Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!
R3qu13m0f50ul5 - Thank you for saying so, sir. I can't take all the credit for that, though! It was originally my girlfriend's idea.
pureshadow013 - Glad to hear you like Duality! Tori's working on the next chapter but it's slow going because college. And... yes, it somewhat was because of a certain review. But also there was the fact that well... the original idea for chapter 37 was absolutely batshit insane and literally added nothing to the story in any way. I'd rather not get into that whole rigmarole.
sonicfan315 - No. You're thinking waaay too hard about this sort of thing, dude. Zeus will never appear in person in any story I write because Fuck Zeus™.
As always, thanks to PuppeteerOfHearts, ScarfDrilbur, and EllaLucarita for helping me sort out some of the kinks in this! And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!
"Alright... Heh, I just thought of something. This will likely be the last time we meet like this. Is everyone ready for tonight?"
"As I'll ever be." I reported. "Biggest, baddest things I can summon are on tap."
Jin shifted in his seat, looking at the pouch of throwing knives he'd been given. "...Can't say I'm gonna be able to adjust to the idea of working with you guys, but even if it's only for one night, I'll manage."
"If anyone else wasn't ready, I doubt they'd be in the meeting room." noted Shinjiro. "So I'd say the answer's 'yes'."
"U-um, Ryoji... can I ask you something?"
He turned to look at Yukari. "Of course. What is it?"
"...When we beat Nyx or whatever is waiting for us at the top of Tartarus and get rid of the Dark Hour... what will happen?"
Ryoji gave her a confused look. "...Life will go on?"
"I mean will we lose our memories?"
"Oh, that. No." he answered. "That would have only happened if you'd opted to kill me. I'd have used my power to suppress your memories and access to the Dark Hour."
Ken hummed. "...That sounds like something a soap opera would do for unnecessary drama."
"I was thinking more like a cheesy 'made for TV' movie personally..." added Chidori.
"There's a difference?" asked Jin, earning a smack to the arm for his troubles.
"Movies don't last for a TV season." Shinjiro deadpanned.
I just laughed. "Well, this conversation has derailed in short order..."
"Well... did you guys want to make a plan to meet up after this is all over?" asked Yukari. "I mean... in case it turns out we really will lose our memories."
"Not a bad idea." admitted Hamuko. "Hmm... probably not too soon after tonight if we forget everything..."
"Not at the dorm, either." Fuuka chimed in. "We'll come back here if all goes well regardless."
Akihiko hummed. "...It should be a special day. One we won't forget easily..." His eyes lit up. "What about Graduation Day?"
"That would be easy to remember." said Ken. "Considering you, Mitsuru-senpai, and Shinjiro-san will be graduating that day."
"Plus the school's going to make a big deal out of it no matter what we do." Junpei said. "So yeah, sounds like that's our best bet! But what about the location?"
"The roof of the school."
Everyone turned towards Aigis.
"So we can see the peaceful city, free of Shadows and Apathy Syndrome." she continued. "And remember how we feel at this moment in time..."
"...Y'know, I like the sound of that." said Chidori.
"Me too!" exclaimed Hamuko, hopping to her feet. "But we gotta go beat somethin' up first, so no since making plans for a victory party just yet!"
Junpei let out a groan of disappointment. "Aw man, why ya gotta ruin the fun, Hamu-tan?"
She giggled. "It's a thing I got from my mom."
"Well Junpei, that can be the first order of business once we have a victory to celebrate." chuckled Ryoji. "Right, Roy?"
"Hell yeah." I said, getting up from my seat. "So if we're all ready, stash your gear, grab your evokers, and let's get this show on the road. And in case worst comes to worst, I want you all to know one thing..."
I paused, taking a deep breath and letting out a heavy sigh.
"It has been an honor to share the field of battle with you guys. You're the best friends I've ever had."
Jin raised a hand. "You counting me in that?"
"A friend of Chidori's is a friend of mine. Still sorry about your ribs, too."
"They didn't break so it's all good. Just don't do it again."
"Deal."
We headed out an hour and a half before the Dark Hour hit. Once we arrived at Port Island, we had to work our way through some crowds at the station. It seems there was a Nyxist rally going on, that lady who was acting as an intermediary for Takaya standing on a platform and ranting on about 'the coming of Nyx-sama is nigh!' and all that crap. Thankfully, if she did spot our group moving through the crowd and knew about us, she didn't try to make the crowd attack or some shit.
The Dark Hour hit around when we were like, two minutes away from the entrance. Chidori got really agitated when that happened, and if I had to guess as to why? She was able to detect Takaya running inside. We did, however, have something nice waiting for us in the lobby.
"The hell happened to that door?" asked Junpei, looking at the top of the stairs. "Didn't it like... not have a bunch of skulls on it?"
"That was my doing." boomed the voice of Thanatos. "It will take you to where the final barricade had been; from there, you must reach the top on your own."
"Much appreciated." I said as everyone made sure their gear was on straight before leading them all up the stairs. "Just make sure you get ready to book it out the front door once this place starts to fall apart."
The sound of the Grim Reaper chuckling echoed behind us as we strode through the door, and upon stepping out into Adamah, Jin looked right at me.
"The hell have you guys been doing in here?"
"Magical things." I replied with a whimsical tone. "I've stopped questioning it at this point."
He seemed like he was about to ask another question, then just shook his head. "Chidori wasn't kidding; you people are strange."
"I'll take that as a compliment~!" Hamuko cheered as she sauntered towards the stairs with Shinjiro a couple steps behind her.
