A Fool's Study into Witchcraft
Chapter 13: The Cognitive World #2
Constanze's stared at what was held in front of her, annoyance raising.
"I'm really sorry but… do you think you can fix it again…?" Akko begged, presenting her once again broken Argus Sniper. "I have to say though, what you did with my bow was awesome! It really packed a punch, almost as if it wasn't a toy anymore! What's your secret Constanze?"
Silenced permeated the room as Constanze stared. After a few seconds, she placed the bow on her desk before opening her closet and rummaging around, producing a stack of DVDs and old VHS tapes. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Kamen Rider Kuuga, Ultraman Tiga, Brave Express Might Gaine, Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, and many, many more. The large collection consisted of myriad of Mecha and Tokusatsu titles, all of them either subbed or dubbed in English or German.
"No way…!" Akko gasped, her awe and excitement growing as she dug through the pile. "She even has that Doraemon movie?!" she thought before spotting something she was all too familiar with.
"Featherman Victory!" she exclaimed, "So that explains it! You are a Featherman fan too, Constanze?"
The tinker nodded eagerly, matching Akko's childish enthusiasm.
"Explanation: The films you see before you were used as research material for various inventions," Stanbot#1 said.
"Ah, so that explains why you were so happy to see her bow…" Amanda commented.
Akko grabbed the tinker and gave her a tight hug, lifting Constanze off her feet. "Yay! Luna Nova just keeps getting better each day!"
"Hey hey! You're doing it again! Watch the super strength you idiot! You're gonna crush her!" Amanda admonished.
Taking a glance downward, Akko caught the sight of Conztanze's rapidly bluing face. "O-Oops! Sorry!" she said, dropping her.
Constanze landed on her butt, a bit dizzy, but otherwise unharmed. She gave Akko a thumbs up to reassure her.
"I'm counting on you then, Constanze! We should hang out sometime! I'll show you everything Japan has to offer! I can assure you you're just scratching the surface!"
"Well, I am glad you got that covered…" Amanda added. "So can you help Jasminka now?"
All three turned to the sleeping girl on the bed.
"Pixie, Patra!" As the arcana shattered, the small fairy applied the healing spell. But as the light faded, nothing changed.
"Well, I'm out of ideas," Akko sighed.
"WHAT?!" Amanda yelled. " That's it!? You can't be serious!"
"Patra's supposed to dispel sleep… but it's not working for some reason…" the brunette frowned. "I don't have any Personas with medical knowledge, nor do I have any scan types to do a thorough check. I'm sorry, I don't think I can help. And anything that Aradia or Sucy's would come up with is definitely off the table..."
"Earlier scans of the subject's vital signs produce normal results." Stanbot#1 added, "Brain functionality: Normal. Heartrate: 83 beats per minute. Blood Pressure: 117/77. Temperature: 37.5 degrees Celsius. Respiratory rate 18 breaths per minute. Conclusion: Subject is merely asleep."
"Ok, but how do we wake her up!" Amanda grumbled again. "What if it's a coma?"
"Impossible. Subject Jasminka responds to outside stimulus, therefore it is highly unlikely for the subject to be in a comatose state," Stanbot#1 added again. "Suggestion: Wait for the subject to awaken on her own."
"Shit…" Amanda muttered. After a few seconds she spoke up again. "Anyway Akko, thanks for dropping by."
"No problem. I'm worried about Jasminka too!" the brunette comforted. "If anything else happens, make sure to call us over!"
With that, the Saturday came to an end.
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"Welcome to the Velvet room."
The azure bonfire and torches flared as court came into session.
"Good evening, Igor-san and Lavenza- I mean, Justine-chan and Caroline-chan," Akko greeted from the center of the room.
The aggressive sister palmed her table, glaring at the brunette, "You got some nerve, adding 'chan' when addressing us, Accused!"
"Eh!?" Akko flinched, not expecting such hostility from the small girl. "Ah…! Sorry, should I have gone with 'san' instead?! Larvenza-chan didn't have any problems with it, so I thought..."
The calmer sister lightly chucked. "Do not worry, Accused. Caroline is simply not used to anyone but our last guest addressing her in such a manner."
"J-Justine! What are you saying all of a sudden!?" Caroline yelled, crossing her arms and looking away as a faint blush dusted her cheeks. "W-Whatever! Accused! We are in the middle of a trial! Quit wasting time!"
Justine chuckled again, savoring her sister's embarrassment. "The court shall began by examining your new bonds." She opened her blue folder, allowing multiple arcanas to manifest; Fool, Priestess, Chariot, Hermit, and Devil.
Igor looked at Akko and the many cards before her, lightly clapping. "Splendid…! We have had many guests before you, Accused. However, I must say you are the first to establish so many bonds in such a short time."
"Really!?" Akko beamed, "Yay!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself Accused!" Caroline barked "You may be forging bonds with others really quickly, but it's all meaningless if you can't nurture them to fruition!"
"Huh…" Akko pondered before asking. "So I want to ask something… I remember you all saying something along the lines of, "bonds as credible testimonies"...? What's that all about?"
"That's obvious is it not?" Justine said as all the cards gradually returned into the folder. "What is the most important part of magic itself?"
Akko didn't even need to think, she just answered. "A Believing Heart of course!"
"Correct, but that's only half of the truth," Justine looked at Akko as she gave the folder to her master. "You also need the Believing Hearts of others."
Akko soaked in the answer. "... You're right!"
"Magic itself is on trial, Accused, so what better testimonies are there but the Believing Hearts of others?" Caroline said. "And you'd better find enough to get past me, your prosecutor! Otherwise... I will send you into the flame, Witch!"
"What?! You are actually against me!?" Akko grasped.
"This is still a trial remember? What part of being your prosecutor don't you understand?" the aggressive twin said. "Either have the evidence or be judged guilty! So no hard feelings!"
Igor closed the file after a quick scan and brought his gavel down with a loud crack. "The court has accepted the current testimonies. The Accused is granted the following benefits." He then snapped his fingers.
Another chair appeared in the jury, making a total of eight seats.
"Yay!" Akko cheered as she felt the power surging in her heart. "Another Persona slot?! Thank you so much, Igor-san!"
"That's not the only thing," Justine smiled as the Persona Compendium appeared before the brunette, opened. "You can now also perform a Special Fusion. A process in which we combine certain Personas in order to create ones you can't summon normally. However, I believe your options are limited as of now."
"Whoa! This I gotta see!" Eagerly, Akko read through the available options:
Napaea (Magician): High Pixie x Angel
Ame no Uzume (Aeon): Napaea x Kabuso
Tam Lin (Sun): High Pixie x Goblin x Troll x Cu Sith
David (Death): Macabre x Apsaras x Sarasvati
Neko Shogun (Star): Saki Mitama x Ara Mitama x Nigi Mitama x Kusi Mitama
"Wait… Aren't some of these guys the strong Shadows I've beaten before?!" the brunette realized. "That's kinda awkward…"
"So Accused, do you wish to use the remaining court time for fusion?" Justine asked.
"I suggest doing that," Caroline shrugged. "If you had done it earlier maybe you wouldn't have such a hard time with your last battle."
"Hey! I was fine for an entire year with my old Personas!" Akko puffed her cheeks. "I was attached to them too so it was hard all right?!"
Multiple orbs of light escaped from Akko's chest, manifesting themselves as the trial's jury. Aradia, Pixie, Silky, Slime, Lilim, and the newest member Vetala greeted their summoner. It was an amusing sight, especially with Lilim being forced to sit on the elephant-headed-zombie's shoulder due to his towering size taking up two seats.
Grabbing the Persona Compendium, Akko flipped through the pages that listed her discarded Personas. "Alright, everyone! No need to fear! I am not fusing any of you today! Instead I'm going to bring back some Personas I didn't like and use them instead!"
"A wise choice, Akko. Make use of the weaklings and turn them into something worthwhile," Aradia mused. "Thou should look through and pick the best-"
Akko, with her eyes closed began singing a counting rhythm in Japanese, tapping the page at random with both of her hands.
"This could only end in either a lucky accident or another blacklisted Persona, Akko…" the false goddess sighed.
