PART IV: AFTER THE DEFEAT OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 13: Destiny Weapon

(A/N: The Destiny Weapon is an upgrade to the Genesis Weapon that was released in the NEXT update. The Destiny Weapon storyline finally gave us a proper answer to the questions raised during the Genesis Weapon storyline - namely, by answering why exactly the Black Mage gave us the weapon in the first place.

The liberation process for the Destiny Weapon is very similar to the Genesis Weapon liberation, but the main difference is that Nexon created the Destiny Weapon with the intention of being liberated in different stages. The first stage of the Destiny Weapon is unlocked from defeating Chosen Seren, Guardian Kalos, and Kaling, and the second stage will be made available by defeating Limbo, Baldrix, and the next major boss after Tallahart once they get released. I’ll add more details about the liberation process in this section, but we can expect to get another storyline for the Destiny Weapon in the near future, and hopefully with as more lore as what we’ve gotten here.)

Weio contacted the Adversary and asked them to meet with the elders, explaining that they had an important question. The Adversary traveled to the pavilion, where Weio greeted them and thanked them for coming. She explained that ever since their arrival in Shangri-La, the elders had been perplexed by their weapon. At her request, the Adversary allowed the elders to examine the Genesis Weapon. After some time, the elders met with the Adversary to discuss their findings.

Zigang told the Adversary that the Genesis Weapon went far beyond his expectations and asked them where they had gotten such a weapon, wondering whether they had killed a Transcendent and stolen it from them. The Adversary then told the elders about how the Black Mage had left it behind for them, causing a surprised Siyu and Wushuai to note that the Black Mage had forged a weapon for the one who had ruined his plans, and that the Adversary was now using that same weapon to confront another Transcendent in Grandis.

A shaken Zigang asked the other elders whether it was truly in their best interest to aid the Adversary, pointing out that there was no telling how far they would go, and that it was something beyond the elders’ control. However, Chouxian replied that they should instead consider themselves lucky, as what Gerand Darmoor was attempting to do was equally unfathomable. Weio agreed and added that they also couldn’t abide by what the traitorous elders aiding Darmoor were doing. She reminded Zigang that if the traitorous elders were aiding such an unfathomable enemy, it was the duty of the remaining elders to help an Adversary whose destiny could not be predicted.

Nevertheless, Zigang protested and claimed that the Adversary was too dangerous, adding that the elders had already seen what kind of consequences their own actions had wrought. However, Haia pointed out that in the end, all that the elders could do was to guide the way, as it was the Adversary’s own resolve that would allow them to cross the threshold. She then asked Zigang whether he was curious about whether the Adversary was able to do so, to which Zigang remained silent. After a moment, he noted that they only had two options before them: either to help or not to help the Adversary. He then turned to the Adversary and told them that Haia was right that the elders’ role was merely to guide them to the threshold, and that it was up to the Adversary to cross it.

After a pause, Zigang told them that what he was about to say was pure speculation, and that he might be completely off. He then revealed that the Adversary was not wielding the full potential of the Genesis Weapon, much to their surprise. He explained that they had triumphed over a fallen Transcendent with the power of the Godsphere and that they now possessed the World Heart: the source of all the Godspheres wielded by the Adversaries. He noted that nobody understood the Adversaries better than the elders; however, he admitted that the Adversary who stood before them was one who not only wielded the World Heart but retained their sense of self as well.

Zigang noted that the Adversary’s existence was special, and one that none of the elders could have ever anticipated. He then added that the Black Mage must have believed the same thing, which was why he found it improbable that the Black Mage would have left the Genesis Weapon behind merely to lend his own Transcendent power. He explained that what the Black Mage had ultimately left behind wasn’t his Transcendent power, but the full potential of the Genesis Weapon itself.

Zigang then told the Adversary that they wouldn’t be able to overcome the trials that awaited them in the future without their own power as the Adversary. He then unleashed his power as a sage, creating a flash of brilliant light that enveloped the Genesis Weapon. At the Adversary’s surprise, Zigang explained that he had merely opened the door for the weapon to react to them, adding that their belief was what would determine whether they could now cross the threshold on their own. With that, Zigang walked away and allowed Weio to continue advising the Adversary from there. As he did, however, he noted to himself that even he was curious about what the Black Mage had wanted from the Adversary who had defeated him.

The Adversary then spoke to Weio, who apologized for Zigang’s behavior, explaining that Zigang was old-fashioned, but that it was also the reason why he spoke more passionately than anyone. She noted that the Adversary was powerful, and so there were many, including herself, who placed their hopes in them, just as there were those who worried, such as Zigang. She then began to explain to the Adversary how to unlock the full power of the Genesis Weapon. She noted that they had fought many powerful beings in Grandis and revealed that they would need to face the afterimages of those beings again.

She explained that each time they faced those beings, a portion of the Adversary’s Resolve would be infused into the Genesis Weapon, allowing them to make the power of the weapon their own, adding that at the end of their journey, they would get their answer as to what exactly the Black Mage had left behind for them. Weio then sent the Adversary to Zigang, who revealed that they would need to face the afterimages under special restrictions, which was the only way for them to exceed their limits. The Adversary then gathered the Adversary’s Resolve into the weapon and first faced the afterimage of Chosen Seren in Cernium.

(A/N: Just like how the Genesis Weapon requires Traces of Darkness to be obtained from high-level Maple World bosses, the Destiny Weapon requires the Adversary’s Resolve to be collected from high-level Grandis bosses. And, similar to the restrictions imposed on the Commanders, the Grandis bosses also come with their own restrictions for liberation. In the case of Hard Seren, you have an 80% final damage reduction.)

