Gathering Arc:
Chapter 20: Four Heroes Gather!
Tatsuya Suou
Heavy Rain –Morning – 16/11/2012(Friday of Beginning) –Police Department, Konan, AmenoTorifune
Tatsuya stood by the entrance door of his office gazing outside the window that was raining heavily. Good thing that he didn't have the clear vision of the cloudy sky. He didn't slept last night, thinking about the problem the repeatedly came to his city. He glanced at his watch, waiting for someone.
His eyes averted to Jun that appeared on the front door, half wet by the rain. His umbrella was placed at the corner of the door as he walked toward Tatsuya.
"How is it?" Tatsuya asked Jun.
"Not good, the Universe Arcana is too strong. Father Time can forcefully bring down this city with his power, but who knows how many casualties it may cause." Jun answered disappointedly.
"How're Maya and Matsuya?" Katsuya suddenly appeared from behind Tatsuya, startling him.
"Oh, she's fine. Same goes for Matsuya, I didn't let him go to school today."
"I see… Katsuya-san, do you mind if I talk to Tatsuya for a while? Personal." Jun demanded, surprising them both.
"…Sure, take your time." Katsuya agreed although he hesitated for a moment before Jun dragged Tatsuya into his office. Jun shut the door, which increased Katsuya's suspicion. Intrigued, he tip toed closer to the room to catch their conversation, but failed to hear anything as if Jun's whispering to Tatsuya.
"Why do we need to hide from my brother?" Tatsuya spoke as he sat on his table.
Jun remained silent for a moment, before focusing his eyes on Tatsuya, "Don't tell anyone about this, understand? Not even Father Time."
"…" Tatsuya was taken aback by his statement, "…Alright, you have my word, I promise. Although I'm not sure Father Time won't find out."
Jun began, "…After you guys went home while I stay at the tower to help Father Time, we have a talk about the time-space that occurred and around the tower. He claimed that he can see all human's past and future with his power. He may be able to change the past and future if he reached his full potential. So I asked him if he was able to see what will occur on the day of prophecy."
Tatsuya did a small jump from his table and walked toward Jun with curious eyes, "What did he see?"
Afterward from the outside, Katsuya was able to hear Tatsuya screaming about something to Jun, angry about something. After a few seconds, he was able to hear Tatsuya sobbing while being calmed down by Jun. Another few moments later, Jun walked out of the office with Tatsuya who have a trace of dried tears on his cheeks.
"I don't want to ask if you don't want me to, but take it easy, alright?" Katsuya refused to ask when he saw Tatsuya became depressed about something.
"*heavy sigh* …Thank you brother, now let's meet with the others." Tatsuya said with a forced smile, facing away.
Aigis
Clear Sky - Morning – 16/11/2012(Friday of Beginning) –Iwatodai New Dorm, Tatsumi Port Island
Aigis stood in front of the destroyed front door of her dorm, along with Labrys. After the assault from Takaya and the Arcana shadow last night, they find themselves awoke with Yukari went missing in the morning. Mitsuru called Naoto from Inaba to inform the situation and was informed about Nyarlathotep's final message to all four man of prophecy. They became clueless of what to do. They can do nothing but be prepared for tonight's Dark Hour and prayed that all four of them will eventually gather at Tartarus.
"Aigis, let's go to Mitsuru for now. We need to prepare for tonight." Labrys said.
"…I'm curious." Aigis suddenly said.
"Huh? What's wrong, Aigis?"
"How did Takaya know this place? Mitsuru-san said no one other than Kirijo's group should be able to know our residence."
"Oh yeah. Remember Mitsuru said something about there might be an outsider in Kirijo'sgroup? Do you think it might be the same people that told Takaya about us?"
"It might be true. As for tonight, I believeMinato will come. I don't know how, but I believe what I feel." Aigis said.
"You really do care for him, did you?" Labrys chuckled, which made Aigis blushed.
"He-he's our former leader, of course I'm worried about him." Aigis turned away and began to walk to the limo that was waiting for them. Labrys simply smirked, can't wait to meet the former leader of SEES.
Minato Arisato
Rainy – Afternoon – 16/11/2012(Friday of Beginning) – The Seedy CD, Yumezaki, AmenoTorifune
Minato stood in front of the large CD shop, hesitating to enter. He took out the money he received from Tatsuya and sighed before shoving it back in. 'Guess I'll wait till I get back to Port Island, not like I have my music player anyway.' Minato thought. Slowly, he walked away with his blue umbrella until he saw a glimpse of Ulala and Baofu chatting at the other side of the street.
"What do you think about Tatsuya communicating with Azathoth?" Ulala asked Baofuafter a hard training in her gym.
"It must be connected to Tatsuya's memory of the 'other side', there is no other explanation. I'm more worried about Toudou, he's hiding something bigger than we thought." Baofu answered.
