Persona - The Ties That Bind

by Solidus-AI

The guests of the Velvet Room were always nothing less than remarkable. Now, when catastrophe once again strikes the Earth, they once more find themselves tapping into the power of their respective Persona to save the world and defeat their greatest foe.

10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Difficulty Spike Part. II

Extraneous: *Rises from beneath the ground in Zombie-like fashion before bursting out* I LIIIIIIIIIVE! Oh shit, now's my chance for a reference.

*Clears throat as camera zooms in*

'Kept ya waitin', huh?' *Fists pumps* Nailed it.

But in all seriousness guys and girls, my apologies for the long wait. I uhh… I um… yeah. But here's the long awaited update.

- Reviews

Mocassiotorres27: Good that you think that. Everything is going according to plan *cue diabolical laughter*

Rittie: Glad that you did. Aren't we all little sadists on the inside when you think about it? To ease your confusion, yes I did mean Traesto as opposed to Trafuri. I can see why you're confused since Traesto can't be used during a fight. It's just that I couldn't really think of a good way to describe Trafuri properly so I went with Traesto. But after a bit of thinking recently, I feel as if I've got something for Trafuri.

Vangran: Aw shucks, your making me blush. I don't think anybody's first encounter with the Reaper ended on a good note. I still remember Fuuka yelling that Death was approaching over the sounds of rusty chains rattling. It still gives me the heebie-jeebies, hahaha.

Louis Cyfer: As much as I disdain spoiling things, there's actually an explanation for that within this chapter. If it doesn't sate your curiosity, fret not for there will be more discussion on the matter between the team later on down the line.

Let the chapter commence!

---

The remnants of a Garu faded away as the last demon currently barring their path melted into a sick puddle on the floor; in front of it, Naoya let out a sigh as he stretched in relief. Besides him, Minato wiped the ichor from off of his sword.

"Yet another foe unworthy of my might," Naoya joked, turning to Minato to give him a thumbs up. Minato simply rolled his eyes and gave him a small grin in acknowledgement.

"How is it going on your end?" Minato spoke aloud to presumably nobody. A few seconds passed before they heard a reply in their head.

"We've located the stairs. Backtrack towards the beginning of this floor and then go down the hallway we chose; finding us should be no difficult task," a voice, Tatsuya's, said.

"Rodger dodger!" Naoya barked.

When they had reached the fifth floor, Yu suggested that they should split up to cover more ground at a much faster pace. Minato disagreed, although he seemed interested at testing his skills against multiple demons on his own, he felt that sticking together was the smarter choice to go with. After some back and forth between the two, it was Naoya who decided that they should split up in groups of two. When Tatsuya had mentioned how they would be able to keep in contact, Elizabeth simply told them they could speak to each other through her (Minato and Yu helped her explain to Naoya and Tatsuya as to how that was possible).

"The items I gave you, did they come in handy?" Another voice, Yu's, asked. Before they had split up, Yu gave Naoya and Minato a decent amount of medicines and peach seeds.

"Not in the slightest," Minato said. "Nothing we've encountered gave us a run for our money; they could've at least been nice enough to drop us a shuffle time, but I guess we aren't that lucky."

"That's too bad. In the small amounts of fights we've been stuck in, we've always gotten shuffle time," Yu remarked. "We've decided to go for money, in case we need it in the future… which we most likely will."

"Especially with the system the Velvet Room goes by," Minato replied, earning a questioning 'hum' from Naoya and Tatsuya – at least, that's what it sounded like on the other end. "But let's not digress, we'll meet you there shortly." At that, Naoya begun to walk back to where they came from with Minato in tow.

"So… care to explain this system that the Velvet Room goes by?"

"Huh, don't you already know the 'give and take' system, Tatsuya?"

"I knew somebody who followed that system, and they weren't from the Velvet Room."

"So you mean to tell me that you didn't have to pay them money just to take on Personas that you already fused?"

"That sounds incredibly stupid, you'd have to be a fool to actually pay them money for something so trivial," Tatsuya flat-out stated. At that remark, Yu averted his gaze, taking a sudden interest in the stains on his shoes.

"T-they say it's to keep guests from taking advantage of the services they provide," Yu mumbled just loud enough for Tatsuya to hear, who merely grunted in response.

Finding solace in the silence that surrounded them, Yu took to merely gazing down the hallway that Minato and Naoya were going to come down eventually.

"They didn't do that when I was younger… yeesh, they must've really been pinching pennies to have you guys pay for services," Naoya chortled. "Though I remember somebody who went on 'give and take'… her name was Trish or somethin'."

Minato scoffed, "I could never get behind it. In all honesty, why would they have me pay for their help when I never asked for it in the first place."

"Never asked for their help, eh…" Naoya trailed off. Minato furrowed his brows at Naoya's tiny comment before shaking his head and choosing to ignore it for now.

"I wonder how many floors are left," Naoya said, hoping to start another conversation, feeling an awkward silence creep up on them from behind… or was it something else.

"I can only hope that there isn't much left, but you know what they say right?" Minato responded. "Hope for the best…" he started.

"Expect the worst," Naoya finished.

'I sense one demon making its way to you from behind,' Elizabeth tuned in, causing Naoya and Minato to halt in their tracks.

"Should we take it seriously?" Naoya asked, cocking his gun in preparation.

'It's fairly weak. Weak enough to not merit extensive force.'

"Hmph, I don't waste my time on those without power," Minato said. "However, I'll gladly let you kill it… haha, poor thing probably can't stand existing as weak as it is."

Behind them, a small blonde boy with blue skin skipped up to them. He was wearing a pair of overalls over a white shirt. In his right hand was a kitchen knife that he twirled around with glee before dancing in place. When he finished, he stuck his tongue out at Naoya before laughing.

"Uh-huh, hey Minato, what do you think of this?" Naoya asked, turning to his left. "M-Minato?"

Besides him, Minato's one visible eye was widened exponentially and he was trembling in his dramatically. Minato turned to Naoya and eyed his gun, shaking his head and slowly reaching for it.

"Naoya, n-no! We can't kill it, we shouldn't! It goes beyond the grace of God!" He yelled, causing Naoya to push him away.

"The hell's your problem?" He asked. He turned his attention towards the tiny demon, suddenly realizing what was wrong with Minato. "This was you! It was that stupid dance of yours, I remember you now!" Naoya aimed his gun and attempted to pull the trigger, only to be tackled by Minato. His gun fell out of his hand and rolled towards the demon. "What the hell? I don't recall it being this bad, back in the day!"

"Naoya please, I beg of you! Don't do it!" Minato pleaded, his grey eyes were now a dark shade of purple and his breathing was abnormal. Naoya turned his gaze towards the small demon who was making his way towards them slowly, both hands gripping the knife.

"Oh fuck this!" Naoya yelled, punching Minato in the face and shoving him off. He quickly pulled out his sword and slashed at the boy, beheading him cleanly.

Minato, who saw the kill, recovered from the ailment instantly and got up. "Ugh, piece of shit…" he mumbled.

"You can say that again," Naoya replied. "Though technically, that makes us even."

"Even?"

"Yeah, I was charmed and you cured that. So me curing you just now makes us even."

"It would, had it not been me who gave you an antidote when you were poisoned," Minato said, walking past Naoya to Tatsuya and Yu's location.

"…dammit."

When they reached the stairs, Tatsuya and Yu were already waiting for them.

"Run into some trouble?" Yu asked, earning a grunt from Minato.

"You can say that," Naoya answered.

The floor began to rumble violently, nearly knocking the group off of their feet. This wasn't the first time they had experienced this. It first occurred on the third floor, shocking the group for a brief moment before it stopped suddenly. It occurred again moments later during a fight with a group of Slimes, throwing them off of their game momentarily. The rumbling increased in intensity each time it occurred, giving the group further motivation to find the fragment and get out of there.

"We've wasted enough time. Let's get going," Tatsuya ordered.

"I'm sorry, but who died and made you queen?" Minato sarcastically asked.

"Excuse me?" Tatsuya snarled.

"You heard me. Last I checked, you're not the leader of our little group, so stop acting like it."

"I'm sorry that I'm the only one with a head on his shoulders while everybody else is sitting on their hands."

"…sitting on their hands!? I'm not sure where you're getting that notion from, but I've been pretty pivotal so far in our mission," Yu interjected, not happy with Tatsuya's statement.

"Just because we're not as gloomy as you, doesn't mean we're any less serious about our situation," Naoya stepped in. "You need to have more faith in your team, Tatsuya."

"Putting faith in you three has almost gotten me killed on multiple occasions," Tatsuya countered.

"Well then, if you don't feel as if you can rely on us – which you seemingly can't – then you wouldn't mind asking Yu for a Traesto gem to get out of here and leave the rest to us," Minato offered. When Tatsuya refused to speak, Minato scoffed and rolled his eyes. "All bark and no bite."

Tatsuya had to resist every urge in his body telling him to just end Minato' right then and there. He was reaching his boiling point and that sly little comment told Tatsuya that Minato was just begging to be slaughtered, but he resisted.