To put succinctly, the fighting going up the tower was brutal. Not from the Shadows, though more than a few of them were in various states of the same kind of corruption that was afflicting that last Tower Guardian we fought, mind you. Not even the more showy and goofy combatants like Junpei and Hamuko were in the mood for wacky hijinks on the battlefield. Damn near every confrontation we found ourselves in were ended in short order with all the force we could muster without overexerting, and that's not exactly something I'd ever define as a 'love tap'... unless 'love taps' involved bunker buster missiles. That said, we did eventually hit something of a roadblock.
"So, at last we have our final meeting..."
If you can consider Takaya a roadblock, anyways.
"Is the top of Tartarus past here?" Akihiko demanded. When the pale murderer responded with a nod, he spoke up again. "Then get out of our way."
Takaya stood up from the odd crystal formation he was seated on and looked at us. "I am not standing in your way... though I must attest, I didn't think I'd be seeing THEM in your midst."
"Life's full of surprises." Jin spat.
"So it is... not all of them good, of course." hummed the bleach blond man. "Though if you might indulge me but a moment... I must ask; what exactly are you troublesome people seeking? These are your final moments, for the end is nigh."
I heard Shinjiro shift behind me. "Sorry pal, can't just let that happen."
"You are merely wasting your energy. Why not celebrate this wonderful moment?" he asked. "What better way could you spend your final moments?"
"Ugh, would you just shut up already?!" Yukari demanded. "We didn't come all this way to have a heart-to-heart with a murderer!"
Takaya just seemed to ignore her, a philosophical expression on his face as he suddenly turned his gaze towards the ceiling. "...My life was stolen from me. In its place, I received a power I never asked for, and so I learned the future is only a delusion. Only by striving to live every moment to its fullest can the soul truly be-"
"Okay, y'know what?" I said sharply, cutting him off. "I don't care. We really don't have the time to listen to you stall out for everything to go to hell while you chatter, so!" I turned my head. "Jin, if you'd be so kind..."
Within an instant, two knives shot past my field of view, forcing Takaya to leap back out of the way before they went through the air where his kneecaps had been only an instant before.
"Thank you, give a holler if you need a hand!" I called as our group rushed forward, Junpei and Chidori bodily shoving the psychopath out of the way as we made for the stairs. "Pretty sure you'll get help from the local homeowner if you do! His name's Thanatos!"
"I'll keep that in mind, you just focus on keeping whatever is up there from killing everything!"
I vaguely heard Takaya shouting something before Jin retorted by evoking Morpheus. I still haven't asked what happened in that fight, and honestly I'm not sure it'll ever be my place to know.
Within a few moments, we stood atop the roof of Tartarus. Dark clouds hung in the air above us, only split by a gap that the sickly yellow moon shone through. The edges of the roof had statues with a bird-like motif to them, alight with black flame. The surface seemed to have a design etched into it. I couldn't quite make out what it was, but it reminded me of either a helipad or a target at a glance.
"So this is the top?" asked Chidori.
"I never thought I'd see it myself..." Mitsuru hummed. "...But where is...?"
Yukari let out a surprised yelp, pointing upwards. "Look up there! Something's coming this way!"
"What is it?"
"I... I don't know...!" reported Fuuka. "I can sense it without my Persona... it... feels like... Ryoji...?"
On instinct, I turned my head to the man in question and he was still there, looking up where Yukari had pointed.
-He's still there...- I thought, looking back towards the sky. -...Which would mean...-
What sounded like heavy wing beats started getting closer, a black splotch appearing infront of the moon. In a few seconds, it had a... bizarre silhouette. As it landed before us, it was plain to tell it was corrupt, same as the Shadows we'd fought on our way to the roof. It was large, easily a good five feet taller than even Shinjiro's Persona. It seemed hunched over, its lower legs not unlike something you'd expect from a large monster. Glossy black armor-like plates came out from around its waistline, a strange white almost skull-like carapace covering the center of its chest with a spike coming out from the back of each shoulder. Its arms... they were more like a masses of some sort of black, fleshy matter that split into several vaguely tentacle esque appendages at around where an elbow would logically be. Its actual skin appeared to be made of black feathers with blue edges, including a pair of large wings that jutted out from what looked like the base of its spine. The head was the only part that looked even remotely normal, appearing to be a bone white mask version of Ryoji's face with his exact hairstyle, albeit wilder and unkempt while a crown not unlike a rook chess piece rested upon its head.
"...The hell is that thing?!" Ryoji sputtered. "Is... that what I would have become...?"
|No.|
Everyone jumped at the... broken sounding voice coming from the creature. It was similar to Ryoji's, but more... warped. Distorted. Like someone had been fucking around with all the various creepy and deep settings on a voice modulator program.
|I was not meant... to be this.| It continued. |Alas... the influence was too great for a fragment such as myself to resist the corruption. Where Ryoji in my place, he would have maintained a more... benevolent appearance.|
"Jesus..." I muttered in English. "This is like some horror movie shit right here."
"What are you?" asked Mitsuru.
|...The Avatar of Nyx. Or... that is what I was.| It replied. |Now... I am a corrupt husk, speaking my last words before we are to do battle. That is why you are here, is it not?|
"...It is." Chidori replied.
|I see. Then I have but a final warning.| said the Avatar, wincing as if in pain. |You must... destroy me quickly. Erebus... he knows Nyx is coming. If he... reaches her...|
"The Fall?"
|Yes... please...| The Avatar's body convulsed again, a crack appearing on the mask it called its face. |End... me...!|
I heard everyone take up a combat stance as I shifted into one myself. "Kinda been the plan, pal. No hard feelings."
