Phalanx

Overview

A denizen of the demon realm, Phalanx was a powerful and conniving creature who desired control over the lands of both fiends and men. To achieve this end, he knew that only the six crests of power were potent enough to visit his dark dream upon the world. In a show of pragmatism, however, Phalanx watched and waited in patience as Firebrand, a particularly strong member of the Red Arremer clan, gathered the crests one by one through hard-fought battle and bloodshed. When Firebrand claimed the final crest from the mighty demon dragon Somulo, Phalanx revealed himself, striking from the shadows and defeating his weakened foe. With one calculated move Phalanx had made himself master of the crests, and began to prepare for the process that would transform the lesser crests into the almighty Crest of Infinity. Only a single sliver of the Crest of Fire remained in Firebrand's possession, and it would surely be just a matter of time before he claimed that as well.

Situated at the terminus of Firebrand's quest for revenge in Demon's Crest, Phalanx is the final boss players must overcome before completing the game. The final encounter with Phalanx unlocks after completing the game's first four stages, and this last battle as well as the ending that follows plays out very differently depending on whether the player continues to explore at this juncture. Challenging Phalanx without obtaining the first five crests results in a single-stage fight and a "bad" ending, while fighting him after collecting all five crest results in a battle with an additional phase and the "normal" ending. Finally, if the player collects all items available prior to encountering Phalanx, they will fight a third, more difficult form in addition to the first two, after which they are rewarded with the game's "good" ending and a password unlocking an optional boss, the Dark Demon, who can be defeated in order to obtain the "true" ending.