Storyline text and attempted translations from...

ゼルダの伝説:神々のトライフォース
The Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods


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マスターソード The Master Sword

As Link enters the clearing where the Master Sword rests, forest creatures hop across the screen. In any event, he can now use the Writings of Mudora to read the inscription on the pedestal:

『オオイナル ワザワイ』の
ふりかかる時、3つの紋章を
かかげし『勇者』来たりて、
その手で、この剣を引きめくで
あろう。その者ナイトの一族の
血をひく者なり。
When the Great Catastrophe
doth transpire, the Hero shall
come bearing three crests, and
by his hand shall he draw out this
sword. Of the bloodline of the
Knight Clan shall that one be.
The Hero's triumph on
Cataclysm's Eve
Wins three symbols of virtue.
The Master Sword he will then
retrieve,
Keeping the Knight's line true.

That's pretty much what everyone else said. Link stands behind the pedestal and places his hands on the hilt of the sword... the crests float around him, glowing... the sword shines mightily... dramatic music plays... and in a burst of light that clears away the mist, Link pulls out the sword and holds it aloft!

In a Randomizer seed, anything that isn't required to get the three crests (pendants) can be here. More often than not, it's something disappointing, especially given that you still need all three crests to collect it. Reading the inscription at least gives an indication of what's on the pedestal.

The bluish sword glints brightly in the sunlight. Suddenly...

長老サハスラーラ の声が
どこからとなく ひびいてくる
 … … …             master sword
リンクよ よくぞ退魔の剣
マスターソードを手に入れた…
そのかがやき全てがお前の力だ
その剣ならば、司祭の魔力をも
うちやぶるはずじゃっ!
この国の運命は、お前に
かかっておる。
頼んだぞ リンクよ …
The voice of Elder Sahasralah
resounds from out of nowhere.
 ... ... ...
Link, you have done well to have
acquired the exorcising sword...
All of that radiance is your strength.
That sword should be able to crush
even the priest's diabolic powers!
The fate of our country rests with you.
I'm counting on you, Link ...
Suddenly, Sahasrahla contacts
you telepathically...
... ... ...
Link, it is extraordinary
that you won the Master Sword
that makes evil retreat...
With this shining sword, I
believe you can deflect the
wizard's evil powers.

The destiny of this land
is in your hands.
Please, Link...

Not only does the Master Sword look more impressive than Link's old sword, it also makes a deeper sound when swung, has slightly better reach, inflicts twice as much damage (usually), and as long as Link is at full health additionally launches damaging energy bolts (the same power as the original sword) on attack.

It's also the bare minimum required to inflict any damage on the final boss, and required to get the items from the tablets. Speaking of which, you can climb back up the mountain and get Ether now, but it's rather out of the way and not, I think, worth the trouble just yet, so we'll save that for later.

As Link leaves the clearing...

リンク! たすけて!
し、城の兵たちが、教会へ…
キャアァァ~ … … …
Link! Help!
Th-the castle guards, at the church...
Eeeeek! ... ... ...
Link! Help! The soldiers
are coming to Sanctuary!
AIEEEEEEE!
... ... ...

Link rushes to the church, but he's too late. Princess Zelda is gone, and the abbot lies motionless on the ground.

おお、リンク ひと足おそか
った…。 私がふがいない
ばっかりに、ゼルダ姫を城へ
連れて行かれてしまいました。
お、おそらく城の塔の1ばん上
にある部屋でしょう。
ゼルダ姫が、イケニエにされる
その前に、なんとか…
ひ、姫を頼みま…す…。
Ohh, Link, you're mere moments too
late... I was helpless to keep Princess
Zelda from being taken to the castle.
Th-the room in the highest part
of the castle tower, most likely.
Somehow, before Princess Zelda
is sacrificed...
I b-beg of... you...
Link! You are a second too
late. I have failed... Zelda...
The soldiers have
abducted her.
They have taken her to
the castle.
You must find her before the
wizard works his magic.
Please...You are our only hope...

Having uttered his final words the poor fellow disappears. Odd, that. Regardless, coming here is optional if you know where to go already.

Well, it's time to go to the castle to save Princess Zelda, again.

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Hyrule Castle: Showdown with Agahnim

Security is tighter, but Link is stronger, and fights past the guards with little difficulty. A single swing of the Master Sword eradicates the tower barrier that had previously seemed unbreakable.

