Hey there, reader!

As the name implies, it's time for some closure. The story's far from over, so expect more chapters in the near future. Hopefully, I won't go into "do you remember?" territory and have the cast recapping everything from the previous chapters. If you notice me going in that direction, let me know in the review box below!

I'm cranking out as much material as I can, and I'm planning on writing new fanfics after this one. If you're interested, tell me which franchises or games I should write about next. I'm very open for suggestions now. As for the story here, I still have plenty of surprises in the works. It's been a fun ride, but it's time for characters' arcs to close.

Warning: chapter contains graphic material and violence. Viewer discretion is advised.

A brief thank you to RubyMoonz, DdotChou, MoldyJellyBean, ShadowDragoon32, Shiro No Kishidan, Pokepia's Haunt,kyoto knight, and CodyGotKilld.

Chapter 38

The End

CM Academy West Side, Conan's Room: 7:05 AM

"Good morning," said a familiar voice. It was Pharos standing at the side of Conan's bed. "This is the first time we've talked during the day."

Conan lay in his cot and lazily opened his eyes. He felt dead tired after returning to the dorm last night, and he felt tired still. Had he had it his way, he would have slept ten minutes longer. The voice of Pharos was enough to get Conan to wake up from his deep sleep. The junior glanced at his alarm clock and realized that it was morning. He rubbed his eyes to be sure he wasn't still dreaming. His eyes weren't deceiving him: Pharos was standing in his room outside of the Dark Hour.

The boy in striped clothes glanced around. "A shame your room doesn't have any windows. I bet the sun outside would be great this time of year."

Conan rose and started getting dressed into his CM Academy uniform. "Yeah, yeah," he said.

"How was it? Facing the final arcana Shadow?"

"Scary and badass at the same time. At least the Black Ace didn't break loose this time around."

"I'll say. I am content whenever you are content. Oh, that hurt. You know, sending me up there with the Nihil Hand."

Conan paused while buttoning his shirt. "What did you say?"

"You heard me. I am part of your true self," said Pharos with a grin. The thin silhouette of the Black Ace appeared behind him and faded away. "Couldn't you tell?"

The junior stuck a finger at the boy in front of him. "You're serious?" he asked.

Pharos shrugged. "Why else would I appear to you?"

Conan raised an eyebrow. Somehow, this revelation made perfect sense. "Dunno, just figured that you were some malevolent entity trying to sap my soul when I slept."

The boy in striped clothes laughed. "A fair guess."

Conan finished dressing and stopped to straighten out his dress shirt. "So what now? You gonna disappear, or give me more trouble?"

"The resolve within your heart has given us inner peace," said Pharos. "I'll be on civil behavior from now on."

Conan picked up his steel-tipped boots and started pulling them over his feet. "Geez, lighten up."

The boy in striped pajamas smiled. "This marks a fresh beginning," Pharos continued. "For you, and for me. When I'm not around, you must resolve the conflicts within you on your own. Can you put the pieces of your past together?"

"Fight's over," said Conan. "I think I'm good."

Pharos smirked. Sadness lay behind the smile. "If that's what you want. This is the last time I can appear to you as I am now. Without the arcana Shadows, I no longer have a reason to exist. So I guess this is goodbye. I want you to know something. Our friendship was something of a miracle. But nothing gold can stay. If only our bond could…"

Conan let the last few words sink into his mind. As abrupt as Pharos' first appearance had been in April, there was a certain level of trust between the boys. Conan thought it was a sorry sight to see him in such a depressed state. "You'll do fine," he said.

The boy in striped clothes shifted in place. "Maybe," he said. "At least we had some good conversations. If this is the last time we can speak, know that at least we'll always be friends. Never forget me."

Pharos' form diminished and became gradually transparent. The boy in striped clothes walked away and into the concrete wall. Conan felt a part of his heart lighten as the boy in striped pajamas left the room. Although he had no reason to believe it, Conan knew that Pharos would be just fine all by himself.

CM Academy Main Campus, Outside: 2:45 PM

Slade and Keira were sure to repair as much of the damage as they could, but they couldn't fix everything. Chunks of concrete from the road were missing and the Luminar Bridge's metal fixations gained an ionic charge from the lightning storm it experience last night. The media dismissed the findings as "riot damage." Later that same day, the police found piles of Shadow victims piled up in the middle of the slum streets on the other end of the Luminar Bridge. Every last individual was detained and sent to prison and insane asylums. The members of Strega were subtly mixed in with the hordes and ushered away with their minions.

