Luminos564

Bang definitely wouldn't want to take an innocent girl's life, even if it would benefit his beloved lord and their son. (Ineffective) Ninja though he may be, much of his character lies in his own sense of justice and how unlike the rest of our merry troupe of mass-murdering, morally gray characters, Bang stands as an example of unyielding optimism. He shares that along with Celica (who might as well enter Virgin Mary status from how pure she is) and Taokaka who's all heart and no brains to actually consider killing any version of Lacking Lady. Was he shaken up when Izanami painted a target over Noel's head? Of course. Would he actually go through with it? I have my most sincere doubts, especially considering his CS paths are all about making decisions that are bigger than his personal desires (like vengeance for Tenjo against Jin). In the case of Lamb-chops though, I think she's wholly tied to Ragna. Specifically to protect him. Never does she, technically, interact with Noel/Mu-12 so I doubt she'd have any sort of animosity towards her. Of course, this is muddied somewhat because we don't know what is going on with Lamb-chops right now, aside from her desire to protect Ragna at all costs which drives her to continue fighting even against the warnings of her own survival OS. And speaking of the man in question, I want to take a moment to discuss the new Act III art for him. Why do I wish to bring it up? Because I think there's a subtle foreshadowing being done with it that might allude to the contents. Starting off, Ragna has always had a fierce look in his eyes. In most of the images depicting him, he's always looking straight onward, ready to meet a challenge even if he were severely outclassed. Here however, he's not looking straight but more to the side and upward. His clothing and sword are also damaged (though not excessively), which indicates he must have fought someone yet it wasn't that big a deal for him. So perhaps we can either a). rule out the possibility of him turning Black Beast in this Act or b). speculate that he will grow so much in power that whatever it is that he opted to do in Act III, he should be able to accomplish with relative ease. His face is also not one of anger like in most of his portraits, but one of resolution. I honestly don't ever recall him making that kind of face before and it's the kind that look of a man ready to make a really difficult choice. The Azure Grimoire arm placed over the right side of his chest only seems to signify it further. Finally, we see him in a predominately white background. If you're familiar with some aspects of Eastern cultures, you know that the color white is often associated with death, sadness and mourning. However, I'd like to think that ASW might combine it with elements of the Western side as well, which often associate it with peace, purity and cleanliness. Keeping this in mind, perhaps Ragna's plan ultimately ends in his demise (either physical or spiritual) but at the same time, might lead to his ultimate closure/peace and "purification". What that means in detail I do not know, but if it does work this way, then perhaps I can see it as a satisfying send-off to the character. Especially if this game is supposed to be his last Waltz.

This intrigues me. I thought it would be pretty darn weird for Ragna to suddenly listen to Izanami and do what is asked of him. So while everyone jumps at each other's throats (or True Noel's if we're going to add drama), he goes on to find his own ticket. How ironic. The one character that is ALWAYS out of the loop and demands he be included now suddenly goes "Bother this nonsense, Imma go do my own thing. You guys try not to go all Hamlet on me while I'm gone". So Hazama has more or less no intention to help Terumi anymore. Fun. The Troll King (Terumi) gets out-trolled by his own body. It's like Shadow Draygon predicted it with that "nice" Hazama personality from way back in the early Blazen comics. So Jin is after Noel's head if that story CG is anything to be believed. At least Kagura's a total bro. Oh look, Rachel went all tsundere for Naoto this time. I'll admit, it's actually fun to watch her lose her cool whenever she encounters him. Too long has her "I know anything and everything" attitude bugged me so pardon my glee at the current turn of events. First Noel, then Mu-12 and now Izanami has an identity crisis. Geez, Mori is like Oprah, only instead of giving out money and cars, he gives out mental breakdowns like candy.