"You think?" Caroline couldn't believe what she was seeing. What a bizarre guest they had this time. "Then again, older sister would probably do something like that…" she thought.
At the end of her little song, Akko's fingers landed on two of her entries. Without opening her eyes, she showed everyone the result. "There we go! Please, Justine-chan!"
The calmer sister chuckled at Akko's antics. "Very well Accused. Let us see where your luck takes you. The cost of summoning those Personas for fusion will be ¥42,500."
"..." Akko paused. "... Can I pay after...?"
Justine shook her head. "No. Because the money will be used as a catalyst for summoning."
Finally, after she begrudgingly opened her wallet and threw in the required amount into the Persona Compendium (the book absorbed the money much to her surprise) pages began to glow as two arcana manifested; the Priestess and the Devil.
The Priestess shattered, revealing a light-blue creature in the shape of a hook bead the size of a large cat, levitating in the air with a calm human face.
"Nagi Mitama!" Akko recalled the reason she dropped this Persona. While this thing wasn't annoying unlike some other, it had little to no method of attacking aside from tackling foes. It could block wind spells, but it was also surprisingly frail, resulting in far too many painful Persona breaks… The healing spells were nice, but not enough to warrant keeping it around.
And the Devil arcana revealed…
"Hehehe! You actually called me back! Let's have some fun again, babe!"
Akko grasped in horror at the pink being before her. It was as if a mosquito and a man had fused together, creating a creep with unfathomable amounts of bravado. A face with sharp features was adorned with a pair of antenna, as the same wings and tail of Lilim jutted from behind its form. It wore a thin black speedo as a massive horn extended and curved upward from between... his legs.
"Oh gross…! Of all the people it had to be you!" Akko yelled, feeling dirty all of a sudden.
"Hehe! Thanks for calling me back! I knew you'd need to scratch that itch ya got deep inside eventually!" The Persona of the Devil arcana laughed. "Now sit back, relax, and let papa Incubus give you the time of your-"
"Justine-chan and Caroline-chan!" Akko said sweetly, trying as hard as she could to keep herself from having an aneurysm. "Make that new Persona, now!"
"WHAT! Akko, honey, baby, come on! Please don't do this to me! I thought we had something special?!"
"First, ew. Second, as if I wasn't already clear when I kicked you out the first time!" Akko demanded, "Please, hurry!"
The Persona Compendium's pages flipped frantically before Justine as the Hermit arcana manifested.
"I object!" the Devil Persona yelled, refusing to be fused.
All the Personas on the side, seeing how distressed Akko was, raise their hands (Slime stretched up high) with affirmation. Lilim mockingly pulled down her eyelid and gave a dainty wave goodbye.
"Definitely fused," the twins agreed.
Following the crack of Igor's gravel, the torture cage was lowered right behind the terrified Incubus.
Nagi Mitama, as the embodiment of calm and rational state of a person's soul, fulfilled its last duty by tackling the Devil Persona into the cage, restoring the peacefulness of Akko's mind.
"Aww, Nagi Mitama…" Akko cooed, moved. "Thank you! I take back the mean things I said about you!"
The hooked bead's calm expression upturned into a slight smile as the cage slammed shut.
"PLEEAAASE…! JUST GIVE ME A CHANCE!…"
The flame consumed the cage, bringing forth the new Hermit Persona. The card flew out from within the azure fire and shattered.
A small iceberg crystallized as the being took a seat. Straight out of many myths and fairytales, a beautiful mermaid greeted Akko. Marble stone like scales littered her bare body and her emerald hair flowed like an ocean breeze. Two ghostly skulls engulfed in a golden aura orbited her. Looking at her new summoner with her gem like green eyes, she extended a webbed hand in greeting.
"I am thou, thou art I... I am Mermaid, one of the many children of the sea. Little one, I shall lend you my company. My song shall bring you joy, as well as destruction to those seek to harm you..."
Akko felt content and fortunate. She was quite happy have this Persona represent her bond with Professor Ursula. "Welcome to the team, Mermaid!"
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Despite being a boarding school, Sunday for Luna Nova was also classless just like any other school. It acted as a break for everyone as they busily prepared for another week riddled with classes. The teachers occupied themselves with grading homework and planning future lessons, while students took turns doing various chores as a means to instill the necessary discipline and work ethic to be a proper witch.
It was the workload of not one, but three witches that Akko found herself shouldering. It was a task that most would find far too overwhelming to complete, but thanks to her Persona Silky, Akko found only slightly less overwhelming. It was a small price to pay for her teammates' help with her assignments. Besides, she hadn't really been planning anything to do that morning anyway. What she was excited for would come later that afternoon.
Around 4:00 pm, her and her friends would convene by the Tree of Heart. It would be Diana and Constanze's first time in the cognitive world and if she wanted any hope of properly introducing it to them she would have to get these chores done pronto. With a pep in her step, she moped the corridor floor with renewed vigor.
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"Does anyone know where our so called "leader" went? It has been like what? Ten minutes?" the redhead asked with annoyance as she leaned against a tree.
"I think Akko went to the Archives," Lotte replied. "She said she have to do something real quick."
"The Archives!? That's like all the way across the school! What the hell is she doing over there?" Amanda grumbled again.
While Amanda complained at the lack of activity, Sucy, Constanze and Diana didn't really mind. The gloomy witch was content to lazily scan the surrounding foliage for mushrooms while the silent mechanic was working on some contraption as usual. The ace student studied the tree stump in detail, still not finding anything out of the ordinary about it.
Suddenly, a massive shadow passed overhead followed by the sound of shattering glass. Moments later, Akko landed in front of them, a hefty backpack in tow.
"You're late!" the red head called out.
"Sorry, sorry!" Akko rubbed her head apologetically. "I had some prep work that took a little bit longer than I expected, but I'm ready now!" She faced their newest members. "Are you ready Diana? Constanze?"
The tinker gave her a thumbs up.
"I am. And thank you again for your assistance," Diana said. She looked at her hand and flexed it. "I need to understand this new power of mine. Having this much enhanced strength, while amazing, could cause unwanted injuries to others if I'm not careful."
"Oh don't worry about it, Diana," Akko laughed. "I broke stuff left and right when I first started, but trust me when I say once you get used to your new power, controlling your strength is easy!"
Sucy rolled her eyes, recalling the painful handshakes and hugs. "Oh really?"
The excited girl pointed to the entrance. "So let's go everyone! Today we help Diana and Sucy train while mapping out Cognitive Luna Nova!"
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Since the defeat of Shadow Diana, Cognitive Luna Nova had returned to normal. The creepy copy of the witch academy once again stood tall against the crimson backdrop.
"W-What is this feeling…?" Diana muttered as a chill ran up her spine. "This place feels similar to the inside of a Lay Line… but everything feel so... wrong. It feels nothing like the last time I was here…"
"Well duh," Sucy deadpanned. "That Distortion was a reflection of your heart. It's natural that you wouldn't get that feeling from yourself."
"Don't worry Diana," Lotte added. "It might take some time but you'll get used to it. Right everybody?"
"I don't really get what you're talking about." Amanda shrugged. "I mean don't get me wrong, I did feel something, but just chalked that up to my excitement of exploring this place. The more dangerous it felt, the better!"
Constanze shivered and shook her head.
"This unit has yet to receive the capability to detect such feelings," Stanbot#1 said. "However, judging from observations of your body language and a search of my database for related information, describing this dimension as "creepy" can be considered factually correct."
"Alright Diana!" Akko began, throwing her hands out. "From now on you'll call me Senpai!"
"Sen…. pai?" the ace student muttered.
"Yes! That means "senior" in Japanese!" crossing her arms, Akko grinned. "I am the most experienced Persona user here! So it's only fitting for a beginner like you to address me that way! My Kohai!" her expression was proud.
Diana quickly put two and two together. "Alright." She said as she brushed her hand through her hair, a soft smile on her lips.
"I will call you Senpai, Akko," Diana closed her eyes, "In turn, however, you will do the same to me when we are at school."
"Ehhhhhhhh… EH!?" Akko broke out of her grin and gasped.
