A Goddess's Blessing for the Dead

A Goddess's Blessing for the Dead
Game(s)	Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2

A Goddess's Blessing for the Dead was an event in Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2.

Blurb

Seiran's best friend and other civilians gather at the Aura Gate. What secret of theirs does Hathor know?

List of Featured Characters

Name	Rarity	Grade
Hathor (Dimensional)	★★★★★	90

Synopsis

Prologue

All across Tokyo, various civilians are seen embarking on their own journeys to find a new home. After the citizens leave, the scene cuts to the Neo-Liberators investigating an Aura Gate, seemingly befuddled. Within the gate, the citizens from the prologue are seen relaxing and being pampered by various demons. Just as the Liberators are questioning the strange glowing orb looming above, a woman recognizes Seiran and approaches her. The woman turns out to be named Yae Hirasaka, an old friend of Seiran and Megakin. While Yae is overjoyed to meet up with her old pals, Seiran and Megakin are clearly shocked by her presence. While trying to flirt with her, Ririn notices that Yae's hand is ice cold. Just before Yae can ask seemingly important question related to her chilly hands, the non-hostile demons suddenly attack the Neo Liberators for being outsiders.

Part 1

Despite the danger of the situations, the people within the gate see the fight as nothing more than entertainment, much to the confusion of the Dx2. Yae is impressed by their strength, but wonders why they were attacked despite the demons being so friendly to everyone else within the gate. Seiran reveals her status as a Dx2 (or, as she puts it, "Yokai Master") to Yae and chats with her and Megakin while the others wonder why demons would serve humans. Jeng Yun posits that the demons may want to keep the humans in the gate as long as possible. This is immediately confirmed by the sudden appearance of Hathor, who explains that the Aura Gate is a false paradise meant to ensnare as many humans as possible. She promises that she does not wish to harm the Dx2 and enlists their aid in gathering various people scattered across the Aura Gate. Hathor also reveals that the mysterious glowing orb above is damaging to the humans within the gate and she is the one protecting them from its harm. Megakin plans to split the group into teams, one that searches the gate, and one that stays behind with Hathor. Just before splitting up, Megakin pulls Seiran aside to ask if she shares his suspicions about the current situation, and simply tells her to not leave any regrets.

Part 2

Following the team that stayed behind with Hathor, Yae is very eager to catch up with her old pal. The two friends recount various tales of the time they spent together, including an absurd bar fight they got involved in. Yae trails off a bit when wishing that her and Seiran could have gotten into more hijinks together. Ririn asks why they're talking as if they can't hang out anymore, to which she's giving an evasive answer about adults being masters of excuses and self-persuasion. As Yae prepares to recount another crazy story, Hathor watches from a distance with a gentle smile, her heart warmed by listening to Seiran and Yae's memories. Hathor tells her to cherish this moment, as she's called back to the group due to an embarrassing event at a uni party. Hathor talks to herself, saying that "travelers and those left behind feel the same".

Part 3

Megakin returns with his group and Hathor confirms that all the stragglers have been rounded up. When asked how she knows this, Hathor first asks if Seiran and Yae are certain they want the answer to be revealed, to which they both consent. Hathor then begins to explain the nature of the Aura Gate. In truth, all of the humans (save the Neo Liberators) are dead, their souls waiting for guidance to the afterlife. Yae admits she thought that all of the Neo Liberators were dead as well. Hathor continues, explaining that the souls within the gate are a result of people with lingering attachments of those who could not accept their own death. It is Harthor's duty to guide souls to the afterlife, but she claims she received fewer souls than usual in recent times. Her search for answers brought her to the Aura Gate, in which she became a demon in order to monitor the situation. The Aura Gate exists for the souls to satisfy their earthly regrets and attachments, as well as filling their post-mortem emptiness due to the power of the moon. Ririn wonders what the issue is, seeing it as a win-win situation, but the true nature of the moon is shown when its shine begins to distort a nearby boy's limbs, causing him great anguish. Hathor quickly feeds the boy something to return him to normal before revealing that the moon, and the Aura Gate itself, was created by Hecate. The light of the moon brings the souls peace, but prolonged exposure eventually turns them into demons that work for Hecate. Hathor requests the Neo Liberators defeat Hecate to destroy the moon so that she can properly guide them to the afterlife, as well as spare them the fate of turning into Hecate's minions. Seiran and Megakin admit they had a feeling this was the case from the very beginning, as they were just at Yae's funeral. Yae admits that all she could think about was how she died too young, and how she wanted to keep living. Seiran shares the sentiment, saying she was devastated by her loss and couldn't face reality. Despite being sad that Yae must pass after Hecate is defeated, the group resolves to defeat Hecate and keep the cycle of life and death intact.

Part 4

Hathor and the Neo Liberators escort the souls to the heart of the Aura Gate to confront Hecate. Yae turns to Seiran, who is visibly quite upset, and tries to brighten the mood by asking what kind of demon she thinks Yae would be. Seiran theorizes that Yae would be either Alrune, Idun or Xi Wangmu. The group enjoys a moment of levity, with Hathor telling Yae that she's very fortunate to have so many fond memories associated with her. As they approach the inner sanctum, Hathor and Seiran chat about ancient Egyptian and Taoist ideas of the soul and the afterlife, while Gakuto bemoans the two elderly lovebirds following behind him.

Part 5

When the group reaches the inner sanctum, they're greeted by hostile demons and Hecate herself. Hecate tries to bargain, saying she'll let everything pass if they hand over the souls, but the offer is quickly shot down. Hathor asks why Hecate has become so cruel, as she was once a merciful protector of the dead, but Hecate simply tells her to get with the times, as she's been the Demon Queen Hecate for a long time now. Her ultimate goal is to gain enough power to rule the world and shape it as she sees fit, even claiming the dead get a second life as her servants. Hathor denounces Hecate's tyranny, and the battle begins. Seiran turns to Yae and promises her to give her and the other souls a proper sendoff, with Yae saying that she's lucky to have a fun and beautiful best friend like Seiran.

Epilogue

Hecate and her minions are dispatched by the Neo Liberators and Hathor, her wicked moon shattering as she fades away. As the wayward souls wonder what will happen to them, Hathor creates a bag of fruit to feed them. The souls talk about how the fruit is delicious and washes away their worries and sadness, as Hathor begins to guide them to the true paradise, Aaru, and be born again. As Yae prepares to bid farewell to Seiran, she asks her to find her research data and thesis in the Cloud and find a good place to publish them. Seiran and the other Neo Liberators say their goodbyes and wish Yae safe travels as she departs with Hathor to Aaru. Several days later, Seiran struggles to sift through her friend's disorganized data to retrieve her thesis and research data, when she stumbled upon her diary. She flips through the entries, reminiscing on the events written down. While saddened by the abrupt end to the entries, she spots a single bird flying outside the window and promises to cherish the memory of her close friend forever.

Gameplay

The event is held in the Aura Gate SP, where players run through a short, randomized dungeon to accumulate points. The player is awarded with a certain number of Deceased Souls' Record that can in turn be exchanged for Reminiscence Cubes. The Reminiscence Cubes contain random rewards for opening them such as Mitama Extract, Macca, and Summon Files.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Languages

Language	Name	Meaning
English	A Goddess's Blessing for the Dead

Trivia

• Hecate had previously appeared as an antagonist in the event Eternal Salvation. While continuity between event stories does exist, Hecate does not acknowledge the cast in a way that suggests that they have fought before.