (which is Falcom's official settings book) it does say that "they finally won independence and everyone gathered under its flag". So I have no doubt that independence is a fact, just that we're not given the details as to how they achieved it. And that's something I'm pretty certain CS3 will elaborate on.

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  11. My own intepretation though is that they renegotiate back as an autonomous state similar to before, not full fledged independence cause logically I see no way they'd ever be able to do that militarily or politically given how invested both Calvard and Erebonia are in Crossbell and secondly it feels VERY hypocritical to have them win independence after arresting Crois and retracting HIS independence declaration to begin with.

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    1. We'll just have to leave it to CS3 to explain some of these things to us. Maybe something big happened that enabled Crossbell to become independent despite lacking in military power etc. As for it feeling hypocritical, I don't quite feel that way since the way Dieter went about gaining it (threatening other countries with asset freeze, using KeA aka Treasure of Zero to gain absolute control over others, etc) was the whole conflict for the game.

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    2. I don't really think how he went about it mattered in the end cause everyone and their grandma knew that Crossbell independence was not acceptable for either Calvard or Erebonia whatever the circumstance, hell Crossbellians knew that while being kept in the dark about the whole Treasure and Aions thing which is why Dieter fixed the referendum. And after the mess/scars Dieter left I don't see how the idea of a fully independent Crossbell could be sold in Erebonia in particular even if Osborne were to get pushed out of power, Olivert probably couldn't even sell the idea to the people of Erebonia after just two years. So at most I think Lloyd and co. can only really leverage a return of autonomy like before.

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  12. Hey Raindrops, you wouldn't happen to have seen the teaser images for the Sen III netbook that comes with a special order for the upcoming Y's game would you?

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    1. Yup I did! It's great to finally see the famous Barkhorn :P Though I wonder who that green haired person is... first one to come to my mind is KeA but can't be sure.

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    2. That was my thought as well but given she/he is next to Barkhorn could mean that they're his squire, though that one green haired girl in a Thors uniform in one screenshit doing the greeting comes to mind as well, since Falcom only confirmed one Crossbell character naking a return in Sen III. If you ever get a chance to order or see the scans online would love to get a summary/list of what to expect, character names etc.

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    3. Hm for some reason I don't think that mysterious green-hair is Barkhorn's squire :P The fact that Falcom only showed a little bit of the character makes me think he/she's most likely someone surprising or important.
      And I've actually been waiting for the ps4 version of Ys8 so I'll most definitely be purchasing the game. I bet the scans (and translations of the important parts) will be all over the internet the day of the release anyway :P

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    4. Would appreciate your input regardless though if only to have it in one organized place versus random forum posts etc. Appreciate it in any event and looking forward to learning more about what to expect :)

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  13. Yo Raindrops, Got Ao no Kiseki Evolution's platinum today x) just wanted to post something to thank you for your work here :)

    By the way, Is there any other way to contact you outside of here ? x)

    Again thanks a lot :) you're awesome x)

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    1. Before that when are you going to do that walkthrough for CSII already, or one for Zero no Kiseki? :p

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    2. Hahahaha ! Sorry to keep you waiting, I think I am ready for Sen II maybe I'll start this month, my walkthrough can't show platinums anyway since I'll start from a New Game, I'll try to get as many trophies and things possible in the game though like I did with the First Game
      For Zero, I only have Zero no Kiseki Evo, Like I showed in my Channel with those two videos.
      Courtesy of ExeForce, I now know Ao no Kiseki Evolution is kind of risky (so I guess Zero is the same) by risky I mean that my channel may get deleted because of the contents lol (Chara-Ani content and such for example)
      though looks like Sen II is safe x)

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    3. Sweet, looking forward to it :) Does collecting the books/reading material in your student notebook count? I'm interested in reading the supplementary material from both games if at all possible gathered in video, someone posted the Imperial Chronicle but I'm keen to also see the stuff from the various history books and academic papers as well. Though I'm aware you won't be able to get to the Black Records until an NG+

      Yeah, I noticed that as well and warned someone who has both games on their channel, so far they're okay but I recommneded if things look hairy that they private video everything if need be.