I could include another version of the map here to show that, but nah. Nothing else would be any different, and you can barely tell the castle tower was grayed out to begin with. Incidentally, you can also pass the barrier using the Magic Manteau in a Randomizer run, if that comes up before the Master Sword does.

The tower is crawling with stronger monsters and guards than the main castle, some of them left-handed to make them more difficult to fight, and many of the rooms along the way are dark on top of everything else. Partway up, Link finds another telepathic tile:

よいか、リンクよ。
マスターソードといえども、
司祭の体をきる事はできぬ。
やつの魔力をぎゃくに、りよう
するのじゃ。
Link, listen.
Though you may have the Master Sword,
you cannot strike the priest's body.
Use his diabolic powers against him.
Listen well, Link.
Even with the Master Sword,
you cannot inflict physical
harm on the wizard.
You must find a way to return
his own evil magic power to him.

Link finally reaches the top of the tower. Princess Zelda lies on the sacrificial altar, with Agahnim looming over her.

いやあ、リンク殿。
おまちしておりましたぞ!
クックック…。
あなたの目の前で ゼルダを
消してやろうと思いましてね。
見よ!ゼルダのさいごじゃあ!
Well, sir Link.
I have been awaiting you!
Ku ku ku...
I was thinking that I would get rid
of Zelda before your very eyes.
Watch! This is the end of Zelda!
Ahah... Link!
I have been waiting for you!
Heh heh heh...
I was hoping I could make Zelda
vanish in front of your eyes.
Behold! The last moment of
Princess Zelda!

殿 (dono) is an archaic and somewhat respectful name suffix, while ku ku ku is a sinister chuckle.

He does some evil magicky thing and Zelda vanishes.

ホォッホッホッ…。 これで
7賢者の封印も めでたく
とかれたワケですなあ。
魔の力が、この国をおおいつく
すのも時間のもんだいですぞ…
しょせん伝説の『勇者』も
『黄金の力』を持つ、われらが
魔族には、かないませんか。
ホォッホッホッ さらばじゃ!
Ho, ho ho... With this, I'm pleased
to say, the seal of the Seven Sages
has been dissolved.
It is now only a matter of time before
diabolic power engulfs this country...
So, in the end, even the legendary
Hero is no match for we fiends
who hold the Golden Power.
Ho, ho ho, farewell!
Ho ho ho... With this, the
seal of the seven wise men is
at last broken.
It is now only a matter of time
before evil power covers this
land...
After all, the legendary Hero
cannot defeat us, the tribe of
evil, when we are armed with
the Power of Gold.
Ho ho ho... Now, I must go!

He teleports out of the room through the north wall. Link slashes at the curtains to find an opening, and follows to the tower roof.

In a Randomizer run, you still need a sword to pass the curtain (except on the Swordless setting), so the Magic Manteau alone isn't enough to face Agahnim.

ほほう、どうしてもやられたい
と言うのですな…。 では、
そのノゾミ かなえてやろう!
Hoho, you must mean to say you
are quite desperate to be done in...
I shall grant your wish, then!
Oh, so?... You mean to say you
would like to be totally
destroyed? Well, I can make
your wish come true!

This is arguably the first boss where strategy is critical. Agahnim teleports around the room, and has three attacks. One is a lightning spread that randomly covers most of the screen, but never hits the top corners, so is easy to avoid by standing there. One is a homing circle of energy balls that splits into small, non-homing, and blockable (though Link has to get his shield back up in time) balls when hit with the Master Sword. The most important one is a large energy ball that the Master Sword knocks away entirely. With a bit of aiming, Link can hit these balls back at Agahnim, inflicting damage. This is the only way to hurt him, since, hitting Agahnim directly is not only as ineffective as Sahasralah warned, but actually hurts Link.

Oddly, the bug-catching net affects Agahnim's attacks the same way as the Master Sword, though it's harder to aim with. The Hammer and even the starting sword also work if you happen to have either one, not that it makes any difference in a regular playthrough.

Six hits later, Agahnim has enough of getting beat up.

グウゥ、さすがは、『勇者』
しかし、このままにはせぬぞ!
闇世界へ引きずりこんでやる!
Ghuuu, as expected of the Hero.
But I won't let it go on like this!
I'll drag you into the Dark World!
Grrrrugh! Well met! Like the
true Hero that you are...
But I am not ready to admit
defeat yet. I will draw you
into the Dark World!

Agahnim begins spinning around rapidly, and disappears as the screen distorts as it did at the warp tile on Mount Hebra...