A wave of relief washed over the masses at CM Academy. Now that the Shadow victim rioters were detained and sent to higher-level security facilities, the public felt more secure. The teachers, Mrs. Slade especially, tried to divert the attention away from the current news and to the topics discussed in class. CM Academy's excitement died down, and school resumed as usual.

A party was being thrown that night courtesy of Slade and Pierce. S.E.E.S. became enervated with the thought of their real celebration and an air of bliss was about them. The day passed quickly as the team thought about tonight's activity. 6th period ended sooner than the group of Persona-users anticipated and they all left their classrooms swiftly. On the way of campus, Victor ran up to Conan.

"You ready for the party tonight?" he asked.

"Hell yeah," said Conan with a grin.

"Speaking of which, Slade said Leon was getting out of the hospital today. Great timing, right? He's gonna meet up with us at the dorms for the barbeque."

Conan nodded. "Nice," he said.

A thought occurred to Victor. "Oh yeah. Keira said she'd be helping with the cooking tonight. Said she was getting something special for everybody."

Conan cringed at the thought of Keira's cooking. "Really?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah." The jokester became euphoric. "You know a girl likes you if she starts cooking food for you. Some guys get all the luck. God, I wish somebody would do that for me."

Conan shook his head. "Don't bet on it," he said.

CM Academy West side, Command Room: 9:00 PM

Food was sprawled everywhere on a lounge table in the lobby. There were hot dogs, rib eyes, fish in six varieties, vegetables, and just about anything imaginable that could be fried over a fire. Each individual dish had its own aroma, and every scent was appetizing. Slade took no shortcuts in ordering the finest food that could be grilled on a propane stove. Everyone was pleased.

Other students from West side dorm were also made aware of the party. A few rude freeloaders ran into the command room and stole some meat while Slade wasn't looking. When Slade noticed, she posted Ellie and Charlotte out front to guard the room. The rest of the team assisted with arranging the food for themselves in the command room.

Slade sent a brief text message detailing the time when the feast would officially begin. Due to Leon's arrival, the homeroom teacher delayed the official starting time for the party. When everyone was present, she called everyone to prepare for the party. Slade then commissioned Charlotte to accompany her out for an errand. The homeroom teacher and her iron maiden student left the dorms swiftly. Slade also said that the team was free to feast if they weren't back by 9 o'clock.

Pierce came relatively later than usual, yet compensated his tardiness with a six-pack of soda. A couple smart remarks were passed around as the captain had to explain a mild spat between him and Slade just a few minutes earlier about bringing beverages. The final verdict evidently was that Pierce could only purchase soft drinks for this party. As the clock struck nine, the barbeque became more tantalizing to the hungry Persona-users. Alice was invited as a sigh of courtesy. The members of S.E.E.S. came and prepared for the feast.

"Nice spread," said Victor.

Lucy eyed the many pieces of grilled meats and seafood. "These are huge!" she remarked.

"I'm starving, can we eat?"

"Shouldn't we wait for Slade and Charlotte?" asked Keira.

"Slade said she had something to do," said Ellie. "Plus she needed Charlotte to do it. They'll join us later."

Alice eyed the many meats on the table. "You guys are crazy," she said. "How the hell are you gonna finish all of this?"

"It's been done before," said Pierce. "Are we all ready?"

There was a knocking on the door. Lucy turned around and opened it. Leon stood behind the door erect with most of his weight placed on a four-pegged cane. He was out of his hospital tunic and dressed back in street clothes. The senior's stay in the hospital significantly changed his demeanor. His face was more rugged and his body mass had decreased significantly, yet he still smiled as brilliantly as he did before. The whole room lit up when he appeared.

"Leon!" everyone said in unison. The team rushed over and started swarming him. There were a myriad of questions, comments and incoherent chatter surrounding their teammate. Everyone was happy to have him back, and Leon was very glad to be back. After a minute of excitement, everyone got back around the buffet spread.

Leon saw Alice sitting near the spread. "Hold up," he said. "Is that—?"

"A friend," Victor replied. "It's a long story."

"We were wondering when you'd show up," said Ellie. She was unusually content behind her stern manner. "Seriously, don't keep us waiting."