"You're right- Hmm? Isn't that…" Ulalafocused her eyes on Minato on the other side of the street. Carefully, Minato ran across the street and reached them.
"Good thing seeing you here, Arisato-kun." Baofu said. Minato nodded his head in return.
"What are you doing here?" Ulala asked.
"Wandering around, waiting for Ryoji to find me." Minato answered.
"Hmm, your persona? Where did he go?" Baofu asked.
"When I woke up this morning, he left a letter said that he went to Sonomura-san's pharmacy to ask about Pandora."
"I see…" Ulala said, "But why?"
"Something about saving my friend and sealing Nyx, I'm not quite sure myself."
"Wait, how does it related?" Baofu asked. Minato shrugged. Felt that he's wasting time, Minato parted away from those two and made his way to a nearby restaurant.
Yu Narukami
Foggy – Afternoon – 16/11/2012(Friday of Beginning) – Hospital, Inaba
"Come in." Dojima said when he heard a knock on the door as he finished dressing up and packing his bag. At the door, the entire Investigation Team including Nanako walked in with a basket filled with fruits for Dojima's'get well' present.
"Ah, is here too?" Dojima asked.
"Yes uncle, apparently… I won't be home tonight." Yu answered honestly.
"Hmm? Where will you be?"
"Tatsumi Port Island, and we need to board the train straight away. I cannot bring Nanako this time. We have no choice but to skip school tomorrow, but please don't worry about it."
"…Are you hiding something from me, Yu?" This time, Dojima's expression darkened. Yu lowered his head, trying to find the right answer for his uncle.
"Are you two fighting?" Nanako asked, frowning. Dojima quickly turned to Nanako and smiled.
"No we're not, Nanako." Dojima then turned to Yu, "When are you coming back?"
Realized that his uncle permitted him, Yu returned the smile, "Probably tomorrow evening."
"Whatever you do, be careful out there. Me and Nanako will be waiting."
"Don't worry, Mr. Dojima. I'll take care of him." Yosuke intersected their conversation.
"Shouldn't you be take care of yourself first? You're going to get hurt like last time." Chie teased.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? Whose fault was that?!" Yosuke countered.
"You said it's not my fault, it was Adachi!" Chie countered back.
"Then you don't have to say that to me!" Yosuke growled.
"I'm just being polite!"
Their eyes contact caused spark of electricity as if they're going to attack each other in a moment, while the others sighed. "Stop it you two, we need to get to the station now." Naoto broke the argument, which earned Yu's thanks.
"Naoto's right, we'll be leaving now. I hope you can walk home by yourself. And please, NO WORK." Yu warned.
"What do you take me for? Don't worry, Nanako's here so I won't be 'moving' for a while." The Investigation Team laughed at Dojima's statement.
And so, the Investigation Team boarded the train straight from the hospital, making their way to Tatsumi port Island. A few hours later, they reached Iwatodai station, having a quick lunch before went to Kirijo's dormitory.
They have yet to realize that that afternoon was probably the last time they enjoyed their moment of peace together, since they were just a few more steps before entering the long war with Four Horsemen.
Naoya Toudou
Rainy – Evening – 16/11/2012(Friday of Beginning) – Cliff of Mount Iwato, Rengedai, AmenoTorifune
Eriko stood at the front of the road lead to the mountain, with a small umbrella with her. What goes on her mind was her worriedness about her friends… and Naoya. She prayed that this time, she will get closer to Naoya and grabbed his attention for real before in case the world will end. She closed her eyes, and smiled at the thought of Naoya embracing her and-
"Eriko?~ What makes you so happy until you smile like that?" A male voice suddenly broke her from her daydream. She yelped and turned around to see Naoya himself was standing close to her.
"W-What are you doing here, Naoya?! Geez, don't scare me like that!" Eriko scolded, her cheeks were bright red.
"Sorry Eriko, but you thought of something funny?" Naoya smirked, leaning his face closer to Eriko, which turned Eriko's face so hot that a smoke burst out of her head.
"N-Nothing! I'm just having a walk here,and your face is too close!"
"Whoa, you look cute. You said you want a chance, I'm giving you right now."
Eriko remembered back the night at Tatsumi Port Island, her eyes brighten. "Oh, really?~" Eriko said in more happily after regaining her posture, which Naoya chuckled and turned away to the exit road.
"Nah, I'm kidding. Come on, Tatsuya said Father Time should be done with the problem now. Let's get back before it hit dust." Naoya smiled. Eriko, realized that Naoya was actually teasing her, walked away in anger yet happy deep inside to have a conversation with him, even if it weren't truly sincere.
As Eriko walked away, Naoya's expression darkened, as if guilt struck him every time he saw Eriko.
