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Also, it's a bit late, but the profile page has been updated. Welcome back, Battler.
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Mar 9, 2017 17:44
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 00:55 |
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All right, video incoming probably tonight.
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Mar 9, 2017 20:25
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Added to the previous update: Sacrifice
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Mar 10, 2017 00:52
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  October 5th, 1986, 11:50 PM  BGM: Voiceless Please, someone explain in a way even I can understand... what happened yesterday. I was in the kitchen of the mansion, grabbing some food without permission. If you open up that massive business-class refrigerator, you can find anything. You can eat and drink as much as you like. Even if the typhoon didn't clear up for a week, I'd have more than enough to eat. With wine in one hand, I was helping myself to some dry-cured ham. I wonder just how expensive this wine and ham are. You ingredients are out of luck too. If only you'd had Gohda-san to cook you, you could've been reborn as much more incredible food... I looked at the clock. Very soon, it would be 24:00. October 5, the second day, would end. The insane October 4, yesterday, seemed like a lie. That's how much... nothing had happened after that test thing. Nothing happened.  Nothing happened at all. I wanna start demanding a refund on all the time and energy that tension stole from me, because after that, for an entire day, a full 24 hours... Nooothing happened. So surely, nothing's gonna happen now.  There, I was given a strange test to determine the Successor to the Headship or whatever. I gave a serious answer in my own way, but it somehow hadn't meshed with the other side. Beatrice got pissed for no reason and fell silent. I yelled at her to try and say something, but she gave no answer. When I asked where Maria was, she just told me to go to the chapel and left. To tell the truth, it was an anticlimax. No matter what kind of weird test you give, at least tell me whether I've passed or failed. Are you trying to say 'Thanks for coming, your results will be mailed to you later' or something? Quit messing with me. Anyway, I then headed to the chapel. After failing their tests, both George-aniki and Jessica were killed. I couldn't let Maria get killed too. Also, I might get a chance to catch some person trying to kill her. As a little kid, I often heard from Jessica that you'd get in trouble if you went near the chapel, so I'd never been there, but I at least knew where it was.  I thought this might be someone telling me to open the door, but after trying all the keys, I found that none of them fit. I also called Maria's name, but there was no answer whatsoever. I searched around the chapel, but there was a limit to what I could do in the pitch black with just a flashlight. I realized that this key bundle might be a set of master keys, which could make it possible to open the door to the mansion. I found no sign of Maria, so I returned to the mansion.  However, it's amazing how good humans are at adapting. The inside of the mansion must still be wrapped up in that smell. However, I grew completely used to it and stopped minding it. It didn't seem any worse than any old house where someone had burnt some meat. At first, I was bewildered by the stench, but I decided to head to the dining hall for the time being...  It was the remains of Aunt Natsuhi and the others who'd become the first victims. Half of each head had been completely split open, and it was so gruesome that even without knowing a thing about examining corpses, I could say that they were 100% dead... And on top of that, the remaining halves of their faces were left like normal, so it was even easy to identify them. Really convenient corpses, these were. And in addition to those six bodies... was one more.  She lay next to Aunt Rosa, as though sleeping alongside her. I cried. At the death of an innocent young girl. And at the cruel way my dad and the rest had died. I raced through the mansion swinging the hat-stand spear, yelling 'Come out here, bastard'. But I couldn't find any trace of anyone else. Thinking they might be planning to hide somewhere and attack me from behind, I went around searching for hiding places, sometimes growing more cautious, and sometimes intentionally letting my guard down in various ways, but in the end, not even a kitten appeared... Then, morning came. My tension and fatigue combined with my drowsiness, making for the worst kind of dawn. Humans are pretty incredible. Even when a murderer might been hiding somewhere, we prioritize drowsiness and fatigue over our own lives. By that time, I was starting to feel pretty ridiculous. After all, for a full six hours before dawn, I'd walked around the mansion, yelling at the culprits to show themselves. My search had been a careful one, and I'd tired myself out and let my guard down. Even so, no one came to attack me. Basically, I lost patience with them and figured they could do whatever the hell they wanted... The boat won't come until the typhoon passes. They said on TV that it won't pass until tomorrow, so I've got another full day today. Lazing about lost its interest, and even though I knew it would probably make the police mad, I decided to play detective a bit.  BGM: At Death's Door The six who had been killed in the beginning really were pitiful. The weapon used was probably a gun. Maybe their heads were split by something powerful, like a magnum bullet or a shotgun. It was a reasonable theory to hold. Compared to that, the seventh corpse, Maria, had died in a much better and cleaner way. At a glance, I could see no external wounds and didn't understand how she'd been killed. But by her mouth were traces of bubbles that she might've spat out, and it looked like a typical death by poisoning that you might see in a TV drama. Wasn't Maria called out to the chapel and given a test...? So why was she in the corpse-filled dining hall, lying next to her mother, dead...? Even if the cause of death was poison, who gave it to her? Her clothes weren't disturbed at all. It's hard to imagine that she was forcibly pushed down and given an injection of poison. It's probably better to assume that she was given a capsule of poison or something and made to swallow it. But compared to the scattered and violently mutilated corpses in this room, Maria's corpse was too clean. If they had a gun, they only needed to pull the trigger. But poisoning, whether by having her drink it or by an injection, would take a lot more effort. Considering the culprit's brutal nature, you'd think Maria's death alone was given special treatment. Why was only Maria given a sleep-like death? True, being killed is always a pitiful thing, but for some reason, Maria's death alone seemed very courteous to me... Both of Maria's hands were joined on her chest, as though the dead person had put them there herself. Did Maria do that herself before dying...? Isn't this usually something done by someone else after the person dies...? As though sleeping with her mother, whose head was half crushed, Maria dozed in peace. For some reason, that contrast really bugged me. Including the direct cause, it's probably safe to say that Maria's death is shrouded in mystery... And more than anything else...  After the first six were killed, five more fell through 'pitfalls' and were captured. What are pitfalls? Those things that suddenly open and you fall through them, right...? The room had a solid floor with a carpet that looked dignified, if a bit worn out. No matter how you looked at it, it was single piece. If a pitfall had opened up, there would have to be a seam just in that place. And, if there had been some trick like a pitfall, wouldn't it creak when you walked on it?? No matter how much I walked around, feeling the carpet, I just couldn't imagine that a pitfall was hidden here. Anyway, it'd be one thing if a single person fell, but a full five people did. By putting together everyone's stories, each one of them had fallen from a different location, so at the very least, there had to be five separate places with pitfalls. So what does this mean? Was this room actually made with pitfalls across the entire floor, so by pushing a button, you could open up a pitfall in the location of your choice, some kind of contraption like that?? That kind of ridiculous mechanism would be surprising even in a ninja mansion. But if Dad and the rest had heard about this, I wonder if they'd say 'I wouldn't put it past Grandfather to do it, to make it'. ...At any rate, I didn't learn anything more from the dining hall. Do the pitfalls not exist? Or do they exist, but I just can't find them, amateur that I am? I can't say for sure. Since they claimed that the pitfalls were there, I can't ignore them, even if I can't find them...  BGM: Witch of the Painting He had been called out to the arbor in the rose garden... and, probably, shot in the forehead with a gun. Jessica had been called to her own room on the second floor of the mansion. The door to her room was locked. But that wasn't a problem at all, since I had a master key.  ...But after the dining hall, I was used to corpses, so I'd built up a bit of an immunity. The phone receiver was loose and dangling. Had she been killed while still on the phone with me? Jessica was leaning against the wall right next to it, with half of her head split open. As far as I could tell by glancing at the scene, it looked as though she'd been killed while on the phone. In that case, had the culprit been right there before her eyes? I hadn't gotten that impression when listening to Jessica's voice over the phone. I'm pretty sure Jessica said... 'They got me'. It's probably best to assume that she'd already received a fatal wound at the time of the phone call. That's right, and she also said this.  ...From what I could tell by looking at Jessica's corpse, there were no wounds on her other than the damage to her head. Could she have had an injury serious enough to make her prepared for death, and then died halfway through the phone call? But the way she'd talked on the phone made me think that she'd escaped harm for the time being. You shouldn't be able to have a casual conversation over a phone if the culprit's right before your eyes. So, did the culprit come in partway through the phone call and kill Jessica...? No, that can't be right. After all, this room was locked. ...Wait, that doesn't tell me anything. If the culprit stole a master key from one of the victims, locking the door would be meaningless. But she had no external wounds other than her head. In that case, should I assume that the fatal wound she was prepared to die from and the actual external wound that damaged her head were two different things, and that both of them were made to the same part of the body? In other words, Jessica was struck severely to the head... and received an incredibly bad wound. Then she called me... and either lost consciousness or died while on the phone. Then, the culprit came and damaged her head again, something like that. After being called to this room, Jessica was attacked by the culprit and received a serious injury. Then, the culprit thought she'd been killed... and went away for the time being. But Jessica miraculously started breathing again... and called me with what would become her dying message. Then, the culprit realized that they'd failed to kill her... and rushed back to deliver the final blow after Jessica fell unconscious from massive blood loss... ...That seems to add up, more or less. Except for how Jessica was able to accurately predict the nature of that final blow. And, there was one more thing that bugged me about the phone call from Jessica. Jessica had said this...  ...She said it almost as though she'd witnessed George-aniki being killed. But while you certainly could see the rose garden from the window in Jessica's room, and you could even see the roof of the arbor where George-aniki had been summoned, it was very far away. Add on the fact that it was the night of a typhoon, and it's very hard to imagine that she was able to witness everything that happened by the arbor from this window. And more than anything else. Jessica left before George-aniki. So she shouldn't have known that George-aniki's test took place by the arbor. Why did Jessica know... that George-aniki had been killed...?  BGM: Stupefaction It was in one of the old guest rooms, at the back of the first floor. In the past, before the construction of the guesthouse, the relatives had spent the night in these. Kyrie-san's situation matched Jessica's perfectly. She'd probably been killed during her phone call with me. The receiver was hanging untidily, and Kyrie-san lay crumpled in that corner. But the way she had been killed was very different from Jessica. Her head wasn't smashed. Instead, a stake with an occult design was buried into her forehead. It was so gruesome, so I pulled it out. After pulling it, I realized that this might get me into trouble with the police later. So, a little too late, I set it down by Kyrie-san's side. Its tip was sharp and stained with enough blood that it must have penetrated fully to the brain. I didn't know what kind of metal it was made of, but it was about as heavy as a paperweight. Certainly, if you were stabbed all-out with something like this, it might cause a terrible wound. ...I... probably knew what that stake meant. It's one of those. The style of killing from the fourth twilight onwards in the witch's epitaph. It's probably that 'gouge with a stake and kill' thing. However, a human skull is very firm. No matter how much someone mustered their strength, could it really have been pierced so neatly...? No. By my reasoning, this stake wasn't the cause of death, but had just been used to damage the corpse after death. She was probably killed with a gun or something, like George-aniki, and the stake had been stuck into the hole left by the gun. Thinking of it that way makes it easier to accept.  As she said on the phone, even though she was holed up inside a locked room, Kyrie-san was being attacked. In fact, this room had been locked. Also, she mentioned a golden thread or something flying in and attacking her. In fact, there were four places around Kyrie-san's corpse with holes that could have been caused by some kind of attack. But... a golden thread attacked her... through the keyhole...? I looked at the door from Kyrie-san's perspective. If it had been one of those old keyholes you see in old mystery movies, where you can peek through to the other side, then it would've clearly been possible to stick something through it. But even though the doors in this mansion were old-fashioned, the locks were the familiar, average cylinder style that you could find in any normal house. In other words, they weren't constructed in a way that would let you penetrate through them. So no matter how thin an object you might try to stick through the keyhole, it's unthinkable that something penetrated through from the outside and attacked. ...A cylinder lock. And a keyhole...? But despite that, Kyrie-san definitely said that something like a golden thread had flown in through the keyhole, spun around while aiming for her, and attacked her... 'A golden thread attacking through a keyhole'. I couldn't understand what it meant at all. But, even so... Kyrie-san probably predicted that I wouldn't be able to understand all this. And it wasn't just Kyrie-san. Jessica said it over the phone too. No, since the very beginning, from the time we talked with Gohda-san and Kumasawa-san and got the phone call from Uncle Krauss's group, everyone has said the same, consistent thing.  They'd been shown that right before their eyes. These weren't tricks or fakes. There was no choice but to believe it. With one voice, they had all said that. When the mystery woman calling herself Beatrice appeared, even I had pretty much believed that she was a real witch and might start summoning goat monsters right and left. However, after being left alone for a whole day, my feeling of tension had faded completely. I was now able to think that something so stupid definitely couldn't be true. Did they lose their heads a little in an extraordinary situation where their lives were exposed to danger... and mistakenly think that a witch was attacking them with magic? ...But multiple people gave the same kind of testimony, and on top of that, none of their opinions conflicted each other. If it had just been a single statement, I'd be able to suspect that they just didn't see what they thought they saw, but doing that now is pretty... difficult...  ...Even though he'd escaped the dungeon of Kuwadorian... and somehow made it this far by a secret underground passage, he had been killed. Buried into the gruesome cross-section of his half-crushed head... was a stake with an occult design, like the one that had been buried into Kyrie-san's forehead. And in this situation, it was very hard to imagine that this stake was the weapon used. He had been killed with a powerful gun like the six in the dining hall, and after death, had been jabbed with a stake like Kyrie-san. I wonder if the golden threads that Kyrie-san spoke of attacked Uncle Krauss too. Does there exist some kind of tool, like an endoscope, that's very thin but can be moved about at will...? And that can also attack people...? No way. I've never heard of anything like that. But even so, if this fact had been revealed to one of the relatives, maybe they'd say 'I wouldn't put it past Grandfather to make it'... Since I can't deny the existence of golden thread X that can be moved at will and attack people, I can either accept that this mysterious weapon exists, or else... I'll have to accept that this was a murder committed with magic. To find the next corpse, I had to go out through the back door and search around outside a bit. Behind the mansion, in the wild-grown bushes that were almost swallowed up by the forest, there was something like an old well...  BGM: Dead Angle Both corpses had their heads smashed. And, though they weren't stuck in, there were stakes lying right next to each damaged head. Each corpse was atrocious, but having to look directly at Shannon-chan's lovely face, which had been half blown away, was very painful... Then, there was the well. I'd heard that inside it was a secret underground passage to the mysterious mansion, Kuwadorian. By this time, I'd begun to think that Beatrice and her accomplices might've used this underground passage... and left for Kuwadorian. Even though there had apparently been at least ten of them, I hadn't seen a trace of anyone. It seemed very likely that they'd already escaped to a different location. There's the typhoon. They can't go out to sea. It goes the same for the forest. There's no way they could traverse such a deep, uncultivated forest on foot. In that case, they had only one place to go. The mysterious hidden mansion, Kuwadorian. Through the secret underground passage at the bottom of the well...! By this time, I had entirely lost my fear of being killed if I happened to come across the enemy. Don't gently caress with me...! This time I'll storm into your mansion...!  The old well had a firm cover on it. The cover was an iron grill. The gaps between the bars were perhaps 20 centimeters across. You could peer inside, but it really wasn't something a human could pass through. If I hadn't known better, I wouldn't have thought it anything more than a simple cover to prevent falls. But from what Kyrie-san had told me, I knew that its purpose was to prevent intruders from entering the secret underground passage in its depths...! But the cover was extremely firm and rigid, and no matter how much I pushed or pulled, I couldn't even get close to opening it. I couldn't find any obvious lock. It might be sealed by some mechanism. But no matter how much I investigated it, I couldn't find anything to release it. The biggest piece of information Kyrie-san had tried to give me, gambling her final moments, was the underground passage in this well...!  I had an idea. After all, I'd seen the various tools in the gardening shed when we'd locked Gohda-san and Kumasawa-san in there. But the shutter to the gardening shed was locked. On top of that, the key was with Gohda-san, who was dead on the inside. In other words, this gardening shed was a closed room. There's no way to open it from the outside. In that case, I've got to break the shutter. There has to be a tool for that somewhere. Kinda feels like I'm going in circles here.  BGM: Corridor in the Sands of Purgatory The boiler room was dimly lit, humid, smelled horrible, and on top of all that, was incredibly creepy. But there were several large tools there, and I managed to find a fire hatchet and some massive wire cutters. And... Grandfather's corpse. No, strictly speaking, I should probably say that I found a burnt corpse of a person who was probably Grandfather. Someone's corpse had been stuffed into the blazing fires of the boiler... However, by coincidence, I was able to notice the number of toes on the corpse. Both feet had six toes. That's right, I think I heard it from Dad some time long ago. Something about Grandfather having polydactyly, with extra toes. According to old Ushiromiya family tradition, it seems that those with extra fingers or toes had some kind of good fortune and were treated as a good omen. ...And because of that, Grandfather was selected to be the Successor or something... But I wonder if I can be certain this is Grandfather's body just from the number of toes. After all, Grandfather was supposed to be the leader of the group of culprits. I didn't have a clue why he'd get stuffed into a boiler in a place like this and die.  ...If it really was Grandfather, did that mean that the leader of the group of culprits wasn't Grandfather, but that Beatrice after all...? Grandfather was used because he was convenient... and was then thrown away? Unfortunately, it didn't look like I'd be given a chance to hear Grandfather's side of the story... Now that I had obtained a tool, I thought about rushing to take on the cover to the well, but I decided to break the shutter to the gardening shed first. I had plenty of time to kill anyway. I figured I should check on the condition of Gohda-san's and Kumasawa-san's corpses. I hit the shutter with the hatchet, breaking into it, stuck the wire cutter into the crack, and scissored it around, opening up a hole. Then, I faced Gohda-san and Kumasawa-san's corpses once more... As a result, I learned a new fact.  