Not a cheerful chapter, this one features tons and tons of enemies, all dark. If you’re going for the best, do this one on a 3 luck day to make the most of it. It’s pretty much a hack-fest for the first half, racing through Moatoob trying to get the kill count to 300 in time to make the grade.

This mission is another emergency. Seed forms are attacking various towns and cities on Moatoob. The outskirts of Dagora are infested, and they’re infecting people as they go along. It’s confirmed that GRM is secretly working with Illuminus to research Seed and A-Photons. Upon arriving at Mina’s desk, Laia wonders how this emergency is any different than all the other ‘emergencies’ that the Guardians have been solving before. Mina explains this one’s a bit more justified (understatement) in that it’s the 12th request the Guardians have gotten lately against this crisis. Laia suspects the Seed attacks are some sort of terrorist move. (it’s never too early for her to start suspecting things) Well, what about the AMF? They’re already there, and still short handed. It turns out that you’ll be the 107th team called in for this.

Tonnio shows up, and is his usual defensive self, but takes the same stance as Laia about emergencies until he too realizes what’s really going on. You head out to Dagora, but no one is there. (it has scared off all the npcs who usually roam the area) Tonnio wonders if everyone was killed, but no, they’ve just been evacuated. As your team approaches the Flyer Base, Mikaris Geid shows up. She is the communications officer of the 117th unit of the AMF anti-SEED force. Curtz is in command of it. She wants you to go to the canyon and kill the seed forms before they get into more populated areas. She tells about her experiences at the front lines, and that the outskirts of the city are already over-run. She assumes there will be at least 300 Seed-Forms in your area. (and she is correct) No one knows where they’re coming from, though. Even though everyone’s trying their best, there’s still lots of casualties. She asks about the Anti-Seed Vaccine, and everyone has had theirs, because it is mandatory for all guardians. AMF encourages everyone to get the vaccine, but it’s not widely known. AMF is comprised of mostly CASTS (she reminds) and they can’t get the virus. However, if you are a CAST, Laia makes a vague reference to some CAST-specific protection measure that’s still experimental, that Maya has something to do with.

Dagora Canyon

Dagora Canyon is similar to Galenigare Canyon in looks, but not layout. (It’s more straight foreword) Tonnio hears something, which reminds him that he had a tough time vs.150 SEED-Forms before on a previous mission. Laia is worried. As you advance through the area, it’s apparent that it is under a plague of pannons, as they’re the most common enemy. There are also sendillans and a few scattered higher-form Delsabans with shovel-like hands. Naturally, the mission is timed though there’s no plot reason for it. Gaozoran are there to eat up time with their teleporting tactics and high HP. Fortunatly, Tonnio builds his blast meter quickly and will tear into them frequently enough to move things along. At the end, there are carrigune, (of course) who are there to megid you and the NPCs to force a mission-do-over. If you can defeat them, the mission is a success…or is it?

Kurtz radios in, and informs everyone there’s still heavy casualties, and an unusual number of SEED forms. He has a suspicion, but not enough evidence. Tonnio insists on hearing it anyway, and doesn’t like it one bit. Kurtz thinks that all the SEED-forms suddenly attacking are actually transformed people from the cities and towns. Tonnio knows it’s messed up, but can’t explain it any other way. If, as SEED-forms over-ran one town, they turned everyone into a SEED, they’d keep doubling their numbers. The same as if somehow someone released a virus in the center of town and as everyone was infected, they just moved along as an army one town to the next, adding each town to their numbers. They know that Illuminus has successfully infected people with the virus before, but all 300 enemies being people…? GRM is also researching the effects of infecting people. Originally the military was trying to use the SEED as weapons for the AMF, but Illuminus has stolen the secrets and is now using it. This is the first that Kurtz has heard of it.
Laia wants to change tactics to help the survivors. Kurtz vetos it though, because there’s not enough vaccine to go around. (plus, once someone is a SEED-form it’s "too late") Laia then shouts if he doesn’t want to change tactics it’s because only (mostly) Beasts so far are infected? Kurtz accuses her accusatory racist-statement of being ridiculous, and reminds her that if the current forms aren’t purified, they’ll just march on and infect everyone else. The AMF and Dallgun have already consented to the plan to cut the losses in that way.

