Persona 5: Shots Through the Heart
Shot 18: Collision of Pride
Target ⅔: You're not a bad person!
"Now, let's get this out of the way, shall we?" Ann shuts her eyes tightly as Shadow Shido digs his fingers into her suit's cleavage cut-out, ready to rip it off so he can expose and violate everything.
NO! STOOOP!
That's when a sudden blast of force sends Shido flying across the roof. Ann falls to the ground, her body still numb, Futaba is free from his weight, and the black ooze constricting everyone else fades.
"Phew! Finally free!" Skull shouts. Ann's Panther mask reappears on her face.
"Ugh… Heca… te…" Her Persona appeared beside her and uses some light flames to unfreeze her. Just when everyone is about to rush over to her and Futaba, the sound of a demon's thunderous roar stops them in their tracks and red thunder clouds start gathering in the sky. Ann slowly turns her head towards the source and see Akira standing up, slouched over and eyes covered in shadow.
"A… kira…?" A psychotic grin appears on his face and a crazed hyena's laugh escapes his mouth as a mask made from red flames materializes on his face. Instead of his usual white bird mask, it's a black and red devil mask.
"What…? That's not his normal mask," Futaba says. The new mask starts illuminating in red light as he licks his lips and teeth in a circle, as if he is indicating that he is thirsty for blood.
"... phAntOm thIEvEs Of hEArts…" An intimidating voice echoes through the air. Everyone looks around, unable to pinpoint the source.
"Huh? Who's voice was that?" Fox asks.
"Hey! Who are you?!" Mona shouts.
"... my nAmE Is Of nO ImpOrtAncE tO yOU…" They hear it coming from Akira. Or more precisely, his glowing mask.
"Wait… The mask?" Queen says.
"bUt If yOU wOUld rAthEr lIvE lOngEr, I sUggEst yOU All lEAvE thIs plAcE ImmEdIAtEly…"
"What?!" Shido slowly pushes himself back on his feet.
"As fOr yOU, sInnEr, thE dIctAtOr Of dIstOrtEd prIde, "shIdO"… yOU hAvE cOmmIttEd a grAvE crImE…" Akira's eyes turn completely bloodshot and glow a radiant red with rage.
"And nOw, yOU mUst pAy thE UltImAtE prIcE!" A ring of blood red flames forms around Akira's feet as he growls and hunches forward, then erupts into a massive pillar that pierces the clouds as he lets out a blood curdling wail and the mask disappears. The Phantom Thieves' eyes widen at the striking resemblance to the late Akechi's power.
"The hell?!" Skull shouts. "Did he just-"
"Go psychotic?!" Mona finishes. Everyone fights to keep their balance as the entire ship starts to rock from the waves below created by the vicious power surge. Ann, finally unfrozen, struggles to get to her feet and rush over to her lover.
"Akira?!" The ship rocks again, making her fall, as a black and red ooze creeps up and covers Akira's body, just like with Akechi, while he continues to roar.
"Answer me right now! What's going on?! Akira!"
When the pillar of fire dies down, the ooze covered Akira stands hunched over with the red phantom from before towering behind him in greater size. Shido feels unfathomable murderous intent pierce through him at the sight of Akira's glowing red eyes.
"... frOm thE dEEpEst dEpths, I rIsE tO wAlk thE EArth… And sUbmErgE It In UttEr chAOs…" Shido knows for sure that this isn't the boy he was torturing talking. Their voices are way too different, this one's begin unholy and demonic.
"... Who are you?" A loud laughter echos from the clouds as the red phantom begins to take form.
"yOU hUmAns hAvE knOwn mE by mAny nAmEs fOr thOUsAnds Of yEArs… nOnE Of yOU hAvE lIvEd yOUr lIvEs wIthOUt hEArIng At lEAst OnE Of thEm… yOU sAy yOU ArE "hIs" chOsEn OnE… wEll..." Akira slams his hands into the ground, crouching on all fours like a feline targeting its prey, his skin turning jet black.
"I Am thE rEbEllIOUs fAllEn OnE whO wAgEs An EndlEss wAr AgAInst thE fAthEr Of All AngEls thAt yOU cAll "gOd"!" The ooze on Akira's arms and legs turns into protective black steel scales, the ooze on his hands turn into dark red clawed gauntlets, and the ooze on his feet turn into steel bird feet boots. The red phantom grows a torso with six breasts, three pairs of demonic arms and six-finger hands, two bone tails, and one scaly one.
"I cUrsE thE sAIntly… And rUlE OvEr thE dAmnEd!" The ooze on Akira's torso turns into scale torso armor and a spiky scale tail grows out of his behind. The red phantom grows six giant grotesque demon wings.