"You may be the most experienced with your ability, but I can say the same for me when it comes to witchcraft," Diana explained with a smirk. "Therefore I will respect you while we are here, and you in turn will do the same when we are at school. Kohai."
Amanda burst out laughing, pointing at Akko as she did. "She got you there, Akko!" Her cacophonous laughter served as the catalyst for others to join in with their own giggles.
The Japanese girl grumbled in defeat, "Fine! I'll do that from now on! But just call me senpai already!"
"She's so desperate to have someone call her that…" everyone else thought.
"Alright, Akko-senpai. I have many questions about this place, so can you give me a thorough explanation of everything you know?"
As pride welled up in her chest, Akko crushed the Fool arcana. "... Aradia, help me!" Her main Persona, upon manifesting, crossed her arms and shook her head in annoyance.
"Ah hell… this again?" Amanda groaned. "Hey Akko, like seriously, can I go fight some Shadows while you do this? Anything's better than just sitting here bored out of my mind."
"Hmm…" the brunette pondered. "I guess…?"
"Yes!" the redhead cheered. "Now toss me my spear!"
Akko casually reached into her backpack and pulled out Amanda's weapon, earning a surprised look from Diana. "Just remember to avoid large Shadows with red auras. Don't go into the building yet since I haven't mapped it…"
"Yeah yeah! I got it! Don't be stupid! We won't be going far anyway!" Amanda waved off as she grabbed her polearm. "Hey Constanze! Let me show you the cool things you can fight here! Now all those guns you made won't be collecting dust!"
The tinker nodded eagerly as she picked up her robot and activated its newest feature. With the press of a button, the tiny robot folded itself into a submachine gun.
The duo ran off into the courtyard; the pained groans and screams of Shadows followed soon after.
Lotte walked up, with Wispy floating by her side. "Don't worry Akko, Sucy and I will keep an eye on them. You take your time."
Sucy raised an eyebrow. "When did I… Wait, actually yeah, have fun Akko." The gloomy witch pulled out her dagger and followed Lotte.
Now alone with Diana, Akko and her main Persona used the next ten minutes to diligently explain the basics of the Cognitive World.
"Fascinating…!" the British girl processed all she heard. "To think an entire alternate reality exist right under our noses…! The Cognitive World… Personas… Shadows..."
"Wait a minute…!" realization stuck Aradia. "Minerva! Why haven't you told her any of this yet!? How could you just let her come in here so uninformed!?"
Blue fire enveloped Diana's body, letting the girl know that her Persona wanted to manifest. She pulled out her wand just as the Priestess arcana appeared. "Come forth Minerva!" She slashed across it.
The tall marble goddess solidified behind her summoner, her stone lips forming an amused grin. "Knowledge should be discovered, should it not? She should find her answers through her own efforts rather than come to me. What better source than from you, o false teacher of the first witch?"
"Tsk," Aradia said with annoyance. "No wonder worship of thee remains non-existent. Mayhaps thy previous followers have deemed thee useless. When willst thou understand that hubris is unbecoming of divinity?"
Hearing that the opposing Persona froze. "Come again?"
"Goddesses like thou are the worst. We of the divine were meant to co-exist with humanity, not see ourselves as above them." Aradia said. "No wonder the faith that has long empowered us is vanishing at a rapid speed-"
"... Mock me all you want, false goddess. Your opinion bares no meaning," Minerva said seriously, "However, I will not stand by while you butcher Shakespearean English! What are you even doing?!"
Aradia's faceless expression spread as she shrugged. "Oh that? Why dost thou care? Thou does not even speak it in this manifestation." She tapped her face. "Tongues change, Athena faker, and thou art free to speak it anyway to my taste."
Minerva seemed to show visible anger as she turned her head. "Do what you will, false goddess, if you are going to show such disrespect, then I am done talking with you." she then muttered. "I can't believe the daughter of the great night ended up like that."
"Oh trust me, that old crone is nothing like what she was in the past," the false goddess laughed. "Being a virgin goddess really does suppress one's nature. You should drop that vow too."
That only angered her more and she vanished back to Diana's soul.
Diana rubbed her temples. "I thought I was just mishearing things earlier but apparently I wasn't… Excuse me, but do all your Personas speak like that?"
Akko shrugged, "Oh don't mind Aradia. That's just the way she is," tapping her cheek, thinking. "Hmm… I think we've gone over everything… Let's change topics now."
The shattering of glass was the only warning Akko got before she was tackled by Lilim from behind, blue flames still wafting off her body. "She is the reason we were able to hide your disappearance." she sighed, noticing Diana's disgruntled expression. "Now Lilim! Apologize to Diana for taking her appearance! After that, you're out!"
The succubus' expression changed to one of shock. She immediately flew before Akko, her hands tightly closed as she begged, tears leaking at the corner of her eyes.
"You already did this last time! Those crocodile tears didn't work back then and it won't work now!" Akko crossed her arms. She looked at Diana with remorse and embarrassment. "I am so sorry Diana... it must be ultra-awkward having something like this around…"
"So… you are going to get rid of her?" Diana closed her eyes and pondered, before reopening them. "... Actually, may I request that you keep her around?"
"Ah… WHAT?!"
The Devil Persona turned to Diana, eyes filled with hope at the sight of her savor.
"She can mimic my appearance right? That would mean she can act as my body double." Diana frowned. "I am not going into details right now. Long story short, there will be some... troublesome matters, I will have to deal with in the future and I think she might just be the answer to my problems, so please, can you keep her around until I need her?"
Shifting her gaze between Diana's dignified stance and Lillim's pleading expression, Akko pinched her brow and sighed in defeat. "Ugh fine. I'll keep her around..."
Immediately Lilim's expression changed back to her mischievous grin. She sat crossed legged in the air while staring straight at Diana. Wordlessly, both reached out and shook hands, trading looks of approval.
"Lilim is it? It will be a pleasure working with you from now on…" Diana nodded. "Although please, never take notes for me ever again, are we clear?"
The succubus gave her the OK hand sign and shrugged, seemingly saying: "Hey it's not like I wanted to do it in the first place."
"Remind thou why a Devil Persona is the one interacting with your Priestess?" Aradia commented.
Lilim shattered as Akko moved onto another subject. "Alright, Diana… now let's go over how to control the power of a Persona."
"This power is honestly amazing." Diana admitted, stretching her hand. "My strength, speed and reaction have become superhuman. My increased stamina and thinking speed process information more rapidly. It's comparable to some of the best enhancement magic known to witchcraft history. And unlike all of those, I can't seem to find any drawbacks other than the increased metabolism…" she blushed, remembering how much more food she needed now.
"What's with the blush? Since when is eating food embarrassing?" Akko laughed. "That's right Diana, welcome to having super powers! Amazing right?"
"I suppose it is a blessing, considering the danger I will now have to face…" the ace student nodded.
"Speaking of danger, Diana… do you know how to fight?" the brunette asked curiously.
"... The nobility settled their differences in a duel but-"
Akko gasped. "So you guys played card games!?"
The British girl did a double take. "No. Fencing! Sword duel! Where did that even come from?!"
"Boo… you got my hopes up." Akko grumbled in disappointment.
Diana lightly coughed and began explaining. "Yes well, traditionally the nobility settled their grievances in a friendly fencing match. If it was between witches, we could choose to have a magic duel instead. So that's why, most noble children from a young age are taught the art of fencing. So for your question, Akko-senpai. Yes, I do know how to fight, in fact, I was always the top in my class."
"Ah… so… you want to use a rapier?" Akko asked.
"It is the only weapon I have expertise in, so naturally." the ace student replied, before noticing that Akko was shivering with a few drops of cold sweat. "What's the matter?
"N-Nothing…! Never mind me!" Akko waved off, swallowing hard. "One rapier coming right up!" She then took off her backpack and searched its endless contents.
"Speaking of fighting styles, I am curious, Akko-senpai. What type of martial arts do you study yourself?"
"I took some Wing Chun courses in a gym and studied here and there, but that's about it." the brunette admitted.
"Wing Chun…?" Diana wondered, unfamiliar.