"Okay, sure," said Leon. "Anyways, I heard from Slade about what you guys did last night. Is it really all over?"

"Yeah," said Conan. "No more Shadows."

Pierce cleared his throat. "Before you all pig out," said Pierce, "There's something I got to say. Congratulations, everyone. You've all done a very fine job these past few months. I can barely express my gratitude in words. It's not like we're getting any commendations from city hall or anything, but what we did was nothing short of a miracle."

"Whatever," said Ellie.

"We've had our share of troubles," Pierce continued. "Facing our Shadows, forging new friendships, and uniting against a common enemy. We achieved many feats both supernatural and interpersonal. Through it all, we emerged victorious. Few people today can proudly say that they made a difference in the world. We are among the many who remain silent, but remember that we were among the greatest unsung heroes the world will never know."

"Thank you, sir," said Lucy.

Pierce strolled about from his left to his right. "The arcana Shadows were the cause of our troubles. They are gone, thanks to our team. The Colossian government has been made aware of our efforts and is willing to commend us officially on another day. Everyone gets a new chance in life starting tonight. As such, I officially call the Special Extracurricular Execution Squad to be disbanded as of midnight tonight. Again, we salute to you all for your efforts."

The last few words rang in everyone's ears. They half-heartedly expected something like this to happen to their team after the arcana Shadows were dealt with. Glances were exchanged around the team with old members and new ones. A sense of nostalgia was beginning to fester in the air.

"So this really is the end," said Victor.

"I wish we had more times like this," said Keira.

"At least we have the memories, right?" said Lucy.

"With all due respect, this is way too heavy for my first night back," said Leon.

Pierce realized the gravity of the situation. "Sorry, just needed to get that off my chest," he said. "Didn't mean to kill the mood there. We should be celebrating now. Well then, let's eat!"

S.E.E.S. left their sad feelings aside and began to dig in. hands went for the paper plates and different varieties of food on the table. No one was modest about eating. Everyone ate ravenously and returned for seconds. The party transgressed into a series of small conversations between subgroups within S.E.E.S. while snacking on barbeque. The first few minutes were focused on Leon and his stay in the hospital, then the focus came on Ellie for awakening her Persona first. Conversations shifted directions from person to person as the team found new things to talk about. By the time that they started talking about Pierce, the majority of barbequed food was consumed.

"I don't believe it," said Keira. "Someone ate my food!"

"Which dish was yours?" asked Conan.

"The hot dogs."

Lucy turned her head in their direction. "Wait, you cooked the hot dogs?" she asked. "That explains why they all taste like horseradish."

"I was wondering who ate most of those," said Leon.

Victor called for everyone's attention. "Hey, everybody," he said. "Now that we're all stuffed, wanna take a picture together?"

"Why?" asked Lucy.

"Well, I was thinking about having one last night, but since we were all dead tired, I didn't get the chance to ask."

"Or maybe it was because Pierce had to haul your unconscious ass back to the dorm," said Ellie.

"Wait a minute," said Alice. "You had a camera on you the whole fight?"

"Well, why not?" said Victor. He drew a small device from his pocket. Everyone recognized the camera when they saw it. "It was our last battle, right?"

"We aren't on a vacation," said Lucy. "Then again, maybe a picture wouldn't hurt."

"Should we wait a bit for Slade and Charlotte?" asked Leon.

"Nah," said Victor as he shook his head. "We'll just take another one when they get back."

"I'll take the picture," said Pierce. "You kids ready?"

"Actually, I'm setting a timer for us all," said the jokester. "We should get everybody in on this."

The team came close together on one of the chairs in the command room. Victor perched the camera on the console overlooking the many dorm security cameras, which were turned off to suit the mood of the party. He set the timer for fifteen seconds and ran to the rest of the group. S.E.E.S. positioned itself to be ready for the picture.

"Everybody get in closer to me!" said Victor. "Say cheese like you mean it."

"Hell no," said Leon.

"I meant the girls!"

As the timer went off for the camera, Victor tried to stick two fingers above Leon and Lucy's heads. The former noticed first and tripped up the jokester by kicking him in the knee. Victor's camera took the shot. After the shot was taken, Victor rushed over and checked the image. To the jokester's dismay, his camera caught the picture just as its owner was tipping backward with wide eyes. His teammates were turned around to see what was happening.

