SO, FF15 has a quest titled "Into the Fray", hmm?

I ain't even mad. What if people look it up, find my story instead? HAH.

Seriously, though. Enjoy the chapter.

[- Iwatodai_Paulownia Mall -]

"It just occured to me."

"Hm?"

Souji sighed and adjusted his jacket, his two now-signature weapons shuffling against him. If the weight of both bothered him at all, he didn't show it. "This seems like a terrible plan that can very easily backfire."

"I figured I would take a page out of your book."

"Yeah, this sounds pretty me."

"In all seriousness, we're out of time and we need to put an end to this quickly. The longer we linger, the more damage that can be done by Nyx."

"And I'm guessing if we take too long…?"

"Then her plans will come to fruition, and the Fall with be successful this time."

"...Neat. Guess we better get moving."

"Indeed."

Souji kept his swords sheathed, glancing at Naoto when he heard the telltale whir of her revolver cylinder spinning. She smiled and gave him a polite duck of her head to signal she was ready. He returned it and looked around to assure himself of the team's preparation.

Labrys, excited as she was, was cradling her axe to her as if it were a teddy bear, leaving Souji to wonder just why until he noticed that the large, double-headed blade was now repaired and polished to a mirror sheen. Sho was leaning against a wall, watching her with an expression torn between amusement and confusion at the sight of Labrys' antics. The two exchanged a brief look, ending with Sho giving him a firm nod before looking down and scowling to himself. Theo was standing off to the side, hands clasped neatly behind his back and standing tall; in stark contrast was Elizabeth, lounging on a bench with one leg crossed over the other. She was scanning something with great interest in the Persona Compendium, but Souji failed to tell what it was.

"Kanji?"

The man in question looked up from where he was sitting, his Plate lying next to him and gleaming softly. Kikuno had insisted on installing a handle of sorts on the inner lining, such that the massive slab was now more like a shield. "Yeah?"

"This might be it for us."

"Eh. We've fought bigger."

Souji chuckled and nodded agreeably. "That we have. You ready?"

"Hell yeah. Ready whenever you are."

Souji closed his eyes and reached down to touch Naoto's hand. The detective took the gesture in stride, taking his hand and lacing their fingers; she squeezed softly in an act of reassurance. Souji rested his head on the wall of the Kirijo building and smiled softly before saying, "Well, Mitsuru-san, we're about ready to go. Fuuka-san, is everything all right on your end?"

"Yes, I think so. Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Shinjiro-senpai have given the all clear. A-are you sure you want to leave all three of them to defend me?"

"That I am. Your safety is key to keeping our situational awareness in check. Aside from that, I'd rather the four of you stick together in case something happens."

"Well, for what it's worth, I appreciate your concern."

"Mhm. Well, everyone, let's mosey."

Sho scoffed and, upon Souji turning to raise a quizzical eyebrow, smirked. "Nerd."

[- 3 Hours Earlier_Kirijo HQ -]

"This should be right. Team sizes are split as evenly as we can afford in this situation."

Souji pressed the cap back onto the marker he was writing with and stepped away so all could see the arrangements.

Iwatodai

Ground: Souji, Naoto, Kanji, Labrys, Sho, Theodore, Elizabeth

HQ: Mitsuru, Shinjiro, Akihiko, Fuuka

Inaba

Ground: Yosuke, Chie, Teddie, Yukiko, Junpei, Yukari, Margaret

Support: Rise, Kikuno

"Wait."

Souji identified the voice as Sho's and nodded in the appropriate direction. "Why am I after Labrys?"

Inwardly smirking, Souji glanced at the board and snapped his fingers. "Ah, you're right. Here, let me fix that."

He quickly wiped Sho's name from the board and wrote it in again, leaving the lineup as:

Ground: Souji, Naoto, Kanji, Labrys, Theodore, Elizabeth, Sho

"Better?"

"HEY!"

[- Present_Inaba -]

"We're here. Please prepare for a quick landing."

Kikuno's warning was met with a chorus of acknowledgement. Yosuke leaned against the window of the helicopter and sighed, disheartened by the blanket of dark covering his town. "Well, that's encouraging."

"Chin up! It's kinda romantic."

Chie bounced up next to him and grinned, but he could tell that the sentiment was frail and she was trying to cheer him up. "Yeah, endless night, no stars in the sky...I can feel the sparks."

"Right?"

He watched his team move forward, each either conferring or bickering in their own way, and reached down to carefully grab Chie's arm. She looked back at him, a gentle smile on her face that compelled Yosuke to let go after mimicking the expression. Before following after them, he looked up at the sky and remembered the last time he had spoken with Souji.

Souji looked up from the bottle of soda he had taken from the kitchen when he heard familiar footsteps. "Figured I'd find you here, looking out the front door of a gloomy office building."

"I get the feeling you were just wandering. That's cool, though. Here, got you one, too."

Souji lifted another bottle by the base and offered it to his longtime friend, scooting over so Yosuke could sit next to where he was leaning on the wall. "Thanks. You all ready to go?"

