The story of PSO2 has many chapters & is very long. This isn't meant to be a substitute for the game, or as a transcript of the entire script/plot, but rather a way to understand, read-up-on, speculate, analyze & get a really good idea of what's going on in the game. This section is for Chapters 4 and 5 ONLY. For all the plot before this, see the Story Hub. Because the game is divided up over these sections, the plot will be as well. |
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Character Guide Planets/Areas Guide Special Quest Mission Write Ups |
Color key Green Text: Speculation or opinions What You Do/The official "Party Line" appears in RED TEXT Bold Text: Important information Choice Options: Blue Text Dates & Times (Story is time travel related) Purple Text |
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Story Guide HUB | |||||||
At 1400 And indeed he is! He’s kneeling in the middle of a very complicated glowing circle symbol. Enga yells his name and shoots him with the gun, but it does nothing. Ardem says that was quick everyone…old Ophiel wasn’t as useful as he thought he’d be. Enga tells him not to move, or he’ll put a bullet in his head. This is…an ok line, but he did in fact, already open fire a burst of automatic weapon fire just 10 seconds ago, anyway. He is surprisingly & nicely trigger-happy, in that he doesn't speechify, stall, and do 'typical main character vs the villain' grandstanding, he just starts blasting. That it doesn't have any effect here is moot, it's that he'll shoot mid-sentance that's refreshing to see. Ardem says it’s not about what people want, it’s something that has to be done. Hitsugi chimes in saying that in that way, nobody’d want that change, can you even call it an evolution? He says like brother like sister, of course they’re both oblivious, it’s not about hope or desire but what must be done. Kohri is useful here, asking him why he’s so driven to seek evolution? He asks her to reverse the statement, where do you all see hope in this world today? (Fair enoughbut he won’t let her answer the actually nicely logical question, he just goes to ramble on his speech.) Humanity continues to destroy itself and the world, creating new technology to do so, even the appearance of a chance for change was brought into the same kind of conflict. He watched over them for so long, all by himself, it’s become too difficult to watch any longer. Of course, there’s the usual sword work you’d expect out of anyone with a blade. He has his own variations of a few sword techniques. He can duplicate himself, but the copies (unlike other copy-cats) are real, and can/do physically attack. He’s got the ‘super-fast-forward-scoot-stab’ on lock as well. (Phaleg’s signature move) He can make a series of symbols that hover in the air in front of him, then shoot them at you. He’s (for some reason?) not very good at this though and they’ll often miss. He has a ‘mega destroyer’ attack as well, where he goes into the middle of his symbol, levitates invincibly, and then makes more vertical symbols. These will shoot out absolutely massive beams of super powerful…power, as he spins in the middle. However, it doesn’t last too long/he can’t keep it up so it’s not like a blender of death. He’s got HP a-plenty though, so you’ll have to be nagging on him for a while as he lets off attacks at you & the Hitsugi-crew. At 1500 *Is this a direct admission that whatever “god” comes out is JUST HIS OWN IDEA? The ‘manifesting’ of all this stuff as ‘embodiment’ is ALWAYS the idea of whoever is doing it. Hitsugi’s katana, etc etc…so is he admitting right here that he’s embodying something that HE THINKS WHAT GOD IS LIKE? He then goes in his symbol, and…branches spring forth to contain his arms and legs, he says that he was created from the dust of the land, he won’t let it say that it doesn’t want to descend. The light that he’s created from his circle begins to consume him. Everyone has to cover their eyes. The 'branches' are kind of gold in color, twisty like vines with thorns, and because there's a batch for his legs and 1 for each arm he ends up sort of in a cross shape which is sure to be intentional. A bright light happens as Phaleg holds up Ophiel, as she is choking him. Ophiel is badly beaten, he’s missing several teeth, his face is badly scuffed and almost completely red/black/bruised over. (Why can he not cube out? This guy was a literal master at insta-evasion the entire time he’s been seen, what’s preventing him from doing so here? Not loyalty to Ardem, because he’s losing to Phaleg and knew he would…stalling her wouldn’t help either because he knows the Hitsugi squad has already gone ahead.) He asks her if she needs to go see what’s going on, as she’s taken aback by the blast of power, but she ‘believes in