"Is it just me, or did this get my bad side?" said Victor. "That's it. We're taking another one when the others come back!"

"It's your damn fault for surprising me like that," said Leon. "And who the hell still uses bunny ears for pictures? How old are you, six?"

"It was an honest mistake!" Victor sighed. "Seriously, lighten up a little, wouldn't you?"

Ellie laughed. "I think I can get used to this kind of life."

"I can't believe you all," said Alice. She couldn't help but join in on the wave of mirth engulfing the room. "You guys have more fun in one night than in one year."

"Life's worth living every day of the year," said Pierce. "Don't take their goofiness too seriously."

The party continued until nearly midnight. Nearly all the food was devoured, and the leftovers were left untouched. Everyone became stuffed with food and the sideline conversations diminished into a strange silence.

"Hey, how come nobody's eating?" said Victor. He glanced around. "We're full already?"

"I can't eat another horseradish hot dog," said Lucy. She then burped in an unladylike way.

"I was sure that I used enough horseradish that time," said Keira.

"Were you also the one who handled the tuna? That tasted like horseradish too."

"Actually, that was me," said Ellie. "I was actually trying to tag one slice for Leon. Wasn't sure if there would be one left for him."

"You can cook?" asked Conan.

"Not very well. I can only do cold cuts."

"Victor cooks too," said Keira. "Who'd have thought we'd have three cooks in the same room?"

"Small world," said Leon.

"Maybe we should have a cook-off sometime," Conan suggested. "You all make the same dish and we all judge whose cooking is the best."

"Sounds lame," said Alice.

Ellie laid her head back further into her seat. "Maybe later," she said. "I don't wanna think about food right now."

Victor glanced at the time. "Where is Slade anyways? Where could they be at a time like this?"

Conan checked his phone's digital clock. "It's almost midnight," he said. "The moment of truth."

Everyone waited anxiously. The seconds ticked away as they awaited the truth. If they were truly victorious, they would have nothing to worry about tonight. There would be no Dark Hour, no Shadows, and no impending doom to the people. All would be right with the world and S.E.E.S.' work would be finished. Despite the promise that they were successful, there was a sense of worry in the air.

The time read 12 o'clock midnight. Everyone held their breaths. Given that they were residing in the command room, there was no way to tell if the Dark Hour was completely gone. Pierce walked over to the security console interface and began to turn on the screens. A realization of horror dawned on his face and those of his underlings. They saw coffins in every room of every dorm in West side. Everyone checked the clocks to be sure that they read their time right. If the coffins were apparent, then their inhabitants were locked in stasis, and a certain phenomenon was still in effect.

"The hell?" Victor exclaimed.

"Why the coffins?" asked Alice. "I thought you guys knew what you were doing!"

Pierce flipped through different cameras on the screen. Every student room he saw contained a coffin. His eyes grew wider with every screen he flipped to. "This is impossible!" he said.

A low chime rang through the air. It was an ominous noise that filled the room. Eyes darted about in confusion. The team recognized it as the sound of a ringing bell. All eyes turned to the nearest window towards the source of the sound. To their horror, something terrible was leering over the horizon. A tall tower painted sickly green and constituted with mismatched architectural parts reached for the sky over the horizon. Such a structure never existed before.

"That wasn't there before, right?" asked Lucy.

Alice cringed. "I thought something was off," she said. The artist then conjured her Persona card and let it dangle in front of her. "Looks like your theory was off."

"Dammit," said Victor. He became very downcast. "Now what?"

"We figure out what's happening, that's what," said Conan. "Anybody know where that tower is?"

Keira gasped. "That's my dad's building," she said. "That's Xigtech HQ!"

Confusion was rampant among the Persona-users. They glanced about briefly for answers. Pierce took charge and stepped up. "We're moving out," he said. "Grab your equipment!"

As the team mobilized, there was a knocking on the door. Victor opened it and found Charlotte standing behind it. The iron maiden had a blank expression sprawled all over her face. She glanced at the team, who stared back at her in surprise. She had a small object in her hand. Charlotte tossed a small flash grenade. The tactical explosive went off and discombobulated everyone. Everyone went blind and became vulnerable for attack. Conan stumbled about and found a heavy blow wedged into his stomach. In an instant, he lost consciousness.

