Chapter 51: Unbroken
He drummed his fingers against the back of his hand. It was something he had been doing for a while. Ever since he got captured and stuck in the cell. It was all he could do. That and think.
And for Goro Akechi, he had thought plenty.
Impressively, he was not angry that he had been caught. When he had first come to that conclusion, it had surprised him. And yet, no matter how hard he analyzed it, he was not angry. He wasn't all that surprised that he wasn't angry either. At some point, he must have come to the conclusion that there was always a chance he would have been caught. So he was not angry that he was caught. Not even surprised by it. It was… an annoyance at most.
But that did not make his situation right. If that had been the extent of his feelings, he would have likely complied with the questioning and accepted his fate. But that wasn't the case. He adamantly refused to speak with any of the officers in charge of the case. Not that he doubted their ability to convict him, but it was like he was just buying time.
For one of Shido's followers? Maybe. For Shido's arrest? Maybe. Akechi wasn't certain.
But the sensation of anger didn't leave him. For days, it was like a festering wound that would not be cleaned. Many times, thinking about it brought him to such fury. And it didn't take much to figure out what it was. It didn't take much to figure out the cause. It didn't take much to figure out who his fury needed to be directed at.
Two. Years. Two years, Goro Akechi had planned, plotted, and killed. He had maneuvered himself into a position to be close to Masayoshi Shido. Two. Years. Two years he had been forced to wear several masks. The Mask of an Ace Detective. A Mask of Shido's loyal follower. Mask after mask after mask all layered onto him. Two. Fucking. Years.
Wasted.
AKechi felt his fingers curl into a tight fist on reflex to his anger. Felt his nails digging into his palm and threatening to draw blood. Akira Kurusu had come into the picture. His reputation was torn to shreds, his efforts ripped asunder. He was taken from his pedestal and knocked down with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the knee. And yet, it wasn't that he was caught that bothered him. It wasn't that he was going to go to jail for it.
It was the waste of two whole years of effort, of planning, of sacrifices that he was more than furious about.
But even that hadn't been enough to push him to such a murderous rage. It had never been personal with Akira. Not when he tried to kill him on Shido's orders. On the ship, it had gotten more personal. Akira was the only one that was his equal. But what drove Akechi to a blinding, seething rage that had him seeing red?
Akira's failure.
He had been anticipating, salivating at the idea of Shido's fall from grace. For the masses, the blind sheep had the blinders ripped off their eyes and showed the ugliness that was Masayoshi Shido. Mutually assured destruction. Akechi would have likely given everything up had Masayoshi Shido been arrested. It would have been glorious. His desires stolen, his ambitions torn from him. The people turned against him. Shido would have been no one.
Instead, Shido's backers hid him away. And it looked like the election results would still go through with Masayoshi Shido becoming Japan's Prime Minister. And rather Shido being a powerful, dominant force within the Cabinet, he would be regulated to the role of a puppet, a figurehead.
It was a fate that truly, truly pissed Akechi off. Had Shido won, had Shido remained a dominant figure, so be it. It would mean that Akira would have lost. But Akira had won, he had heard the beginning of Shido's confession. Akira had won. But in the end, his efforts amounted to nothing. Akechi had lost for nothing, he had lost to a failure.
And so his rage was this unfathomably deep seated parasite that ate and gnawed at him. So long as Akira was out and about, Akechi would not be able to relax. In a way, he could very easily give Akira up as the leader of the Phantom Thieves to one of the officers. He had to congratulate Akira in a way, he had never given up his name. But the idea of giving Akira up like that felt too easy. It felt like too much of a cop out. And it didn't assure that Akechi would win. It didn't assure that he would be victorious once again over Akira.
At best, Akira would be in jail. Alone. By himself. He could imagine that smug confident smirk on his face as he kept his friends safe. No, for Akechi, victory over Akira would have been him broken, shattered, destroyed. And the way to do that was to also drag his friends down.
Akechi felt a lurch and he glanced around, jolted out of his thoughts. He watched as the crimson fluid slowly spilled down the hallway and then came over the bottom of the cell doors. It poured into his cell, thick and oozing. And the smell hit him. It was akin to blood, though not quite the right texture or thickness. It was more akin to the ichor that the Shadows exploded with in Mementos.
Curiously, he reached out to touch it ever so gently.
He was not expecting the sudden eruption of blue flames along his skin or the sudden appearance of his black armor. He felt the mask form around his face and he tested his fingers in the glove. It was unexpected, it was surprising.
And if he was honest, it was exciting.
He looked up to the bars that were keeping him within the cell. Not anymore. "Loki." He thought out to his Persona and he watched the white figure form, its broadsword making quick work of the bars. He stood up and stepped forward, boots sloshing through the red liquid. But it didn't bother him in the slightest.
He had his means of escape.
He stepped past the bars to face an officer who was already pulling his pistol. Mentally, he sent Loki rushing over. His Persona was suddenly pressed close to the officer, its sword digging into his neck while its other hand grabbed the pistol. Akechi heard a round go off, felt the sting in his hand as it actually damaged Loki slightly.
"Why… can't I move?" The Officer struggled out. "My neck… there's something against my neck! It burns!"
Akechi mentally told Loki to draw back. So the officer couldn't see it? That was interesting to note. Because he didn't have a Persona of his own? Maybe. Akechi stepped forward. He took the pistol and rifled through the officer's belt for more ammo. "Do yourself a favor, and don't think about it too hard." Akechi said coldly.
Twelve shots in the pistol, another twenty four scavenged off the officer between the two magazines. A nice start.
"You won't get away with this! Whatever it is you're doing!" Akechi glanced to the officer as he spoke, watching him try to fight against Loki. Akechi gave a mental command to Loki and watched his Persona slowly sink his sword into the officer's chest. Blood sizzled and flesh burnt from the nature of Loki's sword and the cop could only stare in horror
He came to another gate, ignoring the shout of one of the other prisoners. Loki made quick work of the gate and Akechi moved a bit faster. He encountered another two officers, with one losing his head to a single stroke of Loki's blade. Akechi made certain to pilfer their ammunition as well. He didn't know if he'd actually need upwards of seventy rounds, but it couldn't hurt to have them.
He made it to the garage. Loki ripped the lock box open and Akechi pilfered one of the keys to a squad car. With some luck, he'd be able to get some distance away from the station before more cops were called in. He found the car and opened the driver's seat. He had his license, but didn't tend to drive much.
He preferred his bicycle for getting around. It was just easier.
'I have reports of the Phantom Thieves at Shibuya Square. It's probably nothing but a prank, but I'm going to check it out, over.' The words crackled across the radio and Akechi narrowed his eyes a bit. His rage suddenly came boiling back. If the Phantom Thieves were at Shibuya Square, then no doubt Akira was going to be there.
He slid into the driver side and started it up. 'All units, we have an escape! Suspect is Goro Akechi and he is to be considered armed and-' Bzzt! The cables gave a slight charge of electricity as Loki ripped the radio out.
Akechi frowned as he started to drive. A few tests and he was able to hit the siren and the lights. He'd only get one chance at killing Akira. He wasn't going to let it slip through his fingers for something like propriety. He slammed his foot down and blew through the gate, jolting at the impact.
Without the radio, he couldn't tell what was going on around him, but no doubt the police were already looking to try and get close towards him. He glanced in the mirror as he cut down a straight away. He saw the flashing lights in the mirror. Better response time than he thought. But with a few dead cops, it was no wonder.
He came to Shibuya Square and brought the car to a hard stop. He yanked the door open and checked the pistol again, even as the other cops came to a halt as well. "Loki, Kougaon!" His Persona blasted through one of the cars with the Holy Damage, forcing it to flip.
Akechi then began to run up the ramp, leading up to the massive tower that had not been in Shibuya Square. He heard the cops behind him calling in for help or trying to figure out where he went. It was curious, it was like no one could see the tower or the large bone like protrusions from the ground. People avoided them, but more in like they were everyday occurrences.
He spotted a few Shadows along the way, but a few well placed shots along with Loki's strength allowed his progress to continue mostly , he did note that the general strength of the Shadows was several degrees stronger than what had been in Shido's Palace. It was slightly concerning.
He came to the central chamber just in time to see the other Phantom Thieves vanish in a flash of light, as well as another group. It just left Akira. Akechi raised his gun about to squeeze the trigger when his danger senses threw him to the side. A trio of rounds slammed into the Shadow and he turned, running for the edge to the left.
He felt Loki's fist grab his jacket and his Persona leapt, jumping the distance.
Akechi landed on the tower, standing on a jutting protrusion that kept the tower from having a uniform look to it. Mentally, he commanded Loki to jump again and they went up and around. Sometimes, it was a closer jump than Akechi wanted to admit.
He ducked back inside the tower as soon as he could and aimed downwards. He had no way of making the shot, not with a pistol, but maybe he could have landed a Megidolaon. Only for Akira and the Phantom Thieves that had gotten back to disappear once more.
He then spotted the silver haired man and Naoto Shirogane start running up one of the ramps with two of their other teammates. Akechi wondered who they were, but if they were going up… He looked up. Then so was he. He began to charge upwards, taking note of the twisting routes and paths that seemed to move around each other. The other group probably didn't even realize he was there.