He contained himself.

Naoya cleared his throat and stepped between the two. "Alright Minato, I think you've proved your point well enough," he said, then he looked at Tatsuya. "Look, we're not asking for much Tatsuya. No matter how you slice it, we're all team so we need to put at least a microscopic amount of trust within each other and… it doesn't seem like you're doing that."

Tatsuya met Naoya's gaze and held it for a short moment. Tatsuya's glare was meant to instill fear in those weaker than him, but Naoya stayed firm. Slowly, Tatsuya felt his anger beginning to quell before he breathed a sigh of contempt.

"There ya go," Naoya said. "Now that that's dealt with, come on guys, let's go." With that, Naoya was the first one down the stairs with a displeased Minato following behind, leaving Yu and Tatsuya at the top.

"Don't worry Tatsuya, we won't let you down," Yu assured, giving him a pat on the back. Tatsuya gave him a defeated stare before giving him a genuine grin. "By the way, we've all had that one friend that could kill us with looks. Your death glare, though pretty intimidating, doesn't really work on us."

"You ladies finished gossiping or are we leaving you behind so you can trade makeup?" Minato asked from below; next to him, Naoya tried his hardest to stifle a laugh at the joke, but failed miserably.

Yu blushed at Minato's witticism. Giving Tatsuya a sidelong look, he grinned before making his way down the stairs.

'Relying on others, eh?' Tatsuya thought as he pulled out his lighter and flicked it. 'Right.'

---

"…So am I the only one who notices something different about this floor?" Naoya asked rhetorically.

After descending the stairs and going to the door leading to the sixth floor, the team was shocked to see that instead of an intricate maze of confusion, there was instead just one hall with large double doors at the end.

"Elizabeth, what's the stitch?" Yu asked.

'The first fragment does not reside on this floor, however, I am sensing one moderately strong opponent waiting beyond the door. Prepare yourself for an unavoidable battle.'

"Strong, hmm," Tatsuya mumbled.

"Let's not waste anytime then. We've got a fight to the death coming and I'd like to get to it as soon as possible," Minato murmured.

"Isn't that what all of our fights have been?" Yu implored.

"I think he's just trying to set the atmosphere for this one," Naoya said. "How're you guys feeling right now?"

"Yeah, if you need any healing, don't hesitate to ask for an item," Yu offered. When nobody spoke up, he shrugged his shoulders and motioned for everybody to start moving.

"Elizabeth, if you can sense any weaknesses, now would be a good time to inform us," Tatsuya suggested. His sword remained in its sheath and his gaze remained on the closed door. Elizabeth's response came almost immediately.

'I unfortunately sense none. There is a nullification to light, a resistance to attacks with physical attributes and a weakness to darkness,' Elizabeth replied almost immediately.

"Good thing we've been grabbing new Personas!" Naoya gave Tatsuya a smack on the back that slightly jerked him forward.

"Right, fighting around that shouldn't be too hard," Yu said, approaching the door. "You guys ready?" Finally, everybody got their weapons ready and nodded at each other. They were prepared for whatever came at them.

Yu placed his hand on the large black and blue double doors and pushed them open. They creaked with an atmosphere of suspense, as if it was an actual being trying to instill the fear of surprise on the group. The doors finally opened to reveal a large, empty circular room with a heightened ceiling, making the room feel even bigger.

"No wonder going down the stairs felt longer than before," Minato mused.

There was a man kneeling in the center of the room, completely clad in heavy, silver armor with the only thing not being covered was his large, red wings on his back. His left hand was on the floor, but his right was clenched into a fist placed in front of his face. His mouth was moving and yet he made no noise. Next to him, a silver blade was impaled in the ground at an angle.

"Are we interrupting something," Naoya whispered. Yu shrugged his shoulders while Tatsuya and Minato remained silent.

"Amen," the warrior in the center boldly said. He stood up straight and retrieved his sword from its resting place. It wasn't long before he met the curious stares of the group with a vicious one. His wings expanded behind him and his grip on his sword tightened exponentially.

"An archangel, eh?" Minato mused. "This will be fun."

"It did not take long for the news of the murder of five angels to reach the Heavens above," the archangel said. His voice was deep and imposing, meant to instill fear into his victims. "You four have committed a sin that shall not go unpunished."

"I'm sorry, but did you know those five angels back then? If anybody was sinning, it was them! Hell, you'd think they'd make everybody where chastity belts where you guys are from cause I'm positive I was gonna be touched inappropriately!" The archangel scoffed at Naoya's tone, crouching into a fighting stance.

"Nevertheless, should you four choose to repent, then death shall come quickly and painlessly for you lot."

"And if we choose free will?" Tatsuya asked. His answer came in a low growl. "Yeah, I thought as much."

"Shall you choose to repent to the Lord?"

"Nah, I'm just not in the mood for it right now," Minato spoke in a mock tone. He put a hand to his chin in thought. "Although if your God decides repenting to me…" he turned his gaze to the ceiling. "Then I might just consider going home."

It was at that moment that the archangel's rage got the best of him. "BLASPHEMY!" With sword in hand, he flew straight for them at breakneck speeds.

Everybody managed to dodge in the nick of time by rolling to either side. They all gave Minato an annoyed glare to which he just shrugged off carelessly.

"Like Elizabeth said, this fight was unavoidable. I just decided to speed things up," he twirled his sword and crushed a card. "Tell me… do you bleed?" Above him formed a woman with bronze skin and two lances riding atop a red steed. She wore lightweight armor with a white cape attached to it. Her hair was long and golden, flowing down to the nape of her back and yet her face was covered with a masquerade. "Cut him to ribbons!" He barked out, the Valkyrie above him let out a battle cry before charging at the archangel.

"You dare challenge me? Your naivety knows no bounds child!" The archangel yelled before meeting Valkyrie halfway. Sword met lance in a power struggle between the two warriors. For a moment it seemed he had the upper hand, when suddenly Naoya appeared in a slide from beneath Valkyrie, gun aimed directly at him. "Tch!" He quickly dodged to the side and flew back, narrowly dodging Naoya's gunfire. He raised his right arm in the air and balled his hand into a fist. "You're suffering shall be endless!" Suddenly, storm clouds formed over the group and small bolts of lightning rained down on them.

Yu was quick to react and raised his sword above his head, the lightning crashing onto the blade and charging it quickly. "Thanks for the jumpstart!" He charged for the archangel and summoned and made to summon a new Persona. "Obariyon!" When he crushed his card, a small orange creature with hair covering the top half of its face appeared on Yu's back. "Sonic Punch!" At Yu's command, Obariyon – using Yu for a boost – sprung for the archangel and charged his left fist with blue energy. He reached his target in record speed, putting all of his power into his punch and throwing a strong strike. The archangel reacted instantly and guarded the blow with his sword; the sound of the blocked attack reverberating all across the room. Behind Obariyon, Yu had launched into the air, ready to deliver a killing slash to the archangel.

"How vacuous," the archangel remarked bluntly. He quickly spun to the right and slashed Obariyon in half before slashing Yu's sword, shattering it and grabbing Yu by the throat with his free hand. The archangel's grip around Yu's neck tightened, causing him to begin to struggle for air. "I shall use you to set an example," the archangel warned before aiming his sword for Yu's face. Yu quickly cracked a card and summoned a new Persona. Behind Yu appeared a knight in dark grey armor riding atop a red horse with a dark, violet mane. In his right hand, he held a large golden trident.

"M-mudo!" Yu hacked out, the archangel's grip on his throat tightening even further. His vision began to fade, if something didn't happen soon… well, he didn't want to think about it. Behind him, Berith raised his trident and let out a loud battle cry, his horse whinnying and reeling back. The archangel heard the ominous hum of magic and in front of him appeared an ebony colored circle with a Japanese symbol in the center. He immediately recognized it as a Mudo spell and flew out of the way, narrowly avoiding it as it went off.

"Boy, know that your torment shall be relentless!" The archangel raised his hand and summoned a thundercloud above the stationary Berith, a bolt of lightning descending and destroying him in an instant. Yu coughed up a small amount of blood onto the archangel's wrist.

At that moment, the archangel was slammed into, causing Yu to fall out of his grip and land safely on the ground. As he was keeled over catching his breath, Tatsuya walked up beside him. "Now Titan, Skull Cracker!" He commanded. The golden armor clad warrior grabbed the archangel by the collar and yanked him forwards, delivering a massive head-butt that could be felt through his helmet. The archangel reeled back in pain and slashed at the air in front of him wildly, however, Titan was withdrawn by Tatsuya the moment the head-butt made contact. "Naoya!"

"Already on it!" Naoya responded, riding on the behind somebody on the back of an ebony horse. Said somebody was completely clad in vermillion armor, with white fur flowing from his shoulders and two horns jutting from his helmet. In his right arm was a large silver spear that was currently glowing purple on the tip. Naoya politely took the spear for himself and smiled at the man. "Thanks for that, Eligor!" He blurted out before standing up straight on the speeding horse. Naoya aimed the spear at the archangel and launched it as hard as he could, the spear whizzing through the air straight for its target. The archangel had just recovered from the attack when he noticed the poisoned spear headed directly for him. Thinking quickly, he caught it and launched it straight back at its sender. "Shit!" Naoya hopped off of the horse to avoid the attack, but unfortunately, Eligor was impaled by the poisoned spear, causing him to shatter into nothing and racking Naoya with an unpleasant headache.