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    4. I collected all the books in Sen I and I will collect everything possible in a first run

      About the video regrouping the books and their content, I can do it for Sen I as an extra video and Sen II in the same format

      And I'm still not sure about the Evo Ver. of Zero and Ao, First I'm going to need time If I ever do it and If I eventually do it I'll probably open a 2ndary Channel like ExeForce did x) I will ask him what's safe x)

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    5. Much appreciated, always enjoy learning more about a world and was a little sad there was so little to collect like that in Sky FC and SC.

      I wish you luck in that regard and to do what you think best, would love to see more walkthroughs of these games just in case since most of us state side can't see them otherwise. One thing I recommend is to definitely not use any japanese characters to label it as all the channels I've see taken down did so I imagine this is probably a strictly japanese copyright ban so far at least.

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    6. You're welcome! Guess you finished before I finished this summary haha~ Congrats on the Ao Evo plat! I didn't even get it myself lol :P Too lazy to do all the data trophies. So what did you think of the Crossbell arc now that you finished? :D

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    7. Krimzon - Well Sora put the setting so it's kind of normal there wasn't many things to read except some newspapers and collectable books x) and I'll try that if I ever do it thanks x)

      Raindrops - Hmmmmmm I didn't like it













      I LOVED IT XD it was epic and lots of kaboom moments haha like WHAT ??? NOOO T^T
      The cast is great, you really feel for them and that's what makes you like them even more x)

      My Impressions are kind of disorganized but yeah I really enjoyed everything in this arc x)

      I was fortunate enough to get 2 Limited editions (A and B) for this game and I don't regret it x)

      The Crossbell arc isn't really finished yet :P but what we had is great 22/2 Would replay again x)
      and I love Arc-en-Ciel's top figures x)

      About the data trophies, it was nothing fancy imo x) I just messed up some Merkabah Events because I stayed faithful to my first choice which led me to get 3 playthroughs where I managed to stay faithful to her hahaha

      And you didn't answer to my other Question T^T x)

      PS : I'll still be happy to get a "2nd read" on the part that you didn't translated yet x) and Sorry about the deleted comments x)

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    8. Haha I had a lot of the same reactions as you when I first played the game :P There really were lots of memorable and epic moments throughout (I even cried a little in one or two of them haha) And you're right, Crossbell arc isn't over yet! Still something to look forward to in CS3 :)
      And about your other question, hm I don't have twitter. How about you give me your psn id, I'll add you :)

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    9. Hahaha I cried so much while I played this game x) I fully understand you x)

      My ID is : Great_Shinoby :) thanks for adding me it's cool :3 and yeah, looking forward to see Sen III even though I found Sen II weaker than Ao x)

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    10. Hey, say what you will about the games as a whole but nobodies topping Sen II's ending and how drastically it shifts the storyline. And I also thought Sen I was better then Zero :p

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    11. Lol topping Sen II's ending ? lol to me it looks like Sora FC did it lol many questions to answer we reach a middle point in Sen II's ending though I liked how it was made.
      Sen I better than Zero though ? no, Sen I is better with how they balanced the game mechanics and such
      While I liked the academy setting, I enjoyed more the stuff happening in Crossbell because of how it developped background stuff for already existing characters, the more mature ambiance than just "solve the problems", you could actually see how the political stuff was important in Zero than in Sen
      The character development was well made in Sen don't get me wrong
      But Zero has more charm than Sen and its numerous playable Chars I like both but I like more Zero and Ao in the way they are made
      A caricatural representation : Sen : more Shounen
      Zero/Ao : more Seinen

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    12. Not really no, Sora was very typical and almost cliche in how it ended and resolved most storylines rather nicely while leaving stuff open for the future, I much prefer the interesting controversy and uncertainty of our main protagonist as to what to do next in Sen II. Yeah, that's my problem, background for EXISTING characters whose stories and characters we already knew about for the most part in Sky so really it was nice fanservice and brought them to a close but didn't really add anything new, while people STILL don't know the full story about Elie even after Ao btw and overall I felt they shifted a lot of the Crossbell character development onto Ao which tends to happen when you have so few permanent party members starting out... Zero reads rather sparsely all things considered when I compare it to Ao and how much background is in it by comparison, and felt Sen I was better balanced in fleshing out its characters from the start.

