"Starting the Human Restoration RTA with the Beast!"
Well, last time, I showed some insane luck by pulling the Beast Three Musketeers all in one go. That was ridiculous... I really didn't need to do that... (pleading)
To cut to the chase, if we think about it normally, this is definitely a reset situation... This is... a mess. The Beast Three Musketeers have way too complex flag management that it might just break my mind~^ I've tried running with Beast candidates before, but the amount of flag management required is absurd. It's driving me insane...! (quiet anger)
But, if I don't mess up from here, I can aim for significant time reductions due to the high stats typical of the Beast class, so in a way, it's still a win. It's a win, I guess. (Using the "lucky theory")
By the way, the one I was most worried about, Tamamo no Mae, somehow isn't a caster, so it's fine. She has nine tails, but that's just a minor detail. Incidentally, there was no information on how to countermeasures Alter Ego Tamamo no Mae... How sad…
Kama... well, as long as I don't fall into corruption, it's fine. Plus, she has a clumsy trait, so there's a chance... right? (trembling voice)
Kiara? No comment!
Anyway, now that we've come this far, let's do this! I'll show you something unbelievable!
That said, the RTA continues! (with steely resolve)
Now, let's get started. I've acquired a Servant, so let's begin with a light conversation. In other words, it's time to raise affection. When dealing with Beasts, affection flags can literally be a matter of life and death.
>After introducing yourself and explaining the current situation, you bowed your head, asking for their help.
"Oh, of course. I don't mind. That's why I manifest in the first place."
"Yes, yes, that's fine. I knew you'd say that anyway."
"Fufu, I am your Servant. You are my precious contractor. No matter where we go, that relationship will never change.
So no matter how long or how far. So, yes. If you seek salvation, I will dedicate myself fully to guiding you."
Wait, this is way too agreeable... scary, It's weird, isn't it? Beasts were supposed to be the type that never listens properly. Sure, as you build rapport, they'll listen more, but getting there requires an insane amount of flag management. And even after becoming closer, there are still tons of shitty flags to deal with!
But, well, if they're willing to listen, I guess it's fine. For now, let me explain the upcoming battle with Black King.
In this FGO RPG, the Black King is often highlighted as the first major challenge. In terms of positioning, she's similar to Father Gascoigne in Bloodborne or the Dog Demon in Dark Souls—you're going to get destroyed until you get used to him.
Why is that? It's because the Black King treats the Holy Grail as a magical energy resource. Because of this, she can unleash Morgan attacks on the level of the theatrical HF version, and due to constantly emitting magical energy, she's powerful enough to easily win even against a Berserker-kun class in a strength-based contest.
Once you get used to it, you can defeat her due to her low agility and slow movement, but if you charge in without thinking, you'll get hit by Morgan and vaporized.
Also, the wide range of her attacks is something you'll need to get used to.
Some people may have thought that dodging would be easy since she's not wrapping the Wind King Barrier around the sword, but when she does wrap Morgan around her sword and attacks, the range of her strikes becomes ridiculously extended. You're doing something like a Grim Reaper's substitute, aren't you?
As a result, there are plenty of situations where you think you've narrowly dodged an attack, only for the attack range to extend and catch you, resulting in a cheap death.
Therefore, for the Black King battle, it's generally best to deal with her at a distance. In ranged combat, the Black King's immense strength and unpredictable attacks are not as much of a problem, so the only thing to worry about is her Noble Phantasm. Well, to be fair, since she spams her Noble Phantasm at range, it's still pretty tough... Personally, I find it easier to handle from a distance, so I prefer to fight her this way.
So far, I've explained things to keep in mind when the Master is also fighting. Now, I'll explain the precautions when only the Servant is fighting.
Basically, you just need to provide support or give commands from the back, but sometimes the Black King will try to kill you directly. This is especially noticeable when the Master and Servant are far apart. If she determines that the Servant can't intervene in time, she'll charge with incredible speed, releasing magical energy, and slice you down on the spot. Her murderous intent is off the charts!
So, when providing support, make sure to position yourself behind your ally Servant and at a relatively close range. If you get careless, the Black King might suddenly appear in front of you and strike you down—it happens more often than you'd think.