"You might want to work on your pass for next time!" Minato joked, dashing past Naoya. He held his sword by his side as he ran for the archangel. "I'm going to take my time with you!"

The archangel snorted at Minato's threat. "Your scent disgusts me, boy. The scent of death permeates the room and you are the source," he said. He was suddenly encompassed in green light and flew straight for Minato. His increased speed came as an initial shock to Minato, but he realized where it came from. The archangel readied his blade and tried to decapitate Minato. Maintaining his momentum, Minato dropped to his knees and leaned back as far as he could to avoid the slash. The sword was dangerously close to his face, so close in fact, that he was able to see his reflection in the steel.

"Woo! You almost got me there!" Minato remarked. "In fact, I think you managed to cut a strand of my hair off… not my initial idea for a haircut, but we'll work something out."

"I've had enough of your shared idiocy!" The archangel yelled. "Let you bask in the light of the Lord and learn the error of your ways!" He sheathed his sword and raised both hands in the air, closing his eyes, generating a bright ball of pure light. Everybody huddled together at the sight of a possible new attack.

Minato wolf whistled. "This is a new one."

"Look alive everybody," Naoya warned.

The archangel clasped his hands together, compressing the ball of light for a brief moment. "Lend to me your omniscient eyes, my Lord, so that I may smite… MY ENEMIES!" He screamed, spreading his arms out wide and revealing his now completely glazed over eyes. The ball of light exploded and he jerked his head towards the group and scowled. Below them, the ground lit up rapidly and they all realized what he had just cast.

"Move!" Tatsuya yelled, and they all separated just as the Hama spell exploded beneath their feet. The archangel jerked his head to Minato, then Yu and Tatsuya, then finally Naoya in rapid succession. Beneath them, more Hama spells were created and they were all forced to move to a different spot before they were killed.

"Anzu!" Minato yelled while avoiding multiple Hama spells. Above him, a creature with the body of a blue eagle and the head of a lion with a red mane appeared. Instantly, Minato felt the effects of Sukukaja on his body. "With Death within me, I'd rather not be caught by these," he murmured. He then switched to Ari Mitama and cast Sukukaja on the others.

"I don't think any of us are up for getting hit by these!" Naoya yelled, bounding around in a random pattern, narrowly avoiding a Hama with each step he took.

"We have to attack the source! Tatsuya, with me!" Yu barked out.

"Right!" Tatsuya replied. They were at opposite sides of the archangel with their weapons already drawn. Using their increased speed, they gained enough momentum and jumped at him.

The archangel growled at their attempt and was encompassed by another green light. Beneath his armor, his muscles bulged profusely and he vanished right before Tatsuya and Yu made contact. They collided in the air and fell to the ground in a heap of confused and disoriented limbs. Beneath them, another Hama took form and before they could react, they were whisked away by a flash of blue and purple.

Minato and Naoya placed Yu and Tatsuya back on the ground and they each began running again, taking note of the archangel's rapid movement.

"So we're clearly not going to be able to hit him at this rate. What do we do?" Minato desperately asked.

"I have an idea! Yu, switch to Jack Frost and create three Bufulas in the center of the room!" Naoya commanded, not stopping once as he spoke in a rushed tone.

"Why!?" Yu asked.

"Just do it!" Tatsuya answered for him. Yu quickly switched to Jack Frost and summoned three large, shards of ice in the center of the room.

"Great! Now I need you to switch to Berith!" Naoya ordered once more. Yu grunted and did as he was told, still not sure where he was going with this.

"Awesome! Minato and Tatsuya, ignite your fists and follow my lead!" Naoya switched to Eligor and set his fists on fire, skidding to a quick halt and then dashing for one Bufula. He slid to a stop and placed his hands on the icicle, thick steam automatically forming around him.

"So that's your plan, eh? Not bad, I suppose," Minato mused, before doing what Naoya told him. Tatsuya mimicked their actions, practically slamming his hands on his icicle. Dense steam followed proceeded to cover the entirety of the room, camouflaging the group completely from the archangel.

He ceased his movements and returned to his normal state in the air, huffing heavily from his technique. It had taken its toll and he was becoming exhausted. "These children are all foolhardy, and yet, I am the one who nears death's door first. Impossible." He gritted his teeth in frustration. How could he have been outlasted by these… these sinners? It was unheard of! "Impossible!" He yelled, drawing his sword and chucked it into the thick cloud of steam. He heard the clang of metal impaling the ground before all went silent once more.

Suddenly, a Mudo spell formed right in front of him. He quickly flapped his wings and descended into the thick steam. Squinting his eyes, he looked from left to right to find the group when from out of nowhere, his sword was propelled at him from behind. Not seeing it coming, he howled in pain when it tore through his armor and sliced his side. He growled in sheer irritation at the blood pouring from the wound and flapped his large wings rapidly, dispelling the steam from the room in nearly in instant.

"Show yourselves! Cowards!" He called out in pure rage. His breathing was loud and uneven, until the sound of glass shattering crossed his ears and he turned to the source. Leaning against the entrance of the room were Tatsuya and Yu, both with their arms crossed and smug facial expressions. Yu waved at him while Tatsuya remained silent. The archangel made to dash for them when he heard a whistle from his left side.

"Y'know with a sword this cool, it's a shame you had to lose this fight," Naoya mumbled, the archangel's sword being twirled around in his hand like it was a child's plaything.

"Unhand my sword, cretin."

Naoya gave him a warm smile. "No thanks… Hey, Minato! What's the weather forecast for today?" He called out. The archangel spun around in the air and saw Minato sitting on the ground lazily, brushing some dust off of his white shirt.

"You're going to need an umbrella…" he started. He slowly stood up straight and brushed off his black slacks. "… Because it's about to rain blood." At that moment, all four guests raised their right hand and snapped their fingers at the same time. The archangel furrowed his eyebrows at their actions, only to jerk his head upwards at the sound of sudden movement.

Above him, every Persona used by the group so far hovered in the air and then moved at blinding speed. Slamming into the archangel, causing him to crash hard into the ground. They descended on him quickly and brutally, either stabbing or pounding him with no remorse. For a moment, the archangel reached out in pleading, only for his hand to be sliced off by Izanagi, his screams piercing the air.

Tatsuya watched on with a neutral expression while Yu continually glanced in different directions. Naoya was currently inspecting his nails and fixing his hair while Minato had a maniacal smile plastered on his face, basking in the brutality. Finally, the screams of the archangel died down and the multiple Personas stepped back before vanishing. The mangled remains of the archangel dissolved into black ichor and the group came together in the center.

"Plan well executed guys," Naoya complimented, giving everybody a heartwarming smile.

"He wasn't too tough. Things got a little aggravating near the end, but still not that bad," Minato mused.

"Something tells me we're nearing the end of this maze," Tatsuya said. Everybody nodded in agreement and let out a pleased sigh at the thought of almost being done with their mission.

"Yu," Minato called to him, pulling his sword's sheath-strap from over his shoulder and holding it in his hand. He threw it at him. "Catch."

"Huh? Whoa!" Yu instinctively reached out and grabbed it, examining it with mild curiosity before giving Minato a questioning glance.

"You can use it until the next shuffle time. I'll be taking it back then," he informed. Yu gave him a thumbs up in thanks before hoisting it over his shoulder as opposed to how he normally held his weapon, easily carrying both the sword and the bag of items.

"There's nothing here for us, so let's get going guys," Yu said. At that, the group exited the room and entered another empty hallway. The hall rumbled violently again, this time, actually knocking the group off of their feet. They recovered quickly, and quickened their pace exponentially.

---

Four cards descended before the group, one with a sword, another with a cup, and two with yen on their faces. They had just defeated a trio of angels (who were less seductive than the group they had faced before) in quick and clean fashion. Everybody agreed that new weapons would be the best choice and kept their eyes on the cards and they flipped and shuffled. When they stopped, it was Tatsuya who walked up to the card he felt was the correct one. He turned his head to the others for their approval and tapped the card when everybody nodded. It turned to reveal the red sword they had hoped for before vanishing.

In front of each group member appeared a new weapon fitted for just for them. For Tatsuya, two new swords with red sheaths appeared and descended slowly into his grasp. Minato received a pair of greaves that he quickly put on with glee unseen by the others. Naoya received a new submachine gun, that to his amazement after he ejected the clip, had poison tipped bullets. Finally, Yu's new blade descended into his grasp and he stared at it with awe.

"You impressed with your new toy?" Naoya asked. Yu's sword was much slimmer and slightly longer compared to the one he had received when they first started their shared journey. The sheath and strap were both a simple black as opposed to the beautiful blue and black of the other weapon.

