15 — Parthenon

Greek-myth stages that mark the start of the saga's harder stretch. Metal One Horn and Bun Bun Black debut; Labyrinth of Hades pairs Kory with Bun Bun Black.

Certainly harder than the previous few sub-chapters, and the ones after are harder still — this is where the saga's difficulty curve bends upward for good. Most layouts are Western Street stages with higher buffs. The hardest stage is the closer, Labyrinth of Hades, on the synergy between Kory's waves and Bun Bun Black's bulk; Dawn of Gaia effectively requires a Critical hitter (Moneko, Jurassic Cat, Space Cat) for its Metal problem.

Two debuts: Metal One Horn, a Metal with insanely fast attacks and more health than Metal Hippoe — the first Metal that makes a low-percentage crit lineup sweat — and Bun Bun Black, a Dark/Floating Teacher Bun Bun variant trading speed and damage for much more health.