Chapter 3: Stressful Times for Lies
Akira's eyes flickered open, droopiness causing them to feel like dumbells were taped on them. Opening his eyes fully, Akira felt an oppressive atmosphere. He didn't recall where he was..but it felt as if he was beaten to a bloody pulp before he awoke.
The place he was in currently, was basked in deep purple and blue hues. Almost a velvet color. The stench of piss forcibly invaded his nose, making him gain a disgusted face. Akira sat himself up, looking around. "Oh...shit," Akira remembered, he was in the Velvet Room. How he got there...he couldn't recall. "How...how did I get here..." Attempting to force a recalling of memories, a sudden throbbing sharp pain blasted itself in the right side of his face. Near his temple, both underneath and around his eye. The pain shutting his eye.
"G-Goddamn it! Igo-Igor! Can't you do anything?!" He looked up, urging for Igor's help. Alas, when the boy looked up...he wasn't granted by the presence of the long-nosed man. Something that never happened before...and completely unnerved him.
Akira shot up, shooting to the bars of his cell. He gripped them, his eyes shooting around in their sockets to look for his warden. "I-Igor?! Where are you?!" To his left and right, were the Twin Wardens who presided over him. Seeing those two, lightly calmed his nerves.
"Igor...should be here..where..is he!?"
"Caroline! Justine! Come on you two, wake up!" The anxiety booming words of Akira barely did anything to stir the twins to wake. "Shit..." Akira nervously turned around quickly, investigating every portion of his cell for something he could use to wake them up.
"Shit...Shit..." Akira sighed as he drooped his head, his eyes getting locked onto the ground. His breath became shaky as he started to consider one...terrible possibility.
"What if I...can't leave the Velvet Room..?! Igor is the one in charge wha—"
Akira's eyes widened slowly as he locked onto something, a smirk appeared back on his face.
Quickly, he pulled his shirt off, ripping it down the center, into two long pieces. Pacing back over to the bars, he slipped his hand through the openings wiggling and whipping the torn pieces at the Twins. These efforts, however, were in vain. "Shiiiiittt..." He groaned as his mind tried to quickly think of another solution.
Akira balled his two pieces into his palm and threw the two of them with full force. The right one, for Justine, hit her right in her eyelid. The one for Caroline completely missed. Leaving Akira to feel completely depressed with his aim. ...Seems that my skills really didn't improve...Akira depressingly thought in his mind as he subtly slouched over on the bars.
"...hm...?" Akira shot up, his ears twitching from Justine's voice. He pressed his face against the cold, steel bars of the cell, his smirk beaming against the oppressive atmosphere.
"H-Hey! Justine, you're awake!" The young girl arched her head towards Akira's voice, staring at him at first as if he was a mysterious man. "J-Justine...?"
"...Trickster...? Is that you?"
"Yeah! You and Caroline have been knocked out since—GAH!" Akira's head shot back from the bars as if being shot with a bullet. Memories were being beamed into his mind, shooting and bouncing around his brain. Refreshing his mind on everything. His hands loosened from the bars, as he fell...his mind shot back to his newly regained memory, "AKIRA! WAKE UP! YOU HAVE TO LIBERATE YOURSELF! DO WHAT'S NEEDED TO BREAK FROM THIS EVEN MORE UNJUST GAME."
As if it wasn't going out of style, Akira smashed the back of his head against the floor. Before losing conciseness in the Velvet Room which is...something he never thought could happen, the only thing he could recall was Justine. "T-Trickster? Trickster!"
As he left the room that he'd rather be in since he was most likely and sadly dead from the encounter with...Soulja Boy, all the pain started to reinject itself within him. Making his nerves and shoulder especially burn and sting in pain.