{I believe in you all!} Fuuka proclaimed via Juno's psychic link. {We can win this!}
The Avatar let out a distorted roar, a blue glow appearing on parts of its body as its whip-like arms beat against the ground a few times. |HAVE AT ME, MORTALS!|
Within a moment of that statement, Persona summonings rang out and various attacks slammed into the creature. It took them all without much more than a minor flinch, an air of arrogance around it that hadn't been there a few moments ago.
|Is that all?| it mocked, its voice having become decidedly more antagonistic in tone.
"Just getting started!" Junpei exclaimed, Trismegistus exploding into existence and unleashing a blast of fire in tandem with a wind blast from Isis and ice shards from Artemisia.
Recoiling a few steps back from that and subsequent attacks, the glow that had started with the battle proper seemed to spread up its body.
|The moment that man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate. Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope...| said the Avatar, the image of a Fool Arcana tarot card appearing between us and it. |Yes, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... Attaining one's dream requires a steadfast will and unfailing determination.|
The Fool card exploded, leaving The Magician in its place before vanishing completely.
{Wha... it's arcana changed to the Magician?!}
"Oh this is so my fault." I said, unleashing Sirius to attack in tandem with Cerberus. The flames from the latter did exactly nothing to the Avatar, while the former's full body tackle seemed to hurt it. "The hell, did its resistances switch too?!"
{...Yes! It absorbs fire now!}
"Doesn't mean I can't do THIS!"
To punctuate that statement, Vaisravana and Caesar hit the Avatar with what looked like force equivalent to a train with no brakes. Mitsuru and Hamuko, following their example, likewise joined in by throwing what amounted to a glacier at the creature with some creative wind assistance from Yukari and Ryoji. I simply went for a more direct approach and summoned Merlin to unleash Megidolaon explosions as Themis threw several giant spears at it.
In retrospect on this fight, I don't think the Avatar was quite prepared for the sheer amount of hurt we were throwing its way. Then again, we weren't prepared for all the tricks it had either so I guess it came out even? I mean we still WON because if we didn't, I wouldn't be writing this but c'mon, it was pretty goddamn stupid.
Of course, just because we were wailing on the bastard doesn't mean he just LET us do it unmolested. Oooooh hell to the no on that part, he was blasting out some kinda weird wave of black and blue fire half the time and it punched through any kind of resistance we threw up, though that defensive aura Aigis has took a some of the bite out of it, as did the offensive debilitation move Akihiko can do. Still hurt and eventually we hit it hard enough that it blasted us all back as the Magician card appeared again.
|The Arcana is... the means by which all is revealed. The silent voice within one's heart whispers the most profound wisdom.|
The card exploded, replaced with the Priestess before it disappeared as the glow spread up more of its body.
{Another change...? It's Priestess now and absorbs ice skills!}
"Goody goody, the bastard's probably going to go through everything up to Death knowing our luck!" I griped, calling forth Raijuu to electrocute it to hell and back before having to dodge a massive ice blast from the Avatar. "Wonderful!"
"Less complaining, more fighting!" Ryoji shouted. "Persona!"
"Yeah yeah, I know!"
I won't lie, the fighting kinda blurs together since it was mainly just a giant chaotic mess of SEES throwing everything they had at the big ol' target we were squaring off against between dodging its attacks, me, Yukari, and Ken healing everyone, and the occasional 'block something with our face so someone else doesn't get hit even harder' situation. Makes for a boring read, I know, but there's only so much you can remember when you're fighting for not only your life, but the lives of everyone else on the entire planet. Hard to keep track of everything with that in mind, y'know? Of course, even with that being the case, some of what happens sticks out in a person's memory no matter what was going on.
With another burst of energy, the Avatar blasted Thanatos and Anansi off of it, the glow spreading up its body again as the Priestess card appeared.
|The Arcana... is the means by which... all is revealed. Celebrate life's... grandeur... its brilliance... its... magnificence...|
"Is it just me, or is having a harder time talking every time it switches?" asked Ken as the Priestess card exploded into Empress and disappeared.
"No, it's not just you." said Chidori, Hestia unleashing a wall of searing flames upon the Avatar. "Is it because of how much we're damaging it?"
Shinjiro made a sort of non-committal grunt before his own Persona appeared, a massive hand descending from above the monster and slamming into it at Vaisravana's command. "Probably the best train of thought, since that means we're actually hurting this damn thing!"
"What Shinji said!" chimed in Akihiko, Caesar bursting into existence and unleashing a barrage of lightning bolts from the tip of his sword.
I'm... okay, I'm only half certain it's around this point that things started getting a bit on the odd side for the fight, mainly because I kinda vaguely recall jumping onto the Corrupted Avatar and punching it in the face a few times. I tried that trick more than once actually, because I realized we were kinda dumb about something when it started switching Arcana again.
|The... Arcana is... the means... by which... all is revealed. Only... courage in the... face of doubt... can lead one to... the answer...|
As the Empress card started exploding into Emperor, I'd taken the chance to get myself to land on the Avatar again, Trismegistus and Athena right behind me as I just hauled off and slugged the damn thing in the face as hard as I could, which is pretty damn hard considering me being half Oni.
|ThE... aRcAnA iS... tHe... M-mEaNs-S-s By Wh-WhIcH aLl Is ReVeAlEd...|
I got launched off right as the other two Persona hit it, which I vaguely registered alongside the sound of the arcana switch card explosion. Mainly because um... well, I kinda got blasted a lot farther than normal. As in, I went over the side of Tartarus farther.
Let me tell you, seeing Iwatodai pavement about two-hundred fifty-something stories down and getting closer isn't fun. It's worse when you can hear one of your friends panicking inside your head. Lucky for me, I came prepared.
