For their final stand, the asterisk holders now gather in groups of mostly four and they’re more than a match for even your hardened band of warriors. Our advice for these battles is similar to last time–grinding levels will help, but it’s more beneficial to level up your jobs to acquire potent abilities, as well as focus on enhancing your Agility (and Speed) stats.

The first sub-scenario is located at the top floor of Lontano Villa in the Caldis region. As you enter, Alternis will deliver an order to the four Sky Knights stationed at the villa–Barras, Holly, Ominas and Heinkel. The four are to welcome Agnes and company should they come and what a friendly “welcome” they’ve got planned…

Boss: Barras, Holly, Ominas and Heinkel¶

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This battle is similar to the one in Chapter 7, except Holly has come to provide support. The addition of Holly doesn’t change much though, as her damage output and healing aren’t very significant. Your main problem will be dealing with the two powerhouses–Barras and Heinkel–as well as Ominas’s powerful magic and wide range of status ailments.

The Templar‘s Rampart would help immensely in softening Heinkel and Barras’s blows, while you can use the Spiritmaster‘s Adaptation to make fun of Ominas’s magic. For more reliable defense, field a Level 12 Knight with Dual Shields and all the best defense boosts, then have a Ninja use Kairai to direct all the physical hits onto your Knight; give your Knight Adaptation to survive Ominas’s Thunder.

Heinkel should be your top priority, as he’ll automatically use Protect Ally to take a single-target hit in place of one of his battle comrades. Your alternative is to use powerful group-hitting moves (such as the Vampire‘s Firestorm or, with dark immunity on all, the Dark Knight‘s Dark Nebula), but you’ll need to be confident of a full sweep, as you’ll endanger your party if you leave Barras with low HP.

Once you’ve broken Heinkel’s shield, immediately focus your attention on getting rid of Ominas. The Black Mage now uses Firaga to toast your party, so Abate Fire would be great to have on everyone. When he gets mad, he’ll Brave for a combination of the lesser Fira and Thunder. If you have the Ribbon from the Dark Aurora (from the Finale), keep it on your healer in case he uses Sleep or Silence .

Next, take down Holly in case she heals Barras, while using Utsusemi or Rampart to avoid Barras’s punches. Before you attack the big muscle, Examine him so you can keep an eye on his HP. As soon as his HP drops below a quarter, his Invigorate will do massive damage to everyone on the field; at this point, focus all your attacks on him or consistently put up Rampart.