Persona: Duality

by Sraosha

Amara Furaha is an aspiring artist living in the idyllic metropolis of New Motus City. One day, she is stranded in another world, and is attacked by unholy creatures - the Shadows. She, along with many others, will begin a journey to eliminate them and put a stop to the organisation that has jeopardised the safety of her beloved city. Yet, she must also try to live a normal life.

98. Unending Reality

AN: And here it is. The second half of the final battle. And we're approaching the three year anniversary. This was a great battle for me to write, as it allowed me to include everyone. Soon, it will all be over. Please read, review, favourite and follow, and if you've stuck with this story from the beginning, thank you very much. Apologies in advance for the length, but at least it wasn't another Chapter 72. I'm not that evil. :P

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Chapter 98: Unending Reality

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|Other World – New Motus City – Kanaloa Abyss|End of Time|

While the populace of this city were used to confusion and chaos, they had never anticipated this. Their cage had become a vortex, made up of the energy of Shadows. Their sky, the last sign of normality for many, had been replaced with one of surreality. To make matters worse, the ground was subjected to constant tremors. The Divine Spark craters were completely covered with an unearthly purple light, its effects forcing many to evacuate to safer areas.

Worst of all, however, was the giant crater where the Aeternus HQ had been. Some reported that the sheet metal fence surrounding it had fallen, after a giant bus broke through it. Yet now there was simply nothing there but a crater. Now the Ornatu Legion were here, in an attempt to assess this crisis.

"I saw it from Saragel. The entire place just sank into the earth, like water down the sink." Esther said, arms folded.

"We're in deep shit..." Daryl said, kneeling down. "The Commander was in there! The Holy Cross and the Last Soldiers, too! And the other rebels! We're screwed!"

"What the hell is going on?!" Emma screamed. "If they beat Nihane, why isn't everything back to normal? It's just gotten way worse! And the civilians are even more scared...without a single Shadow outside!"

"This may be it." Atiqah said. "Our Persona abilities aren't good for anything other than fighting. How are we supposed to keep the peace, when no one remembers the meaning of the word?"

"Guys..." Steven said. "We don't know anything. But we're all still here. Doesn't that mean it's not over just yet?"

"What are you talking about?" Adam said. "Look at the sky! The huge metal fence is now a purple vortex of some kind! We're screwed! I...I can't take this anymore!" He began to ran towards the crater, but something grabbed his wrist. "Let me go!"

"Asshole!" Cuiling yelled. She slapped him, and he fell on his bottom. "You call yourself a soldier!?"

"I...I never wanted this...I just wanted to go to a normal school, and get on with my life...not be drafted! But..." Adam whimpered.

"It doesn't matter what you wanted!" Bruce yelled. "Listen up, you wuss. You're with us. Our job is to save this city, not kill ourselves when things don't go the way we planned!"

"Yes, exactly." Sheila said. "Do you realise how many of us had to die before today? Some of our dearest comrades sacrificed themselves just to protect the people in the homes around you. So that there would never be another Kanaloa."

"Miharu didn't die so you could throw yourself into the abyss!" Emma wailed, hysterical. "I...I need to do my best, for Alastair! I know he doesn't even notice me, he probably doesn't even like me, and I bet he'd hate my potato stew, but...it's my duty to support him!"

"Adam. Maybe you're right. It's possible that we're all doomed." Catherine said. "Yet...we all said that at first. When the Shadows came right out of nowhere, and Aeternus took control and sealed us in here...I couldn't bear it. I might never get on that plane out of here to home. But...it's worth hoping for. You said you've got family in Europe, right?"

"Sisters in Finland and Poland..." Adam said, getting up. "They've probably forgotten all about me..."

"Do you really believe that? Or are you just saying that to make life easier for you?" Raymond said. "Get with it, Adam. You want to see them more than anything."

Adam was quiet for a minute. Then, he nodded, fighting back tears.

"I...I'm sorrry, I..."

"We're all on edge." Vincent said. "But...we're got each other. Let's do our bit to stave off the end of the world. Okay?"

"Yes." Adam said. "Let's spread out. Even if there aren't any Shadows, we must be careful...now more than ever."

"Now that's more like it. Let's roll. For the sake of those who may still be fighting somewhere." Sidney said.

"Somewhere...maybe down there." Sanjana said. Without turning back, the Ornatu Legion ran off, to tend to the concerned public. Time itself seemed to have stopped, but humanity was still here. For now.

|Ater Peractorum – Ameretat|

"Dammit! Why can't Janus fucking die?" Blaine growled. "It feels like I've been shooting at the damn thing forever!"

"It's definitely weaker..." Serena said. "You can see signs of damage. Cracks, burns, the lot! Keep this up!"

"Indeed. It is imperative that we keep fighting!" Nathan said. "Take this!" He leapt forward, slamming Janus with his weapon. A red wave was coming, but he had gotten a feel for the timing. He leapt back nimbly, using his staff to balance himself.

"Not bad, Nathan." Amara said. She saw a bomb next to herself, and grinned. Isis also smiled, and gave it a running kick at Janus's heads. It exploded, resulting in torturous screams. More would come, from the fierce casting of Tefnut's Raze. "BURN!"

"Liath Macha!" Nathan cried. Cu Chulainn's mighty airborne spear hit the giant door, leaving another brutal scar. "You will not judge us, Janus. No...You alone shall be judged!"

"You heard him, Janus." Blaine said, proudly. "When you piss off my boy Nathan, you're going straight to hell. Because the two of us together will take you apart! And there's not going to be anything left by the time we're done! Stormy Ascent!"

Dark, rumbling clouds appeared above Janus. Yet it would not be rain that was released. It was thunder and lighting, stronger and brighter than before. It smashed onto Janus, electrocuting every square inch of its body, causing many loud bangs.

"Yes! He's – she's – they're going down!" Amara yelled.

Now, however, Janus was infuriated beyond all words. In its rage, it finally invoked a familiar – and devastating – art. Judgement – now presented as Duality ~ Ultimo Judicio.

The two statues atop Janus, staring devoutly at each other, stretched out their hands, until their fingers touched. From their eyes, they fired white lasers at each other. As before, the point of collision flashed intensely, almost like the sun. Soon, an enormous orb of blue and white light was formed, and it flew down to the team – and expanded, bombarding them with its tremendous strength.

"ARGH!" Amara screamed. Every inch of her body was under siege. How could she hope to survive now? She was lucky to still be alive after that move. If Janus decided to bet on it as its key to victory, the team were done for.

"No..." Serena moaned. "I can't..."

"Argh!" Nathan yelped, clutching his leg.

"Shit..." Blaine muttered. "My head is killing me..."

Mercifully, Janus did not launch into another attack. Rather, it sought to remove the various effects ailing itself. With the soothing white glimmer of Peace ~ Vera Puritas, all of those were banished. Furthermore, there seemed to be some else. A new effect it could use to reap victory.

"Come on!" Amara yelled. "We've got to keep going!"

Please, don't let my words become empty...!

|Spenta Armaita|

"Damn!" Other Amara said, looking over at her other self. "She's hurt...all of them are!"

"I wish I could help, but I think we have plenty to worry about as it is!" Serena said. "Ah!" Frantically, she ran away from an exploding bomb. "If only I could put in an Action Replay code and give myself Max HP..."

"That wouldn't be very honourable, would it?" Nathan asked. "As hard as it is to bear Janus's onslaught, it must be done by our own merit!"

"...Yeah. I getcha." Serena said. "This is where it counts. I fight as who I am! This is no game, Janus. So let's not toy with each other! Moonstone Wave!"

A sparkling white wave crashed into Janus, covering its entire form. Likewise, the radiance of the waves scattered over the team, giving back a lot of energy.

"Alright, good work." Amara said. "Nepthys...you can do it. Danger Zone!"

The godly Persona, using her sword, created a mammoth red cage around Janus. From within, there was a blinding succession of flashes, until this prison broke apart like glass. The fragments shattered further as they landed, leaving a pile of blood-like crystal.

"A worthy attack for a worthy opponent!" Nathan said, in awe. "Amara, soon we can be free from our destiny...we can move on in a normal world! Piece by piece, we'll build up our lives."

"Yeah. I want that more than anything else..." Amara said. "A chance to make my dad proud without having to cut them up or burn them to ashes. I don't want Rudo Furaha's daughter to die a fighter...from tomorrow, it'll be a paintbrush in my hand!"

"Awesome. I want to get rid of this fucking gun too." Blaine said, glaring at his pistol. "But why let these bullets go to waste?" Smirking, he fired many rounds at Janus, leaving bullet holes – although they were closer to dents. "You're going to be the last thing I crush into dust, Janus! Punishment!"

Quetzalcoatl, holding out his hammer with two hands, began to rapidly spin. Before long, he had gathered up plenty of momentum. He let go, and the massive hammer flew from his hands, onto the top of Janus. It's impact echoed loudly, shaking the ground, and leaving cracks all over Janus and the battlefield.

"I'm glad it's Janus you're punishing, not me..." Nathan said, slightly disturbed.

"Ah, scared of me, are ya?" Blaine said, with a hearty smile, as he thumped his chest. "You're one of my bros now. Same with you ladies. Well, maybe more sis than bro." Amara and Serena laughed, but their delighted faces could not hide their true feelings. They were touched to be part of this group, the one privileged enough to meet their own counterparts. And in doing so, they had learned that their lives still had potential for glory.

"Well, I can't possibly be shown up. Not while Priscilla's watching!" Nathan said. "The Albion family has lost so much. Yet I bear their name with pride. Dub Sainglend!"

Cu Chulainn's grand spear was charged up with lurid orange and pink energies, the spearhead extending rapidly. Next, it was thrust forward, at the four corners of Janus, in barely any time at all. They left large, almost star-shaped dents in the 'art', and combined with the other signs of damage, showcased the group's honed power.

Alas, Janus was a sturdy foe. Duality ~ Nocte et Aurora soon proved that, fusing the light and the dark into a staggeringly powerful explosion. Amara gasped, as both dawn and dusk released their might upon her and the others.

"AH!" Serena yelped. "Feels like I'm being ripped to shreds..."

"I don't think Janus wanted us to feel comfy..." Blaine said.

"Oh yeah? Well, it's not going to get to relax either!" Amara said.

"Be careful. It's planning something else!" Nathan said.

Janus gathered intense strength from both its selves. Duality ~ Extasis, the rapturous purple light of doom, was about to fall. And it did so – on Amara.

"Wha – No...Dad..." She said, as her eyes shut. Toppling over, she dropped her sword.

"No!" Blaine cried. "Damn...Janus has done enough damage to our lives! That has to end here!"

"Don't worry! I can do this..." Serena said, calling upon Selene. "I'll be there, as many times as it takes..."

The fighting was destined to continue, neither side inching closer towards victory...

|Asa Vahista|

Sophie, panting for breath, gasped in fright as another bomb exploded behind her. Dan, meanwhile, was surprisingly agile, despite his heavy body. He ran, faster and faster, and still managed to fire his rifle – not that his target was easy to miss, of course. Priscilla managed to knock a bomb right back at Janus, preventing it from hitting Kyle.

"This door has all the power in the world at its...hinges." Kyle said, flying above an energy wave. "As hard as it may be, we're going to have to push ourselves to the very limit."