      I think they reached about even personally if we add all games together, especially on the seinen front by the end of Sen II. Zero to me felt disjointed cause it read more like two separate stories then one complete one and I'm reluctant to give Zero credit for essentially milking SC and 3rds story while feeling as shounen when it's just Lloyd and co.

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    13. Put it to you this way, by the end of FC I still knew who Joshua is and what he was going to do cause he already knew what he did and what he was, same with Estelle, so the twist didn't really make me question what they were going to do next or who they really are as characters or how things would ultimately resolve themselves in SC, so essentially nothing changed. I really can't say that about Rean and how drastically things have shifted for him by the end of Sen II and THAT makes me more curious and excited to see how it all plays out. Dean's circumstance to me is unique cause it's a fascinating attempt to deconstruct a JRPG protagonist were as Estelle and Joshua play their archetypes straight.

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    14. Basically you prefer Sen because of the new chars
      I prefer Zero Duology's overall originality and maturity in the scenario along with the complex context of the state
      I love these games, but I just found Sen II weaker in this side

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    15. That's Ao more than Zero though, I honestly feel Sen I did better to examine the complexities of state in Erebonia versus what I read in Zero about Crossbell cause it was very black and white in Zero without moral contradictions but Sen I is hardly the case, mostly because of Osborne whereas Dieter plays his good statesman facade most of the game. And the only people it feels like we get to know in Zero is Lloyd and Tio, while Rixia, Randy, Wazy, Noel and KeA all got put off to Ao.

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    16. Hence why I write Duology, you also say that because you actually played Sen games while you didn't play yet Zero Duology, Zero isn't just Police vs Mafia, and the game shows you why it's not just black and white
      Sen does the same, you could say Black and White are Noble Faction vs Reformist Faction, though the games shows it's not just that and Dieter isn't a "statesman" yet in Zero, he becomes one at the end indeed
      About the other party cast, of course you wouldn't know them really in Zero, they're not even permanent
      while Randy isn't really fully explained, he does show he has some heavy luggage behind him
      KeA is partially explain in Zero and it's the reason why Ao is "the final destination", in Zero you also meet very important NPC in zero such as Sergei, Fran, Ilya, Cecil, Shizuku, Henri MacDowell for example
      not knowing their past doesn't mean you don't know them.
      For Example Dudley, you don't really know about his past but you know how he behaves, how he is generally, why he respects people like Sergei, Arios, Guy even later your party.
      As for Elie, she is clearly explained during a "heart to heart" scene in Zero, you don't really need to know much more, what the game tells you, is enough to make yourself an idea of who they are and not everyone needs certain scenes telling about their past
      Same thing goes for Noël and Fran and other chars
      I don't deny your opinion though there is just more than what your read in those games and why they are said to be so great compared to what we have with Sen (though again don't get me wrong Sen games are great too ^_^)

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    17. True, but based on what I've read at least I think it's pretty black and white when your main opponent in Zero is a crazy cult that NOBODY (even the main bad guys) really likes or sympathizes with apparently, I mean Alan and the Intelligence Division do a much better job of that in FC even after burning an orphanage. And that's kind of my point, Sen goes out of its way to explain the complexity of the conflict, mainly thanks to the contradictory impressions with Osborne heading the Reformist. I concede the Dieter point though, which kind of deflates me more about Zero cause it doesn't sound like there were an interesting/controversial political leaders now.