As he was being drawn back into the material world, Akira felt a sort of bumpiness and discomfort in his stomach. SHIT! DON'T TELL ME I GOT SHOT OR FUCKIN SHANKED! FOR GODS—" Akira's ears picked up immediately on chains being dragged. His eyes shot open immediately in fear, his skin was being trickled by a million cold needles. Sending shivers through his entire being. As his eyes opened, his right field of vision was blurred, but he was able to see Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, and Futaba behind him. Running as if their lives were in danger. To be fair...they were. As his left eye attempted to refocus, he realized he was being carried by Makoto somehow. Must've been some magic or a adrenaline. While the situation wasn't appropriate...being carried by the woman of his dreams was...nigh orgasmic. If I do truly survive this shitty day, this will be the highlight I'll probably rub one out too.
All thoughts he had of pleasuring himself were sliced into silence as he saw what was chasing them. It was the first time he had ever seen its face. The Reaper. It's long flowing coat-trailing and reaching out in front of him. As if it was a hand reaching for the Phantom Thieves.
"Wa-Wait!" Everyone looked in shock as Akira yelled out his first words, some nearly tripling over themselves, of course, Ryuji.
Ann spoke up, "What Joker!? This ain't the time for us to have a chill conversation!"
"Why..Why—Why aren't we innn..." Akira was starting to get droopy. He could tell, he was wanted in the Velvet Room again. S-Shit! What is pulling me if Igor isn't there?! Akira's hand shot itself instinctively to his face, his gloved hand over his eyes, leaving the spaces between his fingers as views. He gritted his teeth, struggling to talk. "—In...Morgana?!
"I can't turn into a car for some reason Akira!" Mona screamed in front of Makoto, his voice laced with panic.
"Wh-What the hell do you mean you can't—AGH!" His Head was starting to throb, his mind becoming more absentminded. He couldn't leave right now, he needed to make sure his friends and his Queen were going to be safe. His hand gripped his face harder, as his vision started to blur.
"Akira?! Are you okay?" Ryuji yelled, his face being contorted by pain. Akira could tell his leg injury was starting to flare up. He needed to think of something quick to get them out of this or Ryuji...
D-Damn it! Of all the times! I shouldn't have forgotten about those GOHO-Ms! FUCK!
As his vision started to weaken, the moments of blurriness becoming stronger, and it became harder to resist the call of the Velvet Room, Akira muttered one thing in Makoto's ear, "Be...be safe..."
"Akira what?! Akira? Akira?!" Makoto's voice was the last thing he heard along with the chains of their pursuer, before slipping into the world between all.
Akira shot up from the ground, Justine crouching over him, falling over from his sudden waking. "Trickster! Oh, thank god! I thought...But that's not the point, stand up, Caroline is starting to wake up."
Akira struggled to fully stand, the back of his head throbbing with pain. He looked around, still no Igor in sight. He placed himself on his bed to regain himself, he needed to get out of here quickly...he needed to get back to his team!
Walking out of his cell, Justine closed it again and locked it. "Oh-Oh...shit...of course.." Akira slumped his head against the soft relaxing padding of his cell. As much as he tried, he couldn't relax. Not knowing what was happening in the material world.
With his eyes closed, he opened his mouth, "So..how'd you bring me back without Igor?" Akira shivered from the coldness of the Velvet Room prickling against the bare skin of his chest, placing his hands in his arms in an attempt to cause friction.
"I...didn't..."
"Course she didn't, Trickster. It was me." Akira and Justine shot their heads towards Igor's desk. His voice being disembodied.
Akira forced through the pain, gripping the bars once again, "Igor?! Where are you?!"
The oddly nosed man materialized on his desk, his hair disheveled and his brow furrowed into an intense nervousness. He maintained his calm, crossing his legs and staring at Akira. "No need to yell at the top of your lungs Trickster." Igor slipped himself off his desk, Akira couldn't help but feel relaxed at seeing the hunchback's presence. Igor paced himself slowly towards Akira's cell. Every step of his forced Akira to take sharp anxiety-ridden breaths.
Igor stood over Caroline and Justine, Justine crouching over her sister and fully forcing her to wake up. He raised one of his bony fingers and tapped Caroline's forehead. Her eyes flickered immediately, seeing her into the land of the wake. Igor looked down at them, "I...I need you two to leave," He glanced at Akira, "I have some business to discuss with our recurring prisoner."
