Phew, huge thanks to Hoshi for writing the awesome chase scene. Couldn't have done this alone, anyway, enjoy guys.
Cipher: Eh, whatever comes to my mind then. But, I share your sentiments, Galaxy S4 is the greatest!
Gerson : Sorry man, -_- you have to bear with the chronic lazyness again. Thanks for the review.
Minato couldn't help but smirk as he fell to the ground. If it was all over for him, then he guessed that was just the way that it was and there wasn't anything he could do about—
That thought was sharply cut off as he felt something from within his soul rise up, engulfing his body until he couldn't feel his own consciousness anymore.
Minato laughed as he rose up against the Reaper's previous attack, his eyes pitch black and spirit energy flowing around him. One could only wonder whether that energy was actually Minato's though.
It was much different to any kind of SP that he had ever used before, and the only thing that even came close to the aura that he was giving off was that of the very thing that decided how long you were to live. The smirk that Minato had before had now turned into something of a sneer; a grin.
He laughed maniacally as the pain within his torn up leg simply disappeared. Minato pulled the Reaper's bullet out viciously, and without any more care that he was starting to lose blood quicker than before.
Minato only thought about dying once more, because it seemed that there was no hope for him to get away with that mangled leg of his. However, not on Death's watch.
"Reaper, the next time we meet it would not be in such an unfortunate situation…" Minato laughed with a demonic tone as the Reaper flinched.
The Reaper never would have thought that the little human was still alive. It even seemed that he was more defiant than ever. However, there was definitely something odd about the way that he had spoken; something about the tone that made even he, the Master of Tartarus, shiver.
"The next time, the one who will be running will be you, not I!" Minato declared in that same distorted voice before he threw the bullet that he had picked up back at the Reaper, the bullet lodging itself in its shoulder. A howl of pain rang out in the area as the Reaper clutched the afflicted area.
The Reaper was now wondering how that small blow could cause so much pain, especially when the human he was fighting was severely weakened. However, now was not the time to worry about trivial matters; The Reaper still had to kill that human.
Minato bolted from the scene, easily dodging the very few and small packs of Shadows scattered around the floor, trying to find the stairs that led up to the next floor. The smaller Shadows were practically fleeing from him, scared of the fear that rolled off of Minato. In any other situation, the Shadows would have started attacking him, no problem, but not now; not when Minato was like this.
The Reaper fired several shots at Minato, trying to hit him again. Minato smirked before he called his most powerful Persona at the time with no trouble at all, without an Evoker even. Death didn't need an Evoker to summon those of his own kin after all.
"Samael! Come aid me!" Minato called, a black card falling in his palm.
The card shattered, and tremors shook the tower.
In a flurry of black flame, the many winged serpent flew towards the Reaper and coiled around its form, locking it's revolvers out of use, and near crushing it. Before long, Samael let out a soul-shattering roar almost in answer to Death's call, and it disappeared.
Minato smirked a little at that. His brothers of Death had come to aid him and him alone. He let out a laugh as the Reaper recovered from Samael's attack. The Reaper had only just bounced back from that attack, and he was much farther behind Minato at this point.
"You insolent little—!" The Reaper snarled before he sent an Agidyne at Minato. Minato smiled before internally switching to Pyro Jack, the powerful Fire attack giving him even more power than before due to Pyro Jack's strong affinity to fire.
Sliding through another pack of Shadows, Minato kept trying to find the staircase to the next floor. If he could get away from the Reaper then… well, Death wouldn't have any need to possess him much longer.
"Insolent!? You are the insolent being that dares to desecrate my very own presence, fool!" Minato roared back, turning another corner to avoid another spell; Ziodyne. The electricity spread along the ground and along the puddles of blood that conducted it, however as nimble as Minato was at the moment, he avoided the violent tendrils of white-blue lightning.
"And who are you!?" The Reaper asked, almost with a smirk.
"You, a mockery, are not worthy to hear of my name," Minato laughed as he once again avoided another spell sent at him by the Reaper. Cutting tempests of wind left long gashes in the wall that the Garudyne spell hit.
