Ao no Kiseki OST - Unfathomed Force 

Bro I had anxiety when I found out that her helmet had it's OWN hp

I love how despite this theme also playing against Campanella, Sigmund and Mariabell, everyone just associates this song with Arianrhod. That just shows how iconic that fight is lol

Falcom really had us out here fighting a helmet

Fighting her in Ao was the first boss fight in a long while where the entire time I felt like I was holding on for dear life.

How bad ass of a boss can you be to make the player feel content with only breaking your mask?!! The second I broke it I was like “I DID IT!!! I WON!! You can kill me now I don’t care”

*unfathomed force plays* Tio: *Hold my mishy strap*

You don't fight Arianrhod, you survive her.

One RU-vid video has stated that Unfathomed Force evokes a feeling of fantasy. He was on point, because fantasy is a feeling that's so out of place in the game. Ao no Kiseki is an Urban Fantasy. Other than a few fantastical elements like being able to attack with orbments and melee weapons in an era where assault rifles have been invented, the people, the surroundings, are just the same as what you'd find in a normal modern big city. This is why the feeling of Unfathomed Force feels so alien and out of place. The player characters were facing down a being that the world had not seen of her kind for centuries. It is the hardest boss fight in the game that requires meticulous strategy and proper timing to survive. It is a setup that spans the length of at least two games in order for the player to feel the magnitude of the stakes they're playing for and the insurmountable obstacle they face. The fact that Falcom's sound team could convey all that weight within the first five seconds of an intro is nothing short of sublime.

Somehow clutching out a complete win on nightmare blind with no idea what the meta or cheese strats are, or even if the game would let me win the fight at all, was one of the biggest rushes of my gaming career. It really did feel like the SSS was defeating something invincible.

This is Arianrhod's theme, and you can't tell me otherwise

1) This theme should have been played ONLY during the "Steel Maiden/Arianrhod" boss fight. It TRULY suits her and no one else IMO. 2) The boss battle against her was one of the HARDEST matches in the entire "Trails" series as I had to use every item/strategy/trick possible to survive her attacks, especially her S-Craft (thank you Tio for Immunity S-Crafts!) and after *more than an hour long boss battle,* I managed to beat her *FIRST TRY* and I couldn't be more proud of myself! :D

I used to say that this was the "Silver Will" of the Crossbell duology, but on my second playthrough of the Trails series I realized that it's not doing it justice. It's got its own awesomeness.

When Arianrhod's helmet cracked I immediately got flashbacks to Zaraki Kenpachi's eyepatch lmao

The bullshit difficult fights in these games are always my favorites. (And always have the best boss themes)

You eat the last donut in Ourobouros HQ... You hear this song... *_Your life is now forfeit._*

So powerful yet elegant at the same time, no wonder everyone associates this song with Arianrhod. I think I've found my new favorite Trails song.

I like how even though this plays for several bosses, we all know whose track it is.

我は鋼、全てを断ち切る者！ The only boss that unloads at least 4 S-Crafts per battle.

I first heard this theme on CS3 and now it's my favorite OST in the Crossbell games.

Arianrhod,one of the hardest bosses in kiseki along with cassius and loewe I beat her yesterday and hoo boy,thank god zero field exists

Will you survive this? I am steel, she who cuts through all! This is your end! GRAND CROSS!

*laughs in Zero Field*

This not playing in CS4 should be illegal

I think this version suits the mood of the battle against a certain Anguis better than the Evo version, it sounds strongly elegant just like the said person is.

A masterpiece. Didn't know that a Momiyama/Unisuga combo could sound so good

This boss theme is not only between ominous and divine it has the sheer intensity and strength that is Arianrhod

I was sooo stressed for the Arianrhod fight (on just normal difficulty!) but I had my squad (lloyd, tio, elie, and wazy) prepped SO WELL she never even did a single point of damage in both masked and unmasked.

Me: *breaks Arianrhod's Helmet* Arianrhod: call an ambulance, call an ambulance.... BUT NOT FOR ME

"I am the 7th Anguis of Ouroboros, Arianrhod, the Steel Maiden. At the behest of the Zero Child, I stand before you as a barrier in your path. If you can prove to overcome me, then come at me with all your might!"

The Unsettling and Haunting Vibe it gives off before it Overpowers you with a Bombastic Melody, both in the beginning and near the middle . . . That alone tells you you're up against something that's Not of this World . . .

The way this fight was, and how long it took me to beat the boss, of course this song would be something that I remember very clearly. I mean how can I not, after the countless deaths I had to endure?

Sweet, sweet eargasm.

imagine that soprano in the back is actually the 2nd Anguis, Vita Clotilde herself

It's not often the bass is so "separated" in Trails tracks. Gives it a very cool vibe

Iconic track, outstanding composition. The harpsichord and piano are very cool.