Akechi kept the pilfered pistol aimed towards the ground while he continued charging up. There were no more Shadows in his path. His goal was in sight. Only he was allowed to kill Akira. The rage festered and burned inside of him. He would stop whatever was attempting to kill his quarry, and then he would gladly put a bullet in Akira's head. Just as he had done to Akira's Shadow within Sae's Palace.
Goro Akechi would prove himself the better of Akira Kurusu.
He came outside and raced up the ramp. He was glad for his cycling. It was good for breathing, especially when he had to pedal hard up an incline. Just like he had to breath as he raced up the ramp. If he was out of breath at the top, he was going to be useless. His prey was going to get away from him. Akechi almost saw red at the thought of Akira getting away again.
He gave the Phantom Thief leader his due respect. Akira had managed to pull the wool over his eyes time and time again. But Akechi wasn't going to let it happen again. And after he managed to deal with Akira, he could then move onto Naoto Shirogane and her boyfriend. He could not forget that they were instrumental for him being inside a jail cell for several days. But if he was honest, he couldn't care less if he managed to kill them or not. As long as he got Akira Kurusu. That was his target.
And like a hunting dog after a fox, he would focus solely on his prey and ignore everything else that was unimportant.
He planted a boot on top of the tower and pushed up, seeing the swarm of Shadows descending on Akira. A sword was coming down. It was unacceptable to the boiling rage that was consuming him deep inside. "Tear them to pieces, Loki!" Akechi yelled loudly. His Persona went flashing forward and cleaved through several of the Shadows. He saw Akira looking at him. "The only one that gets to kill Joker is me!" He then proceeded to drop a Megidolaon on the Shadows, scattering them.
Akira was quick to flip up onto his feet and Akechi drew the pistol, popping off two rounds into some advancing Shadows. He moved towards Akira, watching the other teen tense. Good, he knew that he was still a threat. That would make things both harder and more enjoyable later
"Thanks for the assist Crow, but what the actual fuck?!" Akira asked, sounding a bit heated. He also sounded winded.
Akechi sneered slightly. It was like his prey was being cheapened. How many battles had Akira fought to get to this point? "I'm saving you just so I can kill you. So don't thank me yet." Akechi said as he commanded Loki to continue with its swift and savage attacks. Akechi was even tempted to have it cast its rather unique power on him, but he needed his head in the game. "Whose Shadow is this?"
"It's a God." Akira said as he blasted out with lightning that surged along several of the fliers. Did Akechi hear that right? They were fighting a God? How in the Hell was that possible? "It's the base desire of all of humanity, the Holy Grail given form and identity."
Akechi scoffed. He had heard of the legend of the Holy Grail. "Not interested." No, his only desire was to kill Akira. And if that meant bringing low a God, so be it. It was still a goal that he could achieve with his own two hands. Humans needed to stop thinking of such lofty things as omnipotent wish granters. He turned, firing off round after round. In a practiced motion, he ejected the magazine and slotted a new one in. "Catch." He tossed the gun towards Akira. Akira was a better shot than he was, and if Akira wasn't using his gun there was a reason for it.
Akechi was betting that he was out of ammo.
Akira deftly caught the gun and turned, showing that superb marksmanship with a pistol as he took out three of the Shadows with six shots.
"Hit them with a Megidolaon on my mark." Akira cast a Heat Riser on Akechi and he felt the power surge through his veins as the swirl of colors formed around him. Akechi felt a feral smirk coming to his lips. Akira had done similar when he was helping them through Sae's Palace. After all, he had access to a Megidolaon unlike the rest of the team and could hit the enemies harder. Akechi watched as a similar swirl formed around Akira. "Target the God. Mark!"
Akechi turned and slung his hand out. And at the same time, Akira threw his hand out, the twin blasts punched through the mass of Shadows that moved to protect the God, and the massive creature was rocked slightly from the proximity of the blasts. Several of the smaller Shadows were caught in the blast and vaporized. It was rather impressive that Akira had managed to also get something with a Megidolaon. Maybe he had something stronger? Food for thought when it came time to kill him, that was to be certain.
"We need to handle these smaller Shadows." Akechi said. The Phantom Thieves were doing an admirable job, but there were just too many.
"I know, still thinking!" Akira called out as he moved to deal with another Shadow that was advancing on them.
Take Your TIme
Yosuke watched as Yu, Naoto, Kanji, and Yukiko all ran off for the ramp leading upwards. He inhaled deeply and tucked his knives in the sheaths at the small of his back. He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants a moment. He then shrugged his bag and jacket off.
"You regretting something?" Rise asked as she pulled out the extended baton.
Yosuke rolled his shoulders a bit. "I regret not getting to go with." He admitted. He picked up a can of TaP and popped the top on it. He took a deep drink. He would need the energy just to think. "I mean, our friend is racing off to go protect more friends, and he's in danger. How can I leave him like this? But I know what I have to do."
"I know what you mean." Chie said as she stretched out a bit. "Doesn't feel like we're going to be as useful." She pulled out a pack of gum. The brand made Yosuke's nose scrunch slightly. Chie's meat flavored gum was disgusting and he didn't just mean in the way of taste. The smell was also revolting. He didn't know how she could enjoy it. "But it's not like we don't have something important to do." she said.
"I'm ready to go wild." Teddie said, making sure his claw was on firmly. "Just let me at them." He gave that bright, almost innocent smile that seemed out of place with the almost ferocious way he fought at times. It was such an odd thing, but it was also comforting to Yosuke.
Yosuke glanced over towards Rise. "You know, you can probably catch up to Yu and the others if you're quick and leave now." He said. He heard the clambering Shadows. And glancing up, he could see there were plenty of entrances. They were going to have to go outside to meet the Shadows if they wanted to keep them from just flying up and going after Yu and the others. Maybe it would help them, the path would be more narrow.
"Yeah right." Rise said, rolling her eyes. "You guys need me cheering you on." She said with a slight grin. It dropped a bit later. "Don't do anything stupid, Senpai." She said softly. Though whether she meant Yosuke or Yu was up to debate. "I'll handle myself." She looked to Yosuke. "You guys worry about watching each other's backs."
Yosuke gave a slight snort at that remark. "Not happening.' He said. "We're in this together, for better or for worse. We'll be watching your back Rise, even if you're not going to be as in the fray with us." He pulled out his MP3 player and checked the battery. Sighing at seeing it dead, he pulled his headphones off and dropped it on the bag and jacket. So much for being able to listen to his tunes while he fought. That sucked.
He then ruffled his own hair, both hands scratching at his scalp as he tried to come up with some sort of plan. "Gah!"
"That bad huh?" Chie asked softly. She knew him as well as anyone. They had been there at the beginning, same with Teddie. All of them had deferred to Yu almost from the get go, but it wasn't like Yosuke hadn't learned to lead his own team. But these odds were stacked against them.
"The sort of numbers we're against isn't going to be pretty." Yosuke said. "And it's not like these are Shadows we're used to." Which meant they had no idea the best way to defeat them. It wasn't like the last time they had gone into the TV World where they had been dumped in that crazy Inaba. They knew the Shadows there, they knew how to hit them. These Shadows seemed to be like Yu's Persona, but trying to keep track of his ever changing cast had been an effort in futility. It was why they left it to Yu to do so.
"Then we better hit hard and fast and make sure they can't hit us." Teddie said, offering a bright grin, like it was the simplest plan in the world. And in a way, it was the simplest plan in the world. It also offered the most flexibility, but it still wasn't much of a plan.
"Right." Chie said, nodding to herself. "If that's the case…" A crush of her Persona's card and swirling lights formed around all four of them as a spectral dragon seemed to float by before vanishing. Chie then went to one knee. "Ugh… forgot how much that takes out of me." She then pushed back up onto her feet. "Good thing I use my legs more." Not that it meant much, they were all tired.
Yosuke didn't like that Chie did that. He had been planning to throw a speed buff on them. But Chie had beaten him to the punch it seemed. And he couldn't deny the fact that it would be useful having the extra stopping power from what she had called her 'Dragon Shuffle.' He yanked the dual knives from the sheaths at the small of his back once more. "Let's do this then."
Yosuke was the first to charge out, but he was quickly followed by Chie, Teddie, and Rise. He saw the advancing swarm of Shadows and met the first one with a Garudyne that sent it sprawling off the path. He spun into the next one, blades tearing through it as before he stepped forward and dragged his knives through.
A blast of ice from either Chie or Teddie exploded next to him, but Yosuke could barely pay attention. A flyer was coming past him. A blast of wind took its wings out, and he was then driving his knife into another Shadow. He could feel the set of grim determination set on his face and he hated it. He preferred being more upbeat. Even going against Izanami, grimness hadn't set in until they were facing her. He had always believed that no matter what they could make it out of anything.
But he'd be lying if a tiny part of himself wasn't enjoying every second. Every cut, every blast of wind, every time he bumped into his friends only for them to throw themselves back at the oncoming horde, a tiny part of himself that was still stifled and choked by the small town of Inaba was having the time of his life.