"…Eriko, I…"
Yu Narukami
Foggy – Night – Iwatodai New Dorm, Tatsumi Port Island
"Are you ready, Yu?" Yosuke asked Yu who was gripping his sword as he stood in front of the newly repaired door. Every member of the Investigation Team has gathered themselves around Yu. Moments later, the entire member of Shadow Operative including Ken and Koromaru joined the group, well-armed themselves.
"Yeah, I'm ready." Yu said confidently, slowly taking out his glass and put it on, the others followed his action.
"Let's go…"
And he turned to the street with the others, side by side, weapon in hand and a Yu's silent voice echoed through the night, "…and meet with the other three."
Sandy Sky – Late Night – Nanjo Mansion, Mikage-Cho
Nanjo checked the sand-color sky outside the window, with a pile of history books on his table. After finishing his fourth coffee, he deduced something. Either Conquest or War- no, most likely Conquest was confirmed to be a god from Egypt, not an ordinary deity like Nyarlathotep.
He got a bad vibes for tonight, unlike any other night. As if something extremely big will be starting soon, and he felt chill through his spine just by imagining it. Slowly, he returned to his seat and continued the last chapter he read.
"…God of rebirth, god of war, god of evil, god of… hmm? What's this-"
A sudden strong wind forced open his window and dropped all the books and files on his table, even strong enough to flip the table. The book that was on his hand flew away just before he could read the next page.
He covered his eyes with his arm and made his way to the window before locking it shut. He became shocked to see it was a weak sand storm right outside his window, where the view to another ward was blurred by the sand.
He was lucky enough to see how the world starting to end.
Minato Arisato
Heavy Rainy – Late Night – Seven Sisters High, Rengedai, AmenoTorifune
Just a few minutes before the Seven Sisters High transformed into tower, all the persona users that were trapped in that flying city had gathered at the entrance along with Father Time and Ryoji with an umbrella each. Minato took an opportunity to glance at Maki who bear a rather pale expression. He couldn't guess how much Maki told Ryoji, but he knew that Ryoji had gathered enough information.
"Alright, listen. When the tower's open, I will open a pathway underground for you, understand? When you reach the end of the 'tunnel', you will find yourself at Tatsumi Port Island, where Tartarus is." Father Time explained.
"Skip the explanation, we're going to be late. The rain's too strong. We'll bath in blood." Naoya frowned.
"Hold it, just a few more minutes now." Father Time reminded, "I assume you all came prepare."
Tatsuya walked towards Father Time and unsheathed his sword with half anger in his eyes, "Oh yes I do."
Yu Narukami
Heavy Foggy – Late Night – Gekkoukan High entrance, Tatsumi Port Island
The Shadow Operative and Investigation Team had gathered themselves in front of the high school's gate. As the fog getting thicker, the group became restless when Fuuka claimed that a huge number of shadows were currently gathered 'inside' the school. Even Rise was able to sense the shadows presence.
00:20…
"20 more seconds." Mitsuru said.
"Alright, I'm going in." Yu concluded as he pushed the gate open.
Naoya Toudou
Heavy Rainy – Late Night – Seven Sisters High
"We can enter the gate now." Father Time said without taking his eyes off Tatsuya who slowly lowered his sword. The group entered the gate and wait for a few more second.
"I'll go first." Naoya said.
00:12…
The Alternate realm of unconsciousness
Conquest and Strife were in the middle of the empty space, accompanied by hundreds of shadows with them.
"My Friday is the first after the 'sign'. I shall prepare a blessing for prime Anima and Animus."Conquest finally said, and he departed from the realm along with half of the shadows.
"I, too, shall proceed." Strife continued, and slowly disappeared into thin air with the rest of the shadows.
00:08…
Velvet Room
"The Wheel of Fate has begun to turn." Igor said while recollected the tarot cards in on the table, watched by Margaret, Theodore, Nameless, Belladonna and Demon Painter.
00:04…
Philemon
The Realm of consciousness and unconsciousness of all soul
"How far will you go this time, Father Time?" Philemon mused with unpleasant smile on his visible half face. He eventually smiled widely as he gazed upward.
"Finally, the war has begun."
00:03…
00:02…
00:01…
RANG!... RANG!... RANG!
Dark Hour
A mysterious sound of bell of the clock tower rang across Mikage-Cho, Sumaru City, Tatsumi Port Island and Inaba, as if the entire world whose awoke by now will be able to hear it. At the same time, the Tower of Seven Chain of Time and Tartarus emerged from the group.
Naoya Toudou
"Heh, time to finish this…"
Tatsuya Suou
"No time to think. I will finish this…"
Minato Arisato
" I'm gonna risk my life again aren't I? Let's start this…"
Yu Narukami
"My bonds will strengthen me for this…"
Four Man of Prophecy
"…War!"
