Persona: Gnosis - The Knowledge Seekers

by Sraosha

Shintaro Nakahara is a book lover who studies at Kansei High, in the thriving city of Shinshuto. Everything in his life is peaceful, if uneventful. That all changes when Kei Kakusa, a new transfer student, comes from Yokohama, and the Bythos group cause massive unrest within the city. With the power of Persona, do he and his friends have any chance of saving the people they love?

45. To Embrace The Stars

AN: It's been far too long again, I know. I hope 2021 is treating you all better than the last year. For those of you reading, please review! I've been planning this story for a long time, and I'm glad I finally got this far. There's still much to come, of course. Enjoy!

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Chapter 45: To Embrace The Stars

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|Tanjoshima – Reception Hall|20:50 pm|

The fight had only just begun, but the hall was already in a sorry state. Just by being present in this very room, the dreaded Menoetius was causing the architecture to twist into something unnatural, full of malice. The building wasn't going to collapse, yet Shintaro couldn't help but recall that this Shadow had destroyed an entire hotel. It would not be an easy task to destroy this Anomaly. He heard the sound of massive waves crashing against the shore outside, and gasped. The others around him were uneasy at this – after all, their other allies were stationed around Tanjoshima.

Oh my god, what if Kohaku and the others are in trouble?

Even if they were, he had to destroy this being before he could reach them. It would require all his strength – perhaps much more. Even so, he tightly gripped his sword. Vigilantly, he carefully watched, as the monster swung its fists – more like giant hammers – and destroyed more and more of the hall. Seizing his chance, Shintaro ran up, and with a high jump, slashed the beast across the face. While missing the eyes, he left a sizeable wound on the forehead – and thus, he called down Ogma.

"Persona!"

Manifesting high in the air, Ogma brought down his sword with a swift, but effective Savant Slash, adding another wound. Menoetius screamed, and before Shintaro could anything, he was swung five feet back – agony surging through him all the while. He landed on the floor with a heavy thud, next to a ruined table. He saw bloodstains nearby, and shuddered – the humans that had been sent flying out the window must have been sitting there.

"Shintaro!" Kei cried. She grabbed his hand, and dragged him to his feet. "You must be more careful..."

"Eat this!" Akari cried, jumping out of harm's away. "Epona, get him!"

Concentrating, the goddess and her master called upon a soothing pink sphere. With a flash of white light, it flew straight at Menoetius, thus granting the Esper's Wish – exploding with waves of teal and pink light. The impact was so great, the monster screamed in agony – and collapsed. Yet, even in its wounded state, it had great influence over its surroundings. Several chairs floated in the air, and were hurled at Kei – who slashed them with her sword as fast as she could.

"Watch out!"

Shintaro gasped – Menoetius' fists were fast, and felt like they tore the earth apart when they hit the ground. Rolling aside, he narrowly avoided being crushed by them, and thrust forward, his blade piercing the monster's thick skin. To call him muscular would be an understatement – his biceps were bulging, and the veins were visible beneath the leathery, scarred skin. This beast had been at Nisa Liat's mercy – not that she had any mercy to give this demon.

Before it could lunge at him again, a crashing wave of deep blue water pushed the creature aside – the sound was loud, yet somehow Netuno's guitar managed to be heard over the force of the Aquadyne.

"Hey, are we even close to killing this thing yet?"

Akari shook her head, sadly. "Not really. This creature has a lot of energy. Nisa Liat turned it into a weapon of mass destruction, even if it meant completely destroying its mind."

"Then there's only one way forward...use all our strength!" Kaii said, standing up straight. Clenching both fists, he dashed forward, leaping over a collapsed column, and sharply punched Menoetius in the chest. With a nimble backflip, he avoided a severe counter-attack – all so he could fight back with Grannus. "Get him, partner!"

Appearing with a big smile on his face, the Persona raised his arms to the sky, and gathered a massive amount of energy, both blue and purple. With a mighty hurl, the energy was thrown at the Shadow, turning into a Blight Bomb – exploding with nuclear, poisonous power. Groaning, Menoetius stood back up, and struck Kaii hard – then turned red, its veins pulsing with angry blood. Shintaro wondered if its veins would burst – perhaps they had done before, thanks to Nisa Liat's unholy torture.

"What's it doing?!" Kaii said, getting back to his feet.

"Not good...whatever its about to do is even stronger than anything else he's done tonight!" Akari cried.

Slamming his fists on the ground, a gigantic red shockwave spread across the room, and Shintaro felt as if he had been hit by a battering ram. The impact of Ira Vehementi was just as strong, if not worse. Again, he was sent flying, and hit the floor. Every inch of him was aching, and he felt a stinging pain on his hand. As he fell, his palm had hit a piece of broken glass – and there was quite a lot of blood already.

"D-Damn..." He grimaced, and hurriedly grabbed tissues from his pocket. They would have to do if he wanted to stop the bleeding. Quickly wrapping them around his hand, he retrieved his sword, just as Kei swung hers – slicing into the dark Shadow's flesh. It screamed, and tried to grab her with its hands, but missed.

"Come, Pachacamac!"

A new Persona emerged, this one of Peruvian lore. A humanoid with fish-like arms and legs, and an axe-blade for a hairstyle, this was both an earth and sea god. It commanded the power of the ground this time, sending a strong Magnara to bury the Shadow.

"Nisa...Liat...won't...let me...die...if I...win here..."

Menoetius did not move its mouth to speak. Yet its voice was loud and clear. A desperate, anguished one. From listening to it, Shintaro could hear its terror and despair. He remained on guard, sword ready, while Akari sent a healing Diarama to soothe his injuries.

"What are you saying?" Kei asked, sword in hand.

"She has taken apart my body...my soul...and rebuilt it...hundreds...no...thousands of times...I...I….I'm not allowed...to die! Die! Die! Die! Just let me die! I want to die! Let it end! Let me go! Just...let me die..."

Menoetius roared, his human voice disappearing, as the spiky protrusions from his shoulders began to emit a dark purple glow. They then fired themselves into the sky, changed to a blood red, and rained on the ground – new 'spikes' growing in place at the moment the 'old' ones exploded with great aplomb.

"Ow!" Kaii screamed. He had shielded Akari from the blast caused by the Demon's Missiles, but had taken a massive hit in the process. "Hey, you okay, Akari-chan?"

"Y-Yeah, but -"

"Then we can still win this." Kaii said, smiling.

"...Right. But not without you. Epona!"

The Persona rode back into the fray, and held out her hand. This time, a strange spiral of purple and pink light surrounded Kaii, and his body briefly had a sheen of the same colours. With this, his wound was healed.

"How many times have you gotten me out of trouble?" Kaii asked, happily. "I dunno how to thank you for healing us so much."

"Buy me lunch at a cat cafe, and that'll do." Akari said, smiling. "But we have a job to do here, don't we?"

"We sure do!" Kaii cheered. "Grannus! Blow him to pieces!"

The resulting Freila didn't quite tear the monster apart, but it did radiate quite a lot of pain. Even so, the damage it was causing Netuno was even worse. Try as he might, his guitar wasn't quite up to the task of defending him from such severe attacks.

"...Bastard!" He cried. "Die, damn you, you piece of shit! Tam Kung, we gotta improvise here!"

Nodding, his faithful Persona played his guitar in harmony, a rather loud Despair Chord. This created volts of black electricity, that went straight into Menoetius' body – shocking it so severely, its 'hair' stood on end, and its body started to smoulder from the shock. From its eyes dripped red tears of blood – yet its despair was soon overshadowed by its rage. It clasped its gargantuan fists, and broke through the wall to the right – just as Shintaro got out of harm's way.

"What the -"

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Yet there it was – Oceanus, the once calm Anomalty of the sea. Yet he was sending forth wave after wave at Ginumi and Tanjoshima, each one of great force. Many buildings on the island near the harbour seemed to have been demolished already.

"Shintaro-!" Kei cried. "We can't go check on the others just yet. We must stay here, until -"

"Menoetius dies? But what if -"

"They'll be thinking the same about us." Netuno shouted. "Come on, bookworm! Survive this, then we can go help those who need us. Hurry!"

"...Dammit. Dammit!" Shintaro cried.

Ogma appeared, and guiding the winds with his sword, a fierce Garula began – only to transform into a Garudyne. This storm rushed forward, tearing up whatever remained intact before it, until it struck the Shadow.

Kohaku. Masato. Natsumi. Noboru. Evelina. Toshiaki. Manami. Please, stay alive! I can't lose any one of you. Not now. Not ever!

|Tanjoshima – Harbour|20:50 pm|

Everyone braced themselves, their eyes closed, as the tidal wave crashed overhead. Yet it did not touch them. Rather, some force sent it above them, shielding them from the fatal tsunami. Many of the nearby buildings and structures were completely wrecked, yet the group were safe – for a moment.

"Oh my goodness!" Aika shouted, gazing at the destruction behind her, eyes wide with horror. "What just happened?! Oceanus did all of this…?!"

"Looks like it, Makino. I dunno what just happened, but -"

He looked at the brunette girl in front of them, and the Persona who had set up a barrier of glowing green. Airmid and Kohaku, by some miracle, had managed to defend the team with their magical forcefield – the Emerald Guardian. It had even projected far enough to shield the cruise ship, whose passengers were screaming in terror.

"...Kohaku, you saved us!" Natsumi cried, amazed.

"I...I just had to do something. Anything." Kohaku replied. "This barrier...I won't be able to keep it up much longer. We have to find some way to fight Oceanus from here."

"Wait a second." Aika said, alarmed. She pointed to the Shinshuto Seafarer, where many human voices were coming from. People were starting to disembark, shaken, and running for their lives. "...We're in the Theio Kosmos. Why are there people getting off the boat in this world?"

There was a momentary pause, as the group looked at each other in confusion.

"They've been sent over here...so they could be killed by the Shadows." Celestine realised, horrified.

"Are you serious? What the hell?!" Katashi shouted. "How did that happen? Did Nisa Liat plan this in advance?"

"I don't know! But we really don't have any time to worry about the finer details – we have to take down Oceanus and get everyone the hell away from here." Asami said, heart racing.