"Hey..." Dan said, looking at Kyle in all seriousness. Mictlan appeared overhead. "My whole life, I feel like I've been tested, to see what it'll take to break me. You know what I've learned? Making Daniel Kingsley throw in the towel just ain't gonna happen! Not while my folks are watching me! Ziodyne!"

A great jolt of lightning struck Janus, shocking both the male and female bodies adorned on the top.

"The same goes for me." Priscilla said, happily. Scathach emerged. "Mother and Father would be ashamed if I were to tremble in fear, and allow their world to be gone! Bufudyne!"

Great chunks of ice slammed into Janus, their cold mist nearly freezing their sector of the arena.

"And my mother wouldn't stand for that either! Janus, Cheri's son is here to demolish you into oblivion!" Kyle roared, flying away from a laser shower. Out came Vulcanus. "Agidyne!"

Raging fire burned beneath Janus, with enough heat to melt even diamonds.

"My mothers are lucky to be alive...but for forcing us apart, you will be the one trembling." Sophie said, icily. "Megidolaon!"

The almighty energy, co-ordinating with the charged up power of Sophia's mind, completely exceeded any past performance. It broke off tiny parts of Janus's body, and sent deep cracks through many more.

"I hope you've learned we are not to be trifled with." Sophie said.

Indeed. There can no longer be any illusions that you are weak individuals. For all of you present have caused us great pain already. Having said that, you have still to vanquish us. The worlds are still trying to become one. Those in either domain, one by one, will have no choice to accept this truth. The Earth will die very soon. Killed by the very people it birthed.

"Idiot." Kyle said. "You don't have the right to represent humanity. You only see one side of it! If you weren't so blind, you might have been able to turn your painful existence around!"

A child like you must have such a charming life. You have yet to truly suffer. And thanks to me, you never will. I will do all of us a favour, and render everything null and void. Humans love each other one day, hate each other the next...why must we endure this contradiction, millennium after millennium? We will...never allow such permanence.

The two statues suddenly stood up, and faced forward, their harsh eyes staring downward. They joined hands, as the image on the door completely changed. Portrayed instead was the Castle, except it was inside a pool of scarlet blood – with other ruined buildings of Takanawa submerged. From above the Castle, a massive rainstorm of fiery meteors was occurring.

"No..." Sophie said, greatly alarmed. "I can't believe this! Janus has just unlocked one of its six seals!"

"What?" Dan asked. "What seals?"

"Each door has a hidden power that, once unlocked, will grant Janus more strength!" Sophie said. "And this is the first...please, take cover!"

There is nowhere to hide from your fate. The Truth of all human beings is that they are destined to lead torturous lives. And therefore, these existences should end, and allow us to fade together!

Sure enough, the meteor swarm of Truth ~ Asa Vahista began. Ten powerful comets flew down from the sky, hitting everyone they touched with a massive fiery impact. As this happened, they saw the burning Cathedral in their minds, sinking into blood, and Farawell's utter destruction.

"No!" Priscilla said. "Ugh..."

"Priscilla!" Kyle cried. "Can you stand?"

"Y-Yes..." Priscilla said, weakly. "But..."

Your fate is in the cards. Whose doom shall be foretold...?

Suddenly, the door opened, and out came a deck of the Major Arcana cards, their faces towards Janus. The cards were shuffled, until one was selected, and turned to the group. This was Hermit, number IX. It would be the first Eternity ~ Arcana Epitaph.

"I...ugh...Mum..."

Kyle suddenly took ill, and fainted. He slumped over on his wheelchair, completely incapacitated.

"NO!" Dan screamed. "What the fuck did Janus do you?" He ran over, shaking the boy's shoulders. "Wake up, dammit! Don't you dare die on me..."

"He'll live!" Sophie cried. "Until help arrives, you must fight back!"

"Right..." Dan said, steering his utter hate onto Janus. "Then you better get used to the feeling of me ripping you to pieces!"

|Vohu Manah|

"Alastair!" Bianca cried. She ducked under a laser, and blocked another with her rapier. "Did you see that? Their door is completely different now!"

"That's not good..." Alastair mused. Over at the Asa Vahista door, Aimee was coming over to tend to Kyle's injuries.. "We shouldn't dally. Michael, make haste! Sacred Impact!"

Michael Deus was bathed in light, and its sword, already pure in energy, was a blinding beacon of penance. The angel threw it harshly into the air, and extended out its palm, firing a beam of light at Janus. The sword did the same, and the twin lasers pierced through the door's defences.

Bianca, looking over Richard, seemed concerned. He had been spending a lot of energy, helping both this team and others stay alive. Yet it seemed his reserves were running low – which could pose an early death to the Holy Cross.

She knew what must be done. Gabriel Praeco was summoned, and with a conviction of a true friend, she took half of Bianca's own health. Richard gasped, but when he saw that same energy being transformed into spiritual energy, he sighed, melancholic. He received the gift of Plumeria, albeit not happily.

"Bee...you really can't go around doing that." Richard said. "I'm grateful, but if it means you could get hurt..."

"Wouldn't you do the same for me?" Bianca asked.

"...In a heartbeat." Richard said.

"Then there's no problem." Kazuya said. "You're our ticket to survival. So...don't waste the power Bianca gave you. Sacred Flame!" Uriel Ignis appeared, and seven holy candles surrounded Janus. They all created a star-shaped pyre, burning all over Janus.

"...Raphael!" Richard cried. His Persona appeared, poised to do his master's bidding. "Heal us! Oh, and throw in a massage, would you?" The latter part of that request was ignored, but the angel did sent out a Gentle Breeze. The fast, but soothing, winds regenerated much of the team's health, and Richard smiled.

"Thanks." Bianca said. "If I have to do that again, I will. Don't be scared."

"I won't. You just be careful...this is where it counts." Richard said, earnestly.

"Oh no!" Alastair said. "Janus is..."

There have been incredible displays of power here, and you have been able to harm us, the masters of this world between Shadow and humans. One thing still perplexes us. You four, who are fated to stand together...what is it that propels you forward so? Are your own lives so insubstantial that you cannot progress alone? Is that the extent of your suffering?

"Ha. Nice trash talk." Kazuya said. "Thing is, we're not that special. Humans aren't that great by themselves, are they? They're meant to be among the people they love, not striking it out alone."

"A human life is never insubstantial, Janus." Alastair said. "You should know that by now. The billions of people that have existed have all contributed to your own existence. If they were that worthless, you would be as well."

So in the end, you have still learned absolutely nothing. Humans are insubstantial because they are contradictory slaves of their own desires! They have given birth to us...the personification of cessation. If we have no Purpose, then we shall make it ours to delete all human thought!

The door of Purpose ~ Vohu Manah, that would have faced towards Nova Albion, reflected the grim location of the Divine Spark. The mansion of the Donatella familly, the elitist aristocratic clan, appeared on the door in an eerie green. It seemed to be tearing in half, as a tornado struck it in the centre, shattering the walls, windows, and even the foundations. Not only that, the rest of Nova Albion was literally being blown away.

"...No! Not this one too!" Bianca cried in despair.

Alas, there was no escape. Surrounding this sixth of the battleground was a tremendous green tornado, mixed with dark purple. It trapped the Holy Cross within it, spinning them around at insane speed. From above, they felt as if their bodies were being ripped and torn apart – and in their minds, they saw Nova Albion's demise at the hands of the same hurricane.

Their bodies fell back down, having suffered through a mammoth storm. Richard, groaning, gasped at his allies. They were all very much weakened from this onslaught.

"That's...two..." Alastair said. "Four left..."

"What happens...if it gets to six?!" Bianca asked, in fear.

"I don't even want to know!" Kazuya said. "But we can't let Janus get that far."

"Right. That means we cannot hold anything back!" Alastair said.

"Uh oh..." Richard said, looking ominous.

Your fate is in the cards. Whose doom shall be foretold?

Yet again, the deck of Eternity ~ Arcana Epitaph was shuffled. Out of cards, the worst possible choice was select – Chariot, number VII.

"Huh? Wait, that's – no! No...ugh...everyone, I'm sorry..." Richard, losing consciousness, fell to the ground, face stricken with horror.

"Richard!" Bianca cried. "What do we do?"

"We can't just stand still – ah!" Kazuya, still weary, jumped over an energy wave. "Aimee! Tara! Serena! Help!"

The Holy Cross' fight wasn't quite over just yet...

|Kshatra Vairya|

"Ha!" Lucy gracefully twirled out of harm's way, as lasers hit the ground where she stood. Next, she fired up at Janus, scattering bullets everywhere.

"Crap!" Shirley yelled. Despite her agility, she had been too slow to escape the bomb's explosion.

"You okay?" Roger asked. "Hold on – damn!" Before he could provide assistance, he had been sent back by a wave of Janus's power. Karen rushed in, striking with her katana. It might be a weapon of a different country, but she wielded it with strength and vigour.

"This has gone on long enough, Janus! You need to cool down. Frozen Heart!" Karen commanded. Daena manifested, and spun around, holding up her mirror. A strange teal icy mist surrounded Janus, and there was a sequence of orange, purple and green lights.

"What was that?" Lucy asked. "A disco? I know you're old, but -"

"Thanks, Lucy. You sure know how to make a woman feel special." Karen said, shaking her head.

"I was kidding! Honest!" Lucy said, laughing awkwardly. Shirley shook her head, while jumping aside from a bomb.

"Just be grateful you don't work for me here..." Karen said, smirking. "Let's just say that Janus won't be getting any stronger for a while."

"Sounds good to me!" Roger said. "Now for some lights of my own. Scintillation!" A disc of shining light appeared, almost resembling a CD. This disc then changed into a spear formed purely of this light, and fell down upon Janus.

"What does that move have to do with skin?" Shirley asked.

"...Scintillation just means light." Lucy said, head in her hand.

"Probably for the best we went with the PG version of flashing the enemy." Karen said, laughing.

"...Eew." Shirley said, shuddering. "Ceridwen! Show Janus what a real Nightmare is!"

Ceridwen flew to the statues of Janus atop the door, and touched their forehands with both hands. The entire area around them turned into an eerie, bizarre landscape of dark swirling hues, where unusual symbols flew all over in random directions. Evil laughter could be heard, the pitch and reverb changing also at random. Finally, all symbols and light gathered into Janus with a black and red flash of phantasmal energy.

"Ugh...that still creeps me out!" Lucy complained. "Ishtar! Amor Leonis!"

The passionate goddess clicked her fingers, and out of the fire came a lion hewn from flame. Immediately, it pounced on Janus, bashing it with its huge weight, and scorched it deeply. Lucy fired off some more shots, yet the bullets seemed rather minimal.

Shirley, rolling under lasers, dived over energy waves. Her kicks, strong as they were, seemed to have little impact on the door. Roger's claws and Karen's sword, however, worked well in unison to harm Janus.

The giant door, however, was not ready to unlock its seal. Instead, it used yet another Peace ~ Clara Heremus, which by this point was familiar to Lucy and the others as an unpleasant ice skill.

"Huh." Roger said. "I thought it would have done something. I don't see anything like what happened to the other two."

"It mustn't be time yet." Karen said, anxiously. "Be prepared, though. We've got a long way to go."

The light of hope. The darkness of despair. Total opposites shall be forced into a false harmony. Neither side shall claim victory, creating an endless waltz of war, peace and rebellion. You have no option but to watch.

"What the hell?" Lucy asked. "I thought we didn't have to listen to this crap anymore!"

