Chapter 11 Episode 21: The Third Choice 3

Things tune in at the Warmongers base as Duo addresses Mephistopheles and asks if he can get to explaining why he brought him to where they are yet. Mephisto says he just wanted Duo to hear him out, which Duo seems suspicious about. Mephisto then starts talking about how Duo's meant to be a replacement for parts deemed to be broken, but he wanted to know about his circumstances besides that. That might just be preaching to the choir though.

 

Duo continues keeping quiet, and Bertro wanders in greeting everyone and telling Duo he came to get him since it's time. Duo asks him what he means by that, so Bertro says he's got a special seat ready for Duo as Operation Mahakala is going into its last phase. Since Duo is meant to be a spare replacement for one of the big three, Bertro decided he wanted Duo to see what happens. Duo is surprised at the mention of special seat, and he starts to ask about it when Bertro confirms he's talking about the walled Ikebukuro where they can see the completion of the ultimate weapon.

 

Scene shifts back to Ikebukuro as Macan complains about the unending onslaught of trash mobs rushing at him before saying something needs to be done about that giant fatass Mahakala. He then notices you two have come back, and Kengo apologizes for keeping them waiting before calling to Thor, saying it's time to go. The two of them charge at Mahakala, and Thor behaves a bit like Kengo's puppet in a fighting game as he mirrors his movements as he goes to punch Mahakala in the face. Kengo notes that two similar things actually are able to hit each other, but Mahakala attempts to explain it's because Shiva's not there. Kengo cannot be bothered to listen to this and winds up to lay the smackdown on Mahakala for all his crap.

 

Back at the dungeon base, Shirou is keeping watch of things and has confirmed that you guys are making contact with Mahakala now. Shuuichi laughs about how well the plan Duo left behind is working and notes that it's going smoother than expected. He then comments his surprise on using Thor in battle like this, despite the Warmongers coming up with the same idea. He wonders if the geniuses had thought of something similar or if it's something Duo put together.

 

Narration talks about how this is the usage of the experiment results Duo and Shuuichi once held at Ikebukuro, the one putting into Kengo Thor's memories to draw out the power of his artifact. Shuuichi then talks some more about having expected more of a reaction to a memory transplant, but he notes that Kengo doesn't seem to be showing any signs of such. He starts to wonder if this is because Kengo and Thor have such similar personalities or something else when R-19 informs Shirou and Moritaka that chaff with labyrinth properties is being released again. Moritaka fumbles with some remote or board as he says he's terrible with complicated doodads, and Shirou says he's counting on Kengo to do his part and hopes that you'll be okay.

 

Over where Daikoku is, Daikoku is surprised as he says that something must be happening with Mahakala as the Great Darkness is snapping apart. He figures Mahakala must have been attacked, but he tries to deny this idea since this should be impossible if he were combined with Shiva. Ellie pays him no attention as she says she's finally found what she's looking for and goes to pull it out. Daikoku freaks out at this and yells for her to stop.

 

Ellie pulls Tsukuyomi out of the darkness, who sighs in relief and says he had been unable to move the entire time he was stuck inside. Daikoku is pissed to see him, but Tsukuyomi says there were some nice parts as he asks Daikoku if he was treated just like old times before referring to him as Okuninushi. The name usage shocks Daikoku while Tanetomo is surprised, so Tsukuyomi explains that Kiou Police Academy headmaster Daikoku has one two more sides to him. He is Okuninushi, the one who connects the worlds of Takamagahara and Wa no Kuni. The land he once ruled was ceded to Amaterasu, and he was cast to the underworld of Ne no Kuni, which is the land Susanoo was supposed to control.

