WE ARE GOING FULL STEAM FUCKING AHEAD- COUGH COUGH. Stupid cold and fever...

Shit. Anyway. Eyo to the readers. Last time I was in a hurry so I couldn't say much but its nice to be here again. In some other boring news, yours truly did get accepted into law school with a good scholarship so.. my classes start at 25 august and haha... that's the new deadline.

Also, my thoughts on P3D? Eh. not my cup of tea but more power to peeps who enjoy it. Minato looks great with the new model, still managed to retain that 'not giving a fuck' look so props to him.

Also, we are finally here. The final battle. Ryoji is still his normal height but I am not counting out transformations and tbh, I don't he... welp, you'll see. It's funny how Minato got more sex and kisses in 2 chapters than he did in over 100 but... gotta build shit up and here's a tip, never ever put romance in a battle, especially as intense as the final one.

Also... FM Minato in the AN? Welp, imma ask the readers. If you want to see him at the TOP AN, just say yes. He already has 3 votes so... I'll see what the others have to say but be warned, he will disappear after a certain point. So do vote if you want to see him... or not.

Anyway, we go on. Remember, do review as it helps with motivation and speeds up the update rate cause... fuel.

And here we go.

Ryoji, the god of Death, the bringer of the fall and the cruelest God of them all was standing idly, not even giving his usual bloodthirsty grin. That mask like face with its hollow eyes was enough to instill the old fear into their hearts.

Junpei gulped, clenching the hilt of his blade tightly and chanting something under his breath over and over again in an effort to remain calm but in the face of… the monster before him, none of the stuff that he had practiced before was working.

Mitsuru herself was struggling to keep her footing, her soul screaming at her to dash out of the lobby because with the God of Death around, that place was worse than hell.

"Iori, keep your focus," the heiress managed to get out, trying to convince herself along with her junior. There was nothing to fear. She had witnessed his defeat at the hands of Minato before. They were going to win this, no matter what-

Ryoji caught the little bit of hope, the small flicker of blasphemy and screeched out loud, punching the thoughts of their heads and nearly knocking the two persona users down to their knees. They yelled and hissed as the deafening voice tore into her heads, blurring their vision-

Ryoji didn't bother using his sword as he simply tossed the heavy blade to the side and glided towards the two like a shadow, freezing their hearts and thoughts when they gazed into those soulless eyes up close. The appraiser opened his mouth as he drew back on his fist, whispering one certainty.

"You are already dead…"

…

"Fuck," Sho dug his single blade into the ground and kicked a nearby rock out of frustration. Holy hell, he was so many floors above the lobby and yet, he was still able to hear-

"It is useless," Aigis said, trying to keep her processors cool but no matter how far up they were, it felt as if the whole tower was wrapped up in thick despair and there was this lingering thought that Ryoji would appear behind her their backs at any time.

Sho glanced up at the ceiling. A couple of dozens floor up were Minato and Hamuko. The two wild cards but from what Sho saw earlier…..

"Dammit, Hamuko," the redhead cursed. From what he saw earlier, the female looked in no condition to fight. Even when Minato was holding onto her hand, she was shaking, visibly controlling the urge not to bawl for some insane reason. After all that the two went through, after the death defying from Minato, he had hoped that Hamuko would get over phobia but…

"That moron better not slow Minato down," Sho scowled. "If he doesn't fight with all he got…"

"He will die…" Aigis confirmed.

…

Minato was still holding onto her hand, trying not to show his concern because he knew his two friends were getting slaughtered in the lobby, their blood spilling in gallons and after every shot, the little bastard would taunt him to come down and save her.

He wanted to. His personas were yelling at him to pull the gem out and head down to beat the piece of shit mercilessly, just like had tortured him during December. That was fresh on his mind but at the same time…

"Minato…" Hamuko tugged on his hand, snapping the blunet out of his sadistic thoughts. Right, Hamuko was still shivering like a little kid and while he loved his other friends, there was no way he was going to leave her here or bring her down to the lobby because she was in no condition to fight.

"Damn that Ryoji," Minato cursed, wincing a bit when Fuuka informed him of the damage they were suffering.

"Minato," Hamuko repeated, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"I'm right here," he responded, not really torn up because Hamuko came first but still, a part of him was lamenting that he was up here while his friends were getting beaten down without mercy.

This was the plan after all. Moving now would render the whole strategy useless.

"Hang on guys," Minato said, calling out to the teal haired girl. "When I tell you, inform them at once!"

Hamuko kept staring off blankly, not terribly concerned about what was going in the lobby. She held back another flood of tears and glanced down at her shoes, murmuring something under her breath.

She looked back up to see his grief stricken face, just like so many times before….

"Sorry…"

…

Nothing was working. Nothing was landing. Nothing was making sense.

Junpei had to make a run when Mitrsuru was blown away, soaring past him just when he got close to Ryoji, shut his eyes and swung for the fences, regretting it immediately when Ryoji easily took advantage of his sloppy defense and crushed a couple of his ribs with a short range punch, sending him flying towards the other side much like Mitsuru-

"Iori!" Mitsuru had just gotten up to her feet and in the next second, Ryoji was unto her, silencing her worries with a simple stare before he walked her down and started mauling her with his clawed fingers, tearing through her clothes and flesh without mercy-

"Get off her!" Junpei attacked while his back was turned-

"Useless…."

A brutal gust of wind disrupted his balance and Ryoji turned back to focus on him, making the capped teen scamper backwards when he saw those hollow eyes settling upon him, immediately ruining whatever he had planned-

"P-Persona!" Mitsuru gave up on fighting with her weapon and summoned, not bothering the God of Death who threw Junpei down and looked back, his stoic face not twitching. The huntress began to frost the surroundings but to Ryoji, it really did not matter. All he was thinking was…

"Minato…"

…

"Minato," Hamuko said, snapping his attention from the battle. He gazed into her eyes and cursed when he saw more tears in the corners.