Laia gives way right away upon hearing that news and possibly seeing the logic. Tonnio wonders at this, but there’s not really anything he can do either. As you move on, you learn her heart’s not really in the battle any more. Kurtz messages again, and says to go to a Coal Mine near the outskirts of the city. This is the opposite direction from the battle of the front lines. He wants your team to go there and look for survivors. But why? It’s nice of him to know what she is going through.

You go through the mine, defeating monsters here and there, until you see a beast kid. He runs away, but soon becomes trapped between your team and some AMF grunt type CAST soldiers. He’s afraid of them for some reason, and hides behind Laia. AMF tells you to back down, but no one will do it---what’s going on here? AMF explains that he hasn’t been immunized so they want to shoot him to death on the spot. Laia, being reasonable, explains that this is an actual person (duh) not some animal or SEED form that they can just mow down. They have their orders though, and will follow them blindly, no matter if anyone is innocent or guilty. Tonnio steps in, and says he’ll take responsibility for the situation. As the soldiers wonder how that would work, Kurtz shows up. He issues orders to “Terminate him on the spot if he turns into a SEED-Form”. He then takes his troops and leaves it all up to the guardians, who agree to his terms.

The kid is no dummy though, all the talk about killing him and even debate over it (!) has caused him to (reasonably enough) run away. When Laia turns around to tell him he’s safe now with the Guardians, he’s missing, and a puzzle ensues. You have to figure out how to trap him in the mine where there isn’t a door or a warp that he can escape through, as he’ll just run in circles infinitely escaping your team. The frustrating nature of the puzzle, buttons, doors and warps leads both Laia and Tonnio to put the “figuring it out part” all upon you because they hate mazes. This tends to cause ill will toward the Beast Kid, as you’re trying to save him but he’s making it so difficult.

When the team finally catches him, he’s in pain. He starts staggering around and acting woosy. As it turns out, he was infected the whole time. He is still scared, confused and hurt. He then changes into a dilnazen. Somehow, he can still speak and calls for help, and his sister. It’s too late though, and he loses his mind and tries to attack everything that isn’t another SEED-Form. The team is forced to fight him (and some Pannons) to the death in order to save themselves. There’s nothing to do for it.

Later, Tonnio laments that if they had let the AMF kill him, he wouldn’t of had to suffer as he did, and Laia says she feels selfish over it. Tonnio confirms that no one was hearing things, he really was still finding a way to talk, even as a monster.

The problem with their whole lament is that no one on the team is HARDCORE enough to hold down some 12 year old kid as he’s screaming and crying and let the military blow his head off all over the sand. Plus, no one has any TEST KIT to see if he’s even infected. He could be just fine, and no one would ever know. Killing everyone indiscriminately wouldn’t help the cause of ‘saving the people of Moatoob’.That would be the very definition of "Throwing the baby out with the bath water". It’s never acknowledged that it’s better to try and save people if there’s a chance.

Laia calls for Hyuga, but he’s not available. (This is a bit odd) Lou cuts into the call with urgent orders to mobilize. Everyone can’t go fast enough to Holtes city. Naturally after the kill-a-thon and maze irritation action, Tonnio is all worn out. He wonders if someone else can go, but no, this is a Level 4 Emergency. All the machines are out of control in the city, and are attacking everyone. Why all these disasters at once? Laia suspects Illuminus. It’s time to head out to Parum, as the SEED have been put into their place for now…though Dagora has been forever changed by the virus.

Over all, a depressing piece with undiscovered moral lesson. Mostly an action chapter, this one does little but establish that beasts are easy enough to effect with the virus, and that it’s actually a terrorist group’s attempt at chemical warfare, racial purification, or both. The mystery remains who’s in league with who, how deep, and what exactly they’re up to aside from causing general chaos and destruction. It seems odd that “Parum’s Machines” going haywire is such a problem, because unlike the COG run temples, the place wasn’t packed with equivalents of the Bysha guarding every street.

This is another one that picks up RIGHT where the last left off, skipping any sort of intros. You start this one off in Holtes Central, which is empty. Laia reminds Tonnio not to panic, and he suspects that Illuminus is behind the out of control machines, which are what has undoubtedly driven everyone away. Laia knows that GRM is involved, and that they would have had to plan far in advance to orchestrate something like this. This casts a far more sinister light on GRM, than even in previous situations.