 

Daikoku doesn't give a verbal response, so Tsukuyomi continues by suggesting that Okuninushi is either possessing Daikoku or is hiding within him. But that aside, he starts talking about how Okuninushi had (one of?) the three sacred treasures that can give life to Shadows that he picked up in Ne no Kuni. That should have the same class and concept of the Exception Mahakala, but Mahakala being an Exception means he is sealed and can't exist within Tokyo. That's why Daikoku has been going around acting as his representative 'in Mahakala's name.' Tsukuyomi guesses that Daikoku's figured out some way to take over Mahakala's class and power for himself. He compliments him for taking advantage of the app's blind spot, but he also notes that this requires he be recognized as Okuninushi by someone. Daikoku's reaction suggests Tsukuyomi is right, and Tsukuyomi talks about how people aren't allowed to share the same combination of class and concepts. And if you can't have a class, a Shadow can't exist.

 

Back to Ikebukuro, Macan laughs about how the reinforcements have stopped, so now he can finally get on with fighting Possessed Balor. Kengo tells you he can handle things here, so you should head to where Shiva is. You tell him you're counting on him and run off. Time then passes to the point where you reach Shiva and Cthugha, and the two of them are almost done with their fight. Cthugha attempts to charge at Shiva with a full on star flare mana burst, and it's noted that there is no one around who could tank that firepower and live...assuming they do tank it.

 

Shiva responds to Cthugha's attack by bringing in two more body doubles, and you wonder if they're afterimages for a second before realizing that they aren't. There are three real Shivas present, a manifestation of the trinity of the past, present, and future through the power of Reincarnation. His life is guaranteed so long as all three bodies are not destroyed at once, and this ability is a secret art available for Shiva to use because he is Shiva-Mahakala with the faith of Shangri La.

 

You shout in recognition of this being the same attack and defense style move that Snow can use using three bodies, total evasion and extradimensional attacks. You witness how the three Shivas' fists move in detail, and Cthugha is taken down as he moans about how he's supposed to be the protagonist. Shiva says nothing as he turns to glare at you, then tells you to listen to him as he calls you the reincarnation of Varuna-Kamadeva. He talks about how he had fought his way to this point through this world of repeated battles. You have met repeated miserable deaths just like Varuna-Kamadeva, and now you're going to lose to him just like every other time you've fought him. That's what reincarnation and a repeating world is all about, an infinite hell that ends the same way over and over again.

 

You shake your head and say that won't happen this time. Shiva is mildly interested as he asks why you think so, so you tell him that Cthugha's battle showed you how his attack works, so it won't end the same way. Shiva snorts and challenges you to show him you can do it if you can. Show him you can destroy a repeated fate of reincarnation! Shiva resummons his extra bodies and takes up a fighting stance, but before he starts attacking he says he has something he has one last thing to ask you. You either say you'll answer if you can or quietly prompt him to go on.

 

Shiva brings up that there used to be a loop where he spent time together with you here in Tokyo. But in the end of that loop, Tokyo turned into a war zone and the two of you had to fight it out to figure out which of you two would live. The result of that battle was that it wasn't a battle. You made no attempt to resist, and Shiva killed you. He survived and you died, and Shiva asks why you didn't try to do anything. Narration says this is the same thing that happened to Varuna-Kamadeva back in Deva Loka where he was burned away by the light from Shiva's opened third eye.

 

Shiva asks why you had left him behind. Why was he left alone in this repeating suffering, he yells in a pained cry no one else can hear, close to tears. You pick up on other emotions besides anger in his tone of voice that he makes no attempt to hide. You either say you don't remember but start to suggest a possible answer as to why it happened, or you stare silently at Shiva.

 

Shiva is quiet for a moment before he talks about how the power you implanted in him back in his home world was love, which would also be passion and lust. Narration talks about how there was a certain woman in Deva Loka who Shiva was meant to take as his wife when he was made to face his passions. In this world, the Authority based on the faith of a world is a forcible, absolute rule. When Shiva was hit with the arrow of love, it was decided that Shiva's attention would turn towards this woman. But Varuna-Kamadeva's fate as the one cut away from the world was different. That moment when Varuna-Kamadeva was exiled from the world in front of Shiva's eyes, Shiva held different emotions within him towards them, emotions he shouldn't have when he wanted to abandon everything and seclude himself from the world. It was a love that he could not pass off as a fault of that power working on him, lust he couldn't help but have that welled up from within himself.