For Randomizer purposes, Hyrule Castle Tower contains only two chests, as well as two enemies that drop keys (which will never be randomized and always appear in their usual locations). Since there are also four locked doors in the tower, this means that these two chests will always contain keys, unless keys are shuffled beyond their usual dungeons. In other words, under typical settings, the only reason to come here is to beat Agahnim, and that's usually optional.

To the best of my understanding, beating Agahnim is logically required in a Randomizer seed only if one of the following is true: 1) The victory condition is All Dungeons. 2) There's something you need on "Lumberjack Ledge", the location beyond the tree the lumberjacks are cutting down (a piece of heart is there in a regular playthrough), since beating Agahnim is what results in them leaving the tree so you can dash into it (you can check what this item is in advance by looking in the cave behind their house). 3) The Moon Pearl (or something that gives access to it) is on the pyramid. 4) You have no Dark World access (not counting the first warp tile on Hebra Mountain) without beating Agahnim; that is, you lack and cannot reach one or both of the Hammer or the Power Gloves. 5) You have western Dark World access via the Powerful Gloves (Titan's Mitts), but no Hammer or Flippers, and need to reach something on the eastern side, most often but not necessarily the Temple of Darkness. 6) The Pyramid Fairy has something you need, but you don't have the Hammer to get the jumbo bomb across the bridge and to the pyramid.

If willing and able to use glitches, though, there are at least two ways to bypass case 5 that are allowed in competitive Randomizer runs. The Qirn Jump, a tricky Fake Flippers setup that involves a precisely-timed jump into the river north of the broken bridge after tossing a Bomb so that the blast will push you south into the screen transition, lets you swim across the river without Flippers. With the Pegasus Shoes, it's also possible to set up a Water Walk by dashing along the edge of one of the pitfalls in Skull Woods and bonking into something to arm the glitch, then heading over to the river and jumping in from the north.

Link appears on top of a pyramid. In the distance to the north is a mountain similar to Hebra Mountain but more sinister-looking, topped by a tower silhouetted in a foreboding sun. The sky is an unhealthy mix of maroon and brown, adding to the foul feel of the place. Link hears a voice in his head again:

リンクよ、このサハスラーラ
の声がきこえるか? お前が
今、立っているのは、もとは
聖地とよばれていた世界…
しかし、今では魔族のはびこる
言わば、闇の世界じゃ。
司祭は、封印をとき城の入口に
闇世界とこちら側を結ぶ通り道
を開いてしまったようじゃ。
再び、こちらの世界を救うには
『黄金の力』をとり戻すしか
道は残されておらぬ!
7人の娘達を助けてやってくれ
7賢者の血をひく彼女らの力
必ず、やくにたつであろう!
娘達は、それぞれ魔物のかくれ
家に封じこめられておる。まず
ヤミの神殿へ向かうのじゃ!
頼りは、お前だけ…
このサハスラーラの願いをかな
えてくれ! 頼むぞリンクよ
Link, it is I, Sahasralah; can you
hear my voice? Where you now
stand is the world that was once
called the sacred land...
But now, it is thick with fiends.
A world of darkness, one might say.
It seems the priest has released the seal
and opened a channel at the castle gate
linking the Dark World with this world.
No way now remains to save this
world once again except to take
back the Golden Power!
Save the seven maidens.
Their power as those with the blood of
the Seven Sages is sure to be of use!
The maidens are being confined in the
hideouts of various monsters. Head
first for the Temple of Darkness!
You are our only hope...
Grant this wish of mine!
I'm counting on you, Link.
Link, it is I, Sahasrahla.
I am communicating to you
across the void through
telepathy... The place where
you now stand was the Golden
Land, but evil power turned it
into the Dark World. The
wizard has broken the wise
men's seal and opened a gate
to link the worlds
at Hyrule Castle. In
order to save this half of the
world, the Light World, you
must win back the Golden
Power. You must also rescue
the seven maidens who Agahnim
sent to the Dark World. As
members of the blood-line of
the seven wise men, they have
power that will surely help you.
The maidens are locked in
hidden dungeons full of evil
creatures and dangerous traps.
The Palace of Darkness should
be your first goal in this world!
Link, I can rely on only
you. Please make this old
man's wishes come true.
I beg you!

As Sahasralah suggests by his talk of a channel between world, walking through the Hyrule Castle gate will now transport Link to the Dark World.

Link does his usual victory spin, then sets about exploring this strange Dark World...

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