BGM: Lure ...And on both of their foreheads were signs that they'd been shot with a gun. The loop seemed longer than a normal noose. On top of that, the length was different on each to match the height of each person. In other words, the lengths had been adjusted so that both Gohda-san, who was tall, and Kumasawa-san, who was short, had their feet solidly but barely on the ground. Also, while the ropes carried both of their weights as their heads lolled, both of them had some slack below their knees. This meant that if they'd stood up with these loops around their necks, there would've been some extra length. In other words, these loops wouldn't have been that great for hanging people. The direct cause of death was probably a shot to the head. It was gruesome. Their insides were still dripping out from those gaping holes, staining their faces a deep red. It's probably best to assume that they were then hung, pulled up, and left exposed like that. If they'd been shot with a gun, they would probably have been lying down on the floor. If that had been the case, you wouldn't have been able to tell they were dead even if you peeked through the window. The mountain of stuff would've gotten in the way, so if they'd been lying down, they would've been hidden. To make the deaths of these two known to the rest of us who couldn't go inside, they would've had to hang them like this, making it visible from the outside. ...Was this... done to get back at us for thinking that those two would surely be safe if we left the key with them...? I wonder where the shutter key we gave Gohda-san, which should've ensured their safety, is now...  In other words, the gardening shed had been a closed room after all. And that gave rise to another question. Because this can't be explained by a hanging. If they didn't commit suicide, then those nooses were set up by the culprit. ...It might have been possible to shoot them through the window, but it's really unthinkable that someone could've tied two loops to the beam from the outside. And furthermore, there's no way they could've lifted up the heavy corpses. In other words, to do all of this, they would've had to go inside. But the key was in Gohda-san's pocket, and the shutter had been locked. In other words, the gardening shed had been a closed room. Gohda-san had said that there was only one key to this shutter. But is it possible that there was a copy... and that the culprit was in possession of it...? If we're allowed to theorize that there actually was a duplicate of the gardening storehouse key... and that Gohda-san just didn't know about it, then this isn't even close to a closed room. But why is it that, despite the fact that almost all of the other corpses were shot to death and left almost completely alone, just these two corpses were intentionally hoisted up? I couldn't help but feel something a bit odd about that...  There were 18 people on this island. I'm here, and there are 16 corpses. Kanon-kun's corpse is the only one I haven't been able to confirm. According to Kyrie-san, he had been killed while climbing out of the well... and had fallen down into it. So with the well closed up like this, it's impossible to check. I tried shining a flashlight through the bars, down into the darkness in the depths of the well. But it seemed that the jet-black darkness had no intention of showing me its depths with a light of that level... It looked like I'd have to break the bars after all. Using the hatchets and things I'd dragged from the boiler room and the gardening shed, I tried breaking the cover of the well. But the metal bars were extraordinarily sturdy, and breaking them wasn't easy. I hit them with the hatchet over and over, until my hands started feeling weird, and eventually gave up on breaking them... It's impossible. If they were at least wood, I might've been able to break them. But this metal... That's right, there's no way you can slice through metal bars like butter with a human's strength. ...I can't even begin to understand... that story about how Kanon-kun cut through metal bars. I heard that a light like a red laser beam grew out of his arm... and that he sliced through the metal bars like he was cutting through butter. Cutting through metal bars like butter...? And what's with the red laser beam? Does that mean he secretly had a burner on him or something... and used that to burn through the bars...? Still, just what kind of laser... could cut through metal bars like butter? It almost sounds like the kind of laser beam you'd find in those robot anime I'd loved as a kid, doesn't it? Does something like that actually exist...? And how did Kanon-kun get that laser beam...? No matter how much I want to ask him, he's already been killed. Plus, even his corpse is now in the depths of the well, beyond this cover. If Kanon-kun could slice through metal bars, I'm sure he could handle this metal cover in a single swing. It... feels just like the closed room Gohda-san was locked in while holding the key. Only one person can open the door, but they're locked inside... If only I had that power of Kanon-kun's, I'd be able to do something about this cover myself...  BGM: Minute Darkness Kyrie-san told me to believe in witches, and I even met an insane woman calling herself one. Could Kanon-kun possibly be... a human on the witch's side...? Or else... the culprit? ...What the heck. Am I gonna start treating him like the culprit... just because I can't find his corpse?  ...Very well, I couldn't bear having you push all the crimes on Kanon and building a human culprit theory that way. I will guarantee it with the red...   So, my whispering in red does not reach the piece you... But it did reach you, right...?  ...Golden threads that attacked through key holes. No, we even have testimony that something gold flew around the dining hall when the first six died. The two might've been the same weapon. Then there was the closed room murder of the garden shed, and the laser beam that could cut metal bars. And that wasn't all. There was much, much more... like the group of goat monsters, the story of a witch who could create pitfalls just by snapping her fingers, the rabbit-like demons who had fired golden threads... I think there was more, but each part was all screwed up. I couldn't possibly accept it... and was forced to suspect that it was some kind of trick or mistake. ...But why in the world had everyone spoken with one voice, saying the same thing without contradictions in their testimony...? It's not only the magic. There's Maria's mysterious death. Why Jessica knew that George-aniki had been killed. The mysterious burnt corpse that I couldn't confirm really belonged to that drat geezer. And more, and more. All stuff I don't get...! I tilted the wine bottle up and gulped. I don't have a clue what's going on. After dinner last night, the kids were chased out and told to go back to the guesthouse, and then there was a massacre in the dining hall. Kyrie-san and the rest were dropped through pitfalls and captured. Then, Jessica and George-aniki were called out to take a test or whatever and killed. Even though Kyrie-san's group was able to escape the dungeon somehow, all of them got killed in the end. And at the very, very end, even Maria was killed, leaving me all alone. In short, I did nothing except stay locked up in the guesthouse. During that time, a huge incident occurred and ended. What can I call it except incomprehensible? I don't have a clue anymore!  BGM: Dead Angle  "You show me your true form yourself...! I won't run or hide, so come at me with arrows or bullets or whatever...!"I haven't gotten any sleep since yesterday, so I'm incredibly sleepy. You wanna kill me, go ahead. I decided to return to the guesthouse and boldly rest in a bed.  The big clock did too. It was almost exactly 24:00. Then, the sound of the bell rang out, proclaiming that 24:00 had arrived... As I listened, I looked up at Beatrice's portrait. Exactly 24 hours ago, I met you. What were you trying to say...? And where did you go? Just who in the world are you...? Golden Witch, Beatrice. I haven't solved a single one of the riddles surrounding you...! Show yourself... And fight me...!!  BGM: Dir Like a guest of honor finally appearing, she showed herself on the landing at the top of the big staircase...  "So, you finally show yourself... I've been kept bored for a whole day."  "Yeah. I was bored, after all. I did a heck of a lot of it." "...Ange... was a good piece." "Don't you... speak Ange's name." "...She appeared through a miracle, sacrificed herself, and gave you the tenacity required for certain victory." "Don't you...speak Ange's name." "...That brutal death was something you needed. If you hadn't seen that death, you wouldn't have grown serious. Without the wake-up call of Ange's ill-fated future, your tenacity for victory would not have been born." "I told you not to speak Ange's name...!!" "...In short, she was a necessary sacrifice. Otherwise, an anger great enough to kill me would not have been born in you. The rivalry between us cannot be destroyed." "drat you, Lady Bernkastel, it's more fitting to call that a trump card than a piece. No matter how much a piece acts, it does not stray from the board. But no matter how much power a trump card wields, it is always thrown away after it is used." "Ange was truly a good trump card for you." At Battler's angry roar, Beato finally stopped talking. "...You know, I don't have time to play around in a place like this anymore. Even a tie will keep Ange waiting." "So, I'll break through you, take my family, and go back home!! I won't waste a second playing witch games with you!!" "In that case, what should you do? You know, don't you?" "Yeah! I'll beat you down!! I'll blast away all witches, magic, illusions and delusions!! Come on, let's get started!!! I won't let you trick me again!! Resume the game, okay? I'll tear apart the witch's veil concealing the outright lie you are!!!" "You talk too much. All you have to do is honestly say 'I'll kill you'." "Yeah. If those are the words you want, I'll say them. This is the first and last wish of yours that I'll lend an ear to." "...I thank you." "I'll..." "..."  
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Mar 10, 2017 14:20
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The profiles have been updated. And with that, humans of the thread, it is exam time. You've done a lot of hard work during this Episode trying to answer the questions of who and why, but now, we must set that aside and address how. Were the murders committed by magic, or by human hands? Does Battler's theory that an already-dead Kinzo allows an 18th extra person to slip onto the island hold, or is Kinzo's existence assured? How can all the mysteries of Rokkenjima be explained without the existence of witches? Don't expect to be let off with a passing grade for merely explaining Episode 4. This battle will span all four game boards, to force one side or the other to surrender for all eternity.
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Mar 10, 2017 14:36
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I'm otherwise planning to drop the first half of the final battle tomorrow, but do you guys want an extra day to theorycraft before Battler begins his attack?
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Mar 10, 2017 21:41
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As I said after the last update, what you are supposed to be doing right now is explaining how the murders of each game board could have been carried out by human hands.
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Mar 11, 2017 05:36
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I think we've seen enough coverage of the four games that it's time to shed a little more Red on the situation.