"I Am thE EmbOdImEnt Of thE sEvEn dEAdlIEst sIns of hUmAnIty thAt tUrns All hEArts tO dArknEss!" Akira's leather coat turns into a raven feather cape as the red phantom grows a scaly head with gnashing teeth and an extra eye on its forehead. Finally taken its true form, the demon of demons, Satan, lets out a roar that causes storms in the sky and sea.
"And fOr yOUr crImEs, I shAll drAg yOU IntO my dOmAIn, thE dEEpEst dEpths of hEll ItsElf, whErE sInnErs sUch As yOU ArE dOOmEd tO bUrn fOr All tImE!"
The Phantom Thieves just stand there, petrified in fear at the sight of the massive abomination that towers over their leader.
"H-H-Holy shit…" Skull stutters.
"What kind of Persona is that…?" Fox asks. Satan reverts back into his phantasmal form to shrink down and take the form of Akira's devil mask, growing two horns that stretch beyond the back of his head and securing his place on his face.
"nOw, "hEllspAwn"! dEmOn chIld ObsEssEd wIth rEvEngE And thE dEsIrE tO sEE thE wOrld rEdUcEd tO smOldEerIng AshEs! IGnOrE yOUr mAlIcE nO lOngEr! cAst AwAy yOUr hUmAnIty! grAnt yOUr wIsh wIth thE pOwEr Of thE rAgIng dEmOn yOU pOssEss InSidE! lEt nO shAcklEs hOld bAck yOUr wrAth! fOr thE sAkE Of AbsOlUtE chAOs, I shAll bE yOUr mAsk!"
Akira, now given the name "Hellspawn", gets off his hands and growls as glares at Shido, plumes of smoke flowing out of sharp red teeth as the memories of what he's done fuel his anger.
"K-K-K-K-Kill… you… I-I-I-I'll… k-k-kill… you…! K-KILL… YOU…!" A massive concussive blast goes off as he lets out another wail.
"GRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGH! I'LL KILL YOOOOOOOOU!"
Ann and Futaba look on in horror as Hellspawn Akira exhibits an unbelievable amount of power that was summoned by rage. To think he of all people had the potential for such fury.
"... Akira…"
Shido strikes his battle stance and glares at the seething teen, unfazed by his transformation.
"Hmph. No matter what form you take, a lowlife is still just that." As he prepares to throw another punch, Hellspawn suddenly disappears. As he is looking for him, he reappears in front of him and hits him in the jaw with a mean roundhouse kick.
"What the-?!" He follows up with a barrage of lightning fast jabs to the stomach with a Curse-infused God's Hand as the finisher. Shido falls to his knees, the wind forced out of him. Hellspawn charges a Curse-infused Diamond Dust sphere behind him with both hands, then fires it at point range.
Shido quickly recovers and charges after Hellspawn, who responds the same way. The two of them disappear and reappear all over the roof, engaged in a dance of fists while everyone else could only watch.
"Whoa! How fast are those two going?!" Skull shouts.
Every other time they'd disappear, Hellspawn would get a hit in, either punching in the gut or across the face, or drop kicking him in the back. He stops and his mask is lit ablaze.
"IcE AgE!" Hellspawn's roars sets off a blizzard explosion that blasts Shido away. The ice crystal covered Shido growls, gets back on his feet, and conjures Inferno and Panta Rhei in one fist and Diamond Dust and Thunder Reign in the other.
"Damn brat! Taste the power of the elite, if you dare!" Satan appears behind Hellspawn as he stands tall and reaches his hand out. Crimson red energy flows out of Satan's mouth and gathers in a sphere in his hand, which he violently crushes, making the energy build up in his arm.
"shOw hIm thE pOwEr Of yOUr grEAtEst sIn..." Hellspawn reels his arm to ready a punch.
"PRIDE!" As Shido fires all of his prepared attacks at once, Hellspawn throws a mighty punch that sends out a destructive shock wave. It easily tears through Shido's attack.
"Impossible!" The attack sends Shido flying into the wall to the shock of the Phantom Thieves.
"What was that?" Fox asks.
"I've never seen an attack like that before!" Mona yells. Shido angrily breaks out of the crater in the wall and tries to paralyze Hellspawn with his Tyrant Glare, but monstrosity just shakes it off.
"Demonic little pest! Why do you always insist on standing in my way?!" Hellspawn lets out another roar as Satan reverts back into his phantom form and surges into Hellspawn's chest. Shido charges up his Tyrant Wave again and the two raging powers cause the ship to rock again.
Oracle's goggles give her a proximity warning and she turns to her comrades in a haste.
"We're in trouble!" she exclaims. "The force created from the collision of those attacks might blast us off the ship!"