Xigtech HQ, rooftop: the Dark Hour

Conan struggled to awaken. Stars danced around in his vision. The world spun around very quickly. A sickening feeling was pitted in Conan's stomach. Smog and dust polluted the air. He checked his hands and realized that they were tied apart on a cross-like apparatus.

The junior then realized that he was suspended two meters above the rooftop of the strange tower he and his team saw earlier that night. Conan checked and realized that the others were tied up in similar fashions as he was. They were slowly regaining consciousness as well. Among the members of S.E.E.S., Conan realized that the members of Strega, Ghost, Cero, and Buck, were unconscious and here as well. Everyone was tied up to a cross and held vulnerable. The hostages said nothing, but glanced around in hope of finding answers. None were provided.

A light squeaking sound rolled out. Eyes turned to the source. Mr. Ikutsuki, the enigmatic old man in the wheelchair, came out and sat back into his chair. Charlotte was pushing his chair while Slade stood at his right hand side. A maddening glare filled the old man's eyes.

"What's going on?" asked Lucy. "Why, Charlotte?"

Slade stood at Ikutsuki's side. She stood tall, but dipped her head in shame. The iron maiden held a stoic expression. Her eyes were soulless and more callous than usual.

"Don't mind her," said Ikutsuki. "Charlotte's just doing her job."

"What's going on here?" said Pierce. "We did everything we were supposed to!"

"Was it all true?" asked Leon. "About the arcana Shadows? I thought the theory was foolproof!"

"Was it?" said Alice. "Sounded like BS when I first heard about it. The old coot lied, didn't he?"

Ikutsuki chuckled. "An excellent deduction," he said. "But I'm afraid the truth dawned too late. No one can stop me now."

Pierce shook his head. "You don't mean that," he said. "This is some sick joke, right? It should have ended last night!"

Leon tried to conjure his Persona card, but the supernatural object merely dangled in front of his face. Without his hands, he was unable to grasp it. Ellie tried it as well and failed all the same. No one could summon their other self to break them out of their bonds.

"Just don't struggle," said Slade. She stood with as much callousness as Charlotte. "It won't mean much now."

Leon yanked at his binds, but could not break free. "We trusted you!" he shouted. "What's wrong with you all?"

"I must thank Olivia for her help," said Ikutsuki. "She's held out all these years and training your team for these trials. But that will be all. Charlotte?"

The iron maiden swiftly dashed behind Slade and kicked the back of her knees. Slade came down hard on the concrete rooftop. Charlotte then brought one hoof-foot down on her teacher's ankle. A sickening crunch of breaking sinews and cartilage punched through the air. Slade cried in pain. Charlotte then hoisted her up and quickly attached her to another cross. She used her tremendous strength to lift the cross up and drive its base into the concrete. The team watched in horror as their teacher was being strung up with the rest.

"Everything is going my way this time," said Ikutsiki. "I knew that the Dark Hour would not disappear so easily. Your efforts caused an opposite effect to happen. Now the world will be plagued more so with the darkness we have wrought upon it."

"You're crazy, old man!" said Ellie.

"Am I?" Ikutsuki rolled closer. "I was there when the Kirijo Group unleashed Shadows upon this world! I was there to witness the harbinger of our demise! I was there to see how this world's problems could be remedied! Shadows are the means by which all is revealed. Our world is plagued by pacifists, hedonists, war mongers, and scoundrels! Those who cannot accept their demons will die in a sea of holy fire! This is a necessary evil. I am not the false prophet, but its savior."

"What is this place?" asked Keira. "What happened to my father's tower?"

"This is but a temporary transformation," said Ikutsuki. "I've been creating contracts with your father to construct special conduits in this building. Each component is capable of harvesting the essence of Shadows across Colossus. When an arcana Shadow slain, the population of Shadows increases. The conduits gather more power until they can construct the building we see here now. I call it the tower of Nyx, goddess of the night!"

"A damn tower," said Victor. "What is this? A dungeon crawler?"

"Hardly. A similar tower was fortified in Tatsumi Port Island by the Kirijo Group when the arcana Shadows were released. I simply recreated another tower to bring the Fall. I must say that this experiment played out well. I should thank you all for your efforts."

"Then what?" said Lucy. "How was this supposed to play out?"