"Right!" Rinaka shouted. "In that case...myself and Asami will assist with the evacuation. I have a plan – but I may need your help, Evelina."

"Mine?" The Swede asked, confused.

"Yes, of course. I have a certain vehicle in mind that will help, but I'll need your expertise to pilot it...and Natsumi's, too."

The redhead looked up curious.

"Wait a minute – you're talking about that, aren't you?"

Rinaka nodded. "We leave the rest to you. Take down Oceanus while we get everyone off that boat! Follow me!"

With that, Rinaka, Asami, Evelina and Natsumi hurried towards the boat, where passengers were beginning to leave the boat, in fear of their own lives. Toki, looking at the harbour, saw one black, sleek boat.

"We're not gonna be able to attack that weird Shadow from here..." He said, looking at Katashi. "So we're gonna have to go near him. With a seaworthy vessel, of course."

"The hell?!" Katashi screamed. "What if we get knocked into the ocean? You can't swim all the way back to the city! I don't know if I could!"

"You idiot. Nisa Liat gave us an app that lets us 'augment' vehicles with our Personas. All of us can give the boat special functions." Toki explained.

Toki shook his head, smirking. "I don't mean just taking one of these boats. Well, I do, but not without making a few changes. We can finally put the Persona Augmentation appto good use!"

"Kohaku won't know what we're talking about..." Celestine said, cautious. "Oceanus isn't going to wait forever. Let me explain. This app -"

"Can do this!"

Toki activated the app, aiming his Gnosis at a somewhat large black boat in the marina. It began shrouded in blue mist, much like the same sort that appeared when a Persona was summoned. Immediately, the boat changed to a much more sci-fi militaristic vessel, coated in shiny black armour, sleek and refined. It had a bridge with five consoles, two to either side of the centre machine. Several weapons were already installed – cannons and machine guns.

"...You can turn things into that? Why haven you never used this before?" Kohaku asked, bewildered.

"Well, we never had to fight on water before." Toki said. "It reminds me a little of the Featherman days...except this time, the enemy's no computer generated green screen thing."

He ushered everyone onto the boat, and they quickly complied, taking their seats. Oceanus was still recovering from the previous waves he had sent out, but would soon be ready to crush everyone and everything nearby with the ocean beneath him.

"Each of us can give this boat some extra powers..." Toki added. "We just have to use our Personas, and they'll combine with the boat. Let me start off!"

Shuten Douji appeared in front of it. With its dreaded blades, the boat materialised bladed 'wings', that seemed like they could fire off blades. The machine described these as the Black Condor's Wings of Death, a rather ominous title.

"Wow..." Kohaku was tense, but amazed. This was going to be far unlike any other battle she had ever faced. But she had to press on, and aid the others with destroying Oceanus. Trying to reason with him was fruitless, she realised. Regardless of his prior sanity, she realised. Perhaps they should never have left him to roam free in the first place.

Kaji Igarashi, I'm sorry it had to end up this way. We'll try to end it quickly, I promise.

She suddenly realised she was the only one here that was not a former Aeon Admin. Aika, the singer she had once idolised more than any other. Celestine, the author who had bewitched her best friend. Toki, the father of the young actor who she had grown fond of. And Katashi, her somewhat irritable senpai.

"Teruya, I know it feels weird to be in this thing with your old enemies. But let's focus on beating Oceanus. It's not gonna wait any longer..." The Kansei track team's star said, grimly.

"I know that..." Kohaku said. "I won't let you all down. I promise!"

Katashi smiled, and looked back at his screen. With Derzelas, he gave his boat the power of wind, in the form of Jet Engines, allowing it to go extremely fast – at least, going by the schematic on Kohaku's screen.

Kohaku nodded, as she quickly launched the app she had been sent by Aika. With it, she gave the boat a strong green shield, the Fortress of the Seas, one that would heal all wounds – it would not last forever, however, and with the sheer force of Oceanus' waves, it would likely break after a long battle. Which meant this one had to be as short as possible.

"Cecilia!" Aika cried. Her magic gave the boat a powerful laser cannon, the Arcane Laser, one that could fire beams of a myriad of elements.

Impressed, Celestine called up Egeria. Using the Persona's natural affinity over water, she gave the boat two giant water cannons, or Hydro Launchers, on the back. As Oceanus fired off another wave towards them, the cannons fired a wave each of their own, managing to stop it.

"Incredible..." Kohaku said. "This app is amazing."

"We haven't even gotten started, little lady. We've got more firepower than that to throw at him!" Toki said, taking the controls. "Hang on, guys. We're getting up close!"

Instantly, the boat raced forward, near the watery Anomaly. They saw his face, and gasped – it was full of hatred. They could finally hear his words – words of madness.

"Bastard! Where is he?! The bastard who wanted me dead? Saburo Taniguchi, that fucker... I'll kill him! I'll destroy that stupid city, that stupid island – less places for him to hide!"

"What the hell happened to him?" Katashi asked. "Who is he even talking about?"

Toki shook his head, uncertainly. "Beats me. Probably something Nisa Liat did."

"He was sane when we first saw him..." The runner said, confused. "Or at least, sane for a Shadow."

"Perhaps he was programmed to go insane on this day..." Aika said. "So that it'd cause destruction to both the city and the island. All so a Cognition Core could appear."

"Let everyone else back on the island worry about that orb. We gotta take this guy down before we're all washed up." Toki said. "Go!"

The Wings of Death, flew, slashing Oceanus across his body – drawing 'blood', or rather, red water. They had soared from the boat at breakneck speed, and were just as painful as the Persona's regular swords had been.

"Ha! How'd you like that?!" Katashi shouted, proudly.

"Yamaguchi, you must control yourself..." Aika said, nervously. A spray of machine gun fire struck Oceanus at the same time, yet a wave of water managed to direct the majority of them away from his main body.

"You Persona users are all the same...you think the Theio Kosmos belongs to you. What we Shadows need is for you to all get out and stay out!"

"Kaji Igarashi..." Celestine said, looking at the detailed screen on her console. It was similar to the information a Gnosis provided. "Even with Nisa Liat gone, her Shadow is still causing trouble."

"I hope everyone else is alright..." Kohaku muttered. Yet she had a feeling their team wasn't the only one in danger. Shintaro was in the main hall. And Menoetius was likely to show its face. "W-Wait! What's he doing?"

Oceanus held out his arms – and two gold orbs appeared in front of each hand. They instantly changed form, into two different weapons. In his left hand, he bore a tremendously large golden sword, the blade appropriately enough had a wave pattern. In his right hand, an equally gargantuan golden trident. Rapidly, he brought down the sword, which narrowly avoided the boat – slicing through the water, causing a gigantic splash. This splash sent even more waves towards the island, battering the Ginumi area even further.

"What the hell? I didn't know he could do that..." Katashi said, confused.

"Did you know anything about the Anomalies at all?" Kohaku asked.

Aika shook her head. "Nothing more than what Nisa Liat told us. That they were projects of hers that she couldn't quite control. We never had a chance to properly study them before their seals broke -"

"Incoming!" Celestine cried, alarmed.

With his trident, a trio of blue lasers was sent by Oceanus to home in on the boat – and it took quite the hit, the shields just managing to hold the ship. Kohaku's energy managed to repair the shields, but she knew this couldn't last forever.

Katashi, however, was undeterred. "It's time!"

Using the Jet Engine, the ship shot up high – and then rammed straight into Oceanus' physical body, sending him crashing down. There was a tremendous splash as the Anomaly sank into the murky depths – then, the water where he landed turned a blood red, and encircled around the boat.

"What's he doing…?!" Katashi cried. "Holy shit! Get us out of here, Toki!"

The ship started to sink slowly downward, being pulled down by the Bloodlust Whirlpool that had ensnared them. Toki immediately put all his force into his controls, to escape from being sent deep into the sea. Slowly, but surely, the boat managed to escape, despite the sheer pressure, and sped far away from the dark red water -from which Oceanus emerged.

"That was a close one..." The former Black Condor said, relieved. "How you guys doing?"

"Don't worry about me..." Kohaku said, her heart still pounding.

"Here I go!" Aika cried, aiming her Arcane Laser precisely with her controls. "Yes! Locked onto his body. Charging, and...fire!"

The laser canon generated Electric energy, and soon fired a laser of electric magic – shocking Oceanus with extreme power. Sparks of lightning flew everywhere, and smoke started to come from Oceanus' body – smoke that was red as blood.

"...It'll need time to recharge." The singer said, apologetic. "Hayashi-san, please keep us safe until I can fire again."

Toki didn't look at her, but smiled, and then broke into a laugh.

"I'm not letting us sink. We're gonna kill this Shadow and head on home! Kaii's gonna flip when he hears about this...he'll be stuck in that hall, waiting for something to happen!" Toki said, exhilarated.

"He'll be bored stiff right now, I bet. While his old man's having so much fun..." Katashi said, smirking.

"Fun? It's more than that, boy! This is my mission. And I ain't gonna fail it, not when so many people's lives are on the line! I want Kaii to be proud of me when I'm back on land. We're gonna look back on this day and be proud!"

I hope I can see Shintaro soon, too. And everyone else. I wonder if they know we're fighting like this? Toshiaki and the guys at the observatory might have seen us. We better not make them worry!

|Shin Hoshi Observatory|20:55 pm|

Asteria was laughing maniacally. Glancing at Toshiaki, she raised her hand, and gathered a clump of 'stars' - forming a ball. She threw this at him, and it exploded – just as he rolled aside, and tossed a grenade of his own. Frowning, the Anomaly jumped aside, and fired a laser of stardust straight ahead – hitting Keiya right in the chest.

"Argh!" He shouted, clutching the area he had been struck.

"Tsukino!" Shiro cried, sword in hand.

"It'll...take more than that to take me out, Ueda!"

"It's not Ueda anymore, you moron! I am Asteria! Now and forever! Being an Anomaly is great! Total freedom!"

"...You've been running for a long time, haven't you?" Hiroyuki asked.

"Damn right. From the police...all because I couldn't take what my dad did any more. I didn't have a choice! I killed him...but now I don't have to worry about that. The police can't touch me! And once I get that Cognition Core, even Nisa Liat won't be able to stop me! This is the second chance in life I deserve!"