"CTHULHU!"
Very prepared.
I landed on the Old One's shoulder before I started falling too fast, letting me stand up as ol' squid head loomed beside Tartarus. I'll be perfectly honest, I think the Personas I summon that're on the bigger side scale themselves to where I summon them. It would certainly explain why Cthulhu's right shoulder was a good ten or so feet above the top of Tartarus while I'm damn sure his feet were on the ground when he was summoned out here as opposed to merely barely fitting in the halls inside that damn tower when I summoned him in there a few times.
I leapt off the Lovecraftian Horror's shoulder as he began to raise his arm, only to slam it down on the Avatar.
|tHe ArCa-!|
Lift, and slam again as the arcana switch noise went off.
|THE ARCANA SHOWS THE MEANS BY WHICH ALL SHALL DIE|
Pain shot through my head as Cthulhu roared in anger, the Old One sinking back into the depths of my mind, the arm that had been smashed down on our opponent sporting a nasty gash.
|CONTROL IS FLEETING, AND FREEDOM A LIE|
The Corrupted Avatar let out a horrifying, screeching roar as a Lovers Arcana card shattered into the Reversed Chariot. It was also at this point that I noticed the glow spreading up its body was actually comprised of roman numerals, namely the ones corresponding to Arcana it'd used thus far.
I didn't get much time to wonder what it meant beyond 'please don't be a count down to us being completely fucked or something' as the Avatar started going apeshit. Feral, beastly noises and savage attacks came fast and brutally. Even Aigis and Shinjiro weren't able to keep footing when the bastard swung at them. Cerberus got batted aside by one of the creature's massive arms, and Artemisia was nearly crushed by the fist of an angry god. Even most of my repertoire of Personae wasn't able to stand for more than a hit from this thing, but on the bright side the Avatar was so hellbent on murdering everything that it didn't bother to try and block or dodge, and under the flurry of attacks being launched both ways it didn't take long for it to switch again.
|THE ARCANA IS THE MEANS BY WHICH ALL SHALL DIE. ALL IS BLACK AND WHITE, AND VENGENCE MUST BE CAST UPON THOSE WHO HAVE WRONGED|
The shift in the Avatar's tactics as Chariot gave way to Justice was about as abrupt as a train plowing through a living room. It just... stood there, unleashing various Hama attacks and only occasionally that blue and black fire attack. To say we beat it into the ground inside of approximately fifteen seconds is something of an understatement.
|THE ARCANA IS THE MEANS BY WHICH ALL SHALL DIE. SOLITUDE IS THE ONLY TRUE ALLY TO THE SOUL|
Hermit lasted about two seconds longer than Justice. If this feels anti-climactic to read, that's because it was even more anti-climactic in person.
|THE ARCANA IS THE MEANS BY WHICH ALL SHALL DIE. MERCY HAS NO PLACE IN THE HANDS OF FATE|
Fortune is where things went back to being hell in a handbasket. Attacking with one attribute and also nullifying it is one thing. Unleashing FOUR with immunities to match is just plain rude. Rude enough that, if I recall Shinjiro's exact choice of words correctly, the consensus was to 'Fuck this bitch up till it's nothing but a bloody smear on the masonry'. So me, Shinjiro, Junpei, and Aigis did exactly that. Lemme tell you, three people who can charge up their Persona's attack capability plus someone offering extra attack power on top of someone else lowering the enemy's defensive capacity makes for one pretty hefty blast of pure, physical pain. Rather literally on Vaisravana's part.
|THE ARCANA IS THE MEANS BY WHICH ALL SHALL DIE-|
Now by this point, I was sick of this thing talking, and according to Fuuka we'd been fighting it for damn near a half hour up to that point; we were two-thirds of the way through the Dark Hour and it was still goddamn trucking. So I got a little pissed. Okay, more than a little pissed, but my capacity to fuck around was kinda non existent given how it was either beat this thing or we all die. So, having NOT learned my lesson about jumping on the Corrupted Avatar from earlier, I proceeded to jump onto it AGAIN and start punching. Like, full on 'I don't even care anymore because I'm not entirely human ya fuck nugget' punching. That bracelet good ol' Naoki Kashima gave me was about to be worth its weight in gold.
It'd barely finished switching to Strength, which Fuuka later reported should've completely nullified any physical attack, before I punched it again and it switched to Hanged Man. Its voice boomed with a 'The' before I smashed it in the head yet AGAIN, and this time it actually blasted me off, but Trismegistus and Usas had by back and caught me before I went over the edge a second time that night.
|THE FRUIT OF KNOWLEDGE SEALED THE FATE OF MAN AT THE FIRST BITE. YET HE FUTILY CLINGS TO HOPE WHERE NONE EXISTS. ALL SHALL REACH AN ABSOLUTE END, TO RESIST IS BUT FOLLY. DEATH AWAITS ALL WHO WALK THIS EARTH, AND I AM HERE TO DELIVER IT UNTO THE WORLD!|
The Hanged Man card dissolved into the Death card, the glow on the body of the Avatar stopping where it all met the bone-like chest piece. Only then did it reveal it also happened to have a lovely skull motif, as the eye sockets lit up with blood red orbs, and the mouth opened as it reared back for one final, hellish roar of the damned. As per the norm with this battle, SEES' retort was to hammer it with everything we had. I even passed the Demi-Fiend's bracelet to Mitsuru to make sure this thing was getting blasted into submission by the heaviest hitters. Sure it might've been smarter to use it more myself or hand it to say, Shinjiro or Chidori, but Mitsuru... I get the feeling she needed it most right there. To just cut loose with nothing stopping her, if only to be at peace with herself for having done everything in her power to make Ikutsuki's dream die like the man himself.