Ikutsuki smiled. "Each arcana Shadow was meant to be part of a whole, a complete and ultimate Shadow. I've waited fifty years to see its coming, but time and again the birth is incomplete. There was always something stopping the cycle, perhaps wayward Persona-users who only killed a handful rather than the whole bunch. The process needed to be done as soon as possible, yet every generation of Persona-users were too slow. But thanks to you, the arcana Shadows all ready to be reunited, to be made whole."

"Made whole for what?" said Conan.

"The Death," said Ikutsuki. "It is the almighty being that will rise and bring forth the Fall. It was born fifty years ago by the hands of the Kirijo Group, and I intend to see its revival tonight."

Up until now, everything Ikutsuki said sounded like nonsense. Despite the spontaneity of this reveal, Ikutsuki's exposition was more than convincing. The members of S.E.E.S. and Strega were at the mercy of a madman. With that thought in mind, everyone put up on the crosses tensed even more.

"Behold, your Appraiser!" said Ikutsuki. He held his arms out and laughed boldly. "Death is the only means of ending misery! I will bring the Fall tonight and rid the world of its suffering!"

"Dammit, old man!" said Victor.

"What about my brother?" said Lucy. "He said we were supposed to kill all the Shadows! That couldn't have been a lie!"

"Could it have been the truth then?" Ikutsuki mused. "Truth be told, I modified the footage to better suit my interests. I'm confident your late sibling would understand why I did what I did."

Slade, who had been hanging around with a broken ankle, managed to choke out a few words. "That footage was a lie," she said. "I dubbed in my own voice to pretend it was true."

"Your brother was a promising individual, Miss Paramour," said Ikutsuki. "Ever since he applied to become an official member of the team, I saw potential for him to become something great. He had some anxiety issues, but that was nothing some anti-anxiety medication wouldn't fix. Unfortunately, there was a mishap with his development, thus he was unable to comprehend the magnificence of the Fall."

"So you've been playing us all?" said Conan through gritted teeth.

"'Played' is an understatement," said Ikutsuki. "I have done everything correctly to better correct the wicked ways of this world."

Conan shook his head. "Death's not gonna fix our problems."

Ikutsuki chuckled. He reached to the side of his wheelchair for a pistol. He cocked it and handed it to Charlotte. "I believe that's enough talking. Charlotte? If you would be so kind?"

Charlotte took the gun without uttering a word. She walked up to Conan's cross and held the gun up. She aimed for Conan's heart and steadied her aim. If there was any hesitation, any hint that there was a sentient mind in that iron maiden, it should have shown itself sooner. There was no thinking soul in that mechanical frame. Her finger tightened around the trigger.

"No!" cried Lucy.

A gunshot rang out across the roof. Conan gagged as the shock nulled his judgment. Fresh crimson hues poured out from the new hole in his chest. The pain was so tremendous that he couldn't even scream. Conan's breath ran short as more blood oozed into the air. Every member of S.E.E.S. cringed at the sight. More blood leaked out from the corners of the junior's mouth.

"The others, Charlotte," Ikutsuki commanded.

Charlotte remained idle this time. She was unable to avert her gaze from Conan. Painful seconds ticked by as the iron maiden stood still. Some light returned to her eyes, and Charlotte fully realized what she had done.

"I—" said Charlotte. Her expression was only that of horror.

"Charlotte!" Ikutsuki commanded. "Do it now!"

The iron maiden glanced at the pistol in her hand. A brief second passed as her consciousness came back to full light. She held the muzzle up to the side of her neck. Only Ikutsuki could manage to utter a plea for her to stop. Charlotte pulled the trigger and blew her mechanical innards out the other end of her neck. She dropped the gun and fell lifelessly on the ground.

Ikutsuki reached into his wheelchair and drew another gun. "Fifty years!" he growled. "Fifty years of waiting. I won't wait any longer!"

The world flowed in slow motion as the old man cocked his gun. Conan glanced about and saw only fear in his friends' eyes. They would die here without another word. Everything they had been working for was a lie. If there was anyone to blame, it was Ikutsuki. But blaming him was worth nothing now. If S.E.E.S. and Strega died here, Ikutsuki won. As the situation stood, the Persona-users had a pathetic excuse for their last stand.