Yu swiped the air in front of him a few times and grinned from ear to ear at how it felt. "Yeah, there was always some sort of resistance with the last sword… this one just feels… right."

'Ah yes. You are nearing the first fragment,' Elizabeth spoke up. This caught everybody's attention.

"That's good news if I ever heard any," Naoya mumbled. "How close is it?" There was a long silence before he received a response.

'It currently resides on the next and final floor. Be wary, for I sense three powerful entities guarding it.'

"And now things get interesting," Minato mused, rubbing his hands together. "By the way, I'll be taking that back now." He opened his hand to Yu, gesturing to the sword he had let him borrow for a short time. He caught it when Yu tossed it back at him, thanking him.

'But first, you will need to make haste and eliminate the enemies coming for you now.'

"Does that question even need an answer?" Minato replied before slamming his gauntlets together. In that moment, a group of twelve creatures appeared from the shadows. They were small in stature and covered in yellow scales with long ears and sharp claws. Their eyes were a bright red and they were hunched over.

"Gremlins," Tatsuya warned, getting into a fighting stance. They had previously encountered a group on the third floor. Though they were rather weak, they had attacked the group in a decently sized pack meant to surround and overwhelm.

"Stand back guys."

Everybody turned to Yu when he said that confidently. They all gave him confused looks while he gave them a determined grin.

"The feeling of this new blade is almost perfect. I'm sure I can take on these things on."

Minato grinned and stepped back. "Well then, who would I be to oppose somebody so valiant in the face of danger."

"Mmm, alright I'll bite. Show us what you got Yu," Naoya said patting him on the shoulder before stepping back.

Yu gave Tatsuya a sidelong look and a small smile. "Tatsuya?"

Tatsuya gave Yu a dark stare before stepping back as well. "You want me to have faith in you… this could be a good start."

"Thank you," Yu said. He took off the item bag and tossed it to Naoya. "You're going to need to hold this for a quick second." Naoya caught it without saying anything. "If I recall, electric attacks were their weakness," Yu muttered. He wasted no time in summoning Izanagi to electrify his sword. Yu crouched down and tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, the base of the blade protruding slightly from the sheath. "For those of you uneducated in basic science, lightning flashes at one-one thousandth of a second… far faster than sound on Earth."

"Why the brainteaser? I'm sure that's something we all learned back in middle-school," Naoya mumbled.

"Style points," Minato mused. "He's gunning to impress… I'll admit, I'm interested."

"Which means by the time you hear me move it'll already be far too late," Yu continued. In that moment, the group of Gremlins all howled and dashed at Yu.

"…Don't blink."

Yu unsheathed his sword, pushed off the ground and vanished, the only thing visible for a moment being the trail of electricity he left behind, phasing through each Gremlin. A gust of wind blew through the hall, ruffling the group's hair before it passed.

Behind the group of Gremlins, Yu reappeared in a kneeling position. His determined smile now completely replaced with a smug grin. When the sword clicked from being completely sheathed, the group of Gremlins suddenly exploded and the trail of lightning dissipated. Everybody remained still, captivated by Yu's impressive technique.

Yu stood up and turned to face the group, giving them a victorious thumbs-up. "Didn't even break a sweat." He adjusted the strap on the sheath to fit around his waist,

The group approached him casually, each of them mutually impressed at Yu. Naoya patted him on the shoulders and ruffled his hair. "Dude, I didn't know you could do something like that. Why didn't you do it before?"

"Thanks. That attack is usually used for taking out large groups of enemies. While we have been outnumbered before, I felt as if it was nothing we couldn't handle. Plus, to pull off an attack like that, I have to be moving as fast as possible and quite honestly, the sword I had before was a little bit too bulky." He retrieved the bag from Naoya's grasp and put it back on.

"To be holding back a technique like that this entire time… I'm astonished," Minato admitted, earning a chuckle from Yu.

"Geez, thanks Minato."

"In fact, once we're out of here, consider me your next opponent." Yu was taken aback at Minato's remark. Naoya rubbed his temples and scolded Minato - who simply chuckled at their reactions- for only having combat on his mind all the time.

"Though… that'd attack would've been much more powerful if I had Izanagi-no-Okami," Yu said.

"Izanagi-no-Okami? Care to explain?" Naoya asked. Yu nodded his head before he began.

"Yeah, the evolved version of Izanagi and the true testament to my power and the bonds I've created over time. I was able to summon him before all of this happened but… now I can't feel him within me anymore."

"Hmm, I can sympathize with you in a sense. My ultimate Persona, Messiah… I can't feel him either. Although, I simply assumed it was due to me using the last of my power to create the Great Seal."

"Now that you mention it, I can't summon Amon Ra. Sounds like we've gotta consult the good ol' Doctor Philemon about this."

"It's obvious what's going on here," Tatsuya interjected. Everybody turned to him, eager to hear his input. "It's the state of this world that's keeping your true strength dormant. We're on Nyarlathotep's turf now. It's like training on dry land, only for the fight to go down underwater. Tell me, would you be able to function properly in that fight?"

"Of course not. But that means the solution to our problem is simple: We keep fighting, until we've returned to full strength. Then, Nyarlathotep will stand no change against us!" Minato exclaimed, being cheered on by Naoya and Yu. Tatsuya remained expressionless, turning his back on the team.

Once again, the hall trembled furiously, it was as if the entire hall were going to cave in on itself.

"Standing here any longer is going to get us killed," Naoya said. "What should we do with our old weapons?"

"Leave 'em. They're nothing but trash now," Tatsuya said. At that, everybody simply shrugged and went with it, the trembling of the hall stopping momentarily.

Further down the hall, was a bend to the left which the group less then eagerly turned down. A few feet ahead of them, there was a bend there was an intersection. They slowly approached it and considered their options. To the left and ahead were both darkened halls and to the right was – surprisingly enough – the stairs.

"Hey, alright!" Naoya enthusiastically yelled. "I'll take it!"

"I love the feeling of finding the stairs early. Let's go," Minato chortled.

Yu and Tatsuya exchanged content glances before following Minato and Naoya. They had reached the top of the stairs, while Minato and Naoya were near the middle. Tatsuya quickly descended while Yu stopped for a quick stretch when the rumbling picked up again, this time causing bits and pieces of the ceiling to crumble above them. A large chunk broke off, large enough to crush one person easily, and fell. It was above Yu, but he couldn't react on time.

"Shit!" Tatsuya blurted out.

"Whoa hey, watch out!" Naoya yelled, moving faster than wind and dashing for Yu while putting a hand on the hilt of his blade. His movements were faster than any human could comprehend as he drew his blade and slashed at the chunk of ceiling multiple times. It broke apart into small bits that rained down to the floor. Naoya placed his sword back in its sheath and let out a sigh of relief.

"W-wha?" Yu managed to stutter out. From his perspective all Naoya did was unsheathe his sword, flick his wrist and put it back, but he knew he did far more than just that.

"That was too close, you were almost a Yu sandwich," Naoya joked, turning around and descending the stairs.

"That was impressive to say the least. You're more skilled with that sword than I initially thought," Minato mused as Naoya passed him on the way down.

"Well what can I do? I can't reveal all my tricks at the start, right?" Naoya stopped in his tracks and turned to Minato.

"But of course, that'd make the rest of the show boring," Minato replied.

"Exactly, and we're in it for the long-run." At that, Naoya finished descending the stairs and motioned for everybody to hurry up.

'Looks like my team is worth more of my time than I originally thought,' Minato thought. Tatsuya and Yu passed Minato on the stairs, Tatsuya giving Minato a dark glare, which he met with a casual grin before descending to the bottom.

It was Naoya who pushed the door and held it open for everybody else to pass through, jokingly telling them to enter in a 'calm and orderly fashion'. He let the door close on its own before joining the others.

In front of them was yet another hallway that led to large double doors, its design being the exact same as the doors that contained the Archangel. It's only difference being two halves of a skull on the center of each door that met in the middle to make one whole skull.

'At the end of this floor lies the first fragment. But there are three powerful foes blocking your path.'

"Phew! The final stretch guys, we can do it," Naoya cheered. He hopped in place and threw a few punches at the air in front of him.

"We'll be out of here soon," Yu said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, if we don't end up dying in combat," Minato said, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.

"Tch, you won't be dying against whoever our next opponents will be. I'll make sure of it," Tatsuya assured. Minato raised his eyebrow at him, but shook his head.

Yu rummaged through the item bag for a short moment. "We're still doing good on items. But that doesn't mean we should go in recklessly."

"Gotcha. Now, let's do this," Naoya said. At that, the team made their way towards the large doors. "Elizabeth, if you will."

'A trio of Powers shall be your opposition. There is a shared nullification against dark-based and light-based attacks, making them ineffective and a resistance to the wind element. This concludes any anomaly in their defenses.'

"That makes this much more annoying than it should be," Tatsuya said, drawing both of his swords as they reached the doors.

"Try not to get too worked up there, you damn hothead," Minato teased. He pressed his hands against the doors. "Let's finish this." He pushed against the doors and opened them with ease, the loud creaking banging against their eardrums until the doors finally closed after they entered the room.