"Hope so. How's your team looking?"

"We'll manage. Marie can hold her own, of course, but we'll be there for her."

"Good. Good…"

Souji sighed, masking it by drinking deeply from his bottle. Yosuke still picked up on the sign, smirking and nursing the fizzy drink. "You're worried, huh."

"...I'm not feeling too hot about our odds."

"You got me there. But, hey. We've made it this far."

Souji smirked and raised his bottle. "That we have. Cheers, brother."

"Cheers."

Yosuke bumped his bottle to Souji's , the two taking a long drink at the same time.

"Hey, now's not the time for daydreaming. Let's go, boss."

Marie bumped his shoulder and inclined her head in the shrine's general direction; contrary to her blunt words, she offered him an encouraging little smile and a twinkle in her eye that plainly said she trusted his ability. Yosuke smiled and adjusted his headphones, giving his fingers a little exercise by skillfully twirling his daggers before setting off with much more confidence in his step.

[- Somewhere..._Inaba -]

A groan echoed throughout the empty halls of the prison, shattering the oppressive silence polluting the air. The sole resident of the now-coffin-infested building sat up, taking a peek into the hallway and grinning. "So. Whole town's gone to shit again, huh?"

Fingers ran through short brown hair as the man sighed and stepped out of his cell. "Well, I'm not gettin' anything done just sitting around! May as well go stretch the old legs."

He stopped at the door and leaned back to peek into the guard office, speaking to the coffin sitting within. "You don't mind, do ya?"

He let the silence hang briefly before snickering and stepping outside. "Didn't think so. Thanks, buddy!"

The man adjusted the collar of his prison jumpsuit and yawned, idly sighing as he looked around. "I swear, this happens every damn other damn year…"

While he wasn't exactly expecting anyone to hear him, his cupped his hands and shouted, "Yo, Souji-kun! The hell are you doin' this time?!"

His self-described dulcet tones had echoed more than he figured, evident in the sound of slime running along the floor. The masks were even more of a giveaway of what was approaching, if the runny tar was no indication. The hapless prisoner scratched the back of his head sheepishly, sighing and looking around to assess the threat. "Ehehe...maybe that wasn't the best idea. Oh well."

Adachi smiled, his eyes briefly gleaming yellow as the sound of glass breaking echoed throughout the air. A blood-red Persona rose up behind him, a low growl flowing out of its mask as it hefted a spear twice as tall who called him. "Let's get this started off right. Mangle them."

[- Iwatodai_Kirijo HQ -]

Akihiko was sent flying back by a Gigas' fist, landing hard on his back but transferring the force into a backward roll. He punched the ground of the office and glowered at the towering shadow as he heard Fuuka cry out, "Akihiko-senpai!"

"Stay focused! I'm fine!"

Fuuka hesitated from behind Juno's barrier, her mind unconsciously compelling her Persona to reach towards the boxer and envelop him in a warm healing spell. Akihiko took the feeling in stride, dashing low and throwing himself into a short hop. He swung his arm downwards in a powerful smash that shattered the Gigas' knee. He stopped the momentum gained from the jump by burying his fist into its gut. As it keeled over, Akihiko ducked back, a fist wound tight against his side, before lunging forward and utterly destroying the shadow's head with a powerful hook. Before he could smirk victoriously, he felt himself being yanked back by the collar of his suit. "Thank you, Shinjiro."

"Mhm."

Akihiko failed to suppress a scoff from hearing the exchange between his two friends, neatly turning his body to transfer his force into a corkscrew that blew a Hablerie a few feet away. Shinjiro stepped in front of his back and reached an arm forward to block a charging Beetle, smashing its horn with his axe and impaling it with the broken shard. He booted it away and ducked back to allow Mitsuru to dash forward, her rapier weaving around an approaching Dancer's attempt to dodge around them. She called Artemisia to freeze it, lunging forward in a lightning fast stab. The ice shattered in a fine, shining cloud of dust, as did the shadow. In the brief respite, the three gathered in front of Fuuka's barrier, surrounding their junior in a protective triad. "Just like old times, huh?"

Shinjiro scoffed at Akihiko's remark and shook his head. "Hm. Says something 'bout your memories if this shit's your idea of a good time."

"I'm having fun."

"No, you're not….And don't humor him."

Fuuka smiled briefly and closed her eyes, focusing a bit of her energy to cast Marakukaja on the three. They received the spell and shared a confident smile before charging back into the oncoming onslaught.

[- Iwatodai_Naganaki Shrine -]

Souji dragged the Totsuka off his back and slammed it into the ground, using it as a lever to smash the pommel down on the shadow in front of him. He hauled it out of where it was buried and swung it wide in a cyclone before hefting it back onto its sheath. Naoto ducked in to defend him, bashing a Magus with her shotgun's stock and blowing it away with a point-blank blast. Souji urged her to stand back-to-back, calling Fenrir to dive into the crowd and thin out the numbers. Satisfied a few seconds later, he called it back to him and patted its face affectionately. "Go, help Kanji out."

