Hostage (Urban Run)

"A ghost from the past catches Joule off guard. Gunvolt speeds to the rescue like a bolt of azure justice..." - Flavor Text

Urban Run is the 8th mission of Azure Striker Gunvolt, codenamed "Hostage". Merak, somehow resurrected, has broken into Gunvolt's home and kidnapped Joule. He must rush off to where Merak has taken her for a rescue.

Briefing

Gunvolt: No time to waste! I gotta get Joule, now!

Stage Composition

This stage has no enemies, medals, or jewels. It is a relatively straightforward rush, only marred by the occasional debris you must traverse as Merak will potshot you with lasers offscreen.

When you make it to the end, GV has a brief conversation with Merak before the latter disappears with Joule, leaving a Red Mantis behind as a "present". After defeating it, GV has a talk with Nova, the supreme leader of Sumeragi's troops.

After a brief moment, GV heads back to QUILL for some assistance with rescuing Joule.

Boss: Red Mantis

The boss of this short stage is the Red Mantis, which of course is a modified version of the Mantis bosses fought in 1st Sumeragi. It as such has very similar attacks, but is a bit more difficult. Its missiles can still be exploded with the Flashfield, but after they're destroyed they'll fire green energy balls that you'll need to dodge. It will also always use its laser attack directly after firing its machine guns, so be wary and don't stay in the air too long while dodging the gunfire. It has one new, final attack: the ability to jump. When using this attack the Red Mantis will quickly jump over to the other half of the screen, then jump back. This sounds annoying, but keep in mind that if you reveal its core while it's on the other side of the screen, it'll be a lot easier to tag and use skills on.

Challenges

• Street Smart: Clear in 3 minutes or less. (Reward: 2k Vig)
• Supersonic Scion: Clear in 1 minute or less. (Reward: 12k Vig)
• Odd Mantis Out: Clear with a rank of B or higher. (Reward: 3k Vig)
• Tank Toppler: Clear with a rank of S or higher. (Reward: 12k Vig)
• Azure Impulse: Clear with a rank of S+. (Reward: 25k Vig)
• Prevengeance: Clear without taking any damage. (Reward: 25k Vig)

Azure Striker Gunvolt Fields
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