After so long he had been in Yu's shadow, he was finally having a chance to shine. He knew he had said he had no problem playing second banana to Yu Narukami, but there was still that nagging in his mind, wondering what if he had been the leader of the Investigation Team. It was tempered, tempered by friendship and knowing that Yu wasn't trying to lord over any of the Investigation Team. He had genuinely been concerned about all of them. And the fight they had at the Samegawa had helped knock some sense into him. But it still existed, it would always exist.
And it reared its ugly head back when Yu brought Akira and the others to Inaba. For the briefest of moments, Yosuke had thought he was being replaced as Yu's right hand man. The one that could be relied on to hold the line at the back, to be the anchor. Another one like Yu would be able to be that anchor a lot better than Yosuke. Akira was able to adjust as needed. Yosuke only had the wind to call to his aid. It was only in actually interacting with Akira, with the rest of the Phantom Thieves, that Yosuke was able to put his need to be something back in its hole.
But Yosuke had still been pushed out of the spotlight. That big city kid in him still craved attention, craved to be able to make something of himself. And this, this was something that he could do. Not Yu, not Naoto, not even Akira.
Stay behind and take out as many Shadows as possible.
It was… overly simplistic. And as Teddie said, they just had to hit the things as hard as they could. He went low. Chie jumped from his shoulder with a harsh kick that sent another Shadow tumbling off the edge. The only problem with the plan was the sheer number of Shadows.
For every one that Yosuke either shoved off the edge or slashed into, two more seemed to take its place. He was forgoing depth and lethality for dragging his knives further. But they were slowly being pushed back.
He blasted another Shadow with a Gurudyne only to have the blast of air shoved back into him, about to cause him to tumble over the edge. And he didn't know how many meters it was down there, but he knew it was far enough he'd be a mess on the pavement.
"Ted!" Chie shouted. The blond boy rushed over and caught Yosuke by the arm, yanking him up. She in turn went for the one that had repelled Yosuke's wind. A back hand pushed one of the thing's arms away before she brought her hand up, fingers extended...
And then punched.
Yosuke was hardly surprised when he saw the Shadow stumble back and then off the edge. Chie was a self-taught martial artist in Jeet Kune Do. He had lost count how many hours, and hours, and hours she watched Martial Arts films and practiced the moves in them. Even her hands were useful weapons to her. He rushed over and yanked Chie out of the way of a sword. He grit his teeth a bit as it caught his shoulder a bit. It wasn't deep, but it wasn't pleasant either.
"Damn it Yosuke! I have it!" Chie shouted.
"Shaddup and save your breath for the fighting!" Yosuke shouted back at her. But that was how their relationship was. They were both hard headed and quick to anger, they were always butting heads, but whenever they weren't… He didn't want to give that up. And it meant he was going to protect her, even if she didn't want it.
"Oooh! You are getting it when this is over!" She snapped out with a high kick. There was a harsh crunch of… something before the Shadow fell backwards and didn't move as it dissolved. Yosuke winced slightly in sympathetic pain. He'd been there.
"Looking forward to it!" Yosuke said as he dug his daggers into another Shadow. And he did. It just meant that they would be there to fight and argue and butt heads again.
"Quit flirting and keep fighting!" Rise said as she cracked what Yu had called a Mara in the side with her baton. It stunned it before she shivered and shoved the thing off. "Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew!"
Not that Yosuke blamed her. He didn't want to touch them either. That particular Shadow looked very similar to… Yeah… Throwing them off the edge would be the best possible solution if possible. Seeing more coming up, he used a Magarudyne to throw them off.
"Thanks Senpai!" Rise called out cheerfully.
"Doing what I can." Yosuke grunted as he felt Chie's buffs run out. Still, he dropped and made himself as small as possible. Just in time to dodge a sword being swung for his head. He sprang back up, almost gutting the Shadow from groin to throat, getting splattered with that brackish fluid.
"Raaargh!" It was a baleful howl, filled with murderous rage and hatred. A howl they were all too familiar with
"Shit!" Rise screeched, "Reap-" Boom!
The warning came just a little too late as a round drilled through the Shadows to slam into Chie's shoulder, causing her to spin and blood to splatter out as she dropped.
"Chie!" Yosuke shouted and scrambled to his feet, rushing for his girlfriend. He had to take out a Shadow that got in his way and even Teddie cut one down as they made their way over to her.
"I'm okay." Chie said with a grimace. "I've taken worse." She sat up, but her shoulder looked rough. Yosuke helped her up to her feet, taking a moment to look at it for anything that would keep it from healing. Not seeing anything, Yosuke quickly administered a Diaharan.
They turned to stare down the Reaper that was slowly advancing on their position.
"Do we even have the firepower to take that thing down?" Yosuke asked. He wasn't sure. But if they tried to run, all they'd be doing was taking it right to Yu and the others. And given the fact it floated, Yosuke wasn't certain if they could just toss it off the edge either.
Chie rolled her shoulder before she took her jacket off. She quickly tied it around her waist despite the blood soaking through her light yellow top. "I might just have just the thing." She said. "But it's going to take a lot of luck, and I could use a speed boost Yosuke." She grimaced a bit and Yosuke wasn't certain he wanted to know what she was going to do.
Yosuke nodded his head and quickly cast the ability on her. He was surprised to see Teddie cast his own buff twice. "Keep you going a little longer Chie-chan." Teddie said with a smile. "Yosuke and I will handle the small fry."
Chie gave her own smile and nodded. She bent down a moment to tighten her greaves. At the howl of the Reaper, Chie straightened up. "Raah!" She yelled at it like she was mimicking it in annoyance. She then tore off straight for it. She brought her arms up to block as she charged straight like a bull ignoring the Shadows that were trying to get at her.
"Damn it Chie!" Yosuke said, he didn't want Chie fighting that thing alone! He made to follow her, he hadn't expected her to charge headfirst like that at the Reaper. And he definitely didn't want her getting behind the Shadows that they were trying to push back. It seemed like it was a perfect recipe for disaster.
"Let her go, Yosuke." Teddie said somewhat sharply, already moving to engage the next Shadow. "We have our own issues right now, and if she can take the Reaper, let her. We did the best we could to help her."
Damn it, damn it… "Then let's get through this faster!" Yosuke said and rushed into the next Shadow. He hated that Teddie was right. The usual care he might have had with his knives was abandoned. He stabbed and slashed and stabbed and slashed. But it never seemed enough. A torrent of arrows took out several Shadows as the Reaper lashed out at Chie, but Yosuke could barely see through the mass of Shadows.
But they soon had to forget about the fliers. They were getting swarmed, and even slowly pushed back. Every step he retreated, Yosuke felt himself getting further and further from Chie. A booming blast of energy reminded him of one of Yu's Megidolaoans, and yet the Reaper hadn't turned its attention towards him and Teddie.
"Yosuke!" Rise said, panicking. She was barely holding a Shadow back with her baton, threatening to be pushed off the ledge..
He turned and drove a knife into it deeply, half dragging it off. But the wound didn't seem to do much. Neither did the next one. He took a blow across his chest. Not good, not good. He had hoped to use the bridge to better funnel the enemies, but his team didn't have enough maneuvering room.
"Chie!" Yosuke shouted. "Retreat back to the tower!" He ordered. "Ted! Help me with this damned thing!" Rise was crawling back as he tried to keep the creature at bay.
Teddie turned and blasted it with ice, driving it off the edge before he turned and blocked another Shadow with his claws. "Yosuke! We need to clear a path!" Yosuke could see where Teddie had taken a few licks of his own, his upper thigh bleeding and his pants torn, but he kept fighting on.
Yosuke saw Teddie's Persona card show up and he rushed over. He actually leapt over Teddie and came down to slash through his own card while Teddie cut through his. Immediately, their combination attack started off, with kunai raining down before the inevitable explosion that cleared out the Shadows.
Chie took the chance, driving her foot into the Reaper one last time and knocking it down before running back, making sure to zigzag back and forth. Together, the group of four rushed for the tower, giving them more space. Yosuke knew his plan had failed, that more were going to funnel in.
He saw that Chie looked a little crispy, but not too worse for the wear, though her pants were slightly scorched. He tried to cast a Mediarahan, but found that it fizzled before he could muster the energy for it. "Ted, think you can heal us?" he asked.
The blond tried and shook his head. "Sorry Yosuke, I'm a little tapped." he said.
"Well shit." Yosuke heard the howl of the recovered Reaper and pulled out an energy drink, tossing it to Teddie. He was going to need it. "Looks like things just got a lot harder."
Take Your Time
Naoto slowly eased her revolver down as she watched Yu run off. She tucked it back inside the shoulder holster underneath her coat. She inhaled deeply and exhaled before she took a moment to kneel down and untie her boots. She then tightened the laces and began to tie them again. She didn't want her boots slipping.