She clicked her fingers, and a star above her started to shine. This was Arcturus, a binary star in the Spring Triangle asterism. This star began to pulsate wildly, and then exploded – blinding everyone, as they were sent flying. The energy was not only nuclear, but of flame – greatly harming Toshiaki.

That hurts! What the hell is this?

When the light disappeared, everyone gasped. They had been whisked to the rooftop, which had once been a place where couples could gather to look at the stars. Here, however, those couples were lying dead on the ground, their blood having coloured the entire area red. Asteria laughed coldly, as the wind from Arcturus blew the corpses off the roof, sending them flying to the ground with a sickening thud.

Masato almost threw up from the sight. Yet, there was no way out of this fight. He would have to step in this blood-soaked floor if he had any hope of fighting and destroying Asteria.

"Isn't this amazing? When I woke up after being changed, I was given my first order! It was to come here, then when the seal between the Theio Kosmos and Akartharto Kosmos breaks, kill as many people as possible! As you can see, I did pretty well. It was like when I was still in the Claret Squad, Keiya! I didn't half-ass anything!"

"...You disgusting creature." He muttered. "Sin!"

A white card appeared beneath Asteria, who momentarily looked frightened. However, it remained there, unable to quite contain her in its Nocturnal Prison. Finally, it tore in half.

"What the – were you trying to do what you did to me a while back?" Masato asked. "How come it didn't work on her?"

"I-I don't know!" Keiya shouted. Frustrated, he threw his regular cards at her at rapid speed, each one slicing through her. "At least...this still works."

"Your card games might be able to trap stupid guys like him, but not me! I've ascended to the highest power possible! I can feel it in every inch of my new body...there's no need for the Akartharto Kosmos to exist! Everyone can just move here and live in peace!"

"There's no peace here, miss...only chaos. That's why there's no need for the Theio Kosmos to exist."

Hiroyuki then blasted her through the head with his shotgun, much to her shock. Before she could retaliate, Masamune appeared, and with one slash of his Shichishito, slashed through Asteria with pure vehemence.

"Not bad, Kita..." Shiro said.

"That'll have to do for a compliment from you. Why not amaze me with your own swordsmanship?"

"Gladly. Mergen!"

Reacting swiftly, the Persona sent Asteria high in the sky with a Grim Launcher. Screaming, she cursed the former Aeon Admin – but what came next hurt her even more.

Masato and Toshiaki were already working on their next move. Camulus, whose weapon was charged up with extreme electricity, enchanted Conchobar's helicopter.

"Ready, senpai?" The redhead said.

"Hell yeah I am, my man!" The silver-haired runner replied.

"Thundersnow!"

Immediately, a storm of both thunder and snow ensued, shocking and freezing Asteria to her core – chilling electricity coursing over her body. Viciously, she soared back down to the tower, and threw more spheres of stardust at the team.

"You fucking bastards!" Asteria cried. She turned to Masato, and scowled. "I remember you being a massive pain in the ass...where are the other guys that were with you? I wanted to kill that Wild Card girl!"

"You really think you're strong enough to take Kei down?" Masato laughed as he said this, enjoying her frustration. "Don't be so stupid! No Shadow can beat her! She'll wipe the floor with you..."

"Tch...you talk so damn tough. It's too bad you can't back it up! Why don't you let me kill you, so you can join all the people down there? Some of them might still be alive...the last thing they can see is your bloody corpse, cut into pieces!"

Shiro shook his head. "That isn't happening. The only further casualty tonight will be yourself. I've caused too much chaos as an Aeon Admin as it is. Yukimora! We fight together...whatever happens, we must eliminate her at any cost!"

Toshiaki nodded, rushing forward with his claw. Even with the grisly surroundings, he had no choice but to fight. Even when the Shadow prepared her next star – the electrifying Denebola. It exploded, sending blue shockwaves all over. Masato, however, did not suffer nearly as much from this as the others.

"Senpai! Hiroyuki! And you two! We'll get through this..."

He summoned Camulus, who strengthened Toshiaki with a strong Tarukaja. As he did so, Keiya produced a Tranquil Pulse, a lunar blast to counter a stellar foe. Alas, she shrugged it off, and struck him with a rain of small laser beams, pockmarking the ground.

"Damn..." Hiroyuki cried, aiming his rifle. He fired again, yet his shot missed. The Shadow neared him, ready to strike – yet Masamune appeared just in time, producing a rain of his own. The Fudo pierced the Shadow's flash, causing blood to spurt on the already crimson ground.

"You stupid old man...why do you look at me like that?! Do I remind you of someone? Doesn't matter, I'm not gonna go easy on you! Not after that!"

"You're a lost cause, even as a Shadow. You should get out of our way. There are more important people that need us. You're just wasting time." Shiro said, coldly.

"A waste of time? You sound like all my teachers...glad I didn't end up at Chieki!" Asteria shouted. "Kansei and Chieki, the elitist schools that leave only scraps for the other four! No wonder the city government loves them so much – they take, and take, and take! They don't care about anyone but themselves! I thought you and Keiya understand, Shiro! Why'd you abadon Bythos?"

"...Nisa Liat's new world will not benefit anyone but herself. Not that you'd understand the truth. Your existence is now corrupted human thought, given form. I will destroy it! Magnadyne!"

A blast of earth struck the Shadow, who screeched with rage. The battle would continue, as would those elsewhere on the island. Toshiaki could only hope they'd finish this Shadow off in time to aid anyone else...

|Tanjoshima Gate|21:04 pm|

The situation was utter chaos. Waves were still crashing at Ginumi, the promenade almost completely demolished. Anyone foolish enough to try to make it down the bridge would only be swept away by the merciless sea, and torn asunder. Not only that, the EX-NIHILO was even more ferocious than before, and it was all Noboru and his allies could do to stop it.

Nisa Liat will keep remaking this thing as long as she exists. I thought Kei had finally put a stop to her. If this thing came back, then the Pleroma Princess must still be around. All so she can get the Cognition Core. It doesn't matter to her who many people get killed.

"Shigeru, we must take shelter!" Mayor Ashikaga called, stepping forward in front of the hectic crowd. "There must be somewhere safe, a building away from any fighting. Please, let me lead the way!"

"What?! Yoko, you can't be serious!" Shigeru said, rolling away from the heavy thud of the Shadow's sword. "There may be other Shadows nearby!

"I know that, but staying here isn't safe." The mayor said. "There's a vacant apartment tower not far from there. We'll stay there until you give us a signal, then we'll escape. Trust me."

Shigeru frowned, but then he saw his wife among the crowd, and his face became full of fear.

"Mother..." Noboru muttered, swords in hand. Manami looked pleadingly at her own parents, her hands clasped together.

"Go. We'll take care of this demon. Everyone, follow the Mayor. You'll be safe with her." Shigeru demanded. "Hurry! Kaiyo, I'll be there as soon as I can!"

"W-Wait! Noboru, Shigeru, what is this? Please, tell me -"

"Manami-chan, what the hell is going on? This is real, isn't it?"

"We don't have time, Inoue-san. Everyone is in danger if they linger here." The Mayor said, gripping her shoulder. "Kaiyo, I'll tell you everything I know once we're away from here. Your husband and son will not fail – I have complete faith in them both."

"I'll go with them!" Reia said, turning to the education minister. "You hurry up and take this bastard down. I'll keep any of the small fry at bay."

"On your own?"

The designer laughed, sweeping her hand through her purple hair.

"You've known me for a while now, Komatsu-san. Eunomia and I can handle anything."

"...Alright. I'm trusting you with Kaiyo and the others. Be safe."

Before she could object to this, Kaiyo was dragged away by the Mayor, and followed by the rest of the crowd. Manami breathed a sigh of relief, now that her parents were away from this battle, yet she soon saw the EX-NIHILO charging at her. With a great leap, she dodged its Ex Nihilo energy blast.

"This...this is the creature that Masato and Natsumi had to endure?!" She asked, sweeping out her leg, kicking the creature fiercely.

"Yes," Michiko said, "And also the one who killed -"

"My girlfriend." Noboru finished.

"It's even more monstrous than I thought." The dancer clicked her fingers, and summoned her Persona. "It must be destroyed!"

With that, Li Ban fired off an Aques, splashing it with great force. The creature tumbled, using its sword to balance itself. Impaled in the ground, the blade shined bright green momentarily. What this meant, Noboru didn't know, but he would be ready for any schemes this creature could possibly concoct.

"Ugh...it hurts...this hurts..."

Tarusuke Hayami was still there, in absolute agony. EX-NIHILO, as it had done with many other victims, was draining his lifeforce to sustain itself. Noboru knew little about this man, but seeing his face In so much agony sent a chill down his spine.

He can still be saved. He won't die like Teruko!

In his anger, he slashed at EX-NIHILO's body. He now knew the true nature of what this being was – a corrupted fragment of the true creator of the Theio Kosmos. For it to return, Nisa Liat must have survived Kei's attack. Right now, however, destroying it mattered most. He would explain all of this to his mother in more detail later.

"Aengus!"

With both his swords, the Persona unleashed the bright Lion's Wrath, with even more strength this time. Noboru's heart pulsed with anger, and thus, so did his Persona.

"I won't lose to you! Not now, not ever! Stay still so I can rip that fucking mask off!"

"Look out!" Manami cried. In his rage, Noboru had failed to notice the dark powers EX-NIHILO was creating – a fearsome Eigaon. It enveloped him, and deep pain coursed through his body.

"Dammit, Noboru!" Shigeru cried. "Novalie, heal him! Now!"

"A-Alright!" Novalie complied, using Saga's Diarama. The healing energies quickly numbed most of the pain, and thus Noboru could recover – in time to see his father unleash utter brutality.

"You will die!"

Strong punches were throw at EX-NIHILO, with more energy than Shigeru had ever thrown them. Ever since he was in high school, he'd kept up with his martial arts as a hobby. And now, these hands were out to kill. The Shadow did not scream, or make any sound, but from the loud cracking sounds, this onslaught was quite painful to bear. And this was just the beginning.

