The Promised Canaan Episode 5 Part 2

Dagon starts narrating about how in any world, the truth is decided by the will of the majority. This leads to the fact that the will of the minority is unrecognized by the world. Since you are the most isolated life in the world, how would the world reflect your will?

Dagon then talks about being an ancestor in one world and says that’s the position he has to ask you a question from. That is, did Astarte represent a purgatory of pain and lies from which there is no salvation to you? She would have been a companion who would have eased your loneliness, but she was a dear childhood friend who changed when she gained the power to represent the world.

Thinking on it, Dagon says that Canaan was already doomed to destruction when it was created. In this world, love takes precedence over everything. Canaan is the world where love makes the System run.

But what is love? Dagon supposes that most people would answer that love is making another person happy. Yet in Canaan, the person who is most loved is none other that the one whose will is always trampled upon. Everyone was supposed to love you, yet the world refused to let you exert your will.

You sank into despair and gave up on living. The world cycled so so *so* many times, yet the result remained the same. Dagon then refers to his other self, the one who came from the abyssal world of Old Ones, and says they must have known. This is the World where love was placed the highest, which is why this world was destroyed. The faith that held up love as the greatest thing destroyed the one who was loved the most, which means that the world was wrong. When the majority believed that, that was the end of Canaan.

Dagon talks about how the System of majority rule is nothing more than setting the will of the majority as the truth without any regards for thoughts and feelings. If they believe the world should go, then even the world will do so.

Dagon then starts talking in reference to Teacher Dagon and brings up how he said that Old Ones was a world meant only to amuse Azathoth, its Representative. If such is the case, he feels that Old Ones and Azathoth have surely met the same end that Canaan and its Beloved did. It’s not a hard conclusion to come to. A world that cycles and repeats its love and entertaining for one will eventually break.

Dagon says it’s not an unusual story, one you could find in any world. Even now, somewhere there’s probably someone chased out of the world and giving up on living. He talks about himself and how he was destroyed alongside his world, yet he couldn’t bring himself to accept it. Eventually he had to borrow another’s power to end himself.

Dagon brings up that Teacher Dagon had asked him why he borrowed his body to show him a dream of Canaan. His answer to that is because he promised, and promises have to be fulfilled.

Things pick back up where they left off with Dagon commenting on you finally getting this far. Getting here means you’ve remembered your battle with him back in Gogo as well as the fact that you came from Tokyo. You confirm it, then ask how it is he’s here since he was supposedly destroyed back then.

Dagon confirms that his body (which was connected to his Pillar) was destroyed back then. He explains that he borrowed a new vessel and kept showing you all a dream of his ruined world. You ask about this being a dream with some disbelief, but he repeats that this is the destroyed world he once ruled over.

It is however a dream yet not a dream. It is not a mental illusion in any way. In the middle of this dream, real living bodies were brought here, filled with real memories, and made to play a part. Dagon says all those memories reside inside him, and as you already know he is capable of transplanting them.

Dagon says that transplanting those memories requires a body capable of acting them out. You ask if he means the islanders, Nomad, Asterius, and everyone else. He confirms that, saying that if the memories weren’t placed in vessels then they’d have no ability to affect reality. You take that to mean Canaan is already gone, which also means you’re in an overworld shift somewhere in Tokyo.

Kijimuna speaks up saying he wants to ask Dagon about something else. Dagon had once said about having wanted to destroy something, so what gives? Dagon says that before he answers that, he needs to test your strength along with Kijimuna’s and Tangaroa’s. He starts gigantifying to your shock, and he says you need to show him that you can surpass him. Otherwise he’ll wipe your memories with his power and repeat the dream over and over.

Tangaroa slowly picks himself up and tells Dagon to wait. Dagon expresses mild surprise that he even can get up to fight. Tangaroa asks him about what he said about borrowing a body and if that means the original owner of the body also came from Tokyo.