"I think that fact that it's talking means its not fooling around." Shirley said, apprehensive.

"I agree...please, all of you, stay calm!" Karen said. Roger braced himself, having an inkling of what was going to happen.

Millions of small clusters of energy gathered around Janus, and they began to collide. These particles let out small bursts when they collided. Eventually, the sheer power from the collisions resulted in an ominous, pulsating and gigantic monochrome sphere. It was a desolate looking planet, where the ocean was pure white, but the landmasses were pitch black.

The globe suddenly began to flash rapidly, and the ebony continents started to form a swirled mess with the ivory seas. Both halves of Janus sent out ghostly images of their bodies to touch this absurd planet, giving it a foreboding red aura. The planet descended into the ground, and all seemed to be breaking apart around them.

The four victims, while strong in spirit, had not the strength to endure this attack. They all fell, unable to bear the pain of what felt like their own bodies being blown to pieces. They had been under the spell of Eternity ~ Equinox. Janus had clearly grown fond of it, and now was free to use it purely via their own power.

"No..." Shirley said.

"We're...fucked..." Roger said.

"Roger, please...be strong...I..." Karen said, wheezing.

"Janus, you...you bastard!" Lucy roared, getting up. Her gun lay next to her feet, and she grabbed it. It had been damaged through many battles, yet it was still good for a few more rounds. "You won't get away with that! I'll pump you full of lead, you FREAK!"

Enraged, she aimed high up, and pulled the trigger. This couldn't end. Not until she made it to her cousin's wedding, and saw him embark on a new chapter of his life. And there was someone she wanted to be with now...forever.

|Haurvatat|

"ARGH!" Tara was sent through the air screaming, having been too slow to dodge a potent bomb. She landed with a splat near Matthew, who gasped.

"No!" Matthew yelled. "Tara...hang on, I'll try and -"

"Matthew, no. Leave this to me." Aimee said, summoning Concordia. "You should do what you do best!"

"Which is...run around like crazy and tear stuff to shreds!" Karl said.

"Hey, my fighting style might not be pretty, but it sure as hell works." Matthew said. "And this time, it just has to! Go, Ehecatl! Tornado Claw!"

A trio of wind-powered strikes hit Janus, and the claws of the feline Persona were sharper than they ever had been. Indeed, each one left a deep groove in the door, tearing through the elaborate yet disturbing artwork.

"Tara, hang on..." Aimee said, concentrating. "Faerie Whisper!"

The two faeries, helpful as ever, soon brought Tara back to the world of the living. She looked in the prime of her life, and not someone who had just been blown up.

"Tara!" Matthew said, excitedly. "You...you're okay, right?"

"Actually, I feel better than ever." Tara said, grinning. "Come on, you know I'm tougher than that. You think a door is going to be enough to crush me? Chehooit, we need your help! Walled Garden!"

A green vibrant shield, made from the energy of Mother Earth, shined around the four. Janus was the ultimate opponent, they knew, but they each felt safe within their shells.

"Okay, now I've got a good feeling about this!" Karl said, cheerfully. "Aeneas, cut Janus in two! Gallant Gladius!"

Aeneas, whose sword turned gold, did his level best to do as his master ordered. Three massive strikes did not cut through Janus, however, but left huge vertical scars just as brutal as Ehecatl's.

"You always were quite boisterous..." Aimee said, smiling.

"Hey. I'm a perfect gentleman off the field." Karl said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's see what you've got now, Janus!"

Janus, in its aggression, sought to drown his enemies in a Sea of Agony. Alas, however, the team stayed afloat thanks to the grand protection Tara had delivered.

"HA!" Matthew said, laughing. "Didn't even get a papercut from that! Might want to take your scythe back to the garden shop for a refund!"

Janus remained silent, for now, but was outraged to hear such arrogant taunting. As punishment, it cast forth the Duality ~ Ultimo Judicio, rendering Matthew's laughter to abject horror. Walled Garden could only lessen the severe damage this wrathful spell incurred, as its energy raged and battered the team. In fact, the previous Divine Sparks had given this ability even more potential for devastation.

"Oh shit..." Matthew said, clutching his leg in agony. "I really should have seen that coming..."

"I'm sorry! I thought that...I could have blocked it..." Tara said, sadly.

"It's not...over...I'll heal everybody!" Aimee said. "Just hang on! Concordia -"

Just then, something could be heard among the chaos surrounding them. A flute. Playing a melody, one that they had heard before. Matthew, out of habit, hummed along – and gasped.

"...Is that...her?" Matthew asked. Suddenly, the flute stopped, and he found his pain slowly ebbing away. It felt like gentle healing hands had embraced him, to take away his suffering. He stood up, looking around – but nothing was in sight. All he could see were his friends.

"Matthew?" Tara asked. "Is it really...Keisha?"

"...It has to be." Matthew said, relieved. "Even after what happened, she's still here..."

"So that's her true feelings..." Aimee said, amazed. "The rest of us still need help. But...I might not have the power this time."

"What?" Karl said. "Then what do we do? Wait for another song?"

Before anyone could reply, however, something else unexpected happen. A purplish spiral of light surrounded Aimee, and a glow of the same lurid hue shrouded her. Gasping, she looked at her hands, feeling power return to her body.

"...Him, too?" Aimee said, shocked. "...Thank you, Kaman. I won't let you be forgotten."

Even in death, it seemed these two would not stand to let Janus survive. For if they lost, all memory of them would fade from the ones they loved.

|Ameretat|

Amara gripped her blade tightly in both hands, running fiercely at Janus. All of its weaponry was thrown at her and the others, resulting in a mass of colourful explosions – but Amara would have none of that. Against the odds, her sword thrust hard into Janus, and as it did, Isis was summoned.

"Burn Janus to a crisp! Agidyne!" Amara said, refusing to pull out her blade. Granted, her target wasn't the fleshiest one, but in general enemies didn't like being stabbed or set on fire, either separately or simultaneously. The flames seemed to intensify, crackling as Amara's sword went deeper. She tore it out, having to escape another bomb.

"Amara!" Nathan said. "You need to keep your distance. The further you are from Janus's attacks, the better! Cu Chulainn!" Quickly, he cast another Masukukaja, via the dependable Persona. Thanks to this, he could outmanoeuvre even the fastest of laser fire. He leaped over a triad of waves, and struck Janus as hard as he could.

"Just as well I've got this...eat lead, you fucker!" Blaine said, firing another round of bullets upon Janus. "You make me sick...it's because of you that Archie is dead! So I'll blast you to pieces! Quetzalcoatl!"

The muscular Persona wailed on the door, with three mammoth swings of the hammer. Each thwack echoed, shaking the door, and cracking more and more of the surface.

"Everyone, here!" Serena said, faithfully summoning Selene. Compassionate, the lunar Titan cast Mediarahan, to alleviate the team's pain.

"Thanks." Amara said. "It's got to be hurting by now! Come on, let's try – AH!"

Janus, however, had resorted to a Aer Irae to blow away their foe's vigour. Amara and the others, as determined as they were, could not prevent themselves from being blighted by the wind. They crashed down, feeling their very bones strain under the pressure of their foe.

"Bastard..." Blaine muttered. "How come its so tough?"

"Ugh...if only I could venture through the wind unscathed..." Nathan groaned.

Janus'ss door began to open again – to let out the negative force of Ad Ostium Calamitas. It would seem that no matter how hard the team tried, their weapons and magic would not cut through. All Amara could do was persist in trying. How long would her willpower, last, though?

Picking up her sword, she did her best to steady herself, so that Janus would fall – and soon. Reality itself was on the line...

|Spenta Armaita|

"Amara! Behind you!" Serena called out.

Amara gasped, and jumped as far as she could. From behind her, she could hear the fizzing of the green explosion. Janus had infinite ammunition, it would seem. Amara was not so lucky, but she was prepared to make the most of what she had.

"You've tried your best to ruin my life, haven't you? Well, it isn't ruined until I say so. Not Nihane, and definitely not you! Tefnut's Raze!" Amara cried out. Nepthys complied, and sent spirals of bright flame to incinerate Janus. Their cries of pain were deafening. If they were not out for world annihilation, Amara might have felt sorry for them. Alas, she had no sympathy for Janus, the one foe she felt zero humanity from.

"You feel that, Janus?" Blaine said, grinning. "Someone as old and decrepit as you oughta know that if you fuck with our lives, we fuck with you! Stormy Ascent!" Quetzalcoatl appeared, and out of his dark thundercloud came pulsing lightning bolts. Had the floor been ordinary, it would have been completely wrecked. Janus, however, could definitely experience the storm, as it shocked it severely.

Nathan ducked under laser fire, keeping a close eye on his surroundings. Cautiously, he span his staff at a thrown bomb, and sent it right back at Janus – exploding at its feet.

"I hope you didn't expect me to be courteous to you, Janus. Josephine's actions would not have happened without your influence. My other self has lead a wonderful life, and I can only hear stories of his happiness...but you won't take my future with Priscilla. Gae Bolg!"

Cu Chulainn gripped the eponymous spear tightly, prepared for a valiant strike. A grand whirlwind surrounded Cu Chulainn, propelling both the ace hero and his spear. Having reached a great enough height, he drove the spear into Janus with a terrific descent.

"Eat this!" Serena yelped, whipping Janus up close. She saw a red energy wave coming, and managed to get above it, hitting Janus with her chain whip. "You really are disgusting, Janus. You think existing is so hard, you have to take everybody else with you! You've already destroyed my family...but that's as far as your selfish plan goes! Aquarius!"

Luckily for Serena, she had summoned the vase of water once before. Now, she could use it once more without any cost. Selene gleefully tripped over the case, and the gargantuan amount of freshwater inside poured onto Janus, drenching every inch of its huge frame.

You are all so bold. And yet, you have managed to gravely wound us. We, in our arrogance, did not consider that possible. The power of will is one oft overlooked, but undeniable. You four, along with your allies, have stood strong against us. Well done. Alas, it is a pity you put so much faith in a world that will wrong you in the end.

"No. You're not doing that, Janus. Trying to make us doubt ourselves. You just can't do that anymore. I've already seen...my own father die!" Amara yelled. "And I...I had to do the deed. Maybe I do hate this world...but I hate the one that made it this way even more."

Fine. Then we shall hold our tongues. Once all is said and done, none of us will be left. Complete non-existence, the dream of generations, will be realised. Our Devotion to such a goal will see us through your willpower.

The two golden statues of Janus linked hands, for the third time. Channelling great power, they removed the original illustration on the door. Amara could see the Cathedral of Farawell, except it seemed to be sinking in a giant hole in the ground. What seemed to be a massive earthquake was happening, ripping holes throughout the land and destroying the entire land of Farawell.

"Shit!" Blaine cried. He ran as far from Janus as possible, but it was no use. The ground beneath them trembled, shaking violently. The resulting tremors were deadly, opening up gigantic 'holes' and Amara felt like she was falling down a craggy cliff, hit by countless sharp stones. Down the way, she could see ruined parts of buildings she recognised from Farawell...even the charred remains of the Secret Base.

When it was over, Amara found herself back in the Ater Peractorum. She may not have actually fallen down the abyss, but the pain she felt said another story. She grumbled, clutching her leg. Without her Persona, she might have lost all of her limbs. Could Nepthys protect her from Janus for long, though?