"You okay Naoto-kun?" Yukiko asked as she made her way over with Kanji. "It's okay to regret it, but there's really not much-"
"I don't regret my decision." Naoto said with a slight smile. She looked at the raven haired girl as she put the finishing touches on her boots, tugging everything nice and tight. "I don't regret pointing my gun at Senpai, I don't regret telling him to go without me." She said. "But… if I did have a regret, it's that I couldn't go with him. Joker… Akira, he needs Senpai up there with him. I would have liked to go with Senpai, keep him safe, keep him safe from himself." She said. She rose to her feet. "You know, I sort of envy you, Yukiko-senpai." Naoto said, turning to face the older girl.
"Me?" Yukiko asked, surprise etched all over her face.
"Yes. You." Naoto looked briefly to Kanji before upwards. "You have the power to protect and heal those closest to you." Naoto said. She then turned and met Yukiko's eyes. "I can only bring destruction with my Persona. 'I have become Death, Destroyer of Worlds.'" She shook her head a moment. "So I will put those talents to use, buying Senpai and Akira all the time that they could need."
"Well, I ain't got much in the way of protecting people either." Kanji said. "Best I can do is act as a big meat shield." He lifted his plate up a bit. "Don't got much in the way of ranged either, but I suppose I can call some lightning down."
Yukiko shook her head. "Listen to you two." She said, sounding exasperated. "No wonder you two combo together, being as gloomy and pessimistic as you are." She clearly ignored Kanji's sound of indignation. "We will make it through this." She narrowed her eyes at Naoto. "So don't go-"
"Shadows are already here!" Kanji called out.
Naoto turned, drawing her revolver. Six shots rang out and four Shadows dissolved into that black ash that quickly faded away as well. With a practiced hand, she ejected the rounds and slapped in a fresh speedloader. At the same time she slammed her revolver through a card and a block of ice caught another Shadow.
Yukiko turned, sweeping her fan out and embers launched out before exploding. It wasn't quite her Burning Petals, but still watching her set fire to the Shadows before Kanji brought lightning down on them was still impressive.
One survived, landing while still smoldering. It was a poor decision when Kanji rushed over and smashed its face into the ground with a heavy use of his plate. But the onslaught let the fliers know they weren't getting by them without distracting them and so more and more took to landing or trying to use spells from a distance.
Naoto summoned Yamato-Sumeragi once more before using a judicious use of Mumodoon on the fliers. She watched as the shadows seemed to spring out and skewer the Angel like Shadows. There was something ironic about that. One came down for her but Yukiko launched a blast of fire over her shoulder to send it tumbling off.
Naoto dropped to her knees, dodging under another Shadow. She then watched as Kanji rushed over and knocked it down to its knees from a powerful hit from behind. A single shot of her revolver finished it off. Two more shots that whizzed past Yukiko punched through another Shadow that tried to come down with its fist at her.
"Kanji-kun, can you still keep up?" She asked as she turned, taking three more shots and ejecting the rounds once more.
"You know it!" he shouted as he moved behind her. At the dual smashing of their Persona cards, bones erupted from the ground to tear at the various Shadows before an eruption similar to a Megidolaon sounded out.
"Stay close to Yukiko-senpai!" Naoto called out as she hopped backwards to avoid another sword coming for her. She worked quickly to pull out another speedloader, swearing under her breath as she dropped it and had to reach for another. While she could, in theory, have 'infinite' ammo in her pouch since the Shadows didn't know how many she had, she still had to put the speed loaders back in.
She carried five and had just dropped one.
Naoto dropped a Heat Riser on Kanji and then Yukiko. She knew she needed to conserve her energy but there was still work to be done and Yamato-Sumeragi's natural energy regeneration would be enough for her for a time. She dropped a third on herself.
"I'm going to try and give us some breathing room!" She shouted before she dropped a Megidolaon just past the Shadows and just slightly below the platform. The explosion sounded out and she saw cracks forming along the various ramps and even the side of the tower.
Another burst of electricity and fire from Yukiko and Kanji managed to buy them some time from the various enemies around them.
"It's a start." Yukiko said, breathing a bit heavier and slowly getting it under control.
"Second wave will be coming shortly. Kanji-kun, stick with Yukiko-senpai." Naoto said. She inhaled deeply and actually took the custom tailored jacket off. She dropped it on the ground. The brief fight had shown her it was a detriment. And she was getting hot wearing it.
She went to pick up the speedloader she had dropped and decided to hold it in her off hand. She was going to need the extra rounds much faster.
"You were going to say something earlier, Yukiko-senpai." Naoto removed her hat and ran her hand through her hair a moment before she put her hat back on.
"It's nothing." Yukiko said before offering a smile. That smile turned to a frown. "Up above!" she shouted before she waved her fan. Petals began to drift before a fierce explosion of fire made quick work, and once again they were being assaulted.
This time from above and from below.
Naoto for her part was taking to the flying targets. She had felt like her marksmanship had been slipping, letting Akira and the others take point while she and Yu often had to hang back. But she was pleased to note that she could still shoot rather well. And given the power of her revolver, on some of the more 'Angel' looking Shadows she was breaking wings if she could concentrate long enough to fire at the right spot.
There was a grunt from Kanji and Naoto turned her focus over to the blond boy who was staggered slightly. A bad looking welt was forming on his forehead before he crushed his Persona card and a bolt of lightning caught the Shadow. "I'm alright." He said, catching a swing of a sword with a heavy swing of his plate. He followed it up with smashing his forehead into the brow of the Shadow to stagger it.
The Shadows began to move towards Yukiko and Kanji in mass, two of them were forcing the male back. He took a heavy gust of wind and grunted once more. Yukiko barely dodged a blast of ice, spinning slightly and snapping out with her closed fan. While not the most physically gifted of the Investigation Team, getting smacked in the face with a closed fan was still a jarring thing.
Naoto used the opportunity to take the Shadow's head off with her Revolver.
Naoto continued taking shots, or using single target elemental spells while she tried to take stock of the situation. Something had changed. The Shadows were more organized now. One would attack while another was locked with Kanji, only for the process to repeat. Disengage, attack, lock in place. They were trying to get in closer to Yukiko as well. She was using her natural grace to move between them for a time, but there was only so much she was going to be able to do.
Naoto frowned a bit more before she cast a Mamudoon once more. It helped thin the Shadows, but she also dropped a Megidolaon. She was burning through her reserves fast, and it wasn't getting any easier. But the two widespread attacks managed to buy the other two breathing room.
Yukiko cast a quick heal on Kanji who delivered a devastating physical blow with Takeji Zaiten. It almost completely destroyed the Shadow in a single blow. It only took a second blow from kanji himself to break it.
Naoto continued scanning the mass of Shadows, seeing some going upwards regardless. There had to be a sort of commander among them but where…?
"Yukiko!" Kanji shouted, just as the dark haired girl screamed.
Naoto's eyes cut over, revolver coming up to see Yukiko was grabbed from behind and one of the 'Angels' were flying her towards the edge. "Kanji-kun, zap it!" Naoto began to race towards the side.
A powerful singular blast of lightning struck the Shadow as Kanji followed her order without question. Naoto rushed over and managed to catch Yukiko as she dropped, but the force of Yukiko's fall forced the slender girl to her knees and almost sent her tumbling off the edge with Yukiko. Naoto grit her teeth as she held tight to Yukiko's jacket. She tossed her revolver behind her as she reached out and grabbed Yukiko's arm with her other hand. And seeing her speedloaders tumbling out of her pouch, Naoto knew the fight was going to get that much harder.
Rushing footsteps sounded and suddenly strong arms were around her waist, hauling her and Yukiko back up. Kanji half collapsed himself before he picked up the plate and smacked a Shadow that came flying in. "We need to scatter these bastards!" He shouted.
"You alright?" Naoto asked Yukiko.
"Yes, I'll be fine." She stood as quickly as she could and launched another Maragidyne to set fire to a majority of the Shadows. She narrowed her eyes and snapped her fan open. "Burn!" she shouted before she cast Burning Petals and more thoroughly roasted the various Shadows.
Naoto picked up her gun and tucked it into the holster. She didn't know what was going to happen after Yu and Akira beat Yaldabaoth, but she wasn't going to take a chance and leave it lying around. She grabbed the two stiletto knives she had kept since her Reflection, yanking them from the holsters on her wrists.
Definitely not ideal, she had been their long range specialist and now she was out of ammo with the exception of six rounds for her revolver. She gave a grimace. It also didn't help that fighting with knives were not among her repertoire of skills aside from the very basic of the pointy end went into the Shadows.
It also didn't help that, unlike Yosuke's own daggers, the stilettos were more designed for stabbing rather than slashing. It meant that her aim had to be on point.
Naoto used her smaller form to move around Yukiko and Kanji. She watched as the fliers tried to focus on Kanji, but he used his plate to bat them down. He forwent any form of defense and focused purely on offense, planting his feet and swinging as hard as he could to take the Shadows down. Each swing was punctuated by a loud yell. Yukiko moved with more lithe grace, snapping out with smaller fire balls from her fan to more precisely figure out which of the swarm of Shadows were actually weak to fire. Once she was able to figure out which were, she blasted them with fire.
Naoto felt almost… useless as she had to back away from one Shadow that tanked the knife to the shoulder, clearly not at all bothered by the physical damage. She quickly swiped the knife through the tarot card to summon up Yamato-Sumeragi. It did not tank the blast of ice that froze it solid.