Plus Mitsuru's ability to freeze things is just as stupid as Shinjiro's capacity to smash Shadows into pulp so y'know, there was actual strategy in mind with that.
Everything was flying every which way. Lightning, Wind, Blue flames, toxic mist, if a Persona or Shadow could do it, it was shooting through the air for a solid seven or eight minutes. The Avatar kept trying to use some kinda rip off of that thing Ryoji's Thanatos could do or some weird barrier but they didn't seem to work quite like it wanted them to. In the end, a combined blast from Mitsuru, Yukari, Ken, Chidori, and, to my great surprise once I realized he'd shown up, Jin was what finally got something as close to a death shriek as the Avatar was able to make before it collapsed to the ground.
"Ha... Did we do it?" Mitsuru asked between gasps for air.
"Dunno..." replied Hamuko as she likewise tried to catch her breath. "...Anyone wanna... ha... blast it again to be sure?"
Before anyone could answer, the Avatar stirred.
"It's still moving?!" sputtered Jin. "You guys have been fighting it for almost the entirety of the Dark Hour!"
|SUCH A PITY...|
The Avatar rose, the mask on its face falling away as shattered porcelain. In its place was a pair of screaming red eyes and razor sharp teeth in an eternal smile.
|FIGHT ALL YOU DESIRE; YOUR EFFORTS ARE FOR NAUGHT, MORTALS.| it bellowed, the Avatar's mouth not actually moving as it spoke. |THE WORLD WOULD NEED BETTER CHAMPIONS THAN THE LIKES OF YOU TO FORSTALL THIS FATE.|
I heard a defiant 'SHUT UP' from behind me before three arrows punctured the Avatar's left shoulder. It didn't even flinch at them. Instead, it rose into the air, a beam of light shooting out from the crown on its head towards the moon.
It was about there that it hit me.
"A good view of the stars..." I mumbled. "God damn it, I'm a moron! It's the moon! Nyx is on, or IN, the moon!"
|YES! AND NOW I SHALL SEE TO IT SHE BURNS THE LIFE FROM ALL YOUR KIND, MORTAL!|
Ever have one of those moments where you really, REALLY hate being right about something? That was me at that exact moment of time. The others, however, had taken to trying to blast the Avatar. The damn thing didn't react to any of it, no matter what was hitting him. It all stopped when the glow of its eyes intensified for a moment, then what I can only describe as a wave of force coming from the moon started cranking up the gravity. It was a struggle to keep standing, forget trying to use a Persona.
"What... is this...?" Ken stammered.
"This... is nothing...!" I heard Yukari growl.
Shinjiro made a frustrated grunt from somewhere to my left. "Damn it...! What's it doing...?!"
|PITIFUL...| the Corrupt Avatar spat. |YOUR STRUGGLE IS IN VAIN.|
"Rrrgh..." snarled Junpei. "I won't back down!"
"Right behind ya, buddy!" I called out, even though I wasn't any better off. "Just... keep fighting...!"
The sound of Aigis' Orgia Mode came from my right. "I will never give up! Never!"
As if out of spite, another wave of force hit us and the already intense gravity just got even worse. I heard a shout and a whimper within two seconds.
"Ken!" Akihiko called out. "Koromaru!"
The sound of Orgia Mode quickly tapered off and was replaced by two thuds.
"Son of a bitch...!" Junpei exclaimed. "I can't... get up...!"
"We've come this far!" roared Mitsuru. "I WILL NOT SUBMIT!"
"Yeah, what she said!" I bellowed. "THAT ALL YA GOT, YOU UGLY PRICK?!"
Additional spite came by way of a third force wave. Everyone who was still on their feet hit the ground except me, if only because I'd braced myself on one knee.
"COME ON!" I screamed, hellbent on getting up if only to flip off that stupid monster. "THAT IT?! I BARELY FEEL A THING!"
It was all, bluster though. It was everything and then some just to not have my face pressed against the stone. My vision started to blur, and I swear I heard music as blue gripped at the edges of my vision.
"FUCK YOU, EREBUS!" was what I thought my last words would be as my strength gave out and I collapsed to the ground.
Within an instant, I was standing on a checkerboard path. I sprinted straight towards the door and smashed into it shoulder first, finding myself seated across from Igor one last time.
"There's no need to worry..." he began. "This isn't the afterlife; you're still alive." Igor's expression shifted. He still had his trademark grin, but something seemed... serious about it now. Not the usual 'whimsy' feeling that came with how he spoke. "Do you remember what I once told you? How the strength of your Social Links will determine your potential?"
"...Vaguely at best." I admitted. "Getting smashed against a stone floor by high gravity doesn't do much for the memory, sadly."
Igor chuckled softly, holding a hand up to his ear. "Listen... can you hear the many voices? Each one's power is limited, yet they all reach out to you... Can you feel them?"
"...I think so..." I answered somewhat hesitantly. I was feeling something all right, but it could've been anything from potential blood loss to a simple bruise on my forehead.
"Close your eyes and listen carefully." he insisted. "Their voices are faint, but I am certain you can hear them."
I took his advice and closed my eyes. It didn't take more than a few seconds for voices to fill my mind. One by one, I could hear people I knew.
First it was Bunkichi and Mitsuko; the Old Couple from Bookworms. Then it was Hidetoshi. Ms. Toriumi. Maiko. Kaz. Even Akinari.
"Can you hear them?" asked Igor. "These are the voices of hope that wish to help you. Separately, they are weak; but together, they will bring about a great change in you. Now is the time to draw on the true strength of the bonds you have forged!"