"Dis Pater!"

The grim Persona looked more indignant this time – as it rapidly opened the cursed dark void, the Phantom Nexus. This same attack had once taken out the Claret Squad in one move, and while it didn't have the same affect on this Shadow, it still was a punishing blow. It slashed in retaliation, slicing through its assailtant quite painfully.

"Shigeru!" Michiko shouted. She was standing near Hayami, whose pain seemed to be intensifying. If this battle were to go on too long, this man would surely die. "Nidaba, hurry!"

The Persona hurriedly manifested, and quickly performed a Skyward Scribe. Thus, the EX-NIHILO was sent flying, albeit not very far. Quickly, the teacher attempted to drive her blades into the Shadow's large body, but he quickly blocked her blades with his own, and swung her aside.

"Suzuki-sensei!" Manami and Noboru cried, alarmed.

"I-I'm fine..." She groaned, getting back on her feet. "But you must...fight, with all your strength."

"I know, Sensei." The dancer said, getting into position. One of her legs was raised up, and her hands were outstretched. "Noboru, will you aid me?"

"Of course, Senpai. Anything that will destroy this monster faster! Let's do this!" He cried.

"Shining Lagoon!"

With a dance, Li Ban conjured a bright blue sphere of water. Aengus, with his valiant swords, gave this orb a blessed gleam. It burst over the Shadow's head, crushing him with the pressure and light of the watery ball.

"Good work, you two...but it's not over yet." Novalie said, her sword at the ready. She healed Michiko's injury, and looked to the pained Hayami. "Someone needs to be near him. We can't risk him getting hurt!"

"I...I'll guard him." Michiko said, running towards him, before Shigeru could volunteer. "Please hurry, though. I don't know how much longer he'll last."

Frowning at this, Shigeru rushed back at the towering Shadow, his fists full of unbridled rage.

"There will be no more mercy, you freak! You've caused nothing but misery ever since Nisa Liat created you...and you can only follow her evil plans! I'll take you down as many times as it takes, you fucking demon!" He screamed, baring his teeth.

Producing large, vibrant laser blades from its wrists, Dis Pater slashed the Shadow before it in a Wraith Cross formation, leaving behind a ghostly image of a cross.

"Komatsu-san, that was amazing! I have to do my part, too. Here we go, Saga! Bufudyne!"

Chilling cold ice consumed the air around EX-NIHILO, and burst with a frigid blast, causing it to briefly shiver. It soon recovered, however, and sent another Ex Nihilo burst of unearthly energy. It divided into two blasts, however, hitting both Novalie and Michiko.

"Damn..." The teacher groaned. She turned to Hayami, who remained in deep pain. Gulping, she faced the Shadow, and conjured her Persona once more. "Psiodyne!"

The psychic burst was intense, even more colourful and bewitching than before. Just looking at it gave Noboru a headache – so it no doubt would cause even more pain to actual target.

"T-That was amazing, Suzuki-sensei-"

Before she could reply, however, intense winds of Magarula swept through the area, breaking apart the windows of the surrounding buildings. A lamppost fell over, sparking out electricity. Noboru just barely stood on his feet.

Screaming, he ran at the Shadow, and swung both blades, harder and faster than ever. Each sword was full of murderous intent. This was his sworn enemy, even if it had once been part of a benign entity.

"You destroyed our dream. Mine and Teruko's. We were supposed to take on the world and become famous. Not just in Japan. The world! I will never let you get away! Once I kill you, Nisa Liat is next!"

The battle continued, with pure hatred fuelling the vengeful young man.

|Tanjoshima – Reception Hall|21:25 pm|

Netuno was left kneeling on the floor, reeling from the impact of the Anomaly's fist. At this point, every single window had been shattered, and debris had been sent flying in every direction. All the painstaking work that had gone into perfecting this small island's beauty was being undone, and many had already perished as a result.

"Oh my god! Netuno!"

"I-I'm fine, dammit!" The guitarist said, ignoring Akari's concerned outburst. "I can...still play..."

Kaii gulped. "But dude, you're bleeding. A lot!"

Netuno saw the growing red stain on his shirt, and for a brief moment, his eyes went wide with shock. Yet when he looked back at the demonic Shadow before him, he chuckled.

What…?

"Doesn't bother me...maybe red looks better on me than I thought."

With a brave smile, he called down Tam Kung, his faithful Persona. Immediately, it played its oar-like guitar, this time a Hydro Chord – sending blue waves crashing at the Shadow, each one strong enough to take one's breath away.

Despite the sheer beating Menoetius had taken so far, it was still standing. It had new scars, fresh gaping wounds that were intertwined with the countless pockmarks from prior injuries. Dark blood poured from each of these, staining its body and the ground it stood on. Even so, it remained full of strength. Strength that had devastated most of this building. Perhaps, Shintaro wondered, that was why Nisa Liat had tortured it so much. Not just her undying hatred for the man it used to be – but so it could endure any pain in the future. Making it the perfect weapon to destroy the hearts and minds of anyone daring to get in her way.

"...Ogma!"

Shintaro's heart raced as his Persona appeared – at that same moment, the Shadow was racing towards him, crashing anything in its path to pieces. Right as Menoetius' fists hit the bookworm in the stomach, a Force Drive shot forward from the Persona's sword – sending the Shadow flying backwards, much like Shintaro in the opposite direction.

"Ouch...this is...agony..."

Despite this, Shintaro got back on his feet. This was no time to rest – for the Shadow would not wait for them to recover. Likewise, the Persona wielders could not just leave this Shadow be either.

"Order of Apoina, they told me...I must send her to the true heaven..."

"Huh? That cult…?" Kaii asked, fists raised. "Did Nisa Liat really have them all killed?"

"...From what I read about them, yes. No one questioned it at the time – the members were fanatics, after all. Their bizarre behaviour was expected of them, and so their suicides weren't investigated. Even if they had been, the police wouldn't have been able to find out anything anyway." Kei replied.

"This is not heaven...this is hell! There is no escape. She won't let me die and be forgotten...no matter how much pain I suffer, I will never be free…! The Order was all a lie...just like my life! I cannot die...Nisa Liat...she wouldn't allow me to die...I must suffer for all eternity…!"

"My god...I know what Nozumo Kanami did was awful, but..." Akari said, shaken.

"His soul's suffered enough. We have to destroy him. What happens to his spirit after that, it won't be up to Nisa Liat to decide!" Shintaro cried.

"Right." Kei said, adamantly. "Kikuri-Hime, come forth!"

The Shinto goddess appeared once more, having become a new favourite of Kei's in recent weeks. Her Agidyne burned brightly, and the flames, while hot, did not slow the monster down. Rather, it fired a ray of light from its eyes, nearing Akari, but she span out of harm's way just in time – and walloped her foe hard with her weapons.

"Have some of this!"

She and Kaii were both wailing on this Shadow with their greatest strikes, in perfect rhythm. Shintaro was impressed, yet soon, Kaii's Persona Grannnus showed even more power. Holding out his fists, there was a giant shine of light, and a nuclear blast – Freidyne – emanated, striking the berserk demon with intense energy.

"Nice…!" Akari cheered.

"A few more hits like that and we're out of here!"

Despite his wounds, Menoetius slammed its fists on the ground, its eyes glowing solid red. The ground began to shake rapidly, and more cracks appeared beneath Kei and the others – unleashing black flames, each one burning with not only intense heat, but a truly endless sorrow as well. Shintaro could not escape this Hellish Quake, both the dark blaze and the earth of terror that was torn apart by it. Screaming, he landed on the ground, his body hurting all over – and his body would not move. There was far too much pain to twitch a single muscle. Perhaps this truly was hell on earth.

"Is it...over…?"

"No, Shintaro-kun. We have to fight on..." Kei said.

"Right..." Akari said. "Epona, we need you. Now, more than ever…! Hurry!"

Quickly, the Persona cast upon the team a Mediarahan – a healing power of immense strength. Shintaro's pain faded once more – yet Akari's own energy surely had diminished with such a spell. He couldn't count on this, for if she was unable to heal, then they were good as dead against such a foe.

|Tanjoshima Sea|21:30 pm|

Kohaku and her team had been fighting Oceanus with all their weapons, yet he remained in control of the fierce waters surrounding them. The waves he sent forth were brutal, sending them soaring high above the sea, and his whirlpools were increasingly hard to escape.

"...My shields!"

In her horror, Kohaku noticed that her shields were starting to run out. Her Persona had ample reserves of mana, but this was not unlimited. The boat couldn't handle much more damage, she released. And the group certainly couldn't fight this Shadow while swimming in the sea.

Oceanus swung down his Golden Blade, creating a wave of gold and blue water. Toki just barely managed to avoid the worst of it, and the boat soared to the top of it, shaking everyone on board. In frustration, he swore, and fired off more Wings of Death – which managed to break through the sword, and sliced through the Anomaly. In its rage, it jabbed forward repeatedly with the Golden Lance, desperate to slay those who dared to sail the seas he claimed as his own.

"Stop trying to take the ocean from me! I am the ocean! I am every sea in this world! Once you're gone, I'll drown every last person in this damn city! No, every country in the world...the entire universe will be of water! Then I can swim everywhere, and no one's going to be around to stop me! Never again! Never again!"

This Shadow's become just like all the others. Insane. Can we stop him in time?

"Dammit..." Katashi groaned. "This bastard doesn't know when to give up!"

"Hayashi, what do we do?" Celestine screamed, looking nauseous.

Toki stared straight ahead at the Shadow, focused.

"We can't let him send another wave at the city. Look at how much he's fucked up Ginumi already. We're gonna have to go in for the kill. And fast!"

"Then I use my laser?" Aika asked.

"...No. Everyone will."

The group stared at their 'captain', confused.

"Don't you get it? Your laser is gonna be even more powerful if everyone focuses their Persona's energy into it! If we use that, Oceanus is gonna end up deader than the Dead Sea!"

"...Okay, but if we do that, doesn't that mean our other weapons are down? And Kohaku's shield?" Katashi asked. "We can't give up on her shield -"

"If we kill him with one final shot, we won't need the shield!" Toki shouted. "Hurry! We don't have any time!"

