Chapter Twelve
The guy was a pretty hard person to beat, almost close to Niisan or even Leo's level and that was pretty scary to imagine.
"MINARU!" Yazuro shouted in fear when I realized that the pale rider beat Apollo and left my back completely wide open, Aigis-neechan was knocked out and Yazuro can barely stand
I can't defend both my front or back at the same time, this is bad. I thought when a familiar silver metal Frisbee blocked Ryo Fujibayashi's attack while I swung Excalibur on Pale Rider's arm until he disappeared
"Got, yourself on a tight spot there, Naru-kun" an annoying voice said from behind me and I saw shock in Ryo's face but I knew who it was.
I took the moment and slash Ryo on his right arm leaving a deep cut before he leaped back and panted
"We'll fight again, when you luck's all out Minaru Arisato" he told me before vanishing into the shadows
Exhausted as I was, I dropped to my knees and panted before letting the Repulse deactivate and time unfroze. Just beside me was the familiar deadly silver Frisbee
"Long time no sees, Leo Isogai" I said in a calm tone when he picked up his Frisbee and chuckled
Leo was a year older than me and a very close friend of mine. He had short cross cut red hair and liquid silver eyes that some people in the organization call him the wolf runner since his enemies only sees his eyes before they get killed. He's not an assassin but he tends to act like it from time to time and takes on undercover work about groups who tries to go in the paradox tunnels
"Yo…Leo…san" Yazuro said weakly before passing out on the streets,
"Well, looks like I got here on time before things get ugly huh" Leo said as a joke but he was practically telling the truth
"Thanks, if you weren't around that Ryo guy would have killed us" I said thankfully and he looked serious before helping Junpei-kun, Fuuka-chan and Yukari-chan up on their feet
"When I get hold of that Son of a bitch, I swear" Junpei-kun cursed and Leo-kun laughed
"Haha, this guy reminds me of Shou a lot" Leo told me and I laughed as well when I saw Takaru and Sakura-neechan running towards us
"Hey!" Takaru shouted before helping Aigis-neechan and Yazuro up
"I felt the Repulse all the way up to the house so we came running here" Sakura-neechan explained while Takaru noticed the surroundings
"Looks like quiet the fight huh" he said and I merely smirked at him
"Let's get out of here before we become suspicious" I suggested before we walked out from the Strip Mall
"Hey Minaru, who's this guy?" Junpei-kun asked while nodding towards Leo
"He's Leo Isogai, an old friend of mine and the so called Persona Assassin" I explained and Leo had a smug look on his face
"Or you could say the dude that fights with Frisbees" Yazuro added and all of us laughed when a chill went down my spine as a guy wearing a black jacket pass by
I didn't clearly saw his face with his hood up and a shadow cast down it so I couldn't see his eyes but something about the way he smiled as we passed by seemed really familiar
"We can walk back from here" Fuuka-chan told us when we were near their dorm
"Sorry if we ruined your day" Sakura-neechan told her before we left while I was preoccupied with thinking about the guy earlier
"So Leo, what brings you here anyway?" I asked when we got in the house.
"THAT HURT!" Yazuro screamed from the kitchen while Leo, Takaru and I drank tea
"That guy you just fought, Ryo Fujibayashi. He's been going in and out of the Paradox tunnel and kills more than ten different people" Leo told us in a serious tone and there was dead silence in the room
"No way, but why would he kill them?" Takaru asked when something also bothered me
"Say, is there a chance that the ones killed are persona users?" I asked and Leo looks at me in surprise
"Actually all of them were. To be honest I was just tracking him down when I stumbled on you fighting him" Leo explained but I went pale
"You know something don't you Minaru?" Takaru said calmly but he had a serious look on his face
"I think he was there to kill me" I told them and even they look pale as well
"Are you crazy?" Yazuro shouted from the kitchen in full anger
"He knows my name" I mumble in a low tone which got him quiet but the others uneasy
"So even if you were the next target. Why would he target you or even the other persona users in the first place?" Sakura-neechan said calmly and the others nodded
"Not to mention that if he's targeting persona users, why didn't he bother with killing Yazuro or your other friends in the process as well?" Takaru added but I know the answer only I wasn't completely sure when I felt a presence in the room
"It's because the ones Ryo Fujibayashi killed and Minaru Arisato have something in common" someone answered from the door and all of us tense up
Standing just from the hall was the same guy I saw earlier on this time he was wearing a mask to cover half his face mostly his eyes with a black fedora hat on his head.
"Who are you?" I asked suspiciously and the guy smiled like it was an inside joke
"I can be anyone and called by different names. But as for now you can call my Antony" he said in a riddle like tone but why do I have a strange feeling that I know him somehow?
"Antony-kun then, why are you here and it is politely to knock every once in a while" Sakura-neechan said in a sarcastic tone which meant that he's not welcome in here but Antony merely nodded his head
"I am here to discuss the Arcana Trials with Minaru Arisato"