Fair point. I'll concede that I was basing my comparisons on the elements from the expanded console Story Mode in CP to the current CF arcade content and that it ultimately isn't a fair comparison. I just personally felt the CF arcade felt more disjointed than before, though upon reflection, this might also be that the arcade mode now has those 3 acts and we only got 2/3rds of it available. So for the time being I shall withdraw my previous statements until we're good and settled in with Act 3. Hope that sounds fair on my part. I'll also have to tip my hat off to you. I hadn't considered the idea that all these characters wanting their own version of an ideal world to be the focal point of the arcade at least. Thanks for that.

You're halfway there. While it is true that the arm makes it so that Ragna's soul remembers the injuries he sustains in previous loops and it does indeed remember Hakumen wrecking its shit, recall what that arm was before it was attached to Ragna. That's right, it is from his own, beheaded post-Black Beast corpse. Think about it: the very thing that "isn't supposed to be Ragna's power" came from his own perfectly preserved (thanks to Celica) corpse from a previous incarnation and from the sound of things, it is still alive. Mori certainly has a dark sense of humour to him if nothing else.

Perhaps I should rephrase. When I said the story was a mess because of all these individual desires/motivations, I didn't mean that the "characters having them is a bad thing". Rather my complaint is that all these individual desires, at the very moment, do not have a focal point like before to tie them all together. In CT, everyone and everything wanted to get a shot at Ragna and his pants Azure. It made sense. Sure, almost every single character was after him for a different reason, but because of that he could serve as that very anchor I mentioned that kept the story in check. Similarly in CS, like how everyone was after Ragna before, virtually everybody that mattered was after Noel while the characters that didn't want her were slowly being settled into the 3 sides we got in CP: the Anti-Team Batshit Insane (the "good" guys), Team Batshit Insane (the villains) and Team Undecided (sort your Bullet, Amane, Carl etc. here). And though people are split on her, Celica and by that extension, the Kushinada Lynchpin, served to function as the goals of the story. In CF though, what exactly is the focus? Act I has people running into Nine, only for her to point them in Izanami's general direction for Act 2, who then in turn points them to Amaterasu and who knows what she'll point them to in Act 3 (maybe the Panda Express food delivery service; never did trust those guys). Admittedly though, this is still the arcade version and I do understand that we've never had a BB arcade mode split into 3 "chapters" so perhaps ASW could be forgiven for this. But as of right now, it feels like a mess without much direction. That isn't to say it cannot be entertaining and the set-pieces are all there to make for a fine grand finale of (Ragna's) story. But, now that I bring this up, I started feeling a little anxious upon realization that this is the (supposed) end of Ragna's tale. I don't play him in the actual VS. portion of the game but I've grown rather attached to this character over the years. So you can probably imagine that I am not entirely certain of how he could get a satisfying sendoff. I mean, let's be honest: it isn't like he can simply continue to live in whatever world comes about since he's still technically a wanted criminal. And I doubt Mori has the creative capacity (or maybe, desire) to write about him as a long-time soldier/fighter now forced to adapt to a world that no longer needs his battle prowess. So if neither is a very solid career option, then what is?

The biggest thing right now though is: we have no clue why and how possessing the Azure pieces works as a wish-granting genie. For that matter we also do not know why Amaterasu (or "True Noel") is vetoing the desires of the rest of the characters. Noel is doing it as well, but this seems more involuntary (she's clearly in shock when told this is happening) than her "True" counterpart. After all, it's not as though characters like say Taokaka or Bang would play the role of the "Hero" of her storybook and kill the "Monster Girl" if that's what she's worried about. You'd think she'd jump at the chance at creating a new outcome. So again: why veto the desires of the others? Is she looking for a specific person to fill in that vague role? Or is she simply playing the part she was assigned? I should hope so. You cannot throw this revelation into the narrative without explaining it. That's like the basic no-no in storytelling. Though again, right now we've just got a bunch of reveals without much context. Time will tell if Mori is capable of connecting them in a believable manner. But you bring up an interesting little point: where DO the characters go after this big ol' hoedown comes to a close? I mean OK, NOL officials still have a job at the end of the day to keep the populace in check. Noel has her parents (which we've yet to see Mori, so get on that) unless this whole spiel ends with her pulling a Madoka and becoming an abstract concept or something. Sector 7 still needs to provide electricity to a world slowly depleting of seithr. Heck, even Taokaka has her village to look after. But where do characters like Ragna go? Jail? To death's door? What of Hakumen and the rest of the time-displaced souls? What of the Murakumos? It's actually pretty difficult to imagine what they could possibly do when life no longer needs them to merge with Ragna and the like.