Suddenly, the ground shakes. It's either an explosion, or an earthquake in Holtes East. You run there right away, to fight Tyrentos and some Grinna Bete. This is something VERY new, as previously it was thought fights in the city were impossible. Laia and Tonnio note that the simple radar is useless there, which means the low level but extremely high HP Betes are a bit of a trouble to fight. After the fight, Lou calls and doesn't know why casts and defense robots are becoming uncontrollable and violent. As the situation baffles everyone, Laia is all ready to go fight more of the rampaging machines, but Lou wants her to return to HQ. She struggles against the order, but Lou explains that it's for another mission up on the G-Colony. It turns out that seed forms are attacking it like crazy.

They conclude that this is 100% terrorist attack, and Laia thinks its Illuminus spreading the GRM-made SEED virus around. Lou explains that most Guardians are fighting the robots and the CASTS, and that the Colony needs help. Hearing this, Laia agrees to go up there. On the way back to the PPT port, you encounter Hips Yellow Cast and the Crabby Blue Girl. As it turns out, they're Guardians too, though Ethan never found that out in his offline escapades. They pretty much stand around and ignore everyone, which tips off Laia that something's wrong. They all turn as one...and you have to fight them. After knocking them out, they vanish like normal enemies. Lou explains that some of the Guardians who were down on missions are now out of control. Is Lou ok? Yes, that one is. The control Lou that you're talking to is isolated. But a Lou on Moatoob lost control due to an unknown contaminant. The contaminant dissolves onto behavior control chips, and then any machine can't control it's actions. So it sounds like the problem is air-borne--simply because there are no incidents of sprays, clumps, touching, rays, particles or any other physical thing you might see going around touching the stuff onto androids and machines.

But what did they do with the rouge Lou? It still is out there, somewhere. So far, it killed 43 Guardians! (it is not mentioned the type of combat the Lou did...it could've opened fire with an SUV on a crowded lunch room and got them all in one shot.) The AMF is also having issues with OOC Casts. Tonnio decides he has to go to Moatoob to help out Vs. the AMF. You race up to the Colony, and something is banging around, it is a seed Venas. Again, this 'bugaboo' type monster is invincible, so there's nothing you can do but run away from it. The only place you can go is up to the Guardians HQ, as the destruction has rained palm trees (from the planters) into your way, and there are also emergency barricades up. Leo arrives via elevator and general shaking occurs. It's the SEED Venas banging on the door you just locked. Fortunately, after not finding any easy prey, it goes away and Laia assumes it's headed down. After a bit of talking, Lucaim Nav gets in. (but how?) At first, everyone's glad he's safe, but he can't speak. Of course, he's been infected as well. He attacks the group, but just like the Venas, you can't attack him. His invincible nature is likely due to his skill and extreme age giving him DEF that's through the roof. However, and fortunately for your team, this power does not extend to his ATP, so he has real trouble in hurting anyone at all despite his furious attacks.

Everyone talks as he fights, until his ICS crashes him. It happened just in time, because the Guardians HQ is a dead end, and there really isn't anywhere to run. While he just stands there, Laia calls Lou with the bad news. Lou says to get to the first floor where the emergency shelter is, and to be evacuated from there with the remaining Guardians. When you leave the HQ and head for the 4th floor, you'll find it full of pannons. You can't go directly to the 1st floor, so you have to make your way through the ruined malls fighting SEED forms along the way. A missing barrier allows you to reach the Central Table.

Maya is attending a fallen Hyuga at the Table. Apparently, he led people to the shelter and then stayed behind to fend off the SEED. Did he face down the Venas alone? Maya is unsure of the evacuee status. It can be suspected that Hyuga himself could have something to do with the Venas, or even BE it due to his never appearing at the same time as this invincible monster. The curiosity being why he would turn into something different from everyone else, and also how he manages to switch back--because no one else ever has, despite all the treatments and vaccines. Maya says that Dallgun was overseeing the evacuation, but now he's missing too. Naturally, Laia wants to go to the residential area to help out and look for her father.