      That sounds nice and everything but that lack of context and having a grasp on their motivations really hurts their development in the beginning however you slice it and why it feels like Sen did a better job of spreading it out across both games, heck I'll say Sora did as well while I'm at it. And you might be right about Ellie, but her wikia and tv tropes article just frustrates me with how much she leaves out about her past experiences given she's a main party member and unlike Rean will NOT be getting a sequel to explain it all eventually <_<

      That's fine, I just wanted to make a point that Zero/Ao do have criticisms that can be fairly leveled against them (mostly Zero), and that as great an experience Ao has been to read through here it's ending and characters seem to get really shounen and less seinen by the end, and that I see much potential with Sen III given the setup there. People might complain about how Mary Stu Rean seems at first but I love the complexity of his position by the end of Sen II and and am really curious to see where he goes from here now as the controversial hero along with where Osborne ultimately falls. I suppose that's what tips me over on the other side though, because I find Osborne the most fascinating character in the franchise across all three arcs so far, and that extends to Rean and his story now.

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    18. This again is because you didn't play them x)
      In Zero, the cast is doing their jobs, it's explained why they chose to enroll in Tokumushienka, not in full depths for Randy but enough to make you understand why for him and for the others as well, in Zero you also couldn't have any "interesting" political leaders because of Hartmann who is a representative of the Empire of Erebonia who is "corrupted" you seem to miss some keypoints here ^_^'
      also in Zero the main bad guys are the DG Cult indeed, but they're not revealed until the end hence why I wrote mafia you spoiled yourself the biggest reflexion of the game x) , like I said it's pretty reductive to Zero and Sen to put a manicheean vision of the bad guys the games show you it's not that black and white for both
      And again for Elie, it's a vibe you get from reading only things about her but I tell you, the game does give you enough details, you don't need to know what she ate for dinner last night to know her x), if you so want to know her past it's detailed enough in the games x) her familial situation, why did she study this and that, how she traveled and met people x)
      and you may be right about the end of Ao going more "shounen" but overall the game's ambiance feels just more mature than it did with Sen and Class VII hence why the more "seinen" vibe we get

      Osborne certainly has his part of mystery indeed I find him interesting but not fascinating

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    19. Whether I did or not doesn't really change that having an evil cult as your enemy is very cardboard, Ouroboros might fill a similar role but even they've displayed more moral complexity <_< We couldn't have legitimate pro-Empire and pro-Republic political leaders or something to better showcase the moral complexity in Crossbell?

      There, that part about how she traveled. Where in those travels did she somehow learn about the secret order of the Gralsritter exactly...? What else did she learn abroad and how exactly? We're never going to get an answer for that though cause Crossbell doesn't get a sequel <_<

      What I find fascinating is the dual nature he displays, until Sen he was ever only the big bad bogeyman and power hungry tyrant. But then you see what he's dealing with in the empire, the good consequences of his actions alongside the bad and the greater moral complexity behind them, and that ironically every other person who supports and follows him are descibed or shown to be good people in general in stark contrast to the man himself. And then the big reveal at the end of course. And so I find him fascinating as a character, not just because of the obvious mystery in terms of what he's actually doing or what he actually IS given he seems more than simply human as Sen II and Tio reveals here in Ao, but also in trying to understand his motivations for why he does what he does as well now that we get hints to his character being more than that power hungry tyrant image he generally leans on. Who is the real Giliath Osborne? And that alongside Rean is what I'm most looking forward to finding out in Sen III.

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    20. There wasn't any of these because of the fact Crossbell was supposed to be autonomous therefore there wasn't any political leader for neither of these, Mayor MacDowell being a dedicated and good Mayor for Crossbell and his fellow Crossbellans and never tried to work for neither of these two forces' interest, Hartmann was there for Erebonia's "purposes" it's even showed in Zero that their purposes clearly are not the same and also Hartmann's position almost gave him the same powers as the Mayor if they didn't

      As for Elie, it's explained in Zero, on how she studied abroad, visited many places during her economics and political studies hence why she's good in those domains in the Game, as for knowing the septian church's "secret branch" it's by traveling to the Holy City of Arteria, meeting people like Ries that she learnt it
      The reason why she studied abroad, is again explained in Zero Like I wrote, it's all explained in-game it's again what you "miss" by not playing

      I understand Osborne and Rean being fascinating to you, I've never said neither implied it's not good, I just wrote their situation is interesting, saying it's fascinating would more biase your way of thinking while I wrote the questions raised are interesting, it's more neutral and doesn't get as much as the "passion" feeling about their situations

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    21. That just makes Hartmann depicted as blatantly evil contrasted by the 'good' Henry though, instead of raising a moral contradiction about Crossbells conflicting political loyalties, which are there based on the conversation Osborne had with Olivert back in 3rd. The fact Hartmann turns out to be corrupt just makes him more bland as a villan.