And so, Aika began to charge her laser – and the others did the same. The various other weapons, one by one, vanished, and the Arcane Laser grew stronger and larger, glowing with all the energy that was being imbued into it.

Oceanus, however, was not about to just watch and let himself be destroyed. He held his hands out, as if to do the breaststroke. He soon began to swim his Titanic Tsunami, a gigantic blue and gold wave, even stronger than the ones he had sent forth to crush Tanjoshima and Ginumi.

"...Fuck! We're not going to make it in time!" Toki shouted. "We have to hurry up!"

"I'm trying, Hayashi!" Aika screamed.

Kohaku gulped. The wave was coming closer and closer, and the laser wasn't nearly ready to fire. Even if they fired it prematurely, it'd barely do enough damage to end Oceanus. She shut her eyes, and braced herself – however, instead of the fatal impact of the wave, she felt a strange sensation. A tremendous pillar of white light had consumed Oceanus and the wave reducing it to much vapor.

"What the hell? Where did that come from?!" Katashi shouted. "The sky…?!"

"...Wait, what is that? A spaceship?!" Celestine asked.

Suddenly, a transmission came on Toki's radio.

"Everyone! Are you alright?!"

It was none other than Evelina's voice. Confused, Aika spoke up.

"Are you in the spaceship?"

"Yes...to be specific, the Galaxy Vanguard." The Swede said, breathing hurriedly. "We were able to use it to evacuate everyone from the Shinshuto Seafarer..."

"It took a few flights, though, but we finally did it. Everyone from the ship's back in the Akartharto Kosmos..." Asami's voice said, sounding worried. "It's going to be hard to explain this to them..."

"The important thing is, they didn't die." Rinaka's voice said. "We just fired an Ultima Laser down at Oceanus. You've got an even better laser to fire at him, right?"

"Yeah!" Toki cheered. "Everyone, we ready?"

The team nodded.

"Then...fire!"

A huge laser shell was fired this time, surrounded by ethereal energy of all elements. All of the group's strength was behind it. Oceanus, still in pain, could only watch as it neared him. As it did, the madness faded from his eyes, and tears of dark blue 'blood' streamed down his cheeks.

"...Forgive me. I wasn't strong enough to...break free after all..."

The laser collided, and there was a gigantic, multicoloured explosion. Oceanus' body could just about be seen, as he writhed in pain, and with no strength left, he became water itself, pouring into the now-normal sea. Thus, the swimmer's dreams were finally put to rest, in the water he had loved so dearly.

Moments later, the team disembarked the now normal boat, exhausted. The Vanguard had landed as well, and the four girls left, running forward to rejoin their comrades. Natsumi ran to Kohaku, and hugged her out of sheer relief.

"Natsumi-chan…I'm glad you made it!"

"Same here, Kohaku-chan! I couldn't just do nothing...we had to help you guys finish the job, didn't we?" The fashion loving teen said, smiling.

"A lot of people have been exposed to the Theio Kosmos..." Rinaka said, crossing her arms. "How they got stuck in this world, I don't know."

"Nisa Liat must have planned this..." Asami said, frowning. "Somehow, she managed to move everyone on this island from one Kosmos to the other. How?!"

"We don't have the time to wonder about that." Toki said, urgently. "We've got to find everyone else. Come on, let's get to the entrance of the island..."

"Yeah. Shintaro, Noboru, everyone, please be okay..." Kohaku said, heart still pounding. Toki looked at her strangely, but said nothing.

Why did I say Noboru, and not just Shintaro? Could it be – no, now really isn't the time!

The group left the ruined harbour, running towards the bridge, where surely more of their allies were waiting for their safe return.

|Shin Hoshi Observatory|21:35 pm|

The more Toshiaki fought on top of this tower, the more he felt sick. He was constantly having to step on the blood of his enemy's victims. They had come here to be with the ones they loved, only to be killed in an instant.

"Damn you, Asteria!" Keiya shouted. "Sin, destroy her!"

With his Lunar Ace, Sin drew Spades, and thus was able to slash through the fierce Shadow. Angry, Asteria fired a barrage of star 'bombs', that exploded all over the area.

"It'll take more than that to kill me – ah!"

Her taunt was interrupted by a brutal swing of Shiro's sword. In fury, she fired a laser straight into the teacher's face, but not before Mergen attacked her with a fast Quandra Strike. Each swing of its sword was performed in the blink of an eye, faster than she could react.

"Don't be so arrogant, Ueda. The Claret Squad never did rate highly in Bythos. Neither you, Fumihiro nor Ryosei had any of the talents the other three squads boasted..."

Asteria's face went red, her anger swelling up within her.

"Don't you dare disrespect my friends! Everyone else gave up on them...Fumihiro only ended up in juvenile hall because his family treated him like dirt! Ryosei was forced to study all day and all night, and no one ever asked him how he was feeling, or what he wanted to do with his life! I understood them...they understood me! EX-NIHILO took them from me…! Ryosuke, he...I loved him! We should have been together...he should have joined Bythos, then..."

"You're all alone now..." Masato said, sadly. "And now there's no turning back. You can't go back to being Hisaya -"

"Good!" The Shadow said, with hateful eyes. "I'll never return to my old self, you piece of shit! I'm going to revive all of them. Then they'll be Shadows, just like me! We'll be unstoppable! I don't care if you think I'm insane...it's the whole fucking world that's insane, not me! So you can go to hell! Die!"

She began to call upon another star, this time Spica. Despite being an exploding star, the blast was rather chilling, which at least Toshiaki was able to bear. His allies, however, were looking somewhat worse for wear.

"Ha! Did you think that would kill me? I can run in even the coldest of winters, baby!"

"Damn you...you think every Shadow that exists has to be destroyed, don't you? Like we're some sort of invasive species?! We exist because humans exist! Destroying us means destroying yourselves!"

"You're deluding yourself, Hisaya. Our goal isn't to wipe out the Shadows. Only the ones that threaten us." Hiroyuki said. "If only you'd stayed human. You might have stood a chance in life after all..."

The Shadow laughed out loud, her voice echoing and distorted.

"You can't be that naive. I'd be in prison for the rest of my life. No – my whole life was a prison. Being in Bythos was my first taste of freedom. But now I see even that was a lie. I've been completely liberated now! If I can kill all of you, Nisa Liat will be a peace of cake. Every single Persona user is going to die, and I'll rule the Theio Kosmos!"

"Why does every Anomaly want to do that?" Masato asked, running away from her laser blast. "This world isn't even worth ruling!"

"Becoming a Shadow leaves a human being unstable. Especially if their original life was a traumatic as hers." Keiya said, shaking his head. "It's sad. Not too long ago, you were terrified about Shadow Compression."

"Yes, that's right… but I didn't understand it at the time. It sounded really scary, like I'd end up a primal beast! But...I love this new form! Now, if only I could just kill you in a flash. But maybe it's more fun to torture you slowly – argh!"

Having tired of her madness, Hiroyuki had called down another sword, this time the Bakuenken. A fearsome fiery blade, it set her body aflame, albeit briefly.

"Now!"

Nodding, Toshiaki hurled a grenade, which exploded just as his Persona's Bufula struck the Shadow with pure ice. Following this up, Masato smashed Asteria over the head with his bat, a new model he had acquired a week ago, and then cast a sparking Zionga.

"You're...pissing me off, you stupid pricks! When I'm through with you, your bodies are going on display as my trophies. If there's anything left of your bodies! Now, it's time I finished this – huh?!"

Just then, three intruders rushed upstairs, their weapons already in tow. They were none other than the Goldenroad Squad of Bythos.

"These bitches again?!"

"What the hell are you girls doing here?" Toshiaki demanded.

"Nice to see you too, jackass!" Haruya said, frowning.

"This whole island's in danger..." Sakiko said, anxiously. She pointed in the direction of Ginumi, which seemed to have been demolished by a tidal wave. Then, she pointed towards the reception hall, which had an eerie purple glow to it. Finally, she pointed at the giant Shadow in the middle of the ocean, which seemed to be conjuring giant waves of water. They were ravaging a black, armoured boat, surrounded by a green energy shield.

"The hell?!" Masato shouted. "How the hell did this happen?"

"Nisa Liat prepared this in advance. She broke the barrier between the Kosmos, and summoned Menoetius, EX-NIHILO, Oceanus and this new one..." Miyuki said.

"All so lots of people would die, and the Cognition Core would appear…" Sakiko said, seriously. "Everyone else in the Citadel just went along with her blindly...but we couldn't just stand by and watch."

Haruya nodded. "We'll take out Asteria...that's our duty!"

The Shadow laughed, darkly. "You Goldenrod girls mean nothing to me any more. The Azure Squad is gone. The Jade Squad is dead! The Claret Squad...is dead now, too. You three will all burn in hell for ever mocking me...now that I'm the great Asteria, you can't touch me!"

The Squad ignored her, and summoned their Personas. Haruya's Vidofnir launched a brutal Garula, yet these winds barely even moved the Shadow. Sakiko's Hitokoto-nushi attempted a Kouga, but this light paled in comparison to the stars within Asteria. Miyuki's Dzelarhons sent a flaming Agilao, but this quickly became a dying ember around her.

"That's it? That's all the Goldenrod Squad can do? The best of the Tetra Squads, and they can barely even scratch me?!" The astral Anomaly said, giggling. "Points for trying, I guess. If only you'd tried harder in your final moments!"

"Hey! Get out of here! We'll handle the rest!" Masato cried, clenching his hands.

"Too late!" Asteria said, soaring into the air. Shining bright purple, she held out her hands, and the entirety of the Spring Triangle appeared before her. Each one had substantial power, as Toshiaki and his allies had seen. Yet together, just by looking at them, he could tell this would be far more deadly.

"Didn't you hear? You must leave, now!" Keiya shouted.

"We'll stop her attack!" Haruya yelled, defiantly. "Just you watch!"

"That's right! We're not just weaklings...or tools for Nisa Liat to abuse!" Sakiko shouted.

"We'll show you how strong we are! On my mark, girls! Here we go!" Miyuki cried.

