AN: And we're finally done with this arc. I've already got most of Arc 2 planned out, and likewise the central characters. I tend to plan ahead, and by ahead I mean REALLY far ahead. Which should hopefully mean less waiting between chapters! Anyway, thanks for reading, please review, favourite, follow, or whatever you want to do.
Chapter 15: Raging Flames, Shooting Stars
|Club Kaleidoscope|18:51 pm|
Seeing this devil again sent a shiver down Shintaro's spine. Tonight, he had seen a fair number of familiar faces already, and he did not need this right now. The fact that it had come back was disturbing, but the alternative - that this was another member of the same species - was equally unsettling to him. Yet right now, it was vital to save Natsumi, by any means necessary.
"You freak!" Masato yelled. "Why the hell aren't you dead?!"
"We definitely saw it die, but it seems to be the same entity as before..."
Kei checked her Gnosis, viewing the full details.
"It's changed slightly...but it's definitely the EX-NIHILO."
Shintaro readied his sword, and his eyes were fiery with indignation. "Natsumi, don't worry! We'll save you!"
"He's right. I won't let you die!" Kohaku vowed, her naginata poised to strike.
"Kohaku, please...be...careful!" Natsumi pleaded. "This thing's strong..."
"So are we!" Kei declared. "Come! Nekomata!"
Another new Persona? This Velvet Room comes in handy. Once everything's settled, I'm going to have to look into this app myself.
Emerging from Kei and her Gnosis was a cat-like humanoid girl. With a powerful Dual Scratch, she struck the EX-NIHILO, spinning it into Shintaro's path. His own blade flashed across, drawing blood, and followed up with a Garu.
"Yes! Well done, Ogma!" Shintaro cheered.
"Airmid!" Kohaku beckoned. Her faithful Persona attacked with Magna, causing some earthbound damage. Yet the EX-NIHILO had other ideas. It struck Kohaku violently with his blade, which seemed larger than before. Before she could recover, it followed up with a fiery Maragi.
"Ow!" Masato cried. "This fire hurts like a bitch!"
"Fire usually is painful, yes..." Kohaku said.
"Twisted fire starter, huh? C'mon! Give him hell!" Shintaro cheered, fist in the air.
"Oh, this thing's going there, and he's gonna stay there this time! Camulus!" Masato, with the power of his Persona, sent down the electrifying Zio. Not feeling particularly merciful, he smashed the monster's face with his bat, with murderous intent.
"Marvellous, Masato-kun!" Kei said. "Now, Nekomata! Frei!"
The feline Persona gathered her atomic power and blasted the EX-NIHILO with it – at the same time Kei slashed the fearsome entity with her katana.
"Not very talkative, is he?" Kei said. "I suppose for a being of nothingness, that's to be expected."
"You actually looked up what Ex Nihilo meant?" Masato asked, astounded, as he tried to hit the Shadow again.
"Yeah..." Kei replied, slashing with her trusty sword, and clashing with the demon's own blade. "I thought it'd help me understand where this thing came from. But it didn't really get me anywhere."
"Now isn't the time to study its etymology!" Shintaro cried. "This thing could do with being a little less thick-skinned. Rakunda!"
Ogma's spell soon diminished the EX-NIHILO's defences, which seemed to visibly irritate it. Shintaro had to roll out of the way of its blade, but he couldn't dodge it forever. The Shadow transformed his sword into the Nullity Saber and swung it hard at the studious boy.
"ARGH!" Shintaro cried.
"No! Taro-kun!" Kohaku cried. "Media! Now!"
Strong healing energy emitted from the benevolent Airmid, replenishing everyone's stamina. The other three nodded in gratitude, and Masato stared down his arch-enemy.
"Natsumi's still suffering. As long as you possess her and her Gnosis, that makes you and me mortal enemies." Masato said, glaring at the Shadow with an undying hatred. "I'm not the scared little kid you met last time. You're about to realise just what happens when you try to kill one of my family!"
Camulus appeared and held out his palm. Sparks of electricity appeared, forming an Electroball. It floated in mid-air, and the Persona took a step back. With great force, he swung his club, sending the ball straight into the monster's chest – creating a massive explosion of electricity.
"That was incredible!" Shintaro said, in awe.
"You didn't want to make a pun?" Kohaku asked.
"Hiroyuki already did one this evening..." Shintaro shuddered at the thought. "Dad jokes are his greatest ammunition."
"You got that right. Still okay to fight?" Masato asked, moving closer to his friend.
"Y-Yeah, I think so," Shintaro said. He looked to Natsumi, whose power was still being siphoned by her tormentor. "Ogma! Jet Flash!"
With a sharp gust of wind, the EX-NIHILO was sent crashing into a wall. Immediately afterwards, Shintaro appeared right in front of it, and slashed it hard across the chest. Before it could strike back, Shintaro managed to backflip away, landing gracefully next to Kei.
"Wow, you're more athletic than I thought!" Kei said, impressed.
"I didn't even know I could do that..." Shintaro said, full of exhilaration. Having a Persona had definitely helped his confidence, he realised. Now he just had to master these new abilities.
"Yeah. Next thing you know, you'll be beating me at baseball." Masato said, smirking. "I gotta keep up with you, huh? Sukukaja!"
His agility soared thanks to Camulus' enhancement – and with great agility, he smashed the EX-NIHILO with his bat again, causing dark red 'bruises'. Yet, with the energy it was draining from Natsumi, those bruises healed up quickly...
"Damn!" Masato said. "This thing's recovery is annoying! Isn't there some way we can stop it!?"
"We just have to keep attacking," Shintaro said. "But I don't know what else we can do."
"Shigeru's probably on his way as we speak. We should endure this thing until he and the others arrive!" Kohaku said.
"Yeah, we can handle that – oh shit!"
Masato, while normally fast, couldn't quite dodge the Ex Nihilo the Persona had launched. It not only hit him, but it also crashed into a wall, near a still-unconscious Ryosei. Kohaku gasped – she looked at the pillar near him, and it was swaying unsteadily, about to fall over the booth he was sprawled out on.
"No!"
Ryosei, opening his eyes, looked up. Groggy, he took in his surroundings and gasped. He tried to move, but the pain in his legs was too much.
"Shit! I can't even get up! What the hell happened...?" Ryosei said, coughing. "Guys, where are you? Don't leave me here!"
"Hang on!" Kohaku shouted. "I'll get you out of -"
She began to run over, but it was too late. The pillar fell down in a cloud of dust and debris and caused part of the ceiling to collapse. Before long, nothing of Ryosei could even be seen, only the remnants of the booth and a dense pile of rubble. His Gnosis, however, lay there, broken into pieces. Shintaro gasped, hand over his mouth. He could now make out very bloody hands, completely lifeless. In the confusion, he thought he heard Kohaku scream.
