For Every Soul Chapter 2: Dirge of Erebus, a megami tensei fanfic

Well everyone. I got my mission call. I'll be back on March, 2013. Until then, I'm keeping in contact with Casey W, who is writing Persona 4: Face Every Shadow. Go read it, it shall be amazing, and will explain a lot.

Here is my farewell gift to you all. Six months of rewriting to create epic like that you have never seen before.

With this playlist.

youtube.
com/watch?
v=r7uuSW8fVD4&
feature=BF&list=
PL31678A443AC7A806&index=1

Or just search Dirge of Erebus. Alternatively, you can just listen to either Akai Tsuki (Embodiment of Scarlet Devil) OR Worth Dying For (Radiant Mythology 2) on a loop. I prefer the second, but LunarDragon2607, who helped set up the playlist, prefers the first.

Take this chapter with a pinch of salt. No corners have been cut. The plot is nothing as it seems.

Get ready.

-}+{-

Once, I dreamed I was a boy, dreaming I was a man; then I awoke.

Now I wonder:

Am I a monster who dreamt of being a boy, or am I a boy dreaming that I am a monster?

"What do you mean, 'His Shadow'?" Mitsuru asked me, katana at the ready.

I sighed. "Exactly that." I told her, turning around. "No, I'm not Ryoji. No, I'm not Orpheus. No, I'm not that thing you probably fought in the Abyss, not sure if you ever met it." I glanced at her to check that she was following the conversation. "I'm the manifestation of everything He hates about Himself, and I'm here because He's occupied at the moment, now are you planning on staying naked or are you going to let me think?"

She blushed as I created a set of clothes for her and tossed them. I'll tell you what; I've gotten good at using the Hollow Arcana's power.

I sat on the floor, cross-legged and closed my eyes as I tried to work out what's happening as Mitsuru got dressed behind me.

It was harder than I thought it'd be.

Omniscience is hard to control when Mitsuru is getting changed around you.

Best do this manually.

I opened my eyes and looked around the area not consisting of redhead. Bad Wolf, white sky at night, black clouds floating past crazy fast, red moon with ominous black slash that makes it look like a demonic eye, non-combatants turned to fangs, and the floor and walls are bleeding.

It's different from when they bled during the Dark Hour though. The walls aren't damaged, but they have wounds, as if they'd been attacked by a wild animal.

Too many parallels to the Dark Hour, yet too many differences to be the same thing.

There's certainly a canine theme going on.

Now what dog-gods are capable of this?

No. No I'm barking up the wrong tree here.

Who's capable of this and wants me to think it's a canine god?

Someone who doesn't want me to know it's them.

Alright. So, what does my mystery demon want me to think?

Inversed sky with a red moon. Although, the black clouds look akin to a pack of wolves chasing the light.

The white sky isn't bright, which is strange. The world is bathed in white shadows, yet crawling in black Shadows.

Why Shadows?

Nyarlathotep is most likely involved, but again, that's just an assumption.

Red slashes across the wall, yet bleeding black blood.

I got up and walked over to the wound, feeling it. The gash is warm, but the blackness flowing out of it is cold, sticky and hard.

A living wound and a dead bloodstain.

Life and Death.

Alright, people getting trapped in fangs. Why fangs?

I pulled a stethoscope from my pocket and plugged it into my ears, placing the metal disc to the white bone-like shell.

The people inside are alive, but in statis- people?

No, there was definitely one fang per person.

I moved the stethoscope around the massive tooth, listening to the sounds.

One heartbeat.

Coming from two different locations.

The second location is smaller, less human.

I grinned. "Homo-daemonic symbiotic-mitosis." I whispered. That's clever. I've seen a fair few things, but this is new.

And brilliant.

"Symbiotic-mitosis?" Mitsuru asked me from behind. "So the fang is an incubation chamber to grow a demon from a human?"

"More than that." I explained, looking through the back of my head to check she was both decent and dressed. "One heartbeat, one life-force. Kill one, guess what happens to the other."

Mitsuru's eyes narrowed. "So we will be facing demons that we mustn't kill without losing innocent human life." She said angrily. "Cowards."

I turned around and looked at her. "You know, you shouldn't go around killing demons just because they're not human either." I told her. "I've met more evil humans than I have evil demons."

"What about the Shadows?" Mitsuru asked.

"Oh, kill 'em all, present company excluded." I told her. "They're just the anthropomorphic avatars of humanity's self-hate and fears. They're not exactly real." I turned back to Hiruma's incubation fang. "But these guys are gonna be like Shadow's, only sharing life with another human being. If they die, then the human powering them dies, so you'll have to be the one fighting them, not me."

Mitsuru smiled. "You always did leave the small fry to others." She said.

"Minato did that." I corrected her. "I'm going to stay well away from this fight."

She glared at me. "Pardon?"

"That's why it's so brilliant." I told her. "I could wipe out all of these symbiotic demons in a heartbeat. I'm only asking you to fight them without me because I assume you want your staff to see tomorrow."

She sighed. "Very well." She told me with a nod. "You said that you were going to explain the situation."

"No, I didn't, but fine." I sighed. "This is something called Veritas De Sköll." I told her.

"Truth of treachery?" Mitsuru translated.

"Or the goddess of truth and the sun eater." I sighed, before making the connection. "Sköll was the wolf who shall eat the sun at Ragnarok." I told her. "But it's midnight. Hati Hróðvitnisson chases the moon." I looked up at the sky. "So why is Sköll here? Why isn't it 'Truth of the Enemy'?"

I felt her smile behind me. She's loving this. The mystery of the unknown, the anticipation of the coming battle, the feeling of being with Minato…

"He's dead." I told her. "He's only coming back once every human has no desire to die, or if Nyx's arrival wouldn't make things any worse."

"I know." She glared. "So, how are you His Shadow?"

"He was special." I told her. "And Death was there helping me grow intellectually, so yeah."

She smiled in spite of herself. "So, what now?"

"Well, that's the problem." I told her. "I don't know, so I was thinking of going to the one person who probably understood Him better than I did."

"Aigis?" Mitsuru asked. "Why would she know?"

I turned around and raised an eyebrow. "I lent her the key to the Velvet Room because she suffered the worst from His death." I explained. "If not her, then it would have been Yukari. I don't know what happened in the Abyss but I can assure you that since I can't get to Igor right now, the man I'm about to see is the next best thing."

Mitsuru turned to the building she slept in and lifted up her hand as her watch was carried to her on a stream of ice. "Well, there is another forty minutes of this new Dark hour left-"

"It's not the Dark Hour." I told her. "This is Veritas De Sköll. A whole new set of rules, or else your men would have joined us."

She sighed. "Of course. So, where is this man?"

I closed my eyes on focused on the one psychopath in the world that still has a Velvet Key.

