Pushing On

Pushing On the second Event Quest of the Labyrinth Warriors event.
==Steps==
# Wait till 08:00 – 12:00 the next day
# Meet up with Xinyan
# Talk to Kujou Sara
# Go to the Mystic Onmyou Chamber
# Meet up with Shiki Taishou
# Enter The Brutal Divergence
# Retrieve a replica of Shiki Taishou
# Go deeper into The Brutal Divergence
# Retrieve a replica of Shiki Taishou
==Dialogue==
;(Wait until 0800 - 1200)
: Paimon: It's been a while now, do you think the Mystic Onmyou Chamber has finished rearranging yet?
: Paimon: Hmm, let's go meet up with Xinyan!
;(Talk to Xinyan)
: Xinyan: Traveler, Paimon!
: Xinyan: Kujou Sara has arrived. She's right over there.
: Paimon: What's with all the rushing back and forth? Guess she doesn't trust us after all... She sure does seem on high alert.
: She's just trying to take responsibility.
: Xinyan: The situation's getting complicated. Let's have a word with her first.
;(Talk to Kujou Sara)
: Kujou Sara: Thank you again for your help this entire time.
: Kujou Sara: I've brought reinforcements. It would seem that the most critical moments are behind us, so from here on out, if we can hold this path, we should be able to repel the monsters. If any do escape, we can corner them in the Araumi region.
: Kujou Sara: The loud noises we heard earlier were probably the result of large numbers of mechanisms... We're ready and waiting for an opportunity to storm the Domain.
: Paimon: Why don't you station troops closer to the Domain?
: Kujou Sara: In our last operation, our samurai didn't think to maintain a certain distance. When the monsters suddenly attacked, they had no choice but to beat a hasty retreat.
: Kujou Sara: Once is an oversight, twice would be a grave error. I won't allow such things to happen again.
: Paimon: Oh, Paimon gets it now...
: (Good, that means we have an opportunity.)
: Kujou Sara: I will return to the Kujou Encampment and plan our defenses for the other regions.
: Kujou Sara: It took some time, but the Tenryou Commission has assumed full control of this area. With all my heart, I thank the three of you for your assistance. Your promised rewards are not forgotten.
: Kujou Sara: Miss Xinyan, please take this letter. Enclosed is a travel permit that I processed personally for you.
: Kujou Sara: I applied for the longest duration available. I hope you can use this time to really get to know Inazuma.
: Kujou Sara: I've also arranged your accommodation. Simply follow the instructions in the letter when you're back in the city.
: Xinyan: Oh, wow! Free boardin' and unlimited travels across Inazuma!? I don't know what to say!
: Kujou Sara: It's the least I can do.
: Xinyan: Thank you Ma'am! I know you're real busy, but if you do get a day off and I'm still here in Inazuma, please come and see one of my street performances!
: Kujou Sara: Haha, I must tell you that I never did develop much of a taste for songs and music... But given everything you've done for the Tenryou Commission, I will certainly attend your performance if the opportunity arises.
:
: Paimon: Well, that's Xinyan's biggest worry taken care of!
: Xinyan: Not quite, my biggest worry is still Shiki Taishou! What comes next has nothing to do with me. As a friend, I must go back and help.
: Xinyan: Not to mention Red. Traveler, we gotta go back and save him, right?
: He'll probably be fine...
: ...but we can't just leave him like this.
: Xinyan: Then let's go! We'll need to meet up with Shiki Taishou in secret first.
----
;(Talk to Shiki Taishou)
: Shiki Taishou: Xinyan, Traveler, Paimon!
: Shiki Taishou: A general just passed through here, she was leading a team to investigate the area.
: Paimon: Her name is Kujou Sara, she's from the Tenryou Commission.
: Shiki Taishou: Kujou Sara... Why haven't I heard of her?
: Shiki Taishou: I think I remember hearing the name of the Supreme Commander of the Tenryou Commission once. It was a man called Kujou... something. What was it again?
: Shiki Taishou: I can't remember his name, but I do remember that Harunosuke played chess with him.
: Paimon: Harunosuke sounds like someone important.
: Xinyan: Let's save the chit-chat for later, we need to sneak back into the onmyou chamber before anyone sees us.
: Paimon: Oh, right! We still gotta find Childe! Let's go!
: Shiki Taishou: Alright. Everyone, follow me.
;(Enter the trial)
: Paimon: Oh! Here you are!