"Recording death of 'Claret Squad' member Ryosei Mizushima."
|Hanashima Fortress|18:59 pm|
The island that had appeared in this Kosmos was rather psychedelic, with an eerie purple fog covering the toxic waves. This 'water' had been deliberately poisoned to prevent any from entering. Yet somehow, the boy who had once been Ryosuke was on the cusp of transforming here. Asami and Keiya reached the stone path on the sandy island and stared ahead at the pink fortress – the same colour as the beautiful flowers in the parking lot.
"He's definitely here," Keiya said, anxious. "And he may have already transformed. Be prepared for anything."
"I know. I'm glad you're here with me." Asami said, trying to ease her tension.
He stepped forward, and the large wooden doors opened. The two of them ran through the fortress, the internals of which no longer resembled any hospital. The courtyard in the middle of the fortress was most likely where Ryosuke was – and there, indeed, he was there, standing in front of a strange crystalline artefact. It was white and clear, but every day since it had first appeared, it had been growing brighter.
"Ryosuke!" Asami screamed, running ahead. "Get the hell away from there!"
"Should have known you'd come," Ryosuke said, his eyes now completely a solid red. Keiya shuddered at the sight. The bully's veins were pulsing with dark energy beneath his skin, which was struggling to contain his newfound power. "This is...fun, isn't it? So much power. I feel like I could kill anything now! All I ever wanted was to be free to do whatever the hell I wanted, and if someone got hurt, I didn't care! You thought you'd teach me a lesson tonight? Well, too bad! Now I'm finally able to be true to myself!"
Asami gulped. This hadn't been the plan at all. All she wanted was to make these two boys realise just how awful their actions had been. Now, Ryosuke was on the verge of becoming something a pure abomination. His humanity was rapidly vanishing, finally giving way to the true monster that he appeared to be inside.
"How pathetic. What exactly do you have planned for your new power?" Keiya asked coldly, unimpressed.
"That's the point! There are no plans anymore! I've learned things from the Shadows you tried to infect me with. This 'Compression' thing? Turning a human being into a Shadow? That stupid old woman you turned into Nox was a shitty prototype. This time, I'm doing this of my own free will! Time to finally get rid of this facade!"
Ryosuke laughed, his voice echoing around the fortress walls with a cruel dissonance. It was then that his entire body became enveloped with strange black flames, and soon all one could see was his red eyes, that no longer blinked.
"Bastard! What the hell are you turning into?!" Asami demanded, aghast.
"Whatever grotesque form he chooses to manifest in, we'll vanquish it." Keiya said, determined.
"Yeah. He'll regret the day he tried to mess with me and the girls." Asami said. "I wanted him to suffer for the rest of his life, but it looks like we'll have to kill him after all. I'll show him no mercy whatsoever."
"Likewise," Keiya said. A deck of cards appeared in his hand, and he took a step back.
The foreboding black flames disappeared, and what laid before them was a strange dark blue and silver cloak. Yet, this cloak soon began moving as if someone was wearing it. Vibrant blue flames appeared from the sleeves to create forearms. These same flames burned even brighter to create hands that then hardened into some strange rocky substance. Instead of a body or legs, the cloak seemed to contain an endless galaxy of stars. The hood left only the red eyes, barely recognisable as Ryosuke's, as well as skin that was as white as the moon.
"Yes! This is so much better than my old body! Freedom of the stars, at last! I'll let you in on a little secret. The whole time I was human, I hated being restrained. Too many limitations. You can't do anything without some dumb grown up telling you what to do or what's right or wrong. It's suffocating! Being a Shadow is so much better. No one can control me ever again!"
"Are you out of your mind, Ryosuke?!" Asami shouted. "You'll never be able to go back to the Akartharto Kosmos! Shadows can only exist here!"
"Like you care what happens to me anyway! What, you think you Bythos guys can boss me around? Think again! I already know that you can't turn Shadows like me into Personas! I'm an Anomaly Shadow, after all. And now that I've evolved, the name Ryosuke doesn't suit me anymore. How about Astraeus, the Ancient Astronomer? After all, even the stars are mine to rule now!"
"...I'm sure I don't need to say this, but any semblance of sanity has thoroughly dissolved," Keiya said. "So let's put an end to him. People like him have ruined too many lives."
"You mean like...him?" Asami asked, nervously.
"It's too late to turn back the clock, and lead the life I wished for above all else," Keiya said, gazing at the sky. "But when we became Aeon Administrators on that day, we made an oath to reap justice for those who wronged us, and our loved ones."
"That's right. For my friends, and Kazuko!" Asami said. "We'll destroy Astraeus! And finally, we'll make the Cognition Core ours! Kaihime!"
"Sin, appear!" Keiya cried.
Alongside Asami's Persona, a much darker one in colouration appeared, yet it had a milky-white glow. It was wearing a shiny black suit, with pointed shoes that had crescent moon symbols all over them. It also had pure white gloves, and its arms were crossed in indignation. Its face had skin white as snow and had a crescent moon mask covering the right side. Its black hair was long, silken and flowing to the ground, with bangs covering some of the forehead.
I am thou. Thou art I. From thy sea of thy heart, I cometh. I art Sin, he who leads the ignoble to lunacy and destruction.
Astraeus chuckled loudly to itself, finally able to revel in how horrid its heart was. It clicked its fingers, and out of nowhere came four different planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, the latter two with their respective moons. While Earth simply had the one, Mars had the twin moons Phobos and Deimos.
"This is going to be fun! Your moon power against mine! Don't disappoint me, guys! For the first time, I can fight without holding anything back. My life is over, thanks to you two. But this new form is even better! I can't die as long as I don't become weak! Screw everyone back in the stupid real world! I'll rule over all the Shadows!"
Keiya and Asami rushed forward, wading into the battlefield.
|Club Kaleidoscope|19:11 pm|
"Oh my god!" Kohaku shouted, her hands covering her mouth in horror. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she was shaking. "He's..."
Shintaro, stunned, stood there in disbelief. Ryosei's hand remained still, but blood had completely coated it.
"There's no way he could have survived that, is there?"
"Absolutely not. But it's...so horrible." Kei said, averting her eyes from the sight. She wiped away tears from her eyes. Perhaps she felt the same regret Shintaro had in his heart.
"You got that right. He didn't deserve that..." Masato said, faltering. However, he readied his weapon again. "Guys. We've got to keep fighting!"
"What?!" Shintaro said. "But Ryosei just -"
"I know!" Masato shouted. "EX-NIHILO's still not dead! If we don't fight back, my sister could die!"
"He's right. We must not fail to save Natsumi." Kei said, forcefully. "Please! Jack Frost!"
"Hee-ho!"
The merry ice fairy appeared, twirling on its tiptoes, and pointed up in the air – signalling the hee-herald of Bufu. The cold ice seemed to resonate painfully around the monster, and it actually seemed to freeze in place. In doing so, Natsumi managed to fight back slightly, and stood up, no longer holding her head with her hands.
"Guys..." Natsumi said, wearily. "You're all hurt..."
"Natsumi!" Masato said. "We'll take care of this. We beat him once before, and we're going to do it again!"