An anger rose from Conan's punctured chest. It was an emotion he hadn't felt for a long time. Such a fury was only matched by his frustration to realize how his Stigma would ostracize him from a world plagued with many flaws. The anger forced a roar from Conan and within the Sea of His Soul. A Persona card materialized in front of the junior's face. Conan lurched forward as far as he could and used his teeth to grab the card.

The Black Ace emerged from the darkness of the night. Its dark body was so black that it blotted out the light of the waxing moon above. Conan's true self shared its owner's anger and shrieked. Ikutsuki was momentarily stunned by the blast. The Black Ace seized that moment to swiftly break its owner from his bonds. Conan could only stay on his knees with the bullet wound in his chest. He commanded his Persona to break out everyone else. Ikutsuki realized this plan and impulsively shot at the Black Ace. Conan's true self took the bullets and continued to break out the other Persona-users.

Lucy, Victor, Pierce, and Keira were the first to be released. Leon, Ellie, and Alice were next. They all briefly fell to the concrete floor and assumed a battle formation. Ellie took the initiative to hoist Leon by the shoulder in substitute for his cane. The members of S.E.E.S. drew their Persona cards, but two seconds too late. They were still vulnerable for an attack.

Ikutsuki wildly pointed his gun at the team. The gun swiped over the general area where Slade was. Conan's Persona was only halfway done with undoing the bonds on the teacher. Pierce realized this and made a mad dash at his former mentor. Ikutsuki impulsively pointed his gun and fired three times. Each bullet flew at one target: Pierce. The captain caught the bullets with his chest, but was downed immediately. His underlings could only watch in horror at his sacrifice.

Ikutsuki tightened the trigger once more. His gun clicked. "No!" he said. "This was perfect! I had you all!"

Conan coughed up blood. A fresh spray of crimson coated his hands and knees. Fresh adrenaline coursed through his brain and stimulated his fury. The Black Ace screamed once more and darted at Ikutsuki. The old man rolled his wheelchair back, but his reflexes were too slow. Conan's true self slammed head first into the old man's torso and sent the two of them tumbling across the roof. Ikutsuki went flying out of his wheelchair and in the grips of the Black Ace. There was no escape now.

"Die, old man!" the Persona roared.

The Black Ace opened its monstrous maw and sunk its teeth into Ikutsuki's aged flesh. A sickening chorus of crunching bones and ripping sinews followed with the scream of an old man in pain. Conan's true self ripped his bite of human flesh and swallowed it with the ferocity of a wolf, and then resumed to take another bite. The shoulder was the first to be eaten, then the arm, then the leg, and finally the stomach. Each bite took two seconds to sever flesh from the rest of the body. Ikutsuki cried like a baby all the same.

S.E.E.S. was briefly stunned. There was no plan or tactic to prevent a teammate from committing murder. A brief glance was shared among them, and they constructed a semi-feasible plan. The majority of teammates would rush over and try to stop the Black Ace while Lucy and Keira tended to the wounded. Leon, Ellie, Victor, and Alice summoned their Personas and sent them to wrestle down the Black Ace. Their Personas tackled Conan's own in an attempt to slow it down. The Black Ace shrugged off the attacks and continued to devour Ikutsuki.

Lucy was left with the dilemma of choosing who to save. Pierce was closest to her and suffering from three gunshot wounds. Conan lay farther away with a pool of blood around him. Lucy reasoned with her panicked mind that the latter needed sooner treatment. She briefly cast Media to both, and then rushed over to personally mend the small hole in her classmate's chest.

Keira removed her uniform jacket and tried to use it to stop the bleeding. "Oh, God," she said. "This can't be happening."

"Conan!" said Lucy. Vivian hovered opposite of her and kept casting Dia. "Conan, you've gotta stop! You're hurting everyone else!"

A dead expression was on Conan's face. The soul in his body barely sustained consciousness and was consumed by rage. Lucy tried to seize his attention in any way she could, but there was no stopping him. A moment passed when he reverted from his anger, but not long enough to have someone talk sense into Conan's ear. When the wound was fully mended, Lucy and Keira gave up on persuading Conan and ran to heal Pierce.

Everyone else was having no luck. The Black Ace consumed Ikutsuki's entire lower body and his entire right side. Ikutsuki wasn't screaming anymore, but he was barely alive. Ultor and Morrigan were swatted away like flies and Jester's helmet was punched inward. Theofanes gave a good fight but lost when her leg was snapped in half. All the Personas were rendered unable to fight and were swiftly dismissed. Their hosts were too tired to continue the struggle.

