Chapter 13: The Lunar Sanctum

Chapter 13: The Lunar Sanctum (13章　月の静寂 13-Shō Tsuki no Shijima, "Chapter 13: Tranquility of the Moon") is the thirteenth chapter in the storyline of Kid Icarus: Uprising.

Featuring Forces of Nature commander Arlon, Pit's goal is to disable Viridi's most powerful weapon, the Lunar Sanctum, before she can use it to wreak havoc.

Air Battle
As Pit is sent through night skies, he begins singing a song about his victory against Viridi. Palutena is quick to point out that they have yet to finish the task at hand, presenting him with their next mission: to defeat Arlon before he can unleash Viridi's greatest weapon. She then points out the two moons in the sky, one of which splits open and begins firing massive lasers at them. Palutena informs him that the second moon is actually the Lunar Sanctum, and sends the angel closer to begin their mission.

Due to the firepower of Arlon's base, Palutena speculates that the Forces of Nature must be preparing a massive attack. This only draws out the commander himself, who counters the claim telepathically. Arlon suggests that they sit down and chat rather than engage in battle, though Palutena only agrees if he withdraws his forces, a task which Arlon claims is impossible without direct orders from Viridi herself. Realizing that they won't be able to reach an agreement, Pit and Palutena continue with their mission regardless. As the two explore the exterior of the Lunar Sanctum, Palutena eventually spots an opening leading inside and sends Pit in by crashing him through a duct.

Land Battle
Roughly landing inside, Pit is greeted with the Lunar Sanctum's sleek and elegant interior. This prompts him and Palutena to compliment the structure, though Arlon sternly reminds them that he lacks the room for additional guests. Pit then encounters several holographic enemies, which are presented amongst real enemies to throw him off. Noting that Arlon has a penchant for trickery, Palutena infiltrates the sanctum's control core in order to deploy arrows to guide Pit through the terrain.

Lunar Sanctum Control Center
As he continues past invisible paths and hidden switches, Pit finally locates the Lunar Sanctum Control Center—however, Dark Pit appears before him, engaging him in battle. Palutena questions how Arlon persuaded Dark Pit into defending the Lunar Sanctum, and the commander reveals that the mention of Pit's presence alone was enough to convince him.

During the battle, Dark Pit's strategy is simple: to fire continuously, fire charged shots, and strike with melee attacks. Though the control center remains stationary, it will unleash explosive shots if attacked by either angel.

Once both Dark Pit and the Lunar Sanctum Control Center have been defeated, Pit presses on and arrives on a lunar surface. Palutena questions why the sanctum was built in the first place, though Arlon refuses to break his oath of silence. To compensate, he instead explains that the Lunar Sanctum runs on his powers, leaving it completely helpless without him. Although he reiterates his allegiance to the Forces of Nature, he commends Palutena's work as Pit's guide before the angel arrives at the boss chamber.

Intensity Gate
To the left of the boss chamber is a 7.0 Intensity Gate, which contains a single Treasure Box.

Boss Battle
Upon arriving in the boss room, Pit encounters Arlon, who is sitting in mid-air with a spotlight over him. The commander politely greets his guest, taking a bow before initiating the battle.

During the battle, Arlon will fly across the room and fire at his foe with a plethora of projectiles. He may shoot rapid-fire shots, slow-moving projectiles, ring-shaped shots, and massive lasers. In addition, he will partially shroud the battlefield in darkness upon receiving enough damage, and will summon mines, barriers, and spikes.

Epilogue
Once Arlon has been defeated, Palutena flies Pit away from the crumbling Lunar Sanctum. However, a mysterious creature escapes from the structure, and while Pit passes it off as nothing, Palutena grows concerned as she extracts him from the sky.

Weapons
The following is a list of weapons most commonly obtained in this chapter.


 * Midnight Palm
 * Lancer Staff
 * Stealth Claws
 * Samurai Blade
 * Arlon Orbitars

Trivia

 * The Lunar Sanctum is reminiscent of the Death Star from the Star Wars franchise.
 * In addition, the themes that play during the Air Battle and Land Battle portions of this chapter seem to be heavily inspired by John Williams's work on the Star Wars films, lending further to the homage.
 * This is the only chapter in Kid Icarus: Uprising in which no Underworld troops appear.

fr:Chapitre 13: Le sanctuaire lunaire