"Master? Are you—"
"Don't rebuttal against me. I got this."
Justine nodded, and ringed Caroline's arm around her shoulder, being a stand to help her sister's inability to stand fully on her own. The two hobbled out of Akira's sight, leaving him on his own with Igor. Being alone with Igor with the presences of the Twins gone made Akira realize how..crushing a presence Igor truly had. Akira truly struggled to swallow his spit, his chest getting heavy as Igor stepped in front of his cell door.
"My pressure is crushing, isn't it?" Igor muttered as Akira stared at him, his breaths getting shallower and more spacious between each pant, and with sweat dribbling down his face. "Ah...I'm truly sorry Trickster. I'm so stressed currently that I forgot to regulate myself..." The white-haired man reached deep down into his pocket, bringing out both a lighter and...a blunt..? Akira gazed in confusion, his mind trying its hardest to logically process this.
Lighting it up, Igor placed the blunt in his mouth, taking a huge hit. He relented and dropped the blunt from his mouth. Releasing a huge sigh, a smoke cloud exploding from his mouth. "Ah...that's it.
Just as he said it, the pressure relented. Akira dropped back onto his bed, his mouth simply releasing an onslaught of hurried and quickened breaths. Igor looked down his face with light amusement, "Ah, I'm sorry Trickster. As you can tell...things have been hectic around here since your visit from earlier."
Little flashes of Akira's first visit pasted themselves onto his eyelids. "Yeah that's right...you..you was something else..."
A light chuckle came from his mouth as he replied, "Yes..that was something I never to happen to me before. That...was something to be worried about. Since something burrowed itself into me...And that thing...is what attacked you and your friends." Akira silently gasped, his eyes slightly widening.
"Wha-What? You're telling me that...THING forced itself into you? Somehow got into the Velvet Room? How?!"
Igor paused, thinking of the way to explain this to Akira. "You see...that...thing is a fellow god. It, as far as I've been able to tell, is something made from the cognition of people. Since the internet and its memes have been so prominent since its beginning...the people's cognition has created something godlike. I call it, the Meme Lord. He has the ability to turn into any single meme, and to...invade spaces. Since that's what memes do. Now, how he caught wind of you or decided to target you, I have no idea."
Akira gripped his right wrist, it was slightly shaking. Looking down between his legs, his curly hair was hiding his expression from Igor. "...So, the people have created a god from memes, huh? Jesus. Now, what did he mean by the punishments..?"
Igor sighed, taking another hit. With the blunt still in his mouth, he gripped his keys and opened Akira's cell. Akira already knew what this meant, for he wasn't going to be let out.
As expected, Igor walked inside of the dingy, constricted and piss-ridden cell that Akira had oddly considered being a second home. Or third, if he was thinking literally since Leblanc is the second. Being this close to the hunchback was odd and surprising to Akira, but he was focusing on controlling his shaking arm. Igor slipped himself onto Akira's bed. Finally taking the blunt from his mouth, exhaling.
"...The punishments will be relating to anything to your meats. I'm assuming." Igor sighed out as he let loose another smoke cloud, Igor drooped his head down and glanced over at Akira. Seeing Akira's nigh depressed demeanor. "...Trickster?"
"...What? Think I'm scared? It's only my meat, it's not like I won't be fapping for god knows how long! Even then, it'll be easy!" Akira raised his head up, smiling cleverly at Igor. However, the face Igor granted him in reply...wasn't one of agreement.
"...You think I haven't seen your escapades in masturbating? I'm your overseer, Akira. I've seen...every dirty, disgusting, and revolting thing you've done since April." Akira started flinching from Igor's speech, "Same with all the members of the Phantom Thieves. Ryuji especially...that man is disgusting...he's...a monster..point is...November is coming up, and you know what that means.."
Akira's eyes widened as he stared nervously at Igor, stuttering to complete his sentence. "You..no..no you don't mean No Nut November?" Akira scuffed, Igor's is worrying me over nothing, that's nearly 2 months away! I'll probably beat his ass before November and beat my meat until it bleeds in suffering!"