The wolf blinked and seemed to nod, brushing by him and Naoto before disappearing. Kanji was holding his own, bashing attacker after attacker with his makeshift shield with ever-growing vigor. He clumsily ducked under a Minotaur's headbutt, throwing his arm out in a blind backhand. Takeji Zaiten appeared behind him, cherry blossom petal scattering about as it struck a pose. Kanji's fist impacted with the Minotaur as the spell took effect, blasting it back and dizzying all the surrounding him. He used the fallen shadow as a stepping stone to jump and smash its head with his Plate. A Hand shadow shot towards him as he stood up, intent on strangling him, but Fenrir tackled it out of the air and smashed it underpaw. "Thanks, uh...Wolfie."

Fenrir stared at him momentarily, bumping its forehead against him and sending him a step back.

Naoto reached down to reload her shotgun, gasping in surprise when she felt a Fuzz shadow's handcuffs clamp down on her wrist, pulling her to the ground as it yanked its arm back. She felt her arm twist at an awkward angle as it loomed over her, her mind flooding with pain as she tried to aim her revolver at it properly. When she realized this was a poor idea, she eyed the key sitting in its stomach hole. Planting a foot against its face, she ducked to the side as it tried to shoot her in the head with its pistol. She drew her foot back and kicked it hard, snatching the key out of its stomach and fumbling with the cuffs' lock. Upon hearing a dull click, she kicked upwards again and transferred the momentum into a backwards roll. Naoto quickly picked up her revolver and riddled the shadow with bullets before it could try anything similar.

The haggard detective sighed, dropping to her knees and squeezing her sore arm. She didn't hear the approaching Knight until it was behind her, glancing back and cursing softly. All she could do was raise her uninjured hand and call Yamato to protect her; this was still going to hurt.

Souji dove into the chaos, drawing both the Totsuka and his katana in desperation. He confronted the towering Knight, poised to cleave him in two with its greatsword. Seeing this, he slashed its face with the heavier blade hard enough to force it to turn, burying his katana in its back as it did so. He quickly pivoted and grasped his greatsword with both hands and swung again at its head, this time decapitating it completely. He sheathed the weapon before retrieving his katana and doing the same. Souji turned, casting Diarahan on Naoto when he saw he nursing her arm gingerly. "Sorry I took so long. You okay?"

"I'm okay. Let's catch up with the others."

Theo neatly stepped around a Musha's katana, grabbing its helmet and slamming it into the floor. He tossed it upwards as easily as a ragdoll and hopped, kicking upwards and sending the hapless shadow into a crowd of oncoming ones. Elizabeth quickly decimated the lot with a call to Thanatos, the cloaked Persona roaring and laying waste with its coffin chain and serrated sword. The black, inky substance the shadows consisted of coated its morbid uniform and weapons, and it gave a final, triumphant screech to the blood-red sky before it disappeared. Theo grimaced and wiped some of the ooze off his sleeve. "So unrefined…"

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing."

Theo quickly ducked in front of Elizabeth, raising his knee to block a powerful punch from a Gigas and countering with a flurry of kicks. He topped off the fluid movement with an upwards axe kick that easily destroyed the beast, landing neatly on his feet and standing tall in his neutral stance. He noticed Souji, Naoto, and Kanji approaching, nodding politely and backhanding a Seeker. "There you are. I believe we have almost arrived at Nyx's location."

"I see. Would you mind holding the fort here?"

"Of course, please proceed."

Souji nodded to Naoto, patting Kanji's shoulder in passing as the three headed further into the battle.

[- Inaba_Shopping District -]

"Marie-san, duck!"

Yosuke skirted around the resident goddess, throwing his knives at a Hand rearing back to strike and pinning it to the wall. The Emperor that called them was swiftly punted into the air and finished off by Yukari's sniping. "We're almost at the shrine, just keep moving-"

Yosuke had to raise his hand to protect his face from a sudden explosion of dust, calling his Persona to disperse it more quickly. "Hey! I was going for a whole dramatic reveal schtick there!"

"That voice…"

Aw, hell. Not this guy again…

"Did I hear that right? Is that- ?!"

The dust cleared, revealing Tohru Adachi sitting atop the pile of shadow mask fragments. "Heyo. Took you guys long enough to get here."

"Aw, Junes steak Christmas cake…"

"...Did you just-...Are you serious right now?"

Chie smacked the back of Yosuke's head for his troubles, content to continue if it weren't for Adachi laughing to the sky. He jumped down from the pile, his feet kicking up a small cloud as he landed. "I see you guys haven't changed much."

"I see they finally got your ass an actual prison uniform."

Adachi chuckled and turned around, pretending to inspect the material of the jumpsuit. "Yeah, I did. I think it's a good look! Wait...does it make my butt look big?"