: Childe: So, is this everyone? You guys had me waiting for quite some time.
: Childe: Let me tell you, you missed out on some incredible action. Quite the pity.
: Paimon: Tsk, look at this guy, not a scratch on him.
: Childe: Hmm? Were you guys worried about me?
: No.
:: Childe: Hah, you must have a lot of faith in my abilities.
: A little.
:: Childe: Just a little, huh? Haha, well, if you were worried about me, I'm flattered.
: Childe: As a comrade and old rival, you should know that unexpected combat situations are my bread and butter.
: Childe: Anyway, when the Domain was rearranging itself, the rooms were moving up and down. The monsters were scattered all over the place! *sigh* I had so much fun fighting them these last few days.
: Childe: I even came across a few replicas. They should contain more power and memories.
: Xinyan: Better late than never! Hurry up and fuse with them, Shiki Taishou!
;(Interact with the replicas)
: Shiki Taishou: The residual power in these replicas is limited, I can only regain a fraction of my memories.
: Childe: Not enough? Then I guess it's on with the plan. We need to venture deeper into the Domain.
: Paimon: Wait... the Domain already rearranged itself. The route we discovered is useless now!
: Shiki Taishou: Don't worry too much, there's a pattern to the rearrangement. I should be able to find the way.
: Shiki Taishou: If I'm not mistaken, we should head in that direction.
: Paimon: Wait a second, Paimon has a question! Shiki Taishou, didn't you just say that the power left in the replicas wasn't enough? You still don't have all your memories.
: Paimon: So how would you know if you were heading in the right direction?
: Paimon: Last time, when we followed you through that door, we were sent out of the Domain... which means not all the doors in this place are real!
: Paimon: What if you still can't tell the difference? We might end up somewhere super dangerous.
: Shiki Taishou: I can completely understand your reservations. Unfortunately, I'm still unable to give you a compelling answer...
: Shiki Taishou: Would you believe it if I said that it's an intuition I have as the overseer here?
: Paimon: Not... really...
: Xinyan: I can see why you're worried Paimon, but our only option is to trust Shiki Taishou as our guide. Otherwise, all we can do is stand here and wait.
: Xinyan: Besides, we'll be even more lost if the Domain rearranges itself again!
: Childe: Hmm, you seem to be more anxious this time around.
: Childe: Let me guess... trouble on the outside?
: Childe: As far as I understand it, Inazuma's situation is still far from stable. A Domain like this would likely fall under the Tenryou Commission's jurisdiction, but they're spread too thinly at present. There's a lot that still falls outside of their control.
: Childe: Which means that you guys are here as support, and it's very likely that the Tenryou Commission made the request. So, you're receiving their orders.
: Childe: In that case, knowing their style, they're probably planning a lethal assault on the Domain to crush everything in their path. If we don't find Shiki Taishou's memories before that happens, then it's possible we never will.
: Childe: Hence the increased anxiety... right?
: As expected, you are here to investigate Inazuma.
: Paimon: Is this all part of your scheme!?
: Childe: It's true, there are indeed matters that I'm investigating, but it's not what you might think. We can talk about that later, let's make sure we deal with our own problems first.
: Childe: Now then, Traveler, you and I are hardly strangers, and I see no reason for me to lie to you. After arriving in Inazuma, I discovered monster tracks in the surrounding areas, and so I followed them into the Domain.
: Childe: It would appear that this place is some sort of combat training ground — there's nothing but fighting and slaughter to be had here. Needless to say, it's been an enjoyable experience for me! I feel quite at home.
: Childe: This may come as an unpleasant surprise to Miss Xinyan and Shiki Taishou, but I'm not someone who cares for allegiance and affiliation.
: Childe: Good and evil, right and wrong, duty and destiny... are these things really so important? Are they really more appealing than the euphoria of battle and close combat?
: Xinyan: You got fightin' in your veins, that's for sure. Well brother, what is it you're tryin' to say...?
: Childe: Nothing in particular. But I am telling you that we should venture forward bravely. Don't fear the monsters that lie ahead.
: Childe: If you're not up to the task, I will happily take your place in crushing all that come before us... then the burden of the slaughter will be mine and mine alone.
: Childe: Because fighting... is what I'm best at.
: Xinyan: ...
: Paimon: D—Don't look at Paimon! We're going, okay? We're going!
;(Enter the second final room on Level 1)
: Shiki Taishou: "The mind of our master is righteous and broad, our enemies flee at the sound of our sword..."