"What?" The Reaper growled.
Minato merely kept smiling as he rounded another corner, finally spotting what seemed to be the exit to that accursed floor.
When Minato kept running, he looked back to see the Reaper was on his tail like before, however it seemed that it was actually starting to catch up. He skidded to the opening that led to the chamber that had the staircase.
Minato laughed once more as the Reaper approached him, and again, an ebony card spiralled down into his hand, and he crushed it. "You heard what I said 'Reaper'! You are nothing! You are just a cheap imitation of the real thing!" Minato shouted. "I am the real deal!"
"I am Death!" he laughed.
"Samael!" The red serpent once again appeared in a tornado of black flame, and it let out a horrific roar that seemed to rock the very core of the tower. "Be done with it!" Minato smirked.
The flustered Reaper sent Bufudyne spells and bullets at the speeding snake, however Samael was too fast for any of the attacks to matter. It spun and coiled around the attacks easily, gaining speed and momentum as it charged forward.
By now, the Reaper was becoming more flustered by the fact that this human, who had to rely on that monster from before to defeat it was now destroying it single-handedly with such a low levelled summon.
Samael spun faster and faster, and eventually…
Ichor splashed everywhere as the red serpent passed through the Reaper, leaving a large hole within it. The Reaper doubled over, dropping its grip on its revolvers, the large guns crashing to the ground.
Samael roared once more and turned around before a Megido spell formed in its mouth, the violet and gold orb becoming more and more compressed within its maw before it fired the Almighty attack at the remnants of the Reaper.
Nothing was left of the Reaper except for ashes and Ichor.
As if roaring in victory, Samael let out a ringing wail before it dissipated into black mist.
Minato smirked before running up the stairs, finally free from the clutches of the Reaper.
"M-Minato!?" a voice shouted.
Minato looked around before once again, raising his guard. Junpei , Akihiko and another girl, along with Hamuko approached him.
Minato growled before once again, that black card from before formed in his hand and he was just about to crush it before…
"Minato, what happened?" Hamuko asked frantically.
Hearing her voice, the black card dissipated and disappeared, and Minato fell out of Death's grip.
Once again feeling the burning sensation in his leg, even more intense than ever before, Minato's breath became hitched in his throat, and he groaned as he felt more fatigue and pain swim into his thoughts. Flashes of Ichor, Ichor, and more Ichor…
Samael.
The Reaper.
…
Minato collapsed, the last glimpse of consciousness he had focused on Hamuko's face before black dominated his vision as he closed his eyes.
Fuuka gasped, seeing the battered condition of Minato. She did know him after all, since even with a cold attitude, Minato was quite popular around the school. There was just about no-one in the school that didn't know of him in fact. Even someone as quiet as Fuuka, knew about Minato.
"Dude…" Junpei whispered. Minato appeared right outta no where.
"Wake up!" Hamuko shouted frantically, trying to shake him awake. That didn't happen. Minato was still knocked out, after the exhausting fight that occurred but a few moments ago.
Akihiko inspected Minato. "Back injury…" he muttered before looking down at Minato's leg. "Holy hell. That wound looks in really bad condition," Akihiko exclaimed as he stared at Minato's leg which had a huge hole in it; the bullet that the Reaper had fired when he first encountered the shadowy being.
"Damn it!" Hamuko cursed out, making Fuuka shiver. Hamuko pulled Minato up and swung his arm around her shoulder. Junpei tried to fight the wave of jealousy that washed over him.
"Uh, Hamu-tan? Shouldn't I carry him?" Junpei asked.
Hamuko shook her head. The petite redhead carried Minato, who was undoubtedly, heavier than she was. "No, I'll do it," she said with a set tone. Akihiko smiled, seeing the determination. "Besides, you and senpai should be ready to take on Shadows, since you guys are tougher than I am," she admitted, dragging Minato along.
Junpei glared at Minato's unconscious form. To him, it seemed that Minato just ran into Tartarus to hog some attention from Hamu-tan.