"Yes?" Minato asked.

"I-I'm…" Hamuko winced, bad memories slashing her psyche. She remembered it all too well tonight despite trying so hard to bury those mistakes in the back of her head. "I-I'm sorry for hitting you…"

Minato blinked twice and just stared at her. "W-What?"

"I'm sorry for all the times I've beaten you," Hamuko whimpered, recalling the number of times she had slapped him in an effort to discipline him. She recalled beating him in the love hotel, recalled slapping him when he was begging for forgiveness after returning from Strega. Worst of all, she could recall clearly that one night where she had come this close from killing him, the night of the Theodore battle. She recalled that horrific night and didn't bother stopping the tears. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I took advantage of your love and I-!"

Minato was struck speechless for a few seconds. After all this time, she chooses this moment to bring it up? He had never held any sort of grudge and most of the beatings he did get, he deserved. "W-Where is this coming from?"

The tower rocked in response to a burst of darkness and the two stumbled momentarily, knowing Ryoji had dealt some serious damage if the quake was felt all the way to the top.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Hamuko ignored the quake and repeated, over and over again, bowing her head for a few seconds until Minato forced her to stand straight. "I apologize…"

Minato knew she was in no condition to fight. That was clear as day now.

"Minato-kun!" Fuuka's voice blared into his head and the blunet clicked his tongue.

"They are in danger!"

"Dammit," Minato scowled. "Await my orders and relay at once…"

Meanwhile, Hamuko was still staring at him, still muttering apologies that were loud enough for him to hear and understand. Her blank stare was still on his face, studying every twitch and wince, most of them not even close to the grimaces he wore when she had attacked him.

"Sorry…" she reached out and touched his cheek, briefly hallucinating about about old scars, slap marks, bruises, contusions and gaping holes all because she was stupid, arrogant and too weak to attack anything but him despite being the only one knowing.

"Let it go," Minato said but that did not stop her from caressing his face, eyes still vacant and lifeless as if she had gone through centuries of torture.

"I-I'm trying…"

…

Even with personas and with Ryoji fighting without his sword, the battle didn't change much. All attacks were either dodged or just bounced off his body, merely pushing him back and drawing out a curse or a sneer.

"Is that all?" Ryoji questioned, flapping his raven wings once to send the two stumbling backwards. He hovered a few feet above the ground and held out his left hand which flared up seconds later, a certain tarot card materializing and then disappearing in a puff of black mist.

"Nyx's arcana changed to the magician!?" Fuuka gasped. "B-Be careful!"

Upon hearing that, Junpei grew a bit more confident and broke into another run, pulling back on his sword midway and hurling his body forward for a slash aimed for-

"Fire Break…"

The immunity washed away and the capped teen stopped, eyes bulging when the heat lashed out against his body and he felt every bit of the burn. The force knocked him backwards and Ryoji raised the same hand upwards, causing an eruption of fiery pillars that towered upwards from the ground, drawing out a gasp and hiss from Mitsuru who already had a weakness to fire-

"I hope you are watching this…" Ryoji whispered, toying with them by raising the temperature a couple of degrees for a short while until he clenched the same fist and flames covered the lobby, drawing out yells that were quickly blocked when Ryoji expelled a burst of darkness to crush their already burning bodies-

"F-Fuck this!" Junpei grabbed his evoker and stood up, knowing he was not going to win. He just hoped that he could cause SOME damage to the bastard and make it easier for Minato to beat him.

"Persona!"

"I summon you!"

Ryoji finally laughed, casually walking ahead into the incoming bursts of heat and ice that he disappeared into. He still laughed from within the spells, almost breaking their focus but they held on, summoning yet again in a suicidal effort to slow him somewhat-

The personas and the users were knocked down yet again when Ryoji came out of the attack without a single burn. In fact, the flames were cooled off due to the icy armor forming around his body.

"Priestess…"

Ryoji materialized the card into his grip, crushed it to bits and hurled a dozen of icilies in their direction, ripping through their flesh and even knocking a few teeth loose with a wave of baseball like ice pellets. The two tried to hold on, slashing through the attack with their blades that were eventually frosted and broken, leaving them weaponless-

Ryoji saw the opportunity for a kill shot and raised his fist again, summoning a blizzard that was sure to frost the two into ice scluptures-

"Run!"

Mitsuru widened her eyes when his voice blared.

"Run into the tower now!" Minato ordered, unable to stand by and watch the torture any longer.

"I-I'm sorry, Minato," Junpei apologized. "I-I tried but…"

"It's okay," Minato said. "Leave it to me… Now, run into the tower and escape."

Junpei and Mitsuru listened and with the last bit of energy, they summoned their personas, launching a fusion spell that managed to stall the incoming wave of ice long enough for them to run up the steps and escape into the tower.

Ryoji called off the attack and started lumbering his way forward. He was aware of Fuuka outside the lobby and the other three outside the gates. He had ample time and power to slaughter them all but…

"Minato…" his focus was on just one lowly mortal.

"That bitch…"

And that bitch who had forced his hand.

As soon as Ryoji entered the labyrinth, Mitsuru and Junpei crushed the gem and escaped the tower. They arrived at the lobby and looked around, finding ice, embers, their broken weapons and the gallons of blood they had lost in a couple of minutes.