Honestly I think we're retreading the events of CT and CS (albeit with alterations to accommodate the characters that weren't present in Mori's sketchbook at the time) simply due to Nine's machinations. For what purpose? Fuck if I know for certain. Perhaps she's orchestrating those events in order to drive Amaterasu insane or at least cause her a great deal of discomfort? If Rachel's "Lonely Monster Girl" story holds any weight, then it stands to reason that Amaterasu hates the thought that no matter how much she interferes, the end result is the same. And I imagine it'd be devastating to learn that even after 725 times and a brief step forward, things settled back into the same old routine. Perhaps this is why Nine is so adamant about irregulars like Naoto, who simply cannot fit into her narrative? This all being said, the way the story is moving is very much a mess. If CP introduced the idea of 2 sides of misfits banding together in one, singular goal against another group, then CF is essentially splitting everyone up by bringing in all their individual wishes. Everyone is basically doing their own thing and unlike before, there's nary a singular thread or point that connects them all. Between Ragna, Jin and Noel, we have 3 wholly separate desires and motivations in CF. Ragna has no memory right now but is going through the motions as if called to them. Jin wants to blow up the Azure (and maybe even his beloved Niiiiiiiii-saaaaaan) while having a busty ghost lady sharing a space in his brain (side note: I can't imagine Jin's mind being a comfy place to be in). Then you got Noel who's going through another identity crisis, only this time, it's the ApocalypseX100 and all she wants is to go back to being a schoolgirl with her mates. And that's not even bringing up Arakune, Nine, Naoto, Izanami, Kokonoe, Hakumen, Azrael and the rest of the roster weirdos that Mori brought out. It's like I am trying to read all the Dies Irae Acta est Fabula routes and spin-offs simultaneously and then trying to make sense of it all between the Wagner quotes and Latin incantations. Hopefully Act III serves as an anchor to settle the story into a more cohesive narrative. Right now, the biggest issue I find is the lack of a "true" principal villain. Sure, Nine and Izanami are antagonistic but from the look of things, the whole conflict in the BB-verse is even bigger than themselves. Of course, I do not expect Act III to bring about the end to the franchise (ASW needs a selling point for the console version), but I do hope it sets up the final conflict at the least.

Sechs and Ragna both being voiced by Tomokazu Sugita is really just a red herring I find; a bit of fanservice to the fans that bought the game. As far as I can tell, aside from sharing a voice actor and color scheme, they're about as different as night and day (completely different personalities, motivations, Drives etc.). I know Mori was quotes as saying that Xblaze characters that share a voice actor with their BB role will be significant, but I think that's just some PR nonsense or a mistake by whoever did the translating for that one interview.