Fuuka gasped, making the others turn towards her. "I sense it again! It's attacking someone!" she cried. The member sof S.E.E.S took off in a run. Mitsuru and Yukari were in danger.
"Minato, why did you do this?" Hamuko asked herself quietly, "Do you want to die… so eagerly?" she choked.
"No…" A familiar, childish voice answered her, "He came here for you."
Hamuko had a gentle smile as she stared at Minato's face. "Hold tight," she spoke, casting a Sukukaja, courtesy of Rhadamanthus. She bolted through the corridors, along with the rest of them.
Mitsuru gasped in surprise as the teleporter flashed green. The next second, the rest of her team appeared. Sighing to herself, she dropped onto the ground, after taken so many blows from the Emperor and Empress.
"Senpai!" Junpei cried.
"Tch. Just wait there you wusses!" Hamuko shouted at the shadows, picking up the trait from Minato. She carefully rested him against the pillar. "Fuuka-chan, watch over him. Don't let him get up," Hamuko said with a commanding voice.
…like Fuuka could stop him if he did.
Hamuko picked up her naginata and charged at the Empress. She swiftly dodged a strike and swiped the Shadow off its feet, knocking her onto the ground, thanks to her weapon.
The Empress blasted Hamuko back by a strong gust of wind, however the redhead managed to retain her balance. She clutched the evoker to her temple and shot herself, summoning the Judge of the underworld.
"Aques!" Hamuko shouted as Rhadamanthus blasted the Empress with a torrent of water, to no effect. The Shadow merely staggered back, not even shrieking from the pain. The water merely pooled around the form of the Empress, harmless, and only a glossy effect added to the checked tiles.
Akihiko barely blocked the sword of the Emperor by making himself as strong a cross-block as he could manage. The blow knocked him back to his feet and he barely held on.
"I got this, senpai!" Junpei yelled, slashing his katana into the Emperor's side; to no effect.
"Wha…?" Junpei dropped to the ground, in order to avoid the swing of the massive sword the Emperor Arcana carried.
"Polydeuces!" Akihiko called as he summoned the hulking demi-god with a shot of his Evoker. The Persona smashed the Emperor on the face with his gigantic hand, but like before, the strike damage did nothing.
The Emperor took the opportunity and dug its sword right into the Persona's arm, making Akihiko scream in pain. The Persona tried to worm its way out of the attack, however there was no more concentration by then and Polydeuces disappeared into blue mist.
"Nothing's working!" Yukari choked out, preparing an arrow. The projectile flew through the air at incredible speeds, however it didn't even get to lodge itself in the Emperor's tough skin, let alone punch a hole through it.
"Ahhh!" Hamuko cried as she flew backwards from the Garula and smashed into the pillar, sliding down right next to Minato.
Hamuko glanced at Minato's limp form and gritted her teeth. She couldn't possibly let this end here. She swallowed the pain and stood up again, charging at the two Shadows again.
Nothing was working and occasional hits were all that they could get. After a blue glow engulfed the area, the weaknesses of both Shadows changed instantly. Mitsuru was not able to detect the weaknesses since she was barely standing and didn't have much concentration to do so. Minato was still knocked out and Yukari was helpless since she ran out of arrows.
That is until, a certain someone walked into Tartarus, shocking the hell out of everyone. Natsuki was in a daze and she glanced at Fuuka. "I'm… sorry," she said, almost devoid of expression, yet full of it. She walked over to her, ignoring the carnage that was happening around her.
"Natsuki-chan!" Fuuka cried, biting her lip. "You have to go!"
"No! This cannot be happening!" Mitsuru stood up, glaring at Natsuki. "She should be at the dorm!" Natsuki ignored her. Minato's arm began to twitch slightly.
"Do it…" Minato whispered to Fuuka who barely heard it.
"Do… what?" Fuuka asked.
"Shoot yourself," Minato continued, passing her his Evoker. "…If you want to save that pathetic little girl," he said. The Empress blasted Hamuko back again and set her sights on the easy target, Natsuki.