"It hurts..." Serena said, wincing. "Come on...there's no more...right?"

"My body..." Nathan groaned. "How am I supposed to cope with such punishment?"

"You...gotta try and man up...no matter how hard it hurts...lesson for life..." Blaine said, trying to stand up.

Your fate is in the cards. Whose doom shall be foretold?

"Huh?!" Amara yelled. "No, DON'T!"

Alas, the cards of Eternity ~ Arcana Epitaph were not dispelled by begging. Eventually, one was selected – Magician. Blaine saw it, and let out a solemn laugh. Before he fainted, he gave Janus a middle finger.

"...Blaine! No!" Nathan cried.

"Leave him to me!" Tara cried. "Please don't give up, Nathan. All of us need to work hard to bring down all of these doors!"

"We know." Serena said. "Come on, Amara. You heard what Blaine said. No pain, no gain. Right?"

"...Right." Amara said. As fatigued as she was, she took her sword, and prepared to contend with Janus further.

That's three of them now. If...one of them can unlock that card attack, and two let Janus use Equinox...what does the third one do? If we can defeat Janus before then, that would be great...but I think we're in for a lot more pain. Nepthys, you can't lose. Not here...not ever.

|Asa Vahista|

"That makes three Divine Sparks now." Sophie said, anxiously. "I fear Janus has gained another ability. One that has the capacity to ruin our chances of victory."

"Oh yeah?" Dan said, cracking his knuckles. "Well, there's a chance I can bust a big hole through that ugly door! So place your bets! Mictlan!"

Dark cobalt lightning crashed down and resounded around Janus, and span around the giant door, constricting it. Then, after several pulsating shockwaves, there was a purely black big bang. Dan whooped, pleased with the result.

"That was pretty good..." Kyle said. "In fact, that was probably enough power to fuel twelve thousand of our bases. I don't see the promised hole, though."

"It's a metaphorical hole." Dan said.

"Ah." Kyle said.

"Perhaps a more elegant approach would suit me more." Priscilla said, brushing her shiny blonde hair back. "Scathach, I summon thee! Graceful Blizzard!"

The icy Persona danced, spinning and swaying her weapon with great deliberation. As she did, a sub-zero blizzard fell down, each snowflake bursting onto Janus with a white sparkle. Soon, the floor around the door was covered completely with ice.

"Brr..." Kyle said, shivering. "Cold..."

"I feel like my goatee's gonna freeze over..." Dan said. "Which might be kind of cool..."

"Hilarity has not ensued." Sophie said, shaking her head.

"Whatever!" Kyle said. "Priscilla, that was great! I need to do my best, too...Vulcanus, please! Crushing Eagle!"

The blacksmith Persona tossed a giant boulder into the sky, and within a few seconds, sculpted it into an eagle with his sword. It was flung at Janus, smashing into it with a might impact. The stone masterpiece broke apart, its fragments scratching Janus all the way down.

"Kyle, that was stupendous." Sophie said, smiling. "Allow me to take things even higher...to the Starry Heavens, Sophia!"

Six purple spheres, crafted from the supreme energy of outer space, fell from the sky. They all homed in on their target, circling around, and then crashed into it, bursting with pure magic.

Janus seemed calm, despite the quartet of enemies wielding such power against it. It, however, opened the way for Duality ~ Ad Ostium Calamitas.

"That's not good, is it?" Priscilla asked.

"About the only good thing Janus can do is fall down and die. So no." Dan said.

A glorious new world awaits you. Allow me to show you the way.

"Huh? What's this shit now?" Dan asked, furious.

"Be careful!" Kyle said. "This might be even worse than before!"

Around the team, the atmosphere turned bright blue, with white lines resembling TV static. Lots of rectangular blue panes, made of light, appeared all over the group, forming a dome like shape. Each one 'connected' to several others, creating a wireframe like effect.

"Wait...they look a little like NDDs." Kyle said, astonished.

The teen genius was right. This was none other than Eternity ~ Neo Dimension. The connecting lines grew stronger, and before long the entire field beneath was being shocked by an eerie force. Each miniature door started to fire down bullets, and eventually this lead to a mighty blast, clearing away the bizarre dome – leaving only the injured rebels below.

"Argh..." Sophie said. "So I was right about this door...so much for luck..."

"Come on..." Kyle said, clutching his sore right arm. "We've got to bring down these doors...or we'll get microwaved over and over again!"

Both sides seem deadlocked. Which one would give out first?

|Vohu Manah|

"Sophie's team look like they're struggling..." Kazuya observed. "If only we could destroy this one door. Then we could aid other teams."

"That'd be wonderful..." Bianca said. "Sadly, we'll have to worry about ourselves." Gasping, she leaped over a red wave, but was hit by a blue laser. "Argh!"

"You guys!" Ethan said, running up. "How are you holding up?"

"We've managed to put up a strong resistance." Alastair said. "Although it's become harder and harder to maintain our offensive."

"I see..." Ethan said. "Sraosha! Evanescence!"

A triad of lights – orange, green and purple – were sent at Janus, growing dimmer as they approached. They fused into the door, and managed to weaken every single parameter.

"Sweet!" Richard said, giving a thumbs up. "I guess we won't be going under just yet!"

"...Oh God." Alastair said, dismayed.

"I think Lucy's team might need my help again. Keep up the good work!" Ethan said, running off towards Khstara Vairya.

"Definitely an improvement over Nihane, wouldn't you say?" Richard said.

"Absolutely." Bianca said. "Ethan values us...we must prove to him that we are worthy of our title. Gabriel! Nerine!"

Crystals of pure ice appeared from the ground, and were drawn into an orb of light, radiating pink and yellow. Fusing together, they transformed into a beautiful flower of ice, releasing mist. The glacial flower spun over Janus, and shattered, crushing it with icy flourish.

"Now, Uriel! Smite the evil that stands in our way! Tonbogiri!" Kazuya cried. Uriel Ignis took his great spear, and in a single motion, thrust it into the core of the doorway. It's impact caused a flash that looked like a dragonfly, cut cleanly in half.

"...Why a dragonfly?" Richard asked.

"Less questions, more making the enemy dead." Kazuya said.

"Okay!" Richard said cheerily. "Raphael, blow 'em away! Gale Force!"

Many gusts of wind blew at Janus from all directions, all fast and strong. Combined, they made for quite a ferocious storm. It did not need an illusion of destruction to incite fear in its foes, which Richard was very proud of.

"Yeah! Eat that, you tacky piece of crap!" Richard cried.

"...What Janus has done is wrong." Alastair said. "Therefore...it is my duty to see justice done. So that those who have suffered are free to live, out of shadows. So begone! Michael! Empyrean Emissary!"

Michael Deus flew high above the others, and drew an oval with his sacred blade. A great hole in the sky opened. This great abyss revealed spiral after spiral of angels singing in harmony. Deep within this heaven, a massive sphere of aether came down. Every note sang by the angels made said sphere resonate, changing colours and vibrating rapidly, until it imploded upon Janus, releasing tons of holy energy.

"Unbelievable..." Bianca said. "That move...Alastair, you never stop amazing me."

"No need to flatter me, Bianca." Alastair said. "As cliché as this may sound, my strength comes from all of you. I wouldn't have coped under the Command's harsh orders without such comrades."

"Aww..." Richard said, touched. "Hey, maybe when this is all over, you can cook us a big feast to celebrate!"

"Yes, that would be a wonderful idea. Then you can make all those recipes you've memorised." Kazuya said. "It'll be the best dinner ever."

"Exactly! You'll have extra help preparing everything, too. As long as the bad cooks among us stay far away. I've heard terrible things about Lucy and Dan's times in the kitchen." Bianca said, giggling.

"How can I possibly deny you all such a treat?" Alastair said, laughing heartily. "Now we have something to aim for. But we'll save the planning for later. Now, everyone! Attack -"

Alastair's orders, however, were interrupted by a rather grim sight. The dark sea of Peace ~ Mortuum, destroying any vessel that dared to set sail over its waters. The team were struck hard by the mammoth tsunami, sent reeling from the speed and force.

"Ah!" Bianca said. "At least...it was one of their normal attacks..."

"Being shipwrecked ain't normal!" Richard moaned.

The assault didn't end there, however. Janus began another of its deadly attacks – the Duality ~ Ultima Judicio. No one was prepared to face it, and Alastair and the others screamed in unison. Its energy had risen even more, and being hit by it could only be described as sheer torture. Every inch of the body was being threatened with destruction.

"I...don't know if I can...go on..." Kazuya said.

"Alastair..." Richard said. "Alastair! Are you...alright?"

"No!" Bianca cried. She crawled over to him, and gasped. He had finally fallen. For a moment, she assumed the worst, and was ready to cry out in mourning. Alas, he was still breathing.

"He'll live...I think." Kazuya said. "Richard, we'll...keep Janus occupied."

"What?!" Richard said.

"Just try and save him!" Bianca pleaded. "We can keep going...but you're the only one that can aid him. Hurry!"

Richard, frightened, looked at his three allies. He had never seen Alastair in so much pain, not even when he had been beaten by the rebels.

"...I gotcha." Richard said. "Hey, just think of me as Doctor Eden..."

Kazuya and Bianca, weary as they were, charged into battle together. The two left, while also in deep agony, would carry on – for now.

|Kshtara Vairya|

"Shit!" Lucy cried. Her gun had finally run out of bullets, and her ammo had run out. Irritated, she threw her gun away. "Why couldn't they invent laser guns?"

"Apparently, making weapons that function solely on Shadow power is hard to pull off." Roger said. "And the main offensive of any Persona user should be the Persona itself."

"Yeah, I know!" Lucy said. "But...I can't kick like Shirley can! And...I don't wanna mess around with knives or swords! I'm not The Bride!"

"...What does marriage have to do with edged weapons?" Karen asked.

"Forget it!" Lucy said. "Fine. I'll let my Persona take on the weaponry department for now. Ishtar, get that bastard with your Crazy Cutter! And I mean crazy!"

The goddess of love emerged, winking at Janus. Then her smile turned absolutely sadistic, and her two axes were sharp enough to slice a redwood in one strike. Unluckily for Janus, it would suffer many more. The medley of axe swings went all over its 'body', leaving large 'wounds'.

"Your Persona doesn't seem so afraid of her weapons." Roger noted.

"And she seemed a natural marksman, too." Karen said. "Perhaps Miss Lucille Victoria Crossman is more violent than we thought?"

"Oi!" Lucy said, blushing. "Why are you making fun of me? I'm trying to kill Janus, not innocent people!"

"It's just teasing, Lu." Shirley said. "Come on. You know I'm proud of you. Maybe I'll teach you some of my moves when we're done. Till then, watch this! Taliesen's Tale!"

Ceridwen pulled out a mighty grimoire, and stared at it. It had a navy leathery spine, covered in unusual script. Ceridwen opened the book, and the letters from the pages flew upwards as luminous off-white characters. These then flew into Janus, quickly building up into a blast of blinding light.

"I guess Janus isn't much of a bookworm." Roger said, laughing at his 'joke'.

"No more jokes. Get him!" Karen snapped.

"Yes Madam." An obedient Roger replied. "Apsu! We have orders to carry out! Prepare to launch the Deep Sea Dirge!"

