Chapter 50
"You sound very confident Aigis." Thanatos said. "That's good. You know what they say, pride comes before the fall. It's time for you and your sister to fight."
The anger etched into Aigis' face was rare and terrifying. She walked into the arena with Labrys following. "You saw what I did to your last creation." Aigis said. "I will do the same to any shadow you conjure up."
"About that, I had a few ideas." Thanatos said. "I was planning to power up a shadow by killing your friends, but its hubris led to its destruction. It having Makoto's face was just a bonus."
"If you want me to fight a shadow that looks like Makoto, go ahead and summon one." Aigis said.
"As I said, the shadow I intended to use on you was destroyed." Thanatos said. "I doubt a shadow could stand against the two of you. You're probably the two strongest fighters here. Luckily, I have just the opponent in mind." Thanatos turned to Eris. "Have you completed your task?" He gestured toward the line of covered corpses. "I don't want my plans to be ruined if you're killed and your powers are lost."
"Of course I have completed my task, brother." Eris replied. "You have far too little faith in my abilities. I will crush them."
"Hubris, sister." Thanatos warned. "It will be the downfall of us all."
"What are two hunks of scrap before a god?" Eris said.
"She has the power." Thanatos said.
"So do I." Eris said. She stepped forward and leapt down from the emperor's box and into the arena.
"Don't fail me!" Thanatos shouted.
Eris laughed. "No mortal can stand before me." She declared. A blinding light surrounded Eris. When it faded her appearance had changed. Her white gown had transformed into a tight red bodysuit and he skin, already pale, seemed impossibly white. Her black hair, once long and flowing, was now closely cropped. The fingers on her left hand had transformed into long, sharp claws. In her right hand she now held what looked like an H&K SL8 with long, curved bayonet. Something about the proportions of the gun was wrong. Aigis looked closely and was able to determine it was chambered for .50 caliber rounds. Between the claws and gun, Eris was an intimidating opponent. Still, Aigis and Labrys suspected Eris' conventional weapons would be the least of their worries.
Aigis leveled her arms at Eris and fired the guns built into her fingers. The bullets streaked across the arena only to stop suddenly and float in the air just in front of the god. Eris smiled, collecting all the bullets fired her way until Aigis' magazines ran dry. Eris waved her claw toward the sisters and the floating bullets launched out toward them like canister shot from a cannon. Aigis and Labrys dove out of the way but took a few hits to their auras. Shooting from the hip but with perfect aim, Eris loosed a few shots of her own at Aigis who managed to dodge them all, closing the distance between them with each move.
As Aigis got close Eris' gun transformed into a sickle sword which she used to hack at the robot. Aigis blocked the strike with her heavily armored forearm and grabbed Eris' claw arm by the wrist. Labrys had been maneuvering to attack as well and now brought her axe crashing down at Eris while she was tied up. Eris pulled back causing the axe to strike her and Aigis' arms, breaking the grip. The god reached out her claw toward Labrys and electricity flew from the tips. Labrys was hit and convulsed in place. With a sweep of her other arm Eris unleashed a blast of wind that sent Aigis flying backward. She sailed halfway across the arena, landed on her feet and skidded to a stop.
Eris turned her attention to Labrys. Labrys recovered almost as soon as the electric attack ceased but her aura still took several shots from Eris' rifle before she was able to close the distance and attack. Labrys swung her axe around horizontally and Eris caught the blow with her weapon, now a sword again. The god jabbed her claws at Labrys, her aura taking the hit. Labrys used the boosters on her body and axe to push forward. She and Eris flew across the arena until Eris' back slammed into the retaining wall, shattering the stone. Still their position was unchanged, Labrys' axe tied up by Eris' sword and Eris' claws jabbing Labrys in the midsection. The Eris was gone. Labrys stumbled forward then spun around just in time for Eris to grab her by the shoulders. Electricity course through them both. Labrys writhed and her aura failed under the direct assault.
Aigis wrapped her arms around Eris' stomach, yanked back and threw her into a crushing suplex. Eris slammed down on her head but immediately leapt back to her feet. Aigis thrust both forearms toward Eris, unleashing a torrent of flames. The god ignored the fire and lunged forward, knocking Aigis' arms aside with her sword and slashing directly at her with her claws. Aigis jumped back and out of range of the swipe. She pointed her hand at Eris' feet and ice rose out of the ground to surround them. As Eris struggled to free herself Aigis crouched down then sprung up, hitting Eris in the chin with an uppercut that launched the god straight up into the air. The momentum of Aigis' attack meant she leapt up as well. Eris slashed at her furiously with sword and claw, Aigis deftly blocking the strikes until she saw her opening. With both of Eris' weapons out of position Aigis slammed her fist down on top of the god's head. Eris was sent rocketing to the ground, forming a sizable crater on impact.