Dagon decides to humor the question. He starts talking about how this enclosed space is filled with the memories of Canaan’s old citizens, which in turn means it’s filled with their faith to Canaan. Dagon says that by using his name, he can use Canaan’s role and power. He talks about how Dagon is a name believed to mean ‘one who brings food,’ which then means it comes with the role and power to fulfill, raise, and bring abundance.

Following that logic, Dagon says he can gigantify himself however much he wants. He also is the ruler of Canaan who receives faith, so he uses that authority to summon Resheph, Moloch, Kothar-wa-Khasis to possess Nomad and the others, each manipulated by a tentacle. He also summons one other person but doesn’t have a corresponding body for them. This turns out to be Astarte, which shocks Astaroth.

Dagon commands his servants to battle you guys, and they move to obey. You try to ask Dagon why he’s doing this, so he tells you to show him that you can surpass him. Nomad, Asterius, and Kurogane all start attacking Tangaroa, and you try to protect him but are having trouble keeping up with it all.

Kijimuna tells you to get behind him as he tries to defend with his NP, but Dagon interrupts the casting. He’s far stronger than you guys are at the moment, and you try to suggest backing up but struggle with it. Dagon says you should give up if it hurts so much, and his side surrounds you three.

With no escape in sight, Dagon says you should give in and let him wipe your memories. Suffering is probably the only meaning to life there is for you, and having to fight will only cause pain. Dagon says that if you stay in Canaan, you can slumber within love and be submerged in happiness. You however reject this offer.

You say you can’t spend your time here in happiness because you know how Astarte felt. Dagon says nothing, and narration talks about how you switched places with her and learned of her hidden feelings. You learned her happiness and bitterness at being the only one loved in the world. You learned of her misery of being the only one powerless in the world.

Dagon comments that you living in a harsh world is too kind for you. Meanwhile Astarte is beating on Astaroth as she screams about dying. She’s straddling then while wringing their neck with both her hands. She tries to choke them as hard as she can, even as her arms are about ready to break and her nails about to come off.

Given that Astarte is essentially a disembodied ghost, she doesn’t actually damage Astaroth, never mind that Astaroth is supposed to be a strong demon. But as she continues, her emotions seep out in dark tears that fall into Astaroth. She screams that she should be the one to die.

Astaroth is surprised by this, and Astarte talks about how it was all wrong. The body she was born with was wrong. Her very birth was wrong. No matter how she struggled, it didn’t matter. Nothing did. She screams that she’s given up, so she should just up and die.

Astaroth speaks up and asks her to stop saying that, begs her really. They reach up to brush away her tears as they admit they might not be able to understand her sadness since they still feel envy for her even now. On that note, Astarte probably doesn’t still doesn’t understand their feelings either. But still Astaroth was glad to have met her.

Astaroth concedes that maybe they were both wrong. Maybe they were both born at the wrong time. Astaroth can insist it wasn’t a mistake, but admits their real feelings are different. Both of them were born wrong, and maybe there isn’t anyone in the world who would agree with that. But they met and understood each other’s feelings, so they’re happy they met.

Astarte seems to shrink away at this, and Astaroth repeats again that they’re glad they met and understood each other’s feelings that they’re alone in the world. They then talk about having given up on a lot of things, but they’ll never give up on this one thing. They want to be friends with her, and Astaroth swears to to make sure there was some meaning to their meeting. You agree with Astaroth and ready your sword, and Tangaroa approves of you two.

Tangaroa starts talking about how he learned the world is a big place and how it has countless bonds and connections from you guys that day. In encountering another world, he’s gotten this far. And here in Canaan, he’s encountered one more. Tangaroa says that even if you were born powerless or the world holds no meaning for you, you can go somewhere else and find and make something with a new meaning.

Tangaroa addresses Dagon and says it’s wrong for you guys to stop here, and that you guys will go find something important after getting out of here. Dagon says it’s a nice speech, but words are cheap. He challenges you guys to show him that you can resist him. He admits he lost back at the secret island, but now things are different. He grows again to your shock.