"It's from China! It's actually the style Bruce Lee himself studied!" Akko explained excitedly. She paused her bag diving to show Diana the style's stance. However, even she could guess the brunette probably wasn't going by the book.
"A senpai of mine introduced it to me. She's a huge kung fu fan. I didn't learn past intermediate level though, since it takes a lot of practice. Any proper master could school me in a straight fight," with lightning speed, she punched forward, letting Diana feel the wind the force had generated. "But guess what? They aren't the ones with superpowers! Besides, with how the Cognitive World works, I can just wing it if I believe hard enough." she then grinned cockily, doing some flashy flips and moves, none of which looked practical in a straight fight.
"Wing it…? Believe hard enough…?" Diana questioned. Akko sighed and quickly gave her a description of how the hidden mechanic of this dimension worked. "Is that so? What an unbelievable place this continue to be…"
Finally, Akko managed to find the only three rapiers she had.
"..." Diana looked at her friend with concern. "We need to have a long discussion about having dangerous weapons at school."
"Oh it's fine! I don't take my backpack out of my room unless we're coming here! Not to mention no one would expect me to have something like that!" the brunette rebuked. "When my friend comes back, I'll have him teach everyone to make these bags for themselves!"
Diana turned to the offered rapiers and gave each one a few test swings, before settling on one. The metal was silvery, and seemed to reflect moonlight. She felt a chill dance across her fingers as she wielded it, but it wasn't uncomfortable in the least. It actually felt nice, like a cool autumn breeze. Tiny snowflake patterns were engraved on the blade, and a thin layer of frost coated the guard bottom of the blade. Giving it a few test swings she found it was light as a feather, a few snowflakes trailing behind in an arc as she swung and thrust. "Amazing… Is this an ancient weapon? From the old dwarves perhaps?"
"Nope. My blacksmith is just this amazing~" Akko smirked. "It's funny too, if I remember correctly, he somehow made this from some ice a snowman sold me!"
"A-A snowman?"
"Yeah! Remember what I said about Shadows? Well, yes, almost all the time they will be hostile, butttttttt… exceptions do exist! I should introduce him to you some time!"
Diana just stared at Akko, wondering just what kind bizarre experiences she's had before coming to Luna Nova.
From her backpack, the brunette retrieved some firearms. "My bow broke so I am going to be stuck with guns for a bit again… What type do you want, Diana?"
She looked at them with distaste, "I'll just stick to my wand, thank you very much. I knew more than enough spells to cover my projectiles."
"But… wouldn't you run out of magic?"
"Perhaps, but considering that my battery has a larger capacity than most, that might take a while."
"Hmm…" Akko pondered before an idea hit her, "Oh! I thought of something cool! What about instead of just spells, you use these instead?" reaching into her pack she pulled out a belt of containing nine large, almost dagger like darts. "Use your magic and throw those at Shadows! That's would be so awesome!"
"Is there a reason why my magic wouldn't suffice?" Diana raised an eyebrow.
Akko shrugged. "Just in case some Shadows are resilient to your magic. Better safe than sorry."
"Fine," the ace student took the dart belt.
"OK!" Akko said, sliding on her backpack. "Now the finale! Diana! Please show me your transformation!"
"Transformation…? Are you talking about those costumes you and Sucy had?"
The brunette nodded eagerly. "That's right! Those outfits symbolize your ideal self and you can-"
"AKKO COME QUICK!"
Urgent cries interrupted their talk as Akko and Diana turned their heads toward its direction.
"They've gotten themselves into trouble haven't they?" the ace student sighed. "Let's go, Akko!" She began running, with the brunette following suit.
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"Mapsi!"
Angitia's goggles light up as a dozen rainbow colored orbs bombarded the foes before her, sending a few Bicorns flying through the air. However, before the dust cloud could settle, two more rushed forth and charged directly at the transformed Sucy.
She braced herself and blocked their charge head on, pressing her hands against their heads and locking them in place. Seizing the opportunity, her Persona went in for the kill.
The entire courtyard was in chaos. Amanda and Constanze were fighting off seven murderous horses while another chased Lotte, whom screamed as Wispy pelted it with embers of green fire to keep her safe.
"What's going on here?!" Akko exclaimed. "There's so many of them…!"
"Akko!" Lotte ran to her friend and hid behind her, panting. "A little help please!"
Amanda used her spear to hop over another charging Bicorn, allowing Constanze to blast it with her shotgun. "We were picking a fight with like one or two of them, and then bloom! A freakin hoard came out of nowhere! What the hell's their problem!?" She then helped her teammate dodge a burst of curse magic.
Sucy carved into the side of another, killing it. "It's annoying. But one thing's for sure, I won't run out of Bicorn horns after this, ever."
"Bicorns… to think I would see so many in this lifetime…" Diana muttered with amazement.
"Don't be fooled, Diana. They're just Shadows in different forms," Akko informed her. "Wait this is perfect, Diana! They can be your first battle here! They'll be perfect practice dummies!"
More darkness pooled near them as three more Bicorns emerged. Dragging their hooves, they prepared to charge at them.
Diana readied her rapier. "Understood. Let's do this, Akko-senpai!"
Akko stepped forward and threw a hand out as blue fire rapidly coated her body. "It's simple. Just look deep inside yourself. Follow your heart, Diana! Show the world your ideal self!"
"Minerva…" Diana asked as she mimicked and matched Akko's movements.
"It is as she said," the goddess of wisdom answered. "Dear Diana, just be yourself."
Azure fire burned all over her body.
"DUAL LIGHTS UP!/TRANSFORM!"
As the flames consumed her, her uniform was replaced a one piece tight. Azure fire coiled around her torso, forming into a double layered dress, the mid-section adorned with star shaped buttons. Her skirt was ruffled, the back longer than the front. The chest area was opened, and form fitting long sleeves draped her arms, both connected to rings on her middle fingers. A single thigh high stocking covered her left leg as heeled, knee high boots covered her feet. A cape with the ancient depictions of lay lines draped her shoulders and was secured by a tungsten badge.
Finally a witch's hat, a fusion of her ancestor's own bonnet like hat and Shiny Chariot's, appeared on her head. It was double layered, with frills underneath the brim.
Both transformed witches stood side by side, brandishing their weapons.
"Together we are the inspirers of hearts everywhere! Watch out, vile Shadows! We are the Glittering Starlight Doublet! OUR BELIEVING HEARTS WILL BE THE MAGIC THAT WILL VANQUISH YOU!" Akko declared for the both of them.
"Glittering... Starlight…?" Diana murmured under her breath, very unsure about the new title. "Can we adopt another name entirely?
"Okay, not gonna lie, the double transformation looked pretty sweet." Amanda commented, back stepping as another Bicorn slammed it's hooves in front of her. "But still, shitty names though."
Constanze's eyes were just beaming, seemingly enjoying the spectical.
Sucy cringed and shook her head. "It's getting worse," she muttered.
The Bicorns, their ire now directed at the duo, resumed their charge.
"Show them what you've got Diana!" Akko encouraged.
The honor student nodded before dashing towards the closest enemy.
"Frosa Ropair!"
It was a simple spell that almost every noble witch knew. A long stick of mana extended from her wand, transforming it into an energy rapier. Dual wielding wand and and rapier, Diana rushed to meet the charging Bicorns head on.
During this her cape suddenly shrank, as if it got out her way by becoming a capette. Her tube sleeves did the same and opened, freeing her forearms and draping over her elbows gracefully.
Diana charged forward for a precise strike… passing right between her rushing targets.
The Bicorns would've mocked her… had they not been suddenly thrown helplessly into the air by a delayed burst of magic. Diana then gracefully spun her body, both swords streaking through the air and across the hides of her falling foes.
The British girl banished the blade of energy and stowed her wand, not even bothering to look at the Shadows as they disintegrated.
"Showoff." the red head grumbled. "That's some steep competition. I really need a Persona…"
"That looked so cool, Diana! You are a natural!" Akko cheered alongside Lotte. "You're not the only one with new tricks though!" With a flick of her wrist, she called forth the Hermit arcana. "Come forth Mermaid! Magaru!"