Zigang was astonished at their strength and summoned them back to meet the elders. Though Zigang noted that overcoming such a feat was extremely difficult, a proud Weio noted that it wouldn’t be hard with the Adversary’s Resolve, with Haia adding that it seemed as though the Adversary’s Resolve imbued within the Genesis Weapon was slowly stripping away its shell. To everyone’s surprise, the Adversary’s Resolve generated a flash of light, causing the elders to realize that the first step had been taken, though there was still a long way to go. The Adversary then spoke with Weio, who tasked them with overcoming the second trial by facing the afterimage of Guardian Kalos in Karote.

(A/N: For the purposes of liberation, your death count is reduced to 3 when facing Chaos Kalos.)

After they defeated Kalos returned, the elders gathered to watch the Adversary take the next step, though Zigang noted that he wouldn’t sit by idly if something went wrong. However, Wushuai reminded Zigang that after coming so far, even failure was part of success. Haia agreed with Wushuai, with Chouxian noting that he believed that the Adversary would be different from the others. As the Adversary’s Resolve reacted and strengthened the weapon, Weio noted that it wouldn’t be long before the weapon reached its full potential. The Adversary then spoke with Haia, who told them that the third trial would be quite difficult, though she added that she believed that they would go where no one had gone before. For the final trial, the Adversary faced the afterimage of Kaling in Shangri-La.

(A/N: Funnily enough, you actually get a damage boost of 20% while fighting Hard Kaling, as the difficulty of the boss fight at the time of the Destiny Weapon’s release was a bit too much for people without any restrictions, let alone with any.)

They then returned to the pavilion, where an excited Haia gathered the elders. There, they watched as the Adversary’s Resolve unlocked more of the Genesis Weapon’s potential, though they were surprised when it seemed as though nothing had happened. Zigang revealed that there was still one last important step, explaining that such a prepared resolution must be met with a clear answer. He then asked the Adversary whether they were ready to fully transform the Genesis Weapon into one that was unique to their own power by crossing the final threshold.

After the Adversary agreed, Zigang noted how impressed he was by them defeating Chosen Seren, Guardian Kalos, and Kaling under such restrictive conditions without being tainted by corruption or contamination, as power was something that easily corrupted others. However, he then noted that he was foolish for being surprised, as they were an Adversary unlike anything seen before, and that they stood before him because the elders believed in them. He then noted that there was only one more question left to answer: what the Black Mage had wished to pass on to his Adversary.

At Zigang’s question, the Adversary thought back to when they first unlocked the power of the Genesis Weapon, in which they had witnessed several memories of the Commanders that the Black Mage had intended for them to see. From those memories, Neinheart had concluded four things: first, the Black Mage had desired something more than Genesis; second, Lucid had sensed great animosity from within the Black Mage’s subconsciousness towards someone; third, there were some things that were impossible, even for the Black Mage; finally, the Black Mage’s will was quite different from the one whom Magnus served.

The Adversary recalled how Neinheart had believed that the Black Mage had wanted the Adversary to achieve a goal that was impossible for him, and as they thought back to everything they had learned in Grandis, the Adversary’s Resolve within the Genesis Weapon began to awaken as they began to piece together the Black Mage’s final message to them. They realized that the Black Mage had been considering what would happen to the world after the Genesis Ritual failed, as their universe would not only still be bound to the will of the world, but it would face yet another great tragedy at the hands of Gerand Darmoor.

They then recalled the Black Mage’s final words in the Erda Flow – that life was finite, and that he had lost his qualifications to achieve his dream the moment he had given up his humanity. He had noted how he had tried to go against the Overseers by taking the power of the gods, believing that being human was not enough to face such higher powers, which he wondered was the moment that he had been destined to fail. The Adversary then realized that the thing that was impossible – even for a Transcendent – was to face the world’s destiny while retaining one’s humanity with the finiteness of their own life. They recalled the Black Mage’s parting words – for them to never forget their anger towards higher powers that decided their fate, and that the world which good-natured beings would create by coming together would be more perfect than anything he could ever make with the power of the gods.

The Adversary then realized the final message that the Black Mage had wished to pass down: that they were qualified to fulfill his dream because they were one who went against destiny while retaining their humanity. Because of this, they resolved to gather the determination of those around them so that they would not be defeated by those who sought to do as they pleased with the world. As the Adversary’s Resolve transformed the Genesis Weapon into the Destiny Weapon, the Adversary saw a vision of the White Mage smiling at them and passing down his will in their hands.

(A/N: Something that I really hate about the Destiny Weapon is that the two skills from the Genesis Weapon - the Aion of Creation and Yaldabaoth of Destruction - get replaced with generic sigils that represent the Adversary’s Resolve. It was really cool that we could summon the power of creation and destruction that the Black Mage left for us, and even though the reason for their replacement is very thematically poignant, that stupid Adversary sigil is so ugly and generic that it looks like a rejected Aran skill more than anything else.)

Having claimed everything that the Black Mage had left behind, the Adversary spoke with Zigang, who noted that they had finally achieved their goal, even though he originally had no idea where that path would lead. He explained that he could now understand how they were able to defeat the Black Mage, noting that the Black Mage must have certainly believed in them and stood down, just as the elders now believed in them as well. He then admitted that there was someone, long ago, whom the elders had believed in the same way as well, though after a pause, Zigang changed the subject and noted that there was still a long way to go before thanking them for their hard work.

(A/N: Although it hasn’t yet been revealed who this person is, the Assemble update is slated to release a new Odium boss called the First Adversary, whose spirit dwells within the World Heart. It’s explained that the player must defeat the First Adversary when Hundun gives us the World Heart in order to prove that we’re worthy of possessing it. It’s heavily speculated by many people that the First Adversary is the person whom Zigang is talking about, but we’ll most likely get more information about it once the boss is released.)