      Errr, traveling to the Holy City doesn't exactly equal learning about one of the church's most secretive orders and I feel like a lot of Elie's travels had similarly interesting encounters but we're probably never gonna learn about any of those <_< I do get your point and I'm sure it probably was well written in-game but it peeves me they just hint at such an incredible background experience but never follow up on it, like Scarlet and her training but even moreso because Ellie is a main character and we know even less than that about what happened at Arteria with her... but I've gripped on long enough about that I suppose, again it's just one aspect about the character pacing I felt they could have better balanced.

      And I wasn't insinuating you were, I was just explaining my own thinking on the matter and why I find Rean and Osborne's status so compelling. Just to clarify that I do think Ao is the best game of the Trails franchise so far story wise despite my not being high on Zero. Potential wise though I'm hopeful Sen III rivals it given all the interesting setup so far. Rean graduating should hopefully give it that seinien feeling that Sen II's ending started.

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    22. *sigh* you don't even get the whole picture you still are stuck in the manicheean vision
      Hartmann being "evil" is more complicated than being just evil the same thing goes again, it's because you didn't play the game the same works for Sen
      There is no moral contradiction for Crossbell's political loyalties, the problem is that it struggles to be legitimate as an autonomous state being "plagued" by the Republic and Empire

      About Elie AGAIN, yes you have been, you are looking for lore where there isn't clearly one, she went there as part of political studies and learnt how structures work, so it's implied she learnt through that and her meetings of course traveling there doesn't equal learning that but even by not clearly writing it the game tells you as much as if it was explicitly written, you can still get how she came to learn this, You wanted her to explain how she found herself in danger and how Ries Argent came to save her from danger ?
      If nothing happened there, why would you bother telling about this ? she studied in many places like any normal person not everything needs to be said as long as it's coherent, not developping things like that doesn't mean she should should have been developed in this side, what would that bring to her character ? you already know what's relevant about her
      I guess I should have wrote "traveled to Arteria as part of her studies" to make it clear for you
      She didn't study there to be a sister but studied how things work

      I agree about Sen III, what Sen II raised about Crossbell's in divertissement is mostly why I want to get Sen III x)

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    23. And again all that tells me is a black and white morality in Zerk. I much prefer Ao's way of handeling things by making independence seekers of Crossbell the main villains and showing the moral gray of that side as well versus simply lumping Erebonia and Calvard on the 'bad side'.

      To me lore is important though because it shapes the context of the person we know and their mindset. To be fair I felt the same frustration about Emma's self-discovery tour but never really elaborating on witches like the extent of their powers or their culture etc. I think any involvement with the Graslritter is important cause it's the Graslritter and they are undoubtedly important, simply because they didn't write about it doesn't mean it wasn't important or that I don't think Falcom made a mistake with teasing a possible other side to Elie but not elaborating on it. I didn't say she went to Arteria to be a sister either but when part of that'study' leads you to learn about a secret order in the Septian church there's an interesting story there that they passed on telling us about. To me it's almost like if we didn't ever get Moon Door 3 and learned about Kloe's first year at Jenis with Lechter, that's crucial development and context we'd be missing on her despite us already knowing Kloe and her character.

      Eh, that's your perogative, mine as you can guess is digging into who Giliath Osborne really is and how Rean comes to terms with who exactly he is as well. Crossbell is like the whole Renne chase scene with Estelle and Joshua to me, nice fanservice bur their story has essentially been told while I we can't say the same about Sen obiviously.