"Yeah, it looks like a hot air balloon-"

"Rise-chan, down. What are you doing here?"

"Me? I'm just takin' a walk around town. It's gotten much more lively since the last time I was out and about. It's like a big ol' block party!"

"The only party is the one I'm throwing when they toss you back in-"

"Rise-chan, no."

Adachi shrugged and gestured around, his footsteps punctuating the silence that threatened to fall. "Why are you guys being so careful with the place? Look, it's fun!" To prove his point, Adachi had Magatsu Izanagi crush the Shiroku store under its fist. The former detective simply crossed his arms and grinned as his Persona went to town, hacking away at the now-ruined building with spear, fists, and stilettos. The cacophony was so catastrophic that, when the dust cleared, there was only rubble, wood splinters, and an enraged, bloodthirsty Persona.

Yosuke pointed a knife at him, anger evident in his tone as he ground out, "The hell did you do that for?! We're trying to make sure the town comes out of this intact, dammit!"

"Yeah! He's gonna get debris in Grandma's tofu!"

"...Rise-chan, he can't even hear you."

Adachi simply shrugged again and sighed airily. "This is an opportunity. Waste not, want not, Yosuke-kun."

"I believe the buffoon has a point he wishes to make."

Margaret frowned slightly, picking up a chunk of debris from the store and crushing it in her hand. Rather than explain anything, the gesture only seemed to frighten Yosuke. Adachi, however, grinned. "Oh?"

He stepped forward and crossed his arms behind his back, standing up straight as if awaiting instruction. "And what might that be?"

Margaret blinked. There was something about the cockiness of the brunette that drew inevitable parallels to Souji. Instead of dwelling on it, she answered. "This "Dark Hour", as you call it, is a time isolated from that of a standard day. Perhaps he is implying that wanton destruction yields no consequence."

Yosuke, rather understandably, was skeptical. "Are you sure about that?"

Margaret simply offered a ghost of a smile and cocked her head slightly. "Mostly. Does this bother you?"

"No, not really. I'm just gonna...keep being careful."

Yukari perked up, whirling around and levelling her bow at an unseen threat. "Well, keep doing that...we have company."

Junpei grinned and tapped his bat against her shoulder. "Chin up, Yuka-tan! This party's just getting started!"

The archer sighed, drawing back the string and charging a magic arrow. "Yeaaah, that's what I'm worried about."

She let the arrow fly, silently signifying the beginning of their new battle.

[- Iwatodai_? -]

"Kanji-kun!"

"I gotcha, keep going! Follow Senpai!"

Kanji ducked and placed his Plate on his back, allowing Naoto to jump up and slide across, blowing the shadows back with a shotgun blast and quickly running after Souji. She chanced a look back and witnessed Kanji hefting the Plate up and crushing a shadow, aiming over her shoulder and sniping one that was gearing up to attack his vulnerable back. A large hole was blown in its form from the bullet, allowing Kanji the swing his Plate back around himself. He used the momentum to carry the heavy armament against an approaching crowd, sending them flying or flattening them outright with a rousing roar. Theo jumped over him, diving down foot-first and smashing clean through a Machine shadow. As its corpse threatened to fall on him, he thrust a palm upwards and blew the metal hunk away.

Elizabeth was floating throughout the area as if it were a flower garden, playfully lobbing spells here and there as Thanatos cleaned up the messes she left behind. "They'll be fine. Let's keep it moving."

"Right."

The duo ran until there was nowhere left to go, pushing through an eerie door and stumbling into a large room that belied the size of the actual building. "Wait. Something is wrong."

Souji put an arm in front of Naoto when he saw someone lying in the exact middle of the room. "Stay back."

"I-"

"Before you start, I need you to stay behind and cover for me in case things go south. Look,"

He pointed at Dao's kneeling form. One of his hands was clutching his glaive, now reduced to a broken shard of metal with an overly long handle. "Dunno about you, but that doesn't look too promising."

At the sound of Souji's voice, Dao's hands planted firmly against the ground as he pushed himself to his knees, his head trembling before he reared back with a roar that caused the room to tremble slightly. His voice was layered with a tone both unnatural and foreign sounding. He headbutted the floor fiercely before rising and focusing on Souji. Souji slowly drew his katana and held it before him, digging his feet into the earth as Dao lurched forward. The fog in the room intensified as Dao leaned back, the surroundings quickly wiping him from view. "...Well, shit."

"Souji-kun!"

Souji heard something rush by him, pivoting around and raising the katana to block. "Stay back!"

He heard a rush of air behind him, quickly holding the katana behind his back. His prediction was rewarded by the distinct clang of one blade upon another, and he wrenched his arm forward to send Dao over him. As he sailed over Souji, he kicked out and hit Souji in the chest, sending him staggering back a few steps.

