The team sat staring at the entryway in front of them. Two days had passed since Teddie's return, and they'd managed to find Adachi with his help. However, upon encountering the detective, they discovered he was intent on toying with them, as he hadn't even bothered to meet with them personally, using a very convincing image instead to communicate. They had left soon after, deciding it would be better to prepare before entering the world Adachi had cooked up for them. However, Souji and Yu had decided to pay him a visit later that night, and had come out worse for their encounter.
Yosuke had also caught them, feeling hurt that the twins had shown a lack of trust in their comrades, but a hearty assurance from the team leader that they hadn't intended on fighting him, but had tried to seek out a peaceful resolution instead brought the brunette's spirits back up. However, they stood ready to finish what they'd started almost 9 months ago.
Each member stood, grim determination on everyone's faces. Yu chuckled slightly in spite of the serious determination. Souji turned to his brother, raising his eyebrow as he did so. Yu shook his head as he recovered from his outburst. "Sorry…" he began, "but I just realized that we'll have Adachi behind bars, and this whole mess cleared up before Christmas"
Souji sighed in response; it had been a long time since Yu had made such an off-color joke. "I suppose you mean to say that it's a nice gift?" he asked, and his brother nodded once in response, face returning to the stalwart look it had held before. Souji shrugged, then looked around once more at his friends. They'd all come so far over the past year.
Yosuke gave his friend a quick grin, spinning his Nata in his hands. Chie tapped her foot impatiently, ready to be on the move. Yukiko had her eyes closed, appearing to be lost in thought…or simply just lost; Souji still had a hard time telling with the innkeeper. Kanji cracked his knuckles, nodding at his closest friend and leader as he conveyed a silent message of loyalty. Rise gave Souji a winning smile before returning her attention to Yu, whispering to him. For his part, Yu was nodding in answer to the idol, not willing to be rude but eager to begin the trek.
Souji's gaze rested on Naoto. The detective was leaning against the wall next to the door, eyes opening as she sensed someone watching her. She gave her boyfriend a small smile and moved to stand with the rest of the group, coming to rest at Souji's left side. Yu moved to his brother's right, the others falling in behind him. Souji turned back to face the portal once more, breathing deeply. Wordlessly, he stepped forward, and Yu and his friends silently followed him into Adachi's world.
"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." Yu planted the hilt of his katana in the face of a shadow, dazing it as he turned to strike at another. Izanagi stabbed the dazed shadow, quickly destroying it as Yu continued to fight.
"Dude, are you seriously quoting scripture right now?!" Yosuke was riding on the back of a large golem as he yelled at Yu, stabbing his Nata into the shadow's back, and directed it to rampage through a mass of shadows that were beginning to surround Chie and Yukiko.
"Thanks, handsome!" Chie yelled as Yosuke rode past, earning a quick grin while the brunette looked for more mayhem to wreak.
Kanji was back to back with Teddie, and the two appeared to be enjoying the fight they were in; Teddie had been hanging out with Kanji too much again. The ex-punk raised his metal plate high, twirling it around him as Rokuten Maoh sent massive bolts of lightning down at the mass of shadows in front of him. "Now this is more like it!" he yelled. "A real brawl doesn't begin until you've got your back to a wall!" Teddie growled at the shadows in front of him, and Kamui burst forth like a train, freezing every shadow in sight before crushing them into dust.
"The Teddie legend never dies!" yelled the teen in triumph, earning a star-struck look from Yukiko.
"A legend, really?!" she said in wonder, causing Chie to snort at her friends amazement.
"Not that kind of legend, Yukiko!" she said as she directed Suzuka-Gongen to attack the line of shadows closing in behind Yu. The silverette was finishing off another shadow when he looked around.
"Yo, where's Souji and Naoto?" he asked, ignoring the shadow that appeared on his left; Izanagi would make quick work of it. Yu saw the two teens in question fending off three massive Minotaurs. Swearing silently under his breath, he began to run towards his brother, but stopped as more shadows appeared in front of him. "Yosuke!" he yelled, jumping backwards as the lion-like creature swiped at him. The brunette, having destroyed his ride by running it repeatedly into a wall, ran over to support his friend, and cast Garudyne to distract their opponent. Yu wondered how things were going on Souji's end as he slashed at the shadow, forcing it to move backwards. As if in response, a bright flash appeared out of nowhere, and Yu looked up momentarily to see Morpheus and Yamato Takeru casting twin Megidolaons.