humanity’, and won’t. Now she holds him up again. She will clearly torture him to death in the room. She throws him across the room once more. In a new, strange area, Kohri is shocked, asking, where are we? Hitugi says it’s not a garden, it’s too much for human senses. However, there’s a pleasant wind, and it seems sunny. The ground here is mossy looking, and there are golden speckles in the air. The edges of the room and floor are very woody. The ‘walls’ seem thorny, as if part of some giant vine or tree. Something begins to appear in a ball of light, in the air above. Hitsugi asks “Who is that?” This thing is rather abstract. It is basically human shaped with 2 legs 2 arms and a vague head like apparatus. The ‘ribs’ are open, but are as pointed twisted wood. The blue parts of this glow with ether. It’s mainly white, and a goldish color. It has twisted DNA strands (they’re blue) for upper arms, armor/white gauntlets for forearms. Many twigs and sticks grow out of the tops of the gauntlet cuffs. Any part that’s white, will have gold filigree accents. The body and legs have some twisted/wooden textures. The head is basically a sort of very tall, conical point with no face. It has no wings, rather a ring with geometric bars (all golden) that hovers behind it. Above/behind the head (very tall, conical) is a 3/4 ‘halo’ made of twisted thorn vines, sticks and it is 2 layers high. Some of this grows a few tiny green leaves. It also has a half-ring hovering over the shoulders, which grows a twig/stick ‘cape’. Really, this is quite a plant monster. Maybe a white/gold armor combined with plant/sticks. Is this a ‘crown of thorns’ reference? (For Jesus) The thing to note: Enga says this is what Ardem must have meant when he said his body was a vessel for God. However…the idea of the arrival of God of All Creation…what sort of madness is this? It claims this is an unexpected vessel, but if it did take shape in it, then it must fulfill the duty wished of it. It will use the land, the planet as materials to commence the creation of a new universe. Hitsugi is shocked, claiming that’d destroy the Earth?! It’s the end for Today’s Humanity, the planet and universe, but don’t worry…the reborn one will likely eventually be carried on by a new humanity. A stagnant world only has worth as a raw material, so if rebirth is what humanity desires…he’ll fulfill the wish. Hitsugi says no, and everyone draws down on it. It says you dare draw on the god of creation? It thinks about things for a bit…and unequips them. This also removes the fancy embodied costumes. The embodiments are fragments of itself, they’re no threat, and will scatter according to its will. It pulls out a stick-sword and is about to chop Hitsugi and you have to block it from Hitsugi with your double saber. It asks how has your power not vanished? The first rule of being a literal god, would never be needing to ask a question. But it's episode 4! The ship shakes around, some kind of power seizes it, Xiera yells, sees Naberius out the window, and the ship has been returned! She flails at her screens, and is confused. Every ARKS who was on Earth is also back on the ship somehow. This IS something that Xiera would know instantly, it's part of her job to be powerful enough mentally to be able to track literally everybody she's in charge of, so this makes perfect sense she'd know all this in 1 instant. “Children of Earth, can you hear me, my voice?” It claims this is a fragment of a broken star. But, with control of the body, noises can be silenced at leisure. First, to rid of the insignificant humans that are here. It gestures and a large light consumes everything until all is white. Back on the ship, Aru hears Mother! A blue glow appears on him. She asks for his strength to save Hitsugi…no, the Earth? Aru says of course, if it’s for bro and sis and everyone, please use all of his power. He gets his kitty falz suit on, and says he’ll create the connection, so please go! Of Course! If you say Of Course! You can nod, Xiera says you seem quite confident, but how will you get back there? ARKS access is blocked and coordinates are too irregular, she can’t just transfer anyone…Some things can’t be solved through feelings, do you have a plan? Even So There Has To Be A Way Neither answer is particularly ideal…If you say Even So There Has To Be A Way (Or Xiera) she’ll say you’re putting all your trust in her? That’s what you really mean? As she’s said from the start! She’s here to support you! If that’s what you want, no matter what, she’ll find the way to do it. She gestures grandly and makes even more floating screens! This seems to have really powered her onward. She talks to herself, mostly…”Think back…to when Hitsugi came here… through the use of the game they came here…” she vigorously gestures as she