You're misunderstanding. Azrael doesn't want to fight the Black Beast because he wants to win. He wants to fight it just because the opportunity presented itself for him to do so. Whether or not he can defeat it is irrelevant to him. He just wants to go all out on an extremely powerful opponent and who better to do that on than the very enemy that took, like you said, the 6 Heroes and the combined efforts of Ars Magus-wielding mankind? Because remember, he's still restraining 80% of his total power according to him. Whether or not he can defeat the Black Beast by unleashing it is trivial to his mindset. The man just wants to fight. If he beats it, then booyah he found something he can go all out on and now that he knows how to make one, he can make more for future punching. If it beats him, then all the better because he was able to die fighting. Remember, Azrael is not a hero. Nor is he an outright villain. He's antagonistic sure, but he doesn't particularly work for any given side. He does his own thing. He's a wildcard in this conflict and a pretty damn powerful one at that. Nah man, Azrael got this strong by doing 3 simple things every single day: -100 push-ups. -100 sit-ups. -10 km run across the plains of Ikaruga...(A.K.A "The Ikaruga Civil War"). Joking aside, Mori more or less wrote himself into a corner with Azrael on 2 counts: -First, he made him way too strong with so far no other character so much as being able to scratch him, let alone defeat. The only vague weakness he seems to have is a scar Tager accidentally touched and caused him genuine momentary pain but never was it established that it is the key to his defeat. -Second, Azrael is precisely adored by most of his fans because of how flappin' invincible he is without actually being boring as a result. At this point, should he lose everything will seem like it was an ass-pull by Mori because he could not find a legitimate way for Azrael to be beat clean.

It's actually a little bit more complex. Azrael gushes at the idea of fighting strong people, yes. But his ultimate desire is to be able to fight someone or something for eternity. Or at the least, he wants to be able to fight something for as long as he continues to breathe. So he figures that, since the Black Beast took a century and the combined power of the 6 Heroes to take down, he might as well go after it. Something tells me this badass mofo would fit right at home in the Warhammer 40K universe, especially if he comes to Khorne's domain of everlasting combat.

You got a point there. In every instance that we accept as canon, Ragna has never been a willing participant of Nu-13 Hug'n'Fuse.EXE, for obvious reasons. **Side note: nope, we do not talk about Alter Memory unless it is for the QUALITY Terumi faces, so that's out . But it'd make sense why the merger cannot be stable in this regard. Two conflicting thoughts are trying to move as one being. It's not like with Sena, Luna and Trinity, where one side takes over for another. Rather, I propose that this is like Pacific Rim where 2 minds need to work in sync in order to move the mountainous body. Heck, as you yourself noted, in the Noel/Mu-12 and Hazama/Terumi situation, it was the Murakumo that was an unwilling participant due to her still retaining residual memories as "Saya" and because of that, the plan was a no-go. So we could conclude that perhaps there is a connection and that both parties need to be unified/in agreement prior to the fusion or even during it. I always considered the "heart" to be more like a "power core" that supplies the energy and "life" to the body. The simplest explanation I could think of was like this: the Azure is the "tank" (body) while the Murakumo is the "power source" that allows it to operate.