I only saw darkness.

I opened my eyes. "Why the hell-"

WHAM

I was forced to the floor by a massive lion made of blackness. A rush of darkness took the shape of a black bull and rammed Mitsuru against the wall. She coughed up blood as some sort of massive, black bird of prey dropped a badly beaten guy in a white shirt and green pants on the floor.

The bird perched on the guy's shoulders and began pecking at the back of his head. He looks familiar.

Wait…

"Adachi?" I asked him.

Yeah, that's my man.

This is both convenient and unsettling. At least now I know whoever is behind this has covered all my immediate bases…

He opened one eye through the blood and smirked. "Well, whaddya know?" he chuckled, blood oozing out of his teeth. "The Oncoming Storm himself, a Shadow." He laughed as he coughed up blood. "You even stole your own title from some other guy, you arrogant prick."

I chuckled despite the lion crushing me into the ground. "You know, you're just like an evil sociopathic Matsuda." I told him. "So, care to fill me in on what's going-?"

I choked.

It felt like a clamp around my neck, cutting off my air- but I don't need to bloody breathe…

So how the hell..?

The lion stepped off me and flipped me onto my back with its paw, and I couldn't do anything to resist it.

There was a black chain coming from the gap in my shirt, connected to my stomach like an umbilical chord.

I leaned my head back so I could see where it led, and an angel was holding it in the air, while the rest of it led into the night sky.

I hate angels. I really do.

Someone laughed behind me. "Amazing." It said. Female. Arrogant. The kind of voice that belongs to someone who likes to call themselves 'Pure'.

"Fire and Ice and Rage." She laughed. "The Oncoming Storm. The Blackest Night and the Brightest Dawn. The Healer of Hearts and the Destroyer of Worlds. The Eater of Gods and the Swallower of Pain. The Nightmare Child and the Father of Death. The Fallen Angel and the Towering Beast. The Remnant of the Harbour of Sorrow, the guide through the path the gatherer dug."

I lifted my head to see the pale woman, her naked body cloaked by four of her six wings and a white ribbon that floated in the air. "The Shadow of the Universe himself has fallen to me." She laughed, her eyes black and her iris's white, silver hair blowing in a wind that wasn't there.

I grunted. "Now who might you be?" I asked her.

She laughed. "I am WORLD, my dear Universe." She said, bending down to look closely at me. "One could say that we belong as each other."

I smirked. "Now we both know that's a lie." I retorted. "Go on, who are you really?"

"I am the Arcana." She replied, standing upright.

"Strike Two." I replied, shaking my head. "One more and you're out."

The woman glanced at the angel, who yanked my chain. "AAAAAAAARRRRGGGGHH!" I screamed, because it bloody hurt!

The woman snickered. "You know what that is, don't you, Shadow?" she asked. "That's your connection with your Other, isn't it?"

I glared, panting for breath I didn't need.

Bloody hell, all this time and I was only ever on life support?

Did he trust me that little?

She giggled now. "Cut it."

What

KTCH

"AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!"

My mind went blank with pain for a moment, and after a second I realised it was me who was doing the screaming.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!"

Well sod that.

I ground my fangs together and looked to my right to see my arm dissolving. Red and Black ichor lined the inside of my hollow skin as it collapsed into black smoke.

"RRAGGHH!" I roared as a hole burst through my chest as I abandoned the body, taking my true form as a Shadow as I charged at my enemy.

The angel pulled me back and I went into spasms, the constricting pain even worse now. I collapsed and the bitch laughed. "You really are just a Shadow…" she snickered. "Collar him."

WHAT

I turned on the floor as the angel walked over to Adachi and rammed the broken links of the chain into his neck, and my body returned to normal. "Wh-wha..?"

The woman claiming to be Arcana smiled. "Oh, it wouldn't be fun just to kill you." She told me. "We're going to play a little game."

I glared at her as I panted for breath. "Wh-what..?"

She smiled. "Every night, at midnight, the world will turn like this for one hour." She said, raising a finger. "In that time, that chain will become visible, and you need to move it to someone else of the next Arcana up, from Fool to Magician, and so on. Naturally, you can only do it with people who are awake during this time, so every time you reach Death, you have to collar a Fool. If you don't do it in an hour, well." She smirked. "I don't have to tell you what'll happen, do I?"

I managed to get to my feet. "So, when does this game end?" I asked, hiding the fact that I could barely stand.

She giggled again. She was enjoying playing with me. "Every night, you must conquer the challenge that I shall set for you, in accordance to the rules dictated by my judge. And every time that there's a red moon like tonight?" She smirked. "One of my Arcana Brethren shall enter the world, halfway through the night. All of them, from Fool to myself. There's no rush though." she said. "It would be unfair to expect you to defeat such powerful enemies is such a short time, so we'll go easy on you concerning my fellow Arcana."

"Really." I said, deadpan. I don't believe a word of it.

"Really." She said, raising a finger as her smile turned downright sadistic. "If you cannot defeat my sibling before the Veritas De Sköll ends, we'll simply follow you into real time and our battle will continue." she grinned. "In fact, I cannot wait until I can see your precious humans running for their lives."

I nodded. "And that sounds great." I told her. "If it wasn't for the fact that you're talking complete and utter crap about you and your buddies being the Arcana."

She titled her head. "I'm sorry?"

I smirked. "Why do you think Death is the Arcana that wasn't meant to be?" I asked her. "Because it's evil? Or because it's human?"

She glared, and I laughed, pacing around the garden. "The thirteenth Arcana represents change, the one thing that Shadows are incapable of. Out with the old, in with the new, when Shadows are formed from being unable to let go. Shadows beyond this are impossible, so your goal isn't to play with me." The glare turned into a snarl. "You aren't Shadows. You aren't even Arcana. You're just pretending to be something you're not to stop me from thinking about it. You just want to keep me busy so neither I nor He figures out what you're trying to achieve with Bad Wolf."

The woman stared me down. "Well, whatever you believe." She said. "Fool should be arriving in Iwatodai in a few minutes, so I recommend getting there before he kills all of your favourite humans." She waved as her animals exploded into smoke. "If you didn't waste all that energy with your bravado right now, you could be there right now, but I suppose you'll just have to walk."

I fell to my knees.

I tried to pull myself up, but my arms were shaking too badly to support myself.

…what?

"Oh, I'm sorry." She laughed as Mitsuru began launching ice attacks at her, which she blocked effortlessly. "I forgot to mention. You're only able to use as much of His power that your current Pet can handle."

I rolled onto my side to see Adachi's wounds begin to heal. Now that I could focus, he'd taken a hell of a beating...

And now the power that was supposed to be enough for me to get things done was being used to heal him at a rate he could handle.