The voice of the four heroes spoke at once as one of the chain from Father Time's tower drilled into the tower. From ground in front of the tower just a few meters away from the group, a big underground hole that brimmed light emerged. Meanwhile, the fog at Tatsumi Port Island suddenly being sweep away by a powerful wind, revealing a gigantic half-moon above the sky. From the moon, a gigantic sphere shape creature along with a winged octopus like creature carrying who seems to be unconscious Yukari (still in her yesterday dress) descended to the top of the Tartarus.
"Now, where are our four heroes?" The winged creature revealed to be Nyarlathotep spoke.
Naoya Toudou
Heavy Rainy – Dark Hour – The Tunnel of Abyss
"I'll go first!" Naoya shouted as he threw aside his umbrella, and dashed into the tunnel and began to run through the seemly endless tunnel of sand. It was bright even inside, and the sand was not slippery. Racing against him, Tatsuya chased him into the tunnel followed by the others, leaving the umbrella behind. Soon after, Father Time and Ryoji followed afterward before closing the hole.
Yu Narukami
Clear Sky – Dark Hour – Tartarus
"Come down here and fight us!" Yu warned to Nyarlathotep and Yog-Sothoth who remained at the top of the tower with Yukari as he and the others removed their glasses.
"What did I said about 'all four of you'? You really don't care about this bitch, am I wrong?" Nyarlathotep taunted with a voice loud enough to be heard from the 250+ floor to the ground.
"They… they'll be here! I know it!" Yu said, but never fully sure himself.
"You're unsure, 'father'. I will give the other three another half an hour." Nyarlathotep suddenly laughed, "Until all the 'towers' rise completely. Now go and play with my minions."
Suddenly, from the entrance of Tartarus, a large shadow burst out from inside along with few other small shadows. It was Arcana Temperance, who attacked Shadow Operative yesterday night.
"Everyone hold your position!" Yu commanded.
"Narukami, leave the boss shadow to us while you handle the small one." Mitsuru suggested.
"No, leave this to us while you go and save Yukari." Yosuke gave another suggestion.
"There's an access point inside, use it to get to the highest floor then proceed on your own. Now go!" Aigis said, reloading her bullet and began to march toward the group of shadows.
"I leave it to you!" Yu made his way towards the group of shadow along with the others and clashed. In that moment, Yu sneaked past the shadow and enter Tartarus.
Minato Arisato
Dark Hour – The Abyss of Time
As they walked through the tunnel, they finally found the bright light from the exit. When they made it out, they were now in a boundlessly space made of sand with tiles made of rock below their feet. Countless doors present itself in front of the group with many hidden symbol were written on it. It's like a maze made of tiles ground that were connected by a staircase.
'Why do I feel like… I've been here before?' Minato thought, but ignored it as Father Time walked past the others.
"Now, which door?" Naoya said, getting impatient.
"Hold it…" Father Time said as he observed each door with his eyes until his eyes froze on one door, "…There, the third door at the end."
Father Time pointed towards the end of the maze which could be another hundreds of meters away.
"That far, are you kidding me?! I'm tired!" Eikichi and Hidehiko screamed.
"If we slow down now, someone's life could be in danger! Now hurry!" Tatsuya scolded and made a run to the door.
"That's harsh, what happen when I was away?" Maya asked in surprise to Katsuya who gaze curiously.
"…I don't know." Katsuya said.
Aigis
Shadow Operative VS Arcana Temperance
As the Investigation Team dealt with the smaller shadows, the Shadow Operative focused on the boss shadow as they launched their first attack. This time, they came prepare unlike before.
However, this shadow was easily confirmed by Fuuka to be stronger than any other Arcana shadow they faced 2 years ago. With a single swipe from its 'hand', it was able to push away Akihiko and Labrys to the ground.
"It's strong against wind and weak against electricity!" Fuuka analyzed it.
"Guess it's my time, Caesar: Ziodyne!" Akihiko summoned Caesar and began to attack the shado-
"Wait, its state change!" Fuuka suddenly warned.
"What!?"Akihiko failed to stop his attack. The shadow blocked his attacked and countered.
Maragidyne- Arcana Temperance sent a heavy fire attack on all party members. The burn was powerful, but it was critical for Mitsuru's Artemisia. Realizing that they had underestimated their opponent, they backed away carrying an injured Mitsuru with them.
"Fuuka, what happen!?"Akihiko scolded as the attack almost cost Mitsuru's life.
"I don't know how, but it can change its own state! It's now strong against fire but weak against ice!" Fuuka reanalyzed.
Arcana Temperance's chest suddenly gave a dim glow, which Ken noticed, "Its chest… it just glow."
"Wait, the state change again! This time it's strong against darkness but weak against light!"
"I got it! This shadow change state every time its chest glows!" Ken explained.
"Good one, Ken! You know what to do!" Junpei praised, summoning Trismegistus. "Go, Ken! Trismegistus: Double Fang!"