"I know what you're thinking, Trickster. That he has nearly 2 months until then, and you'll beat his ass before and you'll be safe right? Nope. He's probably going to make that an overall punishment for you four pathetic boys."
Akira shot himself back into his bed, gripping the sides of his head. "No—NO! YOU'RE TELLING ME IM GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH SHITTY PUNISHMENTS, AND I CANT BEAT MY FUCKIN MEAT?!" Akira shot up, running to the opposing wall and slapping his fists into the soft walls. His grunts and screams echoed throughout the empty cells, each scream and grunt getting progressively more riddled with depression. Igor just eyed him, as he hit his blunt with a large whiff. Even though he was a god, Igor understood the simple pleasures of masturbating. Since he made it his little habit to understand human pleasures.
Eventually, Akira tired himself out and dropped to his knees. "...My meat...I can't do this.."
Igor forced himself off the bed and slowly paced towards Akira's defeated figure. Finally taking the blunt from his mouth, he placed a hand on Akira's shoulder. "Wanna hit..? You need it right now."
Akira glanced at the blunt, Igor slowly inching it towards his mouth. He shook his head. Igor looked at Akira with a look of are you sure? He scuffed and brought the blunt back to his mouth. "Look, Trickster, you'll probably have your dick cut off, along with your friends. Honestly, I'd be surprised if you can survive this ordeal until he's done. Whenever that will be. You have a crush on Makoto right? Since these might be some of the last moments you might have with your meat, go do what you've been wanting to do and smash her kid."
Akira sighed and pulled himself up. Taking the blunt from Igor, he took a large hit. In which he started to cough violently, the white-haired old man chuckled at Akira's failure. Recovering himself, Akira started to cough out his words, "Igor d-didn't you say you watch all of us...?"
"Yes. Why?"
"...By any chance...Have you seen Makoto...do unsavory things...or think—"
"Alright Trickster time to go!"
"Wa-Wait Igor just answer the questio—!" With a simple forceful tap, Akira's vision dimmed and he was forcefully yanked from the Velvet Room.
Akira was pressed against a wall, with Makoto over him. Sweat was dribbling down her face, her chest was expanding and contracting at fast speeds. Her breath was shaky and in short spats. Akira spoke up, "Mako—"
Quickly she crouched down, clasping her palm against his mouth, cutting off his speech. Akira's eyes shaking in confusion and nigh fear as Makoto's blood red, frighting eyes peered into his. Oddly, but honestly unexpectedly, his dick started to get hardened.
Oh god.
Akira's face started to become twisted with dread, she had already seen it once, not again. Not that she would see it again..his hard-on lessened thinking about what Igor said, but looking back into Makoto's eyes made him quickly forget about it. Also putting his meat back in full force.
Makoto placed a finger over her lip, projecting to Akira to be quiet. Which he did ever so easily. Taking her hand away, she opened her mouth, she whispered to him, "Joker...are you okay?"
He nodded, as he tried repositioning himself to hide his raging friend. As he moved around, one simple thought flopped onto his mindscape. Where's...everyone else?"
With a simple look around, no other members of the Phantom Thieves were around them in the little-enclosed part of Mementos he and Makoto were at. This racked his mind with anxiety, as thoughts of dark and depressing events played through his head.
There is...no way that they had been taken by the Reaper while Makoto just...ran off with me?! God, I could've done something if fucking Igor—
"We all had to split up. Futaba was able to use her persona to increase our speed, in which we outran it and split up. We made the plan to split up and make the trek back up to the base floor. For some reason...he's not letting up even after we left the floor. I'm sure by now...everyone else has made it to the base floor nearly."
"Oh. I see." Akira couldn't help but smile from hearing this. His Phantom Thieves could always be great even without him. "Well, since I'm up, we should meet up with the rest, right?"
"Yeah, you're right Akira. Let's go."