Dagon says Canaan is filled with faith offered to himself. So long as it fills his vessel, he can be as strong as he wants. You ask what can be done, and Tangaroa tells you there’s a way to win. Since Canaan is filled with faith that turns to power, Tangaroa says Yam should be capable of the same thing. He turns to the shadows flying around and spreads his arms, declaring himself to be both Tangaroa and Yam. Then he commands his servants to gather by him.

Tangaroa turns himself to be about as big as Dagon, which surprises you. He tells you he’ll hold Dagon back, so in the meantime you should cut the tentacles off from the other guys. You tell him you understand, then tell Kijimuna and Astaroth you guys should fight. Both agree, and Astaroth says they’ll show the power of a demon/dragon they’ve always detested. Dagon prompts you guys to show your strength as the episode battle starts. Story continues afterwards.

After the battle, the story kicks off with a flashback by Dagon as he says he’s supposed to have been destroyed. He finds himself in the old library and asks where he is, as well as who that guy that’s there is. Why did he awaken again?

Bael turns out to be there and says he’ll answer his questions one at a time. First off, Bael says that they’re at the place where disembodied memories are stored and compares it to a library. For the second question, Bael describes himself as someone who once held a strong bond of fate that tied together with him, declining to give his name. For the third question, Bael says Dagon is awake because he brought a suitable vessel to hold his memories. This turns out to be Teacher Dagon.

Dagon is surprised by what’s happening, and Bael asks if it feels right. He also assures him that Teacher Dagon has agreed to this. Teacher Dagon has something he wants to ask him, but Bael asks that they talk it over themselves later.

Dagon asks about the reason Bael brought him out since he figures he doesn’t have one, though Bael beats him to the end of that sentence. He shows him your silhouette somehow, which Dagon does recognize, then says that you are currently wanted to become the world’s System core and being hunted for it. All according to the ‘world’s cruelest System’ that Dagon knows very well, Bael says.

Dagon says nothing, so Bael continues by saying that you have nowhere to run. If there would be such a place, Bael suggests it would be the place Dagon once ruled. Dagon agrees to help no matter which way it goes, and Bael thanks him mentioning he thought it would take longer for him to decide. Dagon adds that he’ll only help up to the point where your mind heals and you can stand up and regain your strength.

Bael agrees to the stipulation, framing it as the point where you can break yourself out of Dagon’s protection. He also calls himself a specialist in laws. Anyways Bael asks if it’s fine for him to supply the bodies needed for Dagon’s memories, offering to do so. Once the vessels, memories, and am enclosed space are put together, Canaan will be reborn. He seems excited about that.

Back to the present, you activate your NP to free the guys from their possession. Asterius tries to understand what’s happening, Kurogane mentions being tired and feeling someone was abusing him, and the three of them collapse. Tangaroa meanwhile is pushing Dagon back before signaling to you. You run over to swing at him, and Dagon says you’ve gotten strong and that things will end this way or something.

Kijimuna tells you to stop, and you do so as you say you know. The Analyst starts playing as Dagon asks you why you did so, so you can either say because he was letting himself he cut or because you haven’t heard why he’s doing all this. Dagon says if you cut and ended him, it would have been fine. He knows you can go back out there with a smile, and he says you’ve done well for someone who looked dead and helpless back at the island.

Dagon raises his hand, and Astarte’s shadow stops moving. You try to ask him what’s going on, so he agrees to tell you. He starts telling you you were placed in his repeating dream of Canaan because of his promise with that man, but he stops partway to tell you to look out. Tangaroa reacts faster and covers for you before being blown away, still a giant.

You call to Tangaroa before turning to see Baal. He laughs about the destructive power of his artifact created by Kothar-wa-Khasis, saying his biggest problem is now out of the way with Yam down. He also says it’s so appropriate that Astarte’s will is dead. Now he has his sights on Dagon.

Baal says that by killing Dagon, he can take his seat as World Representative and calls it the correct plot line for the world. Dagon calls Baal that name before going back to Bael, and you take note of this difference. Baal and Bael overlap as the episode ends.