"Kohaku...I know you're upset." Kei said, her hand on Kohaku's shoulder. "But right now, saving Natsumi is all we can do. We have to win this quickly, and prevent the same happening to Fumihiro and Hisaya."
"You're right. I understand..." Kohaku said, wiping away her tears. "Clocha Ghlais!"
Airmid's healing stone appeared, hitting EX-NIHILO with full force. Its healing force scattered across the room, restoring the others and numbing their pain.
"Thank you, Haku-chan." Shintaro said. "Come on, let's end this! Garu!"
The gusts of wind hit the monster, actually sending it off the stage. Kei attacked with her katana, finishing with a jump attack, and quickly switched back to Ostara. The Persona, disgusted to be in the presence of such an opponent, showed no mercy and danced a Petal Waltz. Sharp petals struck through the Shadow, leaving it at the mercy of Masato.
"Time to die!" Masato yelled. He struck the Shadow, full of rage.
Wildly, EX-NIHILO began swinging its sword. While it didn't manage to hit any of its intended targets, it did manage to hit a nearby pillar - next to a weary Fumihiro.
"Huh?" He said. He stood up, in pain, and looked around. "My head's killing me. What the hell just happened?"
"Fumihiro!" Shintaro said. "Get out of here! It's not safe!"
"The hell are you talking about – huh?! Ryosei?!" Fumihiro said, looking over at where his friend had been. The broken Gnosis showed no signs of activity. "That's it, I'm gonna kill that damn thing!"
"Wait! Leave that Shadow to us. You should take Hisaya and get out of here!" Kei shouted.
"I don't take orders from you, okay?! Shut up!" Fumihiro shouted, cracking his knuckles. "From now on, I'm following my own way!" He ran forward, despite his injuries, and began pummelling the EX-NIHILO with as many punches as he could. Yet these seemed to pale in comparison to the previous attacks the Shadow had been inflicted with – not that it stopped the Bythos thug.
"New target drastically inferior to previous four. Can eradicate with ease."
"Eradicate yourself, you fucking dickhead!" Fumihiro shouted, tearful. "That guy was one of my friends, you know that?! Sure, he was a spoiled brat, but he didn't judge me like everyone else! Not that you'd ever understand!"
I didn't realise these guys cared about each other that much.
"Target is expending energy via speech. Must eradicate now."
"No you fucking won't!" Fumihiro screamed. "Get wrecked! Gozuki, get him – argh!"
Gozuki appeared, but before it could attack, its master was swung painfully into the left wall. Fumihiro fell with a heavy thud onto the ground, unconscious, and Gozuki vanished. His Gnosis went dead, and the EX-NIHILO seemed satisfied.
"No..." Kohaku said. "Not again!"
"Let's hurry -"
Before Kei could reach, however, the pillar gave way – causing the ceiling around the table to collapse. Once it was over, all that could be seen was the wreckage and half of the broken Gnosis. A faint image of Gozuki appeared, only for it to roar and vanish.
"Recording death of 'Claret Squad' member Fumihiro Nishimura."
|Hanashima Fortress – Courtyard|19:25 pm|
"Kaihime!" Asami cried. A powerful lightning bolt, Zionga, came hurtling down upon Astraeus, causing his body to flash due to the current. It was a step up from Zio, which Asami had only just learned from practice. It consumed more power than Zio, of course, but now appeared to be the right moment to use it.
"Impressive!" Keiya said, sincerely. While he was a sarcastic man, despite his gentlemanly appearance, he had always been genuine towards Asami.
"Thanks," Asami said. Astraeus chuckled and pushed forward with one of his palms – causing a small cluster of stars to strike her. "Ah!"
"No remnant of his organic body remains..." Keiya said. "How sad."
"You guys really don't pay attention, do ya? I like being this way! I'm a masterpiece, a work of art!"
"You're more of an eyesore than a masterpiece," Keiya said. "The only 'collection' you belong in is a crematorium! Kouga!"
A bright flash of divine light emanated around the Astraeus, causing it to recoil from both the impact and the luminosity. Keiya smiled - Sin, like Kaihime, had experienced more combat than Kei and the others. It, too, had recently acquired the second stage of the Kouha spells, but if Keiya continued to use it repeatedly, he knew he would run out of steam, and quickly.
"Nice. Having a Persona must make you feel special. If I had one, maybe I'd stick to my boring human body. But this is way more liberating! I'm gonna burn you all right here!"
Astraeus concentrated and made the planets orbiting him rotate. Venus appeared, flickering blood-red. The red planet fired a raging fireball at Asami, sending her backwards. She managed to stay on her feet, but the pain of the flames was agonising.
"You're pure evil!" Asami shouted. "You're pretty talkative now that you've gotten some new power. So tell me. Why the hell did you harass my friends so much? Did you even care when they died?!"
"One question at a time, you whiny bitch! They annoyed me, okay? I wanted to see how easy it was to break humans. Did I care? Well, I was worried in case anything happened to me, but I just lied to my dad. Not that I need him to get me out of trouble anymore!"
"...This is disgusting." Keiya said, furious. He stared at the tearful Asami, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Your life ends here. Sin! Lunar Ace!"
Sin appeared and clicked his fingers. Out of the ground emerged four blank cards, with a deep blue backing. They then faced forward, revealing the four aces. Before long, they were shuffled, and Sin picked one. He selected Spades, and waited patiently.
Astraeus was about to speak, however, a giant blade made out of moonstone appeared out of nowhere and cleaved through him.
"Bastard! You think you're so tough, don't you?" Astraeus screamed.
"I don't think, I know. My Persona shall put an end to your misguided soul!" Keiya said, still full of anger.
"Keiya..." Asami said. "You're so amazing..."
"No..." Keiya said. "I'm still not strong enough to fulfil my destiny. We both have a long way to go."
"Yeah, I know." Asami said, wiping away her tears. She stabbed at the Shadow with her spear, while Keiya began flinging his cards – almost at the speed of bullets. "Then here I go! Shockwave Spear!"
Kaihime raised her weapon high in the air, aiming directly at the sky. A bolt of lightning struck the spear hand, causing it to overflow with electricity. She thrust forward into Astraeus's heart, causing a huge explosion that sent sparks flying all over the fortress.
"When will you guys just give up? You can't beat me!" Astraeus shouted. "I'll kill you all, then that Princess of yours!"
The next planet the Astronomer wished to use appeared to be Mercury, flashing yellow. It send revolving bolts of fierce lightning, powerfully electrocuting Keiya – yet Asami bore the brunt of the attack better.
"Was that supposed to be painful?" Asami asked, shrugging. "Come on, with all that knowledge you gathered, didn't you learn that I'm hard to shock?"
"Well, it certainly took your friend by surprise!" Astraeus said, cackling. He flung more stars at the two, but Keiya managed to jump out of harm's way.
"I'm not doing too well..." Keiya said. "Sin! Lunacy!"