: Paimon: Is that a song?
: Shiki Taishou: It's a ballad that was once passed down by samurai through the ages. They fought alongside my replicas, and through the power of charm magic, that song is now a part of me... The emotion of that time is with me too.
: Shiki Taishou: Something's coming back to me... echoes circulating. It's the emotions and voices that they left in my memory.
: Shiki Taishou: Some of them were scared, some were discontent, others were eager to join the fray — yearning for battle through day and night...
: Shiki Taishou: The lead samurai addressed Harunosuke as Master Kamuna. He had unyielding respect for him, and always acted on his advice.
: Shiki Taishou: Strange... What was their purpose in continuing to fight here?
;(Enter the final room on Level 2)
: Paimon: Whew, finally, the last room. It hasn't been easy.
: Xinyan: Is that... Another replica!
: Shiki Taishou: Traveler, quickly!
;(Interact with the replica)
: Shiki Taishou: This room is very close to the deepest part of the onmyou chamber. Harunosuke and I... I remember we spent a long time here.
: Shiki Taishou: We would watch martial artists from all over Inazuma. They would drink here and celebrate, shouting: "Now we too have the power to defeat the strongest monsters!"
: Xinyan: So, you and Kamuna Harunosuke brought samurai here to eradicate monsters?
: Shiki Taishou: That is one possibility... among many.
: Shiki Taishou: Perhaps it was all just a ploy by Harunosuke. Maybe recruiting those samurai and ordering them to eradicate the monsters was all in aid of regaining control of the onmyou chamber.
: Paimon: Huh, sounds a lot like something Tartaglia would say...
: Childe: Hey—? I can have positive assumptions too you know!
: Shiki Taishou: I'm just trying to make a logical guess. I don't mean to offend anyone.
: Shiki Taishou: My memory is still incomplete, but there's less and less gaps to fill. Soon it should be fully restored.
: Shiki Taishou: What's more, I sense that if we continue forward... we might just come face to face with Harunosuke himself.
: Paimon: But... this onmyou chamber was built ages ago, wasn't it? Could he have been here all that time!? Whoa...
: Shiki Taishou.
: There's something I need to ask you.
: Xinyan: Wait — Traveler... You're not about to—
: There are things I need to say myself.
: Shiki Taishou: Looking at your expressions... This must be something serious.
: Paimon: Uh, we don't need to get too serious though, right? It's eerie enough down here without adding more tension into the mix! Ugh, let Paimon say it.
: Paimon: Alright, here goes. In the very beginning, all we heard was that monsters had escaped from a Domain. We came straight here along with samurai from the Tenryou Commission.
: Paimon: When we met you, you didn't know anything about the Domain or where you came from, and we believed you.
: Paimon: We had our reservations, but we trusted Xinyan. She took you at your word, and we decided to work together.
: That's right.
: Paimon: As we ventured deeper and deeper into the Domain, it seemed like the truth was just around the corner...
: Paimon: But even now, we still can't be sure whether this Domain was created for... evil ends.
: Paimon: You never know what you'll find in a chest until you open it, and now we've arrived at that moment, we need to be ready for whatever it contains!
: If Kamuna has evil intentions...
: ...if he seeks to endanger Inazuma...
: ...will you still be on our side?
: Xinyan: ...
: Xinyan: I don't like seein' folks forced into a corner like this... but it's like the Traveler says. We gotta be ready to take responsibility for each other.
: Shiki Taishou: I see... So the time has come for me to make a choice.
: Shiki Taishou: Until now, I had my doubts about why you had decided to help me throughout all this. Even if we've only spent a few days fighting in each other's company, we should have no reason to hide anything.
: Shiki Taishou: I'm afraid that barring new information, it's impossible for me to make any guarantees. I want to believe in Harunosuke, but after all these years, perhaps he's changed... Maybe my memories were never real to begin with.
: Shiki Taishou: I am just a shikigami, created by an onmyouji, with nothing more than a few fragmented memories to my name. The four of you are all I have.
: Shiki Taishou: Our bond is one of trust. My bond with Harunosuke... is one of responsibility.
: Shiki Taishou: As my creator, I have a duty to follow him... And if he does turn out to be evil, then my destiny will be his to control.
: Shiki Taishou: If I am able, I wish to retain the kindness in my heart until the very end. But a weapon cannot betray its master's will. If he was able to create me, then he is able to control me.
