The group scaled the enormous tower and managed to make it all the way to the top, seeing Rouge in front of the Ether Gear.
"Look! There it is!" Aoesia said.
"It's over, Rouge. We have you cornered. Surrender now!" Esmeralda said.
"Cornered? Oh, no no no no no. I'm afraid you are mistaken." Rouge said.
"Is that so? Then by all means, why are you here?" Poison Ivy asked. "I doubt that Ether Gear even matters to you at this point."
"This tower must serve another purpose then." Nesma said.
"Quite perceptive of you there, missy. But I'm afraid it's too late." Rouge said. "Want to know why? Because you are all going to die here!"
"That's what you think, Rouge. It's time to end this charade once and for all!" Glacius said.
"Hmph! That's my line. This is the end for you!" Rouge said as he rushed at them.
"I think not!" Valfor said as he started slashing at Rouge with his claws.
"It's time for us to send you flying!" Aoesia said as she coordinated with her guards for a three-pronged assault.
"Coming through!" Rayleigh said as he slams at Rouge.
The rest of the group wailed on him until he was laying on the ground.
"Gah… I-I can't die… In a place like this!" Rouge said as he tried to teleport but failed. "What? An-an access spell?!"
"Too bad for you." Glacius said. "Now for the finisher!" she said as she and Nesma combined their powers for one final attack.
"Gaaaaah! Curse you! Curse you all!" Rouge screamed as he slowly faded away into nothingness.
"The end." Glacius said as the Ether Gear was destroyed and the clouds start to dissipate. "That's the last Ether Gear. We managed to push them back quite considerably."
"Yes, it won't be long now before we take the fight to them." Barbarosa said. "Let's head back to town and report the news."
"Yes. Good idea." Matthew said.
The group returned to Eshtern to report their efforts to the Star Heirarch.
"Ah, so you have returned safely. I am grateful." The Star Heirarch said. "Allow me to extend my thanks once more for saving this realm from the Daemon threat. As well as my apologies for aiding the Daemons and taking your ships from you."
"Don't worry about it. Anyone in your position probably would have done the same thing." Aoesia said.
"Here is the Holy Sword that Rouge stole from you." Bassam said as he brought out a sword.
"The tower's seal has been undone, so the sword is useless in my possession. It is yours now." the Star Heirarch said.
"Thank you. We shall make good use of it." Bassam said.
"By the way, what was up with that tower. It didn't seem like Rouge was trying to stop us from destroying the Ether Gear." Glacius said. "More like, he was trying to stop us from claiming the tower itself."
"I may provide an explanation as to why." the Star Heirarch said. "However, it requires an explanation as to how Etheracts and Sigimancy came to be."
"Hmm… Sure, why not? It seems like an interesting lesson." Cheetah said.
"To start with, how much do you all know about Etheracts?" the Star Heirarch asked.
"They're these devices that let anyone use Signimancy, right?" Valfor asked.
"Not exactly. They are not tools of convenience that allow one to create something from nothing." the Star Heirarch said. "Moreover, the Etheracts themselves do not allow people to use Sigimancy, but rather the energy that forms its source. Long ago, humans decided to call it Ether. Etheracts are merely devices that accumulate Ether. However, these Etheracts cannot gather enough Ether to cast spells. Thus, the Rainbow Pillar was constructed to gather mass quantities of Ether and project it over to the surface… Rather, a thousand years ago, it was known as the Wave Tower."
"I see. The Wave Tower served as an antenna to create an environment in which the arts can be used." Gene said.
"I have never even considered why we can even use Sigimancy to begin with." Azura said.
"But Wave Tower? Why did it stop being called that?" Rayleigh asked.
"Because it was seized by the Daemons. No one living in this era knows that it was originally built by humans." the Star Heirarch said. "In the Human-Daemon War's final days, my ancestor, the first Star Heirarch, received an offer from the Daemons. 'When the Great Barrier is activated, half of the world will die. But we can spare your citizens if you surrender the Wave Tower to us.' The first Star Heirarch prioritized his citizens' safety above all else, and accepted the deal without a second thought. We preserved our civilization, even after the Great Barrier was erected. The Daemons rebuilt part of the Wave Tower's structure. However, due to circumstances unknown, the Daemons deemed the Wave Tower unnecessary. And so, the first Star Heirarch took the opportunity to seal the tower with the Holy Sword Lili Marleen."
"I get it now, it was of a Daemonic design because it was modified by Daemons." Toya said.
"I cannot find myself believing this story." Ignace said. "For a Daemon to seize human possessions is quite un-Daemonic."
"Why did they claim that tower, then?" Captain Cold asked.
"Perhaps they desired the Wave Tower's ability to collect Ether." the Star Heirarch said. "Even after the modifications, the tower's functionality remains intact. Rouge likely sought to stop you from discovering their agenda."
"Modified? How were they able to do that?" Sojiro asked.
"Well, if Rouge is connected to them, then it could be possible…" Glacius said.
"Yes, it might. Yet, there have been many anomalies occurring on the surface due to the Dark Current… If they are related to the seizure of the Wave Tower in the past, they would all be part of a thousand-year-old plan." The Star Heirarch said.
"A thousand years? Is anyone even capable of thinking that far ahead?" Zamazenta asked.
"Hmm… It's quite a mystery indeed." Cheetah said. "Especially since now we have destroyed all of the Ether Gears."
"Yes, the Great Barrier has been lifted. Now, we should focus our efforts on neutralizing the Dark Current." Luke said. "Vivian, do you have something on your mind."
"Yes." Vivian said. "The original purpose of the Great Barrier erected a thousand years ago was to generate the Dark Current."
"Wha? I thought it was to teach humans of law and order." Valfor said.
"That is its official purpose, but the truth is far more sinister." Vivian said. "It has turned out to be a major lie, perpetuated through our histories."
"To be honest, I could barely believe it myself." Ignace said. "But all of our experience and knowledge indicates that the Great Barrier was able to create the Dark Current… I'm left with no choice but to conclude that Daemons schemed to make this happen."
"As we thought." Cheetah said. "But there are still too many things we don't know."
"Precisely. To that end, I propose that Ignace and I return to Daemonia to learn the truth." Vivian said. "Lies are bound to have seams that we can unravel. If we can carefully read through the records, we might have some kind of clue."
"By yourselves, are you sure?" Belladonna asked.
"We were able to defeat Rouge. I am certain they will be fine." Nesma said.
"Well, if you guys are sure." Zamazenta said.
"Do not worry. We will be fine. We promise we will come back with new leads." Vivian said.