Dao landed on all fours, charging forward and bodily throwing his broken blade at Souji. As he sidestepped the makeshift throwing knife, Dao lunged and bashed Souji's upraised arm with his own, winding it back quickly enough for another jab before he pivoted. He raised his leg and kneed Souji in the side, aiming another at his head as he doubled over in pain. Souji forced an arm out and was able to clip Dao's side, but he was able to recover quickly enough to grab the arm and use torque to force Souji into a crouch.

Souji groaned in pain and tried to pull his arm free, but was only met with a cruel push against his shoulder. Dao looked at the arm he had locked and hissed softly, raising his other hand and curling it into a sort of claw. Before he could bring it down and effectively break Souji's arm at the elbow, a shot rang out and blasted Dao away from him. The fog lightened slightly, just enough for Souji to see the trail of Naoto's bullet from where she had fired. Dao seized his shoulder and grunted angrily, letting fog swirl around it as he ducked low to the floor and clawed at Souji's legs. He responded by quickly raising his foot and stomping down, but Dao wove around and tripped Souji with a quick swipe of his leg. As Souji fell, Dao jumped to his feet and followed through his descent with a foot to his back. Dao ground his heel into Souji's spine, earning a sharp shout of pain from his prey, jumping back when Naoto fired a volley of bullets at him. "There is only two of you?"

"Nyx…"

Souji planted the point of his katana in the ground to lever himself up, witnessing Dao wrench his head in the direction of the voice and growl lowly. "I have to admit, I was worried that all of you were going to attack at once."

"...I figured gods would be more well-spoken than...whatever this is."

Souji scoffed, pointing his katana to where the soul thief was slowly walking towards them. She smiled and tucked some hair behind her ear, shrugging simply at Souji's question. "What can I say? The girl had her own personality. I suppose you can say it has a...bleeding effect."

There was something behind Nyx's voice that made it sound just unnatural enough to set her apart from her template. "It's creepy."

"It's fitting. After all, what could be more poetic that using the hero who saved the world as my vessel?"

"Is this some sort of vendetta against Shiomi-san?"

"Vendetta…?" Nyx grimaced and shook her head, a smile easily returning her face as she chirped, "You couldn't be further off! Kotone Shiomi is a grand example of humanity. She was like a sister to me."

"And how did you thank her? Destroying her world? Stealing her very soul? Sounds like some twisted love to me."

Souji ground out the words and tightened the grip he had on his katana as he glared at Nyx. The goddess simply smiled and closed her eyes serenely. "Ah, love. That sums it up so perfectly...See, I wish to take her soul for my own, not simply because it would be poetic justice...but because it would mean that we are together forever."

She chuckled, letting some of her hair fall over her eyes as Dao looked on quizzically. Her shoulders began to shake unnaturally, a hand reaching up to cover her face as...something overtook her voice. Nyx brushed some off the hair forcefully enough to show Souji her eyes, a manic contrast to the normal calm she conveyed. Her voice rose and lowered sporadically as she muttered something under her breath. "She accepted me before...Now, she will be mine."

"What?"

Nyx giggled again and straightened up. Instead of indulging Souji's confusion, she simply nodded to Dao. "...Dao has developed exceptional control over the fog. So much so that he can even manipulate what you've been breathing this whole time."

Dao slowly raised a hand and lurched forward unnaturally, his head cocking to the side as fog began to swirl around his curled fingers. Suddenly, Souji and Naoto felt an immense pressure bear down on their shoulders as the room's atmosphere threatened to solidify and crush them both. Souji gritted his teeth and slammed his katana point into the ground to remain on his feet, but Naoto felt the strength in her firing arm drain until she was forced to drop to one knee. "Dao? Continue."

Her puppet tightened his hand into a fist, drawing it closer to his chest as the fog around his hand condensed into a dangerously condensed ball. Souji felt his chest seize, as if the very air in his lungs was given physical form. He turned his head, seeing Naoto drop her gun and clutch a hand to her chest as she struggled to breathe. Her pain galvanized Souji into action; he levered his katana out of the earth and staggered towards Dao. His target was focused now almost entirely on torturing Naoto, giving Souji some miniscule freedom from the oppressive air. He raised his katana, intent on attacking either Dao or the ball of fog resting in his palm. Before he could decide, or even before he made it close enough to try, the pressure rooted him to the spot. Nyx smiled down at him, resting her cheek on her fist as she watched him glare at her. "That's far enough."

Souji's legs buckled, and he dropped his katana as he finally fell, the last of the air in his lungs leaving him as he barely managed to grind out a curse. "Damn…"

Just before darkness claimed his mind, the room cleared itself of fog as Dao crushed the ball in his hand. Its chaotic energy burst violently, almost blowing his arm off and leaving it wreathed in smoke. His arms fell limply to his side as he simply stared at Souji struggle to sit up, slowly turning his gaze to Naoto as she took in some much-needed breath. He looked back at Souji, cocking his head at the bewildered look on his face. "Dao? What are you doing?"

He said nothing, slowly raising his hand and placing it on the mask he was being forced to wear. His fingers slowly explored its smooth surface, eventually getting a grip on the border of the chin. He gave it a light tug before he winced and mechanically snapped back into a fighting stance. "Kill him. Now."