Dayum Axiomatic, that was a pleasant read. So at the least let me address some of the potential outcomes bit by bit. 1. I can't fault you if you do not remember. CT was a pretty long time ago and it had a lot more weirdness to its story, especially for the Bad Endings. However, I fortunately do remember it, for better or for worse. Anyway, the event you are describing is the one where Nu-13, in order to prove a point (which is that Ragna also wants the destruction of the world), transforms into Ragna's Shadow. A fight ensues but it's for naught, as Ragna is merged with her already and starts turning into the Black Beast again. Noel comes along and is naturally scared out of her wits. She opens fire but really that thing might as well be shooting air at it and the beast's maw inches ever closer to her...until it is at arm's reach. The implication is that, due to Noel screaming, the newly formed Black Beast devours her and all this time, Ragna has a front row seat to the chaos. He's also, naturally, NOT happy in the slightest and the ending is more or less reminiscent of Shinji being stuck in Eva-01 as it goes on autopilot to dismember the Angel-infected Eva-03. After all, his mind is trapped while his body goes on to do whatever kind of programming was installed into it (hence the monotone speech). We see something similar happen again in the infamous CS Bad Ending for him, where he overuses the Azure and basically drifts in and out of consciousness, never knowing he turned into a Black Beast and even as he lay dying in Rachel's arms, he doesn't have the ability to tell her not to cry. However, the point I am laboriously trying to get to is that this scenario is likely not the desired outcome. At least, I'd like to think so. 2. Maybe, but we've already have Noel / Mu-12 to fulfill the "Godslayer" role and dammit, I want it to actually matter this game. Geez, CP spent so much time hyping up Noel coming to terms and acquiring the use of that form in order to protect people. Yet the one time it looks like it'll do something, it gets smacked to the ground by a berserk Ragna, fresh from his backstab courtesy of Nu-13. So, my vote's against another "Godslayer"...unless their Kusanagi form is meant for something else entirely. 3. Possible. He already absorbed Lamb-chops before so why not? Though, Lamb-chops was absorbed so Ragna could gain access to the IDEA Engine. What could Nu-13 offer up? Yandere characteristics? 4. I think this might be the highest probable outcome. Mori tends to make stuff up as he moves the story along and whenever he writes himself into a corner he invents new stuff to try and squeeze himself out. 5. Maybe, but Nu-13 has expressed a desire for that "true merge" as soon as it was brought up. It seems lately her need for the merger to occur comes first and the need for destruction is second. I dunno, it's difficult to track the thought process of someone so batshit loopy as her. This all being said, I think it's possible to go back to a more "stable" Black Beast idea, like you mentioned. We know that an Azure holder (Ragna) becomes the Black Beast's body while the Murakumo (Nu-13) is needed to become the heart/core. But don't you think something is missing here? That's right: the "mind". It's little wonder that they go insane as the Black Beast; because it has no reason or thought. Just power and destructive instincts (no doubt from Nu-13). So perhaps another element is needed to stabilize the fusion.

I'm guessing it's because the Nox themselves are already "mini" Black Beast(s) on their lonesome. I think someone explained it back in CS (might have been Relius but I dunno) that since the Black Beast was more or less impervious to harm, Nine forged the Nox to be like it in order to fight it. A sort of "fight fire with fire" deal. And now she's putting them together for some purpose so I imagine a lot of people are going to come to the conclusion she's making one (Black Beast). Doesn't help that Azrael asked Relius how to make one too and he's in cahoots with both Nine and Izanami. Yeah that whole "true merge" business is really...an "odd" thing to pull out at this stage. It's a generally accepted conclusion that Nu-13 merging with Ragna is bad news. In addition, both Relius and Nine commented that Nu-13 is now far weaker than what she used to/should be (given how Izayoi says she's not as terrifying as before and Nine chastising her for not even being able to handle Naoto) and that thinking she could ever pull off said "true merge" is ridiculous. I'm going out on a limb and say this is likely why Relius wants to use Lamb-chops instead, what with her increasing power and shown dominance this time against Nu-13. Question is: keeping that aside, what could a "true merge" even create? It's not "Kusanagi" since we already have that. And it ain't a Black Beast since that's not what the villains want (except Azrael but don't mind him, he likes his punching bags larger than life). So what could it be?

Right, I forgot Nine called it Central Fiction in the first trailer (though she never explained what it means). But, if removing free will from the equation is the villain's penultimate goal then all their plans/wishes are ultimately hypocritical. Take Terumi's own "Despair World" idea and everyone killing each other for his own amusement. It is an entirely contradictory idea since: A. "Free will" persists within himself because if he didn't have it, then he would not be able to make the choice to enjoy the endless slaughter in the first place. B. If people killing each other off have no "free will" then why would they ever make the choice to kill the person next to them? C. And finally, even if the above people are mindlessly killing each other as the new decree of the world, without "free will" how would they ever feel the "despair" over their situation which should be the end result of Terumi's machinations and desire? You could deconstruct Nine, Relius and even Izanami's endgame plans in a similar fashion as well: Nine: OK so you're removing "free will" and everyone with it, barring from Celica. Which means you're ultimately enforcing your own over the very sister you claim this is all for. Furthermore, if you remove yourself and everyone else from her vicinity, then why would she ever want to live in a stagnant world with no ambition or interaction? Relius: Everyone gets turned into mindless dolls, but then so should he be turned into one. Because otherwise, you're enforcing your will over the husks you created and free will remains. Izanami: Just a classic "kill everything" in sight. But then you must destroy yourself along with everyone else. Because last I checked, Izanami isn't mindless. She too has free will of her own, despite being (supposedly) the manifestation of True Noel's Drive. In other words, the villains are trying to invoke Third Impact and are being really stupid about it.