Naoto's mind raced, trying to figure out the best way that they could get out of it. But the enemies were numerous, and they didn't hold a good tactical advantage. If they tried to run back down the ramp, there was a good chance they would get knocked off. And staying on the platform was not good, eventually another of the Shadows would try to grab one of them and take them off the platform and-
Her thoughts went scattered with Yukiko's shout. "Kanji!" The largest of them went down, with Yukiko moving to cover him despite the Shadows trying to swarm them.
Naoto grit her teeth before she dropped another Megidolaon, exploding it above the Shadows so that they would get taken out before they could swarm Yukiko and Kanji. She made her way towards her friends, skidding to a slight stop. "He's unconscious!" Yukiko was already rifling through her pack for something to help wake Kanji up.
Naoto looked up and kept casting several of her spells to blast at the Shadows, but she saw one preparing something. She tried to focus fire on it, but three other Shadows took the spells for it. "Down!" she shouted at Yukiko and half forced her down against Kanji's body, trying to put herself over Yukiko.
They needed to keep their Healer going for as long as possible. It was up to Yukiko to keep them going.
Naoto hissed as white hot pain lanced along her back. And she felt the heat of blood spilling down under the vest and her shirt. She got up and cast another Mamudoon. She then felt the pain spike through her head as she also cast her Shield of Justice. IT was only good for one hit, but it would buy Yukiko some precious moments.
Kanji came awake from the smelling salts and quickly climbed up onto his feet. He blasted them all with Lightning. "Naoto!" he shouted at her.
"Right!" Naoto rushed over, bringing a knife through the tarot card as Kanji smashed his own.
The skeletal spikes began to stick out from the platform and walls, lightning arcing between them before the explosion off once more.
Naoto breathed heavily, feeling nauseous and having the coppery taste in her mouth that was familiar with a hard run. But the Shadows kept coming, she tightened her grip on the knives, the leather slick with her sweat.
Take Your Time
Yu wiped his mouth and swished some water in his mouth before spitting it out. He breathed hard for any air. His pulse pounded in his ears and he had a metallic taste in his mouth that went with the taste of bile. He had been running so far, so long, so fast that his body had inevitably fought against him and it left the mess on the tower. It wasn't pleasant and he was taking precious seconds to gain more air in his lungs.
Up a tower. It just had to be up a tower.
He continued running forward. He was glad he was in as good of shape as he was. He could hardly imagine someone like Sojiro making the run. Dojima might have been able to make it, but he probably would have been rasping for air as well.
And none of those thoughts were important.
He pushed his legs to drive him up faster, further. He could feel the familiar ache in his bones, in his muscles. How many times did he push himself like this during his investigation of the TV World? How many times had he pushed himself like this during basketball? He could only recall twice. Once when Kou had needed a good game to pull him out of his funk. The second when Nanako had been taken.
And again he was thinking of things that were unimportant.
Yu gripped his sword and pushed himself harder. He had seen the numbers of Shadows that had been flying towards the top. Naoto and Yosuke had been correct. Even if they could stem the tide of a hundred Shadows, it was a hundred Shadows that Akira didn't have to fight. He had to finish this up. He had to finish the fight before his friends…
He spotted the top and dug deep. He grit his teeth and put every last bit of strength he had into racing to the top. And immediately, he was besieged by a Shadow. In one swift slash, he cut it down. His body felt tired. But if he had just a few moments of Izanagi-no-Okami fixing him up, he'd be right as rain.
But with the mass of Shadows, he couldn't see Akira. The Shadows had swarmed the top and were now throwing bodies at the Phantom Thieves in full. He saw flashes of nuclear, blasts of ice, blasts of lightning, gusts of wind, flashes of fire, but he could not see Akira. "Joker!" he yelled out. He deflected a descending blade and swung through the Shadow. He turned and stabbed through yet another.
"Here!" He saw a red hand shoot up through the Shadows.
Yu dropped his shoulder and charged. He pushed a Shadow that he caught about the midsection as he made his way over towards Akira. He cut the Shadow down before a swipe of his hand sent him to Yoshitsune. "Hassou Tobi!" He barely had to try to connect. The Shadows were trying to swarm him as well.
And his persona cleared a small radius around them of the Shadows, gouges where Yoshitsune's blade dug into the ground they were on. It was getting slick with the brackish blood of the Shadows that tended to remain.
He grabbed Akira and hauled him to his feet before he turned and deflected another blow. "Thanks!" Akira said, looking worse for wear. "Crow and I tried to hit Yaldabaoth with a double Heat Riser Megidolaon." Wait, Akechi was there? "Oracle has my knife, down to one last bullet. Crow has more, but we got swarmed before he could give me a spare mag."
Yu grimaced a bit. Odds were definitely not looking in Akira's favor. "Then, it's time we used that." He said. "It's the only way we're breaking through all these Shadows."
"Shit, that?" Akira asked with a grunt. "That always takes everything I have."
"I'll buy you time. Scientist and Magician stayed behind with the rest of my team to buy me the chance to get here. Let's make it count." Yu had Izanagi-no-Okami to recharge him. "So when you go down, I'm going to need you to recover as quick as you can."
Yu turned, swinging his sword to cut down some of the advancing Shadows. He saw Akira blast them back with a gust of wind to try and shove them away. THe both turned at the same time. Yu swiped through his Persona quickly and he watched as Akira removed his mask with his right hand.
Their left hands clasped up between them.
"Helel!"
"Lucifer!"
"Armageddon/Armageddon!" Their cast of the spell was perfectly in sync. Yu had summoned Helel, his ultimate Persona of the Star while Akira summoned Lucifer. Formerly what Yu used, he instead released it so Akira could use it for this express purpose since Akira didn't have Helel.
Both persona shot up into the air, wings spread before they vanished into brilliant light that went into the clouds above. The clouds began to darken and Yu and Akira both went to their knees. Lightning began to cascade down from above, blasting Shadows in chunks. Yu couldn't help but smile with a grim satisfaction as the Shadows were being destroyed in huge swathes, especially as they rushed in defense of Yaldabaoth, keeping the God protected.
Every new lightning bolt was another couple dozen destroyed. And the lightning even rained down past the top of the tower, streaking at the Shadows below. Because of the nature of the lightning, it didn't follow the rules of normal lighting, striking with pinpoint accuracy. One bolt even shot through the side of the floor and several more followed through to go inside the tower.
The storm lasted for only a minute at most. But when it was over, the skies were finally, finally clear of Shadows.
Yu breathed a bit heavier. He barely swapped over to Izanagi-no-Okami before he pushed himself to his feet. He stumbled slightly but he kept his sword in his hand and forced himself to stay standing as he grit his teeth. He reached down and hauled Akira up by the shoulder.
Akira breathed heavily, wheezing for everything. The fight had been running too long on either of them. "I'm tapped." he said.
Yu nodded and he shrugged his bag off before shoving it into Akira's arms. "Thieves!" He barked out to get the attention of all the Phantom Thieves. "Take Joker, head down the ramp to get out of the line of fire and get him recovered enough to fight." His eyes met with Crow who had stood up from his own fight, ejecting the magazine from the pistol. Rage still built up when Yu thought about Goro Akechi.
Makoto came over and grabbed Akira, though he noted she looked exhausted too. "You sure?" She asked. "A few of us might be able to stay behind…"
"No." Yu said and inhaled. "I can buy some time."
"You shouldn't have to." Akira said.
Yu chuckled a bit and he ran a hand through his silver hair. He then took off the white duster he had been wearing, passing it over to Akira. He was tempted to tear the sleeves off the white long sleeve for mobility, but he quite liked the sweater. "Take your time getting rested." He told his fellow Wild Card. "And remember, sometimes lightning strikes twice." He left Akira to puzzle over that statement while he walked forwards, dropping the duster that would, with luck, stay there under its own weight.
It had been burdening him for a while with his own sins, sins that he might not be able to escape from. He remembered the time in Inaba, where he confronted his Reflection. Now, he no longer felt that weight upon his shoulders.
"Seeker of the Truth, you cannot defy me." Yaldabaoth spoke from above.
Yu inhaled a bit. Thing still wasn't lying to him. "Nope. Probably not." Yu said as he continued forward. He saw the others moving towards Akira, even if they paused to look back towards him, they had to know he could handle himself. "I'm just a distraction."
"If you cannot win, if you know you cannot win, then why persist in fighting? Lay down your sword."
Yu looked to the sword. The few brief moments of respite that he had since unleashing Armageddon. They told him his body was tired. It was sore. There wasn't a single bone or muscle in his body that wasn't crying out in agony. His chest demanded more air than he had been giving it for so long. His palms were sweaty, his sweater clung to his back with sweat. And briefly, he wondered what the soles of his shoes looked like.
He took a deep inhale, filling his lungs to the point they screamed they were too full before he exhaled deeply. He squared his shoulders and shifted his sword back into his preferred stance. He stepped out slightly with his left foot and he looked up at Yaldabaoth. He gripped his sword a bit better. He heard what sounded like a helicopter and he paused to see a news helicopter actually flying around the skies. Uh… Huh… That was going to be problematic.