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Mar 11, 2017 13:48
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  Video: The Last Battle, Part 1And, if you opened your eyes amidst the darkness, the two of them could be seen in a rose garden...  BGM: Dreamenddischarger "Me." "How bold."In the rose garden, beautiful rose petals danced. The color of those rose petals... was red. Did the fact that they faced each other in this beautiful rose garden... prove... or make claim to a red, single truth? ...That must be why the roses are red. But in the language of flowers, roses represent passion. Not truth. The flower for truth is a forget-me-not. And that flower... is blue. "I'll bore through everything with my blue truth. From the very beginning of everything. I'll start from the very first game!" "Very well. Let's see what you've got. Come." "Here I go... I've already proclaimed it, but I'll say it again. This isn't just for the murder of Doctor Nanjo in the last game. This'll tear apart every scene from every game since the beginning...!!"  You can break through all of the murders in Episode 1 by supposing an unknown person X. Furthermore, it's even possible to explain the mystery of Kinzo's evaporation from the closed room sealed by the receipt... by making the bold assumption that Kinzo wasn't there in the first place. Unless Beato counters this with the red truth, the Illusion of the Witch from Episode 1 has been completely smashed. ...This blue truth is valid.  Was the red blood pouring out from there... a protest being made by her red truth...? Beato shut one of her eyes tight, enduring the unbearable pain of the blue truth that denied her.  "Hmm, not bad. But I mustn't be denied yet, I mustn't be killed yet. This is not yet enough. In the subsequent games, there were mysteries that couldn't be explained with that alone, right?" "...Which mysteries?" "In the final stages of the second game, George took Gohda and Shannon with him, barricaded them in Natsuhi's room, and was killed. The key that unlocked Natsuhi's room was locked up inside the room, and all of the remaining keys that could unlock that door were in Rosa's hand. Even if a culprit X existed, it should have been impossible to construct that closed room."The blue wedge that pierced Beato shook. She was resisting, fighting to pull it out. "No, that doesn't shake my blue truth. If culprit X were to obtain a master key, that's not even close to a closed room." "No, it was impossible for the culprit to obtain one. All of the master keys were under Rosa's control!" "But that's meaningless if Aunt Rosa was the culprit! Aunt Rosa handed a key over to culprit X by some method, assisting in the closed room murder! And after that, she retrieved the key by a similar method!" "Too naive, Beato!! I'd already guessed that much at the time!" "*cackle* Yes, you did, didn't you...""  "...Gwaaargh...!!! ...Agh, ack-" Beato let out a cry of anguish at that pain.  "...Guh, nngg... Not yet... This is still nothing..." "Not yet, not yeeeeeeeet!!" "This argument was already won back then. And even that final riddle you proposed through EVA, the murder of Doctor Nanjo, can be explained with an 18th unknown person X. That breaks through the whole third game!!! Can you counter that?!" "Guh, aah...!! O-Of course...! This much is... nothing to worry about...!" "In that case, how do you explain George's disappearance from the guesthouse? I shall add to the red truth. George did not go down the stairs of the guesthouse. He flew out through the window!"In the final stages of the third game, George suddenly vanished from the second floor of the guesthouse. Eva, who had been on the first floor, claimed that no one had come downstairs, but because of the blue truth, George could've snuck down to the first floor and escaped while Eva was busy carrying Krauss's and Natsuhi's corpses outside. But by adding an additional red truth, Beato had denied that possibility. To go outside without going down the staircase to the first floor, he would've had to leave by the window. But all of the windows had been locked from the inside...!  "So what? It's just like you said. He flew out the window, right? There was a lawn, so we couldn't tell if he'd jumped down, and it was raining so hard. Any light traces would've disappeared." "I'll use more of the blue. I said it myself at the time." "In that case, everything works out as long as someone locked the window after George-aniki escaped through it! Nothing difficult about that!!" "Gwaaaaaaaahhaaaaah...!! Gguuuuhhh... Can I not...escape after something like this...?"Beato couldn't remove the blue wedge that was buried into her foot. The fake witch was burned more and more by that forceful blue... "There's still nothing that shakes my blue truth in any of the first three games. In that case, the only game that can prove you're a witch... is this game, the fourth game." "...Since I haven't countered you with the red, that is so. I shall have to prove witches using only this game. Very well. Give me everything you've got." "The murders of George-aniki, Jessica, and those who escaped from the dungeon can also be explained with guns, just like the dining hall. There's nothing strange about it!" "But I'm sure you've got a counterattack, right? Bring it on!!" "Your greatest sword, this 18th person X, is based on the theory that Kinzo was already dead. I knew you would make that claim. That's why I took Kinzo out of his study. All members in the family conference welcomed that Kinzo, right? All of those who met at the family conference acknowledged the presence of Kinzo!" "That's right. But Grandfather was seriously ill, bedridden on the verge of life and death, right? If he was so worn out that he looked like a different person, maybe no one would've cared, right?" "I'll counter with this. That Grandfather was a different person, a body double. A different person the relatives mistook for Grandfather!" "Then I'll counter with this. No person would mistake Ushiromiya Kinzo by sight. No matter what disguise might be used, they would not mistake Ushiromiya Kinzo by sight!" "Then I'll use this. In the second game, when you announced with the red truth that there were five master keys, even though there could've been more than five in first game, you changed the premises of the later games. So, it's possibile that Kinzo's life or death status was changed for the 4th game alone." "Therefore, Kinzo's presence in the fourth game doesn't serve as proof that he was present in the previous games...! Therefore, even if we suppose that the six murders in the dining hall were carried out by Grandfather, it contradicts nothing!" "Then let me counter this way. Kinzo's life or death status is the same at the start of all four games. The setup was not different for the fourth game alone...!" "Decline repetition. I won't answer, Battler. I won't give you the red truth you so desire...!" "...drat, you're standing in my way, geezer...!! Are you putting yourself on the line to protect Beatrice, this most beloved witch of yours?!"Swaying, that drat geezer came into view. Heh, is he trying to be some kind of knight, blocking the path between me and Beato...?!   "I won't let you reach, I will not let you reach, not to the Golden Witch's height, you seeeeeeeeee?! Fuhhahahahahahahahahaha!! Your thoughtless reasoning cannot surpass even me alone! Die!!!" Faced with that black dragon's roar, I calmed my breathing and closed my eyes lightly...  "I'll swallow you up in a single gulp!! Disappear, inexperienced fooooooooooool!!!" "...Quiet, you drat undying ghost." "Hoh, so you call me a ghost? So, you intend to see it through to the end, this theory that I am already dead!! That will prove fatal to you!! Be swallowed up by the first twilight of the fourth game and disappear!!"The black dragon's vast mouth, its snout, its fangs...swallowed Battler whole...!!! In that instant, Battler suddenly opened his eyes! "Thanks, Beatrice. Your third game became a foothold for my counterattack." "What...?" "See ya, drat geezer. This is goodbye. As a basis for claiming that 'Kinzo was dead' even in the 4th game, I propose the following theory!" "Very well, come with all you have, my descendant!!"    "I... can... not...!! Gah, gwoooooooooooooooooooragghgghghh!!" "Rest in peace, drat geezer. Thank me. You were finally able to die. This is your requiem, take it and drop dead!!" "Ushiromiya Kinzo was already dead! That's right, you definitely deserve to be pitied, since whenever we find your corpse, it's always completely burnt. That was a device to hide the fact that time had passed since your death!! Then, you passed that name on to someone else!! With this theory, even though 'you' were dead, 'Kinzo' was able to appear at the family conference!!!"  "...Be...atr...ice..." "...Kinzo, thank you for everything. Rest... in peace... I will not forget... my time spent with you..."Dispersing along with the shadow of the black dragon as golden flower petals scattered, Ushiromiya Kinzo became a gold-colored cyclone and disappeared... Even after death, he had fought for the sake of the woman he'd loved. There's no doubting that your love and madness were the real thing...! "...Nggg, Battler..." "Don't hate me. Let the dead sleep. Don't wake them. You're up next. This is the end for you too."Beato still couldn't pull out the blue wedge that pierced her foot... She realized that she was on the verge of death... "I've gone along with you a whole bunch. I think I've more than fulfilled any responsibility I had to play with you. But it's about time to finish things up. I've got a lonely little sister waiting at home." "...Let me take my leave with my whole family...!!" "...Then kill me. In that case, try and kill me! I won't run or hide, and by now I won't even be able to avoid it!! Come ooooooooooooooooooooooon, Ushiromiya Battleeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!!!" "You've got it!! With the 18th person X from the 'Kinzo was dead' theory, everything that remained has been pierced through!" "George-aniki and Jessica's deaths in the fourth game can also be explained by culprit X!! And the five who escaped from the dungeon and were killed, and the two in the gardening shed, and Maria in the end! All of those can be explained with 18th person X!! There's nothing strange there at all!!" BGM: None  Beatrice, who couldn't dodge, had several blue stakes driven into her and was skewered... Beato grabbed at them, trying to pull them out somehow...  BGM: Worldend (solo) ...This'll... kill me, won't it...? If I don't pull these out, I'll die... I've had enough of the pain... I've had enough of... the... anguish... With both hands, Beato firmly grasped one of the blue stakes. Naturally, the power of the witch-denying blue truth burned her hands. Unable even to hide her tears at the pain, Beato howled and tried to pull the stakes out with all her might... If I can't pull these out, I'll die... This is... my final counterattack...  