Why don't they just make me a lobotomised triple amputee with halitosis while they're at it?

No…

She's played her trump card, and now her hand's empty…

I grinned.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"You do realise..." I panted. "That by the time I get to Iwatodai, you're screwed." I grinned. "Because these humans can take a hell of a lot more than you idiots obviously think."

"Then there's the fact that you're dealing with me." I added, rolling over onto my gut. "Because there's one title that I earned myself."

I glared at her with an evil smile.

She knows the title I'm talking about.

She turned around in a huff and waved a hand as she walked away. Her little pets abandoned their prisoners and followed her, walking away into the oblivion as they faded from this plane of existence.

I forced myself back to my feet as the woman disappeared. "Mitsuru, get the bike." I told her as I pulled on the chain, dragging Adachi across the floor and hoisting him over my shoulder. "I need you to drive."

I shoved Adachi into the side car and climbed on Mitsuru's bike behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. "Iwatodai." I told her, resting my head in her hair. "Sleep now, explanation after beatdown…"

I saw her smile as she revved the engines as I passed out.

Except Shadow's don't sleep.

I need to know about my opponent before I get there.

(/')

Fire coursed down the wide Moonlight Bridge connecting Port Island to Iwatodai as the last of the Shadows burned. "So…" Yukiko panted, closing her fan. "That's it then..?"

"By the looks of it." Naoki told her, the black lines of the demonic seal crawling back to his stomach. "Nice job."

She smiled. "Thanks."

~ Guys! ~ Fuuka called. ~ Something powerful coming! Shinjiro-san and the others are coming to help! ~

"Heh, there's always a bigger fish." Naoki grinned, black lines growing back. "Wouldn't be fun otherwise."

A puddle of darkness formed in the middle of the road. Two red orbs formed inside of them, and they ascended with an otherwise empty black body.

A wide jawbone formed around the beast's head, with two long bone-like horns protruding from the back, like a gazelle.

The monster was humanoid, standing proud with its powerful arms folded, but it had a second head between its legs, one that leered at the two with two red orbs and a jawbone that ended with two large horns, this time twisting to face forward, like a bulls.

Fuuka gasped.

~ It's Erebus! ~ she shouted. ~ The manifestation of humanity's grief and sorrow! But… it wasn't like this before… ~

Erebus stood at seven feet tall, before sliding into a tight boxing stance and pacing around the pair.

~ Wait… ~ Fuuka asked. ~ Is it… is it going to fight like a human? ~

Naoki grinned. "Sounds interesting." He said, glancing at Yukiko. "Steer clear." He told her, vaulting over a car and circling around the Darkness, his own fists at the ready.

He glared into the eyes of the Abyss, and they glared right back.

The Demi-Fiend charged.

The Darkness slammed a fist into his gut, winding Naoki and launching him against the metal pillar holding the bridge up. Hito-Shura coughed up blood as Erebus leaped for him, grabbing him by the head and bringing his face into its knee.

The Demi-Fiend stabbed at the monster's throat with its hand, bursting through the inky blackness before being thrown to the ground. Erebus landed on top of him but was knocked back by a flaming fan that struck its temple.

Erebus rolled on the ground and launched a blast of ice at her as a great stone tomahawk slammed through its back. It hopped onto its hands and lunged at Shinji, its feet exchanging form with its hands as the monster snatched the Persona user.

It picked him up like a ragdoll and, with another powerful leap, smashed Aragaki through three trucks with raw power alone. It reared back mid flight to slam Shinji into a brand new crater on a steel pillar when Marina burst in, landing a drop-kick on the Abyss' head and forcing it to drop him.

It raised a hand and created a barrier and block the girl's next attack. Marina's hand reached for her Evoker, but her summon was interrupted by Erebus punching through its own barrier and kicking upwards to send her into the air. Swivelling around, it dashed forward to ram Shinji as he got back to his feet, sending him hurtling through the air and into a steel wall.

Erebus lowered its bull head and charged, aimed to gore Shinji through. Before he could reach, Kenjamin burst down onto the monster, his spear stabbed through its head. Erebus froze, as if surprised, when the spear released a powerful blast of light, forcing the darkness to explode.

With nothing left to support the spear, Kenjamin fell to the ground on his backside, before getting back to his feet. "IT'S NOT OVER YET!" he shouted, bringing the spear back to his hand and charging up electricity. "FUUKA! Where's it gonna reform?"

~ It's under your feet! ~ She shouted, adding ~ Look out! ~ as Kenjamin jumped to avoid the hand that would have grasped his ankle and launching his spear through a powerful spiral of electricity at the puddle of darkness beneath him.

Erebus lunged up, through the spear and slammed a palm into the middle school boy, launching a powerful dark blast through it.

~ Kenjamin! ~ Fuuka screamed as the deadly Mudo blast enveloped the boy.

It got knocked back as Kenjamin kicked through the blast, his foot connecting with the beast's jaw. "Eye of Darkness." He explained with a grin, pulling the black orb from his pocket and tossing it into the air like an apple. "Gotta love it."

A white spear lashed out, stabbing through the ball and whipping out, shattering the orb and slicing the boy's hand off. "Aw crap!" Kenjamin shouted, jumping back as he began to regrow the lost appendage as Shinji rammed Erebus from the side with a massive stone arm around his own.

The monster rolled on the ground, avoiding Shinji's barrage of attacks as Marina drew her Evoker and began summoning various Personae to bombard it with elemental attacks. Erebus switched its top and bottom and lunged through Shinji's feet, bringing him to the ground as it got up and launched both a Ragnarok and a Niffelheim spell at the redhead.

She switched to Skadi, ready to absorb both devastating attacks, as Koromaru leapt between the two and roared, summoning Fenrir to create a wall of flame to block the attack. The Abyss reared back, preparing to hurl another spell, and was caught off-guard as Shinji rose up behind Erebus and crushed it under his fist. It exploded into darkness and bounced along the bridge until it reached the Iwatodai-side bay, where it was attacked from both sides by wind and ice attacks.

Reinforcements had arrived.

Erebus blocked the twin maelstroms around him with barriers as a woman leapt into the night sky and began firing bullets from her fingers. The flying metal tore through Erebus' body as Yosuke and Teddie charged forward and attacked with their edged weapons, Yosuke destroying the upper jawbone and Teddie slashing at the lower head.

Erebus collapsed into the darkness as Yosuke wiped his brow. "Man, this guy is tough." He gasped, before jumping into the air and spinning around to kick Erebus into the canal of glowing white water as it reformed behind him. "All yours Ted."

The blonde young man summoned a blue card and slashed it with the claws that came from his knuckles as a large, round figure with a tomahawk missile dove into the water and froze it with a blue explosion of cold. "Not bad." Teddie grinned to himself, jumping back as Erebus burst from the ice, looming in the air above them.