 

Shiva admits to being afraid, not of the world forcing him to fall in love, but of himself for wanting you. It's why he attacked you right away. Narration says that this could be similar to little chicks imprinting after they hatch. It also suggests that if love was all Shiva felt, then maybe he could have accepted it. You either say Shiva's name or stay quiet and stare, and Shiva starts talking about how he had once killed you in his home world and again here in Tokyo. It was then that he realized that he could not overturn the fate of reincarnation. If fate were changed, then how can he excuse himself for what he did to you?

 

Shiva talks about coming to Tokyo and wanting to redo things from that one time to erase his regrets. He ended up doing the exact same thing though, so he swore to personally kill you himself from that moment on. He sought strength that would surpass all others so that none of the other World Representatives could beat him. He starts shouting in pained yells about how he won't hold back and fight you with all his strength since that's the only thing left that he can do. He dares you to overcome this fate if you can and show him you can do it. He never could do it, and he was always left behind by you. He yells asking if you understand his agony.

 

You can either tell Shiva you do or you don't understand how he feels, but Shiva's response is the same in both cases where he rejects the idea of you understanding him. You either say you'll beat him, save him, or win here and end things. Shiva declares the time for talks is over and challenges you to take on his full power, no matter how many times it takes. You call to Solomon to use Dual Heaven Dragon, and Solomon pops up in response as he tells you to leave it to him. Narration then briefly describes this move as a power technique that turns the inside of your body into an Exception domain to grant you power on par with a World Representative.

 

Scene shifts back to the underground base where Snow watches you in concern. He starts talking to himself apparently as he thinks aloud about the Exile of Shangri La, who he describes as a mighty being with many arms. Narration adds that they taught the faith that you should extend the hand of salvation not only to the weak, but to the strong adversaries as well. This is not the behavior of a king, or of someone who holds a country and fights against strong opponents, but something else. Snow then says if that person's memories lie dormant within you and you try to extend your hands to the strong enemies as well as to the friends you want to protect, you may be able to borrow their power to stand against Shiva, who is now able to do the work of many.

 

Things then jump back to your side as Shiva and his two other selves are homing in on you with their attacks. You block one with your physical blade. When Shiva's second attack comes, you use the shadow blade to block that one. Shiva declares his victory with the third attack incoming and that fate hasn't changed at all, given that you don't have another apparent means of defense. You grit your teeth at the fact that you're short a hand, so you pray to someone within you for help.

 

Shiva is shocked when a third arm appears out of the void to block his last attack, and you take advantage of the moment to swing at him. You stab him, but rather than cut his body you hit him with a blade of light that hits the heart. Shiva asks what's happening, but you don't have any more of an idea than he does as you yell as something starts happening. Narration then starts to talk about what the faith of Deva Loka says about Shiva. Back then when Shiva was shot by Varuna-Kamadeva's arrow, his third eye opened and unleashed the light that could burn down the universe and return everything into the primordial chaos.

 

You ask where you guys are at now and compare it to the universe. Kengo turns up and asks what's going on and if you guys are still in Ikebukuro. Narration explains that this is the shape of the universe in its beginning, the Lightless World before the heavens and earth were split. Everything has been condensed into one point, before the Big Bang occurred. Over in the center is the black hole and Great Darkness Mahakala, who has gone evil black sclera eyed and is sucking up all light. His power as the Exception of Shadow has gone berserk.

 

Scene then shifts to Duo and Bertro who have come to Ikebukuro, and Bertro declares the final stage of Operation Mahakala has begun. He says this is the ultimate destruction, and the result of Plan B for the progress of mankind. The episode then ends with Bertro cackling as he says goodbye and goodnight to everyone.