Lou calls in again, with some news, and some orders. The source of the out of control CASTS is a toxin that was derived from SEED. It gets onto the behavior chips and makes the CASTs do whatever the SEED wants. This is actually a strengthened (artificially) form of the SEED virus. Presumably, just like how it infects the animals of Gurhal, and makes them attack everyone, but not each other. Maya says she's made a vaccine for CAST but it has to be used regularly, and it is unknown whether infected CASTs can recover. There is still no fundamental way to manage the virus. The outbreak is from a GRM plant.

Before she can explain further, there's an earthquake (shaking on the space station) and all the lights go to red. The fountain breaks apart, and urgent message sirens begin to blare. A message is announced about a battleship, but it is broken up. Leo immediately wonders if the Illuminus used the colony's own A-photon reactor to draw the seed in. Laia tells Maya to get Hyuga out of there, but before she can, Kurtz and his AMF troops come down the ramp. It's not reinforcements though, as he too can't speak. They are all infected. You're then forced to fight Kurtz and his men, however, because it is SEED in control of him, he is not very skillful, or all that strong. Ethan shows up and stops the rampage!

He explains that Kurtz's ship charged the Colony, and then the SEED invaded. Kurtz isn't dead from his encounter, but he can't move on his own. Maya gives him something to keep him down, so that he can hopefully be restored later. Lou calls in with yet another emergency. This time Nav got underground (beneath the central table of the Colony) and broke through some of her locks. Dallgun is fighting him right now! Laia demands transport for Kurtz, and argues with the Lou until she tries to arrange something. Of course, Laia will head out to find Dallgun right away. Ethan wants to come along to help, but Lumia calls him. Why, and where is she? (Moving Comic fills this part in.) Laia realizes that Lumia is all he has left, and tells Ethan to go to her right away, but not before confessing that Dallgun is her father--and that he is all she has left. Ethan and Laia understand each other's situation and he promises to come along later.

You go to the underground passage.

It is Clyez City's underground control area, directly under the Central Table. The Colony is on the verge of destruction by the AMF Fleet and SEED efforts. Can Dallgun be saved in time? Nav gestures and the president falls down, as you enter. Once again ICS stops Nav at a critical moment. The Prez is shaky, but he has a mission for everyone. He needs the Guardians to get a Lou to the central control room, in order to detach the residential block of the colony. A Lou arrives. She says that she has constructed “backups” and will transfer them to bases. They are losing control of the colony. This Lou and the backups must be preserved so that someday, the system can come back online.

Laia wants to know why the Colony must be separated, so the Lou explains that the terrorist attack damaged the central A-Photon reactor, so the colony is now off its orbit. With the orbit in decay, it will only be several hours before it goes crashing down to Parum. The damage can be minimized if the residential section is detached. This will not only help preserve Parum, but will save everyone still trapped inside.

This Lou needs to directly access the central control system manually. It is also the first time she’s ever left the command room. For some reason, this Lou seems a bit more personable than the others, and apparently always was. (It can be assumed that every time a Lou called during previous missions from a ‘base’ that it was this Lou) A dire pair of facts are then revealed, first being that this is the last Lou there is. All other Lous are either infected, or down. The other is, that 1 million people on the Colony will die if this Lou becomes infected.

The Lou says there’s only a 4% chance of making it alone, but Laia doesn’t want to leave Dallgun and even calls him ‘father’ (something she avoids doing) He knows that means a lot, but he insists that she go on, because of all the lives at stake. To help ease her worry, he also says that Leo and Tonnio are on the way to help him out. *As you remember, Nav is still standing there under ICS, but it does not last forever. Without help, Dallgun will be in trouble if he wakes up.

He also knows that the comms are erratic due to the backup and damage. Laia agrees to escort the Lou, and Dallgun is proud. He’ll wait there for you to return. The Lou tends to behave well while you fight off Gaozorans and Pannons while getting keys. An unpleasant surprise awaits in block 2, in the form of a Renvolt!

He asks you if you’re trying to survive and save the Guardians. (duh!) and makes sure to tell you how foolish that goal is. Laia accuses him of being a CAST for Illuminus (who, as human supremacists, do not want Casts around) and then says he’s a fool right back! She also reminds him that the war he wants will also make humans extinct, so what really are they thinking?