The aquatic Persona sang a single beautiful note, bombarding the Bicorns with a barrage of wind.
Their pained cries echoed through the air as they were flung up high. The sheer power behind the spell sent them crashing into a large pile of tangled limbs and horns.
"Akko, you got another Persona!?" Lotte asked. The Hermit Persona nodded with a smile. "I can't believe it…! You actually summoned a mermaid!"
"You bet!" Akko said proudly before focusing at the remaining Shadows. "Diana, what spells does Minerva have? Can you do us a favor and wipe the rest out?"
"Why aren't we doing an All-out attack?" Amanda questioned.
"There's no point. Besides, Diana needs the practice."
Diana asked her Persona before nodding. "Minerva said she can cast Mafreila, Bufula, Agilao, and Zionga."
"Whoa…" the brunette muttered with surprise. "That's a lot of elemental spells on a single Persona…"
The red head whistled. "That sounds overpowered. Why am I not surprised that Miss Perfect gets something like that?"
"Alright then, Diana! Those Bicorns are weak to lightning. Think you can handle it?" Akko asked.
Angitia dissipated as Sucy stretched her back. "Yeah, you go do that. I am not wasting any more energy." She said as she eagerly gathered her spoils of war.
"Understood. Minerva!" she ordered.
As the Persona manifested behind her, she took off her owl mask. Electricity danced across her body as they formed wings, talons, and feathers around the facewear…
Perched on her left forearm now was an owl made entirely of electricity.
"Go, my familiar. Vanquish those vile darkness of humanity."
Spreading its wings, the majestic avian charged at the Bicorns. Their cries of agony were soon drowned out by roaring thunder. As the surge of electricity faded, nothing remained but charred earth and a few Bicorn horns and bills.
"Uhm…" Diana didn't really know what to say to the sheer power her Persona wielded, nor the looks she was receiving from the other girls. "I-I can't believe it… it's comparable to if not stronger than the more complicated forms of witchcraft. And those can take minutes to cast…"
"This Diana… is the magic of the Gods…" her Persona said as her owl returned, becoming her mask again. "Power wise, modern witchcraft has no hope of competing."
"Fascinating…" the ace student's excitement was at an all-time high. "I-I need to look into this… it could change everything…!"
"How dare you… HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO MY BRETHERN…! I WILL DEVOUR YOU ALL!"
Suddenly, a large pool of liquid darkness swelled in the courtyard. Burning in red aura, a skeletal horse-man rose from its depths, its dead eyes locked onto the group. He wore a blood red kasa hat with fish hooks dangling on the edge. In his hand was seemingly a pincer shaped blade.
"Oh boy…!" Amanda grinned. "We got company!"
"I AM KUMBHANDA! TODAY MY BRETHREN WERE SUPPOSED TO GRAZE IN PEACE! BUT NOW THEY LIE SLAIN BY YOUR HANDS!" he roared with bitter sadness.
"Ahm… sorry?" Akko responded.
"THIS HEINOUS ACT SHALL NOT GO UNPUNISHED. YOU SHALL PAY FOR YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS, IN A POUND OF FLESH AND A GALLON OF BLOOD!" The tall Shadow roared, throwing his weapon out like a boomerang, aiming to decapitate the girls.
Diana immediately cast a spell, a bolt of green magic stopping the weapon in its tracks.
"USELESS!" the Shadow roared. With a wave of his hand, it broke through the spell and the weapon continued along its path.
Amanda slammed her spear into the ground, vaulting over the blade and stopping its trajectory with the shaft of her spear. "Reminds me of that one carnival game…" she thought.
Seeing her foe disarmed, Diana rushed forward brandishing her swords. Akko followed suit, summoning Aradia to cast Sukukaja.
"Shit…! Did I just give my spotlight away…! DAMN IT!" the redhead realized, mentally kicking herself.
"I'm sure you'll get your chance…" Lotte comforted. "Constanze and I still need to get ours too…"
The Tinker merely shrugged.
"WHAT ARE THOSE TOOTHPICKS GOING TO DO!?" the Shadow mocked, swiping his hand across the air, sending a wave of heat at the attacking girls.
"Vetala! Venom Zapper!" Akko commanded, as the elephant preta sent out his own attack, causing an explosion of dust as they collided.
Using her free surprise, Diana rushed through the cloud and slashed at the large Shadow, landing a dozen precise slashes and stabs on his body and forcing Kumbhanda to defend from her onslaught.
"IS THAT ALL HUMAN!" Kumbhanda mocked, twirling his body to kick Diana. An attack she easily dodged thanks to Akko's support spell.
The Shadow attempted to cast Heat Wave once more, but was stopped by a layer of frost forming where Diana had cut. "WHAT!?"
"Such a powerful ice enchantment… I never expected this…" the British girl eyed her weapon with a smile before returning her gaze to her foe. She threw her blade at Kumbhanda's leg, it lightly nipped him before she used magic to return it to her. Frost quickly spread from his wound and locked down his feet.
"NO!" the horse demon neighed in anger.
"He's under the effect of the elements…" Minerva's voice advised. "Let's show him the power of our Nuclear spells! It effects are best seen under such conditions!"
"Truly? How so?" Diana asked curiously.
"Best see for yourself child, fufu."
"All right then. Minerva. Mafreila!"
With the shattering of glass and a burst of blue flame, the Persona manifested and raised her spear turned staff high. The inside of her dress were ignited with azure fire like a furnace, resulting in an updraft that lifted her skirt open. Countless blue embers flickered into the air as an orb of bright, cyan energy formed above her, filling the air with warmth.
"YOU THINK YOU'VE WON!" Kumbhanda roared, his eyes flashing red. "I SHALL DRAIN THE BLOOD FROM YOUR VEINS AND THE MARROW FROM YOUR BONES!" flame exploded all around his body, breaking his icy binds.
"Oh… that's unfortunate, it's not going to hit as hard..." Minverva sighed. "But no matter, return to the sea whence you came, vile creature."
Kumbhanda exhaled a stream of flame as the orb approached, a futile attempt to avoid the inevitable. The orb easily overpowered his own spell and engulfed him. His screams echoed across the courtyard as he was incinerated.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH…. I WILL REMEMBER THIS!"
As his final words faded into silence, the nuclear fire dwindled, leaving nothing but a crater and a carbon stain where the Shadow once stood.
Diana panted as she slumped onto her knees. Wiping a bit of sweat from her brow, she took a glance at the crater. "My… That was a bit more… taxing than I had expected…" Taking a moment to compose herself, she continued, "I'll remember to use that sparingly."
"God damn, you're scary…" the redhead muttered. "She's not just powerful, she's freaking busted."
"Busted? Yeah right. From how she fought, I'd say she's a 'hit fast and hard' kind of girl." Sucy commented, a bundle of horns in her arms. "Look at her, she could barely stand. Her Persona probably has paper-thin defenses considering how she never let those Shadows come close to touching her. A sort of glass cannon, if you will."
Minerva sighed, "She's not wrong. It's something to keep an eye on." With that she faded away.
"Glass cannon huh…" Akko pondered. "Gotcha. I'll be sure to watch your back. Either way, amazing first fight, Diana! The way you got the hang of everything was awesome!" she said, offering the girl a soda.
"Thank you, Akko-senpai. But I don't drink processed sugar… do you have water or better yet, tea?"
"Ahm… I've got bottled green tea. Is that fine?"
Lotte smelled as she watched the conversation. Out of the corner of her vision though, she spotted Amanda with a sour look on her face. "Something the matter?"
"Nothing… just annoyed at myself…" she sighed. "I just... I wish I did more."
"What do you mean…? You did so much, Amanda. You gave Diana an opening. If you hadn't, I don't think that would've gone so smoothly." Lotte reasoned. "You've done a lot already Amanda. Diana wouldn't even be here today if you hadn't offered to help us."
"Yeah yeah… I know…" the redhead sighed. "It's just… I don't like feeling like I am lagging behind."