All that remained of Ikutsuki was half a torso, a head, and one arm. Blood was splattered all about the Black Ace. In the glimmer of the moon above, all the blood shimmered like a sickening array of stardust on the Persona's armor. The Black Ace swallowed the last chunk of flesh and prepared to consume the rest.

"I—was—so—close—" Ikutsuki muttered weakly. Crimson stains streamed from his nostrils and mouth. The old man then rolled his eyes backward and lost his soul to the darkness of the night.

Conan's true self opened its monstrous maw to swallow the rest. In a tremendous moment, it froze. The Black Ace shimmered like a mirage and disappeared. All eyes turned to Conan, who had recovered from his primeval rage. He was late to do so, but had finally dismissed his Persona.

The team was beat. Whoever could stand struggled to return to the crosses and try to bring down the members of Strega on the crosses. They drew their Persona cards to get the job done. The unconscious people were set on the concrete floor. Meanwhile, Lucy did everything she could to heal Pierce. Despite her best efforts, she had trouble fixing multiple gunshot wounds.

"I can't patch everything!" said Lucy. "Somebody help me out!"

Keira tried to summon her Persona card. Due to the severity of the situation, she couldn't concentrate hard enough. The card merely hovered in front of her and didn't materialize into a solid object. "I can't summon Demeter!" she said. "We need another healer!"

"Lucy's all we've got," said Leon.

"What about your teacher?" said Alice.

"She's coming!" Victor spat.

Slade hobbled over with most of her weight focused on one leg. Due to her injury earlier, her mobility and emotional composure were less than able. Nobody said a word about her apparent betrayal to the team and focused only on their teammate. The homeroom teacher came to her friend's side all the same. She knelt down with her Persona hovering behind her. She immediately started casting Dia.

Suddenly, Vivian and Hecate disappeared. Lucy tried to conjure the card once more but found herself unable to do so. Leon checked the time and came to a horrifying realization. The time was 12:01 AM. The Dark Hour officially ended.

"I can't get Vivian out!" said Lucy.

"Oh no," said Keira. "But that means…"

Leon cupped his hands over one gunshot wound. "Don't you die on us!" he hollered. "Don't you dare die on us!"

Ellie and Lucy did everything they could to stop the bleeding. The healing spells were insufficient in patching all the holes. Pierce choked as every breath he took grew more and more shallow. No one wanted to admit it, but they knew one thing was for certain. Pierce had less than a minute to live. The captain held up his thick hand feebily. Slade took the initiative to seize it. Pierce smiled meekly and coughed. His rasping breaths were bleeding life from his body.

"W-why the long faces?" he choked. "We won, right?"

Due to Ikutsuki's spontaneous exposition moments earlier, there was no way to tell if their victory was certain or not. S.E.E.S. could have been personally responsible for an imminent disaster within the year. There was no way to tell what was true, Ikutsuki's foretelling or Pierce's plan. No one had the courage to tell him who was right.

"Yeah," Victor lied. "We won."

"You guys gave Ikutsuki hell?" said Pierce.

Slade gripped Pierce's hand harder. Her eyes were watering at the corners. "Yes," she said. "He's gone now."

"Dammit," said Ellie. Her composure was softening and her lip quivered. "Dammit it all."

"Stop talking," said Leon. He was beginning to cry shamelessly. "For God's sake, stop. The pain's worse when you're talking."

Pierce shook his head. "I can't feel anything anymore," he said. "Talking lets me know I'm alive. And Olivia? Ikutsuki was lying about you, right? He conned Charlotte into making you work?"

"She was used," said Lucy. The tears shared with teammates were becoming contagious. "Used just like the rest of us."

Slade bit her lip. The bite was sharp enough to draw a trickle of red life. "No," she said. "I was part of the plan too."

Pierce gave a meek smile. "At least you're here. I wouldn't want it any other…"

Slade came close and cupped the back of Pierce's head behind her free hand. She brought their faces close and touched foreheads. Years of working together formed a bond stronger than one of charity or romance, but one of comradery. The touch between them was both sour and sweet, ephemeral emotions all the same. Pierce lost his chain of thought and smiled. He closed his eyes and let out his last breath. The captain grew terribly still.