The biggest thing to watch out for is her Noble Phantasm. If you position yourself too far behind your ally Servant, she will launch a Morgan several times more powerful than usual, aiming to burn both you and the Servant to ashes. So, try to move away from your ally's back every now and then, create openings with something like Gand or other attacks, and support your ally to make it easier for them to fight.
If you follow these guidelines, the Black King can be defeated quite easily.
Well, it's definitely not a boss that should be appearing in a tutorial, though!
That's the general strategy for the Black King battle.
Now then, before we charge in, let's check the gear.
Right now, Homo-kun has an old knife, a specially modified MP5, and a cursed... wait? The cursed stone is gone. What's going on...? I couldn't throw it away, but it suddenly disappeared from my inventory. Hmm...?
Well, if I can't figure it out, let's just ignore it. It probably vanished somewhere (whatever).
Anyway, the usable items are the old knife, the modified MP5, and a few dozen small stones engraved with a Displacement curse sigil that I picked up while gathering Saint quartz. The MP5 still has about 140 rounds left. Thanks to Emiya-nii noticing me and coming over, I managed to save quite a bit of ammo.
My remaining mana is still quite stable due to my training, so I should be able to fire at least one or two shots with Noble Phantasm, maybe.
Now then, the others should be here soon, so we can meet up with them and head to the Black King battle.
...They should be here soon.
...But they're not here, are they? Considering Emiya-nii is still alive, I thought it was safe to assume that Ritsuka and the others hadn't arrived yet...
Come to think of it, there were no Saint quartz in their usual spot at Ryūdōji. No, surely that's not...
(>Suddenly, a sound like an explosion echoed through the area.)
(>Then the ground began to shake like an earthquake.)
(>Ryūdōji, where you currently are, was already in ruins, and it looked like it was about to collapse at any moment.)
(>If you don't escape quickly, you'll be buried alive.)
No way... Could it be that Ritsuka and the others really rushed into the Black King battle? But if that's the case, the reason why Emiya-nii came to me instead of fighting with Castor-nii…
["Noticing the repeated sounds of destruction, Shadow Archer began to head towards you."]
Ah... Did they switch places?
No way... Does that kind of thing really happen?
Ugh! In that case, let's hurry and head for the big underground cavern! If we're unlucky, Ritsuka might get killed and we'd have to restart, so we need to move quickly! Let's go!
(> You told your Servants to head towards the massive underground cavern directly beneath Ryūdōji.)
(> Hearing their responses, you quickly exit the crumbling Ryūdōji and head towards the cave that leads to the cavern below.)
(> As you approach the cavern, the shaking and rumbling intensify.)
(> Occasionally tripping from the strong tremors, you desperately push forward towards the cavern.)
It's still okay, right? It has to be okay, right!? If I have to restart here, it's going to be such an embarrassment! Please, Ritsuka, still be aliveeee!!!
Ah, there's no choice now! I'll use the Displacement spell and blast off! Sure, I'll waste mana, bullets, and a bunch of other stuff, but if I hold back and die, that'll be even worse!
(> You raise your MP5 and fire.)
(> Then, through the Displacement spell, you accelerate and begin moving at an incredible speed.)
(> The Displacement spell converts all your kinetic energy into acceleration, causing your body to start creaking.)
(> Your HP decreases.)
"Ah, wait a second—"
I'm starting to take damage because I'm accelerating so fast, but as long as I'm alive, it's no problem. So I accelerated as hard as I could to IKEA.
(> Acceleration after acceleration.)
(> The sheer speed causes your body to begin screaming in protest.)
(> Your HP decreases.)
I'm built for durability, so I still have more than half of my HP. I can still accelerate. Let's do this.
(> You accelerate further.)
(> Even though you've enhanced your body with a strengthening spell, you hear the unpleasant sound of cracks forming in your bones.)
(> Your HP decreases.)
Our HP is now down to half, but we'll soon reach the great cavern.
(> You finally reach the large cavern.)
Yes! I made it!
(> Upon arriving at the large cavern, the first thing you see is Ritsuka sitting on the ground with her back against the floor and Alteria Alter, who is about to swing her sword down.)
Wait, nooo!
(>You aimed your gun at Ritsuka.)