So, humor me a bit: what exactly could this whole "truth" or "inevitability" that both Izanami and Nine keep banging on about be? I mean alright, it's supposed to make the idea of defeating Izanami a "triviality" and all that. But just what is it? Judging by how Izanami speaks of whatever it is that is to follow, it seems like it isn't exactly something corporeal like an "enemy" of sorts, but rather a "concept" or perhaps a "fundamental law". Of course, what exactly they are is probably not going to be answered until at least Act 3's conclusion.

Geez that is a creepy preview, especially at the end with a brief Izanami-like image flash. Girl is taking lessons from the Ring I see. So based on that dialogue it seems like all the people who have a strong wish are causing Amaterasu to overload in a sense and she no longer seems capable of maintaining the world she built. Either that or do many conflicting interests are piling up that the world does not know where to go next. Least, that's the impression I am getting.

Can't believe I missed these. And yeah only 1 image is from Act 1 and I think it's the Mu-12 one with Noel in a white, empty room. And speaking of Mu-12, dammit Mori why do you put your characters through the wringer? It's bad enough that Ragna is the epitome of bad luck galore but now you gotta wreck Noel's mind even further than before? I sincerely hope that by the conclusion of this whole mad, mad world the characters can finally stop feeling their universe's crushing weight. And I am with Axiomatic on the subject of Tao's arcade images. She's known Ragna (that she remembers) for all of a few days total between CT and CP yet Tao's desired future always makes sure to include her "Good Guy" pal spending time and generally not having a care in the world. She may be dumb as bricks 85% of the time, but like Makoto, Taokaka's a total pal to everyone that earns her friendship. Sadly the BB-verse cannot seem to comprehend positive feelings and must resolve to stamp them out whenever possible. And considering the chief "deity" running the show is a girl inside a big satellite and whose childhood more than likely sucked (it's Noel after all), this might...actually make a lot more sense now that I think about it.

It might not be so simple. While the "Entitled" are those chosen by Amaterasu, the Embryo world itself however was seemingly (although not outright confirmed to be) designed to make Ragna a "God" (or just plain equal in power to one), which is exactly what Azrael wants to make of him so he can kick his shit sideways. To put it in a more dramatic fashion, an Entitled is basically the one Amaterasu/True Noel will allow to (probably) use her power in order to reshape the current world. But Ragna's potential growth isn't tied to being an Entitled but something else far above them. I take this more as a sign that Amaterasu/True Noel cannot make him into one of her Entitled, as opposed to not wanting him to be one. Or there could be a completely different reason altogether. It's not like Amaterasu singled him out either. Arakune and Azrael both aren't one of the Entitled as well. Until we hear her explanation, all we can do is grasp at straws over the answer. I agree that it is weird that characters who'd rather kill/abuse Amaterasu being Entitled is a bit insane but at the same time, it's not like she's allowing just anyone's wishes to come true what with all the Phenomena Intervention she's overclocking.

Well he DID more or less "make" Izanami after all. Figures that he'd have a trick or two to defeat her. Not to mention his association with the 10 Sages shown in Act 1 and you know most people don't get to that position easily. Plus while Izanami looks down on Terumi, she more or less treated Relius as an equal of sorts, so this could very well have been a reason for it.