Making the trek through Mementos while also being stealthily was alas Akira's strong suit, but Makoto was struggling since to be fair, stealth was something she was never the best at. He was having a fun time looking behind him to see Makoto stumbling to replicate his stylish moves. Frankly, he was chuckling, much to her irritation.
Making it one floor up, Akira opened his mouth to ask Makoto a question. "So, since I've been going in and out of it since this whole thing went down," And also hit a blunt, but who knows how that'll work out.
Makoto through gasps and pants piped up. "What Akira?"
"...Is that knife still in my back? I really...really can't feel a damned thing. Like..am I bleeding? Or did you guys heal me? And what's with the dagger you have in your possession Makoto? Don't tell me you're trying to become me now?" The slightest of chuckles slid from Akira's mouth as he slid past a shadow, giving Makoto the clear when it walked away.
She paced over to Akira, little pants layering her speech, "The...knife actually started to disparate...the same happened for your wound. Its just...a rip in your clothes and your shoulder is just fine.
His eyes widened, placing his hand on his shoulder blade. She was right, he felt nothing but his smooth skin revealed by the hole in his clothes. What...? How is this...?
He turned back around to her, "That guy..he didn't do anything to be right?"
"Well...All he really did was grip your face and all the color drained from it. But I stopped it before he could try anything else. And honestly...I wouldn't have even noticed that was a knife wound if I didn't see it with the blade in your shoulder. After I took it out and tried to heal everyone...it just completely disappeared. As for this knife?" Makoto held it up using the buckle from her waist, "We found it in there...I forgot I honestly had it you just said it...When we split up, Futaba had given it to me. It...must be a cursed weapon of sorts since when I held it, honestly it felt as if my life was being drained away from me."
Upon hearing that, Akira stopped walking and shot his head back towards Makoto. He paced quickly, gripping Makoto all over as his love and concern for her took control. Her face quickly entered into a phase of reds and pinks as she struggled to put together a coherent thought for Akira, "H-Hey Akira? Wh-huhhhh wha-what?"
Her nigh incoherent blubbering took Akira out of his trace, he looked up at her with his hunched over posture. Quickly, Akira's face became filled with red. He pulled back and attempted to compose himself well, but that did work. Nothing was working well in his favor at all...
"S-sorry Makoto...I got to make sure all my teammates are fine you know? Can't have my tactical mind hurt.." Quickly, Akira turned back around, hoping there wasn't going to be any lingering embarrassment.
Who was he kidding? Course there would be.
"God what is wrong with me!? Every single time I always do something utterly...fucking ridiculous with her! G-god...if...I could destroy my meat..." Akira's slumped over, in a depressive slump. A long continuous breath flowing from his lips. There's no...possible way that any of us could even..survive this...with it even getting WORSE in November? Just kill me now Igor..."
Makoto eyed his back, looking at his slumped posture, feeling a bit weird. She opened her mouth to ask something, but she was suddenly cut off.
"HEY, AKIRA!"
Akira immediately shot up from his slump, and Makoto gripped her brass knuckles, looking for any sigh of Ryuji's voice. Walking slightly from the oncoming corner, was Ryuji with Morgana. The two started to gain these smiles of intense relaxation. It seemed they were really worried about their leader and tactician. Hell, Makoto couldn't stop herself from gaining a smile.
However...Akira couldn't keep a smile. Shit, he wasn't even able to muster one up. Seeing Ryuji, for the little he was able to avoid it, forcefully harkened back memories of Igor..and their talk. This...I just wanted to be a leader today...I didn't ask for all of this..Wait...does Ryuji know..?"
Akira paced forward to Ryuji, getting near his ear to whisper. Even after all of this, I couldn't bear for Makoto to even know I'm a masturbator who got punished for his sinful deeds of lust..." A large, and frankly as of now typical, sigh came from Akira's mouth.
"Woah, Akira you, uh, good there? Why you breathin' in my ear man?" Ryuji muttered as little chuckles came from his mouth.
"You don't remember do you?" Akira put these vague words together in the most hushed tones he could muster.