Sin emerged and held up his hands towards the sky as if he was able to manoeuver it. For a split second, the sky darkened, revealing the stars and the moon. It glittered, and sent down a cloud of strange white dust, which was absorbed into Keiya's body. He looked less peaky than he did before and began hurling his cards – faster than the blink of an eye. Even without a Persona, he had incredible skills dealing cards, but the Theio Kosmos had allowed him to weaponise this – to lethal effect, he had discovered.
"I wish I knew healing magic myself..." Asami said, disappointed in herself.
"It's fine. You should focus on what you do know, or rather, be who you are."
"Good advice to follow if you're actually a good person. Unlike that piece of shit over there!" Asami said, angrily pointing at Astraeus. "I didn't want to kill you, Ryosuke – no, Astraeus. But, it looks like I don't have a choice anymore. Lancer!"
Kaihime somersaulted into the atmosphere and impaled the Astronomer three times - each time was more vicious than the last. It seemed to affect his resilience too, and Asami's Gnosis marked a decrease in defence.
"Yes!" Asami said. "You haven't got a prayer!"
"I don't need to pray to anymore, you dumb bitch! I'm the one everybody will be praying to! Shadows, humans, whatever the hell appears in the Theio Kosmos, all of them will be under my control!"
Astraeus, laughing wickedly, switched to the planet Earth, with its moon orbiting it. Both celestial bodies attacked at once – the Earth sent meteors at Keiya, hurtling towards him at a frightening speed. Not willing to waste the Earth's satellite, he made it twinkle, causing a flash of hard light to pulse at Asami, making her stumble.
"Argh..." Asami cried. "This is taking too long!"
"We just have to make sure we're able to seize the Cognition Core. After all, it's due to appear any night. A battle like this is bound to make it emerge!" Keiya said.
"You're not gonna be able to take it when you're spread across this place in pieces! Maybe we can paint this place red with your blood? It'll look way better than that stupid pink colour. Who chose it, anyway?"
"You should know, Ryosuke. It comes from the flowers of Mizuho. The reason they named the hospital 'Hanashima'." Asami said, her eyes welling up with tears. "They're beautiful flowers...I even laid them at...the funeral...all three funerals..."
"Asami! Don't lose focus. We have to destroy the Astronomer. Trying to force him to repent simply won't work anymore." Keiya said.
"I know, I know..." Asami said. "Maybe some people can change. Like Masato. But for this bastard, I won't ever forgive him! Tarunda!"
The Astronomer swore in frustration as his power was diminished. Even more infuriating for him was the force of Keiya's Kouga, a blessing of sorts from Sin.
"Your powers are waning, fool!"
"Think again! I'm gonna tear you to shreds!"
Mars took the front of the planets, and Phobos and Deimos aligned themselves as well. A chilling icy mist came from the Red planet, chilling both Asami & Keiya to the bone. Then, both moons picked a target, and collided with them, causing a cloud of dust around them. Asami, to her anger, felt sluggish. The particles from the moons had nasty side effects, it seemed.
"We're still going to win. I know it!" She said, yet her voice wavered. None of the Shadows she had fought before was this strong. Were two Aeon admins not enough?
Even so, she had to fight as hard as she could, so that Mizuho wouldn't fall into the hands of a man who had been a monstrous human – and was now just a monster.
|Club Kaleidoscope|19:30 pm|
"Fumihiro!" Kohaku cried, in abject horror. "No...No!"
"This can't be happening...!" Shintaro said. Then he heard heavy footsteps behind him. "Ah! Damn!"
He rolled out of the way of the Shadow's blade, and swung back. Angry, he stabbed forward as many times as he could, and Masato was preparing to follow up with a huge strike.
"Camulus. This thing's killed two people already. You're not going to let him kill my sister, are you? Then c'mon! Iron Impact!"
The valiant Persona appeared and grabbed the EX-NIHILO by the neck once more. With its club, it smashed the Shadow brutally in the face, causing the mask to become even more cracked than before, and spraying its dark blood everywhere. Yet, in the chaos, the monster slashed viciously, hitting Masato hard.
"Oww!" He said, getting onto his knees. "Damn you!"
"Assignment proving difficult. Will focus on eliminating the first host."
The Shadow was preparing another Nullity Blade, having charged up and ready to strike. Before the EX-NIHILO could bring down its sword, however, it suddenly recoiled in pain, and it kneeled down, its blade clanging to the floor.
"...Huh?" Masato said. He was quickly restored to health by Kohaku, while Shintaro dragged him out of harm's way. "Thanks, but what just happened!"
"I don't know - wait! Look!" Kohaku pointed further back, in shock. Someone had suddenly struck the EX-NIHILO out of nowhere, her knives cutting deep.
"Hisaya?!" Shintaro shouted.
"No time to chat!" Hisaya shouted. "I'm gonna kill this thing! Then I'm gonna find Ryosuke! I can save him!"
Kei, alarmed, stood forward. "Hold on a moment! If you're not careful, you'll-"
"Die! Die! Die!" Hisaya screamed, continuing to slash at the monster. Blood seemed to pour from every wound, and as it reached the ground, it seemed to distort and fizz away. She wasn't giving it a single opportunity to counter – she was no longer holding anything back.
"Assignment far higher in difficulty than anticipated. But will vanquish all targets."
Gathering a new power, it grabbed its mighty blade, and swung it in a vicious circle, sending everyone flying. While most of the group were able to land on the stage, Hisaya was not so fortunate. Her body slid down the stairs with a nasty thud, and she collapsed into a heap just before the stage. Her Gnosis fell onto the ground, with some rather big cracks in the casing.
"Oh my god! Hisaya!" Shintaro's eyes widened in horror. He had to do something, and fast.
Ogma tried to send Garu after Garu at the EX-NIHILO, but it was undeterred. It stepped forward, and its heavy foot crushed her Gnosis into pieces. A red mist, and a ghostly image of Lilim, appeared briefly, but there was no longer any trace of the phone.
"Ryosuke-kun, I'm sorry that...I wasn't strong enough to become a real Persona user..."
She shut her eyes, tearfully, and went motionless, her knives vanishing entirely.
"Recording death of 'Claret Squad' member 'Hisaya Ueda'. Claret Squad now classified as Terminated. Records provide a final success rate of 45%, ranking drastically behind Goldenrod, Azure and Jade Squads."
"Death!?" Shintaro said.
"Not yet! She's still breathing!" Kohaku said, looking more closely.
The EX-NIHILO took its sword, and held it with both hands, above Hisaya's neck.
"NO!" Kohaku screamed. Airmid was hitting it with Magna, but it didn't seem to be halting the Shadow. "I-I can't let her die too!"
"Neither can I! Zio!" Masato cried. His Camulus aimed his lightning, but EX-NIHILO simply wasn't to be stopped. Kei's Petal Waltz didn't seem to be slowing it down, either.
No! This can't be happening! Is Hisaya really gonna die -
"Hey! You over there with the lame mask!"