Apsu's magnificent trident was increasing in strength, thanks to the multitude of aquatic spells Roger had cast. The occasional Mortuum from Janus helped too. The freshwater god held it down, ready to attack – and thrust toward Janus. Each of the three spikes fired far faster than the eye could see. They went straight into Janus, and bubbles burst all over it.

"Good work, Roger." Karen said, full of admiration. She grabbed her katana with both hands, and charged towards her enemy. None of its weapons deterred her, even when a laser grazed her shoulder. Her sword was brought across Janus's massive body, sending sparks everywhere. "Daena! Back me up!"

The Persona, nodded, and bowed. She suddenly vanished, confusing Lucy and Shirley. Roger, however, crossed his arms and waited, familiar with this move. From high above, a dark ray of light was shot. It pierced Janus severely, causing the two statues to scream. Daena reappeared, laughing, and disappeared, having completed her assignment as a Void Sniper.

"Uh..." Lucy said, in awe. "Now I want to do that too..."

"Same!" Shirley said. "You will teach us, right?"

"It's a little hard to influence the moves a Persona learns..." Karen said, shaking her head. "And once we kill Janus, we won't need to bother! We'll be done with fighting. We can discard our weapons and put an end to combat."

Is that so? You think the world will carry on peacefully, and accept your city after a decade of isolation? There would be a long road to recovery ahead of you...can you possibly quell future violence? As powerful as you four have become, is it worth putting the world through more peril, rather than cutting them loose from the burden of life?

"Oh, put a sock in it!" Lucy said. "All we want is to cut ourselves loose from you! Then we can figure out what to do. I'm not an idiot, you know. We'll have a lot of work to do if we want New Motus City back to the way it should be. That doesn't mean just give up and let you win! There are still people I care about here...and far away."

"You have such a pessimistic outlook, it's...sad." Roger said, melancholic. "I agree that it will take a long time to rebuild our city. Yet I have a feeling its people will work together, not fight among themselves. They just need a chance, and if you won't give it to them, we will."

You have such high hopes for this Dominion, it seems. If I could believe in human potential, I would. Yet exemplary humans like yourselves are among millions of unworthy fools. Try as hard as you like, but your way of life will never be what you desire!

The two statues faced ahead, linking hands. The picture on the door changed, thus removing the damage to it. Instead, it was a disturbing picture of the Military Base of Legarte – ridden by bullet holes. Surrounding this station were similarly damaged buildings, raged by violence.

Immediately, this violence became true, as Dominion ~ Kshtara Vairya. Out of nowhere, gunfire was launched upon the team. Every bullet came at the speed of light, and struck every part of their bodies. Lucy screamed. If she was being shot normally, at least she could have died instantly, not suffering every single shot that landed on her body.

The source of the gunfire seemed to be a ton of ghostly soldiers, completely faceless. They seemed to have infinite ammo. Around them, Roger could see fighting break out in the streets of Legarte. Gunshots echoed around them, as did the screams of dying people.

"STOP!" Shirley screamed. At that moment, the firing squad vanished, leaving a severely hurt quartet. "Ugh...bullets suck even when they can't kill you..."

"Oh god...that's the fourth!" Lucy said, scared. "Are we screwed?"

"I don't know..." Karen said. "I wouldn't expect things to get easier from here..."

As if to confirm this prediction, Janus began another spell. It was a Peace ~ Vita Pulsus, which while not harmful to the others, meant it could survive for longer.

"Crap..." Lucy said. "Anyone got a bazooka handy? It'd help me a lot..."

Bazooka or no bazooka, the gang of four would have to find it in themselves to keep going. Four out of six seals had been undone, and whatever lay in store after six, it was bound to be dangerous.

|Haurvatat|

Aimee and Tara had been working hard to heal both their own team and others. Having two healers on one team did help matters, but it made it harder to focus on slaying their target. Janus'ss red waves, as strong as they were, had a pattern that Aimee had remembered. And her light body made it easy to leap over them.

"Ha!" She cried, dodging another one. "You can't catch me! I've lasted this long without falling, and that won't change now. Concordia! Lost Legacy!"

Concordia raised her staff high above her head, and her shield flew itself onto it. This was to channel the energy of both together. Undaunted, she flew up to the ominous door, and impaled it with her powered staff, resulting in a series of flashes and swirls of strange, ethereal power.

"Good work, sis." Karl said, beaming. "I always knew you could be one tough cookie."

"Thanks, but...it's because of Zao that I became stronger." Aimee said. "I wasn't content to sit on the sidelines and heal from afar. I knew that I had to take up this weapon again and fight in the heat of battle."

Karl nodded, proudly. "He's proud of you, I bet. After all, if you hadn't started this rebellion, we wouldn't be here at all." He stepped forward, raising his fists. "Aeneas, fight! Hat Trick!"

Aeneas, a keen swordsman, was more than eager to display his skill with the blade. He did this three times, each slash sending out a green shockwave. The scars from these strikes, combined with the vicious ones left from Ehecatl's claws, made for quite a sight.

"Wow. This would be called vandalism most places." Matthew said, grinning from ear to ear. "Now I've got a great excuse to go wild! Ehecatl, feel free to let loose! Rip, tear, rend, eviscerate Janus any way you want! Tornado Beast!"

Tara rolled her eyes, while laughing, as the cat-like Persona pounced from Matthew's mind. His Persona violently pounced upon Janus, and with sharpened claws powered by wind, slashed through many times. The strikes were so strong, they actually seemed to have weakened the entire structure of Janus's body.

"How about that...?" Matthew asked, gazing at the sky. "I wish you could watch from down here...but as long as you see this, I know I can win!"

Tara smiled, albeit sadly. It had only been hours since he and his beloved had been separated forever. Yet he still wanted to prove himself worthy to her. Especially now he knew her true feelings. Tara looked at the sky with him, thinking of that peppy young woman. Often, she had wanted to put a hole in her fancy hats. Yet now she wished she could see them in front of her one last time.

"I must protect all of us...for her! For Kaman, too! Beloved Meadow!"

The four of them were transported to a lush grassy meadow, with gorgeous flowers and tall trees everywhere. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and butterflies flew from flower to flower. Just observing this brilliant spectacle soothed the body and soul.

"Kaman..." Aimee said. Perhaps now he was happy. He could be with the woman he had longed for, whose death broke him. Yet that thought brought sadness to Aimee's own heart. Had Kaman survived, he might have been able to start a new future. Open a new bar, and serve the rebels as his favourite customers. Perhaps Kaman wanted that, too. All Aimee could do was fulfil her duty, and cut Janus down.

She ran up at Janus, brandishing her glaive. However, she was quickly sent flying by a red wave, one she had noticed too late. Even worse, she had landed right next to an exploding bomb, that propelled her even further away.

"A...Argh!" She cried.

You bear sadness over your late comrades? Their lives were touched by sorrow and regrets, unable to feel joy until the very end. One desperately seeking revenge, the other wallowing in loneliness...does it not give you pause to think that this is an undeniable part of life? Humans wanting vengeance, or losing those they care for? It could all be so much easier if all of us were to go in an instant. That pain would slip away, leaving peaceful nothingness.

"That's not..." Aimee said. "That's not true! Humans can find happiness, if they just believe! They don't have to seek revenge or feel alone forever. It's natural to feel that way, I know...I wanted to get even with Aeternus for a long time. Most of us see defeating you as revenge, too. But I think we can get beyond that."

"She's right. I don't think our friends would be too thrilled if we just threw in the towel, and gave living the red card." Karl said, crossing his arms. "If someone you love is gone, then the least you can do for them is to live on yourself. Remembering them is a lot nicer than erasing all those memories together."

Of course. Your naïve views are the crux of your motivation to fight us. If that is the case, then we shall have no regrets in removing all molecules of yourselves from the fabric of existence. Only in the void is there Wholeness.

The stage was set. The male and female Januses held their hands, facing the team, and thus activated the unlocking of massive power. Portrayed now on the door was a terrifying image – the Town Hall of Saragel, that was sinking under water. Trapped in these murky depths were the ruined buildings of the nearby area, and a large wave was looming overhead.

"Oh god, NO!" Tara yelled. She tried to run away, but the gigantic wave soon became reality. It crashed onto the four, a mighty tsunami of doom. It then felt like the four were being swept away in the tide, among pieces of debris from Saragel's buildings. This was the wrath of Wholeness ~ Haurvatat.

"A...Ah...ARGH!" Matthew cried. He finally broke free from the ocean, shivering. His face was pale. "I...I can't swim! I...I could have..."

"Matthew...?" Karl said, alarmed.

"It's...over..." Tara said, groggily, as she got up. Unsteadily, she staggered over to him, and knelt by his cowering body. "Hey...I'm here now."

"But...I could have...drowned..." Matthew said, shaking. "What if...Dan never saw me again?"

"You're going to be fine. Trust me." Tara said, putting a hand on his forehead.

"Guys! It's not over yet!" Karl said. Bracing himself, he stood close to Aimee.

Duality ~ Extasis, better known as Rapture, was set to fall again. It seemed to be aiming at Aimee, who gasped, shutting her eyes. However, when the light fell down, it had not cast its harsh verdict on herself. Rather, it was her brother who was rendered immobile. He fell down, with a smile on his face.

"Karl...no!" Aimee said, sobbing. "I told you not to go ahead with your Oath...but you wouldn't listen! Still stubborn, even as an adult..."

"Matthew..." Tara said. Matthew was still frozen, lying on the floor. His mind seemed to have gone to a dark place, one she did not know. A painful memory may have been triggered, one that was not easily fixed by a Diarahan.

However, something did bring him back to clarity. The sound of a flute. He sat up, and watched – the sparks of Euterpe's Vibrato hit Janus with full force.

"She's back..." Matthew said, managing a smile. "You get him, girl!"

"Are you going to be okay?" Tara asked.

"Yeah. I...dunno what happened there." Matthew said, arising. "It just made me feel...like something really bad was going to happen. And I might not make it through. I never did learn how to swim, even living near the beach...lame, huh?"

"Yup. But that's the way I like you." Tara said. "Come on, we've got to fight on. Karl's down, so Aimee needs to tend to him."

"Oh crap!" Matthew said. "Alrighty, let's get to it! C'mon...let's go – whoa!"

"...Kaman?" Aimee said. Janus was being subjugated to another attack – one that a certain bar owner had used to torment his enemies. It was a sphere of water, that something invisible surrounded in blue smoke smashed over Janus. This was none other than the aquatic trademark of Soma, Rajanipati.

How this was possible, Aimee and the others did not know. Yet they would soldier on, forever grateful for the help beyond the grave.

|Ameretat|

Five of the six seals were undone. If Janus was allowed to fully release the power of the Divine Sparks here and now, it would no doubt spell doom for everyone involved. Thus, Amara and her team had redoubled their offence, relying on both magic and weapons to cripple Janus.

"...HA!" Amara roared, slashing through the door. "You feeling tired, Janus?"

Not exactly... We are not a being of flesh and bone like you. Our being consists of thoughts and feelings alone. Only those like you could hope to challenge us and last so long. In a way, we are delighted. Our enemies are such strong, spirited people. Adversity builds character, a wise man once said. We concur wholeheartedly with that statement. Yet if the only way to become stronger is to suffer...does that not speak volumes over the fallacy of living?

"Oh, fuck off." Blaine said. "You're just trying this breaking speech thing just cause you're losing, aintcha? What a wimp. We're tough cause we had to fight you in the end!"