"They truly are one and the same," Mitsuru exhaled. She was able to sense both Ryoji and Nyx in that being of death and destruction. She had tried so hard to fight the fear but it was just as he said…. There was no escaping what he was.

"Minato!" Junpei yelled out loud, hoping his voice would reach his leader slash best friend slash his only hope now. "You better win!"

….

"They escaped," Minato breathed out a sigh, glad that the two were still alive. They had done almost no damage to Ryoji and he was a little pissed at that. "After this I'm training those two morons until they grow strong."

"What about me?" Hamuko said lifelessly, staring off into the distance. It was no secret that Minato before and even now to a certain extent, disliked weaklings. "I was always weak, wasn't I?"

Minato opened his mouth but Hamuko continued, not giving him a chance to talk.

"Remember…" Hamuko widened her eyes, looking down at the floor. Just a couple of floors below, that bastard Makoto had repeatedly mauled Minato, even in front of her eyes while she just watched on, unable to do anything. Or rather… too weak to do anything. "Remember that I just… stood there and watched Makoto killing you over and over and over and over-"

"Hamuko, stop," Minato grew fearful and shook her but the girl was already in a trance.

"And over and over and over again?" she finished and a few more tears ran down her pale cheeks. "He even took your eye…"

"…"

Hamuko turned around slowly, almost robotically and brushed his face to the side, recalling that she had begged Makoto for mercy instead of marching there and beating the shit out of him to save Minato, like he would have done if the roles were reversed.

"He took everything away from you, didn't he?" Hamuko said.

"No, he didn't do shit-"

"Don't lie," Hamuko cut in sharply. "You said so at the hospital. You said that every night when you cried on my shoulder."

"…"

"He took everything from you…" she said slowly. "And I just watched…"

"You need to stop this Hamuko," Minato said, actually fearful for what was going on with her. "Listen to me-"

"You should attack me," Hamuko suggested, horrifying the blue headed teenager.

"Stop…"

"Punish me for being weak," Hamuko said and took a step forward, standing on her toes and just gazing at him with her lifeless red eyes that honestly petrified him. "Because I was always a weakling…"

"Don't be a hypocrite…" Hamuko said, actually offering her chin.

"I said, stop this," Minato scowled-

"HIT ME DAMMIT!" Hamuko screamed at him in frustration. She balled her fist up and was just about ready to punish herself until Minato grabbed her wrist to stop her-

Just when Minato touched her, Hamuko broke out from the trance and let out a loud wail that buckled his knees as it was so reminiscent of the hollows yells he gave when Makoto was torturing him. Just like all the times she was scared out of her wits, Hamuko just threw herself onto him and started wailing. Her knees gave way and she collapsed down, dragging Minato along with her who tried to carry her up but she felt like dead weight and her body was ice cold, cold as a corpse.

"Minato!"

Her wailing grew in volume and Minato winced, barely able to recall Fuuka yelling about Ryoji being on the move and very close to Aigis and Sho.

"MINATO!"

"Minato-kun!"

He listened to Hamuko and told Fuuka to beat it. He had faith in Sho and Aigis but as always, it was Hamuko first and the rest a distant second and right now, listening to her sobbing and lifeless yells, he took his attention off Ryoji and sat down on the ground alongside her.

"It'll be alright…"

Hamuko hid her face against his shirt and whimpered, finally falling silent after minutes of screaming.

"Hehe…" Minato chuckled weakly. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Hamuko peeked up and the expression on his face was as constant. Grief and misery.

"It's eating me up…"

"…"

"I can't stop…"

"…"

"I'm sorry…"

"…"

"I am weak, after all…"

…

Sho dug his blades out and took his stance alongside Aigis when a heap of dread seeped into the area, signaling the arrival of the God of Death who was walking slowly, his massive blade resting on his shoulder. Aigis winced when he came into her line of sight, momentarily stopping her processors.

Sho felt the fear too but he looked up one more time, knowing Hamuko was still clinging on and crying on his shoulder. He was afraid but he made up his mind to fight as hard as he could to soften the bastard up for Minato, NO MATTER WHAT.

As soon as Ryoji came into his view, Sho dug his two blades out of the ground, buffed his soul up with a speed spell before bolting in a zig zag pattern, trying to confuse the God who gripped his blade and easily read the movements of the incoming slash, blocking the attempt and stopping Sho right in the middle of his attack.

"Always wondered why he didn't finish you off at the first chance," Ryoji said, gazing into the hardened eyes of Sho who scowled back at him, still trying to move forward and overpower Ryoji.

"Mad that he chose me over you?" Sho sneered back-

Ryoji swiftly overpowered the cocky mortal and launched him backwards, followed by another roar of hatred because that had pissed him off.

"All of you are going to die!" Ryoji swore, his hollow and demonic voice echoing on and on. "We will bring the fall OVER YOUR ROTTING BODIES!"

Aigis listened to that and moved forward, open firing on the God who walked through the bullets and repelled the next waves with a strong swing of his blade, producing air pressure that was vicious enough to stop the momentum behind the bullets. Ryoji fired back with a rain of icicles, looking to break the android once more time-

"Agidyne!"

Sho launched the flames that burned the incoming ice to nothingness and then exploded in the direction of Death who flapped his wings to dispel the flames and then took flight, launching a surge of red almighty energy that the two managed to block with some difficulty. They skidded backwards and pushed forward, looking up at the entity who was still hovering above them.

And he looked as frightening as ever…

"Ready?" Sho asked, not believing that he actually had to co-operate with someone beside Minato. Oh well, he had his head up his ass before but not anymore. He wasn't fighting for the thrill of battle this time; he was fighting with the intent of making this fight easier for Minato.