Certainly, at that time, Rosa witnessed gold butterflies gathering and the fixing of a marshmallow by the miracle of magic. "*cackle*cackle*... Rosa alone witnessing it isn't very credible, right...? That's why I increased the number of witnesses to the uppermost limit later on. Which is what... happened in this last game..." "The summoning of my minions! And brutal murders due to magic! All of those were witnessed by a great many people...!! That is itself... proof that my magic exists...!! How do you explain that, Ushiromiya Battleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerr...?!!!" "...Stalemate." "...Wh-Whaat...?" "'Magic exists because magic exists'. Didn't the rules of our Braun tube trial say that you couldn't use that kind of argument?" "...Y...es, you're right... Heh, hahack, guh..." "No matter who or how many people witnessed magic, that cannot become proof of magic's existence!!" "Whether all the magic you've shown exists or not, I can ignore it all and explain things with Humans. That's my undeniable right. Am I wrong?"At those words, the blue stakes let out an even brighter light, knocking my hands away. Seems I can't... pull them out after all... ggghh... As Battler is now, even if I pull up a witness for each individual bit of magic and demand an explanation, he'll probably use some kind of move to deny all of them. Not just the magic with the marshmallow I showed Rosa, but all the miracles of magic. So, I can no longer even claim to be a witch without questioning him about something like how a marshmallow was fixed... I'm in such an inferior position that I must fight over such trivialities... It may be... impossible for me... ...I knew this...  Have I fought... up until today... just to lose to Battler...? ...I began the game... thinking I might be able to win. Even if I wouldn't be able to win easily, I believed that in a game repeating endlessly, a miracle would eventually occur. After all, I had certain willpower on my side, an unwavering desire to win with certainty. ...However, I've now lost that miracle completely. And, that certain willpower resides in Battler, leaving me certainly without even a one-in-a-million chance at a miracle. Or perhaps I should say I've been left without a miracle or certainty... I will have no victory... and no end through a tie. The only resolution allowed me... is to continue on resisting... until defeat is given to me... in this game... That's right, I... am fighting... only to be killed by Battler...  ...The figures of the little sister waiting for his return... and the family he had to bring back were reflected in those eyes. To him, my existence is already... not even that of an individual. Obviously. From the very beginning, he has been trying to deny the individual that I am. Yes, that last game... sure was fun... I was only tricking him a bit, but for just a short period of time, it felt like we understood each other, and that was fun... That's right, I should've made my move then... I should have continued for eternity with Battler still totally fooled... ...But... that's just no good, right...? That... just wouldn't be true victory...  Beato had been run through with several blue stakes, skewered over and over to the ground while still standing. Because of that, she wasn't even able to fall over, and, still looking up into the sky, was sewn in place... That tragic form... might have been a fitting end for the cruel witch who had endlessly toyed with 18 people's lives and who had killed constantly for hundreds and thousands of years. Gently, as though someone was mourning over something, rain began to fall. Amid that rain, Beato was soaked... and crucified...  "...Can't... even let out a squeak..." "Not yet. You aren't a woman who'll let things end with just this." "...Don't be... ridiculous... How can you look at this... and think that it isn't... over...? Quickly, deliver the final blow..." "..." "...Just say it. With your... blue truth. 'According to this, witches do not exist'. Say it... Just say it... With that single blow, just put a stop... to my breathing..." "That's no good." "...Hoh... So you would expose me... to even further shame...? Isn't it settled already...?" "...Not over, you say...?" "That just now wasn't you losing. You just stopped and gave up." "...Isn't that... enough...? Wouldn't giving up... mean your victory? You should... return to your little sister... right away... Just throw me away... right here..." "Didn't I tell you? I won't run away. And... I won't let you run away." "..." "Just who are you? And what in the world is it that you want?" BGM: Eternity "...Isn't it better this way...? With me as a mere... delusion, an illusion... Isn't that... enough...?" "That's no goddamn good at all. I won't... let you run away." "..." "I'll break through you. How could I let you run away like this?" "..." "I won't let you run back to the darkness of illusions while you're still all hazy like this. I'll break through you. Completely. So stand up. Don't act all frail like that! You're still hiding several moves! I can tell!" "...Why... won't you just let me escape...?" "Dad, Mom, and Ange. All the cousins and all the relatives. And all the servants. You toyed with them so much and killed them...!! I definitely won't forget, won't forgive that inhumanity!" "I can still feel... Ange's arms on my shoulders...!!" Battler's eyes burned with the flames of hatred... The time had long since passed during which pitiful behavior would have earned his compassion. After being tricked once, Battler will never sympathize with me again. Instead of the wolves and sheep puzzle, this is like the boy who cried wolf, isn't it...? ...What am I supposed to do...? What should I do...? Is fighting endlessly only to avoid admitting defeat... a fitting endless torture for the Endless Witch? Is endlessly harassing Battler, to avoid giving him victory, also part of being the Endless Witch...? ...It's so sad... Is this... what the Endless Magic is...? I've... had enough...  I will have no victory... and no tie. In that case, there's only one result that can release me. Hmph, hahahahahahaha... Since the time I succumbed to the path of witches. Since the day I made that contract with demons. It was promised that I would meet my end through tragedy, was it not...?  Lightning. The world was smashed with white. Fitting last moments... for the ruler of Rokkenjima. Haha, hahhahahahahahahahaha...  BGM: Happiness of Marionette "..."Still pierced by the blue stakes, Beato faced the rainy sky and let out a cry of laughter. Then, she slowly raised her face... and stared at Battler.  "...Fool. Just when I was about to praise your good fight and hand over victory... You shall regret that pride..." "This isn't something for you to hand over. I'm gonna take it from you!! The same goes for you, right?!! You could never accept an easygoing victory where I just say 'Maybe witches existing isn't so bad'... Isn't that the very reason you intentionally fell apart like that at the end last time...?!!! That's right, last game, you took pity on me just once, didn't you?!!" "Hahhahaha... Fool. You foooooooooooool, hhahhahahahahahahahahahaha!! You simpleton...!! You think you'll get another chance?! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!"When Beato yelled, the blue stakes that had pierced her chest blew to bits and disappeared. However, the blue wedge that had pierced her foot in the very beginning did not vanish. "You can't pull it out yet. You can't pull out the blue truth of the 18th person X...!!" "I will respond to one thing you told me to repeat. As you reasoned, Kinzo is already dead at the starting time for all games!" 
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Mar 11, 2017 13:51
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You've got something in 'red' there that really shouldn't be in red, resurgam.
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Mar 11, 2017 18:13
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SystemLogoff posted:It must be the smuggest tea-party in the world right now. We're currently marveling at the "Beatrice is alien nanotech" theory and how surprisingly hard it is to red-counter.
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Mar 11, 2017 22:50
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There's like four or five different versions of Dread of the Grave, and it's possible I linked the wrong one.
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Mar 12, 2017 00:11
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 Video: The Last Battle, Part 2 "...This way, the wedge I knocked into you has been removed. We'll have to start the fight over, back from square one...!"The blue wedge that had sewn Beato in place broke apart. There was no longer anything piercing her. The scars on her body had disappeared completely. There stood, just as Battler had hoped for, the figure of the majestic Golden Witch who ruled Rokkenjima.  BGM: Endless Nine "If you are worthless, then I shall end this match right here, right now." "With my grand victory, I'll make you regret your refusal to compromise for all eternity!!! Come, starting from the first game!" "Right!! From the first twilight of the first game!! There's nothing strange about the murder of the six relatives that were found in the gardening shed at the start! The crime was possible for any of those who didn't have an alibi!!" "Valid. Continue, what about the next closed room murder, with Eva and Hideyoshi?! Even the chain was set for that closed room! I shall add to the red truth. Both deaths were homicides! It is not the case that, after the construction of the closed room, one of them committed suicide after committing murder! Furthermore, the murder was carried out with both the victim and the perpetrator in the same room! No method exists for the perpetrator to commit murder from outside the room!" "Suppose that the culprit was a human without an alibi. In other words, the dead! We weren't able to identify some of the first six corpses because of their smashed faces. Maybe one was actually a disguised corpse, and culprit X killed those two after making us think they were a victim and hiding away! Then, after the closed room murder was constructed, the culprit hid under the bed and waited for all of us to come and leave!!"  "Very well, next! Kanon was killed in the boiler room, correct? I shall add to the red truth. All of the survivors have alibis! Let us include the dead as well!! In short, no kind of human or dead person on the island could have killed Kanon!" "If no one could kill him, then he might've been the one to kill!! Kanon-kun might've killed himself."  "One more. Repetition requested, 'Kanon-kun's death was a homicide'." "I refuse to repeat it." "By that refusal, it may be possible to view it as a homicide, but you've already proclaimed in red that no one could've killed him. In other words, it wasn't a homicide. This is the same as the linked closed rooms from the third game." "Kanon-kun died for a reason that was neither suicide nor homicide. The details are unknown, but he died due to an accident." "Because of the Devil's Proof, I refuse to explain what kind of blunder could've led to an accidental death where a stake was driven into his chest!!" "Hohoh, now that you have borrowed the power of demons, you are without peer! It is valid!" "In that case, what about the murders after that in the parlor, of Genji, Nanjo, and Kumasawa?! Naturally, Maria, who was in the same room, did not kill them! And of course, their three deaths were homicides!" "We can explain those murders with culprit X, who hid away using an unidentified corpse. After all, those three had their faces smashed. It's completely possible that one of them was a body-double corpse!" "I guarantee the identities of all unidentified corpses. Therefore, there were no body double tricks!" "Then you can explain it with simultaneous murders. Each of them had a gun, pointed it clockwise, and blew each others' faces off at the same time! After that, Maria collected those guns and hid them!! How about that?!!!" "What?! What a ridiculous argument!!!" "H-How amusing...!! Then what about Natsuhi in the end?!" "I shall add to the red truth! Natsuhi's death was a homicide! There were no unidentified corpses, and all of the survivors have alibis!" "You can explain it with an indirect murder due to trap X! Something was done to Aunt Natsuhi's gun. It could have been a trap gun, built to send a bullet right into the forehead of anyone who tried to hold it up and shoot it!!" "The bullet buried into Natsuhi's forehead was not fired from her gun!" "It's possible that Aunt Natsuhi was lured out by that letter, whose contents were unknown! She was called out into the hall. Then, she was forced to stand at a specified location at a specified time and murdered by trap X, which used a gun that had been installed there beforehand!!"  The instant Beato acknowledged her defeat in the first game, the stakes of the blue truth once again pierced her chest, letting out a terrible sound... "...Ku, gwah, gaaaaaahhh!!! This is still... hardly painful, and it's not over yet!! Come, now for the second game!!"Beato just barely pulled out the stakes that had pierced her chest, but even though there was no hole left behind, she still seemed to be bearing a deep wound that was letting out a massive amount of blood. And, she was tormented by an equally fierce pain... But Beato grinned, grinding her teeth, and pushed for the next game to start. But I won't feel sympathy for her. Just by her existing there, we've been killed and harassed over and over, and Ange's been burdened with a future of isolation...!! "Correct, just by my being here and laughing, this eternal hell will continue...!!" "I won't give your little sister back...! Let her cry over the family that shall not return for the next thousand years...!!" "drat iiiiiiiiiittt!! No compassion, no mercy! On to the second game!! I'll start with the first crime! Right after it happened, I penetrated to the truth of the closed room murder where the six were killed in the chapel. Someone secretly borrowed Maria's key...and secretly returned it to Maria's bag after the crime was over!!" "From the time Maria received her key to the instant Rosa unsealed the envelope the next day, the key passed through no one's hands!!" "That door might've had an auto-lock, just like Gramps' study. In other words, it was unlocked before the crime, with a rock or something wedged in so that it couldn't close completely. Then, someone gave the key to Maria. The lock was automatic, so it's possible to make a theory where the key wasn't needed!" "There were no doors with auto-locks other than Kinzo's study!" "The victims locked the door from the inside. One of the six was the culprit, and this person killed the other five, then pretended to be dead!!" "The six were already dead by the time they were discovered! All of their deaths were homicides! All six were genuine victims and did not take part in a mutual murder! There was no simultaneous murder!!" "There were people, Kumasawa-san in particular, who had no alibi at the time. If we assume that someone was hiding on the inside, then we've got no problems!" "There was no one hiding in the chapel. Therefore, the shut-in murder you suggest does not work!" "What's wrong, is that all, Ushiromiya Battleer?! It's not so easy once you get to the second game, riiiight?!" The stakes and wedges of blue truth that I sent flying attacked one after the other, and Beato cut them down one after another with her red truth, her red treasured sword, knocking them down. But the blood she'd lost from the first game was probably serious. This intense exercise was putting an even greater strain on her. I could also see her breath grow ragged. That's why I can't hold back now! I'll corner that witch! This time I'll break through her! "Not yet, aah, that's no good, that's no goddamn good at all!! My twisted logic isn't finished yet!! Then what about this?!!"  "Pfft, hhahahahahahahhahahahhaha!! What the hell's thaaaaaaaaat?! Small bommmmmmmbs?! Waahhahahahahhahhahha!!"But Beato failed to knock down the blue wedge as it flew at an angle like a breaking pitch. It let out a loud thunk... and gouged itself deep into her left shoulder. However, even as the breaking pitch hit her, her laughter didn't seem to be stopping. Yeah, I get it, even I think that theory's pretty screwed up...!! "Hah, laugh as much as you want!! Got a problem with that?!!" "None!! Quite a pleasurable, reckless argument!!!" "Next up is the closed room with Jessica and Kanon!" "No problems there! If the culprit was one of the servants, they could've used a master key. It's not even a closed room!" "After that, there was an attack in the servant room from a mystery person who seemed to be Kanon, and Nanjo and Kumasawa were killed, right?! I had already proclaimed Kanon's death in red before that time. So, who was that Kanon?!" "If Kanon-kun's death was proclaimed with the red, there's no way he was alive. Therefore, there's a chance that the one who attacked that group was in a disguise that made everyone mistakenly think it was Kanon-kun!" "They would never mistakenly think any other person was Kanon!" "Then, just like the heredity of Kinzo's name, there's a possibility that Kanon's name was inherited by someone. You could suppose that Kanon-kun was killed, a different person succeeded that name, and that this person attacked them!!"A sound like a watermelon being squashed rang out, and a blue wedge was buried deep into Beato's left flank... Maybe it hit in a bad place, since it seemed to be really effective. After leaning over and moaning for a while, she laughed it off as though trying to make it seem like no big deal. Yeah, I get it. That must've hurt a lot...!!  "And yet it's valid! That reckless argument is pleasurable!! Truly pleasurable. This isn't pain, it's pleeeeeeasure!!"When Beato howled, the wedge that had pierced her was blasted away. But the wound remained, and she continued to be tormented by a fierce pain. "You ready? I'll keep going. My blue truth for the last murder in the second game, the three who died in Aunt Natsuhi's room, should still be valid even with the 18th person X denied! Do you have a counterargument for that in red?! If you don't, the second game is all mine too!" "No, I don't!! Fighting over such trivial matters bores me!! I'll give it to you, I'll give you the second game!!" The instant she acknowledged her loss in the second game, two blue stakes gouged through Beato's chest this time...! The witch's lungs were gouged, as were her intestines. Her face twisted in anguish. Her body twisted as she gasped in pain. "Does it hurt...?" "Huuuuurt? No, no, this just tickles. Uhhyahhyahyahyahhyaaaaaaahhh!! At least compared to having your entire body torn to bits and turned into a pile of scrap meat, like your sisteeeeeeeer! I'll make you scrap meat too, then you siblings can be all mixed together like ground beef and pork, *giggle*giggle*, kyahaaaaaaaahhh!!" "Ahh, aaaaaarrrrrrrrggggh!! I'll beat you to death, I'll tear you to bits the same way!! Next! The third game!! How long are you gonna sit around, all worn out like that?!! I've only just started knocking you down to hell!!" "...Guh... gah, aaaaaaagghhh!! Naturally, as if something like this could wear me down! You're right. We're still just getting started! Come, let us begin the third game, starting with the six linked closed rooms! You supposedly did penetrate this closed room at the time. But then you killed off Kinzo...!!" But now I've declared that Gramps was already dead. So I've denied my own theory myself, ironically enough...! However- "There's no problem! Plenty of people besides Gramps could've committed the crime! You could even claim that all the adults holding the family conference were in on it!" "All five master keys were discovered, each in the pocket of one of the servants! The individual room keys were found inside envelopes alongside the corpses! In short, all keys related to the linked closed rooms were locked inside the linked closed rooms!! No key could have been returned from outside the room using the crack of the door, the crack of the window, vents or any place of the sort!!" "Then they were killed with poison gas! Even if a key couldn't pass through, gas could, right?! The murder was carried out from outside the closed room!!" "All of them had what appeared to be gunshot wounds that were fatal! Murdering them from outside the room would have been impossible!! I shall say more with the red! When the five other than Kinzo were killed, the killer was definitely in the same room as them! I already proclaimed in red at the time that there were no suicides!!" "After the murder of each person in their respective rooms, the culprit created a linked closed room. But the culprit had no way to return just the key to the very last room. And yet, they were able to do it. After all, the first person to discover a corpse just had to pretend to find the key and pull it from the pocket of one of the corpses!!"She couldn't fully block the retort of that blue stake...! Beato was pushed back by the blue wedges that were unleashed on her one after another, finally failed to block one, and once again took a severe wound. "Nnnn, nnnnggg, gyaaaaaahhh!!"As she howled in pain, she pulled out the blue wedge that had pierced her right arm. Beato's entire body had been torn apart and pierced with blue wedges, stakes, and blades, over and over again, and now she was totally covered in blood. But even so, Beato grinned. Cackling as though this was amusing...!  "Splendid, even that's just fine, riiiiiiight? Go be a big, happy family getting their hands dirty with mass murder, then return to Ange stained with blood that will never come oooooooooff!!" "How could we expect anything less from the people who returned alive from the witch's islaaaaaaaaaand? Just what that mincemeat Ange neeeeeeeeeeeeeds, hyahhaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!" "Aaaaaarrrrgggghhh, shut uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuupp!! I'll kill you!! I'll tear you apart!! No need to waste your time begging for your life, I'll definitely give you the worst kind of death by my own hands!!" "Yes, you probably could do it...!! I've explored the depths of cruelty for over a thousand years, and you probably will gift me with a fitting end for all that...!!" "Ooh, does that hurt? Is it harsh? Or does it ticckklllllleee?!" "Is that supposed to torment me, come on, Ushiromiya Battleeeeeeer, there are still mysteries leeeeeeeeeeeeft!!"Beato had already countered my first powerful move, the 18th person X, by making the number of people on the island 17. But just limiting the number of people to 17 didn't overturn the theory that Aunt Eva was the culprit. I can crush most of the murders in the third game this way...! Blood dripped from all over the body of the Golden Witch... I cornered her, this time thoroughly without mercy. This isn't a game played to decide who wins and who loses. Yeah, we aren't playing. Even the time I spend playing and fighting like this... delays my trip home. In her isolation, Ange will continue to have her heart torn apart by loneliness and sadness...! I have to go back to Ange as fast as I can!!  "...*cackle*cackle* It still... doesn't burden me... Something like this...! *cackle*cackle* It tickles...!!" "It looks like you don't need any mercy." "I never asked for it in the first place." "I'm going all out." "Do so. When our roles were reversed, I showed no mercy. So you ought to do the same when given the chance." "Otherwise, I'll summon another isolated Ange from a different world, and this time, I'll tear off her arms and legs, stick her with a spear and roast her, okaaaaaaayyy?? Uhhyahhaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!" "Shut uuuuuuuuuuup!! Never again!! Not my family! Not my relatives! Not any of the servants!! I won't let you make them your playthings!!" "...I've already broken through all of the mysteries in the fourth game with the blue truth. The only one left is the very last one from the third game. Only the murder of Doctor Nanjo." She coughed violently, spitting up blood. Her insides had been punched through so many times. It was only natural. "In other words, the mystery of Doctor Nanjo's murder is the last line of defense for you being a witch, right...?" "...As you say. If you defeat that, it will mean that all of my mysteries have been defeated. Unless I counter one of your truths with some new red truth... or present a new mystery, I... will die." "...You don't look like someone who's been pushed into a corner, standing on the brink. You still have some kind of hidden pitch up your sleeve, right...?" "Well, who knows...? I have already tired of a too-long life after a thousand years...! I've started to think that having this life ended by a rival like you, whom I stumbled upon at the very end, might not be so bad." "*cackle*cackle* You can do it, can't you? Do it. I beg you, kill meeeeeeeee. I'm always the one killing, and I've never had the experience of being kiiiiiilled!" "I've killed the 18 of you hundreds of times, but I haven't been killed myself even once, so I wanted to experience it just once myseeeeeeeeelf, hehihihihihihihihi!!"It was a graceless show of boldness, unchanged from before. But blood dripped from her mouth, her once beautiful dress was covered with holes, and blood poured from all over her body, making her physical appearance stand in sharp contrast to her attitude. Maybe the shot she'd taken to the flank was still tormenting her, since she was still pressing down on it unconsciously, without a trace of grace. But I've got no time for pity. As long as I feel sympathy for this witch, my family and I won't be released from this place. Until I defeat her, we won't be able to go home...!! In the outside world, it may be possible for even enemies to understand each other when circumstances change. But pure evil does exist. Evil that brings misfortune just by existing... and is to be spared no compromise. Just by its continued existence alone, it's evil!! "I don't pity you. Just like how you didn't show pity for any of us...!" "...Well, of course. All of you are just pieces in the game! It's just unbelievably fun to think about which six to kill in the beginning, how to kill the next two, and whether I can find a much, much more grotesque method of murder, you seeeeeeeeeee??" "Hey, Battler, I've reformed a little, so forgive me this time too. If you do, I'll change my methods of killing into something a little better, okay? I'll listen to how you want them to be killed and in what order, got iiiiiiit?" "It's so fun, toying with people's liiiiiiiiives!! I'm sure you could think of a way to turn Ange into a pile of scrap meat much, much more thoroughlyyyyyy!! Come, Battleeeeeer!! Try to expose the truth of Nanjo's murdeeeeeeeeeeeer!!" The end of the third game. It was announced in red that the survivors at that point in time--Battler, Eva, Jessica, and Nanjo--were all uninvolved with Nanjo's murder. And it was also proclaimed that he was murdered directly, by someone before his eyes. All other people had the strongest possible alibi... by having their deaths proclaimed in red... I'll... break through this, without using the 18th person X...! Think, don't stop thinking...!! Her red doesn't only bind me, it's also supposed to be her weak point...! I've got to somehow use it against her...! That's right... there's still a gap...! Yeah, this way, I can break through it. This way, Beatrice's legend of the witch is finished.     BGM: None "How's that, Beatrice?!"When he forcefully asked that question, there was a terrible sound that could only be likened to that of a compressor, and a blue stake that was as thick as a log... appeared from under the earth and skewered the Golden Witch, Beato, pulling her up into the air... Ugly tearing sounds rang out, and each time, a blue stake or wedge would appear and pierce Beatrice's body. When that finally ended... Her tragic form was exposed there, pincushioned by more than ten stakes and wedges all over her body and dripping with blood, dangling and crucified... There was none of the dignity of the brutal witch who had sneered at the honor of the dead and toyed with and killed hundreds of the living. The rain, which had started falling at some point, quietly tormented the crucified witch... As Battler heaved with his breathing, he waited for some kind of answer from the Golden Witch... Although it wasn't long, it took the witch a bit of time to show any signs of life...  "...You got... what you... deserved. Now you can experience a portion of the pain felt by all those you've killed..."Even as he said that, it seemed Battler had lost a little of his momentum at this extremely pathetic sight. Even if it was an enemy, he couldn't look straight at a woman exposed in such a brutal fashion. But even so, unless he destroyed Beatrice, this battle... wouldn't end...  "...Battleer... I beg you... hic..."Huh...? Beato let out a sob...  BGM: Thanks for Being Born  "...What are you... asking... of me...?" "...End it... Release me... from this pain..."Beato's expression... was soaked with blood and tears. Battler certainly had been tricked by her at one point. So he was probably able to suspect that her expression... that even her tears were an act. However, Battler... believed in those tears. After all, those tears... had the red of truth mixed in with them. "...What should I do? What can I do to end your pain...?" "...Your heart..." "...ll... me." "...Beato..." Were those tears from pain and torment, or else... Either way, that pathetic expression... was painful for Battler to look at, even after burning with such anger...  "...Quickly, go back... to... Ange..." "I'll listen to your request. Not so that I can go back, but to end your pain." "...Than... ou... Battleeer... nnnngggggg..."In her last breaths, Beato summoned up all of her remaining strength... and managed to close both of her hands into fists... A red light began to gather at those fists. Then, she lifted her arms, as though appealing to the heavens for something...  BGM: None The red light around both her arms gradually began to strengthen... "...Ple...a..."After saying that much, her face tilted to the side a bit. Then, her right arm lost its light and flopped down. But her left arm alone did not lose its light... and remained held out towards the heavens. Then, before Battler's eyes, another Beato appeared with a faint form, transparent like a curtain. The crucified Beato had already lost consciousness. However, the newly-appeared faint Beato quietly looked at me, her eyes expressionless... and spoke.   "...And...?" "...And right now, there is no one other than you on this island. The only one alive on this island is you. Nothing outside the island can interfere."...I... understand. This is... the final mystery Beatrice will be able to make as a witch. She's... trying to offer it to me. Entreating me... to solve this final mystery... and kill her... "Do it... I'll accept... your final mystery." "...You are all alone on this island. And of course, I am not you. Yet I am here, now, and am about to kill you." "Like a souped up version of Doctor Nanjo's murder... So...?" BGM: Discode "Is that... your final question?"  ...Yeah, I get it, Beato. I'll... kill you, don't worry... I also... slowly held her head.  
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Mar 12, 2017 14:08
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There is, for the record, still one more post in Episode 4. A certain pair have yet to give their commentary on this turn of events.
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Mar 12, 2017 14:42
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CottonWolf posted:Does the anime end after the next update? The thread so far is everything up to the credits of the last episode. Tomorrow is the post-credits stinger.
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Mar 12, 2017 20:33
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The problem with refusing to acknowledge the red truth is that it results in a really boring game where you don't have any reason to engage with the presented puzzles, and nothing has any point.