Trismegistus dashed toward the shadow and pieced two blades to its hand. At the same time, Koromaru ran around the shadow while howling to distract it from Ken before Ken jumped above it with an Evoker in hand standing by.
"Kala-Nemi: Hamaon!" Kala-Nemi emerged from Ken and sent down powerful light skill towards the shadow. However, Arcana Temperance's chest glowed again, which means bad news.
Four-Arm Smash- The shadow suddenly jumped extremely high slipping past Trismegistus, Koromaru and Kala-Nemi's attack. "Where did he go?!"Junpei screamed.
"Junpei, look up!" Aigis warned him as she aimed her finger to the visible shadow that rushed down like a bullet. She missed the target, but so does the shadow. Ken, Koromaru and Junpei managed to step away from where the shadow was falling. Although the ground left four giant hole and it returned to its original position.
"The state is now strong again physical attack, but weak against all element!" Fuuka explained.
"Whatever we do, this bastard change state faster than we could attack its weak point!" Junpei growled.
"We need an ailment to slow it down!" Mitsuru said.
"Leave it to me! I want to useful in this battle." Labrys said confidently as she walked towards the growling shadow.
"What are you doing, Labrys?! It's going to attack you!" Junpei screamed.
"No worries,trust me!" Labrys took position with her giant axe and smirked as the shadow launched an attack.
Megido- A medium energy ball was ready to launch itself at Labrys, until…
"Ariadne: Mental Maze!" Labrys summoned Ariadne. Ariadne placed both her hands on her chest and sang. All of a sudden, Arcana Temperance's Megido attack was cancelled while the shadow fell to its knee in sudden pain.
"W-What did you do!?" Akihiko asked in amused.
"I make Ariadne enter the shadows mind with her song and 'create' a maze inside its consciousness so that prevent it from regaining its sense, like being tied with hundreds of string." Labrys explained, which amazed her party member even Mitsuru.
"Quick, use elemental skill!" Fuuka said.
"Some pay back, you freak!" Junpei smirked as all of them except Aigis summoned their persona and began a counter attack.
"Artemisia: Bufudyne!"
"Caesar: Ziodyne!"
"Trismegistus: Agidyne!"
"Kala-Nemi: Ziodyne!"
Cerberus- Agidyne "Woff!"
Mix with ice, electricity and fire, the Shadow Operative completely crushed the shadow's weak point. Blow after blow eventually bring down its HP to half, and slowly 25% remained.
Arcana Temperance gave a loud roar, and removed itself from Labrys ailments and began to change state. "It's still standing!" Labrys said in surprise.
"The state this time… it's like first time, strong with wind but weak against electricity!" Fuuka gave her full analysis, "I understand now, it has four states that can be shifted with each turn!"
"I'll do it this time, Athena: Akasha Arts!" Aigis summoned her persona and inflicted heavy piercing attack, bringing the shadow down. "Labrys, that skill again! Do it!"
"Got it! Ariadne: Mental Maze!" Labrys summoned Ariadne again and slowed down Arcana Temperance's move. "Akihiko-san, Ken-chan, you're up!" Mitsuru ordered.
"Let's just finish this in one more hit, Ken!"
"Alright, Akihiko-san!"
"Caesar!"
"Kala-Nemi!"
"Fusion Spell: Thunder Reign!" A severe electricity attack was sent down to the weaken Arcana shadow and staged it with thousands of volt. Arcana Temperance's HP finally reached zero, which it disappeared in a puff of black smoke.
"I thought that shadow was tough, turns out it is easier than we expected." Akihiko grinned in victory.
"Be cautious next time. We wouldn't win without Labrys's power." Mitsuru said, turning to Labrys, "You have my gratitude Labrys, you are a powerful asset to our team."
"I'm glad I'm much help to my friend-" Labrys suddenly stopped, "Wait, the others!"
"Calling us?" The shadow Operative turned to see Investigation Team has successfully defeated the other shadows, with Yosuke stand proudly with minor bruises. The same goes for the others; they didn't suffered any serious damage.
"Now all that is left is Yu-san to find Yukari." Aigis said, gazing to the top of Tartarus.
Yu Narukami
Top of Tartarus
After ran over few stairs, Yu finally reached the top floor. When he arrived, he saw the gigantic Yog-Sothoth tagged with Nyarlathotep carrying Yukari besides him.
"Let go of her!" Yu warned him, pointed out his sword while panting slightly.
"No, no ,no. I said all four, you alone is just waste of time." Nyarlathotep threatened, "I introduce to you my niece, Yog-Sothoth. Now, how about you play with him?"
"What, play with him-" Before Yu was able to finished his word, Yog-Sothoth was already threw a powerful shockwave towards Yu. Unable to block the sudden surprise attack, Yu kneed to the ground while grabbing his shirt in extreme pain in his chest.
"D-damn you…" Yu slowly regained his stance.
