Back to the Luna Sanctuary. At the end of the first area, Vita is waiting for us. She says she's busy with Operation Mille Mirage and fending off the other Anguis on her trail, but it's worth it for a glimpse at the reflecting pool. She's also decided to continue the research of Isola, Emma's mom, which was investigating the Rivalries and the purpose of the Hexen Clan. This was what initially led to Vita meeting the Grandmaster. She also mentions she's doing this for Grianos and vaguely says the reflecting pool served another purpose 800 years ago, but we'll have to ask Roselia about that. Vita is the first of two opponents in our path. She's not hard at all, but it was cool to see her S-Craft. The implication seems to be that Aurelia is the next opponent, so that's something to look forward to.
Sure enough, when we reach the end of the second section, Aurelia stands in our way. She radiates a golden aura and says this is what gave her the nickname "The Golden Rakshasa," not her swordsmanship. She's not too bad either since she essentially telegraphs when she's going to use her S-Craft, so Jusis having Platinum Shield proves invaluable here since it's super powerful if you actually let it hit you. Before she takes off, she warns there's still one trial left, probably Roselia herself, I'd guess.
And so it is. The reflecting pool is right behind her, properly named the Spectral Moon Mirror. Gaius immediately recognizes it as an artifact, and Altina says it bears a resemblance to the Bell of Crossbell in its aura. Roselia says it's one of many such artifacts and lists the Tetracyclic Towers, the Recluse Cube, and the Black Records, as well as Olivert's Sonorous Seashell. Roselia says this mirror works in tandem with the Black Records and is connected to the Spirit Shrines. It was also the source of all the visions we experienced at the shrines when we visited them. The mirror rarely manifests its power, but this is an exceptional time.
Before the fight begins, Musse calls Roselia the ancestor of the vampires, but she says that's slander and doesn't fully explain who she is, although there's a little truth to it in terms of her vitality. She bares her fangs at us, quite literally, before transforming into a Holy Beast, which was the origin of Celine and Grianos. She's the Holy Beast of Fire, the Burning Sphinx, who fused with the Kin of Fire's elder to prevent a calamity. She looks more like a werewolf than a vampire now! Gaius says the church thought the Holy Beast of Fire had disappeared long ago, but this would explain why!
Then Roselia tells us that the original bearer of her name disappeared 900 years ago, likely because of the Gnomes' betrayal. The Roselia we know was originally a familiar, but when the original Roselia died, the mirror gave her a part of her memories and her mission. Since even Roselia cannot predict what will come in the days ahead, she dubs Celine her successor should something happen to her. She doesn't intend to die by any means. This is just a precaution.
This is a really fun fight. Roselia has the first S-Craft that's just a plain sentence in its title. "I have decided to bring about the end." Although she has a lot of HP, she never really threatens to kill me. After the fight, I like how the Holy Beast of Earth's name gets redacted when Roselia mentions it, kinda like how Rean's was at the beginning.