"One can't expect to live without running into hard times at some point." Serena said. "But doesn't that mean there are good times too? Terrible things can happen, and some lose heart, but eventually they have to pick up the pieces and carry on. I wish you could see that..."

It is a shame...more humans are not like you. Yet this event cannot be undone. Your fight is coming to an end, children of man. You should put aside your weapons, and allow yourselves to disappear peacefully. There is no such thing as Immortality, after all. All living beings are born, and die. Accept it, and we shall send you to an eternal sleep.

"W-What? This isn't good!" Amara said, panicking.

"The sixth...oh no!" Nathan said. "We...we have failed..."

The two Janus statues faced towards the worried fighters, their hands linked together. In a flash, the ruined image of Nihane was replaced with one of a beautiful, regal looking land – Amurdad, with its palace in the centre. Unlike the other new paintings, this one was not of a land of ruin. It was a prosperous, shining beacon of peace. Soon, Amara and her friends could see the many buildings of Amurdad surround them, the Palace in front of them, and their tremendous energy flowing right into Janus.

"Crap!" Amara said. "...We can't let go any further! Everyone, back me up!"

"Gotcha." Blaine said, calling upon Quetzalcoatl.

"Roger that." Nathan said, summoning Cu Chulainn.

"Aye aye!" Serena said, unleashing Selene.

"Are you ready, everyone?" Amara asked.

"READY!" The others cried. And thus, it begun.

The four Personas, when united for the first time, had performed a very similar attack to vanquish a stubborn Shadow. Now, the stakes were much higher. Their opponent was exponentially more powerful – but so were they. The elemental forces gathered together, mixing red flame, blue water, green wind and yellow lighting. Merging, the forces created a sphere of Almighty power. One far above the team's first effort. The Persona users nodded, sharing a strong resolve.

"Tetra Totality!"

With a flash, the sphere exploded in a terrific blast, releasing pure energy upon Janus. For a brief second, all was still as the smoke cleared. Janus remained silent, as did the others. Yet, something flashed. The door in front of them stared to shake, and the statues vanished. Next, the remaining door began crumbling away, as it sank into the ground. Lo and behold, one of the six bodies of Janus had finally succumbed.

"...We...did it?!" Amara exclaimed.

"Yeah..." Blaine said. "Five to go...this might just work out after all!"

"Now we can help the others out..." Nathan said.

"Yes, but...I'm low on power..." Serena said, exhausted. "We should use this chance to recover..."

"...Okay." Amara said. Despite being enervated herself, she was overjoyed. Janus was finally beginning to fall apart. The others would fall shortly, meaning the end was near. Tonight, she could finally go home, and prepare for Christmas Day.

Thanks, everyone. Those still fighting, keep it up!

|Spenta Armaita|

The sight of one of the doors being destroyed had been spotted by all those fighting. It was far too soon to celebrate, of course, but one team nearby was delighted.

"Holy shit!" Blaine shouted. "They won!"

"Yes! Thank goodness. I was beginning to wonder if this was futile...briefly." Nathan said, relieved.

"Then that means we could win this soon, too!" Serena said, cheerily.

"Yup! It's nearly done..." Amara said.

The building blocks of the human body shall be taken apart, to disappear forever. All shall be destroyed, even what the eye cannot see. Even memory itself will vanish. This shall be a death beyond death, for there will be nowhere for your soul to rest. Once you are gone, you will never have existed. Nor will those who would mourn your passing, or celebrate.

"...What?!" Serena cried. "Haven't...we heard this before?"

"Yeah. Janus really needs to fire their script writer." Blaine said.

"That's not the point!" Amara said. "This is...this is...no, not now!"

Blaine gulped, shuddering. "Oh, fucking hell! Why now?!"

"We were careless..." Nathan said, dismayed.

The two statues of Janus, still linking hands, rapidly rotated, creating a helix of immense power. It contained every colour of the rainbow. Then it turned pure white, before forming a monumental column of multicoloured light. It rose to mammoth size, and began to approach the group.

For those with a firm grasp of their identity, we will not forsake our duty. We art thou. Thou art we. Even in a false realm of Shadows, your wills cannot be shaken by deceit. If that is so, our power is without all limit! The world you wish to save, you shall bid farewell!

"Damn!" Amara yelled. "I'm going to have to try to take this...the same power that killed Tomas..."

She shut her eyes, standing strong. It was useless to run from such indomitable power. The others followed suit. Without being able to see it, they were able to focus on the deafening power of Eternity ~ Erasure surging towards them.

Tomas, I don't want to die...but even enhanced by the Divine Spark's power, you couldn't make it through this. Maybe one door is all we can manage. And no one will live to tell us that we did our best. I...I can't let that happen!

Before the pillar hit, Amara opened her eyes, seeing nothing but light. For less than a second, however, she saw two faces. Ones dear to her heart. And after that, there was a woman reaching out to her.

"Dad! Tomas! ...Mum!" Amara said, stunned. She gasped. The pillar struck, and the entire team fell to its might. Their bodies were not destroyed, but they had been deprived of all energy. Yet, something in Amara's ankh sparkled. The jewel inside shined, and what looked like ruby dust blew all over, into the four fallen Persona users.

"...Huh?" Amara said. She sat up, as did the others. The red light vanished. Amara looked at her neck, and saw the ankh. It seemed brighter than ever. There was no doubt about it. Her own mother's love was stronger than ever. And it had extended to her three comrades, too.

"We're not...dead?" Nathan said, standing up.

"Yeah. That should have totalled us!" Serena said. "Amara, did you do something to save us?"

"Wasn't me. Someone from above just saved our behinds." Amara said, happily.

"...Ah." Blaine said. "Then you know what that means. You can't fail. Not now."

"I know." Amara said, holding her sword tight. "Blaine. I'm...sorry I ever doubted you. Will you team up with me?"

Blaine laughed, letting out Quetzalcoatl. "I thought we'd gotten over that? As if I can stay mad at you. Come on, you just saved our asses right now."

"Thanks." Amara said, joyous. "Isis, GO!"

The goddess, standing in the middle of a thunderstorm, built a giant red orb of flame. The lightning started to be drawn into it, causing it to violently pulsate. Trembling, it became increasingly unstable.

"Magma Core!"

The electric fireball exploded, shocking and burning Janus simultaneously. Amara and Blaine cheered, giving each other hearty high-fives.

Serena whooped too, and eyed Nathan mischievously. He returned her stare, and without a word, summoned Cu Chulainn. Without hesitating, she invoked Selene again.

The female Persona leapt off her moon chair, and the crescent shape became a full moon. It sparkled and shimmered, brightening up the entirety of the area. The heroic ace aiding her beckoned a grand whirlwind around her, one that was pure white due to the moonlight.

"Pearl Typhoon!"

Suddenly, water burst out from beneath Selene and Cu Chulainn, and it too reflected the moon's beautiful light. The tornado hit the sea, and soon became one of wind and water at once. It ravaged Janus, all while the lunar light shone on the two-faced enemy.

This caused the result the heroes had been fighting for. The statues on top vanished completely, while the door both crumbled and sank. Eventually, it was gone – leaving four left.

"...YES!" Blaine cheered. "We...We finally did it! We've won!"

"Hurray!" Serena screamed. "I was so scared...I thought we were finished!"

"I did too." Amara said. "But somehow, I knew we'd make it out alive. I've never been more proud to wear this." Her hand rested upon her ankh, gripping it tightly.

"We should take the time to recover. Then we can provide some aid to the other four teams." Nathan said.

The others agreed, and with that, chose to recuperate. The other four teams were just as strong, Amara knew. They might not even need any extra help.

You can rest too, Mum. I'll keep you close by.

|Asa Vahista|

Over at the next door, the team here were also overwhelmed with relief.

"Two are down! YEAH!" Dan said, ecstatic. "I knew my boy Blaine could do it!"

"Amara could never lose to Janus. That simply was never going to happen." Sophie said.

"And my darling wouldn't let himself die, either." Priscilla said, proud.

"Serena is a lot tougher than she looks." Kyle said. "We should get back to our task."

Your fate is in the card. Yet whose doom shall be foretold...?

Kyle swore out loud. Not again. Janus's attacks were rather awful to experience, yet this one had claimed him once already. And he wasn't prepared to deal with this again. The others watched, as the cards were shuffled – and the one picked was Priestess.

"...This is it." Sophie said. There was a moment of silence. Oddly, nothing seemed to be happening. The cards vanished, and Janus was immobile.

"That's peculiar...whenever Janus uses that one, whomever is chosen is knocked out instantly." Priscilla said.

"Oh!" Dan said. "Maybe it's caused Kyle used Makarakarn!"

"But that didn't stop any of Janus's other attacks from connecting." Kyle said, bewildered.

"True. Yet maybe that was a trick." Sophie said. "Arcana Epitaph is strong, but as we just discovered, it can be nullified. To compensate for this, Janus made it so all other attacks cannot be reflected, thus making us not bother with Tetrakarn OR Makarakarn. Quite ingenious..."

"So what you're saying is, we outsmarted Janus?" Dan asked. "I knew Kyle was smart, but damn."

"Closer to dumb luck, actually. Not that I can complain. It saves waiting for a medic to come to my rescue." Sophie said, happily. "Now then...Sir Kyle. When we first met, even I did not imagine fighting alongside you in such a way. Shall we co-operate, for one last waltz?"

"Gladly." Kyle said. "Vulcanus, go!"

"Sophia, I beg of thee!"

The two Personae appeared triumphantly, and immediately began a fusion of energies. The area around them began to resemble outer space, and Vulcanus' giant fireball and Sophia's atom of mana smashed into each other, and the amount of explosions caused something even greater to appear. A giant star, red hot and ready to burst already.

"Supernova!"

As dying stars tend to do, this one exploded, causing a chain reaction of fiery bursts that engulfed Janus. Kyle's heart raced, excited to see such power at his fingertips, while Sophie watched calmly, unsurprised.

"It's been a little while since we last teamed up, huh?" Dan asked Priscilla. "Sure your fiancé won't mind if I have this dance?"

"Oh, I'm sure he wouldn't mind. As long as it destroys our enemy, he'll be content. As will I, of course. Scathach!"

"Mictlan, baby! Show her what you can do!"

The grim looking Persona took his scythe, and drew a snowflake on the ground – in a substance that looked like black blood. Scathach floated above it, tapping this 'artwork' with her cannon, and swung it down, ready to fire. Mictlan was on hand to keep the weapon charged up, with the power of darkness.

"Alabaster Shade!"

Scathach pulled the trigger, and despite the tremendous recoil, which would break a human arm, the full force of the shell hit Janus – a massive black frozen torpedo. It shattered, releasing both icy mist and the tendrils of darkness.

Both fireball and snowball had done the deed. The male and female Janus statues disappeared, leaving a hollow door to crumble and fade away. The four warriors were left behind, beaten and bruised. Dan fell back, panting for breath.

"Phew...I'm so tired...I can't even celebrate..." Dan said, wheezy.

"Half of the doors are done now, but the victors are too weary to aid those still fighting." Sophie said. "Still, this should give them hope. It proves that they, too, can do the impossible."

"Soon, we can go home...and figure out how to revive the Lancaster and Albion names." Priscilla said, happily.