"Well if it makes you feel any better, I'm even further behind than you," Lotte said. "I can't even fight. Wispy has to do it for me—" At the mention of her name, the Will-o-wisp nuzzled against Lotte's cheek. "—I constantly have to be protected. Sucy almost got killed saving me remember?"
"Hey… don't talk yourself down like that. Ok?" Amanda reassured. "You're the one who talked down her Shadow and saved our asses, remember? And besides, once we get Personas I'm sure that'll change-"
"Even then I'm not so sure about that." Lotte placed a hand on her chest. "I don't think I'd be able to fight even if I had a Persona. I just don't have the heart for it." Looking back at the rest of the group, she saw Diana attempting to suppress laughter, Akko pouting, and a smug grin on Sucy's face. "So I hope when I get my Persona, I get a supportive one. Something to shield and heal, rather than to hurt."
"Huh… Yesterday Akko said something about a "scan type" to check on Jasminka. She wasn't too clear about it, but maybe yours will be one of those."
"We'll see, Amanda…" Lotte laughed. "If I do get a combat one, however, maybe you can train me?"
Amanda grinned at the thought. Wrapping an arm around the shorter girl, she said, "You asked the right girl! You bet your ass I will!"
The duo turned to find Constanze watching their exchange, and after a few seconds, she smiled and gave them a thumbs up.
"What the heck is that supposed to mean, Constanze!?"
"Answer: Constanze is happy you are finding new friends," the small robot replied.
Sucy walked up to Akko and shoved a bundle of packed up horns into her cape. "Are you sure you don't want to keep the money?" she asked, flicking through a stack of 20 euro notes.
"Yeah, share it with everyone Sucy," Akko shrugged and turned to her team. "Anyway guys, looks like Diana's gotten the hang of her powers," Pulling a Goho-M from her pocket, she pointed at the building. "Now let's map this place out!"
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A loud, haunting growl echoed inside Amanda's room, as if millions of people all at once begged and pleaded for something, anything to eat.
"Проснись... Проснись… Я должен кормить... Ради них…!"
Jasminka's eyes snapped open. Rolling out of her bed, her head mechanically turned to the window, her eyes focusing at the distant forest as her body made a swift exit.
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"Amazing…" Diana muttered as they appeared inside the safe room. "And you said you can travel anywhere in this world with that item?"
"Yep!" Akko proudly answered. "You guys haven't seen anything yet. We've still got a lot of places to go. But that'll have to wait for another time~"
The girls opened the door, ready to begin their survey... only to find a large red aura Shadow on the right side of them.
"You… YOU AGAIN?!" The Shadow roared as it burst into the familiar form of Skogsra.
"Ew... Is that a streaker?" Amanda gawked. "Put some clothes on!"
"That's our line," Akko said, tensing up in preparation. "Why are you camping by our room again?"
"No matter!" The face of the plant woman said, her eyes glowing red. "I shall have my revenge-"
"Minerva." Diana stepped forward with her sword as her Persona manifested, immediately calling forth her owl, this time made entirely of blazing fire.
An awkward silence lingered for a few seconds before Skogsra screamed in absolute terror. "G-Get away from me!"
The group watched in a stupor as the Shadow dropped to her butt and frantically kicked away from Minerva. "I-I give up! I give up! Don't burn me again! PLEASE!"
"Huh… She remembered. That makes this easy~" Sucy mused. "Let's see. How about a repeat of last time, what do you say~?"
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" the Shadow screamed again, her red aura evaporating as she begged. "PLEASE! HAVE MERCY! LEAVE ME BE!"
Lotte tugged Sucy's sleeve, stopping her. "Maybe we should just let her go..." she looked at Skogsra's wailing form with pity. "I know she's a Shadow and everything but... just look at her."
Akko eyed at the Shadow, a thought forming in her head. "Actually," her lips form into a grin, "I've got a better idea."
The girls eyed their leader in confusion as she approached the scared Shadow.
"Akko," Lotte began, "what are you do-"
"Don't worry, just watch me~"
Crouching down so that she was eye level with the Shadow, Akko gave a friendly smile. "Hi there."
The Shadow, caught off guard by the sudden kindness from her enemy, locked eyes with Akko, her suspicion of the girl quite evident. "W-what do you want! I'll not be subject to that torture again!"
"No one is going to hurt you. I just want to talk," she comforted.
"T-talk? Why would I want to talk to the likes of you!" she huffed before adding, "Besides, what would we even talk about?"
"Hehe~ Why don't we talk about you yourself?" Akko suggested.
"Me? Funny, when I try to remember things about myself, it comes all fuzzy..." the Shadow mused, but then turned into confusion. "I-I was called here by those feelings... and... and... what was my purpose again?"
Then, surprising the rest of the group, Akko extended her hand. "How about you come with me then? If you do I'm sure you'll remember yourself!" she requested.
Hesitantly, Skogsra took hold of the girl's smaller hand. Simultaneously, both Akko and her had a small blue flame igniting on their chest where their heart would be. The brunette gently helped her to her feet as the red glow in the Shadow's eyes vanished. "This feeling… That's right… I remember now…!"
The small blue flame spread, engulfing the Shadow and bathing the area in ethereal blue light. The rest of the group was on edge, ready for a fight before Skogsra suddenly kneeled.
"Thank you, child. You have awakened me from the feelings that had called me to this place. I remember now... I am thou, thou art I. From the sea of thy soul I come. I am Skogsra of the Moon arcana. Your rifle from now on shall receive my blessing..."
With a fulfilled expression, the Shadow faded into the fire as it condensed in to a tarot card; the Moon. Without a moment of pause it flew straight into Akko's chest, and the girl welcomed it wholeheartedly.
Akko turned her shocked friends, a wide grin splitting her face. "I got a new Persona~!"
Sucy sighed, "I kinda wish you killed her instead. The stuff she dropped was pretty good. Anyway, what's the nature and IV?"
"Eh...?" Akko was confused. "What are you talking about, Sucy?"
"Casual." Sucy deadpanned.
Constanze waved to the gloomy witch, beckoning her over.
"Creator requests your friend code," Stanbot#1 stated.
This surprisingly put a smile on the gloomy witch's face. "I'm starting to like you."
"So that's how you get your other Personas…" Diana muttered to herself. "Would I be able to…"
"Unfortunately not, dear Diana…" Minerva voice answered. "Only a Wild Card has the ability to possess multiple Personas."
"Oh, so Akko is…"
"Do not be discouraged. Wild Cards trade power for versatility. Their main Personas are often weak and difficult to make more powerful while normal Persona users can specialize."
"I see." Diana mused, "Then let's do our best to make sure we do not fall behind, Minerva."
"That being said. Let's give her a test run!" Akko gleefully summoned her new Persona.
Skogsra returned, her form relatively the same save for the shorter height and softer, less murderous facial expression and gestures. Akko was shocked to find herself being picked up and snuggled like a stuffed toy, her new Persona having a loving smile as she leaned in to kiss her summoner.
"Wait what!?" Akko exclaimed, doing her best to hold back the plant woman's advances. "YOU KIDDING ME! WHY?!"
Sucy shrugged. "Well according to ancient legends and the wiki, Skogsra is a Celtic spirit, similar to a succubi. They lure men into the forest for a little late night fun, and have a tendency to get married to farm boys. Why she's being all lovey dovey with you, I've got no clue."
Lotte was beat red. "It just keeps happening…"
"Dude. Something just hit me." Amanda realized. "Persona are like, how you really feel on the inside right?" she reasoned. "And you have two female Personas trying to get in your pants... It makes you think, doesn't it Akko?"
"W-what!?" Akko screamed, her face practically glowing red. "Nonononono Amanda, come on! Really?" Akko chided as she pushed the disappointed Skogsra away, dismissing the Persona in a puff of fire. "There's no way that's the case! I don't have a single perverted thought in my body!"
"Sure you don't..." the red head narrowed her eyes. No one bought the brunette's answer.
Inside her soul, Lilim was biting her nails as she argued with her latest rival. Skogsra laughed with a sly grin, taunting the succubus for even considering a rivalry in the first place, because clearly the trigger to Mistress Atsuko's rifle was already hers~
"Ahaha…" Aradia chuckled. "You walk such an interesting path, my Shining Star…"
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Near the Tree of Heart a puddle of darkness bubbled as Kumbhanda, his body littered with burns, struggled to claw his way out.