"You want to know why I persist in fighting?" Yu asked the God. "Them." He pointed towards the Helicopter. "The people that can't fight for themselves. You want my sword? Then have it! Izanagi-no-Okami!"
His Persona formed beside him in all his splendor. From the long blade with its circular guard to the white duster lined with vivid crimson. Izanagi-no-Okami spun his sword around a moment. The tip came along the ground, sparks kicking up before a bolt of lightning rocked Yaldabaoth.
"Insolent pest, if that is your decision, then so be it!" The large God raised its gun, but both Persona and the user were moving. Yu rushed ahead, dipping down into a slide while Izanagi-no-Okami leapt forward and used his blade to knock the barrel of the gun up, if even slightly.
And Yu got to see Yaldabaoth fight. A sword, a gun, a book, and a bell on each arm. Izanami had been just as dangerous, but he tried to stay moving, tried to keep the God's attention away from Akira. He kept throwing out dangerous, powerful spells that rocked the God whether it was a Ziodyne or a Megidolaon. He could hear the chopping of the blades of the helicopter flying ahead, no doubt trying to get an idea who they were, what they were doing.
"The world doesn't need you!" Yu shouted. "They don't need me, they don't need the Phantom Thieves, the world is capable enough of making their own decision. People aren't sheep to be led by a shepherd!" He landed roughly on his shoulder from throwing himself out of the way. He rolled and quickly got to his feet, blasting Yaldabaoth once again. "Yes, there are wrongs in the world, but by attempting to wrestle control from people, to take away their free will, you are only adding to it!"
"Humanity longs for a God, Seeker of the Truth. Izanami-no-Mikoto knew this, you know this. It is inevitable." The gun came forward and blasted out a loud, booming shot. Yu barely dodged away from it in a desperate attempt.
"Maybe they do." Yu admitted. He grit his teeth and swapped away from Izanagi-no-Okami. A dangerous thing, but he needed to try other things. It was why he went to Beezlebub. "But as long as there are people that refuse your rule, you're clearly not the God that humanity needs. I refuse you, the Phantom Thieves refuse you." He blasted the God with a Blazing Hell.
"You have fallen, Seeker of the Truth. Your comrades have fallen." The screens floating around the God showed the signs of his friends, laying down on the ground and not actively moving. Yu wasn't sure if they were dead or not, and it hurt him to see them like that. His heart clenched, wondering if Naoto was still alive.
"It doesn't matter!" Yu said sharply. He wondered how long the screens had been playing. "All you've done is show your infallibility, you're scared of us, scared of the Phantom Thieves. Scared that we can actually beat you! You are giving Humanity hope as they watch us take you on and you cannot finish the job!"
He heard the sound of booted feet coming up and suddenly the sound of a shotgun firing rang out. Ryuji stood next to him as he fired off more rounds. "You're right!" he said, looking to Yu. He could see Ryuji's half cocked grin on his face. "I don't need much to go on, and I make for a good meat tank.' The blond offered.
More booted footsteps followed by automatic gunfire and the sharp clack of heels. Ann and Yusuke had come up as well. And while Ann could probably use a breather, Yusuke was clearly ready to fight like Ryuji was.
"I'll work to slow him down, it might not be much but it should let you hit him with something big, right?" Ann said as she and Hecatate began to move, casting and occasionally snapping out a fire ball.
Haru was next to come up, a grenade sailing over Yu to slam into Yaldabaoth as they began to make their way around. None of them bothered to stay still. The slightest misstep could see them defeated, and they had to gamble for precious moments for Akira. Even Akechi came up, using Loki to throw out a Megidolaon. Soon enough, all of the Phantom Thieves except for Akira were running around, doing what they could to Yaldabaoth. And despite not being Akira, Yu began to bark out orders.
"Crow, form up with Queen and Noir!" Yu said as he dashed to the side "Focus on hitting it as hard as you can!" he said. "Fox, Skull, Panther! Focus on trying to throw its aim off!" he said. "Mona, form up with me!" He rushed over. "Focus on keeping people up! I'll focus on keeping you from being hit!" He immediately took the page from Skull, and proceeded to run with Mona half on his shoulder, his sword held loosely.
"I will not be denied! Seeker of the Truth, BEGONE!" The large pistol the God carried in one of its arms rose up and aimed at Yu before it went off with a booming retort.
Yu leapt back, only to watch the ground crack all around him from the round striking it.. His eyes widened as he practically watched as what he was standing on began to collapse. His first thought was Mona. He had to get Mona to the others. "Skull!" he shouted, feet already moving forward. He could feel the rubble sliding backwards and chunks separating. "Catch!"
He then threw Mona as hard as he could, stepping into the throw and trying to follow up with his run. Instinctively, he brought his arms up and braced as a second shot took him square on and stopped his forward momentum. Yu felt his foot come loose and he began to fall backwards, eyes wide as he looked around. He saw Akira coming up to get back into the fight and they both knew Yu was falling.
Arsene shot over the edge, hand outstretched and wings tucked tight against his back while he dove for Yu. And Yu reached out a hand for the Persona, but it was like the chains were holding him back, weighing him down.
Take Your Time
Akira could only watch in horror as Yu began to fall. Time seemed to slow down as he reached out, yelling out. "Fool!" A friend was about to die. And he was powerless to stop it. He couldn't stop it. It would be his fault, all his fault. Something seemed to snap inside Akira. "Arsene!" He shouted, summoning his first Persona and sending it chasing after Yu. But it was like several chains seemed to be holding Arsene back. Akira reached out to grab the chains.
Something was holding him back still. Something was holding back his inner self. And in order to save a friend…
A myriad of images flashed through his mind. Morgana, Makoto, Haru, Yusuke, Sojiro, Ann, Ryuji, Akechi, Futaba, Chihaya, Justine and Caroline, Iwai, Tae, Kawakami, Ohya, Shinya, Hifumi, Mishima, Taronosuke, Sae… Yu. He thought of each of the people that he bonded with in his path, he thought about everything that they had each taught him.
'Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to hell itself!" He remembered the very first words Arsene had told him. He had. He had been chained to Hell from the very beginning. And it was time to break those chains, time to let go. He had found what it was his journey had been about. And it was time to evolve from the Fool.
He gripped the chains and gave a strong yank. And they absolutely shattered. Arsene disappeared down the edge and Akira turned to once more face Yaldabaoth. Something was building inside of him, a true self, something so powerful, it could no longer be chained to the path of Hell.
Arsene came shooting back up from his dive, half slinging Yu up onto the roof once more. Akira faced Yaldabaoth and stepped forward as his Persona continued shooting upwards into the clouds. He could see the faint crimson glow on his Persona as he began to walk forward. Lights began to fall down from the darkened clouds overhead from where Arsene had disappeared to.
"So you have failed to harness the power." Yaldabaoth's tone was almost mocking.
"It's over." Akira said almost softly. He understood Yu's almost cryptic remark. He hadn't been speaking about actual lightning. He had been talking instead about the spark that had originally summoned Arsene. He could see his friends, winded and tired, barely able to stand. Even Akechi looked worse for wear. "You can't win. At every turn, you have been denied, you have been thwarted." Akira said. And he thought he heard something on the wind, something that was growing louder.
"Go get them Phantom Thieves!"
"Kick his ass!"
"You can do it!"
Akira closed his eyes a moment and reached up to his mask, the typical motion when he summoned a Persona. He crushed it in his hand, blue flames erupting around his glove for a moment.
"No matter how many prayers the foolish masses send your way-" Thunder erupted and lighting cackled in the clouds above. They darkened with the coming storm.
"What the-?" Ann asked, looking up. The others quickly followed her example
He knew what was up there already. He had already seen it before. He didn't need to see the massive form of Satanael slowly descending from the darkened clouds but he took it in anyway. He knew the impressive sight it made with massive horns jutting forward, and a vivid crimson sash across a chest decorated with darkened silver plates. Six massive wings jutted out, spreading wide and sending gusts of wind over them all.
"Holy shit!" Ryuji said.
"Is that a Persona?!" Futaba asked loudly, goggles up to look at the massive form.
"I am Thou, Thou art I! Thy bonds have become the Wings of Rebellion and break the yoke upon Thine Heart! Go forth and declare my name! My Power is yours to use as you see fit, Trickster!" Satanael spoke from his place.
Akira felt full. He felt full of energy. He turned around and gave a sharp snap of his fingers. Healing light began to rain upon his friends letting all of them go from having been hurt and injured, to being able to stand up a little straighter, a little less in pain. A little less fatigue in their forms.
"Fools! This is why man is doomed!" Akira watched as a black orb formed at Yaldabaoth's chest before it rained the sort of black and red tinted ichor that made the shadows upon the Phantom Thieves. Akira didn't bother trying to block, only stepping forward. It fell off of all of them to no effect. "Impossible!" It was… amusing to hear the God's disbelief.