I started opening my eyes, but closed them again when I realized there was a damn near blinding light right infront of me. After a bit of hesitation, I dared to actually look.
"I never dreamed of seeing this card with my own eyes..." he said, awe in his tone as the two of us stared at the glowing card floating above the table between us. "This is indeed a surprise! Behold, my young friend; the last power you and I shall unveil; It is the power to bring about a new beginning, or the ultimate end. It may be possible now, with this newfound power, to defeat that which cannot be defeated."
I held out a hand towards the card and it floated over to me, hovering above my palm.
"What you have in your hands is the power of the Universe... Nothing is outside the realm of possibility for you now."
The card gently landed on my hand and vanished as a soft chuckle escaped me.
"The Universe is just the Thoth deck name for the World, Igor." I pointed out. "But that's pretty much semantics right now."
He chuckled. "Indeed it is."
"We will soon arrive at your destination." Elizabeth reported.
"It seems that in addition to Death, fate has also dealt you the Wild Card." said Igor as I stood up. "You must accept your destiny." He held out a hand towards me. "Our contract has been fulfilled, and I have completed my role as well." The smile on his face suddenly seemed... genuine. "You were truly a remarkable guest."
I chuckled, reaching out to shake Igor's hand. "Death means change, not the end. And y'know? I've changed a lot since April. I like who I am now. I've got friends I can depend on." A cocky smirk plastered itself on my face. "And I'd really hate to disappoint them."
"I do not believe you will." said Elizabeth, stepping around Igor's chair to likewise shake my hand. "But... it has been a pleasure working with you, Master Roy."
"Just Roy is fine, Elizabeth." I said as I let go of her hand. "You take care of yourself and your boss, okay? And don't be afraid to drop by if you ever get the chance."
She smiled at me as the giant doors behind Igor's chair opened up, light flooding into the room. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind... Roy."
Once the light died down, I found myself on Tartarus again. I was laid out on the ground but... everything felt normal. I could hear everyone else struggling, which reminded me of what I needed to do. I had something resembling a plan, and hey, if I'm not getting weighed down, I'm gonna go through with it.
I grunted as I stood up. The aches in my body just seemed to melt away.
"What the...? Roy?"
I took a step forward, if only to see if my legs worked. They did.
"What's this... power I sense?"
|IMPUDENT MORTAL|
I looked up at the Avatar.
|LAY DOWN AND DIE LIKE THE FOOL YOU ARE!| It exclaimed lunging right at me.
I caught its attack like it was nothing. I don't think anyone was more surprised by that then me, but I rolled with it.
"Shut up and move, lard ass." I spat, near literally tossing the Corrupt Avatar aside like a rag doll. "I'm not in the mood."
"How... are you standing?"
I looked back at the others. Ryoji was the best off out of all of them; he'd at least managed to get into a position that'd help him stand up from lying prone on his stomach.
"I'm... not sure?" I admitted, scratching my neck. "But... I've got an idea. No time to explain, though; I need to hurry or it won't work."
"What?" asked Hamuko. "Wait... where are you going?"
I pointed my thumb towards the moon as I backed away. "Up there. Don't worry, I'll be right back. Just gotta go make sure everything's okay topside."
"N-No...! Don't go!"
I froze. The look on Aigis' face as she said that almost made my heart break.
"...I have to, Aigis." I said, my voice solemn. "But I'm coming back. I promise you I'll come back... just, let me get this sorted out... Okay?"
"Ngh...! Damn it... why the hell can't I stand up...?!" Junpei snarled as I stared backing away again. "Roy... wait!"
I turned away from them as I broke into a sprint. I could see a staircase I'm fairly certain they couldn't.
"I said I'll be right back and I meant it!" I shouted over my shoulder. "You really think I'm gonna disappear? I don't got it in me to hurt my friends, let alone my girlfriend!"
"Damn it Roy...!" Ryoji called out. "What're you gonna do?!"
"GO TO THE MOON!" I half sang, half yelled as I started getting out of earshot. "PUNCH A GOD!"
Running up a fight of stairs straight to the moon is trippy. Running up a flight of stairs to the moon while trying to outrun something hellbent on Armageddon is nerve wracking. I'd sort of vaguely caught a glimpse of Erebus rising up towards the moon as I started up these stairs. Not wanting to risk the fucker beating me to the top, I ran with everything I had, which was a surprisingly large amount... up until I just started literally flying, only stopping once I reached some kind of dawn like cloud top landscape. There was just orange, clouds, and some other colors as I stood there by myself. No sign of the moon anywhere.
"Oh, hello there young man!"
I turned my head and a Mediterranean woman in a flowing purple dress was walking towards me.
"Could I perhaps trouble you with a question?" she asked. "I'm looking for my son, Thanatos. Have you perchance made his acquaintance?"
"...Yeah... I know the guy." I answered dumbly. "Black hair, kinda pale, bright blue eyes, wears a big, black coat?"
The woman beamed and clapped her hands a few times. "Yes yes, that's him! It's been millennia since I last spoke to him. Can you tell me where he is?"
I laughed weakly. "Yeah... and you're Nyx, right?"
"The one and only." she replied with a hint of pride in her voice. "Why?"
"Well, then I've got some good news and some bad news for you."
Her eyes narrowed. "...What's the good news?"
"You're a grandmother."
Nyx's expression became one of disbelief. "...Truly?"
"I've had to help your grandson hide from a pack of would-be suitors. Repeatedly."
She seemed to wipe away a tear at that, joy shining in her eyes. "But, then what's the bad... news...?"