Understanding what Akira was getting at, he whispered in reply, "What? The attack? Of course...Nothing could ever make me forget that asshole.."
"Not...Not that...although I could stand to forget that.."
"Oh? Then what are you—"
"—I'm talking about...his message. His curse. Do you know?"
"You...don't mean the nut hanging thing...?" Ryuji signed harshly, "Yeah...I remember."
"Yeah...remember that Igor guy I tol—"
The dragging of chains shook everyone to their core.
A dribble of sweat-drenched itself into Akira's big bulging eyes, his fear being broadcasted everywhere without effort. Ryuji's tongue ached with dryness, his legs starting to seize up as his bad leg started to ache with pain. Oh, but Makoto...Makoto was the worst. Her spine felt as if it was being assaulted and severed with multiple chills, her eyes becoming as red, and bulging as a hypnotic snake. The sound of the chains was coming from behind them, without question all three of them let loose every single bullet they had in their chambers. Every single encounter with the Reaper, even though they were only two, never ever had them escaping without injuries.
Clicks kept echoing throughout the hall, leaving the trio alone in crushing silence as bullets stopped.
"DEATHBOUND!" A massive gust of wind zooms through the hall, sending Akira and the rest flying backward as a portal opened releasing a flurry of hands towards the Reaper, acting a mini-wall.
Quickly, Ryuji grabbed Akira's arm as they recovered. "C-Come on! That shouldn't hold him off for long, let's go!" Akira nodded, and grabbed Makoto, running at their fullest speeds.
"H-Hey Ryuji! What was up with those shots?!" Futaba's voice boomed throughout their earplugs, startling Akira and Makoto.
"We—He's back, I hope you guys were able to open that effin' staircase!"
"What?! What do you mean by that staircase?!"
"Yeah..The staircase won't open!"
"Futaba WHAT?!" Makoto's yelling partly startled Akira, but before Futaba or anyone had a chance to say something, they actually caught up to the rest of the Phantom Thieves. Makoto surrounded herself around the rest of the girls, making sure they were okay.
Akira stopped himself to a grinding halt, a little smile actually appearing on his face. However, it was soon replaced with one of confusion as he looked past Futaba, at a neon blue barrier of sorts blocking off the stairs to the upper levels.
"Wha—What...?! What the hell is going?!" Akira quickly ran to Morgana, "Morgana wh—"
"I don't know Akira! We sent Ryuji to find you so we could get some plan together! Can you think of something!?"
Akira looked down, his vision blurring as he could barely stand. "This is all my fault...I shouldn't have been so distracted and coming up with anything to get away from the girls..."
"Fuck it." Akira stood up, gripping his hand into a fist. He glared at Morgana, Yusuke, and Ryuji. They knew what he was talking about.
"No...Akira you can't be serious!" Morgana struggled to even..come to terms with the idea. It was a simple death wish!
Yusuke had his head down, staring at the ground. Little pants were coming from his mouth. He took a large breath and stared at Akira. His grip around his katana sheath became stronger as he paced towards his leader. "Okay, Joker. I'd thought we would go with more of a bang. But a negative mind never yields good results, huh?" Yusuke unsheathed his katana, placing it in front of him as he took another breath to make himself firm. After all, he was shaking.
The girls looked at Akira with confusion as Ryuji walked and obscured their line of sight. Placing his hand on Akira's shoulder. "Maybe we can beat this effin' bastard. Only one way to find out, right Akira?" Ryuji, like Yusuke, got at the front lines along with his leader. The only one was Morgana, who was quite literally shaking.
"I...really hate you guys you know?"
"Yeah, yeah Morgana. You gonna join us or what?"
A determined look placed itself onto Morgana's furry face as he nodded to Ryuji.
This was it. The death of the Phantom Thieves. Or more so the final stand. At least, to Akira, this was a better way to go out instead of dying from a nutting drought or nutting...or even from one of those curses from that Meme Lord guy. At least this...for how anticlimactic it is in nature, was better and more honorable than anything else.