"Everyone huddle together!" Queen shouts. As everyone is gathering together, Oracle notices Panther still on her knees in horror as her beloved lashes out in intense anger.
"Panther, c'mon! Panther!"
"... Akira…" She snaps out of her trance when Oracle pulls up on her feet and towards the group.
The two monsters' attack finished charging.
"DIE!" Shido fires his Tyrant Wave and tears the floor apart as it rapidly approaches Hellspawn.
"BLACK! VIPER!" Hellspawn roars as he puffs his chest out, a large bloody hole opens up in it, and a massive snake made of jet black flames erupts from it, baring its fangs as it shoots towards Shido.
The two ultimate attacks in a catastrophic blast that rocks the ship near to the point of capsizing. Everyone screams as they duck and cover under the barrier they made from their Personas, which is just barely keeping them safe from the ongoing explosion.
Hellspawn's Black Viper attack gradually overpowers Shido's Tyrant Wave until it finally pierces through.
"Impossible! GAH!" The attack hits Shido dead on in his chest and forces him to crash straight through the wall.
When the fearsome winds die down and the smoke clears, the Persona barrier is dropped and the Phantom Thieves see Hellspawn still standing while Shido is nowhere to be found.
"What happened?" Panther asks.
"Wait! Where'd Shido go?!" Skull asks in a panic. "Aw man! Please tell me he didn't kill 'im!" Oracle uses her goggles to scan the area.
"It's faint, but I'm picking up his energy readings," she says. "Looks like he's barely conscious." Noir breathes a sigh of relief.
"Phew, that's good to know."
Tension returns as Hellspawn's thunderous roars send out shockwaves of energy that creates thunderstorms in the sky and maelstroms waves in the sea. Satan reappears, towering over him, and laughs as his power grows, fueled by his host's rage.
"yEssss…! rIp It ApArt! dEstrOy It All!" Hellspawn starts blasting Diamond Dust and Eigaon shots out of his hand in every direction.
Everyone falls to the ground because of ship's vicious shaking and they notice cracks spreading across the floor as Hellspawn fires away.
"What the hell is he doin?!" Skull shouts.
"Is he trying to take down entire ship?!" Oracle yells. Hellspawn suddenly stops firing and falls on all fours, clawing at the ground as red chains emerge all over his body and try to hold him back, much to the demon's amusement.
"thErE Is nO pOInt In rEsIstIng nOw… sUrrEndEr tO my wIll cOmplEtEly… gIvE In…" Hellspawn thrashes around and his screams in agony as his armor starts to merge with his skin. The claws grow longer and the feather cape turns into a set of demon wings. The Phantom Thieves notice the streams of black ooze coming out of his eyes and him clenching his heart. Noir covers her mouth and gasps, knowing the similarity all too well.
"It's… the same with Father…!" Queen turns to Mona.
"Mona, what's going on?!"
"I-I don't know! I've never seen anything like this! But… if I had to guess…" Mona stares at his psychotic friend.
"Akira's heart probably turned psychotic because all of the negative emotions he felt toward Shido overwhelmed him. His anger is increasing his power way beyond possible limits. And that Persona is making it worse by the second." Hellspawn starts slamming his fists on the ground, still roaring like crazy.
"If things keep going like this…" The chains are gradually weakening as Hellspawn tries to rip them off.
"His heart won't be able to take the strain…! He'll trigger his own mental shutdown!" Everyone's hearts stop and their blood runs cold at the conclusion Mona is drawing. Their leader is going to die?
Skull glares at the laughing Satan who is brainwashing his friend, gets to his feet, and charges straight at Hellspawn to everyone's surprise.
"Skull?!" Panther shouts. "What're you-" As Hellspawn continues the rampage, he feels the sting of a shotgun blast hit him on his side. He turns his monstrous glare at Skull.
"It's the same with Akechi!" Skull yells to everyone. "If Akira's gone psychotic, then we'll just have to beat the shit of him and get him to stop! To hell with how strong this thing is!" Most of the Phantom Thieves saw the logic behind Skull's plan and joined him. However, Panther was the only one to stay behind. She never imagined that there would be a situation where she'd have to fight her boyfriend.
The Phantom Thieves start calling out to their seething leader.
"Akira! You can hear us, can't you?!" Mona shouts.
"Please! You must listen to us!" Fox says.
"Whatever's going on with you, you have to fight it!" Queen yells. Satan cackles and speaks to his pawn.
"hE Is stIll AlIvE… thEy ArE gEttIng In yOUr wAy… yOU knOw whAt tO dO…" Hellspawn blasts off the chains binding him and roars as he charges at his friends.
