-Azul wants Vincent to “show [him his] rage.” He senses Chaos trying to break free.
-In combat, he’s now “Neo Azul.”
-The whole fight is on a large elevator platform going down. He has the massive assault cannon from last time and is firing it around. He also does a cloud knockdown attack thingy that the pillar in the middle of the room doesn’t protect me from.
-Oh! It looks like the cloud attack is when he slams his gun on the ground. Maybe I can jump over it?
-YES! I can. The timing is tough, but I can. I try to avoid his sweeping gun attacks ducking behind pillars, and jump over his ground stomp. It’s tough, but I get him. Go Coldrun!
-Like Rosso, he deals with defeat through laughter in the joy of combat. Though he’s more graceful in defeat.
-oh shit
-I was wrong. I only beat his first form. He goes into Behemoth!Azul mode.
”Arch Azul.”
I’m low on potions and probably fucked.
-He’s knocking me around with his horns. I have no idea how to dodge or defend against it.
-Hm. Melee attacks work. He kills me though. I’ll try again.
-Second try. I obliterate him in the first phase this time with the machine gun, and have many more resources going into phase two.
-This is super frustrating. I can’t damage him from range. When I get up close, he tail whaps me. I can’t dodge his horn attacks.
-wait, what about… yes! It’s not consistent, but if I hit him a few times in melee from the sides, and dodge out, I don’t get tail swiped. I can rinse and repeat on that. (His horn attack still seems pretty undodgeable though.)
-HAHAHAHAHA YES FUCK OFF AZUL -- VICTORY!!!!!
-WAIT WHAT
-NOOOOOOOOO
-The body of Arch Azul gets up as Vincent walks away, and swipes at him. Slams Vincent into the rails. Is Chaos about to take over?
-HOLY SHIT HAHAHA VINCENT TELEPORTED (????) OVER TO ARCH AZUL AND RIPPED SOMETHING OUT OF HIM
-VINCENT IS IN CHAOS FORM NOW
-AND CHAOS PICKED UP AZUL’S GUN HAJKLFHAFLDJKLFHDJKLSF
-JUST WHEN I DIDN’T THINK THIS COULD GET MORE AWESOME, CHAOS DOESN’T SHOOT AZUL WITH HIS OWN GUN. HE FUCKING REARS BACK AND THROWS IT AT HIM, IMPALING AZUL
-OHO, BUT THAT’S NOT ENOUGH FOR CHAOS. AS THE IMPALED AZUL FALLS OFF THE ELEVATOR, CHAOS LAUNCHES A RED FIRE ENERGY WHATEVER BEAM AT HIM
GET. REKKKKKKKKT.
-And look who appears at the top of the elevator watching all this go down.
Nero, above it all.
-Fair warning: if you hurt Shelke, it’s on.
-Chaos doesn’t see Nero yet. Nero considers letting Chaos run free. He drops a chip or something down that Chaos sees. Not sure whether it was accidental or on purpose, and not sure what it is. Probably on purpose.
---
Flashback – Shinra Labs
-Turk!Vincent is in a mako tank. Lucrecia’s overseeing.
-She’s in bad shape. Seems exhausted, but I’m betting it’s something else.
-Hojo appears, pissed at Lucrecia. She’s not supposed to be down here with Vincent. Is she helping him escape?
-LOLNOPE. It seems like the opposite. She’s going above and beyond, experimenting on him with Omega and Chaos in ways that Hojo wasn’t.
-Hojo’s voice actor is phenomenal btw. My favorite in this game alongside Rosso and Weiss.
-Lucrecia is horrified at the accusation, but I think it’s more that she’s getting called out than anything else. Hojo doesn’t mind anymore. He walks away, cackling.
---
Present – Elevator to Deepground
-Vincent wakes up lying on the still descending (?!?!) elevator.
-Oh! I see what Nero dropped. It’s a phone.
-The elevator hits bottom.
VINCENT: “Deepground. Shinra’s dark secret. Three years of hell below, and now a world of hell above.” Pretty great line.
-The door opens.
Purple shadowlight floods out. Vincent enters.
---
Next time: into Deepground.
