Invisible Ties (chapter)

*“Rubio and Hardo turn the gates on Krotos with a brilliant deception. The "hierophant" reveals him/herself to be Rubio's future self.”*

**—Opening Narration**

## Invisible Ties

### Units Gained

Ascald (automatically after defeating Krotos initially)Hardo (automatically after defeating Krotos initially)

### Chapter Script

- None -

**Invisible Ties** (運命か、絆か *Unmei ka, Kizuna ka* lit. **Fate, or Bonds** in the Japanese version) is Chapter 23 of *KvD: Legends Awakening*. This chapter shares its name with the Premonition of the same name. Both Sokara and the Avatar are required for this chapter.

This chapter occurs in two different halves. In the first half, the map is split into two parts by a wall that cannot be passed through; the top portion which Sokara and the Avatar fight Krotos, like in the Premonition version of this map, and the bottom which all other units brought into the battle fight Garugi members. The Rescue Staff cannot be used during this half of the chapter. However, the Extinguish tome can still hit Krotos through the barrier, allowing the player to hit him with characters other than the Avatar and Sokara. After defeating Krotos, a short cutscene occurs and then the second half occurs.

In the second half, the wall separating Sokara and the Avatar from the rest of the army will break and Krotos will warp away from his original position to where his cult members are. Ascald and Hardo join in in this half.

## Script

The script for this chapter can be found here.

## Strategy

Before starting this map, make sure that the Avatar is properly trained. If for some reason, they have not been used, train them now as this is the last map in the game that they must be used. Sokara should also be in fairly good shape this point, given his mandatory usage in every map so far. It is also a good idea to have the Avatar and Sokara at their highest support rank possible at that point for the best results, as there may or may not be enough time to revert or it may take up a precious move that could be spent attacking.

There are two initial sections on this map similar to the duel between Leo and Black Knight in KvD: Emblem Eternal's Rebirth 2 map. As with the premonition version of this map, Sokara and the Avatar will start off on the top half by themselves while the rest of the army battles other enemies in the south portion. No unit can pass through the "wall" set up in the middle of the map so Sokara and the Avatar will face Krotos alone unless a Dark Mage related unit is using Extinguish. If Sokara or the Avatar is a mounted unit with Boots of Grace, they can potentially take Krotos down in 1 turn. He's fairly weak in this phase and should put up little resistance. If they can't take down Krotos in 1 turn, the other units will need to deal with the Garugi surrounding them. Assassins, Generals, and Heroes can be problematic for their dodge, defense, and skill respectively. Deal with them with caution to prevent losses in the army. Fortunately on those units on the southwestern part of the map will move, unless an aggressive use of Galeforce to try and rush the southeastern portion is the plan. Once Krotos has been defeated, sit back for a quick cutscene and a bit of dialogue before proceeding to the second phase of this map.

Krotos's attempt to isolate Sokara and the Avatar fails, so he shatters the barrier and will then warp to the southeastern portion of the map amongst his Garugi followers. Ascald and Hardo will join the army once this phase starts and are two really good units. However, both will need to avoid the Sorcerers due to their low resistance. Their weapon ranks and starting equipment make them perfect to take down all enemies; Hardo focusing on the Generals due to his Thunder Axe and Ascald focusing on the Assassins because of his superb skill and speed. Ascald is worth considering giving Yegdrion from the previous chapter, as his weapon rank will allow him to use the sword and with Arms-thrift he might not use a single point of durability. Hardo would also work extremely well with Storm Ravager, but he does not have Armsthrift, so if sacrificing a few durability points or there is a good staff user with Winter, Hardo should be able to get the job done with this regalia.

Dealing with the generic Garugi members should be no trouble at all unless on a higher difficulty. Krotos, on the other hand, gains a good boost in stats in this new position, more so the higher in difficulty the player is playing in. Normal shouldn't pose too much of a threat and can be dealt with swiftly aside from a few unlucky misses due to Anathema. On Hard mode, he gains Vengeance which can be a bit problematic since he can stack damage receive and deal devastating damage, especially those with low resistance, but on this difficulty, he will not always activate this. He also has 'Dragon's kin' which will halve all damage received which works to his favor with Vengeance. Lunatic seals the coffin with Rightful King to always activate Vengeance and Renewal which will preserve him to maximize his Vengeance/'Dragon's kin' combo. Once he's finished, rout the remaining enemies (if there are any left) and the battle will be won.

Alternatively, the player can have Sokara and the Avatar wait outside of Krotos's attack range in the first phase, and allow the other units to defeat all of his Garugi followers. This makes the second phase far easier on higher difficulties, as Krotos will then be the only unit left standing. If your units on the bottom half of the map require assistance, then defeat Krotos so Sokara and the Avatar can help them.

## Reinforcements

* On turn 4, three Garugi units will appear from the staircases to the right, based on the initial enemies on the map.
* On turn 5, three Garugi units will appear from the staircases to the left.
* On turn 6, three Garugi units will appear from both staircases.

## Trivia

* This chapter is the only map in the entire game in which a character aside from Sokara must be used on the team preparation screen. The Avatar must always be used in this map.