Panther watches on in dread as her lover clashes with their teammates in a one-sided battle. He's gone berserk, he's in serious pain, and he's gradually approaching the brink of death. The only supposed way to bring him back to his senses is to fight him. The end results of both made her stomach churn.
She sees Noir, Queen, Fox, and Skull get blasted back and Mona grab onto his shoulder.
"Akira, you've gotta stop! C'mon! Akira!" Hellspawn roars as he punches Mona away.
Panther shuts her eyes and takes a deep breath. Everyone else is fighting him because they want to save him, no matter what. Of course, she feels that way to. She just needs to show it.
As Hellspawn tries to read the killing blow, a massive torrent of fire erupts from under him. Noir sees Hecate hovering in front of the flames and the unmasked Ann confidently marching into them.
"Ann-chan?!" With her Persona's elemental protection keep her safe, she puts one foot into the flames.
"I'm going alone… Don't worry. I'll be okay… He won't hurt me…" She charges into the intense flames, dashing across the magma with burning determination. Oracle contacts her via Persona communication.
"Hey! I've got your back in there!" she assures her.
"Thanks, Futaba!"
I won't let you die… I won't let you die!
Ann sees Hellspawn shielding himself from the flames.
"Akira!" Hellspawn glares at her and Satan appears from within the flames.
"thErE Is nO lOngEr AnythIng yOU cAn dO… hE'S mInE nOw… And hE shAll sErvE As my vEssEl As I brIng UttEr chAOs tO thE wOrld Of mAn…" Ann glares at the evil Persona.
"NO ONE'S TALKING TO YOU, MONSTER! GIVE HIM BACK! NOW!" Ann commands Hecate to hit with Agidyne explosions while she lets loose with her submachine gun. Annoyed, Satan has Hellspawn use Ice Age, making massive glaciers of ice fall from the sky.
"Nice try!" Ann slams her right palm on the ground to influence her Blazing Hell field and create pillars of magma to destroy the falling glaciers.
"He's coming straight at you!" Oracle shouts. Ann turns to her right, where she hears Hellspawn roaring at her.
Outside of the Blazing Hell field, the rest of the Phantom Thieves are trying to see what's going on.
"Dammit! The flames are too wild!" Skull shouts. "I can't see anything!" Mona, who hopped on top of Skull's head, catches a glimpse of two clashing.
"There! I see them!" he shouts while pointing. The team looks in that direction and see the two fighting hand to hand in the flames. To their surprise, Ann doesn't seem to be struggling against their leader too much.
"Hold on… Is she actually holding him off?!" Fox asks. Queen recalls all the times she's spent with the couple for Kata training at the Protein Lovers gym, requested by Akira to help Ann stay in shape and teach her self defense.
Looks like having Akira-kun be her sparring partner is paying off, she thinks.
Back inside, Ann continues to block and counter Hellspawn's while their Personas clash above them. Even with all of his erratic movement, she could see his tells for what he's going to do. Plus, her fire field was gradually causing him damage, so she knew he'd tire out enough for her to get through to him eventually.
Hellspawn leaps back a great distance and shoots a hail of Diamond Dust shards at her. Ann twirls her leather whip, letting the flames set it ablaze, and swings it as fast as she can to deflect most of the shots, enduring the stings as the ones that get through graze her body, tearing her suit and cutting her cheeks.
Hellspawn suddenly begins to feel fatigued and he stops attacking, kneeling on the ground.
Now's my chance!
Ann switches out her leather whip for her electromagnetic one Akira has her hold onto to restrain enemies and sets it to max voltage. Usually, that setting is for finishing off Shadows, but considering Hellspawn's power, she knew he'd be able to survive.
She glares at Hellspawn, with the intention to rip off that armor and get her man back, and pushes the button on the whip's handle to turn on the electricity.
"SQUEAL LIKE A PIG!" Hellspawn cries out in pain as she lets loose a furious barrage of electrified lashes all over his body, sending paralyzing shocks running through his blood. He stumbles on all fours and his muscles spasm as he is left unable to move, but his rage still persists.
Ann looks up and sees Hecate's dogs using their chains to bind Satan and blast him with their Agidyne breath. The threat was weakened on both fronts.
"Think you can get him to calm down?" Oracle asks.
"I wouldn't have rushed in here if I didn't think so!" Ann marches up behind Hellspawn, quickly wraps her whip around his neck, wraps her legs around his waist, and holds back his arms while grabbing the end of her whip. Satan glares at her from above.
"yOU fIlthy InsEct…!" Hellspawn snarls loudly and starts thrashing around in response to his master's anger, but Ann keeps him restrained with her body while tazing him with her whip to keep the paralysis up. It hurt her too, but it was more than bearable thanks to Hecate's partial resistance to electricity.