figures out “all we need to do is to reverse that. She understands the principals, she’s seen the real thing, analysis done, connection established, it’ll be ridiculous if we can’t do it!” A way to travel from here to there! She calls the game’s title screen up onto one of hers, and you & Aru are sucked into it as blue dots. Xiera has actually done it! Hitsugi braces for the hit from the twisty sticks & vines sword, but you block it with Hitsugi’s white embodied katana, Everyone yells your name, and you offer her the sword. (Where’d you get it? It’s an embodied thing, and ARKS can’t do that, they're Photon-based as it's been explained many times.) She says it should’ve been destroyed by how? Kohri has taken out her PSP. Aru pops out of Kohri’s game, and speaks in Mothers’ voice instead of his own. Mother then appears, (Kind of ghostly, above) because with his permission she’s borrowing the body, so please take his hands. Enga and Kohri do. He sparkles and Kohri gets Gram while he gets his auto-rifle. Hitsugi nods and glares down the thing while drawing on it. Mother says it’s like a god but built on the framework of either from Ardem its not real. And so humanity can try to take it down, and Aru and I will ensure this space isn’t destroyed. So Sis, do your best! He then disperses into Mother, and then dots. So, what they mean is they won’t let the plant monster destroy the ‘arena’ so everyone at least has a chance. It asks if these humans will really defy it? You don’t desire new creation only to degenerate, why choose such a foolish thing? Kohri yells that it’s wrong, we walk forward with our own two feet for tomorrow. Enga says we stumble and go back but we get up and keep going forward. Hitsugi clarifies that even if we stop, if we look back and regret mistakes even if we can’t take them back, this is our evolution, it is our way to the future. And we’ll continue walking toward tomorrow and I won’t let anyone in the way! Even if it’s this God! It says it's foolish to reject the future…but, perish all humans along with the Earth. It gestures. Failure will be destroyed and remade in the image, the planet, and then the universe. The Earth Is Not Your Plaything If you say There Is No Need To Recreate The Earth Hitsugi thanks you and everyone does a weapons dance at him. Now, you have to fight this fake…ish god guy. The strangest ‘attack’ is one where it makes an invincibility dome over itself, stands still for some time, and creates 2 wiggle vines in front at the base of the dome. It stabs the ground with these, and sweeps them around. But, this is a really telegraphed attack, the vines ONLY have reach in a tiny area directly in front of it/not even that-that far, so it’s not very effective. You can literally just hang out behind it while it carries on for a while. This lets use mates/do resta/feed a mag…anything you want. But you’ll need the time because this fight is going to go on for a while. It does not do this attack when you encounter it in MPA situations where they use the boss for online purposes. The biggest attack is to create AOE stun with a light blast, then do a tornado of twirling stick towers. (Remember that you can wiggle out of stun, and absolutely be on your game about this here.) It also is very fond of wind blasts, and will do several to blow everyone away from it. Bring a HP recoup weapon if you’ve got one like Elder Sword or the Nox gunslash. Phantoms use bits with healing. If you don't, keep resta around because mates will likely have been used up primarily by this point. With the Elder Sword you can even over end him while he does the wind blasts, recouping hp the whole while. (HP jogs up and down as it goes) It’s fairly talkative during the fight, and will say words when it attacks. You can’t understand it (of course) but the same word goes to the same attack each time. At 1700 Hitsugi says it’s not that we’re refusing, its that if we don’t rely on you, people will learn to walk on their own two feet. Hey God we humans aren’t perfect like you and we make mistakes, so its irritating to watch us but we made it this far, mistake after mistake and we keep moving toward the future so keep watching over us, see the future we make for ourselves, our future. It says to surpass God to create a future hahaha, you certainly earned it…. The thing is, no one was relying on this guy, he didn’t exist till Ardem embodied him up. Well, no one was relying on it any more than going around thinking about it, because it didn’t exist. Also, knocking off one odd tree monster that NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT isn't going to change anything. Remember: the Earth at large has no idea MC or EG even existed, they never knew about Mother, ARKS is still largely a secret/crossing dimensions is, and for sure