Theme of Lloyd pulling Arianrhod into a corner while Elie and Tio spark dyne her to death from across the map

the campanella fight was so much fun. had to use a lot of brain power for that one

I just did this fight for the first time, it took me two tries. Insane commitment, it legit took me a hour and like 20 minutes. I did play on hard, really proud that i actually managed to beat her. I didnt even know there was scripted end after her helmet broke. Genuinely the most fun fight and ost in the series so far

I usually think of Arianrhod when I hear this because I first heard it in CSIII, and like in that game, whenever this played, I would barely survive the fights.

This truly fits for arianrhod. Especially after.

Not a single other character deserves this theme other than her.

Jusis: DAMN YOU!

Definitely the best version of this theme imo This one is kind of ominous and graceful, the other ones is like you are just fighting or smthn if that makes any sense lol

1:02-1:27 those piano keys in the background adds so much flavour to the track❤

Thunder of the roiling heavens, Fall to the battlefield!

So epic

Very cool 👍

Campanella most fun fight in the game. This song is better than the final boss theme.

Take this! YOU'RE FINISHED!

Feel the great threat of my life

I feel like I'm being forced into a T pose whenever I hear this

After so long of waiting, we finally get to here the Unfathomed Force be dubbed and she sounds amazing!

In a way, it's similiar to Yggdrasil's battle theme from Tales of Symphonia when it reaches it's calmer part.

Random thought. I love how Dudley looks like he's going "DUDLEY SMASH" on the OST label.

2:04 *spams replay button*

First try lets goooo

Man, Duvalie's so cute for her crush on Arianrhod. Not like I blame her. She's hot.

Best boss battle theme ever

A wonderful Heroes of Might and Magic 3-player sent me here. This song is amazing!

Fine, i Will set this Song as my wake up tune, so i Will wake up, like i have to to defeat arianrhod to reach my goals

I was so glad this showed up in CS3 and then she went down like a chump

I still think about the time I shit my pants listening to this in CS3, didn't expect it at all but it was FUCKING GLORIOUS.

Bruh I JUST noticed that this track has Ao's letimoff at 2:04. Man i'm slow asf lool

Only thing I'm gonna say: I'm glad I decided to load Tio up with gladiator accessories.

This better play in Sen 3 or I riot.

Mariabell was easy on normal difficulty, all she ever did was teleport me back to the initial position and summon monster that get one shotted by my all screen artes lol

Thank god they brought this song back in coldsteel 3

If only this played in Cold Steel 4 when you fought her Rivalry.

i definitely enjoyed listening to this for a good hour trying to beat arianrhod haha

Shuffle Shuffle!

POV: you broke the wrong helmet

Can't believe I just *somehow* dunked her without relying on Arts spam... And without pulling her anywhere. Hard Mode makes me feel ashamed now even if this fight? *Yeah, on-par with the fun I had against McBurn even if I had more issues with Her, than with McBurn...*

I have every intention of beating her. but after we unmasked her, her stat soar so high my normal attack deal 1 damage lmao. I just throw the match when I see that

If you really think about her arc took 7 years to complete

misete minasai anata tachi no kakugo

"Snaps Fingers"

Man I was kind of disappointed she wasn't NEARLY as hard in Cold Steel 3 as she was in Ao. She was kicking my a-- in Ao and she didn't even need the Stahlritter to do it (I only got as far as breaking the mask then the S-craft OHKO'd my entire party) Cold Steel 3, she has the Stahlritter with her and it was just Arcane Gale spam to win lmao (and Millium's order made her S-craft do so little damage)

I got PTSD flashbacks with this theme played against her and the stahlritters on CS3. Good thing she removed her helmet cheat.

I can't put my finger on which, but this reminds me SO MUCH of a battle theme from Sora no Kiseki SC! Which is it? Oh, this song is amazing though.

Steel Maiden 🤤

BOSS Fight

Zero field !

Arianrhod... I kneel.

Obligatory comment after defeating Azure's Arianrhod for the first time. My God, what an amazing fight