In the center knelt three beings with red armor covering their upper-bodies except for their white, feathered wings on their backs. Their waists were covered with chain mill, and their legs were exposed to the world. Long silk hung from their armor while large red shields were splayed out on the ground in front of them. Next to the shields, long spears were stabbed into the ground.

"Ugh… again with the praying?" Naoya complained. Everybody lined up alongside him and eyed the enemies.

"Amen," they finished. They rose from their knees and picked up their equipment. When they finished rising to face the group, the pressure in the room increased to unpleasant heights and the air thickened. The helmets on their heads covered most of their faces, but their eerie white eyes were easily visible.

"We knew you four would attempt to continue on your path," the first Power, standing to the left, spoke. His chest piece had number 'two' engraved in the center.

"But to have defeated an Archangel…" the second Power, standing in the center, continued. His chest piece had the number 'one' engraved in the center.

"Truly, you wish for the most unpleasant descent into hell itself," the third Power, standing to the right, finished. The number 'three' was engraved in his chest piece.

"What? No chance to repent this time?" Minato teased as he put his right hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.

"The Lord forgives…" the first Power started.

"We do not!" The others finished, bending their knees and raising their shields in front of them.

"Well then… that's something we have in common," Tatsuya mumbled.

"Once we deal with these guys, there'll be nothing in our way to the fragment," Yu informed the group.

"Then let's make this quick," Naoya said.

"Fools! Unlike our fallen comrades, we shall not take you lightly from the start!" The Powers said simultaneously.

'Something is approaching your position at an alarmingly rapid pace.' Everybody tensed up at what Elizabeth said.

At that moment, the floor began to rumble furiously, nearly making the group lose balance while the Powers remained completely still.

"Shit, not now!" Naoya yelled. Small pieces of dust fell from the ceiling and pebbles peppered the room. "This whole place is gonna fall apart!" Suddenly, from behind the group, the doors they had entered from burst open violently and a torrent of black ichor flooded through.

"Fuck!" Tatsuya yelled, dodging out of the way as everybody else did the same. The black ichor rushed towards the three Powers and surrounded them in a black hurricane. The hurricane started out thin, but expanded until it was a few feet away from the group before it suddenly exploded and then dissipated.

"This… could mean trouble," Yu muttered. Everybody got their weapons ready and prepared themselves for battle.

The three Powers were still standing when the black hurricane dissipated. Their outward appearances, however, were completely different. Black ichor had completely covered their bodies and increased their height slightly. Their weapons and shields had increased in size similarly, and they now had an extra pair of wings on their backs.

"Death shall come slowly for you lot!" They yelled out together.

"Y'know, I'm honestly not looking forward to this fight now… I mean I wasn't looking forward to it before… but now I really feel like this might hurt," Naoya joked.

"We've come this far. Running with our tails between our legs is no longer an option," Minato said. "We either emerge victorious, or die trying."

"EN GARDE!" The first Power shouted, his voice now distorted and barely coherent. He dashed straight for the group as the other Powers followed him in suite.

Minato and Yu leapt over the Powers while Naoya and Tatsuya quickly summoned Seimen Kongou and Apollo to block the rush. The force from the tackle pushed them back slightly but they had managed to keep their balance for the most part. From behind, Yu attempted to attack from their blind spots, but the third Power quickly pivoted and swiped at him. Yu raised his sword to guard the incoming attack, but the force from it sent him flying backwards, only to be caught by Minato.

"Thanks," Yu said, readjusting himself.

"Don't thank me now," Minato replied. He jerked his head to the third Power slowly making his way towards them menacingly. "That attack you pulled off earlier… do you think you can do it again?"

"Yeah, but I don't think he'll just stand still and give me the time to prepare," Yu said. "I'll need you to hold him off for about one minute." Yu summoned Berith and cast Tarukaja on Minato.

"One minute of fun with this son of a bitch sounds delightful," Minato sarcastically said. He gave Yu a confirmation nod before running straight for the Power. The Power held his shield in front of him as he saw Minato quickly approaching with a horizontal slash. A split second before Minato's sword could connect with its target, ichor shot out from the shield and slammed itself into Minato's weapon. "Tch, the hell!?" He jumped back and the ichor flew straight for him in the all too familiar form of a grotesque black arm. Minato quickly summoned Ari Mitama for the gift of Sukukaja and dodged to the side. He quickly raised his sword and slashed down at the black arm, watching as the hand fell to the ground and flopped around violently before dissolving.

The black arm retracted back into the Power's shield as he squeezed on the shaft of the spear in his hand. He flapped his two sets of wings and flew at Minato. On reaction, Minato summoned Orpheus to stop the charge in the same manner Naoya and Tatsuya did. Minato jumped over Orpheus and came down with a flip kick to the Power's shoulder. Just before his heel could collide with the ichor covered armor, another black arm shot out. This one, however, managed to grab Minato before flinging him into a wall a couple of feet away. Minato slid down from the wall painfully slow, his back aching unpleasantly.

'That damn thing is protecting him each time I try to attack. If power doesn't work then speed has to,' He thought as he shakily stood up. He turned his vision towards Yu, who looked like he was just about ready. 'Perfect timing.' Minato switched to Valkyrie as his main Persona and felt the passive effects of Sukukaja on his body. He ran at the Power and slammed his left fist into the shield before he could even react. The ichor spread apart at the point of impact and the shield beneath it could be seen for a split second.

In that split second, Minato saw it crack slightly.

Minato gave a cocky grin before he dodged a wide slash from the Power, jumping back and raising his hand in the air. The Power growled lowly before turning around to a loud 'Hey!' from behind him. Yu was bent at the legs, gripping his sword as if his life depended on it, sparks of electricity flying off from his body.

He pushed off from his back leg and vanished.

Across the room, Naoya and Tatsuya were barely holding their own against the two Powers that were applying pressure on them. With each swipe of their spear, a rush of ichor flowed with it and pushed the duo closer to the wall behind them. Naoya aimed his gun for the third Power's head and fired relentlessly, only for the ichor to expand and absorb the bullets.

"Do you have any information that could help us Elizabeth?" Naoya asked, hopping over a low swipe.

'The creature you previously encountered is in all actuality, a parasite. It would appear that the two are locked in a symbiotic relationship. The Power has a new set of stronger armor, and the parasite has a host.'

"That thing keeps nullifying our attacks. What the hell do we do!?" Tatsuya asked, sidestepping a thrust from the second Power. He jumped back to make some space and quickly glanced in Minato and Yu's direction. He saw Yu perform the same technique he did on the last floor, vanishing in a flash of light and reappearing a few feet away, while a Sukukaja enhanced Minato unleashed a flurry of blows on the ichor covered Power. Yu's attack carved open the side and blood gushed out while Minato's strikes cracked the armor with each blow.

'It's defensive maneuvers are all reactionary to your movements.'

"So all we have to-," Naoya ducked under a horizontal slash. "All we have to do is move faster than it can perceive?"

'Theoretically, yes.' Naoya put away his gun at Elizabeth's response, instead drawing his blade and getting alongside Tatsuya.

"Sounds simple enough. It's a good thing we figured it out early, this fight would've sucked if we didn't."

"You take the one on the right, I'll deal with the one on the left," Tatsuya ordered, summoning Nata Taishi. The Persona appearing behind Tatsuya before charging at the first Power. Nata Taishi generated blue energy in his fist before slamming it into the Power's shield, the ichor reaching out to meet the fist. Tatsuya quickly found his way around the Power and relentlessly began slashing at his back, the ichor having trouble keeping up with Tatsuya's onslaught. In front of the Power, Nata Taishi pulled both his fists back and let out rapid machine-gun punches. Tatsuya tightened his grip on both his swords and performed a cross slash, successfully slicing through the ichor and cutting the Power. At the same time, Nata Taishi threw an uppercut that easily found its way to the Power's jaw and knocked him into the air.

"Now's my chance!" Tatsuya summoned Titan and jumped on his shoulders. The Persona leapt off of the ground and Tatsuya used the momentum to jump off and pass the Power in the air, putting the Power between him and Titan. Tatsuya spun until he was facing the ground and plummeted with both swords aimed at the Power, while Titan drew his sword and kept ascending towards him.

"Pitiful whelp!" The Power quickly flapped his wings and spun around, meeting Titan's sword with his shield. The ichor covering him shot out and crushed the Persona in an instant, distracting Tatsuya for a brief moment. Said moment was enough time for the Power to spin and try to slice Tatsuya in half with his spear.

"Shit!" Tatsuya yelled, raising his swords the block the attack. The force proved too much for him to handle as Tatsuya was sent plummeting into the ground below, slamming hard enough into the floor to create a crater. Tatsuya was dazed from the impact, hacking up a copious amount of blood, adding onto the growing puddle he was already laying in. The pain was too much for him to even move, he would need a good healing and fast. He looked up and saw the Power hovering in the same spot where he hit Tatsuya, raising his spear above his head. 'D-dammit… I can't do anything.'