"Affirmative," Aigis answered without pause, locking her eyes on the God who slowly came down, holding their fearful gazes with a scowl on his face. "This is for-"

"This is for the two of them," Sho finished. This was indeed for Minato and Hamuko, his two best friends. Hell, his only two friends left in the world. "Three, two, one… GO!"

Ryoji screeched in response to their charge, deflecting the bullets and freezing Aigis in place before locking his blades with Sho who was quickly overpowered and pushed backwards but not before landing a kick to the gut of Death-

"Shit," Sho hissed, hurt because of the thick armor that was hard as iron now that he had felt it. He moved backwards when Ryoji came forward, swinging a number of wild slashes that were mostly deflected but every parry and block took a toll as well as the impact was fierce-

Aigis freed herself from ice and crashed into Ryoji, pushing him off Sho. She forced her weight on the entity, trying to use her superhuman strength to hold him down-

Ryoji picked the android up and launched her to the other side of the room without issue. He scoffed at the notion that she would overpower someone like him and then turned his attention back to Sho-

A number of bullets crashed into his back, giving him some pain but it was quickly brushed off by Ryoji who looked back to see that Aigis had landed on her feet, not too far way. On the other side, Sho was back up, cut because of the assault from earlier but still ready to go for more.

Ryoji heard the voice of Nyx and gripped his blade with both hands, channeling another almighty attack into the steel and slamming the weapon against the ground, evoking a thunderous quake followed by pillars of red energy that exploded around him, forcing the two persona users to guard the impact that sent them reeling.

Ryoji looked straight up, ignoring the two who came rushing backwards, ready to hack and slash the God who was rather oblivious because finally, he heard his voice, his soothing voice that was no doubt directed towards that red haired bitch.

"Minato!"

Ryoji screeched.

…

"Minato…"

Hamuko said softly, knowing that his hand was most likely numb by now as he had refused to let go of hers. She had stopped yelling a while ago but still let of out an occasional sniff.

Minato carefully picked her up from the ground, a little relieved that she was not dead weight anymore but for some reason, despite him constantly telling her that they would win the battle and that she was going to survive no matter what, Hamuko was still…. Afraid…..

Minato thought for a few seconds and bit his lip. No, this was for the best. "Fuuka…" he called out, still holding her up because he knew she was going to crash down if he let go of her.

Hamuko's pale eyes were fixed on her shoes, his call for Fuuka going unnoticed by her because she was still wrapped up in her own problems, her own fears.

"Y-Yes…?"

"Take Hamuko bac-," Minato was not even able to finish the order-

"NO!" Hamuko found her voice and yelled, shoving him backwards and scowling at him. "What are you doing, huh!?"

Minato stumbled backwards and just blinked. He wanted to bash his head on the wall because nothing made sense. He was not even sure what to say now. She was acting so unpredictable that it scared her-

"Hey!" Hamuko scowled, shouting to inform Fuuka of her intentions. "Don't you dare bring me back, you hear me!?"

"Hamuko, you are no condition to fight!" Minato finally found his voice. "Fuuka, bring her back-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Hamuko screamed back at him. "I'm not going anywhere!"

Minato gritted his teeth. Holy hell, what could he even do/say to her….

"I'm staying right here!" she hissed. "With you. Right here. Do you hear me!?"

"You're shaking, dammit!" Minato snapped.

"Take care of me then, dammit!" she spat back.

Silence followed and remained for a few seconds until it was broken by a bitter chuckle from Hamuko.

"Can't help being a selfish bitch," Hamuko said with a broken smile. "You've probably used to it already, aren't you?"

"…"

"It's a bad habit," Hamuko admitted. "When I'm afraid, I don't care about anything else… I just want to be comforted…"

"…"

"Hehehe, I'm so pathetic," Hamuko giggled. "I'm fighting with you with all this going on…."

Minato rubbed his temples.

"So pathetic… like always…"

"…"

"But I just can't help it, Minato. I swear I tried…"

"I know…"

Hamuko slowly sat on the ground and tugged on his hand, dragging him down. She lowered her head and spoke quietly.

"Comfort me…"

Minato did.

…

Ryoji deflected the phantom slashes and grabbed Sho by his neck, trying to squeeze the life out of him until Aigis unloaded another round of bullets. She broke into a run and summoned-

"Athena!"

Ryoji launched Sho into the charging persona and Aigis was knocked backwards due to her persona suffering damage. She shook her head and moved out of the way of the red surge of energy, not sure whether to charge since Ryoji exceeded her in strength but at the same time…. her persona was not really working.

Sho sped up his movements and came right back, attacking with more phantom slashes that Ryoji weaved through and blades of his own that the God deflecting, punishing the redhead with counter slashes that opened up a number of nasty bruises until Sho drew back, waiting for Aigis who regained her senses. Nodding at each other, the two charged at the same time, summoning their personas who spawned above and dove in, pulling back on their massive weapons-

"Eternity awaits…"

Ryoji changed his arcana just seconds before the four entities could crash into him. The two persona users were alerted by Fuuka to back off but it was too late anyways. As soon as Sho took a step back, Ryoji summoned a towering cyclone of wind that sent the two persona users flying and shredded the two entities to pieces. The buffeting winds grew, dragging the two and shredding through their skin until Ryoji flicked his wrists and sent the persona users crashing to the opposite sides of the room.

"Damn," Sho coughed out blood and stood up, back against the wall for support. While he was able to land shots at times, Ryoji was just a notch above the two of them. Even when working together, they never made him flinch, not even once. He was definitely strong but like before…. Around him was this defense, this impregnable shield of dread that definitely had a hand in slowing him down. And that too was power.