They ran towards Asteria, weapons ready, and just barely struck her with their blades – alas, it did little to halt the impending catastrophe. There were three gigantic explosions, each of a differing colour. Everyone nearby was engulfed by the radiant blast, especially when a fourth and final burst of energy occurred. All Toshiaki could see was a void of stars, swirling past him. The pain was unreal, worse than anything he had been through. Even more than when the Parcae fought him.

"...Oh my god!"

Hiroyuki could only watch, as the bodies of the Squad were revealed. Or rather, the piles of ash that had once been their bodies. Their Gnosis were destroyed. Laughing, Astraeus clicked her fingers, and the ash was sent over the railing onto the street below.

"Goldenrod Squad? More like charcoal now...and now it's your turn! Prepare to die, you bastards -"

"No!" Toshiaki cried, standing up tall. "You're not going to kill anyone else! Not tonight, or any other night!"

"What? You think you can stop me? You can barely stand up…" Asteria said, giggling, hand over her mouth. "I'm going to finish you all off now!"

As she said this, Conchobar appeared, in his helicopter. Confused, the Shadow frowned, and fired off a Freidyne. This, however, was sent flying away by the machine's rotor, into an empty building. Shocked, Asteria stood back, and sent forward a barrage of laser beams – each of which were redirected.

"What the hell are you doing?! You can't keep this up forever…!"

Toshiaki was unmoved. His glaring eyes were locked onto hers, as his Persona's guns were on her entire body. When she saw the mighty artrillery, she gulped.

"No! Don't you dare -"

Conchobar shook his head, in tandem with his master.

"Glacial End!"

A machine gun fired bullets made of sheer ice, each one shredding the Shadow's body. Blood spurted out all over, and the stars below her body started to ebb and fade, one by one. An azure frost began to cover her and her side of the area, turning most of the observatory into a glacier. With one final shot, there was a blinding light, and an icy wind that swept through the area.

"Wow..." Keiya said, in awe.

"I didn't expect this of him at all..." Shiro said, dumbstruck.

Hiroyuki was silent, but crossed his arms, watching intently.

With the resulting flash of arctic light, the Anomaly was completely encased in inescapable ice. This was the end, Toshiaki realised. He almost wanted to apologise – for being the one to finish her off. Yet, the words would have rung hollow. Thus, they remained unspoken.

Goodbye, Hisaya Ueda. Goodbye, Asteria. Wherever you end up, I hope it's nowhere near that bastard dad of yours.

Her eyes cried red tears beneath the ice, colouring her icy prison crimson. Shiro started to approach, but a sudden noise made him stop.

With a mighty crack, the ice around her broke, and with it, her entire body. Countless fragments of ice broke off, and flew into the distance, melting away. One of the many particles of icy dust landed near Hiroyuki's feet, which he stared at for a long time. Even when it faded, his eyes didn't leave that spot.

"...There really wasn't any way to save her, was there?" Masato asked.

"A way to undo her transformation? No, boy. There was no way." Hiroyuki said, turning around. From the look on the skin around his eyes, he had been crying. Yet he wiped the dampness away.

"She was a troubled one..." Keiya finally said. "The boy that became Astraeus was one of her only friends. To think both would face the same fate."

"Hisaya's father...he did something to her...right?" Masato mumbled.

"So...it would seem." Keiya said, sighing. "Bythos made her feel like she belonged somewhere. More than her home, her school...she hated the city for ignoring her and her mother's cries for help. And there were many like her that joined us, too."

"Indeed...Nisa Liat offered them a better world. They didn't realise what exactly that new world would be." Shiro looked up at the sky, frowning. "We must find the others. From the looks of things, they've been fighting all over the island."

Toshiaki nodded. He looked across the sea, and breathed a sigh of relief. There was no more sign of the boat, or Oceanus. Only the massive destruction caused by its waves.

The adults started to make their way down the stairs, silent. Once they were alone, Masato turned to Toshiaki, with a look of terror on his face.

"You okay, Masato-kun? That was one of the worst battles I've ever had in this damn world."

"Senpai. Dorothy, she...she told me some of the awful stuff she went through at home. I don't want her to end up like Hisaya...do you think I can help, halfway across the world?"

Toshiaki was silent. He didn't quite know how to answer his friend. Hisaya, a girl so desperate to escape her horrid reality, she resorted to murder, then joining a group like Bythos. Could this Dorothy girl truly end up in such an unfortunate situation?

"I'm sorry. After all of that, you must be exhausted. Let's get out of here -"

"Just be there for her, Masato. That's all you can do." Toshiaki said, earnestly. "If Dorothy has you, then she'll be fine. Trust me."

With that, Masato smiled. The two of them hugged each other, glad to be alive. Upon hearing cries to hurry up from Hiroyuki, they bolted down the stairs, to be free of this place of death.

|Reception Hall|21:40 pm|

While many other battles had drawn to a close, Shintaro and his allies were still fiercely clashing with Menoetius. No other Shadow they had fought came close to this. The Parcae were difficult to overcome, yet even they would be insects compared to this creature. It had ceased to speak coherently, beyond screaming out Nisa Liat's name in between heavy punches, which had left the room beyond repair.

"Kaii! Be careful!" Akari cried, as a pillar collapsed near him. He rolled aside, and quickly threw a sharp punch in his foe's face. Judging by the audible crack from this blow, it must have been far more powerful than his previous jabs. Yet this was still not enough to fell the creature.

"So you are the Wild Card that's been poking into our business these days?"

Kei gasped. A different voice was coming from Menoetius now, and it stopped moving.

"That's not Kanami's voice, is it?" Shintaro asked.

"No, kid...this is something else. You Tzaphkiel again?" Netuno asked, wearily.

"Kei Kakusa. You irritating girl. Stop trying to meddle in things you do not understand. If you won't stop, then your friends will all be at risk."

Stunned, Kei stood there, staring at the motionless Shadow.

"You have any idea what he means?" Akari asked, worried.

"No! Not at all! It's...well, I-It's just an idle threat from Nisa Liat! Nothing more!" Kei aimed her katana at the Shadow, who began to stir again. "We can't afford to waste any more time. We must use all our strength to destroy Menoetius, now! Before it lays waste to all of Tanjoshima!"

Shintaro looked at her, surprised. She had been relatively composed during this battle, as she usually was. Yet the new voice that came out of the Shadow had truly unsettled her, judging by the shaky way she was holding her sword.

No. I don't have time to wonder about what that Shadow said. I have to win. Everyone's probably waiting for us outside. I have to return to them alive!

Raging, Menoetius crashed its fists together, creating a purple ball of ethereal flame. Its almighty power exploded into a wave of energy, full of Lost Might. No one was spared from its wrath, and it caused the wall behind Shintaro to disintegrate – revealing the damage the island had sustained from other battles. Buildings demolished by waves, and wreckage around where the Observatory was.

"Oh my god...look! No one could survive that!" Kaii cried.

Akari shook her head, and walked closer to him.

"Don't give up on them so easily."

"Akari, can you sense our friends?" Kei asked, urgently.

"Y-Yes. They were fighting, as hard as they can. Against powerful Shadows. But now they're just waiting for our safe return."

"Then there's no point dawdling. Ogma! Garudyne!"

More wind crashed into Menoetius, the air slicing through its skin. Shintaro could see bulging veins burst, and he looked away, flinching from the sight. The Shadow began spinning, arms outstretched, knocking anyone nearby many feet away.

"Argh!" Netuno cried, collapsing on the ground. "You're gonna pay for that! Tam Kung!"

The Persona began to play a slow song, that got louder and more dramatic. It sounded angry – and the rage within caused the Shadow to send out Waves of Rage. Amid the blue waves were red ones – when these hit the Shadow, it screamed in pure agony and anger. Whatever harm this tune had done to Menoetius, it had also left him in an uncontrollable berserk state.

"What the hell did you just do?" Akari cried.

"Don't your psychic powers hurt enemies more when they're under mental stress?"

"Uh...maybe?"

Kaii beamed, clenching his fists. "He's right, Akari-chan! Wail on him! Like the badass you are!"

Blushing, the animal loving girl took a step back, and summoned Epona.

"Go! Psiodyne!"

Finally, she reached the next level of psychic destruction. The multicoloured swirling blast pulsed through Menoetius, sending it crashing to the wrecked floor. It got up, though, and fired beams of wrath from its eyes, narrowly missing Shintaro – and blasting apart a small apartment tower across the road.

"Damn. This thing's going to get sued for a ton of property damage." Kaii said, smirking.

"...What are you even saying?" Shintaro said, with a heavy sigh.

"Sorry. Just...saying things like that keeps me focused. Like now! Grannus!"

The strong Persona appeared, flowing with radiant energy t hat concentrated in its hands. This power became the Flare Fists, an explosive punch that sent Menoetius flying. It got up, though, and sent forth a Mudoon – that barely missed Akari.

"T-That was so close…!" She whimpered. "I..."

"Don't let down your guard. Kinmamon!"

Kei summoned a Persona that her dark counterpart had summoned once before – Shintaro recognised the being's colouring. Yet this time, its power over the sea was on their side. An Aquadyne came rushing at Menoetius, crashing into it, yet not before it launched another barrage of Demon's Missiles.

Shit, not those again!

Caught in the crossfire, Shintaro was nearly struck down – yet Kei was there to keep him on his feet. Holding him tightly, he felt his heart pounding.

"Kei..."

"You'll make it...I know you will."

Managing a weak smile, Shintaro nodded, and ran forward, dodging more missiles. He ran at the Shadow, and stabbed at it as many times as he could manage. Every battle in this world, it seemed, was testament to how much violence he was capable of. The studious bookworm was now only focused on slaying this demon, regardless of how much pain it was in – or how much agony he felt, either.

"Die, damn you!" He cried. "Ogma!"

A grand Savant Slash ripped through the Shadow's chest, exposing its beating heart. Even so, the Shadow remained strong – as it summoned 'stitches' to hold itself together, before its heart could be pierced.

"Nisa Liat...did that to me...so many times...don't...become like her...boy..."

"You're in no position to tell me what to do!" Shintaro cried, ignoring the howling pain his entire body was in. "I'm sick of Nisa Liat – Noriko Ashikaga's crazy schemes! All because you were...in that stupid cult!"