The group gasped. Natsumi was standing there, her infected Gnosis in her hand. But she was in pain no more. She instead was full of confidence. She wiped away her tears and glared fiercely at the parasite.
"Must make you feel tough, trampling over girls who can't fight back!" Natsumi yelled. She took her phone in her hand, and despite the glitched screen, she was able to activate one app – one that made a weapon appear, out of thin air. It was a bright pink staff, as used in martial arts. She grabbed it with her left hand, and smirked.
"Natsumi?!" Masato said.
"But what's worse...you tried to kill that poor girl, after what you did to her friends! Then there's you trying to murder my brother! For that, I'll never forgive you!" Natsumi said. "I won't just let you take all my energy and turn me into another Rokurou. Whatever you are, prepare to DIE!"
Angry, the Persona ran forward, ignoring his intended victim. Natsumi no longer was the scared girl she had been this evening. Now, she had the heart and courage to face any challenge. The EX-NIHILO launched its eponymous attack – only for it to be swallowed by the raging blue aurora that Natsumi produced.
"PERSONA!"
Masato was in the most awe at what he saw next, yet everyone was entranced. Dressed in a shiny dark pink dress, that seemed almost to be on fire, was a beautiful figure. Her curls of red hair came down to her waist, and they seemed to have whitish tips resembling flickering flames. Her emerald green eyes twinkled, and she smiled mischievously. She twirled around, showing off her legs and the white high heeled boots, and a golden metal bladed ring appeared around her. She grabbed the inner ring with her hands, covered with hardy white gloves.
"I am thou. Thou art I. From thy sea of thy soul, I cometh. I art Brigid, she of the hearth who shall forever capture you in the divine flames!"
Natsumi looked up at her new Persona – and smiled. She pointed at the EX-NIHILO, and made a throat-slitting gesture. Brigid smirked even more and leapt up high. She sent the Searing Circle high in the air and flicked it at the Shadow with her finger. It drove into the creature's mask with a violent sounding crack and broke it into melting metal pieces. The rest of the creature melted away, leaving a sword that faded into nothingness.
"That's what you get for coming after my family!" Natsumi shouted crossing her arms. While bravely smiling, she fell faint and stumbled – falling into Masato's arms.
"Natsumi, please tell me you're okay!" Masato begged.
She grinned, and nodded, yet seemed utterly exhausted. Kohaku ran over, and with Airmid's help, used Dia to rejuvenate her.
"Still the first aider, aren't you?" Natsumi said, happily.
"I missed taking care of you and your brother, actually..." Kohaku said.
Shintaro, relieved, came closer. "You're still as tough as you were back then, Natsumi! I'm so glad you're alright!"
"Of course she's strong. She's my sister, after all." Masato said, proud.
Shintaro, while glad that Natsumi was out of danger, looked back at where Hisaya had been. Her body was still out for the count – and from the painful way she had landed, she might have incurred severe damage.
"That girl's going to be okay, right?" Natsumi asked, gulping.
"I don't know..." Kohaku said. She bolted over and tried to use a new spell she had learned – Recarm. Yet it didn't seem to do anything at all. Hisaya simply lay there, breathing, and heavily wounded. "Come on! Please!"
"Your healing spells only seem to work on those with a Persona, and now that she's lost her own..." Kei said, despondent. "We'll need to take her to a real hospital, immediately."
"And you'll need to tell me why you left your post." A voice said from the entrance.
Shintaro gasped. Standing there, furious, was Shigeru, and next to him were a nervous Novalie and a stern Hiroyuki.
"Um, who the hell are you guys?" Natsumi said, hands on her hips. "Cause if you're with Asami and Keiya, you can go to hell! Or better yet, I'll send you there myself!"
"No, Natsu, these people aren't with Bythos!" Masato said. "They're our allies. I swear."
"Oh, so they can use Personas like mine?
"Like yours?" Hiroyuki asked, surprised. Then he saw the Gnosis in her hands, and his confusion quickly vanished. "Ah...I see."
"Shigeru, relax. She's one of them now!" Novalie said, cheerfully. "Check what it says on my Gnosis. Brigid, of the Sun Arcana. She's beautiful!"
Sighing, Shigeru looked around the club, and the destruction wreaked by the chaotic battle that had ensued.
"Let's get out of here. I want to hear everything that has happened."
|Outside Club Kaleidoscope|19:45 pm|
The group left the club, still tense after what had happened. Hiroyuki carried Hisaya, who while breathing, was unresponsive. Shigeru, likewise, took Rokurou outside of the club. With the situation the way it was, it seemed his lecture would be put on hold, so they could grasp what had just happened. The rubble trapping Ryosei and Fumihiro could not be moved safely, so for the time being, their bodies would have to stay there until the situation had settled down.
"So, just to be clear, you guys really are against Bythos?" Natsumi asked, nervous.
"That's right. We're not flunkies of Nisa Liat, I promise!" Novalie said, hand on her chest.
"The girls that ran outside of the club. What happened to them?" Kohaku asked. "They disappeared as we saw them leave!"
"So this fan club ended up back in the Akartharto Kosmos." Hiroyuki said. "...I'm not sure how, exactly. I was under the impression you needed to use the app to warp back."
"Maybe Asami or Keiya managed to send them back?" Shintaro asked, pondering.
"I think she wanted the other girls to become Bythos soldiers, like Hisaya and those two boys," Natsumi said. "And then she must have wanted me to join her side. Asami-chan gave us all red versions of these phones. But mine changed to a black one..."
"Interesting," Shigeru said, curious, as he scratched his chin. "Perhaps the Gnosis truly is 'alive'."
"Komatsu-san, I'm sorry," Kei said emphatically. "We didn't want to leave things too late. Especially with Masato's sister in danger."
"I had no idea things would turn out this way..." Natsumi said. "I was really scared! Asami really went too far this time. I just watched, scared by what she'd become, But she didn't stop. It was like she was possessed!"
Shigeru nodded, staring silently at the completely motionless Rokurou. He didn't even have the capacity to walk anymore, so Shigeru had sat him on a bench nearby for the time being. He slumped against the armrest, unable to straighten up. It was like he had become a doll. "EX-NIHILO, that despicable creature. It's stolen the life of this boy. Whatever his character, the EX-NIHILO was the true villain here."
"Why the heck did it come back to life?" Masato asked, aggravated.
"That, I don't know," Shigeru said, frowning. "It's possible there are more than one, and we've only defeated two. Or something else is at work. Regardless, we'll need to take both Hisaya and Rokurou to a hospital immediately. Not that I suspect they'll be able to do much for the boy."
"That guy..." Shintaro said, fists clenched. "He made Masato destroy my grandfather's book, I know. But he didn't deserve to end up this. He doesn't even know I'm right here, the boy he used to tease every single lesson. If he never recovers, then he'll never have a chance to make up for his actions. Maybe he never would, but he doesn't even get a chance. It's too cruel."
I never thought I could hate someone more than this guy, but Bythos have outdone anything he ever did.