A special kind of power…

Aigis picked herself up and wondered, wondered just how ungodly and terrifying this entity was that a machine like herself was able to experience fear. Her internal systems were constantly beeping as if danger ahead but she dragged herself forward and after a nod at Sho, she took off.

"Minato!" Ryoji again ignored the incoming charge and looked up, moving through the attacks and firing back with twice the power after their failures. "I hope you are watching this!"

Sho backed off to avoid a razor of almighty energy that brushed past his cheek, opening up a wound very close to his eye.

"I know that bitch is shaking!" Ryoji kept talking, constantly shifting and moving around when the two started moving in a circle, unleashing bullets and fire attacks that he was mostly able to block with ease. "She knows it is NO USE!"

Aigis widened her eyes when the next swing of the sword shredded through her mechanical body, almost cleaving her in half until Sho dug into Ryoji's back with his blade, forcing him to stop just shy to cutting her into two. The God hissed in annoyance and reached back, launching Sho over his shoulder and holding his blade up to impale his head-

"She knows this is the end!"

"Athena!"

Ryoji was sent reeling backwards when the persona crashed into him. He shook his head and came to a stop just a few feet away, easily eradicating the being with another strong surge of slashing razors of wind that reduced the persona to static.

"This is no hope,"

"THERE IS NO HOPE FOR YOU!"

Another blitz of their personas was blocked and the two were blown to pieces by another razor of wind that the two persona users only barely blocked and then crashed into Ryoji when they saw him advancing towards the steps.

Sho hacked out blood and moved his head to save his eyes, getting beat up and cut up at close range but he still refused to let go and kept pushing Death backwards, away from the steps. He had to drag this on as long as his body could manage.

Aigis kept firing bullet after bullet at close range, even a few into his skull but much like Sho she was getting brutalized at close range, her mechanical body ripping open with the rapid gusts and razors of wind that the God repeatedly unleashed.

Eventually, the two were beaten down and Ryoji started walking towards the steps, sadistic images already forming inside his mind-

Sho grabbed a hold of his left wing to stop him, irritating the God who fired back with a razor of almighty energy that struck the scarred male head on. He flinched and screamed in pain but still refused to let go.

"Not yet," Sho said, grinning as he placed the third blade between his teeth which were mostly broken due to the nonstop accurate punches from Ryoji. He wasn't sure if his gums were going to hold the blade for long but he was willing to go until the very limit. "Your fight is with me."

Ryoji unleashed a small burst of darkness to push him back and cracked his neck. The Dark Hour was not going to end tonight so he could afford to waste a little more time on these pests because he knew Minato was aware of what was going on and he was suffering every wound he dealt to his friends.

Even thinking about it made him sick.

To think-

He chose-

These worthless wastes of skin and blood!

"Did I piss you off?" Sho said, his teeth clattering due to a mixture of pain and fear. A bead of sweat traveled down his temple but he refused to back off just yet. Just a few seconds later, Aigis got up as well, trying to hold herself intact just for a little while longer.

"Activating Orgia Mode," Aigis said, taking her stance and fixing her gaze on the God one more time. This was it, she was at the edge of breaking down but much like Sho, she was willing to fight to the very limit of her body.

Ryoji just stared at the two of them. With every second the moon was getting closer and he was getting stronger. The more they stall him the more it was going to get worse for Minato because he was getting stronger with every passing second.

"Attack!" Sho spat and bolted-

…

Minato could sense that Ryoji was now very close to them. He could hear the clash of blades and the sound of bullets going off nonstop. He also had to deal with the shrieks and yells of his two friends who had been battling Ryoji for the past several minutes, getting beat up and mauled relentlessly.

Hamuko was still panting as if she was going into cardiac arrest. She was still on the ground, head lowered with Minato still stroking it in an effort to calm her down. He had tried to talk to her but she never replied except for an occasional sniff or pant.

"You know, when you…" Hamuko started. "When I yelled at you for attacking Junpei and you almost cried..."

"…"

"I felt horrible for yelling at you but at the same time…." she gave a short pause, trying to mull over her words. "I felt a little happy…. happy that you cared enough to cry."

"I remember that…" Minato admitted. He was still not very sorry for beating Junpei up because he had endangered Hamuko.

"There is so much more I have to say," Hamuko continued. "When you pushed me away and took the bullet from the reaper. When you confessed at the beach. When you came back from Strega and got me out of the mess I was in. When you got up against Makoto and finally remembered…"

"I remember all of that…"

"I woke up every day feeling giddy because I knew you were going to make me happy in one way or another," she breathed out, falling silent again for the next several seconds-

"But…" she pressed her head against his chest and started talking. "When you… got up… When you summoned that cyclone and walked out on your own two feet. When you simply walked up to Ryoji and slapped him across the face when none of one us could…"

"I'll remember that moment forever, even if my memories fail me," Hamuko said. "Even with the pain I was in… I felt happy… because you didn't let me down."

"I said you would get up when none of us could and you did," Hamuko sighed, that one moment flashing before her eyes nonstop and this time, she finally gave a small smile, letting out a soft chuckle as she grabbed onto his arms. "Hehe…"

"At least you smiled…"

"Hug me…"

"…"

"Just a little while longer…"

…

Aigis braced herself for the impact and crashed into Ryoji again, letting out a small scream when the God tore into her already mangled body but she endured the assault despite her system catching flames due to overheating. She dug her hooves like feet firmly into the ground and tried to ignore the bolts of electricity around her failing mechanical form-

"Gack!"