Fuuka gasped, seeing the monster charge at Natsuki who was still in a daze. Taking Minato's words to heart, she ran towards her and just as the Empress was about to unleash another attack, Fuuka shot herself with the Evoker.
Everyone gasped at the Empress' rapier collided against a sort of protective shield. The attack left the Shadow off balance. It tripped and landed onto the Emperor who was just about to finish Akihiko off.
"A Persona?" Hamuko said in awe, wiping the blood from her lip.
"Hmph," Minato smiled slightly, before closing his eyes again.
"I can sense their weaknesses…" Fuuka spoke from inside her chamber that was linked to her Persona, a maiden with a bandaged face and pink dress. "The Emperor is weak to Zio attacks and the Empress is weak to Slash."
"That's more like it!" Akihiko smirked as he dodged another swing of the sword and summoned his Persona, unleashing a bolt of electricity at the Emperor who was knocked instantly onto the ground.
"Haha. Wuss!" Hamuko berated the shadow before slashing it across the belly with her blade, making it howl in pain. "Tch. Shut up!" Hamuko growled as she grabbed Mitsuru's rapier and dug it right onto the Shadow's throat.
The shadow tried to unleash a last attack, but, a voice came from behind.
"Dodge to the right."
Hamuko did as she was told. Moments later, a familiar sword sped past her, lodging itself right into the Shadow's throat. It released another screech and finally dropped to the ground, disappearing into black and red mist.
Hamuko looked back and grinned. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" she smiled as she ran over to Minato and hugged him, dropping him to the ground again.
Akihiko unleashed Zio after Zio at the Shadow, completely decimating it with ribbons of blue-white electricity before Mitsuru ran ahead and dug her rapier right into the mask, finally killing the hulking Shadow.
Fuuka sighed in exhaustion as she felt the area cleared. She took a deep breath and her Persona, Lucia disappeared. Minato stood up shakily, with help from Hamuko.
Junpei walked over and helped Yukari up, while Akihiko did the same for Mitsuru. They all gathered around Fuuka who, after muttering a, 'thank goodness' dropped to the ground, due to exhaustion.
Minato was about to comment that how much of a wuss she is, but just then, he felt his head split open, his very soul shrieking in pain.
"I will not save you forever… Never forget that…" The demonic voice rang again in his head, making Minato scream out. Hamuko began shaking him frantically as his expression turned from impassive to one pained and fearful.
Minato dropped to the ground, feeling his entire life force drained out. All he could remember was his teammate's frantic cries.
"You're getting closer… To salvation…" The same look alike appeared in front of him, this time, his calm look shifted to a crazed one and his eyes flashed golden.
Minato felt unspeakable pain and sorrow, before he blacked out completely.
Hoshiro AN: Yooo. So… are we forgiven for the cliff hanger? Well, fun fact about this chapter; the beginning segment with Minato running from the Reaper was written by me. Hope you guys like the chase with the Reaper. That was definitely fun to write. Review if you please, and tell us your thoughts. Imma see ya guys later.
Gin: Haha. I can see that. But thank Nights' sense of humour. It's… it's interesting to say the least. (I'm not implying anything, I swear.)
…a moment of silence for Minato's phone. *clasps hands together*
Probably would have been, but not this time. Besides, the idea that Nights had about Death and Minato was much easier for me since I've written that kinda thing before.
Yeah, unfortunately. For now at least. For now.
Thanks.
Raidou: Quite. Because doing that kinda thing is fun.
Well… he was still in Tartarus while he got away from that trouble.
I'm not sorry for any puns or jokes.
Then, hope you liked the chapter.
MimiZ: Haha, cliffhanger wasn't my idea. Made this chapter all the more awesome in my opinion though.
Well, you saw what happened. Probably didn't expect that of all things right? I'd be surprised if you did guess that.
Thanks a lot.
chimchi: Well, any reviews help and I have received your sentiments so I won't hold it against you. *smirks* No problem…? I guess…