"D-DAMN THOSE WITCHES…!" the horse demon growled with vengeance. "THEY WILL PAY FOR THIS!"
He glared into the trees hollow as he sniffed the air. "THAT SCENT! HUMANS! I SMELL THE PHYSICAL WORLD! THEY WILL ALL PAY FOR THEIR TRANSGRESSIONS. TONIGHT I FEAST!" A toothy grin split his face as drool seeped from his ravenous maw, ready to tear into all he found. Just as he was about to enter the stump's hollow, a pink tentacle sprang from the hollow's depths. He screamed as the appendage wrapped around his ankle and picked him up with ease. He was dangled upside-down like a piece of meat as the pink monstrosity forced itself into his world.
"Вы голодны?" the massive predator gurgled, its hungry white eyes trained on the Shadow, studying him. "Но только я могу пировать."
Kumbhanda neighed one last time as the tentacle flung him into the creature's gaping maw, and for a few seconds that seemed like hours to him, he felt his bones shatter and his flesh tear. Then he felt nothing at all.
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"How dare you ignore me! I am-!"
The Shadow didn't even get the chance to manifest before Aradia lazily annihilated it with a beam of darkness.
"Just more grunts?" Akko muttered to herself. "Looks like we won't be finding any more strong Shadows today."
"This is the entire Western Dormitory." Lotte noted, lightly yawning. "Well I think now is a good stopping point, don't you think? I don't think Diana can take much more."
The honors student was visibly tired, but was doing everything she could to not outright show it. "Lotte's right," she breathed. "I am afraid I have… reached my limit." With a heavy sigh, her transformation sputtered and faded.
"For someone so smart you sure don't know how to fight conservatively." Sucy chided.
"Dude, you have no right to talk!" Amanda complained. "You did nothing but pick up drops!"
"You guys killed everything with one hit. I didn't see a point of jumping in when you obviously had it handled." the gloomy witch retorted. "Besides, aren't you the one that's always complaining that you never get a part of the action? Now you complain that you're getting too much action. Make up your mind."
"Anyway!" Akko interrupted. "Lotte's right! Let's call it a day. I don't think anyone wants to miss dinner right?
"Mana reserves under 10%, switching to power saving." With that, Stanbot#1 shifted back into a box. Constanze picked up the small bot and nodded at Akko.
Having come to a consensus, Akko summoned Pixie and the gang quickly found themselves at the entrance.
Yet upon arrival, they found themselves in a scene of utter carnage. The ground was cracked and riddled with craters, the pained groans of Shadows filling the air.
"W-What's happened?!" Lotte gasped with fear.
A Shadow, an injured Cu Sith with one ear missing, ran toward the group in utter terror. "H-HELP M-"
He never got to finish his sentence as a pink tentacle speared through his neck. The gang watched as the massive pink blob made its appearance while casually tossing the dead Shadow into its maw.
"J-Jasminka?!" Amanda yelled. "W-What. How!? The Persona users readied themselves, summoning their respective tarot cards.
The blob that was once their Jasmanika glared at them like a vicious starved beast. Unleashing a loud roar of hunger, it rushed toward them, its sharp tentacles ready to lash out and spear them.
Before the girls could engage the beast, Constanze rushed placed herself between them and the charging beast with her arms spread wide, rapidly shaking her head.
"What are you doing!? Constanze get out of the way!" Akko yelled.
The tinker's only response was a confident smile and a thumbs up. She slowly walked towards the beast, a pacifying smile on her face as she did. She stopped in front of the beast, not even five feet away. The tentacles lashed out, aimed to impale the delectable morsel placed in front of them. Constanze grit her teeth and closed her eyes, her smile did not waver.
"NO… STOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPP!"
A second passed, and Constanze opened a single eye to see a tentacle stopped just in front of her face. The beast trembled and groaned in pain, clutching its head as Jasmanika struggled to regain control.
"G-Get away from me, hurry!" she screamed
"J-Jas?!" Amanda called out again, "What the hell is going on?!"
"Please just run! I can't control it!" Jasmanika warned. "It promised me it wouldn't go after people but…" The beast howled as it struggled for dominance, trying to force control away from Jasmanika. "Just get away from here! I can't hold it back much longer!"
"Shit! Don't give up! We'll-" her worried teammates attempted to get closer, but were forced to back away as a tentacle slammed into the ground in front of them. "Damn it!"
"Amanda, Constanze! Leave it to me!" the Priestess arcana appeared in Akko's hand as she rushed forward. "Silky! Use Dormina! Put as much power in it as you can!"
The maid spirit deeply inhaled and held it before blowing out a storm of white bubbles. The bubbles foamed against the creature's gelatinous mass, covering it from top to bottom in sleep inducing magic.
"aййййййййййййййййййййййййййййййййййййййй…!"
The beast struggled and screamed before slowing and going quiet, its limp form quickly slumping over and dissipating into pink mist. All that remained was the Russian girl still in her pajamas.
"Jas!" Amanda called as she and Constanze rushed to her side. "Hey! Are you alright?!
"Huh…" Jasmanika blearily blinked her eyes open, smiling at her friends as she weakly nodded. "It's fallen asleep… for now at least…"
Everyone sighed in relief.
"Jasminka Antonenko," Diana declared as she stepped forward. "Would you please explain to everyone here just what exactly you are?"
"Hey, back off!" Amanda yelled, going face to face with Diana. "What that hell is with that attitude-"
"Miss O'neil I am trying to make sense of the situation here," Diana answered in a calm, dry tone. "For our sake, for Luna Nova's sake, I need to make sure Miss Antoneko will not be a threat."
"Amanda…" Jasminka got up and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, calming her. "It's alright, I think it's better if everyone know…"
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Constanze and Amanda had never seen Jasminka act so serious before. From the moment they met she'd always been a loveable airhead that really liked her food. She was reliable when something needed a bit of muscle to get done and when it came to finding a good place to eat, but not much else.
The group said nothing as they left the Cognitive world and made their way to Amanda and her team's dorm. Jasminka had asked them to withhold their questions until they were in a more secluded setting, a request the rest of the group had obliged to. When they arrived and Jasminka began to tell her tale, the ditzy, airheaded girl was long gone, replaced by someone whose eyes had seen too much.
"It all happened ten years ago." Jasminka explained, curled up in her sheets. "I… I was playing by a forest… I don't remember the exact details but I think there was something wet, and I slipped… and rolled off a steep hill." Her hand brushed against the nape of her neck. "There was a sharp pain… and I blacked out. When I woke up, I couldn't move. It was like I was…detached from the rest of my body"
The rest of the group leaned in, listening intently to the girl's story.
Jasminka shivered as she recalled the event. "I think I was only down there for a day at most, but it was dark and cold and wet and I was so scared. My parents worked long hours as cooks, so they couldn't have known I was down there." Her voice began to tremble as she continued." I yelled and screamed as loud as I could for hours, hoping that someone would come find me. Nobody came, and after a while, my throat went dry and my voice was hoarse from all the yelling, and I was just so hungry. It was unbearable..."
"Since you are still here telling this story, I can guess the rest." Sucy said. "It came to help you didn't it?"
"Yeah… there was this voice. It sounded close but far away, all around me but at the same time in my head. It asked me if I was hungry, and I answered yes. It told me that it would help me, but in return I would need to help it. There was this…flash of pink light and the next thing I knew I was crawling my way home."
After a brief pause, Amanda spoke up. "Holy shit… Jas, I don't know what to say." Putting a hand on Jasminka's shoulder, Amanda continued. "One thing's for sure though. That "thing" is dangerous!"
"Oh no! Normally it's very well behaved. It only acts like that if I don't get enough to eat or something dangerous is attacking me…"
"I don't know…" Akko pondered. "The way it just came out of nowhere seems pretty suspicious to me."
"Does "it" have a name?" Sucy asked. "Maybe if we knew what it was we could come up with a way to deal with it."