Shinji launched himself from the bridge and smashed a large stone club into Erebus' back, launching it into a building as he landed on the bay, skidding across the concrete below. "Alright…" Shinji grunted, getting back to his feet and popping his shoulder back in. "Let's do this shit."

Aigis, Koromaru, Marina and Naoki ran up to fight alongside them. "Where's Kenjamin and the girl?" Shinji asked, taking command.

"She's helping him heal his hand." Naoki explained, cricking his neck. "Who're the newbies?"

"Hey, you're talking to Yosuke Hanamura himself." The brown-haired young man told them, twirling his knives in his hand. "Don't worry, we've got back up on the way, he'll take care of this."

"Really." Shinji asked deadpan. "Because we've killed this thing before, only he was bigger."

"What?" Teddie asked, before shaking his head in realisation. "You're Minato's friends. Of course you've fought this before."

Aigis's neck almost snapped as she whipped around to stare at Teddie. "You knew Him?" she asked the other blonde.

"Aigis-san!" Kenji shouted, running up to the group with a fireman's axe in hand. "Aragaki-senpai and Marina-san!" he added, before thumbing to the others. "Who are these guys?"

"Ah, Kenji-san." Teddie nodded. "Sorry, you probably won't recognise me like this…"

"Teddie?" Kenji asked, shaking his head as he faced the rubble. "Never mind, monster to kill."

Erebus strode out of the smoking crater, and everyone decided to save their greetings for after the battle.

"Everyone." Aigis decided. "Circle around it, and keep it under control. Fuuka-san, we'll need you to provide support. Please have Rise-san direct Yukari-san and the others to our location."

~ Yes Aigis. ~ Fuuka replied. ~ I can't find Junpei-kun, someone's helping Rio-san home, Mitsuru's on her way, and she says that she has reinforcements, but it'll be some time before she gets here. ~

"Tell me when she gets there." Kenji asked Fuuka. "Aigis, we're ready for your orders."

"Right." Aigis nodded, before a surge of darkness rose up beside her. Erebus gave her a passing glance with its blood-red stare and drove a fist into her midsection, knocking her away.

"HEY!" Shinji shouted, before getting backhanded by the same monster, which then rolled under everyone's spells and started punching up Naoki and Kenji simultaneously.

"HEEEEYA!"

Erebus was knocked back by a flying kick to the face, both it and Chie rolling on the ground as Shinji got to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth. "Dammit…" he growled as Aigis burst forward, grabbing the Darkness by the horns and throwing it into the air as it was caught in Yukari's green storm, as Fuuka told her it would.

Erebus burst out from the storm and suffered a bone-crushing punch in the jaw from Naoki, who grabbed it by the horns and rammed its face into his kneecaps repeatedly. The Demi-Fiend snarled as he rained blows on the monster. "JUST DIE DAMN-" He stopped, coughing black blood as a black fist shot through his stomach.

He drove his feet against the horns near Erebus' pelvis and kicked off, running to Yukari for healing as Marina and Shinji began launching powerful attacks to smash the monster into the ground.

As they stopped to rest, Teddie and Yosuke charged in, quickly slashing at Erebus, not to do damage but to keep it from attacking and, just as important, healing.

~ Okay! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ Get back! ~

Teddie jumped back, but the monster struck out with a hand and caught Yosuke by the throat. He threw his arms up as a furious surge of fire rose around them and both he and Erebus were hit by the combined fire attacks of Yukiko, Koromaru and Marina. "YOSUKE!" Chie shouted as the flames turned into a blazing cyclone.

Yosuke burst from the top of it, a green circular blade cycling around him as his hair burst into crimson flames. "THROW DOWN!" he roared, spinning in the air as he launched two crossing green blades into the flames as Erebus leapt upwards. Without even pausing, the Darkness went bursting through them and smashed Yosuke in the gut. As it brought it's other fist back for another punch, Aigis ran along the wall of a building and lunged for the beast, kicking it in the face before firing round after round point blank into its eyes.

Erebus caught her wrists, then hoisted itself onto her back and kicked her to the ground, landing outside the team's circle. It got into a stance as the twelve fighters all turned to face it.

Make that thirteen, as Jun landed next to Kenji.

"I got her home." He told him with a whisper. "The baby's fine."

"Thank you." Kenji replied, turning back to face the enemy as he summoned Odysseus to refill his Tarukaja. "Fuuka, have you finished scanning its weakness?"

~ It doesn't have any. ~ Fuuka told everyone. ~ But it is taking damage. Our best option is to keep hitting it with all we've got and eventually it'll cave in. ~

As if to spite her, Erebus charged forward, clotheslining Naoki and Shinji in one blow before spinning into a powerful kick that sent Yosuke flying. Chie jumped into a powerful head kick, but the Darkness caught her shin as it blocked Marina's roundhouse aimed for its ribs, then kicked the redhead back. Erebus slammed Chie forcefully into the ground, but Koromaru jumped onto Erebus' back and burst into flames, tearing at the Shadow's throat.

Erebus thrust its shoulders back, throwing the dog off it as Teddie slashed with claws of ice as Kenji summoned Odysseus to launch a powerful spear through its face, which Kenjamin caught and returned in power tenfold, tearing a wide hole in Erebus' chest.

Yukari kept clear of the action, healing the injured alongside Yukiko and occasionally firing a powerful spell at the enemy. Jun and Kenji worked in unison with Teddie and Kenjamin to hack and slash at Erebus, dancing around each other, constantly striking blow after blow as Erebus turtled over and hunched into a ball on the ground.

"COME ON!" Shinji roared, leaping into the fray, slamming a crushing stone-axe blow into the Shadow, breaking its defence as Naoki charged it, limbs blurring as it laid impact after impact into the beast's chest.

"TAG!" Kenjamin shouted, charging in as Shinji tore Naoki back away from Erebus' powerful punch. With two hands glowing in holy light, Kenjamin grabbed Erebus by the horns and flung it to the ground, leaping back as fire and ice began to spiral around Erebus. Kenjamin ran around the forming cyclone, hopping onto the wall of a building and running up it before leaping over the funnel and launching a powerful lance of lightning down the spiralling heat and cold, striking Erebus as it stood to its feet.

He crashed into the water as the flash began to die. "Good plan Fuuka-san!" Aigis shouted, popping her shoulder back in as Yukari healed it.

~ Thank you, but it's not over yet! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ You're almost half way! Oh… another persona user is here now!

"Sorry I'm late…" Seta panted, bending over to catch his breath. "Had to… get everything together…"

"Are you a Fool?" Marina asked him, checking his Arcana.

"You too?" Seta replied as his eyebrows rose.

"Got Satan?" Marina asked as Erebus began to stride from the smoke.

