Arterial of Origins: Chapter 5 Angel Route Walkthrough

&lt;&lt;&lt; Back: Chapter 4, Angel Route

MHI Headquarters, entry area

 * Masoho and a man in a lab coat observe your arrival, commenting on the abilities to which you've all awakened since arriving in the warped world.  The doctor seems particularly interested in Shuya and Mirai and testing the bond between them.  Masoho decides to deploy "the soldiers" to take care of this. ArterialMHI.png
 * MHI HQ appears deserted.  The doors leading into the main part of the complex are locked with a security card, so head through the upper set of doors.
 * At the target point in the second map, you'll discover that Creators are roaming the facility.  After the map you realize that the beast you just killed was tagged with a serial number; MHI seems to be actively controlling the creatures.
 * Chihiro continues to teach Madoka about battlefield tactics and technology.  Shuya asks if she learned all this from the angels, but she says that no, she learned it from Shuya's father Ryuji.  Shuya doesn't remember his father well, but what he does remember leaves him with a bad impression.
 * Move on to the third map.  At the target points here, Kaito will try unsuccessfully to dig up information from a couple of disused computer terminals.  As you make your exit, you're ambushed by another pack of Creators which drop the first security pass that you need.
 * As you continue, Mehisha will confront Narumi about her opinions on MHI's activities.  Narumi, aware that the angel was listening in on her conversation with Chihiro, tells her that it's human nature to evolve, but that MHI has strayed down "the wrong path" and must be corrected.  Mehisha seems to accept this.

MHI Headquarters, laboratories

 * The entry area is now crawling with Creators, so fight past them to the previously-locked door and head on through.  Move quickly through the next (small) map, fighting one event battle as you go.
 * The target point on the next map is an elevator locked with a security card you don't yet have.  Investigating causes a blond-haired woman to appear at the other end of the map.
 * When you reach her location Mirai hears a woman calling for help - actually, it's an ambush by one of MHI's security members, #701.
 * The cards in 701's deck aren't overly powerful (except for the 7/7 soldier cards), but it's difficult to exhaust her hand, as many of her cards have abilities that cause her to draw extra cards.
 * When defeated she reveals that she knows Chihiro and she's looking forward to making her suffer.  After 701 retreats, Chihiro confirms that she knew her before making her escape from MHI; as a Millennium Security Contractor, 701's goal was to perform the company's dirty work, which included capturing angels, demons, and Creators and bringing them to headquarters for experimentation.  Mehisha confirms that this has been happening.
 * As you move forward into the next map, Kaito will have a little more success with his information-gathering.  You discover that MHI views the Creators as a template for the next stage of human advancement, and that many of MHI's breakthrough technologies - high-durability alloys and alternative fuels - have actually been derived directly from discoveries made in the warped world.  By the time Kaito reaches the end of his clearance, you've learned that MHI was performing experiments on human/Creator hybrids.
 * Make your way to 701's new position to fight her again, now backed up by her comrade 702.  He'll use a flashbang to help them escape after the battle, but in the process they drop the second card key.
 * The other door in this area leads to a dead-end map with some optional battles and goodies.
 * When you return to the elevator, you'll find Atori waiting for you with a message: if Shuya and Mirai accompany her, everybody else will be returned to the real world.  Narumi flatly refuses this, saying that they will all go back together, without fail.  Chihiro asks whose "message" she's delivering, and Atori says that it's Gonzo Miyahara, head researcher of MHI.  Chihiro advises her children not to accept, and they agree; hearing this, Atori attacks.
 * Atori has some quite powerful minions in her deck who you probably don't want to be dealing with at this stage of a first playthrough.  Quickly eliminate her lower-cost cards to prevent her from summoning stronger ones, if possible.
 * After you win, Atori seems prepared to continue fighting if necessary, but when the girls plead with her to stop, she relents.  She informs Shuya and Mirai that Masoho is also here, assisting Dr. Miyahara, but this news doesn't change their minds.  Seeing this, she leaves, allowing you further access.
 * During the following discussion, Chihiro leaves the group to try and neutralize MHI's defenders independently.  Elsewhere, Atori instructs the soldiers' leader #700 to focus on capturing Shuya at all costs.