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    24. definitely stuck hard in the head, though through "prefering ao" in the way of handling things is basically getting away over the fact it gives you the base like Sora FC, Sen I did, you are stuck on the idea you're right with "black and white", in a way it's like that but it's not as reductive as that

      never said lore wasn't important, just pointing out you seek something which isn't here, if they didn't elaborate, it's probably because there isn't something to be added here do you even read what I write sometimes ?
      the sister point was just a way to lead you to a point
      Gralsritter section and above aren't so secret, otherwise the guild, governments and even military men wouldn't know about them most of the people are don't know about that section but that doesn't mean it's secret, it's just not common knowledge
      this is an "issue" you have to settle with yourself

      it's mine indeed, and obvs it's not ended even the game tells it you -_-' though pretty much a reductive point of view about Crossbell there are nicely made intersections along with the story zero and ao brought and it's not only the "Renne chase scene" even if their story is as you write "been told" that doesn't mean they can make nice addition in the way of making a new one with Lloyd and Co.

      Tired of having a dialogue of the deaf and not you not seeing much further than your nose
      you're a cool guy but you're too fixated into Sen for your own good

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    25. All I'm saying is that I simply didn't find the main conflict in Zero very compelling, there wasn't an interesting contrast from the villains like with Alan or the ILF in their respective opening games and that I think their character development could have been better paced, like how it takes Randy 2 more chapters than it does Fie to admit his background and only starting to deal.

      And I replied I think was a mistake on Falcom's part, I've read more than once that they've had to cut story elements in their games before and this feels one of those times on Falcom's part. An example would be Olivert and his past, where he teases us about a painful memory during his dream if you bring him against Lucy in SC but hasn't brought it up since despite his interesting circumstances as a bastard prince. I hate when plot threads like that are just left hanging, it's wasted potential.

      Is Ellie any of those things cause last I looked she was a civilian when she went out to study correct? So it doesn't change that ELLIE shouldn't know anything about them unless something interesting happened when she was at Arteria, or possibly other wild adventures she might have had abroad but they couldn't fit in to the story for whatever reason. And heads of state/royalty, army commanders, and intelligence people are a bit more select than you describe, not like foot soldiers, bueracrats and most bracers would be on that list of people who know about the Gralsritter.

      My main point is that this is Sen III and not a Crossbell sequel, they're not going to be the main story however big or small a role they play, so it'd be nice to a) not get our hopes up too much until we see for ourselves what role they play and b) respect the fact that at the end of the day this is still Erebonia's story being told.

      This is a matter of personal opinion and taste, I can hear and see just fine and I read your points lound and clear, I simply disagreed with them. I'm not fixated on Sen so much as Osborne (whose been in multiple games beyond Sen) and by extension Rean, but regardless I'll repeat that I think it would be nice to remember that this IS still Sen III we're talking about in the first place, not a Crossbell sequel, so I don't see why I shouldn't be thinking more on what's going on with Sen's storyline since that's the series III is the sequel for.

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    26. Anyway I think we've both droned on the matter fro long enough so why don't we end it hear. Appreciate you enlightening me on certain aspects of Zero as I watch through some of it in playthroughs while trying to match it to the summaries/translations on hand.

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    27. For Elie, she's some kind of "noble" being the grand daughter of the Mayor so she's not "the typical civilian" but yet again I had to precise it to you x)
      Indeed, never said you were wrong, just saying that there's more than what you just read since you wrote pretty reducing things, Estelle and Joshua arc (since you brought this up) doesn't come to "hinder" Lloyd and Co. in Zero, so I don't think Lloyd and Co. will come to "hinder" what you call "Erebonia's story" they're bound to each other so they will be seen, why not making a what you call " Crossbell Sequel" while developping Erebonia ? this is not only a matter of what you call "fan servicing" to me, you are not looking at the bigger picture and is stuck into catergories like "Zero to Ao is Crossbell" "Sen is Erebonia", the direction it took is not just that, of course it will be focused on the people from Erebonia but it doesn't mean they will only talk about them while making good additions, I didn't write it wouldn't be "Crossbell Sequel" but just wanted to see what would they do with it from the point it reached not "it will be from a Crossbellan POV" I understand why you want to know more about Erebonia, but with the direction it took, Crossbell's arc will get intersections with Erebonia, this is not only "Erebonia is for Sen" never wrote neither implied Sen III will focus as "Crossbell Sequel" from the look of things it will have it but of course being Sen, it won't be only Crossbell, it wasn't complicated to get that from my two lines above x)

      and about "droning the matter" indeed that's what I've been trying to say above, glad it still served you