The Minotaurs looked up, distracted by the spells barreling down on them. The moment of distraction afforded Souji and Naoto the time they needed, and as Naoto fired off round after round at their foes, Souji dashed forward, body low to the ground as he held his Tonfa behind him. The silverette leapt up at the first Minotaur, stabbing his blades deep into the monsters gut. He leapt off quickly, flipping over to the next one. He slashed twice, rendering the shadow immobile as Souji cut the tendons in its legs. Souji danced backwards as the Megidolaons that he and Naoto had cast struck the two monsters, obliterating them into dust. The third Minotaur looked shaken, and Souji and Naoto threw themselves at the shadow, Naoto firing her gun point-blank into the creature's head while Souji plunged his blades into its legs.
"Cry havoc!" yelled the silverette as he slashed wildly at the Minotaur, further weakening it. The Shadow dissipated quickly, and the two teens stood still for a moment, gathering their breath as they observed the battle their friends were engaged in. It seemed that most of the shadow horde was gone, with only a few stragglers continuing their mindless fight.
"Seriously, what's with these things?" Souji asked, wiping his forehead with his jacket sleeve; the robe had changed into a comfortable light jacket, allowing Souji to move unimpaired.
Naoto shook her head, steadying her breath before she answered. "It seems that Adachi's world contains many strong shadows. It's no surprise that we're facing so many as well, since I imagine that he has control over everything here."
The rest of the group joined them, having finished off the last of the shadows from their latest fight. The team decided a short break might do them some good, and they sat down as Souji called for the Fox, who appeared after a short while. As Souji paid for the creatures services, Yu looked around, observing the world they had entered.
At first, the Shadows had been relatively easy, but when Adachi had halted their progress forward, the team had been forced to find an alternate route. They had found a new world within the old one, and the shadows here appeared to be on a very different level from the ones they had been facing. Yu thanked the Fox as it pressed a leaf against the teen's bare hand, and the silverette shuddered as he felt energy rush back through him, replacing his exhaustion with fervor.
The Investigation Team had traveled through five layers of this new realm successfully, and had just finished fighting an impressive metal golem on the sixth when a horde of shadows had appeared as if from nowhere. Rise spoke up, drawing the group's attention. "Something feels different now" the idol said. "I think we should go back to the other place where Adachi cut us off and try again."
Souji nodded, and rummaged through the small sack he carried with him. The others all stood, and gathered around their leader as he produced a small crystal; a Goho-M. "Alright, then let's head back there." Souji held the crystal above his head as the group all grabbed on, and the crystal flashed brightly before teleporting the teens.
If the battle before had been hard, it was nothing compared to what they were now facing. The Investigation Team was facing Adachi, but the detective had another secret to reveal. That secret took the form of a red and orange version of Yu's Persona, and flew straight at the team before they had a chance to react. By sheer luck, Souji managed to avoid most of the attack, but was still thrown back as the enemy Persona flew by. The silverette groaned as he sat back up, and scrambled backwards as a pillar of fire erupted in front of him.
Looking around, he saw three large shadows floating just behind Adachi, each wielding long-barreled revolvers. The tip of one revolver was smoking as the new enemies floated slowly towards the Investigation team, which was struggling to hold off the powerful blows that Adachi's Persona, Magatsu-Izanagi, continued to throw at them. "Guys, look out!" Souji yelled, pushing himself to his feet.
Rise looked around at the teens words, and saw the new threat. She scanned them quickly, and began shaking slightly as she informed the team. "Guys, these shadows are called Reapers! We need to get rid of them, or they'll tear us apart!"
Yosuke grimaced as he danced out of the way of Magatsu' blade. "That's gonna be a tall order, the way things are going!" yelled the brunette as he directed Susano-O to unleash a small tornado on Adachi's persona. A flash of black drew the beings attention, and quick reflexes narrowly allowed him to avoid being impaled as Izanagi locked blades with his fearsome counterpart.