"Akira! I know you're in there! C'mon, wake up!" Ann winches as the enraged boy roars, suffering from the turmoil in his mind.
xxx
Inside a flashback of his time at school, Akira is in a meeting with his counselor.
"Wow! Impressive as always, Kurusu-kun!" she says. "Maintained your academic alpha dog status for another year!" Akira sighs in exasperation.
"And just like always, it felt too easy."
"That's because of how hard you work when it really counts. And you know it counts all the time. I just… wish you'd show some of that effort in class. Teachers are still complaining about how in the world such an annoying slacker gets the #1 spot every time without cheating." The teen crosses his arms.
"I listen in my own way and I do my work. I don't see how that warrants being called "annoying". Hmph… Like I care."
"Still no idea on what you wanna do for a living?" Akira smiles.
"Nah. But that's what college is there for, ain't it? To figure it out and learn the basics. Honestly… I'm really looking forward to it."
… My future…
Inside a flashback of his time with his band of thieves, everyone is grabbing a bite to eat at the Beef Bowl Shop after a long day's work.
"To be perfectly honest," Haru innocently speaks. "I've never tried beef bowels before. This is actually really good."
"You've never had one?!" Ryuji says while wolfing down his meal. "Man, have you been missing out!" Yusuke moves his bowl away from Ryuji.
"I would deeply appreciate if you did not get your mess in my food," he grumbles. Makoto looks at Futaba with a deadpan expression as she digs in.
"I should probably teach both of them about table manners," she sighs. Something gets caught in Futaba's food pipe and she starts beating her chest. Makoto slides her water over to her.
"Slow down! It's not going anywhere!" Futaba chugs down her water.
"Pwah! Sorry! I used up a lot of energy today!" Mona pops out of Akira's bag.
"Even though your job is a little easier?" he asks. Ryuji shoots a fist in the air.
"Of course! No matter what role ya got, it takes a lot of work to be a-"
Ak-An-Mo-Y-Ma: "RYUJI!"
Ryuji covers his mouth before he can say "Phantom Thief". Ann groans, swipes his extra beef bowl, and shows it to her boyfriend.
"Let's split this," she says.
"Alright." Ryuji glares at Ann.
"Hey, that's mine!" Ann glares back at him.
"What's yours is the punishment for still not learning to keep your mouth shut!" Everyone notices Akira suddenly start laughing.
"Hey, what's so funny?" Futaba asks. He shakes his head.
"Nothing. Just… I think this is the most fun I've had eating with people."
… My friends…
Inside a flashback of his time with Ann, the couple are lying in bed together after their birthday party.
"Y'know… I've thought this for a while now," Akira says. "But… being with you makes me forget my life's supposed to be ruined." Ann looks up at him with a tinge of red in her cheeks.
"Maybe that's because it's gotten even better… That's what I feel when I'm with you." Akira frowns and brushes his left hand across her cheek.
"... Hey... You're not gonna go anywhere, right…? I've already had my future taken from me… I don't wanna lose anything else… Especially not you…" Ann pushes herself up and stares down at him.
"... Like I have anywhere else to go… Right here, with you. This is where I belong."
… My… My love…
Akira now stands alone in the dark, head lowered and eyes drain of life.
All these things… All these things I needed to protect…
"BUT THEY'RE GONE NOW, AREN'T THEY?!" He freezes up from the sound of his own voice turned sinister echoing in the dark.
"He straight up yanked that all away from your sorry ass and you're still whining about protecting them!" Akira covers his ears and falls to his knees.
"Nngh!"
"Oh, c'mon! Like you were anything but a big fat piece of meat from the start! Hm hm hm hm!" Darkness starts creeping in on him as he grits his teeth.
"Shut up…! Shut up!"
"Man, it's hilarious that you actually thought getting stronger through your Personas would actually make a difference! It's true! You believed it so badly, you really thought you were invincible! But nope! Buff yourself up all you want! Everything good in your life just gets taken away! Like you really deserve any of it!"
Finally snapping, Akira screams into the darkness above him.
"I SAID SHUT UUUUUUUUP!"
xxx
In response to his inner despair, the Hellspawn alias' power skyrocketed, overcoming its paralysis.
"Careful!" Oracle shouts. "His power's going back up!" Hellspawn rushes to his feet, easily lugging Ann on his back, and starts furiously thrashing his body around. As she is hanging on for dear life, Ann feels a sharp pain pierce straight through her head. She turned to her right just in time to see Satan crush Hecate in his hand. He then turns his demonic glare to her.