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    28. By which we have no evidence (as far as I can tell) her grandfather was aware of it, and he has no reason to tell her that beforehand even if he did know, like Cassius didn't tell Estelle or Queen Alicia with Kloe btw, and I believe her grandfather's priority was to keep her OUT of politics. I don't need you to be specific to use logic or available evidence on the matter Shinobi :p

      And I never said Estelle and Jodhua hindered the story, just that I felt it wasn't very intergrated and more of a side-thing/its own seperate storyline during Zero. That's where I currently think the Crossbell POV's fit into Sen III but even more limited because unlike the Sora characters Rean and Lloyd are on opposite sides as of this moment, so it doesn't logically make sense right now how Lloyd's whole la resistance won't hinder Erebonia's side of things if their POV become too much of a focus unless more evidence that they won't comes to light, given there's so many other story elements like Ouroboros, Osborne, Divine Knights, TWO Sept-Terrions, Gralsritter running around, and now Crossbell's occupation from the perspective of its occupier in Rean. Heck the Sora characters feel like they'd have an easier time integrating into the story as things currently stand because they're neutral and can still legally interact with Rean's party and not be considered treason. But that's just me clarifying my perspective,so again let's move on from the matter.

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    29. Lol never wrote Henry MacDowell told her, she studied those by herself, that's a detail you've been missing there's no kind of evidence or logic to use here -_-

      Of course they are sided, you don't even get what I write let's move on from this dialogue of the deaf you don't get what I mean while you feel attacked when I see your point

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    30. In fact that detail is my entire point, because I've asserted a normal civilian doesn't just go and 'study' the Gralsritter and logically that means something unexpected and interesting must happened when Ellie was in Arteria for her to have learned about it. You keep telling there's no story there because if there was Nihom Falcom woild have wrote it but Falcom isn't omnipotent and in this case I think they clearly made a mistake and cut out one of Ellie's storylines prematurely.

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    31. And neither are you by writing they made a mistake, considering at that time it wouldn't be relevant for the character. I concede there may be something to tell about this, but I don't think It was a faux-pas in the story telling, considering she kept the secret about Ries and Kevin's Dominion's title on the "first encounter" in Ao and until Kevin and Ries + Waji and Abbas are revealed to be who they are to the group, she's not even present at that time so why would she explain in depths how she came to learn this section of the church
      Studying the structure of the Septian Church is one of the many things she studied to become who she is now not in particular the Gralsritter

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    32. Regardless to me, and this is just my opinion on the matter, Zero just feels very imbalanced in its story telling, future party members stuck as NPC's for the majority of it with little direct involvement (everyone in FC at least got a chapter to play around in), a lack of continuation from the previous story lines main plot into the sequel (even Alan and the coup still played a role after FC into SC), and few hints to offer a real sequel hook. In many ways Zero feels like they could have compressed into one prologue chapter for Ao in my view, with a side chapter devoted to wrapping up the Renne story from Sky thrown into the mix.

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  14. Personally I'd go one step further and call them Trails of Zero and Trails of Azure and no mention of the words EVO since I think the audio aspect is what got most of those channels as well (managed to find pre-Evo playthroughs of Ao and Zero still up as well)

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  15. I have a quick question about the ending.

    Raindrops, I know that Phantasmal Blaze is completed by the time Crossbell is liberated. However, does Crossbell Archive mention specifically who completes it?

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    1. Hmm off the top of my head, I don't remember reading anything about that in the Archive.

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    2. Well it would be either Osborne or Ouroboros, personally hoping Osborne just to see how that messes up the Orpheus Final Plan :p

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  16. Hey Raindrops, have you been reading the news on Sen 3?

    If some of the news that has been passing around under the radar is true, we may yet be seeing a new chapter in the life of at least one of the Crossbell crew!