Seta summoned a card into his hand as Marina got her Evoker ready. "Alright, use Black Viper; I'll take care of the rest. ARMAGEDDON!"

BLAM

SMASH

The foul serpent coiled around Seta as the pale angel rose from Marina's mind. She directed the combined powers of Black Viper and Morning Star as her cousin once did to create a powerful surge of Almighty light. The combined forces that made the almighty Armageddon consumed Erebus whole; devouring the Shadow and destroying it.

She fell to her knees, panting, as the orb of destruction faded, leaving only smoke. "How… how're we doing Fuuka?"

~ One more will finish it! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ You have just enough power! ~

"Ugh…" Marina groaned, leaning on a convenient rock to support her. "Alright white boy, you know the drill."

Seta raised an eyebrow at her, but held his tongue as he summoned the card for another Black Viper attack.

"SATAN!"

SMASH

BLAM

This time, Seta helped direct the opposing powers of the Light Bringer and the Adversary, creating an even more destructive force to consume all that was within its path.

A blast of light and a roar that shook the air enveloped Erebus.

And when the smoke cleared, nothing remained.

Marina smiled, sliding to the ground as she fell asleep. "Hey!" Shinji shouted, rushing over to her.

"I'm fine…" she whispered. "Just… exhausted…"

~ We did it! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ We did it, and everyone's okay! ~

Shinji held Marina's hand. He knew she was made of tough stuff, concerning who her cousin was, but he still died from overusing his Persona, and he did not want the same thing to happen to her.

The Arcana is the means by which none is achieved

Shinji's blood ran cold.

Yukari froze.

Aigis stalled.

Kenjamin stopped climbing back onto the bay.

Naoki stood bolt upright.

Fuuka was silent.

The others couldn't appreciate the terror the others felt, but they knew that this was not a good thing.

Dreams mean nothing

Grasp fate with thine own hands and despair

Erebus stood before them.

It only had one head now, its upper head, but from its back were several coiling arms.

Every inch of its body was covered in hands, but the twelve limbs growing from its back extended to over eighteen feet each.

They rotated around its body, shifting position and slipping through the ground until it was ready.

"Fuuka…" Shinji growled, getting back to his feet as Marina slept. "You said this thing was done."

~ I… I don't understand… ~ she gasped. ~ I-It's the same thing, but… we have to do this again? That's just not fair! ~

(/')

"Aw hell no…" I growled.

"What is it?" Mitsuru asked me.

"We need to get there faster." I told her, checking on Adachi. He was still out and still healing.

Why's it taking so long?

Blood Break. Of course they used Blood Break.

Why did I even give Minato that idea? It's been nothing but trouble.

Wait, so how is he healing?

Time to peek inside of Adachi… Ah, Hollow Arcana.

That idiot. I can use it much better than him.

I shoved my hand in and began to program the Arcana to rebuild his internal organs. It's something I got pretty good at over the years.

Well, was good at.

Can't do it anymore…

Well, I sure as hell can reprogram what He's got going.

"Mitsuru." I croaked. "I'm gonna get back to observing the battle. Tell Fuuka to ask Yukari about the Arcana meanings Minato told her and how they related to the old Arcana Shadows."

I leaned forward and closed my eyes, focusing on the battle as Mitsuru opened up her communicator.

I'm gonna need to get around to thinking of a better name for the Hollow Arcana. It really is more to that, but the grossly inaccurate name just stuck.

Oh, yeah, everyone's about to die.

(/')

"Yukiko." Seta ordered, drawing a blade from the scabbard on his back. "I set up a temporary medical centre in the TV World. Take the injured and use the trees inside to heal everyone. I want five people out of here at a time, so lead everyone inside."

~ Yukari! ~ Fuuka's voice rang. ~ Mitsuru's asking about something Minato told you about the Arcana Shadows representing the Arcana cards; she said you'd know what she meant? ~

Seta looked up to see Chie's step-sister's eyes widen in shock, but quickly tighten in focus as she began to think.

"I want Chie, Yukari, that guy, and the kid for now." Seta decided, pointing at Jun and then Kenjamin. "Everyone else get in the TV."

Kenji ran to the electronics store, smashed the window and stuck his hand in the large 108-inch flatscreen. "COME ON!" he shouted. "Teddie, we'll need you to let us out!"

Everyone who hadn't been chosen to battle reluctantly ran to recuperate as Erebus began to set into its new form. Shinji picked Marina up onto his back and ran towards the rippling gateway to safety as Jun held his hand out for a weapon.

A katana formed in his hand from a black bubble. Jun raised an eyebrow, then formed a similar bubble around his eyes and smiled.

"What is it?" Kenjamin asked him.

"Help is on its way." Jun said, twirling the weapon around in his hand and getting into a stance. "When it gets here, make sure that a Magician Arcana is out here and that he puts a weapon where I'm waiting for it."

"Uh, okay…" Ken replied hesitantly, before glaring at his opponent and rolling to the side as a black hand smashed through where he was standing. "Dammit! Who here's seen Elfen Lied?"

"Don't remind me." Seta growled, summoning a card into his hand only to jump back to dodge the three hands bombarding his location. "Dammit! Yukari-san!"

"Uh, uh, Magician…" Yukari muttered, trying to remember something from a casual conversation almost five years ago while dodging extremely fast attacks from a far away opponent. "Magician, we fought him as a big pile of arms with swords, but He killed it so fast... Uh..."

"Come on miss." Jun told her, slicing through a limb only for several hands to burst out near the stump, like branches from a tree. "Damn!"

"The Arcana depicts a young man with a symbol of infinity, a trickster, though sometimes it's a powerful and assertive magician..." Yukari remembered as she dove over a limb and rolled on the street. "Represents Action... Initiative, Self-confidence, Manipulation and Power... GUH!" She recoiled in shock as a blackened hand whipped past her, blood spraying from her arm that was flying, severed, through the air.

"YUKARI!" Kenjamin shouted, slicing through a stabbing hand before running towards his ally.

"I'm fine!" Yukari shouted as the wings of Isis shielded her from the onslaught of arms, clutching at her own bleeding stump of an arm as it began to regenerate. "It's Reversed!" she shouted. "Last time it was Fool, or Nothing, but it was using martial arts and tactics against us! This one's supposed to be clever, but it's just standing there attacking us blindly! We need to charge in like idiots because it isn't going to do anything other than what it's doing right now!"

"Hope you're right." Seta growled, hunching behind his blade and charging forward blindly, side-stepping attacks and running forward towards the main body as he summoned a card in his hand. "IZANAGI-NO-OOKAMI!"

The white lancer burst from behind him, charging forward to create an opening through the mass of arms and a large hole in Erebus itself. "COME ON!" Seta shouted, slicing through the body with his own blade as he jumped through the hole, getting drenched in Ichor in the process. "DON'T STOP, JUST ATTACK!"