"mAEIgAOn!" Hellspawn's eyes glow red as he roars and blasts Ann away with multiple eruptions of Curse magic around him. Ann is sent rolling on the floor as Satan's anger grows.
"EnOUgh Of yOUr mEddlIng!" Ann scrambles to her feet and runs to dodge the Eigaon rays Hellspawn shoots out of his hands while Satan hides in the flames. She manages to endure the impact when he shoot right in her path, but it forces her to her knees.
"Ann! Are you alright?!" Oracle shouts. Ann clutches her stomach in pain and calls out to her boyfriend again.
"A-Akira! I-It's me! Don't you remember?! Snap out of- Ugh!" Satan emerges behind her and grabs her with one of his massive hands. The monster slowly brings her up to his face as she tries to struggle out of his grip, her face reflecting in his eyes.
"I hAvE dEcIdEd… In cElEbrAtIOn Of my AdvEnt…" The Blazing Hell field turns black, a sign that it's now under the demon's influence, as it licks its teeth hungrily with his long snake tongue.
"I shAll hAvE my fIrst tAstE… Of hUmAn flEsh…"
The rest of the Phantom Thieves see the shadows of Satan raising Ann into the air as tortures her with Curse magic, then slowly lowering her into his mouth.
"Ann-chan!" Noir shouts.
"Akira's about to reach his breaking point!" Oracle shouts. "GUYS! DO SOMETHING!" The team desperately tries to use their Personas in different ways to cut through the inferno, but it is all in vain.
"The flames are too strong!" Queen shouts. "We can't get through!" Mona's eyes widen in horror as he sees the demon open his mouth as he brings his crush lower.
"LADY ANN!"
Hellspawn continues to cry out in fury, all the while.
xxx
Back in his subconscious, Akira holds his head in his hands as averts his eyes from all of the images passing by him in black clouds. He didn't need to see them to know what they were showing him. The bright future he had before Shido ripped it from him. His best friends fooling around together before they die at Shido's feet. Ann smiling at him before he tortures her, mind, body, and soul. It was all dreadful, and in his mind, it was all a reality that he failed to prevent.
"... I… I couldn't do it… I couldn't protect everything I cared about… All the power I gained… and in the end, I couldn't protect them…" He feels a dreadful presence descend behind him and whisper in his ear.
"You could never beat him anyway. You couldn't do it that day… and surprise, surprise… you can't do it now…"
…
xxx
GOD DAMMIT!
Ann frantically tries to escape Satan's hand as he opens his mouth as wide as he can, letting smoking and intense heat flow out and revealing his enormous, burning, gnashing teeth. Hellspawn continues to roar in agony as more black ooze gushes out of his eyes and mouth.
"AKIRA! AKIRA, PLEASE!"
AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!
xxx
As Akira continues to avert his eyes…
"... Akira…"
A gentle voice reaches his ears. He starts to calm down and looks around for the source of the voice.
"... Akira… Akira…"
He notices a bounty of shimmering red lights falling down like snow around him and looks up. Descending to him was a being made of light with painfully familiar golden hair spreading a comforting warmth across the area. His nerves and his heart gradually start to calm as he hears a familiar phrase with a familiar voice.
Are you really bad person as the rumor says…? You just don't seem like it...
xxx
As Ann's gruesome doom draws nearer, familiar whispers starts echoing in her head through the Curse magic. She looks down at Hellspawn, whose rage has suddenly subsided as he calmly stares at her.
"You can hear me, can't you?! Akira!" The whispers starts to become clearer as the red light in his eyes dims down and they widen.
"... … … … … … Ann…?"" Ann smiles a little, relieved that she's finally gotten through to him, then takes a deep breath and calls out to him one more time.
"This isn't you! I know it's not! You're not the angry, insane, psychotic murderer that you look like right now! You're a cocky, sassy, perverted show-off, but you're kind, strong, and so, so loyal! You never stop helping and caring about other people, even after everything you've been through! You always live your life by your own terms, no matter what people think! And you always fight for the justice you believe in! All of those things make you who you are!" Even as she gradually approached Satan's gaping maw, she continued to call out to him with passion in her voice.
"And I… I love all of that about you! I love it all more than anything in the whole world! I never thought I'd end up loving something more than I love Shiho, but it's true! You helped my strengthen my heart and stole it so easily! You've given me so much and you never left my side for a second! Every single day I spend with you… I couldn't be happier! You… you're everything to me!" Tears start flowing out of her eyes as she shouts.
"Akira… I need you in my life! Forever! You give it meaning that I never thought was there! So you'd better come back to me right now or else, I swear to God, I'm just gonna disappear along with you!" She shuts her eyes to let herself cry a little before finishing her piece.