While Jindo's EVO arrange is undoubtedly great musically, thematically (and musically personally), it is worse than the original. First, let us analyze the music title: "Unfathomed force". "Unfathomed" is a vocabulary that can be connotated to "mystery" and sometimes "danger". Keep this in mind. Next, what was the original intended effect of this piece? Yes, it is meant as a battle track against Arianrhod, which atm you fight her is the strongest antagonist you know of so far, to the point of her power level being "unfathomable". Now let us analyze the music composition of the original track. This track has a very notable motif at the beginning of the track and at 1:28 . What do you feel when you listen to it? Doesn't it give you a sense of... "mystery"? There's also a tinge of "holiness" that could be felt in its instrumentation of opera vocals. If we were to visualize this motif, it would be quite easy to form the image of a holy mist gathering around a person. (For this reason I will call this motif "mist" motif.) Furthermore, if you think about it, the element of "mystery" and "holiness" really does well to describe the character of Arianrhod. She is *elegant* but *unfathomable* in power and that makes her very *dangerous* . Continuing the track, at 0:20 , if we continue the prementioned imagery of the mist, the introduction of the cymbal clash plus the subdued manner of the brass playing makes it seem like the mist is spreading away from the person, and the fight is about to begin. Of course the most obvious explanation for the brass section is that the music is trying to hype up the tension and raise up the "epicness" factor of the fight. (The brass is played in a really subdued manner but it's nature of being a bass note helps it still stay obvious to the listener's ears) Then the violin part comes. I'm pretty sure we all know why this part exists so I won't elaborate further. What should be noted is that this section doesn't actually take that much space in the track. At 1:27, the mist motif returns. This transition further helps to accentuate the character of Arianrhod to the listener. Opera vocals returns and sings the same melody that we have heard at the beginning of the track. Then at 2:05... electro guitar is introduced as main melody. While this may sound counter-productive to the theme of the composition on paper, in execution, the electro guitar is played in a really muted manner and almost blends in with the background piano that is playing the exact same melody. This section is the only instance of electric guitar being the main melody in the entire piece, and its style of presentation of being played in a blended manner with the piano suggests a blend of characteristic elements as well. Electric guitars are mainly known to be the main melody when an "Action/dangerous" event occurs, while piano takes a more elegant approach. Does this sound familiar? Yes, this connects back to Arianrhod's characteristic element of being both "dangerous" and "elegant". The blended nature of this section makes it so that the electric guitar doesn't take away the "mysterious" and "elegant" tone of this composition, and therefore its usage is perfectly fine in terms of the thematic context. More violin comes Mist motif returns. Track cycles. So now that we've went through the entire piece, what conclusions can we make? - This is a piece that characterizes Arianrhod. (Elegant, dangerous, mysterious) > Constant repetition of the "mist" motif supports this > No blatant use of "harsh" instruments (Electro guitar section was extremely short and was played in a blended manner with the background piano; Brass section is played in a subdued manner, to the point of being able to form the image of a mist clearing up/spreading out) *What is the main takeaway?* *The instrumentation is done fking brilliantly. Not once did the atmosphere of "mystery and elegance" break even though tinges of "danger" were included in the track.* *This is a prime example of the notion of "uncertainty/ominousness" conveying more sense of danger than other tracks composed in a loud manner.* Now, let's look at EVO. - Excellent violin performance (Although really a bit too quiet compared to the rest of the track) - Extended original unfathomed force 2:37 - Electro guitar is HEAVILY INVOLVED Honestly, the main issue I have with the EVO version is the overwhelming presence of electro guitar. (From bass section all the way to main melody). I think by now if you read what I had wrote earlier you would get what I mean. Basically it completely destroys the atmosphere of "mystery and elegance". Well, you might argue that the electro guitar gives more sense of "danger" and "epicness" to the fight. While there is some shred of truth to this idea, I'd like to make the counter-argument of "less is more". Yes the original is played in a more subdued and mysterious manner than the EVO version, but it doesn't stop the original from being as, if not, MORE danger-inducing to the listener. When a lister hear a "loud electro guitar" boss track, they think "Wow this fight is epic and dangerous." On the other hand, when a lister hears a "holy/elegant but mysterious" boss track, they think: "Shit why does it sound this sound elegant? What the fk am I going against? Am I screwed?". An example of this idea being employed that is really close to the instance of unfathomed force would be "innocence's theme" from FFIV. As for the extension at 2:37 of the EVO version. I honestly don't know what it contributes to the overall theme of the track. Perhaps it does serve a purpose but what I'm more concerned about is that it is dragging the melody for too long and is hindering the presence of the mist motif. Thus, the extension also in a way hurts the atmosphere of "mystery and elegance". Musically and thematically, I prefer Original over EVO. The "mystery and elegance" atmosphere of Unfathomed Force helps it be distinct from being a regular boss track, and solidifies its presence as "Arianrhod's theme". For me, EVO is just another regular boss track composed in an excellent manner.

01:28

Just beat her on hard, I dread fighting her on nightmare. Tio saved my ass with this fight with her healing and zero field, not bringing her for this fight might just border on suicide.

I almost (almost) put the game down on this fight. Just felt like a Souls boss, where you get your ass kicked so badly that you wonder if there is even a way to win (in this case, survive) this fight. I had to come back and change a lot of my build to try again.

*earth guard* *earth guard* *hurricane spin* *hurricane spin* *spark dyne* *spark dyne* All i did to beat this boss lol

0:00

...Okay, for some reason I can't remember if a remix of this played against Arianrhod when you fought her in Cold Steel 3.

Should have played in CS4 I like Belif SAV but this is HER theme

The unfathomed force was nerfed.

A리플렉스, 다크 매터, 레이징 휠, 아다마스 가드

I can hear some of cold steel in this oddly enough lol

0:34

Even in very easy I couldn't defeat her

SPOILERS FOR COLD STEEL 4 I'm going to miss this legend Rufus was a bitch for that sneak attack. RIP Lianne the Lance Maiden

This game's equivalent of Loewe I presume? Arios is more like a version of Cassius, so I think this comparison fits. I love her theme, but I didn't get the same sense of overwhelming power from her as I was led to believe during dialogue and cutscenes. She looks damn cool with that helmet though, I have to say.

Officially Lia-I mean Arianrhod's theme in Cold Steel III.