"Prepare for an eternity of torment!"The Power blared before throwing the sword straight for Tatsuya's helpless form. However, just before the spear could impale Tatsuya, it was halted in the air by supersonic speed slashes before falling apart and landing in a heap of broken metal.

'H-how did-" He coughed up blood. "Who could've?' Tatsuya thought.

"Yu! Tend to Tatsuya's injuries!" Naoya called out, quickly turning his back to the Power he was facing. He waited for Yu to give him a thumbs up in acknowledgement before turning back. He leaned back quickly and barely avoided losing his head from another swipe, but then he widened his eyes and time seemed to move in slow motion.

He noticed small strands of his hair falling to the ground. The Power had managed to nip off a few – unnoticeable to the naked eye - strands of his hair.

"M-my hair," Naoya muttered. "Y-you cut… my h-hair…"

"Naïve boy. Mere aesthetics shall be the least of your worries very soon."

"Nobody. Touches. MY. HAIR!" The air around Naoya thickened and his eyes flashed red. His body heated up and began to produce orange steam. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"You've no longer the air of a mortal child. Your death will be no pleasant one!" The Power swiped at Naoya, only for him the dodge and retaliate with multiple slashes of his own. Naoya's movements were unreadable and too quick for the parasite on the Power to react to. Ichor spilled to the ground in massive quantities and the Power tried to raise his guard in numerous, futile attempts to halt Naoya's onslaught. "Tch. What is the meaning of this?"

Naoya's only response came in a fierce snarl as he bounded at the Power.

"Come on, don't die on me," Yu pleaded, skidding to a halt besides Tatsuya's battered body. Saying he looked worse for wear would be an understatement if he ever heard one; his breathing was uneven and hoarse, he was covered in his own blood, and his left shoulder looked like it had popped out of its socket from the impact. Wasting no time, he switched to Jack Frost and cast a couple of Dia spells to heal him as best as he could. After the first few casts, Tatsuya's breathing even out and saw small cuts on his skin close up. Minato, much to Yu's chagrin, told him that'd he'd try to hold off the third and first Power's to the best of his ability – not sounding annoyed by the matter in the slightest – while Yu helped Tatsuya. "You alright?"

"The pain is still there, but I can still…" He grabbed his left arm and jerked it about, a sickening pop echoing around the two Persona users. Tatsuya let out a small yelp of pain before rolling his shoulder, "…fight." He turned to his left to see Naoya relentlessly hacking away at the second Power, who didn't seem to be putting up much of a fight in return. Though, Naoya's fighting style didn't sit quite right with Tatsuya at the moment. "Something's wrong… Elizabeth!?"

'Naoya is suffering from a bout of rage. Self-inflicted, I might add,' Elizabeth chimed in.

Tatsuya groaned in irritation at Elizabeth's information. How that idiot brought that upon himself was beyond him, but he knew that it wouldn't help one bit if he remained that way. From his right, he heard Minato grunt in pain and he turned to see why. The third Power had managed to trap Minato in a mass of ichor that was compressing by the second.

"What should we do about Naoya?" Yu asked, observing Naoya show no mercy to the Power he was locked in combat with.

"He seems to be doing just fine on his own… As much as I don't want to, we're going to have to keep Minato from getting crushed." At that, Tatsuya and Yu turned their attention to Minato's dire situation.

'This… is quite… the p-predicament,' Minato thought as he felt the ichor tighten around his body. He turned his head to see the second Power summon a mass of small, green vortexes and launch them at Tatsuya and Yu, who were making their way towards him. 'I just have to-,' he felt the ichor compress further. "Gah!" Minato began to sweat profusely, he had to hurry. It was getting harder to breath by the second, and he could feel the air being squeezed from his lungs. 'If I can move m-my hand just a little, then…' he felt his hand open slightly, and the warmth of the Tarot card appearing could be felt on his palm. 'Perfect!' He crushed it without hesitation, the ichor around him expanding and exploding to reveal Orpheus strumming his lyre.

"Struggle all you please, in the end, your death is inevitable."

Minato chuckled at the Power's threat. "Funny thing about me and death…"

Naoya's attacks proved to be fully effective as the final remnants of ichor fell from the Power's armor and onto the ground. The parasite squirmed about helplessly for a brief moment before finally ceasing all movements and dissolving completely. The Power attempted to raise his guard at the now animalistic Naoya, but it once more proved futile as in an instant, his right arm was sliced off brutally by an invisible slash from Naoya's sword, landing on the ground with the spear still in its hand. To the Power, it looked as if Naoya had merely flicked his wrist, but he knew that he had did much more than just that. He screamed in agony and fell to his knees, the pain being too much for him to handle. He was covered in wounds, and the blood pouring from them was troubling. At this rate he only had a matter of time before he'd succumb to his wounds.

"You… fight like any de-demon I've faced before in combat… but I… I shall not yield to you!" The Power yelled as he rose back up. With his remaining arm, he threw his shield straight at Naoya. Naoya, with his animalistic instincts, ducked his head and turned to view the shield get stuck in a wall. Naoya turned back to the Power only to meet a strong left hook, knocking him clean off of his feet and sending him flying through the air, landing on the ground with a thud. He laid on the floor - his sword impaling the ground next to his head - unmoving and making no noise… he had been knocked out cold. The Power opened his hand and created a Hama from beneath Naoya's still body, the hum of magic increasing steadily. "You fought valiantly… but in the end, you could not outrun your-" he halted, dropping his left arm to his side. He was silent for a while, not moving a muscle, nor speaking. Then, without warning he fell forward and his body hit the ground.

He had bled out.

'Naoya is unconscious. Assistance is vital.'

"What!?" Yu yelled, looking at Naoya's unconscious form, splayed out on the ground helplessly across from the first Power, who was slowly withering away. 'He managed to take one out… that increases our chances.' He turned back and saw Tatsuya attacking the second Power with all of his Personas, black ichor dropping to the ground with each successful blow. He then shifted his gaze to Minato who had switched back to his sword, clashing his weapon with the third Power's own spear, locking them in a Power struggle. "I'm going for Naoya!" Yu called out, gunning for his unconscious teammate.

Ignoring Yu, Minato pushed back against the third Power with all his might. Deflecting the spear and rolling to the side, he summoned Valkyrie and generated four shards of ice around the Power. "Try this on for size," Minato threatened as the four ice shards then closed in on the Power. He raised his shield and the parasite on his armor shot out four black arms to crush the ice.

"Foolish boy, did you think that would deter me!?" The Power mocked as he lowered his shield. He gasped in shock as he saw that Minato was no longer in his sight.

"Where are you looking!?" Minato mocked, purposefully giving away his position from behind the Power in mid-air. His sword was back in its sheath and he raised his now, flame covered gauntlets and greaves, and threw out vicious blows in rapid succession. The parasite tried to meet Minato's strikes as best as it could, but Minato proved too fast for it. His attacks broke through, finally smashing the Power's true armor with his vicious force. But Minato wasn't done there as he quickly summoned his Personas to unleash hell upon the Power from all directions. The parasite provided little to no help from Minato's brutal attack, finally dissipating and leaving the Power helpless.

The Power flapped his wings and spun around, shattering Minato's Personas and knocking Minato himself away. "Enough!" He yelled, descending to the ground and holding his spear with both hands. He raised it above his head and slammed it into the ground, creating a wave of yellow energy that spread out across the room. "This battle ends now!"

"Increasing your chances of taking me out," Minato mused. "Good thing it works for both sides." He summoned Orpheus to re-ignite his gauntlets and greaves before running at the Power.

"Bleh! Yuck, that tasted AWFUL," Naoya complained as he spat on the ground to remove the disgusting taste in his mouth. He had almost forgotten how horrid revival beads tasted until Yu seemingly fed him one while he was out. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and, with Yu's help, got back on his feet. "Thanks for that though, you're a real life saver."

"If you don't mind me asking… what came over you Naoya? Elizabeth said your rage was self-inflicted."

"Self-inflicted my ass… Oh, sorry about that Elizabeth," Naoya said. "That bastard ruined my hair… so I gave him the good ol' 'what-for', y'know?" He explained, smiling at Yu's confused expression.

"Your hair looks the same to me," Yu pointed out as he reached out to touch some of Naoya's hair.

Naoya smacked Yu's hand away with enough force to cause the younger male to grab his hand in pain. "Don't. Touch. The. Hair."

"Well uh… never mind that now, we've got to help Minato and Tatsuya."

"Right, let's do that," Naoya said, pulling his sword from the ground. He and Yu exchanged determined looks before making their way to their teammates.

Tatsuya hopped back and tried to catch his breath, finally dealing with the last of the parasite guarding the Power he was fighting. The black ichor dissolved on the ground pathetically, leaving the Power without assistance nor a weapon. "You'll pay with your life for what you did you me." He slashed at the air with both of his swords before running at the Power with them scratching the ground alongside him. The Power raised his shield to defend but Tatsuya jumped to the side and threw one of his swords at an opening. The sword impaled the Power in the side and he howled in pain, the sword embedding itself deep within his body. Tatsuya held his remaining sword with both of his hands and charged at the Power, yelling loudly as he closed the distance quickly and jumping off the ground. He slashed at the Power before landing back on the ground, remaining silent as he heard the Power's head slide off of his body and hitting the ground. His body dropped and slammed against the ground.