MHI Headquarters, IT Department

 * Take the elevator up to the next area, then take the northern/northeastern set of doors to the next area.  Head through this map to the north, to a map showing a row of offices.
 * The marked door hear is also locked; investigating it reveals target points in each of the four offices (it doesn't matter which you visit).  Using the computers there, you decide that the the secret of returning home must lie with Dr. Miyahara himself.
 * Meanwhile, Chihiro encounters Masoho.
 * Head southwest to find the third security card, then head back up to the offices and through the locked door.
 * Shuya finds himself worrying about Chihiro.  Mehisha informs you that the angels are making gains in the demon territories as they speak - which no doubt has something to do with Vaza's force suddenly losing its leader.  Shuya isn't entirely surprised to learn that their group is essentially being used.  Mehisha senses Shuya's concern for his mother, but doesn't seem to understand why, given that they've shown little actual affection for one another.
 * Next the group is confronted by the soldiers' leader, backed up by 701 and 702.
 * 700's deck is more powerful than his underlings', and he tends to stay in the back row, requiring you to fight through his minions repeatedly.  He also has some very strong mechanical cards (with the turquoise background); use a Finish Art like Narumi's to soften them up so you can quickly eliminate them.
 * 700's own Finish Art returns all your cards to your hand; keep a couple of cost-1 cards in reserve in case this happens - you don't want to end up with an empty field and no cards you can deploy.
 * Unable to accept defeat; 701 laughs at Shuya and tells him that she's already killed his mother.  In a sudden rage, Shuya attacks her, leaving him wide open to 700.  Madoka shoves him out of the way - and instead, the attack tears off her arm.
 * Shuya goes into a daze; the group drives the soldiers off without his help and then goes to work stopping Madoka's bleeding.
 * In another room with Masoho, Chihiro (still living) watches events unfold.  Masoho tells her that Dr. Miyahara is only interested in Shuya, and that he will continue to eliminate Shuya's friends one by one until he gets what he wants.  Masoho advises her to tell Shuya to give in.  Instead, Chihiro proposes that Miyahara take her instead; after all, she has drunk the blood of both Shuya and Mirai.  She also asks Masoho to find a way to help Madoka, and never to betray Shuya and Mirai.  Masoho promises that she will.  As Chihiro receives the injection, she silently tells her children that she loves them both with all her heart.
 * The group retreats to an office, where Shaneorka manages to stop Madoka's bleeding and stabilize her.  Shuya tells the others that Madoka was injured to protect him, and that means he can no longer hesitate; he's going back, to find out how to get everybody home.
 * Return to the hall where you fought 700 and then onward to an executive suite, where you'll meet Masoho.  She tells you that she's called off the soldiers, so there's no longer anything to fear.  Shuya asks to be brought to Miyahara, and she says to follow.
 * There are a few decent items in this last set of rooms, so explore thoroughly before heading into the lab area with the large tank.
 * Upon meeting Dr. Miyahara, Shuya gets right to the point and asks him how to return home.  Miyahara tells him about MHI's slipgate project, a device that can allow travel between worlds.  Shuya asks to be brought to it, and the doctor tells him to look up.
 * The group sees Chihiro in a tank, her limbs seemingly vanishing into nothingness.  Miyahara says that they're actually standing in the slipgate already, but that an undertaking of this scale requires massive power - power made possible by the blood of Shuya and Mirai, given to Chihiro.  Mirai is nearly overcome by the realization that the "promise" she forced out of her mother and brother has led to this.
 * Shuya, seemingly undeterred, asks Miyahara what else can be done so that Chihiro can be released; surely a mind as great as his can find some other way.  Miyahara laughs at this, and tells him that only Selberg's own slipgate could provide an alternative.  Mehisha cuts in and demands to know how Miyahara knows that the king of the demons has his own slipgate.  Miyahara calls it a lucky guess, which the angel interprets to mean that they were in cooperation at some point.  One way or the other, only two options exist: allow Chihiro to serve as the slipgate's core, or strike all the way to the heart of the demons' power.  The group doesn't even consider the first option.
 * Miyahara says the conversation is at its end and takes his leave, giving the group permission to come and go as they please.  Mirai asks Masoho why she's working with him.  Masoho simply says that if she won't, nobody else will.  Everybody else heads out of MHI headquarters to confirm their future plans with Rufadiel.
 * Once they're gone, Sayane makes her move, attacking MHI and seemingly killing Miyahara with Gillezel's assistance.  As she's the heir to the company, everything there is hers by right, she says; Masoho asks what she intends, and she says she wants all information relating to the Hachiyo superjet.

Next: Chapter 6, Angel Route &gt;&gt;&gt;