"Asami didn't intend for things to go this far! Her plan was to make them regret their mistakes, not destroy their minds altogether" Natsumi said. "She and Keiya disappeared to go after Ryosuke. But he's become really powerful!"
Shigeru, anxious, looked grim and sighed.
"They've more than likely gone to the Fortress. But without any means of crossing the poison river, we can't reach them. We may truly lose Mizuho to Bythos..."
"No!" Masato said. "We can't give up. There's got to be a way to get there, and put a stop to Keiya and Asami's stupid plans!"
Natsumi, also on edge, looked at her phone. It was the first time she had properly looked at it, having been concentrating on the conversation. Just then, she saw something that had been pre-installed. A list of destinations to warp to. And there was one that was marked as 'PRE-SET MIZUHO NEW INITIATE'.
"Guys!" Natsumi said. "Come have a look at this!"
"What is it?" Kei asked, walking over. She glanced at the Gnosis, and was amazed. "This leads to Hanashima! But how?"
"I don't know..." Natsumi said. "But if I send this code over to you all right now, we can get to 'Hanashima Fortress' in no time!"
"Then we have a chance." Shigeru said. "The two Aeon Administrators are most likely occupied with Ryosuke. If he's turned himself into a Shadow, he'll certainly not be easy to defeat. We must move quickly."
"What about Hisaya?" Shintaro asked. "And her friends..."
"She really cared about them...no matter how vile they were, they felt the same way." Kohaku said, sadly.
"I...I never thought those guys would die, somehow." Masato said, shuddering.
"Leave the squad and Rokurou to us." Shigeru said.
"But what about the Fortress?" Kohaku asked.
"I'm entrusting you five with this task," Shigeru said, seriously. "You're all stronger than I realised. Kei's Wild Card may be just what we need to tip the scales and reverse the spread of Bythos' ideology. "
"Then is that an order?" Kei asked, standing tall.
"Yes. I have faith in you all. Once we're done here, we'll be there shortly." Shigeru said. "But time is of the essence. I know you can reclaim Mizuho."
"I understand you're all afraid, especially after what happened tonight," Hiroyuki said. "But right now, you've got a chance to save Mizuho from any more pain like this."
"Yes, I think so too," Novalie said gently. "Natsumi, I know you're still new to this, but -"
"If my brother is going, I'm going!" Natsumi said, adamantly. "Asami is my friend, too. If anyone can make her see sense, it's me."
"Then please, do your best to stay alive," Shigeru said. "And remember one thing. A Persona user should always be one with their emotions. Let that be your strength."
Shintaro nodded. With Natsumi's new code, they left Kita Crossing and the ruined Club Kaleidoscope, and ended up in the Fortress.
|Hanashima Fortress|20:00 pm|
The bizarre citadel no longer was a white, clean hospital, rather it was a hot pink lurid mess of a base. Even the walls were tinted rose, and the lights were harsh and twisted in shape. The group were making their way through several corridors, looking for any sign of Keiya, Asami, or Ryosuke. Yet the building was quiet.
"The real hospital's just fine, right?" Natsumi asked, worried.
"In terms of structure, yes," Kei said. "But this twisted place is no doubt having some effect on the staff and patients of the hospital."
"Let's hurry up and find our Aeon buddies..." Masato said. "Asami-san should have known better than to do this! Why did she have to get Natsumi involved in all this?"
"If it wasn't for you, I might not have survived. And now I'm going to fight by your side..." Natsumi said.
"Is this you trying to look on the bright side?" Kohaku asked.
"Sort of. I'm trying to steel my resolve, not let it rust." Natsumi said, managing a smile. "...That's what Hideki always used to say. Remember? When he had a big exam coming up, and he was worried he would fail?"
"He got it from a manga, too!" Masato said. "He still heads to the book store the minute the new ones come out..."
Shintaro chuckled. "Your brother's an awesome teacher, actually. I'm glad we got to see him again."
"Despite everything that's happened tonight, I'm grateful the four of us are on the same side." Kohaku said. "And that we have a new member."
"I'm looking forward to seeing your Persona in action!" Kei said, grinning.
"Thanks, Kei." Natsumi said as the team walked briskly through the fortress.
The group finally saw an opening that led to the grassy courtyard in the middle of the building, which compared to the ordinary hospital was filled with exotic flowers and marble arches. In the very middle, a fierce battle was underway.
"This is the best fight I've ever had!"
"Is that a Shadow?"
Shintaro and the team ran further in, and saw the Shadow up close. Cackling wildly, a large rock resembling the planet Venus moved in between its hands, and by stretching out it fingers, it made it emit a huge burst of flame that struck a man in a black suit – Keiya.
"Damn!" Keiya said, reeling from the fiery blast.
"He's more powerful than we thought!" Asami shouted. "I won't let him beat me! He has to pay for what he did! Kaihime, Shockwave Spear!"
Her Persona's spear attack was rather potent, and the flash was almost blinding. The Shadow – identified by the Gnosis as 'Astraeus' – took quite a hit from the spear, but did not appear to be willing to concede. It had more violent plans, it seemed.
"You're pretty good, babe. But once I have that fancy core thing, everyone in Mizuho's going to bow down to me! I bet I could have both Kosmos too!"
"No you won't."
Both Astraeus and the two admins turned to see Natsumi, stepping forward. Her brother and her friends were right beside her, weapons ready.
"Asami-chan," Natsumi said. "Your quest for revenge went way too far! I could have died thanks to you!"
"Natsumi..."
"Save it!" Natsumi said, angry. "Brigid!"
Her Persona emerged, to Keiya's shock. Asami, however, didn't seem surprised.
"I knew you were different from all those other girls. You were the only one whose mind couldn't be swayed that easily." Asami said. "I wanted you with me, as one of the Aeon Administrators!"
"Then why the hell were you trying to murder my brother?!" Natsumi yelled. "You call yourself my friend? You didn't have to be friends with Masato, sure. But why did you try to have him killed?!"
"That's..." Asami said.
"Nisa Liat was the one who made that order," Keiya said, coldly. "Don't blame Asami."
"What?!" Shintaro said. "Why was she trying to kill him?"
"In our attempts to gain the Cognition Core, Nisa Liat stumbled upon the EX-NIHILO. She was able to defeat it single-handedly, of course. She discovered that it attempted to absorb the minds of certain humans, as long as they held a conduit – the Gnosis." Keiya said. "She tasked me with finding a test subject, one that would provide enough energy for the EX-NIHILO."
"I told Keiya about you, Masato," Asami said. "When I heard about what you did to Shintaro, it...made me think of Ryosuke. Keiya thought you deserved true punishment – and put the Gnosis in your sports bag that day."
"That was you?!" Masato said. "You asshole! I'm not some kind of guinea pig!"
"Even so, you exceeded our expectations," Keiya said. "But you weren't supposed to live. I thought the Claret Squad would have been able to eliminate you, but..."