nobody saw what Ardem did in his ruins/cave thing or this 'extra dimensional wooden arena'. It does laugh and tilt the ‘head’. However, God is immortal, so if people desire it it’ll be embodied once more. Hitsugi says if it happens, we’ll show the power of will again. It asks if that’s the will of mankind? She says no, it’s her Hitsugi Yasaka will! (Very good, not speaking for everyone here) It says very well until the next time it appears it’ll leave the planet in humanities’ hands…and flies up in a golden beam of light, breaks apart into glitter dust, bark and sticks…and vanishes. The sunny ‘tree place’ was apparently a type of illusion because everyone is now back in the temple ruin like huge stairs area under EG HQ. From the ceiling Aardem floats to the ground serenely, (He lays horizontal on nothing the entire time) and Enga runs up to look at him once he lands on the floor. Enga says he’s sure there’s a world only he’s seen, but Earth won’t be destroyed that easily. We may be foolish but we have things yet to do. So leave it to all of us. Ardem says the remains of the Ether he left behind will reform into God and come again. (He's not malicious about this, it's not a threat. He's just stating a sort of ominous fact) He doesn’t know how many more times you’ll have to fight it…he simply doesn’t know. No that won’t be all, taking in the 10s of thousands of years of his own despair it’ll embody into something much stronger, much darker. Rather than creation, a powerful merciless God of Destruction. Enga says we already factored that in, so believe in the ones who brought you down. Ardem says he will, but sorry for all the trouble…Enga tells him its ok, and to rest now. Ardem closes his eyes and….disappears? From his circle. Points of light condense behind everyone and slowly lower to the ground. It’s Aru! Hitsugi is happy and Aru says he’s ok but Mother is…appearing in the air behind him. Kohri asks what’s going on, Mother explains the body (She had/appears as) was almost nothing from the start, this what you see, is the embodiment of a miracle, this is how it should be-- the guiding hands are gone, this is the new future for the Earth, a future to forge for yourselves. She then asks has she come close enough to being like the original? Like Xion? Mother is Mother Well she’s not. She’s different…as she should be. If you say Mother is Mother She says if that’s so, her vengeance ends here. She’s sad but then smiles. Hitsugi says we’re ok, we make mistakes but we’ll all be ok on this planet. So please rest in peace Mother. Mother then glows blue, and fades upward into her blue speckle glitter and vanishes. Kohri looks sad and looks to hold Hitsugi’s hand. Hitsugi says she’s ok, so let’s everybody go home to where we belong. Everyone nods and gets ready to follow her upward through the big door stairs. There’s a bright light beyond it though… And apparently that light was a time cut because they all got out just fine and the next scene is: 2028 6/6 at 1400 Kohri though, gets a message from Aratron. It’s that he wants them to help in the ESCA maint. She’ll say that’s ok. The current MC is hiding the absence of Mother, and Aratron is in charge. Taking on Mother’s wishes, he worked hard to change the organization to support the Earth in secret. (So, probably like what Earth Guide was meant to be doing but never really was, because Ardem was at the head of that.) Enga rushes in, says he’s sorry to intrude as he looks all around the room and then hides under a box! There are several cardboard storage boxes at one side of the room. One of them is empty, and also large enough to fit him. He flips it over, curls up and sets it on himself. “Don’t make it obvious he’s here! Crap!” He calls out from beneath his box. In a gray-cut-scene, Hitsugi explains that under MC, Och & Phul were made teachers without warning. Since they’re world famous as a Mathematician & Writer, they’ve caused a ruckus when they arrived but that blew over. (They were not from Tensei Academy, Hitsugi’s school, they went elsewhere) This is an odd concept, using highschoolers to teach others their same age…clearly without any training at ‘being an actual teacher’. Remember--1 month. If they weren’t popular and picked on before…one would think it’d magnify as head of the class. They creep over to 1 suspicious box. And attempt to lift it. Phul says being a teacher was what Och wanted, but she seems to be enjoying herself as well at the role. The box creeps away, but Och summons a Maxwell which explodes the box! Enga pops out and says it wasn’t fair. Phul drags them through a purple portal she has created to the study hall though Enga will flail. Kohri asks if it’s really ok to use Ether abilities as playthings. This never gets explored or even mentioned but... Phaleg has