Jun and Ken didn't need to be told twice. In the small moment in which the myriad of limbs went limp, the two of them charged in with their blades and decimated the flesh as Seta turned around and summoned the card for Surtr. "RRAGH!" he shouted, crushing the card with his fist as he dragged it down. Flames burst from the ground, consuming the main body of Erebus. "Yukari-san, I need you to predict the next form it'll take. Rise-san, I need three substitutes up here, I'll leave that to you. Fuuka-san, please predict its attack pattern and tell us when to attack."

-^- Right Senpai! -^-

~ Okay! Get ready to dodge! ~

"On it." Yukari nodded, shaking her new right arm to loosen it up as she started thinking about what Minato did to predict the Priestess's form back on the train.

"You two, get back." Seta ordered a little after they had retreated to a safe distance as the area surrounding Erebus became a maelstrom of black flesh. "I'm Seta Souji. You?"

"Kenjamin Amada." Ken replied, before shaking his head. "No, just Ken. Or whatever."

"Jun Kurosu." Jun replied from behind his black hair. "Time manipulator."

Seta's eyebrows widened as Naoki, Kenji and Aigis ran towards the edge of the battle. "Alright, when Fuuka-san gives the signal, I want Brown-hair to charge in with us, but I want you two to stay back and attack its next form." Seta ordered.

"Understood." Aigis nodded as Kenji grunted and took his position.

~ Alright, on three. ~ Fuuka told them as the maelstrom began to subside. ~ One… Two… ~

The four young men charged in right on Fuuka's cue, slicing through flesh as they charged through the twelve foot radius of death covered by the eighteen-foot arms, reaching the eye of the storm with relatively little injury.

Kenjamin, Jun and Seta stabbed into Erebus' chest as Kenji leapt into the air and drove his axe into the Shadow's head, splitting where its skull should be. The three other men pulled out their weapons and slammed their palms into the wounds, filling the Shadow with electricity, wind, and ice as Kenji rammed a fourth fist down Erebus' neck and filled the body with his Persona's flames.

An arm lashed out of the carnage, grabbing a lamppost and dragging Erebus's body towards it. The four men landed on the concrete as Erebus began to recover from its wounds.

Kenjamin put an Evoker to his head. "Kala-Nemi!" he shouted, summoning his Persona to cast a quick Mediarahan. Kenji called upon his Persona to cast Rakunda on Erebus while Jun cast Masukukaja on the team.

"Let's rock this shit." Seta grinned, smashing a card to summon Satan to rush Erebus.

The Darkness tossed it aside easily, but it provided the distraction needed for the team to charge. Seta ran for the wall, charging up the vertical surface as Kenji took the more direct route across the concrete floor, launching lightning at the darkness as a teleporting Jun slashed through the blades that came too close to either one of his teamates.

Seta leapt from the wall, spinning in the air and slashing through the Shadow's blind spot, splitting a hole in him for Kenjamin to land with an lightning-charged spear at point-blank range shoved into the body.

Seta and Kenjamin leapt back, Kenjamin keeping an open palm trained on the spear as the Shadow healed around it.

"TEAR!" Ken roared, dragging his arm to the ground as the spear became a shaft of lightning, splitting Erebus and the lamppost below it.

"Can I get a hell yeah?" Kenji asked, asking for an all-out attack.

Seta nodded with a smile, leading the charge.

(/')

I smirked.

They're all grown up now.

(/')

~ Guys, it's going to transform again! ~ Fuuka warned the team as they tore Erebus limb from limb. ~ If it becomes the Priestess Arcana, it'll use the terrain to fight you instead of doing it directly, so keep close! ~

However, this was when the countless hands covering Erebus' flesh turned into palms and shoved everyone back, giving itself some space. The fighters were shoved nearly twenty feet away, but they quickly bolted up from the dirt to charge at the Shadow before -

The Arcana is the means by which none is achieved

- They were too late.

The arms began to fall like feathers moulting off a bird, or leaves from a tree in autumn.

~ It's becoming Priestess now! ~ Fuuka told everyone. ~ Get ready; because the fight's about to completely change again! ~

The heart knows nothing

Heed not its words and take what thy hands desire

Once the hands fell, Erebus stood there, split vertically down the centre, the right side white and the left black. Its lower jawbone led to two horns, as before, but its head was a cylinder above the jaw, rising a foot before capping like a top hat.

~ Alright everyone. ~ Fuuka explained as Erebus raised its white right hand and considered it ~ It's going to attack from behind. Don't use ice attacks, so get ready to dodge and counter with other ranged attacks. ~

"Axe, Jun-san, get into the TV and get Yukiko." Seta ordered as a white disc with a blue edge appeared on a wall near Erebus. "Fuuka-san, what's the Shadow doi-"

Erebus shoved its hand into the portal.

And Fuuka screamed.

Then her screams grew muffled, as if she was being strangled.

Wait…

Aw hell no.

Kenjamin charged forward and sliced off Erebus' arm, pulling the dismembered arm out of the portal and prising the fingers from Fuuka's throat as Naoki tackled the Darkness before it could attack Kenjamin.

Seta and Aigis charged after them as Kenjamin wrenched the forearm from Fuuka and tossed it aside as Naoki disappeared into a portal atop Erebus.

~ W-Wait! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ Naoki-kun's about to fall to his death! Aigis, move three metres to your left and catch him! ~

Aigis did as instructed, then charged to a building and rebounded from the wall to catch the falling Demi-Fiend, crashing against the concrete floor as they landed. "Thanks." He grunted, getting to his feet.

The portal in front of the Erebus vanished, and its arm regenerated. The beast stood before them, raising an arm as if to challenge them.

~ Be very careful. ~ Fuuka warned everyone. ~ I don't think it can make portals in the air, or inside things, but it created a portal on itself leading to a forty-storey window to counter Naoki-kun's attack! ~

"Great…" Kenjamin groaned as he cricked his neck, spinning his warscythe above his head. "So, grey-hair. Got any plans?"

Seta's eyes tightened in focus. Portals were tricky in themselves, but it can create them where it can't see and on itself?

Surprise attacks are the only way to go.

He raised his hand and tugged on his collar.

DAKKA

Erebus' head exploded.

"NOW!" Seta shouted, gripping his katana and charging at the Shadow, slicing it in half as Aigis unleashed a hail of bullets. Naoki burst in and tore Erebus limb from limb, and Kenjamin charged up a railgun around his warscythe, turning around and launching it at the origin of the sniper's shot.

Erebus sunk into a portal under his feet, reappearing atop a building where it found an abandoned Bolter on a tripod, then got torn apart by Kenjamin's attack.