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Mar 13, 2017 02:06
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 Video: Parting Comments BGM: About Face A fork was stuck into a shortcake peeking out of a gift box, and there were decanters with drinks of various colors lined up on a side table. But the color of the partially finished drink that had been poured into a cup was venomous, matching none of the decanters. Someone had probably been playing around, mixing various things together. That can be lots of fun, if you don't mind the taste. On top of the fluffy bed were several colorful, big pillows like something from a dream. And on this bed that looked like something out of a child's dream world, Bernkastel lay face down, and Lambdadelta lay face up, clutching a pillow and relaxing...   "...What a rude witch, to start a game like this and try to end it by throwing it away." "Wasn't Ange a good piece? After Beato ran for it, Ange dragged her back and made her resume the game. Although it's a shame that she gave Battler a little too much enthusiasm." "...After all, I knew Battler was a softy." "No kidding. He looked like he might even go easy on Beato, his enemy." "...I was uneasy that, like the last game, he might actually feel compassion for Beato and take the game in a weird direction. Ange was a trump card to get Battler back on track when he mistook his goal. Although I wanted her to support him a bit more before using her up. She really did get used right off the bat. What a waste for a piece that required so much preparation." "Hehheheheh! Good thing I shackled her with that rule about not giving her name! If that hadn't been set up, the brother-sister tag team would've swallowed Beato up and won in the blink of an eye." "...I thought it'd be a chance for them to press her all at once, but your mark was so restrictive that I couldn't make the best use of her. Aaah, what a waste that piece was." "Well, yeah? That piece was super OP, I needed her out of there, like, yesterday. Well, in the end, she did a good job of preventing the suspension of the game, and that helps me out too. The way she made both our interests match is what made her a truly wonderful piece." "...She was an innocent kid like Battler, so it was easy to get her to do as I said. Morons and impulsive types make the best pieces. Aaah, I really can't stand losing that piece." "By now, that kid's minced meat! Hey, let's make hamburgers out of her later on☆ Oh wait, didn't you like gyoza more? I wonder what little sister tastes like, *giggle*, hilarious!" "...Is it really okay for you to be so relaxed? Thanks to Ange, Battler has gotten all fired up. I'm pretty sure he's started a hot pursuit of Beato, making this game take a big turn in my favor, right...? I mean, didn't Battler just solve almost all the mysteries up until now?"  "...Yeah, it really ticks me off. If it were me, I'd thoroughly cut down all of it with the red." "...Oh, really? And I was sure that those were all correct. Well, I don't know about that small bomb part though." BGM: Happy Maria! (Instrumental)  "Next, Kanon might've died in an accident in the boiler room, but...*giggle*! What kind of accident could drive a stake into his chest? Are you a moron? I'll slice it with that red treasured sword thing."  "The final trap X to kill Natsuhi was also ridiculous. The thing that shot Natsuhi wasn't a trap, it was a real shooting murder with a gun raised and trigger pulled! *giggle* Sucks for you...!" "...You shouldn't do that. Saying something like that in red. That kid's trying to say that she bounced Natsuhi's bullet back with magic and killed her." "Ohohohoh, oh my, how terrible of me, you're right...! Even the blue truth for the second game was way too naive."  "It's also laughable to say that, in the case where Nanjo and Kumasawa were killed in the servant room, someone else inherited Kanon's name. No one else can go by Kanon's name! A different person can't claim that as their name!" "And that theory about borrowing the master key from Rosa for Natsuhi's room is also worthless! After the master keys came into Rosa's control, never did any of them leave her hands! Except for the time when she lent one to Battler to unlock Natsuhi's room. I can keep on going, but just taking a quick look at them turns out like this, get it?" "...Forget taking a quick look, you've just denied Battler's blue truth for the first and second games across the board. My, my, what a shame. If Battler heard, he'd faint." "...Right? Beato wasn't cornered at all. Looks like that kid's a pretty good actress after all. I'm sure she planned to make it look like she was getting cornered this game, and then sometime next game, *bang*, she'll slice it up with a single red stroke to make Battler freak." "*giggle* And then I'm sure she'll say it again with a huge smile. 'Witches neeever get into a pinch'! Pff, *giggle*giggle*giggle*!!" "...Then that whole tragic atmosphere as though Beato was getting cornered was all an act?" "Isn't it obvious?! She really is a great actress! Even though she wasn't cornered at all, it felt like an astonishing, last-episode climax! She's totally the winner for best supporting actress this year!! Oh, but of course I'm the star! You'd do fine too, Beeern!" "...At the end, she said something like 'Kill me' and laid out a big riddle. Wasn't that her last stand, with Beato to be finished for good if that riddle was solved?" "*giggle*giggle*...! Come on, were you seriously tricked too, Bern? That wasn't even close to a last stand! Beato's still holding back a killer hidden move. When she stuck out both hands to give the final riddle, did you notice how she lowered just her right hand?" "...Yeah, now that you mention it. Is that what that meant?" "Sure is! That kid still had plenty of hidden moves left! And none of the mysteries have been solved...!" "That kid's been totally encouraged by her 'North Wind and the Sun Strategy' from last time, right? I'm sure Battler will sympathize with Beato again and fall for it completely...! After all, a single tear from a woman can fool a man, totally economical and profitable!!" "...I wonder if Battler will get caught by the same move again. I've got to spur him on so he never feels sympathy again. Although Ange's mincemeat seems to have done that pretty well." "A power-up from an Ange-flavored hamburger? Ohhohohohohohoho! Of course, I won't lose either. Starting here, I'll thoroughly support Beato to rally her up enough to compete with Battler. Beato won't lose. I mean, I'm threatening her with a wonderful punishment game if she loses♪" BGM: About Face  "I've decided what to do for your next punishment game, Bern. Wanna hear? Wanna hear?" "No." "Come ooon, ask me☆" "Guess what, guess what? I'll lock you in a wonderful, wonderful castle. That castle will be surrounded by pure white castle walls, 12 kilometers to a side. With a height of 10 meters. Magic and tricks are prohibited! You really couldn't jump over that, right?" "1,440,000,000 cubic meters? You can stop there, I already know what you're going to say." "Eheheheheh! And that place will start getting buried with gems, one every day! I'll lock you in it until the castle walls are packed with them, and you've been buried to death with gems. Isn't that a wonderful, romantic punishment game?" "...If you multiply the length of the walls by five and make it one tenth its current height, I wouldn't mind if you shut me in it right now." "Really?! That would make it 3,600,000,000 cubic meters, right?! The time period for the punishment game would more than double, right?!" "Aaahh, I get to keep you as my prisoner for such a long time?! I really like you, Bern, I love you♪"Lambdadelta playfully approached Bernkastel, who yawned, looking bored, as she touched the bottom of Lambdadelta's chin as though cuddling a cat...  "...I wouldn't. Her chances of winning are zero." "Ohohoh! How truly pitiful, being told by the Witch of Miracles that there's no chance of a miracle! Although I wouldn't bet on her either, right?" "I can say that with certainty!" "...It's also pretty sad when the Witch of Certainty says that you're certainly screwed."Unusually for them, they giggled together... "I wonder how this game will resolve itself..." "...Yeah, that's the one thing we can't predict. That's why it's fun." "I won't permit escaping or suspensions any longer. I'll certainly make them continue their game, and I won't let them run away...! Even though I can't even imagine what will happen next, I know it certainly won't end that way." "I mean, think about it. Neither of us is betting on Beato's victory! In other words, if it looks like Beato is gonna win, she'll have us two Great Witches as enemies...!" "...Exactly. Our powers are most in equilibrium when balancing between a tie and Battler's advantage. If it tips too much in Beato's favor, both of us will line up along the same vector and drag Beato back." "In other words, the instant Beato's in a superior position, she'll have to deal with both of us as enemies." "...Ehheheheheh! A common front with Bern, sounds fuuun♪" "...Thanks. But I'm not going into a konpeitou candy bath with you." "Aaaw, and I was gonna cover you with melted marshmallows while taking a konpeitou shower." "...How pitiful. That child is a living toy, a doll you caught so that you could play with me, Lambda." "I'm good at playing with dolls. I really can do it well, okay? I'm proud of being able to play with a single toy for hundreds of years without getting tired of it." "...You're her ally at some times and oppose her at others, toying with her for all eternity. How pitiful. That kid is now our doll." "Hehheheh, that's right, that kid is our doll. No end has been prepared for that kid except the ones the two of us desire. In other words, I can say for sure that this can only end by repeating a tie for eternity because of me, or else with Beato losing and being destroyed because of you, Bern. ...Heheh, as far as this game ending with Beato's victory goes..." "...I will proclaim it as the Witch of Miracles." "Then I will proclaim it as the Witch of Certainty."  BGM: Prison Strip    May we meet again in the next LP.
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Mar 13, 2017 13:24
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And so, Umineko no Naku Koro Ni has finally come to a close. I'm going to take a break for a while, to rest, recuperate, and get a head start on the Chiru backlog. Until then, this thread will remain open for a final round of discussion and speculation. Remember, you theoretically have all the information you need to solve the who, how, and why of the Rokkenjima Incident. This has been a wonderful wild ride; I offer my heartfelt thanks to both the newbies and the witches who have stuck with me to this halfway point. In the meantime, enjoy a teaser for where this wild ride is headed next.
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Mar 13, 2017 13:28
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There is not. Buy that game! Make them give us an announcement for Steam Chiru!
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Mar 13, 2017 13:37
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It's fascinating how, despite having no programmed-in choice points at all, Umineko remains an extremely interactive experience, just because the fanbase is so active and the game encourages so many conflicting viewpoints to push back and forth from.
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Mar 13, 2017 19:44
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 Hey, guys! Guess what we haven't done for Episode 4? A manga highlights post! Babby Ange:  Beato is still swag as gently caress:  Sakutaro the toy:  Thanks, Eva:  A villain appears:  The birth of Sakutaro:  Ange and Mammon:  Beato cheers Battler up:  Tag team:  Blue Turth formatting:  Maria's magic of happiness:  Ange realizes the truth:  The death of Sakutaro:  Lambda gives Ange a hint:  Kinzo summons some bunnies:  MARIA VS the Black Witch:  A promise unfulfilled:  A new demon lord rises:  Jessica makes her decision:  Determination becomes magic:  George VS Gaap:  Just kidding:  Sadly, the manga reduces goat-kun's role to basically just this page:  Repent:  Battler fails his test:  Battler's qualifications are revoked:  Magic is real:  Ange defeats Eva:  Knight sacrificed:  Endgame begins:    Kinzo is put to rest:  The true battle begins:  Red and Blue clash:  Beatrice defeated:  The final mystery:  Witchdorf and Cackler:  See you in EP5.
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Mar 14, 2017 03:48
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idonotlikepeas posted:I don't suppose you have the "small bombs" part of this? I would enjoy seeing how the manga represented her reaction to it.  The expression is kinda half-assed, but I like the goofy diagram.
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Mar 14, 2017 04:49
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One more time, the Profile and TIPS sections have been updated.
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Mar 17, 2017 01:18
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If you thought I'd be able to hold off for a full week, you don't know my LP mindset very well. Let's Play Umineko Chiru
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Mar 17, 2017 18:23
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Artificer posted:Will this get archived? I have some last tweaks to make first, but eventually yes.
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Mar 19, 2017 04:08
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 00:55 |
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Thread archived, thread locked. Thanks for playing.
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Apr 7, 2017 05:50
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