The message had already been delivered as Souji found the strength to stand again, using his katana to keep himself balanced as he thought of his next strategy. Dao rushed Souji with one arm thrust behind him, ready to claw down onto Souji's head. Just as he swung at him, Souji ducked around the punch quickly downed him with a swift elbow to the face and by kicking his legs out. Souji yanked Dao up with the arm around his neck, raising his sword arm and bashing it as hard as he could against the chains fastened to his head. "Take that damn thing off!"

The metal links barked out a loud ring and seemed to crack slightly, but they still held fast. He was thrown off quickly afterward, but he rolled through the impact and raised his sword just in time to block Dao's overhead axe kick. The blade bit into Dao's ankle as he twisted and kicked the katana straight out of Souji's already trembling hands. It spun through the air and clattered a few meters away, leaving Souji with no weapon against the enraged Dao. He opened a palm to intercept Dao's fist, pushing it aside and quickly balling it into a fist to sock him and send him staggering with a powerful haymaker. Dao recovered quickly, kicking forward at him and seizing hold of Souji by his collar. "Naoto! The mask needs to go!"

"On it!"

Souji twisted his torso to force Dao's hand away from him, but Dao used the given momentum to jump and kick Souji's head. The force of it wrenched him to the side, but Dao was given no opportunity to continue when a reticle-shaped glyph appeared at his feet, giving Souji valuable time to shake the stars out of his eyes. It glowed brightly momentarily before spreading around him in a circular motion. He stared at the trap briefly before snapping his head to look at Naoto, disappearing in a puff of fog as soon as he focused on her. He reappeared with his hand outstretched and a veil of darkness clawing at her face, but Souji was able to stop his attack by jumping on his back and sending them both to the floor. He was quickly thrown off, but the two faced each other down with Naoto in the clear.

Dao looked around and plucked his dagger off the floor, turning to stare at Souji as he ducked into a stance. Souji took the silent offer and retrieved his katana, dropping Totsuka carefully to curb the growing strain on his back. He took his own stance, letting his dominant arm rest behind him as he stood tall. He snuck a quick glance at Naoto, relaying the message to let him settle his personal battles. Naoto shot him a glare, but complied, reluctantly holstering her revolver and sitting down. It was easy to assume that, aside from the obvious underlying rivalry, it would be difficult to fire on Dao without risk of hitting Souji.

He smiled briefly before focusing again on Dao. Raising his katana level with his chest, he watched as Dao twirled his knife into an underhanded grip and charged forward. Souji responded in kind, meeting him in the middle and locking their blades together. Sparks flew from the grinding metal, the two pivoting around each other in their attempt to strike. Dao affirmed his grip with one hand, using the other to clamp down on Souji's sword arm. His knee rammed into Souji's side and forced him to his knees. Dao grabbed his head with both hands and wound his leg back to knee him in the face, but Souji kicked out and scored a hit on his shin. He stumbled back as Souji found his footing, kicking his katana away and twirling his knife.

A quick, lunging stab missed as Souji ducked around the strike, grabbing his arm and sneaking his fist under it to deck the mask's chin. Dao swung at him with his other hand, but Souji ducked under it and punched his side, following it up with a quick hook and a swift uppercut. He hopped back and turned, kicking Dao hard in the stomach and forcing him to double over. "Sorry," Souji grabbed his head and drew his leg back. "Might sting a bit."

His knee crashed into the mask, sending Dao sprawling back as Souji stumbled onto one leg, blackened shards embedded in his knee. He called Ishtar to quickly remove them and heal the wound, shaking his leg as Dao stood. The mask was broken, but still fastened to Dao's head. One of Dao's piercing yellow eyes gazed out from the ruined mask, dull from Nyx's control but clear evidence of his identity. The damage seemed to bring some clarity to his mind as well, as he shook his arms out and rolled his neck, blinking his free eye and narrowing it slightly as he slouched into a stance, one fist in front of his face and the other dangling slightly, ready to counter. Souji rubbed his knuckles, eyeing his katana that was still lying a good distance away. Dao was sharp enough to know if he was going for it. "So that's how it's gonna be, huh...fine, then."

Nyx smiled, eager to see the ensuing bloodbath. "Show me what you can do. What she would have done."

Dao lunged forward, shoulder checking Souji and landing a series of swift punches to his chest. He clawed upward at his face, but Souji managed to shove him away and circle so that he was closer to his katana. Damn. Now that he's a little less nuts, his style's way more dangerous.

Souji ducked in, feinting a punch but instead kicking at Dao's leg. The strike tripped him enough for Souji to grab his tattered collar, kneeing him onto his back again. Dao stared at him from where he was lying, suddenly throwing a fireball in his direction. ...Crap.