"Fumihiro and Ryosei are dead!" Kohaku shouted. "All because of your stupid scheme!"
"What?!" Asami said, shocked. "That...that can't be! What about Hisaya?"
"We don't know yet..." Shintaro said. "But she's injured badly. Getting revenge, I can understand, but all you've done is make everything far worse!"
"What the hell is this? I'm still here, you morons! And I'm tired of being ignored! No one's going to be ignoring me anymore! Astraeus will be the most epic Shadow ever!"
"Will you shut up already? You talk way too much!" Natsumi chided.
"He's never going to be human again, is he?" Kei asked Keiya, glaring at him fiercely.
"There's no turning back for him," Keiya said, wearily. "Regardless of whether they choose this path or not, once a human becomes an Anomaly Shadow, they can never be restored to human form."
"Then there's only one path left for us!" Shintaro said. "Go!"
"Destroying you kids ought to be fun! But I'll get rid of those two jokers first. Celebrities like them will pale in comparison to my fame, you'll see! Cosmic Chaos!"
A giant sphere of dark matter appeared in front of Astraeus, that appeared to have countless stars swirling around it. Soon enough, a giant purple aurora surrounded it, and it expanded, detonating with a malevolent brilliance. It was enough to shatter most of the archways, vases, benches and statues that decorated the courtyard, and sent Keiya and Asami to the ground.
"Argh!" Keiya screamed.
"Damn!" Asami yelled. "I...I can't do this..."
"Asami!" Natsumi cried. "I thought she would have trashed this thing!"
"Look!" Kohaku, surprised, noticed something. The four planets and their accompanying moons, previously orbiting Astraeus, had collapsed onto the ground and broken into pieces. This had unsettled the Shadow once known as Ryosuke, and he screamed in fury.
"What?! Why the hell did that happen?! I should have killed all of them with one hit! Damn! I've got to recover, fast!"
"If you're the new King of Shadows, or whatever the hell you want to call yourself, you shouldn't rely on your tools to win," Natsumi said, rolling her eyes. "Masato..."
"Yeah, sis?" Masato said, grinning.
"It's time to team up. Like when we made that chocolate cake for dad's birthday!" Natsumi said, twirling her staff.
"Teaming up always makes us stronger..." Masato said, grinning. "Camulus! Think of Brigid as your sister!"
"Brigid, give your brother your full support!"
The sky immediately darkened, as Camulus conducted a fierce thundercloud above his and Brigid's heads. She danced below the clouds, and finished with a click of her fingers – scorching flames came from her and pierced the clouds. They became full of heat and power and floated over the Astronomer's head.
"Huh?! What the hell are you trying to do to me?! Don't end my fun!"
You've had more than enough tonight, mister.
"Pyroclastic Tempest!"
A tremendous storm of lightning hit Astraeus, each one further scorching him with the radiance of flames. Before long, his body was darkened and thoroughly electrocuted. Smoke billowed all over the fortress, and the ground was cracked and charred from the impact.
"Hell yeah!" Masato said, giving his sister a hug.
"Yoshinaga clan wins again!" Natsumi cheered, elated.
Astraeus, screaming in pain, collapsed onto the ground. Almost immediately afterwards, a black cloud appeared around him – many sparks appeared around it, but suddenly it imploded – leaving nothing behind.
"Is he gone?" Kohaku asked.
Shintaro looked over, standing next to her. "Yes. At least I think so..."
"Look!" Kei said, eyes wide with shock.
The crystalline structure, shaped like a diamond, broke apart, and its pieces phased into the ground, creating a giant glyph of blue light. Out of it came a large, seemingly glass purple sphere, that seemed to be constantly emitting a mixture of purple and blue air. Within the orb were tons of teal gaseous shapes, some of which briefly resembled humans before they broke apart, only to reform.
"The Mizuho Cognition Core!" Masato said.
"And it's ours!" Kei said. Quickly, she grabbed it in her hand. Her entire body began to glow, and she began to breathe deeply. Eventually, however, the core flashed a bright white and disappeared – flowing into her own Gnosis.
"No!"
Asami, having recovered, had seen the whole thing. She and Keiya were in shock – and the entire place began to shake violently. The pink fortress walls collapsed, and the poison waters receded. Before long, however, the ordinary walls of Hanshima Hospital built themselves out of thin air, and the 'sea' became the ordinary parking lot.
|Hanashima Hospital|20:15 pm|
The group were now in the famous hospital's courtyard, a far less grandiose place than what it had been transmogrified into. Yet it was comforting to see it back to the normal building, rather than a freakish place of vivid colours surrounded by deathly waters.
"There..." Kei said, relieved. "Now the people of Mizuho won't have to be brainwashed anymore -"
"You've ruined everything!" Keiya shouted apoplectically. "We've devoted countless hours trying to get the core to manifest, only for it to fall into your hands!"
"I think ensuring the free will of the people is a far better prize than forcing them to worship your sick cult!" Kohaku said disgustedly, shaking her head.
Natsumi nodded, equally furious. "Yeah! After everything that's happened, there's no way I'd ever become an Admin!"
"But..." Asami said. "We finally made them suffer! You wanted Rokurou to pay for ruining your friendship with those two, didn't you?"
"Maybe, but...Masato became friends with them, anyway." Natsumi said. "I'm one of the Knowledge Seekers now! You were one of my best friends, but as long as you're part of a group like Bythos, I can't be with you anymore."
"...Fine." Asami said. "At school, we'll just pretend like nothing is going on. But from now on, if we meet each other in this world, I won't show mercy. Ryosuke is gone...but there are countless people like him throughout this country. We'll get that core back, and all the others. The entire world will side with us one day, and your little victory tonight won't change that!"
The two of them warped away, disappearing into the night. Natsumi, angry, looked up at the sky.
"You've got to let go of your pain, Asami. Otherwise, you'll end up hurting even more people."
The group was quiet for a few minutes, as they kept watch. Finally, however, they were joined by Shigeru and the others.
"Everything's back to normal already? Shigeru, I told you, you didn't have to be so worried after all!" Novalie said cheerily. "Kei, how did it go?"
Kei held up her Gnosis, and an image of the Mizuho Cognition Core appeared. She smiled, proud of herself.
"Well done, Kakusa-san." Shigeru. "And to all of you, as well. Had you not been part of our group, we may well have lost Mizuho to Bythos forever."
"Thanks..." Masato said. "...I'm sorry we didn't follow orders earlier, though."
"There's no point dwelling on that anymore," Shigeru said. "Because thanks to all of you, Mizuho is safe. Although I wish we could have avoided casualties."
"Rokurou is never going to recover, is he?" Kohaku asked.
Hiroyuki looked after with a heavy expression. After a moment, he spoke up.
"There's no hope for the boy. Hisaya will probably pull through, but she was wanted by the police for murdering her own father."
Natsumi, emotional, looked at her brother. "She really did that? Why would she kill him?"
Masato, flustered, glanced at the floor, unsure.
"I...I don't know."