"I hope you haven't gotten any ideas for your new home. Just get a normal front door." Kyle said, chuckling. The others laughed, finally having done their part to save the world. Halfway there...but would the three remaining battles be as straightforward?

|Vohu Manah|

The Holy Cross were also elated to see half of Janus's bodies had disappeared. The war was nearly over, yet they still had to deal with the one in front of them. It hadn't halted in its attacks, instead firing off several bombs, waves, and strong magic.

"Ugh..." Kazuya said. "Not surrendering, Janus? I guess you're as persistent as we are..."

"This surely can't take too long." Bianca said, hand on Kazuya's shoulder. "Three groups won without needing backup. We should be capable of the same. Let's carry on!"

"Exactly. But always beware of what Janus can do..." Alastair cautioned. "...Like this."

A brand new world awaits you. Allow us to show you the way.

Eternity ~ Neo Dimension had been brought to this one. The four divine soldiers felt the strange forcefield shock them, almost like being in a microwave, as the miniature doors – resembling the teleporting devices of convenience – fired with impunity. The gargantuan discharge that resulted was crippling. Yet Alastair stood tall, still armed with his trusty sword. And standing right behind him were his three confidantes.

"With victory so close...it would be humiliating to die right now." He said. "Richard. Will you do me the honour of supporting me? On our final battle?"

"Sure thing, Al!" Richard said. "But first. What do women call Janus when they meet him on blind dates?"

"...What?" Alastair asked, morbidly curious.

"A-door-able! Bad-um-tish!" Richard said, beaming. Bianca and Kazuya rolled their eyes, chuckling briefly – Richard's enthusiasm, rather than the joke, amused them.

"...Just summon the fucking Persona." A bloodthirsty Alastair said. Richard gasped, and did as ordered. Raphael Vita appeared, and pointing his staff at the ground, he made giant rocks break through terra firma. Michael Deus, however, was aiming his sword at the ground, causing a number of light pillars to fall down on Janus.

"Heaven And Earth!"

The rocks were sucked into the light, and their strength intensified. The fragments of the earth became divine, and thus when they hit Janus, they did it with divine wrath.

"Bea..." Kazuya said, staring into his lovers eyes. He took her hand, and waited for her response. She nodded excitedly, and kissed him.

"Shall we?" She asked. "One flower is all it takes to win. Please tell me you're with me."

"...I'll be wherever you are." Kazuya said. "Uriel!"

"Gabriel, come!" Bianca cried.

The two angels flew, close together. Gabriel Praeco flapped her wings, and out of nowhere came a sparkling camellia seed. She gave it to Uriel Ignis, and he gripped it tightly. When he unclenched his fist, out came a fully blossomed red camellia, with petals that seemed to be burning hot. The angels watched, as the flower flew into the sky.

"Red Camellia!"

Each petal broke off, and turned into bright red flames. These were both holy and aflame, and thus delivered divine punishment upon Janus. Finally, the remains of the flower ignited, in a blast that resembled the gorgeous flower – one that was the flame in Bianca and Kazuya's hearts.

Janus had been overcome by love and friendship, concepts that it no doubt viewed as anathema. Two more statuesque bodies disappeared, and little by little, the door of Vohu Manah crumbled apart, leaving no trace of the might form that had given the Holy Cross such grief.

"...Subarashi!" Kazuya suddenly yelled. "YATTA!"

"Fantastic. Yay." Bianca translated, smiling. She hugged Kazuya close, despite her weariness. He took her in his arms, and ran his hand down her hair.

"You were amazing..." Kazuya said.

"Easy there, guys." Richard chirped. "You'll have to wait a bit until you can get a room!"

"Oh, let them be. They can relax a little for now." Alastair said. "I think, after four defeats, Janus has lost any chance of conquering us. Let's rest."

And so the Holy Cross did so. They had earned this break, after a rather long evening of constant battles.

|Kshtara Vairya|

"Four down!" Roger said, excited. "It's nearly over! I...I can't believe it!"

"Me either!" Karen said. "Just think. Moments from now, we can go back to a normal city! And I'll never have to see another Shadow again."

"Just think...no one else in my school ever saved the entire world." Lucy said, smug. "Of course, it took a lot of pain to get this far."

"It's almost done." Shirley said. "Once this is done, New Motus City is ours again."

Listen. Can you hear the many voices? All of them deep within the darkness of Shadows...let them be heard!

Janus became almost completely bathed in evil vermilion light. Both the male and female forms began chanting strange, archaic rituals, with glyphs, runes and emblems appearing around them, and a huge dark symbol - the Aeternus logo - appeared on the floor. Strangely, it began to emanate a sound like that of the Shadows, and a black sphere came into being above the dark insignia.

"H-Huh?!" Lucy said. "What the hell is this meant to be?"

"I don't know!" Shirley said, alarmed. "We'd better run!"

"I...I can't!" Lucy said. She was unable to step backwards at all. In fact, it felt more like she was being sucked in. The others experienced this as well, feeling a strong gravitational pull towards the jet black ball.

Any attempt to flee was completely ineffective. There was no way to escape from the eerie power of Eternity ~ Ater Vox. This was not the first time the move had been performed...but prior to this, it required five certain individuals working together. Here, it only needed Janus.

All the four could see was utter darkness. Then came a pair of evil red eyes. Then another. Eventually, surrounding them, above and below, were ominous scarlet irises. And they were growing closer...

Every single eye flashed. Evil red energy built up, pulsing and raging at the four Persona users who had been dragged into this plane of existence. This time, there would be no escaping. These unlucky people would suffer the full brunt of this art, unlike those who had dared to break free.

Lucy's vision was completely red, and she felt pain down every nerve in her body. Her entire skeleton was under siege. Even worse, though, was what she heard in her ears.

Gunshots. Explosions. Screaming. And an image of a man in a military uniform running towards his vehicle, relieved to be able to get home safe. However, he stepped on a minefield...and most of him was taken apart.

Lucy let out a bloodcurdling scream. She had heard stories of her grandfather Anthony's military career, but she had never paid them much thought. After all, he died long before she was ever born. Yet now she had seen the day he died, just before he could have returned to his family.

"Lucy!" Shirley cried. "...Are you alright?" The shadowy realm was gone now, revealing the Ater Peractorum again.

"I..." Lucy said, distraught. "I saw...my grandpa! He...he got blown to pieces! I...I...!"

"Everybody, what happened? All we could see was a giant black hole sucking you all inside!" Ethan said. "I didn't expect Janus to use it by itself. Before, the Ater Vox could do it as a team! It must have been dreadful..."

"It was pretty painful..." Roger said, rubbing his sore arms. "But it was worse than that. We saw some...pretty nasty memories."

"I had a feeling that was the case." Ethan said. "Shadows are made of countless different thoughts. Lucy...I won't ask what you saw. Janus merely wishes to prove its point; that humanity must go. Has what you just saw changed how you feel at all?"

"I..." Lucy said. "I...No!" She wiped away her tears, still sobbing, and glanced up at Janus. "I should be fighting, not letting some two-faced freak traumatise me!"

Ethan nodded in approval. He, too, felt the urge to strike Janus. "Sraosha! Voyeykov!"

A gigantic slab of hard ice appeared, with Sraosha riding on top of it like a snowboard. He them lifted up his feet, and dropped the ice upon Janus, causing shards of ice to fall down everywhere.

"I think I should stick with you guys until you're done." Ethan said, brandishing his sword. "You have something planned, right?"

"Well..." Roger said, glancing playfully at Karen. Apsu was summoned. "There is one show we can extend, for one final night. As long as we both remember the score."

"As if." Karen said, eagerly calling down Daena. "All the actors are on stage. This is the final act! Prepare yourself, Janus!"

Apsu generated a gushing jet of water to rise her higher and higher into the air. Daena smiled, and with a single snap of the fingers, froze the water solid. She commenced singing a powerful deep melody, and an operatic backing score spontaneously played.

"La Traviata!"

Apsu took his spear, flew to Daena, and impaled the gigantic ice sculpture. Both Personae took hold of this weapon. In a flash, the ice broke apart, causing a hailstorm of frozen sharp ice fragments.

Ethan was stunned. Lucy and Shirley, however, managed to clap, despite the former's horrific vision. Finally, Ethan joined in the clapping, although much more restrained than the others.

"That...was even better than last time." Lucy said, shakily.

"Last time?" Ethan asked.

"It was when our Personae evolved." Roger said. "A Shadow was attacking an Obliterator, so we came to the rescue. We finished the bastard off with La Traviata. Although to be fair, these girls helped us out a lot."

"Yeah, that's right!" Shirley said. "It was a Minotaur, one of the ugliest Shadows out there. Not that a Shadow could win a Miss World contest, but they're pretty grotesque. Lucy. You wanna team up?"

"...Hell yeah I do!" Lucy said. "I've had enough of Janus trying to break us! Ishtar, go!"

"Ceridwen, this is your chance!"

Cerridwen flew to Janus's shadow. This - perhaps unsurprisingly - did not look normal, instead looking like dark TV static. She twirled her scythe, and plunged it into the silhouette. The door's whole frame became dark, as if something huge was casting its own shadow over it. Next, a menacing Ishtar gave her axes to Ceridwen. She received the gift, and took out a bubbling pink and blue potion. She doused the axes in this odd concoction, and Ishtar retrieved her axes again.

"Cape of Atrophy!"

With insane speed and madness, Ishtar slashed at Janus's mystic covering. Flashes of dark blue light occurred every time the malevolent door was struck, until the binding was removed.

This display of dark magic and brutality, while unwholesome, had done the deed. Finally weakened by the team's assaults, the Janus statues vanished, and their door was left to collapse completely, leaving not even a hint of rumble.

"...One left." Ethan said. "If I may...I should aid them."

"Yeah, go on. We'll...be fine here." Lucy said, exhausted. She wiped sweat from her brow, and plopped to the ground. "Man, I need a cushion..."

"All in a day's work, huh?" Shirley said. Ethan smiled briefly, but then ran to the only team left battling – at Haurvatat.

"It's...almost done." Roger said, gazing into Karen's eyes. "I'll never have to fight again."

Karen smiled, and held hands with her partner. Their struggle, it seemed, was over. Yet what of the remaining confrontation?

|Haurvatat|

Ethan had arrived at the final team's battle, only to be caught in a green explosion.

"Urgh...what a drag..." He said, dizzy.

"You damn door!" Matthew yelped, ducking under a laser beam. "Don't you know when you give up? You're the last one. One VS twenty-five might be a bit one sided!"

"This is the last chance it has at beating us." Tara said, panting for breath. She had just narrowly escaped another explosion, even bigger than normal. "It's not going to hold anything back now."

"Bring it on! We've been hit by at least a hundred attacks tonight alone. We can take one more!" Karl said.

"I've been waiting for this for so long!" Aimee said. "I only ever imagined needing to defeat Nihane, not something like this. But still, we're winning!"

"You shouldn't grow complacent..." Ethan said. "Janus still has a lot of power to unleash."

The light of hope. The darkness of despair. Total opposites shall be forced into a false harmony. Neither side shall claim victory, creating an endless waltz of war, peace and rebellion. You have no option but to watch.

"See what I mean?" Ethan said, in terror.

"You just had to tempt fate, didn't you..." Tara said, preparing to guard.

"Oh shit! A-are we gonna be okay?" Matthew said, like a deer in headlights.

"Nihane loved using this one.