Souji dove for his katana, swerving around a pillar of fire rising from where he was standing. He hissed in pain as a small flame bit at his leg, hastily snuffing it out and ducking under a fireball. Dao punched the ground, cracking it at the point of impact as fire rose around him. He dashed forward, swiping at Souji with flames trailing behind his fist. He followed through into series of kicks, each throwing fire liberally enough to prevent Souji from closing in. His broken knife reappeared in his hand, warping towards Souji and reappearing with his weapon poised for a fatal stab. Souji's hand fumbled blindly for the katana, grabbing it and thrusting forward in a desperate attack.

The fatal strike hit home; Souji looked up to see his katana buried in Dao's stomach, the knife mere centimeters away from his eye. Nyx, still playing the spectator, smiled and subtly licked her lips. "...Excellent."

Contrary to the blood coating Souji's blade, merriment danced in Dao's eyes as he reached up to grab the fragmented mask. It crumbled under his fingers as he crushed the ruined material into dust, revealing more of his face as he grinned at Souji. "Ya did good, kid."

He dropped the knife, grabbing the blade of the katana and pushing it further into his gut. He coughed a small cloud of blood, his hair covering his eyes as he bowed his head in pain and chuckled. "Ohh, there we go. Don't need me comin' back, now do we?"

His other hand snatched Souji's before he could let go of the blade in his shock, ensuring that he saw their rivalry wind down to its final, bloody end. "See, now this is what I meant. You aren't getting out of this with clean hands. You spare me, I-" He hacked, buckling to his knees and taking a deep breath before he shakily continued. "I heal. I kill you," He cocked his head to Naoto, who was equally stunned. "I kill your girl. Everything goes to shit. And we don't want that, do we?"

Blue flames rose around his shoulders as he smirked, keeping one hand firmly on the painted blade. "I'm passing the torch. Now, kill that imposter."

His smirk turned into what looked like a sincere smile as he glowed briefly fading into a wisp of fog, leaving Souji with a ball of light in his hand and a bloody katana.

The World (?) - 4_5_6_7_8_9

Naoto appeared at his side, a hand on his back as he struggled to even sit, his katana falling from numb hands as he stared blankly at the pool of blood at his feet. "Wonderful! I can feel your despair. Such a raw feeling from having to break your self-imposed shackle. We may reach the end even more quickly than I hoped!"

Souji found the conviction to snap out of his stupor, gritting his teeth and standing to face Nyx. She simply smiled and gazed into his eyes for a moment; her crimson irises widening in recognition after a moment. "Ah...oh, that is amazing! This must be those Social Links that I've heard about from her memories! I see...he lives on through you. You truly are an interesting person. Not that it particularly matters at this point in the day."

Nyx giggled and turned away, only briefly looking over her shoulder as Naoto fired a powered bullet into her back. "...Those that remained awake during this Dark Night are fighting for their lives, despair and discord all but consuming them if not for their 'bonds' and their adrenaline! Their apathy as they realize that the full moon has risen will only increase, and they will surrender themselves to Death!"

Nyx allowed herself a laugh as she looked up, the ceiling of the building tearing away to reveal a long corridor behind the school, strewn with shadows, ruined structures resembling Tartarus and an enormous chapel-esque building lying about a mile away. "Kotone Shiomi's soul has almost been completely consumed, and, as my catalyst, the Fall will finally arrive."

She turned again to face the two. "If you wish to oppose me even further, then come. Join me at the Great Seal and watch it all."

She disappeared in a flash of static, leaving Souji and Naoto to ponder their next move.

[- Iwatodai_Port Island Station -]

"Sho-kun, help me out here!"

Labrys pinned a particularly intimidating Giant shadow to the wall with the haft of her axe, insistently cocking her head towards it as Sho eviscerated an approaching blob of ichor. "Stop freakin' out!"

He threw one of his swords like a lance, impaling the Giant as he dashed over and stomping on its head. Retrieving the makeshift spear, he placed both blades against its neck and spun backwards, cleaving its head from its stone body. He landed in a crouch, wiping the ooze off his blades before standing and bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. "C'mon. We gotta head to where Souji went. Get everyone else, make a bottleneck, all that."

"Fuuka-san, did ya catch that?

"Yes! I've already relayed the plan to the others, they're going to start pushing in that direction."

"Thanks bunches. Sho-kun, let's go!"

He responded by stepping around her and impaling an approaching shadow, punting it into a wall and grabbing her hand. "About damn time. Come on!"

"H-hey!"

Sho managed to drag her for a few feet before she stood her ground and yanked her hand back. Sho stumbled, his shoes kicking up a small cloud of dust as he came to a stop. He turned and fixed her with a glare that bore no real malice, but was admonishing regardless. "What? We have to move."

"We should go to the Kirijo building. Get Fuuka-san and keep her with us."

"She's already being protected! The hell do you want to go there for?"

"Three of ours isn't gonna be enough if this keeps up! We need to stick together, come on!"

She broke into a run, heading for the Kirijo building and leaving Sho in the dust. "Hey! Labrys, wait!"