Yu stood just behind him, brow furrowed as he concentrated his willpower into his Persona. "I'll handle this sham, you guys hit those Reapers!" he yelled, wincing as Izanagi was pushed backwards. The others nodded, and split apart to counter the enemy shadows, which had pulled up in a flanking position. Yukiko, Chie, and Rise stood facing one on the far left of the field, standing in the ruins of what appeared to be the Moel Gas Station, and the two combative Persona wielders began their assault as Rise provided support. Teddie and Yosuke were already throwing down with another, clambering over the heaps of debris as their Persona's sent barrage after barrage of wind and ice at the creature, effectively creating a snowstorm with their efforts. Kanji, Naoto, and Souji faced the final Reaper, with the ex-punk sending his Persona to grapple with the Shadow while Naoto cast pinpoint spells in an attempt to weaken their foe, Souji casting support spells and occasionally asking Morpheus to intervene when Rokuten Maoh was thrown back.
The three groups were having a tough time with their battles, as the Reapers were deftly evading many of their attacks while scoring critical injuries on the Investigation Team. Yu didn't have time to watch them, much less help them as Magatsu-Izanagi bore down on him. Cursing out loud, the silverette leaped out of the way as the corrupted Persona's blade struck the spot where he'd been standing. Yu rolled back onto his feet, and immediately directed Izanagi to attack, and the tall Persona leaped up from the spot where he'd been thrown to comply. The two Persona's traded blow after blow, neither willing to give in, and Adachi laughed in the background.
"Can't you all see the futility in what you're doing?" he asked. "I told you it was pointless, trying to stop me! Now you dumb brats are gonna have to pay the price!" The detective laughed again at the Reapers threw back the Team members they were facing. The teens landed hard on their backs or stomachs, and struggled to rise again. Yu looked at his brother and friends in desperation before returning his gaze to Magatsu-Izanagi. His eyes flared as he thought about the year he'd had, the countless struggles to simply move forward as they searched for the resolution to their fight.
"To hell with you, Adachi!" screamed Yu. "We didn't come all this way to get a lecture from some worthless criminal who can't decide on whether or not he wants to live or die!" The effect Yu's words had on the detective was visible, and Adachi's angry response caused his Persona to lapse slightly. Yu grinned, and pushed Izanagi to take advantage of the momentary weakness. Izanagi threw a quick punch to his foes jaw, throwing its head back sharply. He then reached up to grab Magatsu's coat collar, and pulled hard, thrusting his blade into the corrupted Persona's torso. Magatsu-Izanagi writhed in pain, and Yu called for lightning as he continued his assault. Izanagi's blade flashed as it became enveloped in the destructive force, and twisted his blade to gouge deeper as Magatsu was electrocuted.
The enemy Persona disappeared, and Adachi fell to his knees as he tried desperately to withstand the pain tearing through his body. Yu turned to look around, and saw his friends back on their feet. Souji stood in the center of the group, casting spell after spell and directing his friends alongside Rise, who was stalwartly providing support as she identified the Reaper's tactics. The three Shadows barely had time to recover from the blows that were being rained upon them as the Investigation team renewed their assault with more success than before. Souji grinned widely as the Reapers came back-to-back-to-back, deciding that they might have better luck if they grouped together. They were horribly mistaken. The silverette grabbed Naoto's attention, and together the two began casting Megidolaon. Yu ran up beside them and summoned Helel, and began casting Morning Star alongside his brother and the sleuth.
The others unleashed their own attacks, attacking the three Reapers all at once. They backed away as Rise shouted a warning, and watched as a massive pillar of golden light shot down, followed by two massive orbs of energy encircling the pillar. The resulting explosion forced the Team to avert their eyes, and they only dared look after the dust had begun to clear. The reapers were gone, and Adachi was sprawled across the ground, unconscious. Yosuke gasped for breath as he looked at his friends. "Did…Did we actually win?" he panted questioningly. The others nodded, collapsing to the ground as they tried to regain their strength.
Souji looked around, sweat pouring from his face. He felt a small weight against his left right side, and turned to see the back of Naoto's head as she leaned against him. He smiled as Yu also decided to lean against his brother's back, and could only shake his head as the others decided to follow suit, everyone leaning against everyone for support. "We did it, guys." Souji smiled as he received looks of tired joy, but a sudden feeling in his stomach made him stop. He looked over at Adachi, looking to see if the man still fought on. What he saw caused him to stand slowly, and the look on his face made the others follow his gaze.