"Kid, don't lose control of yourself. We gotta win this..." Netuno grunted. "But...we can't die at the same time as Menoetius. We gotta live on. Remember, Nisa Liat's still out there!"

"...I know that." Shintaro sighed. "Now – crap, watch out!"

Another Hellish Quake engulfed the room – thanks to the defence boosts Akari had given everyone, however, it was less potent this time. Alas, it was still an ordeal to brave the flaming earthquake.

"Argh...dammit…!" Netuno cried, collapsing. "I can't...go on..."

"No!" Akari cried. "Don't..."

"He won't die..." Kei said, gently. "But we have to hurry. Look…!"

Menoetius slammed its fists on the ground once more, and began to take in the accursed energy around him, forming a black spiral of flame. The Shadow roared, finally discarding any semblance of its human mind. Whatever would come next, if left to its own devices, would erase any life in its reach.

"I don't have to be psychic to know that's bad news." Kaii murmured. "...It's time."

"Right. Shintaro, aid me!" Kei shouted. "Ostara!"

"Ogma!"

The two Personas span around in perfect harmony, concentrating their power – and soon, a tornado of teal light appeared. It surrounded the Shadow, spinning more violently. Flashes of green and white light occurred, flowing through the devastated room. It not only struck its foe, it also sent out healing winds to Kei and the others.

"Winds of Advancement!"

The powerful cyclone finished with an updraft – that would have sent any Shadow high in the sky. This didn't quite soar Menoetius into the sky, but it collapsed, and the energy surrounding it dispersed.

"Not bad, you two." Akari said, happily.

Kaii nodded, arm around Shintaro's shoulder. "You ought to be proud of yourself, kid. You and Kei make a great team."

Blushing, the well-read student looked at the teal-haired girl, however, her attention was on something else. In the centre of the room, all of a sudden, a crystalline pillar was rising up.

"What?" Shintaro asked, exhausted.

Kei walked up to it, and it broke apart, as it had done four times in the past. This time, the orb was red – the colour of blood.

"We've won." She said, as her Gnosis absorbed the Ginumi Cognition Core. "That only leaves Totsuka."

"Then let's get out of here, and -"

Before Shintaro could finish, Menoetius suddenly stood up, refusing to fade away. The energy it was gathering returned, continuing to grow at speed, and was starting to turn dark red.

"Dammit! That didn't do it?!" Shintaro shouted, in despair. "At this rate..."

"It won't be much longer until it finishes preparing its attack." Kei noted, equally despondent. "There must be a way forward. Hold on, let me think of something. If I do what I did when I fought Nisa Liat -"

What?! But you were unconscious for days after that! I can't let that happen again!

Akari stood still, numb. She shut her eyes, as Kaii grew nearer. She seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, she opened her eyes, looking directly at Kaii – who nodded.

"No, Kei...you don't have to this time." She began, tonfa in hands, and Epona by her side. "I'm going to have to give it everything I have."

"Me too." Kaii said, hand on her shoulder. "We've always worked well together, somehow."

"Y-Yeah...It's been a lot of fun, having you by my side." She said, warmly. "I'm glad I met you..."

"Guys, what are you doing?" Shintaro asked. "You're not going to -"

"Look, Shintaro-kun. While he's gathering energy, you can get away. Grab Netuno and run!" Akari shouted. "Now! Get everyone off this island!"

"What?! That's crazy, Akari-chan! There's no way I can just leave you -"

Kaii smiled, flexing his biceps. "Are you kidding? We just gotta use all our power to wipe him out. If you don't hurry, Menoetius will destroy all of us."

"Yes, well...um...Kei?"

The Wild Card nodded, reaching for Netuno.

"He's right. We must get Netuno to safety. This island is far too dangerous now. Akari and Kaii will..."

"Yeah, exactly! Do what your girlfriend says!" Kaii said, smugly.

"G-Girlfriend?!"

"It's obvious...all that stuff with Celestine? It was never meant to last. I knew all along you and Kei were meant to be together It's in the stars." Akari said, sweetly. "Now run! As fast as your legs can take you!"

Shintaro, nodded, help lift Netuno to his feet. Barely conscious, the guitarist looked with alarm, but soon joined the other two in fleeing the concert hall.

Akari, Kaii, you better come back after this!

|Tanjoshima Gate|21:45 pm|

Noboru's swords were clashing with EX-NIHILO's even more furiously this time. The demonic Shadow seemed to have grown in swordsmanship, managing to parry all of the young boy's attacks. Finally, however, it managed to knock of them out of Noboru's hand – and it flew far away, landing at the feet of the tormented politician.

"Dammit..." Noboru said, ducking under his nemesis' sword. His free hand was covered in blood, but he had more important things to focus than the searing pain in his fingers. "Forget the damn sword, Aengus! Kougaon!"

A bright flash of light appeared, and with blessed force, the Persona hit the Shadow. It concentrated, holding its blade with both hands, and fired another Ex Nihilo, which this time divided into five blasts, afflicting everyone.

"Bastard!" Shigeru cried, clutching his chest in pain. He staggered, and nearly collapsed. "I won't...give in…!"

"Oh no… Hold on, everyone! It's not over for us yet!" Novalie cried. Saga appeared, and with compassionate energy, healed everyone fully with a Mediarama.

Without a word, Shigeru called upon Dis Pater once more. This time, he summoned the power of the almighty, and a gigantic purplish burst of mana took place. This was the Megidola, a power that no Shadow could negate. EX-NIHILO collpased, albeit briefly.

"Nidaba!"

Soon, the Persona turned the Page of History, and the sharp pages began to slice the Shadow, leaving many scars. Blood poured from its wounds, but it did not falter. It regained its footing, and thrust forward with its sword, forcing Manami to leap back as far as she could.

Hayami watched, staring at the battle in terror. Kneeling on the floor, almost completely paralysed with pain. Yet, he could still move his hands. He saw the corrupted Gnosis next to him, still glowing with dark red energy, and the sword that had been knocked out of the young man's hand.

"This..thing is using me to stay alive, isn't he…?" He asked, just barely able to look up at Michiko, standing next to him, on guard.

"It'll be over quickly." She said, although she sounded uncertain.

"This has happened to other people before, hasn't it?" Hayami asked. "Did any of them survive…?"

"Some did...they became Persona users. But few have the potential to wield one." Michiko said, now uncomfortable. "The ones that didn't have that potential...they never recovered. But you'll be the exception."

Hayami shook his head, as Manami's Aqua Dance collided with the EX-NIHILO. It was an energetic dance, for both her and Li Ban, yet the Shadow remained resilient. It swung its sword in a perfect arc, and the dancer just barely leaped out of harm's way. She rolled away from a second swing, panting for breath.

"This demon's...not going down...until he runs out of energy..."

"Hayami, it will be alright – hold on!" Michiko said, running into the fray. Manami had just been hit by a fearsome Ziodyne, and was in grave pain. Everyone else was looking weary as well.

"There's no end to this..." Novalie uttered, in despair. "We've got to think of something that will end him once and for all."

"Right – huh? Hayami-san?!" Noboru cried. The man had taken the sword in his hands, and stared at his reflection in the blade.

"I'm sorry, my girls...but I won't be coming home."

"W-What do you think you're doing?!" Shigeru shouted. "You can't be – no! Don't do it!"

"Don't do...what?" Noboru asked. Yet he already had an idea of what this man intended to do with this blade. "Wait. No! You can't!"

"Stop!" Michiko shouted.

"You said it yourself, madam. There's no...way I can survive, even if you defeat this creature. But if...I'm gone...this thing will be, too!"

Noboru gulped. He desperately ran towards the politician, but it was too late. The man had already impaled himself in the chest with the boy's sword. Blood came from the wound, forming a large grisly puddle.

EX-NIHILO stopped in its tracks, unable to move. Its body sparked with energy, and it doubled over in pain, dropping its sword. Cracks began to appear in its mask, and a red wound appeared in its chest, in the exact same place as Hayami's body. In response, Hayami smiled, and closed his eyes.

"Not so damn tough now...are ya…?"

The sword disappeared, returning to Noboru's hand, and the man slumped over, no longer moving.

"...No!" Novalie cried. Michiko held her hand tightly, yet couldn't look.

Noboru stood there, his hands shaking. His heart was racing, and he couldn't quite breathe. He had seen some terrible battles throughout the Theio Kosmos, and he thought Tarumi had been the worst of it. Yet, someone had used his own sword to kill themselves...all for the sake of destroying the EX-NIHILO.

Shigeru did not say a word. Instead, he advanced on the pained Shadow, and punched it as hard as he could, no holds barred. The creature was barely moving any more, compared to the fast flurry of punches. Shigeru screamed, as he called down Dis Pater.

"This is the last time you're going to take a life!"

An intricate scarlet glyph of energy appeared beneath Dis Pater, with several diamonds that were pitch black. The Shadow was lifted into the air, and no matter how much it struggled, it was unable to escape. Immediately below EX-NIHILO, a tremendous, eerie tombstone started to appear, complete with winged skulls and demons carved in the design. The grave was jet black, and the writing was red, in an unfamiliar language. The letters started to shine, almost 'bleeding', and skeletal red hands appeared beneath EX-NIHILO, grabbing it from every direction.

"Accursed Epitaph!"

The tombstone grew in size, and towered over the Shadow, who was being ravaged by the dead hands. Each one clawed at him, eager to scrape away its unholy flesh. Dis Pater than pushed the gravestone forward, and it collapsed over EX-NIHILO, exploding in a terrifying dark purple and red nightmare, scattering phantom bones everywhere.

When it was over, all that was left of EX-NIHILO was its mask and sword. Noboru, with his own blades, slashed the mask to pieces. Dropping his swords, he fell to his knees, and gazed at his tearful reflection in the dark blade that was stuck in the ground. It vanished, just as tears began to flow.

"Why? Why couldn't I save him? I...I promised Teruko… I wouldn't let anyone die...like her...but he...he...why, dad? Why?"