Her eyes widened in fear and she started backing away from me. I winced.
"There's something really bad standing behind me, isn't there?" I asked. "Because if there is... that's Erebus. He's the bad news."
I slowly turned around as Nyx kept backing away, only to get blindsided by a giant limb and get launched past the Goddess of the Night and slide to a stop on the ground.
"Fucking hell..." I groaned, struggling to get up as I heard Nyx scream.
"S-STAY AWAY FROM ME!" She shouted, running in my direction. "BEGONE!"
|NYYYX...|
I scrambled to my feet and sprinted towards her, pulling her out of the way before Erebus unleashed some sort of black and blue explosion. It hit me like a ton of bricks and I fell over again.
"A-Are you alright?!"
"Been better..." I replied. I couldn't even bring myself to stand now. "Lots better."
{There's nothing we can do!?}
I blinked. -Ken?-
{Don't give up! We have to believe in him!}
I heard some loud footsteps. Erebus was getting closer, but that was absolutely Akihiko's voice.
{Give him strength! Take my life if you must!}
-WHAT THE FUCK, SENPAI?!-
An instant later, I nearly had a heart attack because I felt strength returning to my body. I was actually able to get up because of it and see what I was up against.
Erebus... whatever he had been was lost to horrific mutations. What I was staring down was some kind of two-headed bird monster with dog skulls for heads, two giant arms, and wings that were both missing about half their feathers.
"H-How are you standing?! That blast was...!"
I laughed weakly. "I'm tougher than I look."
As if to prove me wrong, the left head's skeletal maw opened and another blast of blue and black death washed over me. But this time... it didn't even hurt. It was like it parted around me, with Nyx in the safe zone directly behind me.
"What the...?!"
|NYYYX...|
{Yeah! I'm willing to risk mine, too!}
-Yukari?- I thought. -Where the hell are these voices coming from?-
{He's going to face it all by himself...!}
-Correction; Nyx is like two feet behind me, Fuuka.-
{No, he's not alone! I WON'T LET HIM DIE!}
I smirked. -Heh... now that's the Junpei we all know and love.-
I felt more strength pour back into me. It was almost surreal, honestly. Here I was, staring down a giant, nigh-omnipotent monster and I was surviving due to the power of friendship. I know the situation was really, really serious but man... friendship powers just kinda whiplash the mood in that situation.
|BEGONE...|
The right head fired the blast this time. I just wound up my arm and punched it. Dunno what I expected to happen, but 'cause the attack to stop existing' wasn't it.
"How are... wait, you have...!"
Koromaru's furious barking filled my mind for a moment, followed by another voice.
{You can do this, Roy! I know you can!}
-Heh... thanks, Chidori.-
{Man, whatever you're gonna do, get on with it! We don't have all night and it's our only shot!}
-Hey, a guy can only work so fast, Mochizuki!-
{C'mon, you didn't make it this far just to half ass it!}
-DAMN RIGHT I DIDN'T, SHINJIRO!-
{I won't allow this world to be destroyed!}
"And neither will I." I said, feeling even more power well up inside of me. "Now let's see what this 'Universe' can do!"
I held out my hand as the card of the Universe Arcana appeared above my palm. It span in place twice before I crushed it, near blinding light shining from my clenched fist as well as my other hand. The power was incredible... I'd never felt anything like it.
Erebus let out a roar and tried to attack with both heads. The blasts didn't even make it half way before they evaporated.
"Alright double ugly, let's see how well you handle being on the receiving end of a smackdown!" I shouted. "Don't think killing your sorry ass will actually help matters, but doesn't mean I can't beat the tar outta you! LET'S FUCKING RUMBLE, JACKASS!"
I just heard some confused yelling behind me from Nyx as I rushed at Erebus, both my hands drawn back. I stopped about ten feet away from Erebus and threw my arms forward along with all the power I could throw with them. The blinding light of the Universe Arcana washed over the ancient being, screams of pain and hate echoing through the daybreak landscape as the energy burned its body and chains began to wrap around it. Within seconds, the chains were pulling it inside a massive, stone doorway as it struggled in vain to be free of its binds. As the light began to die down, it let out a final, angry roar before the doors slammed shut, more chains wrapping around them to keep them closed. For good measure, I threw the rest of the power at the chains, creating a hopefully eternal lock to bind them all together. It may take a while to be fully rid of him, but it's better than the alternative.
Silence followed for a moment, then I kinda staggered backwards.
"Hah... holy shit, I didn't think that'd work..." I admitted, turning to look at Nyx. "You okay?"
"I... yes, but... how?"
I smiled. "Wild Card Persona User. Guess this all was my last power spike, though... and I used damn near all of it to do that. Don't think he'll be bothering anyone for a very, very long time."
Nyx stared at the massive stone door for a few seconds before nodding. "...Indeed. That was... quite the powerful seal you created. But... why not simply destroy him?"
"It's a long term kinda thing?" I admitted. "Like... the idea is that the seal is feeding off of Erebus' own power as much as it is what I used to make it. So in theory, it'll slowly let him die as opposed to violently exploding something primordial. I don't wanna take chances on that having nasty repercussions when I've been trying to save the world for the past like ten months."
She looked at the seal again, a sad look in her eyes. "...Perhaps it will allow him to die as he was, instead of the creature he became." She shook her head, then looked at me. "But... I believe you said I had a Grandson? Where is he?"
"Iwatodai, Japan. I can kinda show you the way there, but uh... you'll have to get us there. I'm pretty much tapped out..."
The goddess giggled. "Very well, young man." She held out a hand to me. "Do hold on tight, I'd hate to drop you."