Before Aigis landed Eris was up again. With a swipe of her arm she formed a whirlwind that trapped Aigis in the air. With another gesture Aigis went flying to the far side of the arena. Labrys raced at Eris and swung her axe. Eris stepped forward so the shaft hit her rather than the blade and caught the weapon under her arm. She hooked Labrys' neck in the curve of her sword and grabbed Labrys' arm with her claw hand. With a twist Labrys' shoulder popped in a shower of sparks. Labrys dropped her axe and Eris kicked her in the chest. Labrys tumbled onto her back, her shoulder a mass of rended metal and sparking wires. Eris jumped up and, somehow falling faster than gravity, slammed down feet-first on Labrys' torso. Labrys shrieked in pain as a large crack spread across her armor. Eris forced her claw into the crack, widening it to reveal the vulnerable machinery beneath.
A blast of wind pushed Eris aside. Eris turned to face the approaching Aigis and let loose a gale of her own. Slowed but not stopped, Aigis continued to advance. Eris rapidly cycled through attacks, wind, fire, electricity, ice, wind again, but nothing stopped Aigis. Aigis punctuated her methodical advance with a sudden burst of speed. She kneed Eris in the face and front-flipped over her. Bending backwards, Aigis grabbed Eris under the arms and flung her forward, slamming her into the arena wall. For the first time Eris stumbled as she got up. Aigis was immediately upon her. Eris swung her sword around but Aigis caught her wrist. She squeezed until she felt and heard bones snap and Eris dropped the blade. Eris desperately attacked with her claws but Aigis caught that wrist too. Twisting Eris' arm around, she impaled her through the stomach with her own claws.
Eris fell to her knees, crying in agony as she drew her claws out. The wounds oozed black, shadow-like goo. Aigis jumped back and raised both hands over her head. A brilliant light appeared above Eris. Aigis lowered her hands, the light descended and struck Eris, and there was a blinding flash accompanied by a thunderous roar. When the light faded Eris lay motionless on the ground. Aigis stomped over and lifted Eris by the throat. "What were you doing with the bodies?" Aigis demanded.
"I was preparing them." Eris choked.
"Preparing them for what?" Aigis asked.
"For Thanatos' plan." Eris strained.
"What is Thanatos' plan?" Aigis pressed.
"I've already said too much." Eris said. "Just kill me, I won't say more."
Aigis looked up at Thanatos. She squeezed Eris' throat. The god began making choking noises and flailed weakly. "Give us back our friends or I will crush your sister." Aigis demanded.
"I will do no such thing." Thanatos said.
Aigis squeezed harder. Eris' eyes bulged and her skin began to change color. "I will kill her." Aigis threatened. "Revive them now or Eris dies."
"Or I could just do this." Thanatos said with a smile. He waved his arm and Eris disappeared. She reappeared beside Thanatos and immediately dropped to her knees, clutching her throat. "There, you won your match. Go."
"Thank you brother." Eris struggled, her voice little louder than a whisper. She smiled with relief.
"It would have been a shame to lose your power." Thanatos said. "Still, you must be punished." Eris' expression turned to one of terror as Thanatos grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground. "I warned you about over confidence. I ordered you not to fail me. Your stupidity has cost us all."
"Please brother...I'm sorry." Eris struggled.
"I bet you are." Thanatos said. Her grabbed Eris' face with his free hand and both emitted a faint glow. There was a flash of light and Eris burst into a cloud of ash that evaporated away. The glow that surrounded Thanatos slowly faded. "Let that be a warning, brother." Hypnos narrowed his eyes at Thanatos but said nothing.
"You killed her." Aigis gasped.
"In a way, yes." Thanatos said. "I absorbed her power. I could not allow it to go to waste."
"She was your sister!" Aigis shouted. "How could you?"
"My relationship with my siblings is none of your business." Thanatos said dismissively. "Yours on the other hand, that's another matter. Your sister's a bit the worse for wear."
Aigis spun around. Labrys was still laying on the ground, though very much alive. Aigis rushed over. "How seriously are you damaged?" Aigis asked.
"I'm beat up pretty bad." Labrys groaned. "I'll live. Just help me up."
Aigis carefully lifted Labrys to her feet. Her legs were working fine, but with one arm inoperable and severe damage to her torso, Labrys' mobility was seriously restricted. "Are you in pain?" Aigis asked.
"Yeah but it's no big deal." Labrys said. "I'd rather be in physical pain than emotional pain."
Aigis helped Labrys up the ramp and out of the arena. The others got out of the way as Aigis laid Labrys down. "It looks like I can repair most of the damage without additional parts or equipment." Aigis reported. "The fix will only be temporary, but it should hold for now."
"I'm really glad you two made it out alright." Yu said.
"How did you get so strong?" Labrys asked as Aigis went to work repairing her shoulder.
"After being freed during the Sho incident, I was placed under great stress." Aigis explained. "That stress allowed me to awaken the power of Makoto's ultimate Persona."
"The fights were tough, but that shouldn't have been stressful enough for that kind of transformation." Labrys said.
"I was very worried about my sister." Aigis said. "I am going to have to bend some metal. It will hurt. Are you ready?"
"Ready." Labrys replied. Having reconnected the broken wires, Aigis now twisted Labrys' shoulder back into shape. Labrys winced and groaned.