"Shhh,quiet! Hahahaha! The 'tower' has begun to rise!" Nyarlathotep laughed hysterically as he slowly back away from the Tartarus top floor.
"T…Tower?" Yu mused.
Nanjo Mansion, Mikage-Cho
Nanjo, unable to sleep, was shocked when he heard an extremely loud scream from across the ward. 'That scream again, but it's much louder!' Nanjo thought. Panic, he ran to the window and gazed outside. If he was to have a heart attack, he would have been dead by now.
The entire city was covered in sand with sandstorms and the glass and garden were destroyed by the sudden environment. But most of all, the pyramid that Nanjo visited the other night was now visible from his mansion, where it had become so tall that it became taller than SEBEC's original height.
'…What happen?…What happen to our world?!' Nanjo thought as he took cover from the window.
The Tower of Seven Chain of Time, Ameno Torifune
All the seven chains around the tower were shaking like something disturbed the time-space. In the center of that tower, the bottomless pit suddenly emitted hellish red light followed by an eerie voice.
"…The world…join…with here…"
Tatsuya Suou
The Abyss of Time
"Arghhh!" Tatsuya screamed in pain when the group finally walked past the door behind them.
"What's wrong, Tatsuya?!" Maya rushed to his side.
"Azathoth's voice again?!" Eikichi guessed.
"Worse, my tower has been disturbed. We need to be faster." Father Time said as he looked at a single stair in front of them.
"Argh, I'm fine, let's go." Tatsuya said as his headache finally disappeared, deciding to walk by himself.
"Suit yourself." Naoya said as he ran towards the stairs with the others.
Iwatodai New dorm, Tatsumi Port Island
As they reached the exit door that facing upward, Father Time slowly placed his hand on the door before hearing a lock sound being opened. They opened the door and were shocked to see they were in lounge of dormitory. Minato was the one who recognized this design, and he ran across the dorm and upstairs before rushing down.
"This is the dorm of my friends." Minato confirmed with a smirk. "This is Tatsumi Port Island."
"We made it!" Hidehiko joyfully said, but was cut off by Tatsuya's word.
"We can celebrate later, Tartarus first!" Tatsuya said, banging down the front door of the dorm and went outside. The others followed, noticing that Tartarus that was on their sight was 'shape shifting' into something.
"Tartarus…" Minato said, turning to Naoya and Tatsuya, "We can't use the monorail, but running will still take 15 minutes. Any ideas?"
Everyone turned silent; no one knew any transportation that can be used in Dark Hour, except for Kirijo-
"Wait, Kirijo's group has a transport that can active in Dark Hour, right?" Yukino suddenly suggested to Minato.
"…Mitsuru has a bike…" Minato suddenly remember, he began to search around the dorm to find any garage until he found something behind the alley. He turned to the others and raised an eyebrow.
"Well…" Naoya turned to Tatsuya, "How fast can you ride a bike?"
Yu Narukami
Tartarus
The ground on the top of Tartarus suddenly began to change color to dirt black, soon the entire Tartarus turned to black along with the structure that began to crumble.
"The Tartarus, what happen?!" Kanji screamed.
"It's…it's changing…" Mitsuru said.
Then, strange things happen. The entire Tartarus crumbled down and transformed into thousands of black long rectangular cubes, Yu was able to hold on one of the giant cube saving himself from falling to his death. The cubes then rearranged itself to form into something big and… tall.
Stairway of Underworld
"…Huh?..." Yu opened his eyes and see where he was after Tartarus changing shape. To his most uttermost shock, he was standing on one of the steps of 50+ floors on a huge spiral staircase from the ground to a strange cloud hiding the moonlight. It has no middle pillar to support it, as if it supporting itself with power.
"What?! A staircase?!" Yu shouted.
"How do you like our new 'tower', 'father'? Hahahaha!" Yu turned to the center of the staircase to see Nyarlathotep and Yog-Sothoth along with unconscious Yukari. "One more dungeon and I'll kill this girl!"
"No, wait!"
Somewhere in TV world, Inaba
The studio where Teddie used as the exit place was suddenly half destroyed by the sudden rise of a new dungeon in front of the studio. The other dungeons were destroyed as well added with fog so heavy that everything was now in grey.
Yu Narukami
Stairway of Underworld, Tatsumi Port Island
"It's seems that the last 'tower' has emerged." Nyarlathotep said, dodging another attack from Izanagi's blade as he flew downward followed by Yu.
"Fight me right here and let go of her!" Yu warned again as he grew tired by attack in long distance from the stairs to the flying Nyarlathotep and Yog-Sothoth.
"Too late, 'father'! The other three are too late! Yog-Sothoth, finish him!" Nyarlathotep gave his command. Yog-Sothoth began to open his main mouth and blew out a powerful gust of wind towards Yu, throwing him off the stairs till his fall. As he fell from a stairs equal to 30+ floor above the ground, it would be instant death for him.
