Coronation

The de Runes make for the now-infested cathedral

## Trophies

*Destroy him.*
Mélie

"**Coronation**" is the sixteenth chapter of *A Plague Tale: Innocence*. It features a difficult, climactic final boss fight and sees an end to the nightmare for the de Rune children.

## Plot

### Synopsis

> Brainwashed by Vitalis and accompanied by Nicholas, Hugo unleashed rats on Château d'Ombrage. Nicholas kills Arthur but Amicia and Hugo, reunited once more, managed to kill Vitalis' henchman. The group leaves for the town in order to put and end to the Grand Inquisitor's madness.
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### Summary

The snow is falling and the sky has a dreary, diseased yellow tone overhead as The de Runes and their remaining allies Lucas, Mélie, and Rodric arrive at the town. Their goals: to avenge Melie's fallen brother Arthur, rescue their mother Béatrice and defeat Grand Inquisitor Vitalis Bénévent once and for all.

Mélie, blinded by rage over the loss of her twin, recklessly leads the charge. The now-rampant rat hordes tunneling about the city have collapsed buildings while others are on fire. The ground is split open in places, making impassible chasms, and a sickly yellow fog hangs on the air. The safer side door Amicia and Mélie used before is now blocked by a rat's nest, so the children are forced to go in the Great Door which is guarded by two heavy knights and a soldier. Lucas and Mélie lead the two heavy knights away, allowing Rodric to take down the remaining guard and proceed.

In the far distance looms the Cathedral, the last stronghold for the Inquisition, and a ceremony called the Conjuration is at hand. This has lead to heavy patrols being posted all around the all-but-ruined city. Taking advantage of Hugo's power and the many rat burrows, rats can be used to eliminate even the most heavily armored guards once their light sources have been dealt with. Encountering a closed portcullis, Rodric displays his incredible physical strength by lifting it on his own.

Preventing from joining Lucas and Mélie by a chasm, Rodric and the de Runes are forced to progress through a burning house where the older boy must break down a door, forcing Amicia to hold the line against a well-equipped Inquisition unit of knights while he does so. On the other side, they free two captured citizens who are killed by archers. Overlooking the courtyard standing between them and the Cathedral, they are out of range and cannot be reached by the rats. With no other way through, Rodric pushes a cart to provide cover for the siblings but is hit several times in the process. Fighting past his pain, he manages to lift a portcullis allowing the two to reunite with Lucas and Mélie, but then collapses from his injuries and dies, much to the group's despair.

Their anger now fully provoked by another loss, the children make their way to the Cathedral and slaughter that last few guards that remain using Hugo's rats. Up close, it is revealed that the entire building has become one massive nest, with filth covering even the exterior. In the congregation hall is Vitalis, surrounded by the gnawed corpses of parishioners. Béatrice is also present, locked in a suspended cage. While Lucas and Mélie go to rescue the lady de Rune, Amicia and Hugo confront Vitalis Bénévent as he reveals the horror of all horrors: his own horde of pale, hairless rats he calls "angels", which are not affected by light. Now completely maddened by the effects of the Macula and the power it gives him, Vitalis sends his rats to attack, aiming to make himself the sole carrier of the Macula by killing Hugo and everyone in his way,

Initially pushed back, Hugo's horde barely manages to hold the line until Amicia can douse braziers, allowing Hugo's black rats to push closer and closer. Angel rat twisters repeatedly appear, forcing Hugo to form his own rat twisters to block them. Once close enough, Vitalis begins using rats as armor, so Hugo must send rat twisters to strike him and remove the rats, letting Amicia hit him with her sling. However, he does not die from the first hit, and Vitalis can even pile up rats and bring them crashing down on Amicia like a giant's arm, as well as summoning fresh hordes from the ground. Finally, after the third blow, Vitalis collapses and his horde is defeated. As he dies, he looks over at Hugo, who looks back at him with neither fear nor pity as the scene cuts to black.

Navigation

* I – The de Rune Legacy
* II – The Strangers
* III – Retribution
* IV – The Apprentice
* V – The Ravens' Spoils
* VI – Damaged Goods
* VII – The Path Before Us
* VIII – Our Home
* IX – In the Shadow of Ramparts
* X – The Way of Roses
* XI – Alive
* XII – All That Remains
* XIII – Penance
* XIV – Blood Ties
* XV – Remembrance
* XVI – **Coronation**
* XVII – For Each Other