Part Twenty-Seven: Preparing for the Final Battle
Ready to end the game? Head to Opassa Beach in Another World. You'll find three children waiting for you, and they should look very familiar. Speak to each of them for key details regarding the plot, and what you need to do next.
Between the three kids is a purple dimensional rift. If you use the Time Egg you received in Terra Tower while standing on this spot you'll receive the option to jump to the Darkness At The End of Time, where the Time Devourer waits to fight your party. This is your path to the end of Chrono Cross...
... though if you want the game's proper ending, you should only proceed once you have the Chrono Cross in your key item list, and the Chrono Cross Element equipped on Serge. You can receive both by taking Steena to the Divine Dragon Falls, near Arni Village, and placing the Tear of Love and the Tear of Hate inside. Make sure you equip the Element on Serge! This part is crucial!
Battling the Time Devourer
The Time Devourer is a nasty creature, capable of using powerful Elements to wreck your party. It never uses physical attacks, only blasting your party with high-level Elements, including Omega Green, Red, Blue, Yellow, Black, and White, all of which can inflict a ton of damage on a single character. Your party will get demolished in no time if you don't heal often.
There are two ways to defeat the Time Devourer. The first is a tried-and-true battle to the death. As a White Innate the Time Devourer is vulnerable to Black Innate Elements and attacks, so bring in one Black Innate character at a minimum and let them slam the Time Devourer with their best attacks. Heal as necessary. The Time Devourer has a lot of health, so this fight can take a while if you decide to chip through every last HP. Any Element that reduces the Time Devourer's damage output is also advisable, such as Imbecile, Diminish, and Negate Magic.
Your second option for defeating the Time Devourer is to use the Chrono Cross. To do this you must use the six Elements in a very specific order, that being Yellow, Red, Green, Blue, Black, and White. The Elements will appear in the order you've used them beside the Field Effect at the top of the screen. Once you've used an Element of all six types, Serge must then use the Chrono Cross. This will end the fight in your favor.
Sound easy? It isn't unless you use a specific strategy. The Time Devourer only uses Elements when it attacks, so it will mess up your order constantly. The key to this fight is to only use low-level Elements, preserving the Stamina of your characters and requiring a minimum of buildup. Ping the Time Devourer until everyone has a full Elemental Grid, then heal up any damage you've taken. Diminish will help reduce the Time Devourer's overall damage output.
Then, once everyone has full Stamina and the Time Devourer has just attacked, start going through the color cycle, using only Level One Elements from your characters. It doesn't matter if the Element has a big negative number beside it, you just need to use it. Start with the character who has the Chrono Cross equipped so they have time to rejuvenate their Stamina. Once you've run through the six colors, use the Chrono Cross to end the fight. It , too, can be equipped to Level One of the Element Grid, so don't accidentally put it at Level Seven. If you want to be especially sure this works, wait until the Time Devourer uses a Yellow Element to set the pattern in motion. (Though it loves Green Innate Elements, so you might be waiting for a while.)
Regardless of the route you take you'll reach the end of Chrono Cross, though you'll get a far more meaningful ending if you use the Chrono Cross to free... well, you know. Enjoy the conclusion!
... and then get ready for New Game +! Or... Continue +?