"Your shoulder has been repaired." Aigis announced. "I will now fix your torso. This will also hurt." Labrys nodded. Aigis grabbed both sides of the crack in her armor and wrenched them toward each other until they overlapped. Labrys squealed and clenched her fists. Aigis twisted the plates so they interlocked as Labrys struggled to remain motionless. "There, that should hold until we return home."
"Thanks." Labrys said with a big smile. As she sat up it seemed all the pain had already faded.
"You feel pain." Yang observed. "That's weird for a robot."
"It's not really pain, just a simulation of it." Labrys explained. "It's my system's way of telling me I'm recieving damage."
"Your sister just basically did surgery on you while you were awake and you barely made a sound." Yang said. "That's incredible."
"Is it?" Labrys asked. "I guess it's not calibrated to be as strong as real pain. Maybe we should have the technicians change that."
"I do not think that would be a good idea." Aigis warned.
"So, Eris did something to the bodies." Pyrrha said. "What do you think it was?"
"She said she was preparing them for Thanatos' plan, but did not say what that was." Aigis said.
"I suspect whatever it was, it's not good for us." Naoto said. "That does explain one thing that was bothering me though."
"What?" Pyrrha asked.
"I was wondering why Thanatos would cover up the bodies." Naoto replied. "If asked he would probably say it was out of respect, but given the lack of respect he's shown us thus far, I would not believe that. Leaving the bodies exposed for us to see would be shocking and painful. It would fit in well with his mind games. So why cover them?"
"Of course, he didn't want us to see what he was doing to them." Pyrrha said. "I'm not sure I want to know what that is."
"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Naoto sighed. "I assumed he would have more tricks in store for us even after the matches were over."
"At least Aigis and Labrys proved it's possible to defeat them." Pyrrha said, trying to find some good news. "If Eris can be defeated, her siblings are vulnerable as well."
"We've only got two fights left, then we finally get to face him." Yang said.
"Yeah, two fights." Ruby groaned. "Two more chances to lose friends."
"Come on Ruby, we're going to kick ass!" Yang encouraged. "Together the two of us are unstoppable. The bigger beating I take the stronger I get, and you're way too fast for them to hit. Not to mention you have the coolest weapon."
"Crescent Rose is pretty great." Ruby said as she stroked it.
"And Yu and Naoto are going to wreck whatever Thanatos throws at them too." Yang continued. "Yu has power just like Aigis' and Naoto's got some awesome attacks. Remember when she knocked out Sun in one shot?"
"That was pretty awesome." Ruby said.
"Now then, let's put that confidence to the test." Thanatos said. "Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao-Long, enter the arena."
Ruby sighed then stood, still hanging her head. "Come on, we'll do great." Yang said. The pair descended the ramp to the arena floor and waited to see what Thanatos had in store for them.
"I know Ruby, it would hurt to see your sister or your friends die." Thanatos said. "But if you die first, you won't have to suffer through any of that."
"You won't hurt her!" Yang shouted.
"What, over your dead body?" Thanatos laughed. "Well that's precisely the point. Now, the two of you have been blessed with such delightful mommy issues. Sadly Ruby's already faced the mother that loved her. I guess I'll have to settle for the one that hates you both."
Shadow material surged up from the arena floor, piling atop itself until it took on humanoid form. As the excess fell away it resolved into a woman with long black hair, clad in red and black and wearing a Grimm-like mask. A blade hung sheathed at her hip. "You think a shadow that looks like my mom is going to bother me?" Yang said. "She abandoned me and dad. I'll be happy to get some revenge."
"Killing the two of you is going to be a pleasure." The shadow said. It drew its sword, its red blade suddenly extending to twice its original length, and pointed it at Yang. "You stole my happiness just by existing." She shifted the blade to point it at Ruby. "You're the product of a grotesque union, the ultimate betrayal."
"Yang, didn't you say your mom was really strong?" Ruby asked. She was obviously nervous.
"Don't worry about it." Yang said. "I don't know much about my mom. If this shadow is like the others, it's a reflection of the person as we see her, rather than being based on the actual person. My mom is strong, but I can take her. Since all I know she can do is swing her sword around and use portals, that should be all the shadow can do."
"Are those the only powers you ascribe to the monster that haunts your nightmares?" The shadow asked. "Surely your imagination has filled in what your knowledge could not."
"The truth has taken the place of fantasies for me." Yang said.
"But not for your sister." The shadow countered. "To her I'm still more beast than human. What kind of mother abandons her daughter? Surely one of such power and evil that such a transgression hardly registers."
"Ruby, are you afraid of my mother?" Yang asked with surprise.
"Uh...maybe...a little...yes, terrified." Ruby admitted.
"Don't be afraid." Yang said. "My mother's misguided, not evil. She's not out to get us or dad or anything like that. And this, this isn't even her. It's just a shadow. I know we can take it."
"O...okay." Ruby stammered. "It's just another shadow. It's just like fighting Grimm. It doesn't matter who it looks like." Each statement was accompanied by increased confidence.
"That's it Ruby." Yang encouraged. "There's nothing to worry about. You've got Crescent Rose, I've got Ember Celica and we've got each other."
"Yeah!" Ruby shouted.
"What a touching family moment." The shadow groaned. "At least your final memories will be happy ones."