So, I've been mulling over the details and reading up on both XBlaze and Bloodedge Experience. Now, I am not going to say my understanding of the whole chain of events is perfect since I can only go off of summaries written online, but I went ahead and started trying to explain the whole Naoto - Ragna scenario and how it potentially ties into everything. So let's take this step by step and hopefully I can write a comprehensive theory. And in case I must say it, beware of SPOILERS (for XBlaze especially). Of course, this is a bit of a long-shot and I am likely missing a few pieces of information but, what do you guys think?

Well there is Relius being ever the creeper with Lamb-chops and wanting to use her as a substitute over Nu-13 for some..."purpose". I also at one point recall Ragna's Japanese VA (Tomokazu Sugita) tease during an interview or a Bururaji segment that at some point, certain characters will "combine". But take from that what you will. It's entirely possible that whatever happens also involves all 3 Murakumo ladies (Lamb-chops, Noel/Mu-12 and Nu-13) but who knows at this point.

There's an understatement of the decade right there. The plot hasn't so much taken a crazy turn as it instead dived head-first into it, while strapping bacon meat around its nether regions and singing the French national anthem...backwards. I feel like Mori at one point wrote a more straightforward plot, but then went out drinking with Kojima and decided to basically put the story through the shredder and then somehow weave something resembling a narrative from the freshly made confetti. So I think we ought to compile a list of game changers we've gotten once we get the rest of the arcade up and translated (thank you Zedar and Sourenga). Personally, I think we need to hear about Haku-men, Celica, Kokonoe and maybe even Valkenhayn's runs before some of this stuff starts falling into place. The biggest problem with BB's arcade runs is that they're both canonical and also not at the same time. They're often a mere preview of the actual story that comes to consoles so I don't think Act 3 will resolve some of the plots but rather expand them. I do find it somewhat funny in how the Nox Nyctores are suddenly uber important, where in the previous games they were more of an afterthought. Sure, they had a presence and all but this is the first time where there's a race/collect-a-thon being carried out by at least 3 parties for them all (Nine, Nu-13 and Arakune). And they each have a different purpose in mind: -Nu-13 wants them so she can finally get inside Ragna's pants without problems have a "True Merge" with Ragna. -Arakune apparently wants them so he can become a god. Insert your Flying Spaghetti Monster jokes here. -Nine needs them for...probably tearing Amaterasu a new hole (not too sure if her reasons were explained or not). If nothing else, the the climax of the story is coming. Whether it makes sense at the end or not though is a 50-50 toss-up.

Not much is known. But Azrael wants him to become a God (or at least equal in power to one) so he can finally punch him in the face at full power. Apparently it has something to do with the Black Beast (because it always flippin' does). Considering all the information we've just obtained, Azrael's goals are probably the most "normal" ones. Everyone's going on and on about recreating some shitty world vision and Amaterasu/Noel is repeatedly stamping them with the "denied" mark. Azrael though? The man says "Bugger that nonsense. Imma make meself a God so I can kick its ass". Because it is the vision Izanami is showing to Hibiki on what will happen if "Noel Vermillion" continues to be within the Amaterasu. Maybe after killing her husband she decided to try a canine companion instead ? Well, Valkenhayn has his own share of dark secrets. Anyone that hung around Relius for so long cannot be entirely good news. Especially when they kidnap Saya Terumi.

Oh the usual: pain, suffering, torment, lots of blood loss and enough crap to make even the most vigilant men reach for the noose while Crrrrrraaaaawwwwling innnnn myyyyy skinnnnn plays in the background. At least this time he actually gets to be the stabbing master for a bit. Also, damn Nine you're one heartless bitch. Whatever you learned from "the truth" must have been the equivalent to staring Yog Sothoth in the face.

Dammit all to Hell, buzz off Relius. Nobody invited you to the party. Go back to that psychological issue of a son you keep neglecting. But looks like I was somewhat correct: Lamb-chops' sole mission is to keep Ragna safe. The fact she's stronger as a result makes me happy. But please, someone rescue her. It's bad enough Noel is going through the current events.