Not one to be argued with, he reveals more of the sinister plan. He says that to HOWZER fundamentalism is but a slogan to dupe the weak minded into helping their cause. Howzer is the true leader of Illuminus. He then drops another bomb that Renvolt was always Howzers “Other Self”. It can likely be assumed that this set of androids (Like the Lous) are programmed to act similarly to the original Howzer, to carry out duties around Gurhal. He says he separated from the Endrum Collective which was there to keep AMF in check against the SEED AND the people of Gurhal. The need to “Keep AMF in Check” shows that they may have been/be the only thing that might threaten Illuminus goals. Laia just counters with ‘what’s the point?’

Fortunately, he’s through with stalling you from your goal, and says to ask Howzer yourself…if you survive! The Renvolt allows black mist to cover it, yells, and then turns into a SEED-Magashi. Of course, this fight is here to waste your time as well, there are only minutes to go! If you can defeat him, you’re ready to move on. But, a regular Magashi steps in to block your path. Despite being amazed, Laia is ready to fight this one too—but 2 more walk in, and one still has the big wings on it! One of the Renvolts finally confirms what everyone has known since Ethan started the whole thing off- that there are several of him, just like there are many Lous.

Laia wants to kill them all, but the Lou reminds her there’s no time. You have to race the clock vs. SEED Guardians (RAcaseal types) and the SEED Magashis. The SEED Guardians have ridiculous amounts of HP, no matter which difficulty you choose, as they’re there to slow you down more than anything else, while the Magashi bullys around the room.

If you can fight off all the SEED infected people, you can get to the command room, where the Lou enters a pod and separates the residential block. It will separate in time, and everyone will be safe. Laia tries to call Dallgun with the good news, but gets only static. She calls Leo, who says the prez is not there, and he’s been covering the shelter the whole time. So where is Dallgun?

The central part of the colony lifts off in surprisingly low-resolution video, amid clouds of propellant and gasses. Laia rushes to where he was, but finds it locked off. The communicator finally works, and he explains that someone had to stay in that room to unlock it once the Lou linked up inside the pod. (why? It was previously stated that ALL it needed to unlock was the Lou climbing into a pod. The party line seems to have changed, if someone is needed to "Confirm" the unlock from some special command room--as what it looks like here. Another thing is, the room Dallgun was in, was EMPTY. Where's the fancy equipment something like that should require?) He does not mention Nav, who is presumably still KO’d—or Dallgun wouldn’t of lived long enough to do that. It becomes apparent that he lied to her to get her to go. Leo and Tonnio were never coming to his aid. They never even knew he was in trouble. It was his last act as president to save everyone on the colony, and many lives on Parum as well. They both realize that they had a lot to learn from each other, but will now never get that opportunity. As Dallgun dies, the Guardians colony begins burning up in orbit.

And so rather tragically ends PSU. With no relatives left in the world, Laia was asked to become a good example to the Guardians. Hyuga is in critical condition. Nav and Kurtz are out of commission with the SEED infection. Maya is struggling with finding a cure. Lumia is in trouble. Ethan has vanished again. Renvolts are on the loose, and the leader of Illuminus is finally known. The problems of Gurhal are seemingly just starting.

Since this is only the last chapter of this particular game, it is not packed with loose end tie-ups or major revelations. Many questions are still unanswered like:

-What is really wrong with Hyuga?

-Will the androids be ok?

-Why does Howzer want to kill absolutely everyone in Gurhal? Is he bonkers?

-Why is SEED-Venas invincible?

-Did Nav really kill Dallgun, or was it something else?

-Where will over 1 million refugees from the colony go?

-Will anyone ever use a Sochee on something not underground?

-What about Karen?

-Is COG up to no good with the girls in jars?

-Is Lumia ok?

-What will the Colony shell hit on Parum when it falls?

-What about the Vol Brothers? (Not seen since Ch.1)

-Is the whole AMF army now SEED infected, and if so, how can it be brought under control?

These and many more questions remain, hopefully to be answered in “Ambition of the Illuminus” the next game of the series.

The only question actually answered well is: “What is Illuminus’ actual goal?” To which the answer is “kill everything in existence” The only problem with that being, it doesn’t really make sense.

So stay tuned for the story chapters from Ambition of the Illuminus, coming as soon as they're released!
In the meantime, view the plot of "PSU AOI Moving Comic"