Aigis's eyes flashed blue and finally, after blowing up a number of her circuits due to the excess strain that came really close to shutting her down, the android launched Ryoji into the air with a pained yell, immediately following it up by switching her weapons and open firing dozens of cannon balls from her arms-

"Come out!" Sho saw the chance and summoned a second later, red mist coiling around the battered teenager who locked his eyes on Ryoji and yelled as loud as Aigis, forcing the persona out of his psyche and getting ready for the killing blow-

"GOD ANNIHILATION!"

As soon as Aigis collapsed down due to the strain, Sho summoned a wave of darkness that covered the area and immediately lashed out in the form of spikes that repeatedly struck Ryoji who was still suspended in mid-air, visibly struggling to battle through the nonstop assault-

Sho lost his vision briefly and dropped to a knee, barely able to continue the attack but the thoughts of his two friends up made him stand up again, the dark spikes increasing in volume and intensity-

"Pallas Athena!"

Sho punched his fist forward and his persona lunged at the God, drawing out his sword for the final strike-

Ryoji saw the two personas coming while he was still getting stabbed by the blades of darkness-

"Time to beat it, bitch!" Sho spat.

"This is over!" Aigis added-

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

Sho looked up in horror, barely able to make out Ryoji as he was covered in the darkness that he had summoned and yet he was laughing, his sadistic and cruel laugh resounding the devastated room and grinding his ears in a way he never thought was possible.

"Is this all!?" Ryoji spat out and did not even try to get out of the way, taking the spear and sword into his body with another haunting laugh that was laced with mockery and disgust. "All of that for this!?"

"He's insane…" Sho panted-

"I will rape your souls!" Ryoji swore, letting out a burst of darkness that evaporated the personas and sent the two crashing into the walls. "WE WILL MOLEST YOUR DEAD BODIES!"

"Mark my words, you filthy sons of bitches!"

A new tarot card appeared briefly in his palm and he crushed it, leading to bolts of lightning thundering down from above, open up several craters on the floor and narrowly missing the two. The God laughed again, his damaged wings healing completely and every stab wound on his body closing up along with every small scratch the two had tried so desperately to inflict.

"We are the Gods!" Ryoji jumped down and gave a mancial smile that was way more terrifying than anything Minato had ever managed because deep down Minato was still a human. Ryoji was a God with nothing mortal about him.

Sho and Aigis got up, exhausted and beaten-

"Praise be to us!"

"…"

It was over-

"Heh…"

They knew it…

"Now BOW!"

"Sorry, Minato…"

…

"Minato-kun," Fuuka said quietly, trying to hold her sobs. "They have done all they could do…"

Minato wrapped his arm around Hamuko's waist and held her up, nodding at Fuuka's words. "Okay, tell them to escape to the lobby immediately. I'll take over from here."

"Be careful, Minato-kun," Fuuka said. "… He is invincible…"

"Oh God," Hamuko murmured again. "I've done this to you ever since morning…"

"What do you mean?"

"I even forced you to skip training knowing this was going to be your hardest battle," Hamuko said.

"I-I loved every second of that time I spent with you," Minato stammered. "I would have skipped anyway."

"I always do this to you," Hamuko ignored his words and kept talking, mostly to her own self. "I should stop doing this. I should stop taking advantage of you like this…"

"Hamuko, you…"

"Some part of you must be thinking…" she looked up into his silver orbs. "Will she please give me a break on a day such at this?"

"…"

"I know you are fighting for more," Hamuko gave another broken smile, the void in her eyes only deepening with every heartbroken word. "Our friends, this world, your defiance, your parents-"

"You come first," Minato cut in. "Everything else is a distant second…"

Hamuko chuckled, shaking her head slowly in a mix of happiness and some anger. "You just…" she giggled, again staring at her shoes and pulling her head down. God, what could she even say to that? She knew he was not lying; he didn't have the gall to lie to her after all.

"I'm sorry for so many things. I have so many regrets ever since we started this dream but most of all…" Hamuko stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek, whispering softly into his ear.

"I'm sorry for being such a shitty girlfriend…"

"…"

Those words sounded so familiar….

"Forgive me, darling…"

"…"

"Hehe, then again… I know you will…"

…

Sho grabbed onto Aigis and pulled the gem out of his pocket. The last several minutes felt like an eternity because of the overwhelming fear and the indescribable pain he went through. Even now, he was shaking to hold the gaze of the God who was wrapped up in needle like static electricity but-

Sho managed to hold his stare and growled at him.

"He is going to be maul you," Sho swore. "In fact…. After all you did to Hamuko…. You are already dead."

"Heh…"

Sho crushed the gem and the two disappeared in a puff of green mist, leaving the insane God alone. He stood there for a couple of seconds, admiring how the hallways were painted with the blood of those filthy mortals and then turning around slowly, gazing at the steps.

He was finally here.

After crushing the futile line of resistance, he was finally going to face Minato.

He had been waiting this for so long, ever since that bastard foiled his plans and beat him on New Year Eves…

"I'm coming for your soul, Minato Arisato…" he spoke, slowly lumbering his way towards the steps-

"I own the souls of your parents…"

"Of your friends…"

"Of your pathetic girlfriend…"

Ryoji moved up the steps, laughing all the while-

"Time to come home, brother…"

"With them…"

"To hell…"

…

"Minato-kun, Hamuko, he is coming-"

The two didn't seem to pay attention to Fuuka because they were in their own little world again, even with death approaching them. Hamuko's hand was numb at this point because ever since the little group hug, he had refused to let go… and ever since the past few minutes, she had refused to let go of him too….

"Thank you…" the redhead said, still hugging him tightly. She was but because the arms of her savior did help even in the face of impending doom.