"... Please wake up… … … … A-KI-RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
xxx
A-KI-RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Akira lets out a quiet gasp as the deity's light dims to reveal that it truly is Ann. As always, the sight of her puts a big smile on his face and he reaches out to her.
Glowing red chains suddenly emerge from the darkness and suspend her in the air.
"C'mon! I just told you! There's nothing a weakling like you can do to protect her!"
xxx
Ann feels Satan's breath envelop her completely and sees that her midsection is inside his mouth. Her eyes widen in horror as the beast slowly closes his mouth, his gnashing teeth inches away from piercing her flesh… until he is hit from the side out of nowhere.
"ngh?! whAt wAs-" Strong attacks then come in all directions, making Satan fall to the floor. Ann hangs on for dear life as she is pushed around.
"W-Whoa! Futaba, what's going on?!"
"I dunno! It's too fast for me to track!" When the demon looks up to see who is attacking him, he is shocked to see that is a certain Persona with a red suit, a top hat, massive black feather wings, and a masked face displaying a glowing angry smile.
"ArsEnE?! hOw?!" Ann hears Hellspawn roar again and looks down just in time to see the raging alias punch himself hard in the face. His right eye changes from red to blue and his skin starts to change back.
xxx
Back within his subconscious, the Hellspawn creature is knocked on the floor. As it gets back on its feet, someone walks towards it and stops a fair distance away from it.
"... Shut. Up… I'm through listening to this..." Akira, as Joker without his mask, glares at his berserk self in confidence.
"I am sick and tired of your BULLSHIT!"
xxx
The conflicted Hellspawn roars as he thrashes around, hitting himself and trying to rip the demon armor off him. Arsene is flying through the air, engaged in a fierce battle with Satan. A fight that every member of the Phantom Thieves can see.
"Whoa… Hey, Oracle! What the hell's goin' on in there?!" Skull asks. A big smile forms on Oracle's face.
"His readings are stabilizing!" she tells them. "He's fighting back!"
xxx
Joker and Hellspawn are locked in fierce melee combat, the former powering through the latter's devastating blows to deliver his own. Hellspawn lands a punch on Joker's face, but Joker pushes back.
"... You're wrong!" He pushes away the fist, then closes in to deliver a vicious uppercut, sending him flying into the air.
"You're wrong!" The beast falls to the ground and Joker stomps his foot and shakes his head.
"You're wrong, dammit! You're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong, YOU'RE WRONG!" Hellspawn glares at him with his demonic eyes and growls.
"Did you really think I couldn't figure it out?! You think I wouldn't be able to see it?! I know I have the strength within me! The problem was I stopped using it!" He hangs his head.
"I was pissed out of my mind at Shido, but at the same time, I was scared shitless of him! After what he did to me and finding out who he really is, how could I not be?! It got so bad that I convinced myself that the only way we could beat him is with raw power alone! Power I thought I already had! And that was a dumbass way of thinking!" He shakes his head and takes out his knife.
"But I'm not gonna think like that anymore! That's over! It wasn't physical strength that got me here! It was the will to persevere through all the crap life threw at me and get back up when it knocked me down! It's… the strength of my heart!" Hellspawn gets to its feet and his power grows as Joker looks up at the chained Ann.
"I won't let my rage and desire for revenge lead me astray anymore. And I won't fear hold me back either. I'm going to believe in the inner strength of heart I have deep inside to push through everything in my way. And I know I'll stick with it… because my Ann is my light to guide me through the darkness. My Ann reminds me of the person I am and want to be. My Ann... makes me see… My heart?!" Akira's eyes glow red as blues flames cover his body and he glares at his berserk self.
"That's the strongest part of me!"
Hellspawn's thunderous roar shakes the ground before the two charge at each other.
xxx
Arsene continues to hit Satan with a barrage of Eigaon rays and Brave Blade strikes as they fight in the air.
"dAmn yOU! BLACK VIPER!" Satan turns into a massive jet black flame snake and charges at Arsene. The demon in the suit charges his strength, then fires a Megidolaon ray at point blank range out of nowhere, sending him crashing into the ground, freeing Ann from his grip.
The inferno field starts to disappear and the rest of the group sees Ann rise from the floor.
"Ann, are you okay?!" Queen asks. Ann notices Satan lying on his side trying to get up.
"Guys, he's down!" she shouts. Everyone turns their attention to the demon and quickly figure to do. What do you usually do when your foe is downed?
"Hell yeah! Let's send this guy packing!" Skull shouts. Everyone gathers together to combine their strength before Oracle gives the signal.
"GO! ALL-OUT ATTACK!" The team roars as they converge onto their target and attack from all sides.
xxx
Joker is driving Hellspawn back in their fight. Hellspawn suddenly cries out in pain and multiple cracks appear on his body.