Minato was sent in a tumble from a strong shield bash, he adjusted himself mid roll and jumped off, landing back on the ground as gracefully as he could. His eyes met the cold white ones of the last remaining Power. Suddenly he felt the warmth of a Dia being performed on him, easing the pain he felt.

"Took you long enough," Minato joked.

"Sorry for the wait, I got caught up with something else," Naoya replied, standing beside Minato.

"Don't worry, we're all here now," Yu said, stepping next to Naoya. Besides Minato, Tatsuya stepped forward, letting out a small 'humph'.

The Power's eyes widened when he saw the four Persona users standing side by side in front of him. "I-Impossible… how do you still stand?" He looked around and saw the withering body of the third Power, and the empty armor of the first. "M-my brothers. No… Impossible!"

Minato summoned Ari Mitama and casted Sukukaja on the team, while Yu summoned Izanagi to amplify his blade once more.

"You see, that's where you're wrong." Naoya said. He, Minato and Tatsuya ran at the Power with their increased speed. "You thought because you were above us in the food chain, we'd be simple prey," he said, pulling out his gun and firing off shots at the Power. He rose his shield to deflect the bullets, but that gave Naoya the opening he needed. He jumped at the Power and slashed with his blade multiple times in less than a second. The slashes tore clean through his armor and sliced through the body beneath it. He planted both feet on the Power's chest and leapt off, pushing the Power backwards.

"But we're more than just simple prey," Tatsuya continued, appearing behind the Power and impaling both swords into his back. Blood gushed out from the impact point as he pulled them out and kicked off. Sending the Power straight into the ground.

He rose to his knees and coughed up blood. He felt a tap on his helmet, raising his head on pure reaction. He saw Minato waving at him and tried to attack him with his spear, only for Minato to grab it and yank it from him, breaking it in half on his knee. "The outcome of this battle was decided the moment it began," he informed pulling back his fists and unleashing waves of ruthless strikes to the Power's face. Blood flew in multiple directions as the Power yelled in agony. Minato stepped back and gave the Power a chance to look at him from beneath the cracked and bloodied helmet. Minato jumped backwards and landed next to Naoya and Tatsuya, who were both standing behind Yu as he charged up his attack.

"Because with us. Nothing is impossible," Yu finished, electricity flying off of him in sparks and small bolts of lightning hitting the ground around him. He pushed off the ground and vanished for a brief second, a trail of electricity tore through the Power, painfully shocking him as Yu reappeared in front of his team. He sheathed his sword slowly, the clicking of it being fully sheathed being the only noise in the large room. The moment it was sheathed, blood suddenly exploded from the Power as he fell apart at the seams, dissolving almost instantly.

Yu stood up and gave the group another thumbs up and a cheeky grin. Everybody gave him a grin in approval before Yu fell forward in exhaustion, being caught by Tatsuya before he hit the ground.

"S-sorry about that… it looks like I'm out of energy," Yu said, breathing heavily from over-exertion.

"No worries Yu, you're not the only one," Naoya assured. Then from the other end of the room, a giant light appeared for a few seconds before vanishing, revealing a large door that resembled the one they had entered from. Yu waved off Tatsuya, telling him that he could stand on his own now.

"Let's finish this," Yu said, making his way towards the new door, being followed by everyone else. He, with the help of Minato, pushed the doors open and walked through.

There, at the end of the hall, radiating with a bright red light was the first fragment. It was a large triangle that floated in midair, shining brilliantly with nothing in between it and the group.

'Behold. The first Chaos fragment,' Elizabeth chimed in. The group made their way towards it, admiring it in all of its glory.

"Wow, it's much bigger up close," Naoya pointed out. The fragment was twice as big as his hand, and despite being so close to it, the intense light wasn't harming his eyes.

"Alright, now how do we do this 'Spiritual Cleansing' that Philemon mentioned?" Minato asked, tapping his foot on the ground impatiently.

Tatsuya, without warning, placed his hand on the bottom corner of the fragment. Everybody eyed him curiously, but decided that, when nothing bad happened, to mimic his action. Naoya placed his hand on the bottom left corner, Yu placed his on the top corner, while Minato placed his hand on the bottom center.

"Alright… now what?" Naoya whispered.

'Now... focus on the spiritual energy within yourselves.' A new voice, Philemon's, guided. His voice was soothing and gentle, complimenting his usual calm and collected tone. Everybody shut their eyes and attempted to do what Philemon said. The hall was silent for a few seconds, nothing out of the ordinary occurring.

Then, simultaneously, everybody's eyes shot open, their pupils gone and their eyes shining a bright blue and white hue. Wind howled from around them, making their clothes and hair billow violently. The hall around them fell apart and the world around them before they were engulfed in a bright light.

.

..

…

The lobby of the Mikage-cho hospital was in shambles. Garbage littered the floor, chairs were pushed over and vending machines were almost toppled over. Four high school students ran into the lobby and was taken aback at the large mess that greeted them. To their right was a nurse who seemed just as shocked as they were, trembling violently at what stood before her. In front of them, a well-dressed aged man was lying on the floor, mortally wounded. To their left stood four green creatures with tattered clothing, disheveled hair, and sickening wounds covering their bodies.

"Th-the dead patients suddenly got up and walked… That old man rescued me and… Noooo!" She screamed, running away out of pure fear over what could happen if she stayed.

One of the students, a boy wearing a yellow beanie and a brown backpack – Mark - stepped back. "What!? These guys were dead? Is this for real!?" His eyes widened in shock over the situation… it was something he thought would only happen in the movies. Yet here he was, in the midst of it all.

Another student, Nanjo, wearing glasses and a blue scarf around his neck with slicked back hair knelt down besides the aged man. "Yamaoka! You bastards… How DARE you!?" He stood up and gave the creatures his darkest glare. "I'll never forgive you bastards!"

A third student, a girl with neatly kept hair – Yukino - pulled out a knife. "Careful, guys!" She shouted, somehow managing to keep a calm disposition given the circumstances.

"How the hell are we supposed to fight somethin' that's already dead!?" Mark screamed.

The fourth student, a boy with blue hair reaching down besides his eyes, remained silent as he kept his gaze on the four creatures. How the hell did things come to this? All he wanted to do was visit a sick friend in the hospital yet here he was, facing potential Death in the face. He had to do something, it couldn't end like this, he wasn't ready to die.

More importantly, he had to protect his friends. The only question was how?

His answer came in an unusual way. From within him, he felt something that begged to be released, that screamed to be used. It felt as if it was going to burst out of him if he didn't do something soon.

What was it that the weird guy with the stupid mask said?

'Are you aware of the many and varied selves you harbor within you?' He remembered. Could this feeling he felt in his gut be one of those 'selves'? There was only one way to find out. At that moment, one of the creatures lunged forward and slashed at him with its mangled arm. He flinched only for the attack to never hit him.

Did he dodge it?

Did something deflect it?

He would never know. But, whatever it was that resided within him had supposedly ran out of patience as it started to come forth with renewed vigor.

'Looks like it's time to put up or shut up,' he thought as he found his resolve.

The boy shut his eyes and let it come out.

.

..

…

The basement of the Sumaru Prison was almost always occupied by four students from Cuss High, who practiced their music in the vacant room. However, the room was occupied by not only the four Cuss High students, but three students from Seven Sisters High School – considered to be the rival of Cuss High.

Three of the four Cuss High students leaned against the wall while their leader faced the three students from Seven Sisters High School. He pointed his left index finger at one of them, a brunette boy who was currently speaking to a blonde girl.

"Hold it, Tatsuya!" The Cuss High student called out. That had caught his attention. "I hate to stoop this low… But for the sake of my bros, I can't let you go this easily." He took a step forward. "For my honor as the Death Boss, I'm dragging you into my band!"

The blonde girl raised her arms to her side and shrugged her shoulders while shaking her head. "'Death Boss'!? More like Undie Boss!" The three Cuss High students against the wall all tensed up at what she just spoke. "I've heard the rumors! You became Boss by pantsing people, didn't you?" The Cuss High students all looked at each other for an answer, but nobody spoke.

The leader of the Cuss High students tensed up and his anger soared to new heights. The Cuss High student in the center stepped behind him, while the student to his left stepped in front. "U-Uh-oh… Michel-san!" The second student tried to calm down his leader, but to no avail.

"Undie…" The air around him thickened and the pressure in the basement increased drastically. Tatsuya's breath hitched in his throat from the power coming in waves from the Cuss High leader – Michel was his name… but he preferred to be called Eikichi.

'Wh-what's happening…!?' The blonde girl, Lisa, thought as she too felt the power flowing from Eikichi.