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    1. I actually haven't been keeping up with all the sen 3 news since I want to leave most things as surprises :P Though I've heard about Randy appearing! Can't wait for that :D hopefully the rest of the Crossbell crew will show up as well.

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  17. Woohoo!Trails in the Sky the 3rd is finally here in the states Raindrop! Let's hope it sells well enough to get the Crossbell games over here in the states and lessen the burden on you :D

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    1. I'll pray with you that the 3rd sells well :)

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  18. Replies
    1. It's progressing nicely~ I'm just not updating it on this page yet :P planning to update the remaining pages in one update.

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  19. Woohoo, glad to see you back Rain, big news on Sen III and confirmation in some familiar Crossbell faces making their return, now in glorious 3D, though I won't spoil anymore for you. I'm thankful and hopeful at least to finally get a chance to see said characters in the states at last though :)

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    1. Haha, thanks for trying not to spoil me of Sen3 stuff XD but actually it's kind of hard to NOT see anything regarding the game unless I cut myself off entirely from the internet or gaming news sites I frequent. I saw some of the new magazine pics and pretty much know which Crossbell characters will show up :P totally hyped for the game! Trying to avoid the details though so I didn't read any of the text heh

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    2. I had heard that Ao's epilogue spoils some parts of Sen 3, like the fate of Crossbell. I'm curious, what are they?

      Also it seems it took until CS2 for the main characters to explicitly NOT actually defeat their opponents in the final boss rush. Interesting. Kinda the final piece of evidence for my theory that in-game levels have no story significance.

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    3. While true for the most part in Ao there IS one boss they don't/can't actually beat. Same was true in Sky SC with Loewe. Helps that Lloyd's group has the Son of the War God, a many multi-generation assassin, AND a Dominion that's not holding back, supported by a prodigy scientist who has heightened superhuman senses.

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    4. As to the first question regarding the spoilers, that will appear at the very end of this summary :) which I'm trying to get done asap

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  20. Thanks for the update Rain! Didn't figure Sigmund would be so chill about the whole thing at the end. Makes me curious as to what he and the rest of the Red Constellation do given this and Shirley, hope we get an update in Sen III :)

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    1. I want to see the whole Red Constellation gang show up in Sen3 :D since Randy's already confirmed. I don't see Shirley missing out on all the fun~

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    2. It'd certainly make for an awkward family reunion though for both Randy and Sigmund given Shirley's *ahem* new opportunities outside the family buisness. Throw in Fie and whatever Zephyr's been up to and you've got the makings for an interesting fire works show ;)

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  21. Dat pun with the Arios fight xD

    Get over the Barrier xD genius

    We only miss the final showdown now indeed thanks for updating :) I'll be following and reading the rest as usual :)

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    1. Haha that pun wasn't me :P it was in the original text.

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  22. I heard the Crossbell Archives tell us what Kitty is doing after Ao. I've been praying to Aidios that Kitty will return as a teacher in Sen 3 but the chances of that happening are really low. Since the liklihood of Kitty or the Brights appearing in Sen 3 are pretty low, would you mind telling me what the Archives say about them?

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  23. Yo Raindrops. How is it going with the Ao no Kiseki Summary ? Are you playing Sen no Kiseki III currently ?

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    1. Hey :) it's been a while!
      Sadly, I'm still waiting for my copy of Sen 3 to arrive. I ordered from sofmap store so it takes a bit longer than amazon JP since I have to go through a proxy service. Should be getting it early next week though, can't wait! :) are you playing it?
      As for the summary, it's on hold atm. Will probably resume after I finish Sen 3.

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    2. Sorry for not responding you early. I was a bit busy.

      I've finished Sen no Kiseki 3 ( I enjoyed a lot, more than Sen II ). With some external sources, I could understand the main plot. Can't wait for Sen no Kiseki IV ( the Erebonia & Crossbell epilogue ).

      Also, Happy Chinese New Year :D !

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  24. I loved your transaltion!! I don't know how to thankyou.. But i need to continue to read the next epilogue! Pls Upload it soon. It should be fast right?

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