Minato could hear the footsteps approaching. He could almost taste the hate in his own mouth because Ryoji was very close…

"Never gonna get tired of hugging you," Hamuko sighed softly. "My universe…"

"Hamuko, stay behind me at all times-"

"God, I love you so fucking much…"

"Minato!"

Minato grunted when he heard Ryoji yelling his name it utmost hatred. That fucker was finally here. He had to protect Hamuko and fight just like old times but what better way to add insult to injury by doing both at the same time?

"He is coming…"

"Thanks for being my messiah…"

"Get back-"

"I'm glad it was you…"

"Hamuko, he is coming-"

"You are the best thing that ever happened to me…"

"…"

"And I swear, if you ever touch or kiss another girl beside me… I will kill you…"

Minato was about to respond but stopped midway through because Ryoji had finally arrived onto the last floor before the top. He was finally here. Fuuka was telling him that and his personas were yelling at him-

Minato broke the hug and looked her in the eyes, grabbing onto his sword with one hand while cupping her tear stained face with his other hand.

"I love you too…"

Hamuko bit her lip, weeping as Death approached them-

"Stay behind me and let me take care of this…"

"Fuck," Hamuko cried-

Minato tightened his grip around her hand and moved forward, able to see the shadow of the God on the walls. He took a deep breath and switched to his strongest persona. It was finally here, the battle of this long and dragged out war. Ryoji was pissed but so was he, for everything that he and his whore mother had done to Hamuko and him.

"Just keep cheering me on," Minato said, squeezing her hand for the hundredth time that night-

Hamuko was staring ahead intently, still looking lost.

Minato's expression had melted into his usual dead look-

He was ready-

Keep her safe-

Kick Ryoji's ass-

And ensure her survival no matter who dies or what happens-

"Hehe..."

It came as a complete surprise to him when Hamuko gently removed her hand from his grip and brushed past him, stopping a couple of feet ahead of him with the blade held firmly in her grip and her body language visibly relaxed.

"Hamuko?" Minato blinked in surprise. She was shaking like a child just a few minutes ago and now-

Hamuko caught a glimpse of his shadow as well and yet she still stood there, no more whimpers of sniff coming from her now because it was over. It was finally here.

"Hamuko!" Minato hissed. "Get back, you are in no condition to fight."

"…"

"Hamuko!" Minato yelled. "GET. BACK!"

Hamuko finally listened and looked back, flashing him her usual gorgeous grin that silenced whatever he was going to say next. He knew her well by now, he knew when she was trying to force a smile and hide her fears but this time… he couldn't detect a hint of her trying to force it because the smile she gave him was a genuine one, warm and inviting as always.

"Thanks for putting up me, especially today," Hamuko bowed her head briefly. "I was really terrified but… hehe… you are something else…"

"What are you talking about?" Minato moved a step forward.

"I'm sorry for being a shitty girlfriend, I truly am," Hamuko repeated her words from earlier. "But I'll be the selfish bitch I've always been: You are mine and you will always be mine."

She wasn't making any sense now. Her demeanor had done a complete 180 and now Minato was worried about her sanity.

"What the hell-"

Hamuko reached into her pocket.

"No one else is allowed to have you, you hear me?"

"Hamuko, wake up!" Minato spat.

"And even if I do die," Hamuko said slowly but still kept that smile.

"Don't say that!" Minato finally ended up screaming at her-

"Even if I do…" Hamuko stopped smiling and stared into his eyes, not blinking or looking away. There was nothing funny about this because every word she spoke she meant and she believed in.

This was her last hour after all….

"I will haunt you,"

"I will haunt you every second of your life,"

"I will haunt you and never let you forget about me because you are not allowed to forget about me,"

Ryoji saw the two and screeched-

"Hamuko, he's here!" Minato grabbed his sword, ready to charge ahead. "For fucks' sake, draw back and listen to me!"

Hamuko smirked again when she grabbed a hold of-

"Take care of yourself," she pulled the little gem out and blew a kiss.

"No-" Minato saw the green gem in her grip and lunged forward-

"Love you, baby…"

Hamuko took a step back and smashed the gem next to his feet, cringing when he gave a heartbroken and horrified shout before he disappeared from the tower in a puff of green mist, leaving Hamuko alone with Ryoji who finally made it to where she was.

"Love you so much…" she whispered and then turned back towards the force of nature who roared when he saw her-

"For eternity and beyond…"

…

Minato spawned in the lobby and collapsed down, his silver eyes widened in horror and confusion. Just what the fuck happened? Hamuko sent him here!? Hamuko, the girl who was shivering and crying nonstop was now going to fight against Death-

"T-That…"

But now… it made sense….

"T-That moron…." Minato stared at the ground, trying to piece together the whole day. She was clingy, needy and forceful, far more than ever before but now, after the stunt that she pulled, he was starting to see why she acted like that the hold day. Why she was so clingy and why she screwed his brains out for a good chunk of the morning.

At first he thought it was the same old story, her phobia of death and Ryoji but now….

"…"

He remembered the way she was holding onto him, almost hurting him at times. He remembered her clumsy and almost forceful kisses towards the end of evening, how she forced herself on him at first. He remembered her crying nonstop until she couldn't anymore after the last time they made love. Remembered how silent she was. He remembered her breakdown while they waited for Ryoji to come up.

It made sense.

It made no much sense now….

He should have seen it coming, especially with the way she talking, pouring her heart out and apologizing for every mistake that she had made, every regret that she had about herself and him….

"F-Fuck…"

She wasn't afraid of Ryoji like old times….

She was afraid that her time with him was coming to an end….

"T-That fucking moron…" Minato got a hold of his sense and quickly ran over to the access point, screeching and stomping the stupid device when it refused to work. He pulled on his bangs in a mixture of fear and confusion, yelling at and refusing to listen to the voice of his friends who were telling him to calm down.