The power from Eikichi overflowed and it knocked his subordinates off of their feet. "Don't! Call! Me! Undie! My name is Eikichi Mishina! EIKICHI MISHINAAAAA!" He pounded his fists together in an attempt to look tough. "Come, Deathbringer!" He yelled out, from his body came a man whose waist had the appearance of the front of a motorcycle manifested. His body had the appearance of several side mirrors and his arms and legs were covered in purple cloth.

"I am Rhadamanthus… the judge of the netherworld. I shall sever your foes' sins with my blade of judgement!" He raised his right arm and pointed towards Lisa, causing a torrent of water to appear from below her and slam into her before he vanished.

"Aaaaaaaagh…!" Lisa fell onto her butt as a spirit appeared from her body. "Haime… Seriously?" She was left in awe at what she saw. From her came what looked like an angel, with purple wings and puffs of cotton covering her feet, waist, shoulders and head. Her wings were a bright pink and in her hand she held a pink bow.

"I am Eros… My golden arrows kindle love's flames… I shall be your strength, my other self…" She vanished and Lisa fainted from the amount of energy taken from her.

"H-H-How can you use it too!?" Eikichi was in disbelieve over what he had just saw. For all he knew, he was the only person who held a Death Spirit within him.

Tatsuya had saw the whole thing and was in the same state Eikichi was in. 'Just what the hell was going on here?' He thought. He turned to Eikichi when a voice called out to him.

"Fear not… Take my hand…" It said. Tatsuya keeled over in pain. Something felt like it needed to come out, like it needed to burst forth and reveal itself. In front of him, Eikichi looked like the epitome of terrified over the events that were transpiring. Tatsuya couldn't keep it in any longer.

He let it burst forth.

..

…

The rooftop of the Iwatodai co-ed dorm was bathed a sickly yellow-greenish hue from the full moon's glow. The door leading to the inside of the building burst forth as a boy and a girl ran through and onto the roof.

The girl, a brunette wearing a pink cardigan sweater and black shorts slammed the door shut behind her, sighing in relief at their desperate escape. Behind her, the boy, whose blue hair covered his left eye, wearing a black jacket over a white dress shirt with black slacks (the school's uniform), looked at her with an expressionless gaze.

"I think we're okay for now…" the girl, Yukari was her name, assured him. He was still confused as to just what the hell was going on. Why the hell did she wake him up in the middle of the night? Why the hell did she drag him to the rooftop? And more importantly…

Why was the moon so ugly to look at?

He was rattled from his thoughts as they heard rumbling coming from the side of the large building. Yukari gasped in shock and turned her attention to the ledge of the rooftop. There, black hands emerged from the side and climbed over the ledge, making its way onto the room. A large creature with an uncountable amount of hands wielding either a blue mask or a large knife appeared before their eyes.

Ok… this was new.

They appeared in its eyesight and it charged for them, large blue drills emerging from the floor with each step it took.

Yukari gasped and pulled out a gun, pointing it towards her head and taking deep breaths. The boy looked at her with confusion. 'W-what the hell is she doing!?' He screamed inwardly. But before Yukari could pull the trigger, the giant creature smacked her away with its giant hand, knocking the gun out of her hands and causing it to land besides the blue haired boy. He looked at the giant creature, then to the gun, then back at the creature, then once again back at the gun. He knew what would happen if he didn't do anything.

He didn't know what would happen if he did.

He didn't know two of his seniors were preparing to make their way towards him from below.

He didn't know they were halted by their curious superior.

Opting for the unknown, he picked up the gun and eyed it. It felt too light for it to be an ordinary gun, and the 'S.E.E.S' engraving on the side meant that it was a high quality weapon. It felt as if the moon shined even brighter than before as his body lifted the gun to his head without him even realizing it. He shut his eyes from the fast approaching creature. He shut his eyes from the creepy, prison clothed boy standing in front of him. He shut his eyes from the outside world. Something told him that nothing bad would happen if he fired the gun to his head. While any normal person would've cast that thought aside, the thought felt trustworthy to him.

The cold metal pressed against his skull and for a brief moment he felt powerful. He felt as if his next choice would decide the fate of the world. His mouth opened and his voice came out in a low whisper.

"Per.So.Na."

He pulled the trigger.

.

..

…

This new world was… odd, in a sense of the word.

Three people (or two people and a… bear… thing) stood in front of a replica of the town's liquor store.

They had entered the world in the television a second time to find answers about the mysterious death of his friend Yosuke's crush, Saki Konishi. After what felt like hours of walking, they had arrived here, a perfect – not so perfect reflection of their own world. Specifically, Yasoinaba's northern shopping district's own Konishi Booze Liquor Store. The door to the store had been replaced with a red and black vortex of some sorts, piquing his curiosity while creeping his friend Yosuke out. Behind him, their new companion, Teddie, looked on curiously.

From the vortex came two slimy creatures with blue masks. Hitting the ground before rising up and staring at the trio from behind the masks. Yosuke gasped and fell back, trembling in fear over what could be his impending doom. The two creatures rushed forward, making Yosuke scream and clench up.

But they moved past him.

Their real target, was the boy behind Yosuke who was standing next to Teddie. His eyes widened from behind his glasses and he reeled back slightly in fear, sweat dropping down the side of his face. The two creatures lifted up from the ground and took the shape of a ball before turning inside out and changing their appearance entirely.

They were now pink, floating balls with black swirls and large mouths. Their lips were big and their tongues were hanging from out of their opened mouths.

They looked… disgusting to say the least.

The silver haired boy felt something sharp ring through his mind and he clutched his head with his right hand in pain. He heard a voice.

"I am thou, thou art I. The time has come. Open thine eyes and call forth what is within!" It preached to him. His eyes widened when he heard a ring and when he removed his hand, he saw a Tarot card in it. He flipped the card over and saw that the other side was blank for a brief moment before it began to shine brightly. He felt a torrent of power wash over him in waves and it gave him a euphoretic sensation, a dark smile creeping its way onto his face.

Besides him, Teddie looked on in both shock and confusion. The silver haired boy opened his mouth and his voice came out in a whisper.

"Per.So.Na."

The card shined even brighter, and the silhouette of a man appeared in his hand before the card was engulfed in blue flames.

It was hard to explain but while he didn't know what to do next, he did as well.

He enclosed the flames in his hand.

.

..

…

The hall reformed and the winds died down as quickly as they appeared. When everything returned to normal, everybody fell over in pure exhaustion, huffing as they tried to regain their breath. Nobody spoke for a while as they all tried to comprehend what just happened.

"What the hell was that!?" Tatsuya yelled, regaining his energy after the experience.

"I'm not sure about you guys… but I remember that moment in my life perfectly… It was when I first used my Persona," Naoya said, using the wall for support and wiping the sweat off of his face.

"It was the same for me," Minato said, sitting on the ground, still breathing heavily.

"I… I think the fragment made us relive all of our awakenings," Yu said, finally breathing evenly.

"The fragment… it's gone," Naoya pointed out. Everybody turned to where the fragment originally was only to see that it had vanished.

"Looks like we've got quite the story to tell Philemon the next time we go into the Velvet Room," Minato mused. "But for now, let's get the hell out of here. I'm tired of looking at all of these walls."

"Right. Everybody, gather around me," Yu requested as he pulled a traesto gem out of the pouch. When everybody was accounted for, he crushed it in his hand and pocketed the pouch as a bright light formed from in between the group. The light engulfed the team and expanded across the hall.

When the light was gone, the group had vanished.

---

The throne room was dark and eerie, the only presence being one person on the throne and four hooded men standing in front of the fancy black and red chair.

"It would appear that Philemon has finally made his move," the man seated in the throne stated, swishing a glass of red liquid in his right hand while he leaned his head in his left. "Good, I was beginning to grow bored."

One of the four kneeling men stood up but kept his gaze to the ground. "Should we eliminate them?" He asked. His voice was deep, but not deep enough to where it lost all sense of youth.

"I suggest we make our appearance beautiful yet deadly. Enough to leave them in shock and awe before we rip their hearts out," another hooded man said. His voice was light and soothing, enough to sound almost feminine.

"Tch, why make it look fancy, eh? Why not just get it over with?" The third hooded man complained.

"No. It is not yet time for you to show your faces," the man on the throne said, taking a sip of the red liquid. "In the timeless game of chess, pawns are expendable but can reach the king just as easily as any other piece can in the capable hands. Philemon has forgone using pawns and as such, has already sent out his knights," he mused. "Unlike my other half, I will do no such thing. Only when I feel the time is right, will I send you lot out. For now, you wait."

The three hooded men who spoke previously merely turned on their heels and walked away. The fourth, who spoke not once remained still for a moment before doing the same.

"Those four will prove to be excellent entertainment further down the line. I can only dream of the fun I'll have as things begin to descend into madness. But in the end, it will be I, the Almighty Nyarlathotep, who stands above all as the new God of this realm!"

---

Did you guys miss me?

I do hope this chapter makes up for the irritatingly long wait (if it was long for you guys in the first place.)

The team's finally done with the first dungeon, their shared determination/arrogance keeping them from copping out early and getting the job done as soon as possible.

Critique is always accepted, and reviews are always appreciated.

Stay Golden!