"Darn it… Is this it?" Yu cursed, slowly closing his eyes a few seconds before reaching the ground. He opened his eyes again when he realized someone's caught him in mid-air. Aigis was the one who save him before she landed him on the ground.
"Yu, are you alright?" Yukiko asked in worry.
"Let me heal you, senpai!" Rise summoned Kanzeon and use healing wave to cure Yu's injured stomach cause by Yog-Sothoth.
"Yukari, Yukari is…!" Yu turned upward to find Nyarlathotep dashing downwards to get a closer look at the group and was choking Yukari on one hand with his other hand showing a long claw, ready to thrust in her body.
"No, stop!" Aigis screamed.
"Too late!" Nyarlathotep laughed and began to swing his claw. It was too late…
…or is it?
[[[[[[0]]]]]]
[All the surrounding except for Shadow Operative and Investigation Team was 'slowed down' by a powerful force. Nyarlathotep was affected by the time, except for Yog-Sothoth that suddenly roared in anger.
"What… what just-" Yosuke wiped his eyes in disbelief, until Aigis quickly turned to the direction where Gekkoukan High's entrance gate was before explained.
"…Someone's coming." Aigis suddenly began to cry, "This feeling… It must be him."
"You mean…" Junpei turned to the gate in excitement when he heard a faint bike's sound approaching the school ground. They all looked at the direction where the sound was. And was shocked to see a light came close to them.
Tatsuya Suou
Monorail track between Iwatodai station and Tatsumi Port Island
"Grab on tight, Minato!" Tatsuya warned as Mitsuru's bike that he 'borrowed' from the dorm jumped to the monorail track. Tatsuya was riding the bike while Minato sat at the back. Naoya was left behind with the others, Ryoji was obviously 'inside' Minato and Father Time… well, he could be at Tartarus by now.
"I wonder what Mitsuru will say if she saw this-" Minato was suddenly startled by Tatsuya's riding skill as he shifts on the monorail.
"We talk later! You don't have a helmet, so watch it!" Tatsuya scolded before said, "We're almost at the station!"
As they dropped to the station, they realized that Tartarus has changed its structure, where a person was seen falling from the staircase. Nyarlathotep and Yog-Sothoth was seen on sight 10 meters above the two groups.
"That's Nyarlathotep and… what is that creature besides him?! Wait, I see them, Shadow Operative and Investigation Team!"
"Yukari…"
Minato whispered behind Tatsuya, which he turned his head back to see. "You're right. So what's your plan?"
"Tatsuya-san, stay still." Minato said as he slowly stood on the seat while holding Tatsuya on one hand. He took out his Evoker, "I'm going to jump, don't stop until I do."
Minato Arisato
Gekkoukan High entrance gate
"What, are you mad?!" Tatsuya screamed as they were getting close to the gate.
"Trust me."
"…Alright, but don't take too long."
"I know." Minato slowly said before closing his eyes and calling out Thanatos. 'Ryoji, help me.'
[[[[[[0]]]]]]
[He can felt Father Time's power freezing the time, which he took an initiative to stand by his position on the bike before reopening his blue eyes.
"Wait for it…" Minato slowly aimed the Evoker to his temple as Tatsuya used his biking skill to jump over the gate. The Shadow Operative and Investigation Team finally have a clear look on their two more heroes.
"…Mi…Minato?..." Mitsuru said.
"That's…" Akihiko said.
"Is that him?!" Junpei said.
'…Minato-kun…' Fuuka thought.
"Koromaru, look!" Ken showed Koromaru the bike which he barked in response.
"So that's him?" Labrys asked, which Aigis answered.
"…It's him…"
Yu, who was regaining his stance, smiled. "You've come, 'messiah'."
"*deep breath* Thanatos!" Minato pulled the trigger. Simultaneously, he jumped from the bike before Thanatos appeared under him, supporting his weight and flew towards Nyarlathotep and Yukari. As they get closer, Minato took out his sword and began to jump at Nyarlathotep before slashing the arm that grabbed Yukari.
Nyarlathotep, who was slowed down by Father Time's power, was not able to react. Minato quickly caught Yukari bridal style and dived back to the ground. Thanatos dashed toward the ground and stood with both his palm open before Minato came falling down on Thanatos's hand safely.
Thanatos slowly placed his hands to the ground allowing Minato to step down safely. Tatsuya, who was stopping his bike on time, walked towards the two teams. "I borrowed your bike for a while, sorry for that." He turned to Mitsuru who was shocked to find her bike.
"How did you-"
"Long story. Minato, nice stunt." Tatsuya raised a thumb. Everyone turned to Minato who carefully placed unconscious Yukari on the ground. He stood still with his new appearance, slightly longer hair and blue eyes.
