In this post, the exocet trials are completed and a path to the monster’s cave is mapped and cleared of fog. A color wrap brings us to base camp, for the final ascent.

The nice loop generated by Cr5np16 is another figure 8, and its crossing cell is forced to have two loop cells of the same color. The blue candidates are wrapped.

And the blue removals in r3 leave the remaining 1’s and 3’s in the N box, forcing Nr3np16 and another deadly rectangle in 1 and 6. The trial fails, leaving np36 in Cr5. And it wasn’t that hard.

So now we’re ready to follow up on the third pair of ANL, a 3-chain and a 6-chain forming third fog clearing nice loop. This time there is no figure 8 and no cell crossing that wraps a color. We also note that the colors cooperate to avoid the row naked pairs that would constitute a deadly rectangle.

As we trace out the red/orange cluster, it’s apparent that red forces two 9 clues, so it’s a more decisive choice for a coloring trial.  Monsters get no slack.

The red trial reaches a contradiction placing two 7’s in r1. They are the N7 and NW7 effects on the bottom line.

Promotion of the orange candidates produces only one additional clue, SW9, and the remaining the candidate grid resists advanced methods. But we’re almost there.

Next time we’re going for a pink olive analysis of the 1-patterns, where freeforms from the left side are significantly restricted. With a little boning up on that, you could get there first.

My pink 1-freeforms will start at r7c1. Go for it.