Akira drew his gun. A gun he had gotten from another version of him that had sided with the God. He looked up as he held the gun up. A gun with a single shot in it. He could feel the movement of his Persona behind him, drawing its own gun and breaking the barrel open to load it. It had a gun similar to a Thompson Contender hunting pistol. It could be fitted with a longer rifle and stock, but it was intended as a powerful single shot pistol. Another blast from Yaldabaoth didn't even rock him. Was this what Yu felt like at every turn? Akira wasn't certain.
"Begone." Akira told Yaldabaoth. He turned his gaze upwards towards the God more as the gun was raised up past him. "Satanael!" He called out.
"You would dare deny the people their-"
Akira's gun went off, a quieter sound compared to the massive boom that was caused by Satanael's shot. The clouds parted as the round tore through the head of the God before continuing on for some time.
Yaldabaoth was quiet for a time. "What… Power…" It began to fade away before disappearing into a cloud of gold sparkles.
"Look!" Ann called out.
Akira glanced up as a large cup formed and began to descend.
"Ain't that a treasure?" Ryuji asked excited.
Akira chuckled a little bit at that. He heard footsteps coming up from behind him and he turned to spot Yu bending down to pick his coat up. "Glad you're in one piece." HE said to the other Wild Card.
"Nice catch." Yu said simply, looking to the golden cup as Morgana began to approach it. "The rush will go away." He said. "The sort of infinite power and invincibility, that fades. Though, I'd be willing to bet you're going to be as hard as I am to put down permanently." Yu said, glancing back to Satanael that was still floating there before dispersing into blue embers.
"Morgana!" Akira turned his attention as the golden cup began to glow brightly. Haru's cry was definitely pulling him away from thoughts of Akechi.
"Bye guys, it's time I went home." Morgana said. A bright flash of light and they were suddenly on the ground, waist deep in crimson fluid
"The Hell?!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Naoto!" Yu rushed past Akira and lifted his girlfriend up who had been in the water. All of the Investigation Team looked like they had just walked through Hell. They all sported cuts, burns, bruises, and Akira was moving over. Makoto and Ann were moving over as well to heal. But Yu beat them to it with a quick use of Salvation, something he used twice just to be on the safe side.
Then the red fluid shattered like glass, catching everyone by surprise. Yu moved to keep Naoto from getting hurt, but the substance ended up just turning into dust that began to drift off. The clouds began to part once more to show the blue skies above, and for once Akira was glad to see them, the feel the heat of the sun starting to come down on him. It almost hurt his eyes.
The large jutting bones that dominated the skyscape began to disappear as well and lights began to fade off of everything.
"Why is-?" Ann started.
"The Whole world is a product of Cognition." Morgana said. "Not just the Metaverse." He sounded happy. "It can be free re-made. The same goes for you and everyone else." They turned towards Morgana to see him glowing.
"Dude, Mona-" Ryuji started.
"Mona-chan!" They moved to get over to him. Akira definitely didn't like the idea of his little buddy disappearing. He reached for him but was yanked back as a bolt of energy cleaved through the concrete.
Morgana began to look around. "Soon a new world will come." He said "One where Mankind isn't held captive. The world will shine brightly as long as you hold hope in your hearts."
"But what will happen to you?!" Makoto asked.
"Damn it Morgana, we're not letting go of you!" Akira held his hand out towards the now floating cat.
"Remember, there is no such thing as the 'real world.' What each person sees and feels, those are what shape reality. This is what gives the world infinite potential. Even if you feel only darkness is ahead, as long as you see it through together, the world will never end." Morgana slowly drifted out of sight and Akira lowered his hand, clenching his fist tightly. It wasn't right!
And as he glanced around as the glowing light died down, he saw that all the Phantom Thieves were back in their day to day clothes. Akechi was nowhere to be seen either, probably having slipped off while they were all busy.
"Models!" Yu hissed as he and Naoto clambered to their feet. The various members of the Investigation Team and Phantom Thieves were quick to realize what he was talking about and quickly tried to get their weapons put away.
Unfortunately, they weren't quite quick enough. A police officer made his way over towards them. "Hey what are-?" He started.
Yu cut him off. "I'm super sorry officer." He even offered a bow. "I'm in charge of transporting props for a play the drama club is working on for Tokyo University. I asked a few friends to help, but some of us took a nasty spill. We're trying to get them put away as quickly as possible so as not to cause a fuss."
"Yeah, sorry, clumsy feet." Chie said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "I'm pretty uncoordinated outside of martial arts and when I started going down, I just reached for the nearest person."
The officer gave them something of a stink eye for a while, looking over each of them before he settled on Yu once more. Akira was worried. Chie had offered more information than they needed to offer. IT was something Yu had taught him, don't get too deep into the lie. The more layers there were, the harder it was to remember everything. But finally, the officer shook his head. "Get them put away." he said rather gruffly. "And stick together. We had a prisoner escape and he killed a number of officers. Get where you're going and then get home." He said.
"Of course Officer." Makoto said offering her own bow. And soon everyone gathered their things up, put them away and made their way to a secluded alleyway. And everyone noticed as snow began to fall slowly, drifting down from the sky.
Akira was in thought when he felt a hand against his shoulder. He glanced up to see Yu looking at him. "Stop thinking about it." The older teen said. "Akechi made his own decision."
Akira sighed. "Yeah." He said nodding his head. "He did. I just wish it didn't have to be like that."
"Oh shoot!" Ryuji said. "Christmas is tomorrow!" Several heads turned to look at him. "I gotta jet, I forgot to get my mom somethin'!" He took off running and there were some bemused looks.
"I guess we'll find out about Shido soon enough." Yusuke said. "Hmm… I think some Taiyaki would be quite delicious right now." He began to walk off.
"It's been fun Senpai, but I think I'm going to head off." Rise said. "I got a hotel room thankfully, and I need a nap."
"We'll head out too." Kanji said, motioning to Yukiko.
"Thanks guys." Yu said, holding a hand out.
Yosuke caught the outstretched hand and gave a grin. "Anytime partner. Maybe next time will be less crazy." He said as he began to walk off with Chie as well.
Rise sighed and shook her head. "Come on Teddie. No one should be alone on Christmas Eve." she said and began to lead the blond boy.
"Does this mean-?" He asked, sounding excited.
"Of course not!" Rise said rather firmly. "You just get the honor of escorting an Idol." She said playfully, not at all meaning it in the slightest.
Futaba chuckled. "I should probably get home to Sojiro." She said and winced. "But he's going to be mad if I get home myself.' she said. She looked to Akira hopefully.
He was about to answer and say that he'd escort her home when he was beaten to the punch. "I'll take you home Futaba-chan." Haru said. "I'm in the mood for some curry and Boss' coffee." She looked over to Akira and offered a smile before she began to lead Futaba away to a discussion of curry.
Ann glanced at her watch and sighed. "Ugh… I have a shoot tomorrow." She said. "I really should get going and try to get some sleep myself. I'm exhausted." She began to walk off as well.
Akira felt his lips quirk into a slight smile. He looked to Makoto and then to Naoto and Yu. "Think we pulled it off?" he asked, his smile turning to a slight frown.
"Well, no one is talking about the tower. Or seeing our battle." Naoto offered. "You haven't been recognized. I think whatever it was that we did, it may have erased the memories of anyone that bore witness to it that doesn't have a Persona." The sleuth gave a grimace. "It's the best hypothesis that I have, and I dislike how weak it is." She added.
Akira nodded his head a moment. "It's better than nothing." He sighed softly. He looked to the other pair a moment. "Thanks. Both of you." He said. "This journey has been…" He shook his head slightly.
Yu shook his head. "Don't mention it." The silver haired teen offered a slight smile. "You guys helped Naoto and I as well. Now cheer up, it's Christmas." He said. "And personally, I think I'd like to stop by a store, grab a small cake, and enjoy it." He said. He shouldered his bag a bit better. "And I'd like to get away from this square more before I get caught in my lie."
Akira nodded his head and he watched as Naoto and Yu began to walk off. He hoped their Christmas was a good one.
He turned to face Makoto and was about to suggest something when another voice caught up to them. "Makoto, and Kurusu-san." Akira turned to see Sae walking up, looking a bit frazzled. "I wasn't expecting to see you, I mean I had hoped but…" She shook her head and composed herself. "I don't even know where to begin with what I just saw." She said. "All that red liquid, the battle… and now everything is…" She glanced over her shoulder and shook her head once more. It was a little surprising that she remembered the battle. Akira wondered briefly if it was the people he shared a close bond with. He'd have to ask Sojiro if he remembered anything. "Kurusu-san, might I speak with you?" She asked, brushing some hair back behind an ear.
Akira looked to the Prosecutor a while and nodded his head. He looked to Makoto and offered a smile. "I'll catch up later." He said. He stepped forward and with Sae began to walk a ways away from Makoto.
Sae turned to face Akira once she was sure that Makoto couldn't quite see them. She took a moment. "Akechi escaped. Can I assume that you don't know where he is?" she asked in a low tone. Technically, she could get into a lot of trouble for bringing it up with a civilian.
Akira shook his head. "No. He came, and left before things returned to normal. Sorry." He said. And he meant it.