Joker, seeing the opening, whips out his pistol and performs his Down Shot move, rolling, jumping, and flipping around his enemy to down it. Hellspawn drops to its knees and looks up at the sky in the daze. When he sees the devil mask glow, he figures out what he has to do.
But, he'll need help. And lucky for him, someone was just let loose from her chains.
xxx
The Phantom Thieves finish their All-Out Attack with a bang, leaving Satan stunned and wide open for Arsene to strike a One-Shot Kill to his forehead, knocking him on his back. His form begins to disintegrate in black smoke.
"It… Is… nOt… pOssiblE!" Ann sees Hellspawn drop to his knees while looking up in a daze and his mask starts to glow. She suddenly hears a voice in her head. It's not a Persona communication.
… Ann...!
How could she not instantly recognize that voice?
"Akira?!"
Ann…! The mask…! Get… it… off!
She quickly understands. That mask is what made him go psychotic, so ripping it off of him should free him from its control. She turns to her friends.
"Guys! Keep that thing pinned down for me!"
"You got it, Lady Ann!" The thieves summons their Personas to pin Satan down as she dashes towards the dazed Hellspawn.
Alright! I've seen you do this a million times!
She hops onto the beast's shoulders in relatively the same style as her boyfriend.
So here's hoping I'm doing it right!
Ann grabs onto the bottom of the mask, grabs onto her wrist with her left hand, and pushes on his back with her legs to pull. As a countermeasure, Hellspawn's body erupts with Curse magic flames, but she continues to pull, somehow feeling Joker try to pull of the mask with her.
As tiny geysers of blood start bursting out under the mask, Satan's rage grows and he starts to struggle.
"yOU… rEvOltIng… wrEtch!" The thieves tighten their grip on him.
"Ann, hurry up!" Skull shouts. "I think this thing's getting his wind back!" Ann does a second push with greater force, knowing that Akira is doing the same.
"Ngh! Come oooooon!" The mask starts to peel off more and more blood gushes out. Satan's anger reaches his peak, he sends out a Maeigaon shockwave to blast away the thieves, and roars as he charges towards Ann, using his six hands to propel him forward faster.
"I WILL TEAR YOU TO SHREDS AND STAIN MY TEETH IN YOUR BLOOD, HUMAN!"
"HURRY, ANN!" Oracle shouts. As the couple on opposite side of consciousness push one more time with all of their might, they share the same thought.
Dammit! Come off already!
Satan's distance: 30 yards.
Get… the hell… off!
20 yards.
GET! THE HELL! OFF!
At ten yards, Satan launches himself into the air as if to pounce on her. The couple roar as loud as they can as they desperately pull as hard as they can… until the mask finally snaps off.
Ann tumbles backwards on the floor as the massive demon slowly freezes in midair. She sits up and notices the devil mask is in her hands. She smiles and raises it in the air in triumph.
"WOO HOO! Dear God, you caused so much trouble!" The mask flies out of her hands and into the air. Satan gradually reverts back into his phantom form and is sucked into the mask, along with the remains of the Hellspawn armor, and it all disappears in black ball of fire.
Ann hears a thud ahead of her and sees Akira lying on his side in his normal clothes.
"Akira!" Everyone rushes over to their leader with a sigh of relief.
"Looks like that thing's finally gone," Mona says. Ryuji grins and slaps his hand on his bro's shoulder.
"Geez! You sure know how to freak us out!" Akira doesn't give any response. Ryuji shakes him.
"Hey, Akira?" Still no response. He turns him on his side.
"C'mon, man. You can't just lie there all… Huh?" Everyone's hearts stop and their eyes widen in horror when they see Akira's face covered in black ooze. Makoto covers her mouth.
"No…!" she gasps. "Don't tell me…!" Futaba hastily kneels down and puts her ear to his chest, then his mouth. She feels herself about to choke up when no sound comes out.
"No… He's not breathing! He's not breathing! HE'S NOT BREATHING! AKIRA!" Ann pushes everyone aside and starts doing CPR, starting with chest compressions with both hands.
"Akira, c'mon!" Mona shouts. "You're our leader! You have to wake up!"
"Akira-kun, please!" Noir pleads. Ann wipes the ooze off his mouth before performing mouth-to-mouth.
C'mon! Don't die!
She goes back to chest compressions.
… Don't die!
Tears start leaking out of her eyes.
… Don't die!
Target ⅔: Hit
Author's Note: Don't ya just LOVE cliffhangers? LOL :)
Anyway, I'd like to take this opportunity to give a special shout out to Cosmic Guardian for a previous review they wrote.
Nice guess, man! ;)