~ Nice Ken-kun! ~ Fuuka shouted as Aigis and Naoki pursued Erebus to the top of the building it was on. ~ Great shot! ~

Kenjamin held his arm out as a metal pipe flew into his arm and was crushed into a pole with a sharp spike at the end. "We need it to come back." He told Seta as Yukiko vaulted from the TV and ran over to the two. "Because unlike those two, we can't run up walls."

~ You can though Ken-kun. ~ Fuuka reminded him. ~ Remember? By building up static electricity between your feet and the surface you want to climb! ~

Kenjamin looked to one side, muttering something as Seta raised an eyebrow. "How long have you guys been using your Persona's then?" The older asked his senpai.

"About five, six years now?" Kenjamin shrugged. "You?"

"About three." Seta replied. "So that's why you're so much better than me."

"Well, to be fair I got most of this power within one year." Kenjamin admitted, watching Naoki and Aigis take on Erebus on the rooftops. "Rest of it was practice."

"Same." Seta nodded, glancing around.

He smiled, then tugged at his collar again.

DAKKADAKKADAKKA

Erebus exploded into a mass of flesh and ichor. "What is that?" Yukiko asked Seta in shock.

"Naoto's brother left her a large armoury when he died." Seta explained. "Of course, she didn't know about this until after we solved the case, but she's become a pretty decent sniper- Yukiko?"

He heard the scream as Yukiko was thrown violently towards him, and he rushed forward and summoned Kohryu to swallow her in its jaw. She passed through its smoky body slowly and safely as Kenjamin charged across the street and up the wall towards the battle between Erebus, Naoki and Aigis. "Fuuka, fill everyone in on names." Kenjamin told her, charging the electricity around his metal spear. "And tell Seta-san to get his sniper more involved."

~ Alright Ken-kun. ~

"It's Kenjamin Armada." Ken grinned to himself as he leapt onto the rooftop, spinning the spear above his head with a roar of fury as he slammed the spear onto the monster's top hat with a mighty lunge.

A portal appeared at the end of his hat, and again on the side, and the spear stabbed through Kenjamin's gut. The teenage boy's battle cry turned into a scream of agony as blood exploded from his back- a fanfare to precede the metal that followed through the flesh.

"KEN!" Naoki shouted, taking advantage of the situation to stab his hands into Erebus' chest and tear it in two. "You okay?"

"Yeah…" Ken groaned, pushing the spear all the way through his torso as he began healing. "Shit… I'm tapping out."

"Be more careful." Aigis warned him, picking him up and leaping back onto another rooftop, this time on a building with a large television screen on the wall. A stone staircase spiralled out of it as Shinji ran out of the screen and onto the rooftop. "Ken! What the hell?"

"I'm fine…" Kenjamin grunted, clutching his bleeding gut as he hobbled to the staircase. "Monster's regenerating it, so I'll leave it to you-WHOA."

Shinji watched the boy who was practically a younger brother to him slip through a portal created in the staircase and begin falling from the rooftop. "KEN!" he shouted, running to the ledge.

Kenjamin grunted, spinning in the air to ram a hand through the glass of the oversized TV screen, screaming as glass tore at his flesh as he gripped onto wires to slow his fall, only stopping as he grabbed the bottom ledge of the massive screen. "Mother…" Kenjamin grunted, though his face looked like the next word in his head was not one of thanks.

He hoisted himself up into the broken structure as a portal appeared on the ground under his feet. He slipped past Erebus, coming out onto a rooftop as Naoki skidded to stop his attack, but not before his fist smashed right into Kenjamin's wound. "CRAP!" The Demi-Fiend shouted. "You okay?"

"No…" Ken grunted, gripping his side with one hand as blood pooled into his palm. "That's it… I've had it with this shit…"

He forced himself to his feet as Erebus leapt out of a portal onto the street. "He wants to play with Portals..?" he grunted, energy circling under his feet as he raised a hand into the air and summoned a card.

He span it, and crushed it in his hand.

"Then let's play with portals."

Kenjamin slipped into a wormhole under his feet, reappearing at ground level behind Erebus, slipping two torn, bloodied hands around the Shadow's arms and waist. "You will be baked," Kenjamin told it with an evil smile, black and gold lines forming across his skin as wind blew his hair and clothes around him. "And there will be cake."

He leaned back, suplexing the Shadow back into the portal before collapsing onto the concrete. The Shadow shot out of the other end as the portal closed, making a perfect target for Naoki's flying superman punch, smashing the Shadow in the face and into the roof. Violently.

Seta and Yukiko rushed over to the bleeding, broken Kenjamin. "Hey, think one of you can carry me to the TV and shove me in?" he asked, completely drained of power.

"Alright." Yukiko nodded, quickly healing as much of his wounds as she could before hoisting the teenage boy over her shoulder and running to the electronics store. "I thought you'd be heavier."

"You're fighting with Personae now…" Kenjamin grinned despite his exhaustion. "Summoning it is one thing, but once you actually start using it…"

She carefully carried him into the TV where she hoped someone else would take care of him, before tugging off her bloodstained sweater and running back into the fight in her blouse.

"Alright." Shinji sighed to himself once his 'brother' was safe, creating an axe out of concrete as he did so. "Let's kick some ass."

He stepped forward only to fall through a portal under his feet, reappearing at the bottom of the skyscraper, falling upwards through momentum before falling downwards thanks to gravity. "Son of a…" he grunted, getting to his feet as he rubbed his back.

Erebus reformed before him and plunged both its hands into a portal on the ground, grabbing Seta by the ankles and dragging him up to throw at Shinji, who backhanded the Fool and charged regardless, swinging his axe as Erebus ducked back into another portal.

Yukari felt two arms seize her from behind and she lurched forward, slamming Erebus on the ground before her only for it to disappear into a portal. She twisted around and dodged as it came at her from above, then jumped back as it came from below, pointing her Evoker to her head as the Shadow came for her. "ISIS!"

BLAM

The Garu spell followed through the portal, striking Erebus as it dodged. ~ Of course! ~ Fuuka realised. ~ Even if it dodges through portals, we can still attack through them when it travels through itself! ~

"Of course, there's still the problem of our attacks still coming out the other side." Shinji warned everyone as Naoki and Aigis landed on the street. "Careful."

Seta quickly cast Diarahan on himself to heal his broken bones, then got his sword ready as Erebus burst from a portal and leapt into the air. "LOKI!" He shouted, smashing a card to summon the trickster god to cast Niflheim on Erebus.

"How's that gonna help?" Naoki asked with a grunt. "It's immune to ice, remember?"

"Just watch." Seta replied, as Erebus opened a portal on the ice and stepped into it.