"Don't look so worried. We're strong enough to protect ourselves." Karl said, standing tall and brave.

Soon enough, Janus had created yet another monochrome planet, one that foretold doom for all those who entered its orbit. It struck, fuelled by the utmost hatred that swelled in Janus's veins. And in those of its enemies, they would feel the dire, cataclysmic agony of Eternity ~ Equinox.

Ethan, eyes wide with terror, was barely conscious from the white and black devastation. Dropping his sword, he struggled to keep his own eyes open.

"No..." Tara said, kneeling down. "I can't...do this..."

"It hurts..." Aimee said, reeling. "But...Tara, we can't be the only team to fail!"

"I know that, but...I don't have much left in me!" Tara said. "...Can you help?"

"Help you? With...healing?" Aimee asked, curious. "I've never done that before."

"Then we have to now! This is the final opportunity! More than that, this is the final battle...and this is our moment! My mother and father, god rest their souls, never would have wanted me to take up a weapon and face monsters. Tomorrow, I'm going back to a peaceful life. To do that, I need someone whose Persona is the embodiment of that ideal!"

Aimee stood still, in surprise. To hear Tara's solemn feelings brought an odd feeling to Aimee. She had only been involved with the rebels for a few months, yet she made it the purpose of her existence to seek out the truth, and bring those responsible to justice. Tara wanted a world where there was the metropolis of New Motus City, and a beautiful small village a short walk away. If the hustle and bustle of modern life was too hectic at times, she could go back there for some relaxation.

"Let's do this!" Aimee cheered. "Your Persona, the force of nature itself! It, too...is a destined healer of humanity! Concordia! Please, support us!"

"Chehooit, I beg of you, save us!" Tara pleaded. Chehooit and Concordia, imbued with the healing touch, clinked their staves together. A strong, pale glow began to emanate from where they touched. This light soon transformed, into a white orb that resembled a gigantic marble. Rings of blue and green span around it, making pleasant choir sounds with every revolution. Matthew and Karl, both heavily injured, stared up at this spectacle in awe.

"Tara...?" Matthew said.

"Sis...!" Karl said.

"Last Elixir!"

The healing sphere had reached its full potential. It broke upon Janus, releasing a giant stream of what looked like white, green and blue wind in all four directions of the party. Slowly, it went up their bodies, chasing away every inch of pain and fatigue. Karl and Matthew quickly got up from the floor, feeling their strength return to their hands. The boxer took up a southpaw stance, while the detective pulled out his knives, poised to cut down his foe.

"It's a miracle..." Ethan said, also rejuvenated. "To think we were on the brink of death seconds ago. You have my thanks..." He smiled, arising with his sword.

"...I think that's all the power I have." Tara said, dismissing her Persona. "Matthew, I'm so sorry...but you'll have to bring down Janus yourselves. Shouldn't be any problem, though. This is a case you've been aching to crack for a while now. Go for it!"

"Karl, you'll be just fine." Aimee said. "You're the greatest player of your generation! ...Not that I know any other players. But do I need to? There's only one I'd ever cheer on!"

Karl, touched beyond words, clenched his fists, and smiled. Matthew twirled his knives, bursting with strength. They advanced, dodging every single obstacle that was thrown in their way.

Janus soon received a brutal beatdown from Karl, with titanic strength flowing in each fist. Now he had no regrets. He had not learned boxing to use it to kill, but it had served him well. Matthew's knives, however, were just as dangerous, flying wildly at the giant door – scarring it just as hard as his Persona's claws.

Ethan, however, stayed back. Bombs aplenty were thrown at the four, but with his sword he sent them straight back, exploding upon the door's ghastly surface.

"Sraosha! For the future!" Ethan cried. The Yazata emerged, in the same heroic pose as his master. "EIDOLON!"

Supreme energy was generated by spirals of white and blue, channelled by a revolving Sraosha. His wings could not flap, but the jewels inlaid sparkled vividly. The energy detonated, forcing almighty pressure upon the foul Janus.

"Ethan really is a lot cooler as himself." Matthew said, in awe. "Although anyone is, compared to Nihane."

"He's only been in that body for a few hours, and he's already become a real hero." Karl said. "I know what we ought to do. Matthew, you're on the team! Let's see if we can break through the defenders!"

"I knew that was coming. I mean, with all the other fusion skills tonight, it'd be a bit weird if we didn't go all out with one." Matthew said. "Well then, let's DO IT! Ehecatl, GO GO GO!"

"Aeneas, hold nothing back!" Karl roared.

Ehecatl ran on the ground on all fours. Its claws were sharp enough to slice through bone, and they struck themselves into the ground with no problem. The panther-like Persona roared, swinging its bladed tail. In fact, it began to move so fast, that it released air. Soon, a huge whirlwind came up, enveloping the Persona and the knight up in the sky.

"Primal Paladin!"

Ehecatl's tail managed to get even faster, as it forced itself deeper into the ground. Aeneas' sword started to gather this air pressure, causing the sword to turn into a blade of wind, longer than even the Petronas Twin Towers. Ehecatl finished its job as a living wind tunnel, and flew to Aeneas. Together, they brought down this oversized blade, which sent gales all over the battlefield.

Janus was nearly cut clean in half from the sheer force. Had it been an organic creature, this would have been a gruesome sight. Yet this was not enough to see the nihilistic door to its death. It let down a rain of blue lasers, zapping everyone.

"What?!" Matthew cried out, stomping the ground. "It's not dying! What gives!"

"The last avatar Janus has...in its arrogance, it assumed we could not handle six of them. Yet five of them have been dismantled, and the last is on the verge of death. If it must vanish, it wishes to make us regret it..." Ethan said, anxious.

"Then we better do something. I don't think we can take another Equinox." Tara said.

"Don't panic! Janus has lost all hope of beating us now." Aimee said. "We just have to keep up the fight, and take it down – huh?"

Matthew's ears pricked up, and a big smile appeared on his face. A long sorrowful ode began to play from an invisible flute. Yet he could easily imagine the flautist – Euterpe. Around her, an icy mist appeared. It was colder than even the North Pole. From below, another power was guiding a vast volume of water towards said mist. Aimee concentrated hard, and gasped. She saw Soma in her eyes, a Persona she had only seen in dark times.

The water immediately froze upon contact with the mist, and shaped itself like a tear – the Frozen Teardrop. This giant block of ice fell down on Janus, shattering into millions upon millions of ice shards, which themselves became frigid dust.

There was no escaping it this time. The door of Haurvatat could not delay it any more. The statues, for the sixth time, vanished completely, and the nearly bisected door broke down, leaving a completely empty space.

|Ater Peractorum|

All was over. Not a single enemy remained on this central podium, and there was silence. Then came the cheers. The rebels had finally earned the right to celebrate.

So is this it? Janus is dead...you'd think it'd spout off some bile about how we're doomed to repeat history and condemn ourselves to ruin. The less I hear it speak, though, the better.

"Woohoo!" Serena said, leaping up and down. "How about that? The Motus Rebels have saved the day!"

"I kept my promise." Nathan said. "This city won't need to worry about Shadows anymore...now we can worry about mundane things."

"Man, I could use a good beer right about now." Blaine said. "You guys, we've got to celebrate when we get home. On me. We rest up, and we party hard."

"You're on, pal." Karl said. "Don't forget, I've still not introduced you guys to Liam. He's been looking forward to meeting you all. Just give him a pint of Karlsberg and he'll be happy."

"What a surprise that he'd like that..." Amara said, chuckling. The others were busy celebrating, full of cheer and good spirits. Even if they were still stranded in this bizarre metaphysical world, they had just conquered the supposedly unstoppable Janus.

"Everyone, can I have your attention please?" Ethan spoke up. "We might have defeated Janus, but we still have a problem. We need to dispel Inanis completely and lower the city, so everything is back where it belongs. I don't think I can do it alone."

"No sweat." Matthew said. "This is just paperwork for us."

"I'm surprised Janus didn't get more upset when it started losing." Alastair said.

"Maybe it was too stunned to speak. We actually put it in its place!" Shirley said.

Yes...you could say that.

What the – you?! But how?!

Ater Peractorum suddenly changed again, the sky becoming pitch black – stained with red and purple blood-like swirls. From where the doors stood, six lights appeared, and shot into the centre. There was a flash, and the ground trembled. The wires connecting the platform to the ground were bursting with power, fuelling the podium.

From a red pool in the centre came the male and female Janus, as statues. And...they were sitting atop another door. One that was made up of the essences of all those that had fallen. Ameretat, Spenta Armaita, Asa Vahista, Kshtara Vairya and Haurvatat were not the mighty six after all. They were merely to support the greatest of them all.

Ahura Mazda.

|Ahura Mazda|

"How the fuck did you survive?!" Blaine demanded.

Did you not anticipate this? There should not have been a need to take matters this far. Yet you broke down all of the great six. Your efforts are commendable, but the world still cannot be left in the hands of mankind. Or any species. This is where it stops, you self-righteous fools. You shall see for yourself how hopeless your cause is. Your only accolade is that you were able to see this – the door to infinity.

"No..." Amara said.

"Janus, you scum..." Ethan muttered. "We've got to try something, fast!"

The two-faced terror, however, had a similar line of thought. Faster than anyone could move, it opened its doors slightly, releasing a horrid presence. This was Ad Ostium Calamitas, debilitating every single target to their lowest ebb.

"Shit..." Dan said, slouching over.

Amara felt sluggish, weak and frail. The doors began to open even further, alarming everybody. This was the Victorae Porta. The entire doorway shone gold, a gateway to absolute domination. For Janus, this was the greatest height it could possibly reach. The peak of its power, enough to slaughter a thousand Liberated Mummies.

"Janus, stop!" Ethan begged. "Don't do this! You mustn't!"

Are you seriously begging us for mercy? We had such respect for you, after your earlier performance. Now you are a coward, whose courage has evaporated forever. You have no right to demand us to spare your lives! Face your punishment like the miserable insect you really are!

The full extent of judgement, ultimate power incarnate, was launched upon everybody. Nothing anyone had seen today could compare to it. At its peak, it seemed to shatter even the fabric of reality itself. Amara screamed, utterly powerless to fight back. The others fared no better. Only a tiny pittance of luck allowed them to live through this, and experience the agonising sensation of impending death.

No...this is it, isn't it? We were so stupid...Janus never was going to go down that easily. And now we'll all disappear...

The final words that shall be spoken to you all...what should they be? Apologies would ring hollow. And yet, we wish not to boast of our victory. Our praises for you all were genuine. Humanity was lucky to ever know people such as yourselves. Let this be the end to your pain. Via Aeternum shall be opened at long last...the Eternal Road is yours to travel. Fear not...we shall disappear after you all.

The doors opened fully, revealing only black empty space. It continued infinitely into the unending darkness, with no destination ahead. Extinction was all that awaited anyone who would step forth.

Amara gasped. Something had just flown straight into the void – Aimee. Karl was next. Matthew and Tara soon followed. One by one, each of the comrades Amara trusted were forced up, and sent flying through the dark void. Amara's own body was lifted up, and she caught one last look of Janus – the judge, jury and executioner of the human race.

Goodbye...everyone. It was...nice knowing you all.

Amara soon hurtled into the darkness, with the doors slamming shut behind her. The Eternal Road had arrived, against her deepest wishes. Rather than cry, she shut her eyes. The only thing to do here was wait until you were gone forever.