snuck in! She says mastering the abilities is a good thing! So playing around is all right. This startles Kohri a lot because she’s gotten into the room riiiiight behind her chair. She is glad to find them in good health, so how about a battle if you’re done with work? Kohri laughs about it, and says she’s still got a lot of work to do with Hitsugi for the school. Phaleg feels it’s a shame, all opponents are too busy to fight her. *Well, naturally because who knows what got tore up. She tried to invite ‘that person’ but it won’t accept the challenge. Hitsugi explains that Phaleg still appears from time to time, and always just as suddenly. Everyone thought she’d disappear after that day but somehow she’s still around. Kohri goes to offer her some tea, but she just stopped by to ask about a fight. But, whenever you feel like fighting, feel free to give her a call. She waves bye and hops out the window….backward. Kohri immediately goes back to lamenting the budget. The donations are good, and she’s thankful, but items keep changing so she has to keep shifting it. She blames YMT corp saying they are at fault is the budget proposal keeps changing. She’s not sure if it’s because he heard of Ophiel’s treatment or not, but the perverted CEO had a change of heart and has been working on various charity projects. Maybe why he sends donations and worked so hard to fix the Ether Communication System (ECS) is his way of trying to atone for his sins? (His main sin was creating the green man and Boaty Yamatobut nobody ever speaks of it again in the plot, leaving it as a huge plot hole unless you were running the EQ that had it in there.) Hitsugi finishes her clerical work, and Kohri is amazed with all what’s going on. Hitsgui accuses her of lacks concentration. Kohri is sad, asking how, oh how could Hitsugi do it and she not. Hitsugi says she’s just used to distractions. Aru rushes in and she scolds him for running in the halls. Kohri tells him he takes after Hitsugi, who (Gets mad because it’s true she ran in the halls all the time) asks about his 1st day of school which he says was fun and is so happy. She forced the elementary to let him in, so he’s got to try and make 100 friends. That’s fine, he’ll make friends for Mother too, 200 friends! Aru remained here, we were hoping he would, could…and wanted to. Very cool that Hitsugi was able to use whatever MC related powers to make it so that nobody cares that Aru is homeless, has no one of a legal age to be a guardian to him, literally no parents and also an undocumented illegal immigrant. He’ll have great luck getting a job later with no social security # equivalent they have in Japan. But at least he gets to go to Elementry school to learn…hopefully how to be alive/a normal human. Also she’s his mom now. Remember: they don’t have any relatives at all, so it’s up to Enga and Hitsugi, 2 teenagers who are still probably a little dysfunctional to raise Aru as their own child. Hitsugi says lets go, Aru agrees and Kohri gets up to come too. However, Hitsugi scolds Kohri into staying until her work is done. Kohri is upset and sits back down to be left out of whatever it is they’ll do. That’s what she gets for allowing a near-deity magic fighting woman to pop into a window right behind her and say distracting things…how dare she let that mess her up. The ARKS ship that remained in that universe after the incident, did they decide the world was saved and didn’t want to interfere where they didn’t need to, aside from phantoms? She hasn’t met them since that day…since she had tons of things to do when she got back, she hasn’t a chance to visit. Maybe the ARKS realized how busy we were and didn’t visit either. She wanted to give them some attention, but…it’s ok. It’ll be a bigger surprise that way! They clearly make up their mind later on. But Xiera says lets go to the shop area first because something Amazing is happening there right now! It’s true, people are waving glowsticks as Quna is on her stage. She will sing a song to connect Earth and Oracle. Everyone claps and cheers as she starts her show. This is the end of Episode 4 Now, the credits appear over the Earth, with character portraits. Dawn slowly breaks over the planet, as the moon rises in the background. So EARF finally ends.There are some "loose ends" style extras that only appear after you finish this chapter, but this is the 'solid end' of the main plot that was chapthered out. The wrap ups & extras will appear below this area before Episode 5 is started. It was not a well-conceived story. With it over, the main questions and massive plot holes will still go unanswered forever because nothing else has to do with them. How does PSO2 manufacture solid bodies with no brains in them? |
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