"Don't let it get to you. You aren't responsible for what happened to any of the unlucky ones tonight." Hiroyuki said. "I know it hurts, not being able to save them. Take it from someone who knows."
Shigeru walked over to Kei, with his usual icy expression. "Keep that core safe within your Gnosis at all times, until we can find a more secure way to store it. Children are suffering because of this Kosmos. The less Bythos are able to tamper with it, the better."
"I understand. I'll guard this with my life." Kei said, firmly clutching her Gnosis. "Let's go."
The group transported themselves to the Bella Donna, and the Hospital fell silent – aside from a sudden gust of wind, that lasted only a second.
|Bella Donna|20:30 pm|
"...I wish I could feel better about today." Kohaku said.
"I know," Kei said. "We saved Mizuho from being completely brainwashed. That's an achievement. But..."
"Natsumi," Masato said. "Are you sure you want to stay with us?"
"I'd rather stay with you than fight by Asami's side," Natsumi said. "She called me her friend, but she was so obsessed with revenge, I could have died!"
Kohaku nodded. "You still have to go to school with her, though. That's going to be awkward, to the say least."
"No kidding," Natsumi said. "I'll just have to talk to Eiji instead. Not that I really want to hear about his pet turtle again, but if it stops awkward silences in class..."
"Don't make him think you have a crush on him. Yori got texts from him for weeks." Masato said, wincing. "Unlucky for him, she's the captain of the boxing team."
Kei was about to speak, but suddenly, her Gnosis started ringing. It was a video call, like the one she had received last week. She pressed the icon to answer it, and sure enough, there was the darkened face of Nisa Liat. All four of the other Gnosis had the same call – a 'Council Summoning', the app called it. There was a list of their full names, but two of the rows that had once been question marks had been filled by the Yoshinaga twins.
"Good to see you again. I believe you remember what I said last week, yes?"
"This is Nisa Liat?!" Natsumi asked. "Why can't I see her face?"
"She's a coward, that's why!" Shintaro said.
"Last Monday, you said you'd ask us who we'd side with," Kei said. "Today, your Aeon Administrators have caused havoc in Mizuho. One boy has become completely brain dead. The other became a Shadow that we had to kill. Not to mention what happened to the Claret Squad. Why should we side with you now?"
"You claimed the Cognition Core for yourself. I can tell that much already. You still have a choice of who to relinquish it to, however. Do you wish to hand it to Shigeru Komatsu? Can you trust the Mayor he serves? Yuko Ashikaga's career is smeared with blood!"
"What are you talking about?" Kohaku asked.
"Oh, you'll learn soon enough. Let's just say that within the Police are some rather...insidious individuals. You learned of Ryosuke and his father, didn't you? The Chief of Police wanted so hard to expose the truth, bless his kind heart...but Yuko only thought of preserving the illusion. That the Police within Shinshuto are honourable men and women who uphold the law. She tried to get rid of him, but failed miserably."
"He knew about Asami's friends?" Natsumi asked.
"He certainly did. Another of my Aeons has had some...unpleasant experiences with the police force herself. You can bet the Chief found out about that incident, too. But I'll let her fill you in, whenever you encounter her. She's more than a match for you, Wild Card or no Wild Card."
"So why kill him?!" Kohaku asked.
"I wanted to give the council a chance to redeem itself, and come clean. If Yuko confessed, someone far more righteous could take over. Maybe even Komatsu-san. But she refused, and her council tried to sweep everything under the rug. Thus, I got rid of the Chief personally...well, I used a Shadow to control that nurse, but she wasn't exactly innocent either. She was using hospital resources to peddle drugs."
"This is horrible! Are you insane?!" Natsumi asked.
"Natsumi-chan...this is how it is. If Yuko Ashikaga refuses to confess to her sins, I shall bathe the city with the blood of her people. The true depth of her sins...even I don't know yet. My hope is to gather all the Cognition Cores for all six districts, and unite the people against her. When that day comes, I shall strike her down with my own Persona. Then I can begin the true regeneration of Shinshuto City. Only my chosen people will be invited to live there. The others? They'll be sacrificed to empower the new world!"
"...This is stupid! There's no way you can get all those orbs!" Masato shouted.
"Confident as always, Masato-kun. I always liked that about you."
"How the hell do you even know me?" Masato asked.
"I've attained knowledge far beyond the supreme sophistry that you have been peddled. Bythos will take this rotting city, and make it a world of the glorious. One where people can trust one another. If Shinshuto continues down this path, it will be hell on earth. Don't you want to prevent from happening? Kei Kakusa, do the right thing. Transfer the Mizuho Cognition Core to me!"
"Absolutely not," Kei said, without even thinking it over. "You keep badmouthing Mayor Ashikaga, but your Bythos group are ruthless evil scumbags. Do you even care what happened to your Claret Squad? Or were they expendable?"
"The other three squads we've created will be sufficient. Very well. If you've made up your mind, I won't ask again. The next time we meet will be face to face. You can decide for yourselves if I am a coward or not. Until then, be prepared."
The call ended, and the group looked at each other dumbstruck.
"She seems pretty serious," Masato said. "But..."
"I'm with Kei. I don't want anything to do with her, even if the Mayor is as bad as she thinks." Natsumi said.
"Shigeru is on our side. I don't doubt that for a minute." Shintaro said.
"Let's go home," Kohaku said. "I don't know if I'll be able to sleep..."
"Kohaku..." Kei said, sadly. "I...I'll see you at school tomorrow. We'll probably be meeting with Shigeru and the others soon enough anyway."
The group, having finally finished fighting, returned home.
|Tostuka – Shintaro's Neighbourhood|21:02 pm|
As Shintaro wandered through the streets leading to his home in the dark, he checked his phone. There were reports of a disturbance at Club Kaleidoscope, but details were still pending. He was exhausted and just wanted to go to sleep. He didn't even have the stamina to read.
Natsumi and Masato are both back in my life now. I have to focus on the positive, right? At the end of the day, we won. But I wish we could have done so without anyone dying. Rokorou was a bastard, sure, but what Bythos did to him was way worse than what he did to me. The other Aeon Admins will come to stop us, I'm sure. I wonder what they're like? Could anyone from school be one? I mean, Asami's our age and she got in that group.
As he neared his home, he thought he heard footsteps. He turned around, panicking, but no one was there but himself. Sighing, he tried to calm down, but his heart was still pounding.
This is crazy. I've got to keep my cool. Probably just a neighbour. A good night's sleep is all I need. I just hope I can sleep. Maybe I'll pray for the guys who died...that's the least I can do, right? I just hope they can find peace, wherever they are.
He let himself in with his key, said hello to his parents - who were watching a nature programme about Hokkaido - and went straight upstairs. After changing into his blue pyjamas, he went to bed, trying to clear his thoughts. The last couple of hours had been insane, and he just wanted the next day to be a normal time at school.
Yet danger was no stranger. It was biding its time, but it would strike sooner, rather than later.
|END OF ARC I|