Shigeru looked on at his son, and his rage dissipated. He knelt by his son's side, arm around him as tight as possible. He couldn't offer any words of comfort. All he could do was be with him, in this darkest hour. He now held his son tightly, as close as he could. No matter how much Noboru sobbed, he would not let go.

"This is awful." Manami said, looking at the older women with her. "Was there really no way we could have saved him?"

"I don't know...perhaps only Persona users can survive this curse." Novalie said, shaking her head. She looked to the ocean – while Ginumi had been thoroughly devastated, the waters had become calm again. "It looks like Oceanus has been defeated, too."

"Yes. We can safely depart this island for good." Michiko said. "We must evacuate this island immediately, Shigeru."

Slowly, he got up, and nodded.

"Then here we go."

He raised his hand, and with his remaining energy, fired a red light into the sky. The signal for his wife, Reia, Michiko's parents, and the Mayor, along with the other guests, to return.

"Kohaku and Toshiaki's teams are coming here, too." Manami said, looking over. "They're all okay. Thank goodness."

"I don't see Kei's group, though..." Novalie said, uncertain.

"They'll come. They have to." Noboru finally said, still in tears. "They...they'll win...they'll pull through, like always. No one else...has to die…!"

Soon enough, the Mayor and the other civilians arrived, looking aghast at the wreckage caused by the fight. It was like a war-zone. When they saw Hayami's corpse, many of the people screamed.

"Reia, are you alright?" Novalie asked, running over.

"Y-Yes, but...oh my god. That poor man...I thought he could have been saved."

The Electric Sea members looked all over, but with Netuno's absence, their hearts sank.

"Where's my bro?" Heliodoro asked, frantic. "What the hell is going on tonight?"

"He...he's coming back, right?" Elzira asked. "He wouldn't abandon us!"

Their singer, however, was the most distraught.

"I don't understand...why didn't he tell us about any of this? This 'Theio Kosmos', and the 'Personas'...it doesn't make sense! How long has Netuno been risking his life…?"

Reia walked over, glumly.

"He'll be here soon, Lenore. You know he'd never leave his family behind. He didn't tell you because he didn't want to get the people he loved involved."

The band looked at each other, stunned. They were silent, and stepped away, looking towards the Reception Hall. Although they said nothing, it was clear they were praying – as hard as they could – for their frontman's safe return.

When Kaiyo Komatsu and Toki Hayashi saw each other, however, there was another scream.

"W-What the hell are you doing here?!" She yelled. Panicking, she ran behind her husband, holding his arm. "I-It's really him! It's...It's Toki!"

Shigeru turned to her, and held her close.

"I'm so sorry, darling...there's so much I haven't told you. I promise, I will explain everything, but right now, we have to get off this island. Don't worry. He won't go near you. I'll protect you. Always."

Toki stepped forward, closer to his horrified son. Kaiyo shrieked, however, and he was forced to stop. Before him was the woman he had once loved more than any other – who he had dreamed of reuniting with. She was terrified, as she had been in the last time he had ever seen her. Then there was Noboru, gazing in terror at a politician's bloodied corpse.

"You've been dreading this for a long time, haven't you?" Aika asked. "Seeing her?"

"Yeah, but...right now, it's my boy I'm worried about." Toki said.

"Kaiyo." Mayor Ashikaga said. "Listen to your husband. We need to get off this island. Rimando-san, can you please attempt to transport us?"

"...Of course."

Reia, with her app, managed to send Kaiyo and the Mayor, among several others, back to the Akartharto Kosmos. Novalie and Michiko assisted with the effort, sending back as many people as they could.

"Mother, father..." Manami said, nervously. "I'll explain everything when I get home."

Her parents nodded, and without a word, they let themselves be warped away.

"We're not going back until we see Netuno." Lenore said, defiantly.

"Yeah!" Heliodoro replied.

The silence was defeaning, as the team looked on at the heavily damaged reception hall. What was happening there?

Shintaro-senpai. Kei-senpai. Akari-senpai. Netuno-san. And my big bro. You better come back alive. You have to!

Toki and Shigeru went to the boy they both called a son. Their enmity, for just a small period of time, would end, so they could bring solace to him.

"Kaii will be back soon, son...it's gonna be okay. Trust me."

"Your senpai are strong. They won't fail."

Noboru nodded, and looked at the hall, slowly starting to breathe normally again.

|Reception Hall|21:50 pm|

"This is it." Akari said, staring down Menoetius. The energy was still gathering, despite the Shadow's body buckling from the strain. It would not survive its next move, and it knew it.

"Now or never, huh?" Kaii asked. "The strongest Anomaly Nisa Liat ever made...it sure gave us a hard time."

"Kaii. We can't stop what comes next. You knew that already, didn't you?"

"Yeah...that's why I didn't go with the other three. Whatever happens, we have to give everyone enough time to escape this island." Kaii said, determined.

The two Personas, shining brightly, grabbed each other's hands. An aurora of pink psychic energy and blue nuclear power began to emanate in one half of the building, while Menoetius' darkness shrouded the other.

"Now!" Kaii shouted.

"Go!" Akari commanded.

The psychic and nuclear energy condensed into a single sphere – a bright star, pulsing with light. At the same time, a blackened ball of dark flame surrounded Menoetius, expanding at the same rate. Indeed, it would be the Titan's Catastrophe. Akari had already witnessed the full reach of its power in her vision. She knew what she had to do – and that only one other must aid her.

"Psycho Nova!"

The star of light and the star of darkness reached each other – trying to overwhelm the other. Menoetius roared, its body rapidly breaking down from the strain. Its muscles, strong as they were, could not survive the punishment anymore. The Shadow collapsed, yet its heart remaining beating rapidly, serving only one more function. To ensure that catastrophe would unfold. Once it had done, it would be consumed in the resulting hellfire, and the man that had once been Kanami would be forever gone.

"How long can we hold him off for?" Kaii asked.

"Long enough...for everyone to get off this island." Akari said, smiling. "That's all that matters."

"Did you know it would end up like this?"

Akari shook her head. "No. Not really. But I'm with you. So I'm not scared."

"You know something? Me either." Kaii said, holding her hand.

Despite the deafening roar of energy around them, everything seemed silent to the two humans still here.

"I wish I could have said a proper goodbye." Akari said, as their Nova shined bright. "To all the wonderful people we've met."

"Me too. But tearful farewells aren't my style." Kaii said, managing a smile.

Smiling in turn, Akari gazed up at the sky, through one of the many holes left in the roof during her final battle. "My parents argue a lot. Too much, But they need to get their act together, and look after Akiko."

Kaii nodded. "Dad better look after my buddy...and my little bro. I just...wish I could have been with them a little longer. But getting to know them all's been amazing. They'll be fine in the end."

"There's not much time left. No point hiding how I feel now. There's no other moment I can say this...or maybe, words aren't what we need. Not after all we've been through, Kaii-kun."

The two of them looked at each other, their eyes welling up with tears. The two stars were almost one now. They were seconds away from exploding. Now, hiding any of their feelings was pointless. At the exact same time, the two Persona users leaned closer, and their lips met. They closed their eyes, at the last possible second.

|Tanjoshima|22:00 pm|

Shintaro's group reached the ruined gate, where everyone nearby was eager to see them. It looked like, despite the massive battles that had wreaked havoc on this island, there were still many survivors. To his relief, Kohaku and the others were still there – as soon as he saw her, Shintaro ran to her and hugged her tight.

"T-Taro-kun...you're safe! I'm so glad..."

"Me too...I was worried about you a lot! We were fighting Menoetius..." Shintaro said, tearfully. "It was horrible, but-"

"Sorry to make you worry..." Netuno said, groggily. He went to his bandmates, who ran to embrace him out of sheer relief.

"You're damn right, you're sorry..." Heliodoro said, angrily. "You're lucky we stayed behind. C'mon, let's get the hell out of here."

"Yes, as he says. We need to get off this island, and quickly." Shigeru said. He was carrying a lifeless body – a man in a suit, covered in blood. Upon seeing him, Shintaro recoiled in horror.

"W-What happened?" Kei asked, eyes wide with terror.

"I'll explain later. We've teleported the survivors off the island. We must check everyone is safe." Shigeru said, barely containing his composure. "And...we must contact Hayami's family."

"Right." Michiko said. Without a moment to lose, the team began to make their way down the bridge. The island behind them was a ruin, and for some, a place of death. Shintaro, panting for breath, looked among his companions.

"Wait a second, Senpai." Noboru said. His eyes looked like they'd been crying. "Where...where's Akari? And my bro?"

"T-That's right!" Shintaro suddenly said, stopping in his tracks. "They were going to finish off Menoetius while we got everyone else off the island!"

"...What?" Shigeru said, coming to a halt. "No! They need to escape, now!"

Toki's eyes were wide with horror. "Dammit! Kaii, that idiot! What's he thinking?!"

Michiko gulped. "Ito-san…"

"Oh my goodness...we can't just leave them behind!" Novalie said.

"I know!" Shintaro cried. He clenched his fists, and turned around, facing the thoroughly ruined island. "Don't worry, everybody. I'll go and find 'em, you'll see -"

"Nakahara, wait!" Shigeru shouted, but the boy ignored him, heading back the way he came.

There's still time. There's still time. There's still time! I can make it! They're both going to be fine, I know it!

He sped up, getting closer and closer to the island he had just left. He noticed a glimmering light up ahead, but did not stop. Just then, that light expanded, and he was sent flying, by a strength stronger than anything else he had been struck with. Everything seemed to slow down, as he saw the starry sky, his body in mid-air. He then landed to the ground with a painful crash. There was a sound – an awful, roaring sound. In agony, he tried to raise his head, to look at the island behind him – and saw it aflame, the bridge having collapsed in front of him.

"Shintaro!" A voice cried behind him.

His body was in so much pain. Every inch of him was in agony, and he was barely staying conscious. He could barely hear anything now, not the horrified screaming behind him, not the flames engulfing the island, not even his own breath. Unable to keep his eyes open, he felt his body being lifted in the air, and as he did, he finally lost consciousness. Before he did, a solemn thought passed through his mind.

Kaii Murayama and Akari Ito would never return home.

[END OF ARC IV]