He sighed, calling Tsukiyomi to open a portal. "Idiot."

He hopped in, warping close enough to Labrys to grab her by her shirt and pull her back into the portal. "Hey- whoaa!"

The two found each other in front of Kirijo HQ in but an instant, but Sho was unused to having a charge while he teleported. As such, the two were sent sprawling out of the portal, although Sho managed to land on his back and catch Labrys on top of him. He placed a protective hand on the android girl's head as they skidded across the road in front of the building for a few feet, ignoring the burns and pricks against his back until they stopped. "Ow, ow, ow…"

"You okay?"

Labrys squeezed her eyes shut before opening them slowly, her sight immediately focusing on Sho. "What were ya thinkin'?! You know I hate when you use those! And then you pulled me into one!"

Sho scoffed, crossing his arms behind his head; this was gonna take a minute. "Told ya to wait. I had my reasons."

"Well, you coulda told me!"

"Huh? Did you want me to go all," He clasped his hands in front of him, taking on a high-pitched singsong tone as he mocked, "'Hey, Labrys-chan! Would you mind if we cross the rainbow bridge? It'll get us to our dear friends so much faster!'"

Labrys grinned, about to comment on his impression when she noticed just where they were. "Ohmygosh, are you okay?"

"You just noticed?"

Labrys looked down, noticing rather distinctly that she was still atop him. "Uh...whoops. Let me, um...move."

"Uh-huh."

"Let's- let's go! Get the, er…"

"Uh-huh."

"Stop grunting at me!"

"Hmhmm…"

[- Tartarus_The Gate -]

Souji stared past the corridor, heaving a weary sigh and picking his katana off the floor. Naoto watched quietly as he searched for Totsuka, hefting it onto his back with a soft groan. He gazed down the path one more time before turning to Naoto. "Naoto, I have to do this."

"Don't you start with this hero schtick again. I'm going with you."

Souji smirked. "Wasn't gonna say that."

"Sure you weren't."

"Well, yeah, of course not. I mean, we might be kinda screwed here. I'd rather have you by my side than dying alone."

Naoto smiled, reaching up to cup his cheek fondly. "I'm glad. Well, as much as I can be, given the circumstances." Souji smiled, laughter in his eyes as he kept his cheek nuzzled against her palm. She rewarded him with a gentle little brush of her thumb. "Let me help you carry this burden."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

Her smile widened happily as she let him go and checked her weaponry, nodding to herself and saying, "Then, let's go."

[- Tartarus_The Great Seal -]

Souji's footprints echoed audibly on the cool stone floor, a quick look over his shoulder telling him that the room seemed to stretch on indefinitely in both directions. He continued walking silently until he came upon a statue of someone who looked oddly familiar. However, upon, closer inspection, it wasn't a statue at all.

It was a person. It was Kotone Shiomi.

"Ah, you came! Good, good. Now we can have one last dance." Nyx glanced past Souji and smirked at Naoto. "I see you've brought a third wheel."

Souji grunted, adjusting the Totsuka on his back and unsheathing his katana. Naoto followed suit, firming her stance and subtly drawing her revolver. "Afraid that's you, lady. This ends now."

"...I see. Then, let us begin."

Nyx slowly moved her arms in a circle, bringing one hand low and pulling it back to her shoulder, a line of black fire coating the trail. A split-second later, Kotone's naginata appeared, her fingers closing around it as it it were an old friend. She closed her eyes, her next words echoing throughout the white room.

"You will experience such suffering in life...that you will not be able to resist begging for death. And, of course, I shall...provide."

Nyx grinned and spread her arms wide, a fiery blue aura enveloping her as the telltale sound of glass breaking echoed through the air. Souji's eyes widened as he placed the sound to one that normally reassured him of his own strength; the summoning of a Persona. "Heed me, Messiah."

There was a warm flash of light as Kotone Shiomi's Persona burst into view, an open palm pressed against its chest as its other hand clutched a chain of eerie coffins. It floated briefly, landing behind Nyx and spreading its wings wide. Souji's eyes widened, but he growled and dug his heels into the earth and held Totsuka aloft. "This day just keeps getting better and better."

"Well, we're all in. May as well make the most of it."

Souji grinned, fueled by adrenaline and encouraged by Naoto's enthusiasm. "I like the way you think."

Adachi's back, baby! I wanted to write his dialogue as similar to the way Souji speaks, because y'know...it's cool. At least, to me it is.

The leadup to the end of this chapter was originally much different, and I went through several alternate scenarios. Dao could have survived, Naoto could have been left behind, or they all work together...possibilities!

On another note, been playin' NieR: Automata as of late...I could harp about that soundtrack for hours...Aah, life is beautiful sometimes. It's been a musical day for me. I listened the Automata OST, the Yakuza 0/6 OST, then I thought to myself, "Why do I like Labrys?" Then I listened to her theme and it all came flooding back to me. Aw...good times.

...Sorry for rambling. We're almost upon the finale, folks!