Sae inhaled and nodded her head. "Damn." She muttered. "Then I don't have much of a choice." Sae looked up to Akira with sharp eyes. "We don't have a case against Shido. He confessed to his many crimes, but without a correlation between the Mental Breakdowns and the Metaverse, we're sunk." She said. "Akechi was a key witness. I was sure that eventually he would give something up on Shido, but without him…" She shook her head. "I need you to be a witness. But it would get out what you've done, the police and prosecutor's office won't let you be a hero. They'll attack at your past record as well. 'Gross Misconduct' they'll call it. You'll end up going back to a detention center, and in solitary confinement. If they get at least you, I can make sure they won't go after the rest of your team and fabricate evidence."
Akira nodded his head. Somehow, he knew that it would come down to this. Somehow, in the back of his mind, he had always known that eventually he would have to give himself up. Perhaps it was the Reflection of himself that had given him Satanael, perhaps that had been when he knew. He inhaled and looked around a moment, looked at the world that was better off thanks to his efforts. "Huh… I've always prided myself on trying to do the right thing." Akira said. "Almost a year ago, I think I stopped a young woman from being raped by Shido. Back in April, I had gone after Kamoshida because a girl had been raped." He turned to Sae properly.
"I just stopped the embodiment of humanity's subconscious from taking over because it was the right thing to do." Akira looked to Sae, watching as she took everything in. "And now, you're telling me my reward for all of that is a cell huh?"
"That's right." Sae at least had the manners to look apologetic about it.
Akira ran a hand through his hair. "Fine." He said. "I'll do it. I'll turn myself in."
He could see the surprise in the older woman's face, before a slight smile crossed her lips that was underscored with sadness. "I had a feeling that would be your answer." She said softly. "Thank you. I'll try to keep you from being in solitary." She said. "No one deserves to be treated like that."
Akira shook his head. "Don't bother." He said. He could see the surprise that colored her face. "It'll keep me safe, so don't worry about it. Better alone where I don't have to worry about anyone." Sorta, but Akira had already taken one ass beating in jail.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry it has come to this." Sae said. "Shall we go then?"
Akira shook his head. "Not yet. It's Christmas Eve." He said. He glanced over his shoulder where he saw Makoto. "I'd be a bad boyfriend if I stood your sister up on Christmas Eve. See you tomorrow Sae-san."
"B-boyfriend?" Sae asked, sounding surprised, but Akira was already walking towards Makoto.
The conversation had certainly put a damper on his mood for Christmas. That and losing Morgana. And tomorrow he would have to turn himself in. Or else he and his team would be inevitably arrested. He was about to pull his glasses from his pocket before he tucked them away and kept them away. He didn't care to try and look non threatening anymore.
It didn't help.
"Akira-kun?" Makoto asked, tilting her head just slightly.
"It's nothing. Want to walk about Shibuya square, maybe do some window shopping?" Akira asked with a smile. "I have some spare money, and Yu's idea of a small cake and spending Christmas eve with my girlfriend sounds wonderful." It was the closest to normal that Akira had gotten since he had gotten to Shibuya.
Makoto blushed brightly but nodded her head. "It never stops making my heart flutter when you call me that." Makoto admitted softly.
Akira smiled a little bit at that. "Well, I'm glad you enjoy it." He said softly.
Together they walked about Shibuya Square, talking about nothing. Mostly it was school, but considering Akira was still the top ranked student of his year, there was nothing to worry about there. And Makoto did well enough that she was easily in the top five of her year.
Akira thought he might have seen Naoto squeak by her by a few points on the exams.
They got back to Le Blanc just after eight and headed right up to Akira's room. He moved over to the heater and turned it up a little bit, checking the kerosene levels at the same time. It would do fine. He then got out the card table they had used while using his place as a base of operations and set it up in front of his couch.
"Might not be much, but it'll do." he said as he set the cake down on the table. "I'll go make us some coffee too."
Akira headed down the stairs and made some quick coffee. He was just warming up the last thermos of coffee he had, but it would be more than enough for them. He took it back upstairs once it was at a nice hot temperature. He smiled as he spotted Makoto removing her coat and taking the chance to cut the cake.
"So, we're finally alone together." Makoto said with a smile as she sat down. "What should we do?" she asked. "This isn't any different than usual… is it?"
Akira chuckled and sat down with her. He set a mug of coffee in front of her. "You make every moment special Makoto." He said.
He saw her face flush and she turned away. "How can you say that with a straight face?" She asked. Someone might take her for being indignant, but Akira could hear the amusement in her tone.
"I can because I mean it." Akira said. He smiled a little bit at the other girl.
"I don't think it's fair." Makoto said, taking a sip of the coffee. "You're sitting there teasing me while I'm drinking coffee, my heart rate is accelerating rather unfairly."
"And it's not due to me being my usual charming self? You know, your boyfriend?" Akira was amused by Makoto's comment.
"Not in the slightest." Makoto said, trying to keep a straight face but Akira could see the way her lips pulled upwards slightly.
"Well, my heart is beating a bit rapidly too." Akira admitted. "It usually does whenever I'm around you. You're this amazing woman with dreams and ambitions, the world is just ripe for your taking." He took a drink of his own coffee.
He saw Makoto flush again and she tried to hide it by eating a large piece of the cake. But Akira took the time to savor it. He didn't know when, or if, he would see Makoto again after tomorrow. He wanted as many memories of her blushing and smiling as he could get.
"Oh, right." Makoto reached into her bag and produced a small box. "It might not be much, and I didn't really know what to get you…" She said.
Akira accepted the box and opened it to see the watch inside. It was similar to what Yu wore, professional looking and done with a black band. "Thank you." He said gratefully. He reached over and set it on the work table he had. He stood up and went over to his shelves to grab a small item he had stashed away, bringing it back. "I managed to get something for everyone while I was laying low. Here." He passed over the present.
Makoto tilted her head and opened it up, pausing a moment. "This is... " She said, gasping softly. "You got me a signed copy of the manga I was reading while I was following you around?" she asked as she opened the cover.
"That's right." Akira said and sat down once more. "Went out on a limb and figured it was a favorite based on the well worn spine."
"You remember the strangest of things." Makoto said, placing the lid back on the case. "Thank you though." She said with a smile. "It means you pay attention to me."
"Always." Akira said, taking in his girlfriend for a time.
"I… I don't mean to change the subject suddenly," Makoto started. "But Sis is in charge of the Shido case and she's hit a wall… Not sure what, but all she's told me is she's having a hard time getting people to testify." She closed her eyes. "I trust Sis, and I know she'll do her job to the best of her ability… But it's scary not knowing what comes next." She said.
Akira looked down to his coffee a moment, looking into it. He had to turn himself in to keep his friends safe. Makoto especially. But his girlfriend had apparently taken that moment to open her eyes and had spotted his contemplative silence. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Akira inhaled a bit. "I'm sorry." he said softly, shaking his head.
"What do you mean?" Makoto asked, sounding confused. She looked away at his silence and shook her head a moment. "I-I'm sorry for bringing up such a strange topic, on Christmas Eve no less…" She said. "I'll be going now." She stood up, brushing some hair back as she did so.
Akira was about to let her go when he reached out and took her wrist. "Hey… please…" He said softly as she turned to look at him. "Stay for the night. There's something I need to tell you." He said. He could see the surprise on her face, he was after all asking her to stay the night. But having her there might help him find the strength to do what he needed to do.
Makoto frowned as she contemplated things before she sat down. "Okay." she said softly.
Akira took her hand in his again, enjoying the simple action. He gently brushed his thumb over the back of her hand. "Sae-san… asked me to testify." Akira said.
"What?" Makoto asked quietly.
"Without Akechi or anyone else to testify, Shido doesn't go down. She asked me to testify." He'd keep the fact he was protecting his team out of it. "The police already got my fingerprints, got my picture, I kept them from getting my name… But… I'm a known quantity to them." Akira said. "If I go to testify, I'm going to get slapped with Gross Misconduct while on probation. But… it's the only way to guarantee that Shido goes down. It's the only answer I have…"
"There has to be another way!" Makoto said rather loudly.
Akira shook his head. "There isn't. And that's okay, I've already readied myself to the best of my abilities for this." He said and offered Makoto a strained smile. "After all, I'll have you here tonight to give me strength." Sometimes doing the right thing wasn't doing the right thing, and he could see the pain on Makoto's face. But he didn't want her to find out after he had already gone to the police station.
"This isn't fair." Makoto said, but was clearly resigning herself to his decision.
"No, not it isn't." Akira said. "So please, just stay, and talk to me about anything or nothing." he said.
Makoto nodded her head and wiped at the tears forming in her eyes. "Okay." She said softly.
Chapter End
A/N: Hooh boy. This is late. Sorry, super super sorry! Work has been crazy, video games have been crazy. I'm trying to diet and exercise to get in a semblance of shape and have little energy to actually do things.
I decided to finish things up in one fell swoop instead of dragging this out for another chapter. Next chapter we still have stuff for Christmas Eve/Christmas Day. I estimate another five~ish chapters and I'm hoping to have everything wrapped up by May.
Enjoy, and look forward to Royals, I certainly am.