: Shiki Taishou: So... if Harunosuke and I go on to cause harm to others... I trust that you will provide a fitting end for the two of us.
: Paimon: *snivel* ...Great, leave all the heart-breaking decisions for us, why don't you...
: Paimon: ...Still, that was an honest and inspiring speech!
: Paimon: Good enough for Paimon! What do you think, ?
: Yes. Shiki Taishou...
: ...You have my full trust.
: Xinyan: Wait, were you two planning this line of questioning all along?
: Childe: Hahaha, not bad at all. You were testing to see whether there were still missing fragments from Shiki Taishou's memory... You've grown, Traveler.
: Paimon: What do you mean "testing"! This was an orchestrated collaboration! Successful teamwork!
: Paimon: It's like Xinyan said — she has her way of confirming trustworthiness... and we have ours!
: Paimon: Besides, this was a chance to let Shiki Taishou know that even if he's still unsure of the big picture, we're still willing to place our trust in him.
: Childe: Shiki Taishou refrained from claiming an allegiance... which sounds like the actions of a real comrade to me. Warning us of the potential threat was an act of true responsibility.
: I can feel the sincerity.
: Shiki Taishou: Well, I'm also a terrible liar... But thank you for opening up to my honesty.
: Childe: Even good guys lie and manipulate at times... and bad guys have their own doubts and misgivings.
: Childe: The fact that you were able to give an answer so cruel to yourself... could only mean that you've truly made up your mind.
: Paimon: It's just like Xinyan said... Uh... What was it you said again...?
: Xinyan: Haha, could you give me a hint?
: Paimon: Oh, got it! "It's an honest language that touches the truest depths of the heart"!
: Xinyan: Word-for-word, huh. Your memory ain't so bad after all, Paimon!
: Childe: Well then, has our pre-combat session concluded?
: Childe: If so, let's get going!
: Xinyan: Shiki Taishou, try not to worry — we're here for you.
: Shiki Taishou: I know, and I will do my best not to cause you guys any trouble.
: Paimon: Eh, trouble's fine as long as we can win in the end!
: We just need to win one final battle...
: Childe: Before we get ahead of ourselves, we need to be ready for an even worse scenario. Imagine if this door isn't the way to the innermost depths of the Domain... but just another mechanism...
: Paimon: Ah! Shut up! Don't jinx it!
: Childe: Hehe, I'm just exploring the what-ifs. There's no guarantee that it won't happen, right?
: Shiki Taishou: Unfortunately, if that is the case, I don't think I'll be able to prevent it in my current state...
: Shiki Taishou: I'm sorry, but I still don't have full control over this place yet.
: Childe: Personally, I wouldn't really mind. This place is a combat haven. It can rearrange itself another ten times for all I care.
: Paimon: *whimper* Paimon isn't listening... You can have fun here by yourself when all this is over!
: Childe: Well, if the Domain does rearrange itself again, you should watch your backs and try and stick together.
: Xinyan: And you'll be off on another solo combat mission, I assume?
: Childe: Oh, don't worry about me...
: Childe: I'll be making the most of it!
----
;(Exit the trial)
: Paimon: Darn it! We've been kicked out again!
: Xinyan: We need to make sure Red keeps his mouth shut next time... His jinxes are right on the Mora!
: Paimon: Paimon's sick of this Domain! Kamuna Harunosuke is a scaredy-cat — he's too afraid to face us!
: Xinyan: Still, it's lucky that Red and Shiki Taishou remained inside. This place is crawlin' with Tenryou Commission samurai.
: (Where could Kamuna be...?)
: Xinyan: Well, same as before I guess, let's wait for the Domain to rearrange and then go and find them.
: Xinyan: Until then, we should stay hidden. We wouldn't want the Tenryou Commission to see us wanderin' around.
: Paimon: Next time, we HAVE to chase Kamuna out of his hiding spot!
----
;(Talk to Watanabe)
: Watanabe: I knew we could count on Madam Kujou Sara! The reinforcements she sent are all seasoned veterans!
: Watanabe: With experienced fighters on hand, no amount of monsters can breach this pass!
: About your wounds...
: Watanabe: Ha, nothing more than a scratch! Tenryou Commission samurai don't back down in critical moments like these!
: Paimon: What a valiant spirit! No wonder people are starting to feel more at ease!
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
ja:決意の前進
pt-br:Perserverando
ru:Решимость двигаться вперёд