Yosuke swore as he saw what was going on; Adachi had begun to float, shrouded in darkness, and stared at the teens with disdain. He opened his mouth to speak, and a low voice came forth, mixing with Adachi's own voice as it spoke. "All humans will become Shadows…And I shall descend upon the united world...as the master of order." Rise shouted a warning as Adachi floated even higher, and the detective began to speak again. "Both this world and yours will soon be enclosed in a fog that never lifts. It will be the peaceful world that mankind has longed for..."
Naoto looked at Adachi angrily. "Who are you!?" she yelled, and the figure spoke calmly, without emotion.
"I…am Ameno-sagiri" it stated. "One who rules the fog. One awakened by man's desires. Do what you will, but your world's erosion cannot be stopped. It is an inevitability...You played your part well, stirring up the will of the masses into madness. But that will soon come to an end...Mankind will soon become Shadows and live on in the darkness of the fog, oblivious of their reality... I am the one that shepherds humans to their true desires. Though their hearts longed for peace, it could never be attained...So they tore down the wall between image and reality. Indeed, this is the outcome desired by mankind. And mankind's desires are my desires. That is why I decided to expand this world..."
Some of the team stuttered in surprise; the being before them had created this world? "This is part of the sea of unconsciousness that exists within human hearts. A hollow forest born from bloated desire and false imagery. Humans view things as they see fit. They wish not for truth, but rather prefer the undesirables be hidden in fog...Still, humans fear what they cannot see. That brief yearning for truth becomes a ray of light which breaks the fog and torments the Shadows..." Ameno-sagiri looked almost amused. "Mankind abandoned its pursuit of truth, placing itself in the depth of chaos and falsehood. Thus, my strength has grown, and the fog will not lift. Your world will be engulfed by the hollow forest."
Chie shook her head, growing frustrated. "Will you shut up already?!" she yelled. "We'll just use our power to beat the heck outta you, and it'll all be over!"
Ameno-sagiri chuckled softly. "It was I who made it possible for you to bring about this destiny...I bestowed power onto those who could brave the hollow forest. That is what allowed you to come in contact with this world...And you all have done very well since." The team gasped in shock; they had received their powers…from this thing?! Souji shook his head; Morpheus definitely hadn't come to exist within his mind on accident, but he also hadn't been manipulated by some being claiming to be an all-powerful guardian of humanities desires.
"To hell with that!" yelled the silverette. "You talk as if the things we've done were all pre-destined! That our struggles and suffering were just some plan that you had from the beginning. That's complete bullshit!" Souji trembled with fury. "The way I feel, the way I've grown, it wasn't because of some thing like you! It was because of the people around me!" He sensed, rather than saw, the looks of surprise on the faces of his friends beside him. "I didn't want to become close to anyone. I never wanted a feeling of attachment, because I knew it would only cause pain, that I would be leaving people behind that I'd probably never get to see again, just like before!" Tears began to fall from Souji's face, and Yu held his head down, shoulders shaking as he struggled to keep from falling apart as his brother told the secrets they held in their hearts.
Souji's voice cracked as he continued. "And yet, I found myself growing close to the people around me, even before I knew what was happening." His mind raced back to the first day of school, memories of life over the past year flashing rapidly through his head. "I grew, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. I came to love this town, and the people in it!"
Naoto looked amazed as Souji spoke. "S-Senpai…" she murmured softly.
Souji shook his head. "The power I have didn't come from you, and you most certainly aren't some puppet master controlling us behind the scenes! If there is, then I'd bet my life that they are the ones who actually created all of this, but that being definitely isn't you! So come and reveal yourself to us, 'cause I guarantee you, we won't let you win; not this time, not ever!" A resounding cheer came from the silverette's friends as he finished, and their Persona's burst forth, staring down the floating figure of Adachi.
Ameno-sagiri regarded them briefly. "Very well." It said. "You have indeed gone against the expectations held for you. This power you've obtained…I must test its worth." Adachi's body began convulsing as countless shadows melded with the detective, engulfing him in a writhing mass of beings. The figure burst into flames, and disappeared as a large portal opened beneath it. Slowly, a massive sphere rose from its depths, a large eyeball in the middle. "I have come to judge your worth."