For the first time ever he was pissed at her.

How dare she?

How dare she put herself ahead of him?

What the fuck was he good for then!?

Minato grabbed his sword and bolted into the portal, appearing on the first floor and just running to locate the stairs, moving up while running through the army of shadows.

"YOU FUCKING MORON!"

At first he thought he had all the time in the world and now, it felt as if he was in a death match against the clock.

"FUCK!"

…

Now free of the regrets, Hamuko moved a few steps forward to take a better look at Ryoji who was completely transformed, armored up, with a creepy new mask and large feathery wings. He stared back at her, hissing and growling because she was the first one to force his hand.

Hamuko smirked. "I remember this…"

Ryoji stopped and focused his hollow eyes on her, trying to evoke the fear in her heart-

"Can't remember how many times I saw this form of yours in my dreams," Hamuko recalled. "Can't count how many times you killed and raped me in my dreams."

"You had fun making my life a living hell, didn't you?"

Ryoji gave a sinister chuckle. "Those dreams will become reality very soon now, I assure you."

"Will they?" Hamuko said, pulling out her evoker. She ran her fingers over the cold metal and twirled it around her fingers. "Well, you see, oh mighty God of Death…"

Ryoji frowned-

"Unlike old times…" Hamuko hissed, refusing to look away much to his surprise. "I am not afraid of you anymore."

"That time is over…"

"Façade…" Ryoji countered.

"You make my skin crawl," Hamuko spat out the words like they left a bad taste in her mouth.

"You'll always be that scared little girl who was terrified even at the thought of me…"

"Delusion," Hamuko said, raising the evoker to her temple. She pressed the cold gun against her flesh and looked straight ahead. "Now look closely…"

"I am going to eat your heart, do you hear me?"

"You might have forgotten…"

"This was the worst mistake of your life, girl,"

"Minato is the strongest, no doubt…"

"There will be nothing left of you, not even your ashes for him to cry over…"

"But…"

"To hell with you, bitch," Ryoji tilted his head and hissed, his demonic voice reaching her ears but not scaring her like it used to before.

Hamuko looked up and laughed, her red eyes surging with a demonic glint-

"I am a Wild Card too!" Hamuko shouted back at him-

"Get ready to embrace oblivion!"

Hamuko shut her eyes and pressed the trigger, giving out a screech of her own when the spiritual bullet tore into her head and she yelled out the name of one entity that Ryoji did not see coming-

"NYX!"

Ryoji stopped midway and actually took a step back when darkness exploded out of her soul, covering the whole floor but mostly gathering up behind the grinning redhead who had still had that glint in her red orbs, something very evil and demonic and just behind her….

Ryoji saw the figure briefly, wrapped up in darkness, the goddess of the night, Nyx. For the first time in a long while he was surprised, completely befuddled that the girl who was so terrified of Death had managed to summon Nyx, the mother of Death itself.

Hamuko dug her sword out of the ground and smirked, brushing her bangs to the side and letting him gaze at all the hate and scorn she had for him.

"I too harnessed the power of a goddess," Hamuko said, taking a step forward and Ryoji snapped out of the trance upon noticing that. Hamuko started walking, the darkness following after her-

"Time to put an end to this, Ryoji,"

"This will not save you," the God of Death said. "A mere imitation will not match up to the real entities."

"I might not win…" Hamuko said, still not stopping. She gripped the blade with both hands and growled. "But my goal is simple… I will try my hardest to take you down."

"…"

"If not… I will take a piece of you with me…."

Ryoji stopped playing around and screeched out loud, louder than before; still trying to evoke the fear in her but Hamuko didn't take a step back and didn't feel the fear. She pulled back the blade and yelled at him, cursed at him to come forward and take her life-

Ryoji listened and bolted, not holding back or having any intention to toy around like he did to the rest because Hamuko deserved true pain and terror-

"Time to put you out of your misery, you broken whore!"

Hamuko panted due to the festering hatred and remembered that dead 10 year boy on the bridge, face down, broken in ways she couldn't even imagine and in a puddle of his own blood-

He came first.

Everyone else was a distant second-

"This is for Minato!"

And they clashed-

"Memento Mori..."

Hopefully Hamuko trolled a few of you. Like hell, she's scared of Ryoji/Death at the last battle of the fic. She was afraid that her time with Minato was coming to an end, reason why she... and I quoate 'kissed the life out of him' in the previous chapters. Hamuko saying memento mori is prolly the ultimate character dev she could have gotten cause finally, she is out of her phobia and she summoned fucking NXY! Before someone asks, no she is not stronger than FM Hamuko but... she's a clear second here if she could dual summon... she'd match Minato easily.

Sorry bout the short battles but I did that for a number of reasons. 1) to keep Ryoji's aura. 2) I don't have that much creative juice left. 3) This is about Minato and Hamuko vs Ryoji, the others are not relevant. 4) headcanon but I think only the two protags are capable of fighting toe to toe with the avatar.

Now the real fight beings. This will be long, brutal and suffocating. For those who have read FM Hamuko battle... you'll do good for those who did not... it's nothing personal but... there are some things you have to SHOW, not TELL. I can have the characters praise her about her courage and resolve and state over a thousand time in the narration that she is changed and all but... doesn't mean jack shit unless she puts herself through hell to show it.

Again, do kindly review. This... will be my last battle/arc so, drop a few even tho I understand that persona 3 is sorta dead now. Been over a decade since it was released, whew.

Cheers and thanks for reading! o/ See you at the next chapter and the end! I hope you are hyped for this.