"I've got good grip." I chuckled, taking her hand before she started making a path down through the clouds. "Saved my hide more than once, that's for sure."
"Ugh, what is this dreadful air?"
"Short version; Someone kinda made a fake version of Tartarus and stole some of Thanatos' power to do it. We've been trying to get rid of it and he's kinda helped since he's been stuck inside, and also because it makes the world all green and bloody."
"Oh goodness, when will that boy learn to stay out of trouble? God of Death or not, you should always exercise caution!"
"I think he's figured that out the hard way a few times. Can you do anything about it?"
"Well of course! Your little friends are atop the tower, yes?"
"Yeah..."
"Then I'll get them down and be rid of that mockery of a tower. That was your intent, wasn't it?"
"Mmhm. Much appreciated, ma'am."
"Oh, it's nothing really. I'm just glad I can see my children again... even if it does sound like Thanny needs a stern talking to."
-My life is fucking insane and I love every minute of it.-
The two of us finally landed atop Tartarus, and SEES was nowhere to be found. Nyx tapped her foot as she looked around.
"What ghastly décor..." she hummed. "Honestly, Tartarus had more class than this abomination."
She snapped her fingers and the tower shuddered. The door to the interior changed as she started towards it, and I followed in step behind her. Once we stepped through, we were standing out front of Tartarus. My friends were there, looking up at the tower. I turned my gaze to see what was happening as a bell started to resound. Slowly but surely, that hellish blight upon the world began to fall apart. As the final chime echoed through the air, Tartarus was gone and the Dark Hour with it.
"We did it..." I heard Yukari say with a laugh, causing me to turn around. "WE DID IT! It's... it's really gone this time!"
"WHO DA BEST!?" exclaimed Hamuko and Junpei in unison. "WE DA BEST!"
"Take it easy, party animals." I laughed, striding towards everyone. "We gotta get home and sleep this shit off before we can really celebrate."
All eyes were on me... and presumably the deity standing behind me. It took a second, but confused looks became smiling faces as my friends rushed over. Aigis beat the pack, hugging me tightly.
"Y-You're alright!" she sobbed. "I... I was so scared..."
I smiled as I returned the embrace. "Hey, I said I'd be back, didn't I? Just had to get a little help getting down."
I noticed Ryoji slowly walking past me as several of the others joined Aigis in the impromptu group hug.
"...Nyx?" he asked nervously as he approached the Goddess of Night.
She nodded. "Yes, that is my name... are you... my grandson?"
"After a fashion, yes he is."
Within an instant, there was a loud SLAP and Thanatos was staggering.
"Young man, I've some words for you!" said Nyx, glaring at her son. "Your little red friend told me quite the tale about what you've been up to recently!"
"Wait wha- ROY!"
I just grinned. "I apologize for nothing."
Thanatos just looked so exacerbated with everything as Nyx started scolding him, a few of us in SEES having a laugh before we started off back home. We'd more than earned the rest.
It was strange at first. Getting used to the Dark Hour being gone, I mean. There wasn't any memory loss. Our Personas didn't go away. The only thing to really disappear besides Tartarus and the Shadows was the Velvet Room door in Paulownia Mall. I still had the key, but it didn't do anything anymore. Just a memento, same as the Tarot Deck.
The Nyx Cult scattered quickly after February 1st. Takaya's body was found outside of the Gekkoukan Gates at around three in the morning by a patrolling Police Officer. His cause of death was apparently listed as an overdose, but there wasn't any mention of knife wounds. Kinda makes me think it was the Shadows that ultimately did him in. The final victim of Apathy Syndrome.
Jin actually got hired by the Kirijo Group, believe it or not. His skills with a computer almost put Fuuka's to shame so they assigned him to helping crack through Ikutsuki's Files. He still showed up every so often to say hello and heckle Junpei and Chidori. He seemed like a changed man, now that Takaya was well and truly gone.
Gekkoukan High itself was the same as it was before the Nyxists sprang up. A lot of the students quickly made it the butt of jokes with all the bullshit tied to it. A lot more students started coming back, too; with the Shadows gone, the Apathy Syndrome patients began to recover. It was nice to see that all of our hard work had payed off.
As for the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, we stuck together. Mitsuru-senpai was surprisingly reluctant to formally dissolve the group, and I can't say I blamed her. Then again, she'd had her nose to the proverbial grindstone since graduation was pretty much right around the corner so I imagine if any decision was made about our motley crew, it'd come after the graduation ceremony. I didn't mind much, though. More time to spend with my friends was always a good in my book.
Lastly, I guess... well, there's me. It got hard for me to work up the drive to write in this Journal anymore after the final battle. I'd made this to keep track of all the supernatural weird in my life, and now... it's gone. Sure I've still got like twelve Personae kicking around in my head, but there's no real pressing, world-saving reason to use them. So life has become what I imagine normal is like for a lot of people, though not many people have hijinks on the magnitude I did when Valentine's day rolled around. Let's just say Aigis had very strange ideas about how to make chocolate and leave it at that.
So I guess... this is it. The last time I'll probably write in this journal unless something else comes up involving supernatural forces. Heh... can't entirely say I won't miss the crazy, but I think I've got the rights to a break from it at this point. I gotta get going anyways; Aigis wanted me to come with her to the roof of Gekkoukan. It's Graduation day, after all. We've got a promise to keep.
Author Notes - Hate to break it to you Roy, but the story's not over till it's over. We're still four chapters out from the end, dude; Things are going to get a hell of a lot stranger for you.
After all, I have to explain the set-up to how you wind up in Inaba for Golden Moon still. Mwehehehehe...