Once again, the dragging of chains woke Akira from his morbid thoughts. It was like everywhere the Reaper was, any type of heat or happiness was drained. Hell, Akira could even see his large and shaky breath cloud in the air. Everyone's muscles seized up, fear and terror making them shake profusely.
Akira turned his head around and saw the rest of the girls. Confusion painted their faces, which is expected as the boys never told them of this suicidal plan they made one night in Leblanc, it hurt Akira seeing their faces honestly, especially Makoto's.
"M-Makoto! Work on the barrier! We...we got this." Jerking his head back towards the hall, a flowing hood showed itself. As if it was an animal looking for its fresh prey, sending euphoric terror down everyone's nerves. Akira could barely even hold himself up. It felt as if the Reaper had some massive pressure that was crushing everything in the area.
"A-Akira! What do you want us to do?!" Yusuke's voice shook with fear, something that it rarely did outside of its nigh monotonous sounds.
Akira looked down, taking a moment to debate and take some consideration. Finally coming to a conclusion, he shot his head up at the Reaper and gripped his short blade harder. "Let's move."
Launching themselves off of the ground, the four boys came zooming down onto the Reaper, with Akira standing at the front as the rest of his team stood behind him. Akira sent cursed blasts towards the Reaper, he blocking and dispelling then with ease. Turning back towards Akira, he aimed his revolver towards Akira, however, he stopped as he noticed the rest of the boys disappeared.
Ryuji dashed into the Reaper, smashing his pipe into his chest and retracting back. Morgana sending a multitude of shots towards the Reaper's hand to disarm him. The bullets just completely missed as if they were on a skewed path.
"D-Damn it!"
Akira launches himself into the air as he came crashing down with his short blade, clashing with the Reaper's revolvers. Akira looked into his dark nearly endless eyes as he used his upper chest to launch himself off, alerting Ryuji to send a flurry of lightning strikes. Each strike sending a light jolt throughout the Reaper.
Landing into the ground, Akira dug his heels into the ground, grinding him to a stop as Morgana and Ryuji circled the Reaper, sending a flurry of attacks and dodging, and blocking. Gripping his mask, Akira's eyes lit up in a bright yellow as a gust of wind zoomed through the halls as chains on Akira broke, fire engulfing him as Arsene dissipated into Setanta. Launching himself again, Akira rolled into a full burst sprint as the trio started to assault the Reaper, dealing what damage they could with their Personas and kept dodging his attacks with Akira using a multitude of flashy, acrobatic, flips and jumps.
"Morgana! Just keep it up while Ryuji and I do our thing!"
Morgana replied back in agreement as he let loose an entire slew of bullets, clearly annoying the Reaper as he tried keeping up with everyone moving all at once.
Akira rolled out of the way as Ryuji got into a full sprint and jumped into the air, screaming as he brought his pipe down with full force while Seiten Taisei activated, his voice booming throughout the Mementos halls,
"GOD'S HAND!"
Massive gusts of wind and dust flew everywhere as the two strikes collided with the Reaper, even breaking the concrete into chunks. Falling from the mass of dust, Ryuji fell into the ground with his arm battered and bruised from the overload of Persona power.
"J-Joker! Go!" Akira nodded and narrowed his eyes into sharp lines as he burst into a full sprint, gripping his mask starting to yell.
"SETANTA!" Setanta burst from Akira's mask, brandishing his spear. Akira clenched his teeth as he jumped, screeching, "ASSAULT DIVE!"
Setanta slashed with his spear twice. Causing two sharp blasts of air, so fast they became blades of air, crashed into the mass of dust. Quickly dispelling it and forcing the Reaper to smash into the wall.
Akira fell to the ground, on his knees. He glanced around, breath barely coming out of his mouth. The Reaper dislodged himself from the wall, floating above Akira, Ryuji, and Morgana. For the first time, he spoke, "Me...Me TIRED of this! Me end this now!"
He started to twirl his revolvers on his fingers, his voice booming and echoing through the hall.