"Everyone…" Minato smiled when he saw his friends that he had missed for two years. Some of them were starting to cry, but Aigis was the one who walked towards him first facing downward.
"Aigis, thank you-" Minato was unable to finish his word when Aigis suddenly hugged him, crying on his shoulder.
"*sob* …Minato, it's you, it's really you…"
"Minato… *wiping away his manly tears* …Man, do you know how much we miss you?!" Junpei rushed to his side and hugged him tightly. Every member of Shadow Operative except Labrys rushed to him and hugged till he fell to the ground.
"Look at you, you are actually taller now!" Akihiko said as ruffled Minato's hair, unable to contain his happiness.
"Your eyes, did it change colors?!" Ken noticed his different colored eyes. Koromaru barked in response.
"You came like you promise…" Fuuka said with a blush, removing her hand from Minato's arm.
"Arisato..." Mitsuru was the last to hug him, much to the others surprise.
The Investigation Team and Tatsuya could only smile in joy to see Minato reunited with his friends. "So that's Minato Arisato." Naoto said, adjusting her blue hair in surprise to see another person with a hair color close to her own.
"…You're forgetting something…" Minato reminded everyone about Yukari. When Fuuka checked on her, she explained that she was under a strange ailment cause by unknown.
"Fuuka, protect Yukari. I need the others help on defeating that sphere monster. It's the only way to bring down Sumaru City safely." Minato explained.
"'Bring down' Sumaru City? What's that supposes to mean?" Akihiko asked.
"So that sphere monster is Yog-Sothoth huh? We better beat him fast, I'll explain the rest later." Tatsuya said, when suddenly he felt that the time's moving back to original.]
[[[.]]]
"Good thing we made it." A voice was heard from behind them. They turned to see Father Time and Naoya besides the gate.
"How did you get here? Where're the others?" Tatsuya asked curiously.
"I had Father Time teleport me here in a speed of light. Since he could only 'teleport' one person at a time, he took me in first. The others will be walking I assume." Naoya explained.
"Wait, the hell?! He can do that?! Why didn't he say sooner?" Tatsuya scolded Naoya, placing his sword on his neck. Father Time laughed before disappeared again.
"So all man of prophecy are finally here!" They all turned to the voice to see Nyarlathotep descended to the ground with Yog-Sothoth besides him, "What a great meeting for all of us!"
"Give me back my Universe power." Minato warned with Thanatos slowly disappearing behind him, "I need it back for purpose."
"Hey, I have my purpose too. Don't take all the experience point will ya'?" Minato turned to see Yu walking to his left side. Minato only chuckled at him. "Nice to meet you, I'm Yu Narukami."
"Minato Arisato." Minato leaned his hand forward and gave the taller boy a hand shake.
"Your level is not maxed yet?" Naoya walked to Minato's right side and laughed, ignoring Tatsuya.
"If we want to win this, I suggest another 50 level should be enough." Yu replied, giving a small laugh.
"We're fighting for real, everyone. Let's talk later." Tatsuya walked between Naoya and Minato with a serious face.
"Don't get too serious, will you Tatsuya? The four of us just meet, give it a rest." Naoya argued.
"We can eat buffet next time we meet and laugh all we want, I'll pay. So let's get serious alright." Tatsuya gave a smirk to Naoya, which caused Minato and Yu to smile.
Four Man of Prophecy
In front of Nyarlathotep and Yog-Sothoth, all four heroes united for the first time. Naoya was the left, Tatsuya beside him, Minato afterward and Yu on the right. They raised their sword pointed to Nyarlathotep with determined eyes.
"You guys, are you okay?" Shadow Operative and Investigation team turned to see the entire group of persona users from Sumaru City including those they're not recognized arrived at the scene.
"We're fine, thank you for coming." Mitsuru greeted the other persona users politely.
"Will you help us defeat the shadow?" Labrys asked.
"Woah, a robot?! …I mean, hell yeah! What are we here for then?" Eikichi answered at the same time surprise to see what Tatsuya told him about Aigis and Labrys were true.
"Let's not waste time." Father Time who suddenly reappeared said as he walked towards Jun and disappeared into him.
"Ah, come face us, Yog-Sothoth and Nyarlathotep. I'll break your time-space." Jun said in brimming power. All four heroes smiled before Naoya shouted.
"Let's rock!"
A/N: What a tiring chapter for me, but it's worth it I guess. I'm sorry for the late update. What did Jun told Tatsuya in the office? Well, another secret. About the Abyss of Time, just think that the dungeon where SEES went is the same as where Sumaru City persona group went through. You might wonder how Minato find Mitsuru's bike. Let's just say that there's a garage at the alley behind the dorm and he found it there.
I have reached 20 chapters in this story, plus all four protagonists have finally met. So please tell me how am I doing so far, is it good or bad?