"I don't know how to say its name in English… but it called itself Голодомора in Russian." Jasminka answered.
Aradia, Angitia, and Minerva all raised an eyebrow. "Is that so…?"
"Miss. Antonenko..." Diana interrogated. "Why didn't you tell anyone about this?!"
The girl hummed innocently, tiling her head. "Should I have?"
"There it is, classic Jas." Amanda lightly chuckled.
"Yes!" Diana replied in anger. "While a food shortage isn't something to be concerned about, there are a number of things that witches in training do that could be potentially dangerous. Any one of these could've set you off on a rampage and caused untold damage to the school and its populace! By not informing the administration, you are putting people in incredible danger!"
"I… I…" Jasminka frowned.
"Hey, stop hounding her already!" Amanda shouted. "What's done is done. Quit pretending the school would've done anything about it given what they're dealing with. At worst they would've just expelled her out of fear."
Diana let out a heavy sigh. "As much as I hate to admit it, you do have a point." She turned to Jasminka. "At least now we know, and we promise you we'll do our best to keep an eye on you."
"Thanks…" Jasminka said somberly. "I'm sorry for all the trouble it caused…"
"Well, I wouldn't call it trouble." Lotte smiled. "You may not know the full story… but your friend actually saved us by going on a rampage."
"By the way Jas, what do Shadows taste like?" Amanda asked with morbid curiosity.
"Shadows?"
"You know, the monsters that you ate!"
"I thought those were all candies," she said confused. "That's what it told me. It said 'The tree is full of sweets'." She licked her lips. "They were all sweet, and a few taste like fatty ham!"
Watching the chubby girl reminisce about eating Shadows while licking her lips sent chills down the rest of the girls' spines.
"Ok… forget I asked." Amanda sighed. "Let go eat dinner before that train of thought kills my appetite..."
"You go on ahead." Jasminka surprisingly said. "I'm actually full. Those sweets were really filling."
"Seriously Jas?" the redhead sighed in disbelief.
"But I am full." She reiterated. "Besides, I've got to catch up on some reading."
As the group left the room with a series of "byes" and "see ya laters", Jasminka dug up an old cook book, and began flipping through the various recipes and pictures.
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"That explains why it's an Embodiment of Death." Angitia spoke though Sucy. "Not surprising that such a terrible tragedy would produce something like this."
"Голодомора… as in the famine Holodomor. Good god… what a horrible moment in history," Diana recalled with disgust. "The great Russian witch family, the Yaga, tried helping the survivors, but ended up having to flee the country."
"But would it endanger Jasminka…?" Akko asked, worried.
"Akko, not all Embodiments of Deaths seek conflict," Aradia replied. "Death is neutral to all, and can manifest in many different ways."
"I think it's already doing that…" Sucy said. "Isn't that right, Amanda and Constanze? Clearly, both of you noticed something."
"Yeah…" both girls nodded. "It's like Jas got …sharper all of a sudden. It felt weird seeing her not being an airhead and eating chips 24/7…"
"Hmm. I wonder what that thing is doing to keep her so docile. Hypnosis? Perhaps some form of mind altering drug?" the gloomy witch hypothesized, earning shocked looks. "I can't know for sure what it is, but clearly that thing is manipulating her. She'll probably go back to being an airhead when Dormina wears off tomorrow, mark my words."
"You gotta be shitting me..." Amanda grumbled. "So the girl I thought I knew since elementary school wasn't all there the entire time!? This has to be some sick joke!"
Constanze frowned, sharing the sentiment.
"Well on the bright side Amanda, at least we found out," Akko comforted. "We can do something about it and help Jasminka return to her real self!"
Amanda and Constanze nodded with determination. "You're right. We're not just gonna let some demon use our friend like a damn puppet!"
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Ursula turned from her paperwork just as a white crow flew though her window. With a flash of light, Shiny Chariot dropped down onto the couch with a sigh.
"Why so early?" the young teacher asked with worry.
"They don't need me..." her Shadow sulked, one hand petting Alcor. "She's already so experienced. If anything the Shadows here should run for their lives instead..."
"Oh... that's good to know." the young teacher breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright, since you don't have anything else to do... how about helping me with this?"
The Shadow of the former performer let out another tired groan.
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Akko's Personas:
Mermaid (Hermit)
Null: Ice
Weakness: Fire
Skills: Bufula, Lullaby, Magaru, Wind Wall, *Eternal Rest, Spirit Drain, Recarm
Profile: Half-woman, half-fish inhabitant of the ocean. Mermaids are regarded as unlucky omens by many fishermen, often foretelling severe storms or poor catches. Legend says they use their voices to charm men, causing them to crash their ships.
*Eternal Rest: Instant kill sleeping targets, including allies. Almighty. Heavy SP use.
[]
Skogsra (Moon)
Null: Gun
Resistance: Wind, Curse
Weakness: Fire
Skills: Eiga, Dream Needle, Rebellion, Spirit Drain, Garula
Profile: Beautiful wood faeries of Swedish folklore. They are said to resemble beautiful women from the front, but their backs are covered in bark. They are known to blow on huntsmen's rifles to bless them, as well as protect campfires while travelers sleep. They yearn for the company of a man, but those who see their backs flee in terror.
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Fusion Materials:
Incubus (Devil)
Resist: Electric
Weakness: Gun, Bless
Skills: Life Drain, Evil Touch, Eiha
Profile: A male demon of European lore in medieval times. They visit sleeping women and have sexual intercourse with them; the resulting children become witches.
[]
Nigi Mitama (Temperance)
Null: Wind
Resist: Bless, Curse
Weakness: Electric
Skills: Media, Recarm, Me Patra
Profile: One of the four aspects of Shinto thought, it works gently to help maintain a calm mind. It is said to aid in one's relations and sociability, and can lead one in a positive direction.
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Enemy Shadows:
Kumbhanda (Hunger)
Null: Fire
Resistance: Curse
Weakness: Wind
Skills: Agilao, Fire Boost, Null Electric, Mudoon, Null Charm, Heat Wave
Profile: A demon of Buddhist lore, said to drain human life energy. It has dark skin and stands three meters tall, but sometimes changes shape to a gourd.
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Daidara Metalworks Special:
Frost Hero Rapier: A rapier spoken of amongst spirits of ice. A weapon of justice that allows an ace to topple even the greatest of oppression. Triggers target's Ice weakness, mid chance to inflict Freeze.
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Обжорство потребляется
6,987,574
v
6,949,456
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AuthorNCS: A cannibalistic Kumbhanda... Is that you, Jailer?
You watch Dubs, Constanze...? You are not favorite character anymore./s
Monty Oum... Your will shall continue to exist though references.
Sorry if you got a bit confuse reading Minerva, we resigned her and haven't edited the previous CH. We will do that later.
Pretty much, Diana's your "Magic Nuker". Also the type of character that separate the pros from the n00bs. Annihilate stuff when used right, and first one to go down when used wrong. So remember to treat her well!
One of the missed opportunity in Persona 5's combat system was how crap that Nuclear spell gimmick was. Now this is how you do it, ATLUS! Take note!
Akko's Persona section is going to interesting places...
Jasminka was so flat in canon... I am glad she had that hunger demon thing going on, otherwise it would've been so hard to make her meaningful in the story...
This chapter was hell for my beta. It existed at the wrong time and suffered massive delays due to scheduling issues. Please give a round of applause for his sacrifice and pain. Please, also forgive us if there are more mistakes then usual, we just want this out ASAP.
This chapter is this long is because the next one is not chapter at all... Me and Cousin was going to take March off to finally complete another project we had been planning... but it's not going to happen now, oh well... SSL hell later this month, I guess.
So... I am now going to shamelessly shill Patre on even more heavily... Because our goal this year is to at least make doing this "doujin business" worthwhile to some degree... Creativity don't come cheap... So see'ya all next time.
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Want to see more LWA contents where we picked up where TRIGGER left off?
Come support us at patr eon / Artist741and741AuthorNCS!
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PLEASE!
AT LEAST RAISE IT TO THE POINT WHERE WE COULD PAY 1/10TH OF OUR ELECTRICITY BILL! T_T