Akira's eyes started to widen in fear, and jerked his head back, to Yusuke with his katana in his sheath, waiting for him to perform a quick draw. "YUSUKE! DO IT NOW!"
Yusuke was waiting until the right moment to strike, this was an idea given to him by studying old samurai forms and techniques, but with him channeling his persona through himself to perform slash with Goemon blessing it with ice. He never did it before, and he barely even knew if Goemon could work in this type of way.
The Reaper screeched, his yells at their highest, nearly making everyone flench in pain.
"RIOT GUN."
His voice echoed as his revolvers let out a multitude of shots, all going in different directions. Bullets zoomed through Morgana and Ryuji, nearly leaving them for dead. One stray bullet that hit the wall rebounded and tore through Akira's torso. Making him splurt blood and yell in pain. Makoto's heart raced at seeing Akira in pain, and she attempted to run to him but stopped when bullets zoomed past her, one of which groomed her face.
"AKIRA!" It was hurting her to see him in pain as if it was tearing at her soul. Ann screamed for Makoto to come back, to be a little bit safer while she covered Futaba, it was a needless effort however as Makoto sent Anat to fire some nuclear bombs at the Reaper which was something she started to deeply regret as he started to pull back one revolver and point it at her, his voice echoing and looming once again.
"ONE-SHOT KILL."
The bullet zoomed through the air, at a speed that Makoto could barely even register. Her eyes started to widen in fear, her face became one with fear as some tears started to roll down her face. "I-"
The patter of running lightly echoed through the halls, as the shot finally collided, sending blood everywhere as the terrible sound of flesh being ripped and torn spread itself in everyone's ears. Makoto's eyes shot open as blood splattered on her face. Akira stood looming over her with a somber smile on his face, while she stood in shock and fear. She opened her mouth but she couldn't speak, she could only look on through blurry eyes with tears uncontrollably rolling down her face. If anyone else was speaking, or if the bullets from the continued Riot Gun hit anywhere around her, she couldn't tell. Her ears were muffled and even if she could hear she could care less.
"J-J-Ak-Akira..? A-Akira?! AKIRA!?" He started to fall onto her, to which she caught him, barely hold his weight and collapsing onto her knees.
Akira could barely make anything out with his vision. Everything was blurry, the only thing he could feel was little wet tears dropping on his face and sniffs. If this was his final moments, it'd be fine..
Yusuke's eyes exploded as he widened them, his eyes burning yellow. Bullets gazed his arms, cheeks, and legs, but it was all tiny inconveniences to him. Yusuke shot one foot forward, smashing it into the ground, withdrawing his katana and slashing it with everything he remotely had. Sending shockwaves with each icy slice. Sending the Reaper back with each slice.
Alas, the effort was in vein as the Reaper bullet tore completely through his chest. Blood exploding from his mouth, as he fell. His katana clanging against the concrete.
The Reaper loomed in the air, his breath rumbling through his mask. Clearing his throat his spoke, "So...uh...y'all ain't gonna die. But uh...yeah..he really did it to you, huh?" A little chuckle came from his mouth. He looked down at Makoto holding Akira. "Keep that one okay...he's a picker. Maybe he can defeat..him." Another chuckle flew from his mouth. "Sure...he might."
The Reaper simply raised his revolver, and pulled the trigger. He disappeared as quick as the bullet impacted. Leaving the girls in deep and crushing silence.
The barrier made a zip sound, and the stairs opened.
But there was no point...Makoto and the rest of the girls felt defeated. Makoto kept her eyes glued to Akira, her eyes still filled with tears. "Ak-Akira...please...stay with me..."
A/N:
Well uh...I haven't posted in a while...I'm sorry for my intense inactivity. Trust me, I'm working hard lol. But uh...life and shit happened. I'll be back within next week, I'm not slacking anymore. I'm taking this seriously lmao. But uh...be back next week alright? I hope you enjoyed the new chapter, again I'm sorry for the wait. I hope you can forgive me for it. Peace.
-Eliza