Parts of the Darkness slid out of various refracted fragments of the exit portal around the ice structure. ~ I get it! ~ Fuuka announced as Erebus began to reform. ~ Because its vision is fragmented, then so is its destination target! ~

"Next time it'll just punch through though." Seta grumbled. "Alright, it can only create two portals at once, and they lead to each other. It can only create them on surfaces, and it can't chop you in half with them. Problem is, how do we use that?"

"Easy." Shinji announced as the reformed Erebus cricked its neck. "Attack from all sides faster than it can handle. Give it more than it can give back. Sure, we'll lose a few arms." He shrugged as the Darkness created a new portal near a wall. "Maybe a couple of us will die, but you got a better idea?"

~ Um, why don't you just trap the portal so the Shadow can't make a new one? ~ Fuuka suggested. ~ If that's its only mode of attack, then what have you got to be afraid of then? ~

A pillar of stone immediately burst from the ground and curved into the portal, coming out the other end to lift Shinji into the air faster than Erebus could shove its hand into it.

Shinji grinned menacingly, looking down the portal to see his enemy on the other side.

He dropped his axe.

It flew out of the first portal, tearing the head from Erebus' shoulders.

"Well, now this is a load of fun." Shinji announced with a grin pulling an Evoker from his pocket and putting it to his jaw as the headless corpse of the Shadow fell to its knees. "Atlas, let's take 'im down."

The portal vanished. Devoid of its support, the stone totem wobbled and fell slowly. Shinji hopped off the top as it slammed into the pavement, landing on the ground as the blackness spread across the white half of Erebus' body as a round head grew from its shoulders.

The Arcana is the means by which none is achieved

Its head opened into one wide, orange and black eye that covered the entire face. The earth shook as the Shadow rose from the ground, a massive spherical belly forming under its waist.

Erebus' new form was over ten feet tall.

The Home means nothing

Parents… Siblings… Children… all exist to steal thy dreams

Naoki smirked.

"What's so funny?" Seta asked him.

"Yo Mamma's so fat." He replied.

"Snrk." Yukiko snickered, before bending over into a full laughing fit.

~ LOOK OUT! ~ Fuuka screamed.

FWOOSH

Yukiko was gone.

A smoking crater remained.

~ A- A beam came out of the Shadows' mouth… ~ Fuuka gasped. ~ S-She… ~

"Yukiko…" Seta whispered, dropping his sword, his face slack and sweat dripping down his neck.

~ It's charging up another attack! ~ Fuuka cried. ~ RUN! ~

"Damn!" Naoki grunted, picking up Seta and running as a white energy blast consumed the spot where they were previously just standing. "Shinji! Got any plans?"

"YEAH! TONS!" Shinji shouted, jumping backwards as another blast almost consumed him. "Shit, FUUKA!"

~ Its shape is reminiscent of the Empress Arcana, but that's where the similarities end! ~ Fuuka shouted as Erebus began to charge another attack. ~ I can't figure out the element of its attack, its weakness, or even- ~ She stopped dead with a sharp intake of breath. ~ YUKIKO-SAN'S STILL ALIVE! ~

Seta's dead eyes flashed with determination. "What was that?"

~ It's not an attack! ~ Fuuka shouted as everyone dodged the not attack in question. ~ The beam is like a portal, but leading into Erebus' stomach! If you cut that open you can pull her out! ~

"That's my job." Naoki grinned. "You three distract it, I'll tear it a new one."

"I've got a sword." Seta pointed out. "I think it can cut flesh better than your hands."

"Well, when your sword can tear Satan in half, you can be the hero." Naoki told him, sprinting towards the Shadow. "Until then, stay the hell out of my way."

Seta scowled, but reset his face to accommodate the new mission, and made a point of making himself as distracting as possible. "Izanagi-No-Ookami!" he shouted, summoning a card in his hand and calling upon the creator god. "Ziodyne!"

Lightning cracked from the sky and struck Erebus as Aigis ran around the bulbous Shadow, peppering it with bullets around the head. After all the work that had gone into attacking a human-sized target that kept teleporting, fighting the less-than mobile behemoth was a much easier option, especially as Shinji created a stone cage to keep it trapped as Naoki bounded onto its stomach. The Demi-Fiend reared back and plunged his palms within its flesh, tearing its stomach open like a pair of very uncooperative curtains.

He grunted, grinding his teeth together in determination as he kept the hole wide. "Come on… come on…"

Yukiko ran through the gap, drenched head to foot in the black ichor. "Oh this is…" she complained as she flicked the foul gunk from her arms. Shuddering out of disgust, her eyes narrowed and a glowing card appeared before her. She smashed the card with a shout, summoning Amaterasu and launching holy flames into Erebus' stomach, boiling it from within as Naoki leapt back, allowing the burning wound to seal shut, trapping the flames within.

~ Hold on… EVERYONE! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ Get back and stop attacking! ~

They did as they were told, retreating to a safe distance and watching Erebus as its stomach began to bulge around the pillars Shinji had made to trap the Shadow, the flesh inflating as smoke filled it from within.

"That can not be how science works…" Naoki muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Irrelevant." Aigis told everyone, closing the muzzles on her fingertips as her white hands returned to a skin tone. "I recommend finding cover, because this is going to get messy."

Everyone took one look at Yukiko and legged it into the nearest alley.

BANG

Hot ichor filled the street, ricocheting of the alley wall and landing on the party's faces. The screens in the TV shop had been completely overturned by the explosion of liquid and flesh, and all the street walls windows had been completely caked in the matter.

~ Guys, it's rebuilding itself. ~ Fuuka warned as Erebus began to re-inflate itself from a larger puddle of ichor. ~ I've told Rise to lead everyone in finding a new place to use as our exchange zone until we can use the TV store again, but for now you need to keep killing it over and over again like before! ~

"This is always the plan, isn't it?" Shinji asked, tearing a set of traffic lights from the ground and swinging it around. "Kill it and kill it and keep on killing it until it falls down."

"If it is not broken, then there is no need to fix it." Aigis stated, loading her fingertips, before shaking her head and clenching her hands into fists as much wider shotgun muzzles protruded from her forearms. "As they say, there is no such thing as overkill, just making sure that it stays dead."

"You know, you guys are fun." Yukiko complimented, incinerating the worst of the slime that wasn't already stained into her clothes, skin or hair. "We mostly solved a murder case and saved kidnapped teenagers."

"Really?" Aigis asked her. "We killed things. Mostly."

"Which we really should be getting back to." Shinji grunted. "Naoki, rush over to the TV and tag someone. Those leaves'll do you a world of good and we need fresh blood because leader boy's getting tired."

"Most of our battles were shorter than this." Seta admitted. "Rise, get Yosuke and Chie ready."

-^- Okay senpai! -^- she shouted as Naoki sprinted across the street.

Seta moved to follow him. "Aigis-san, I'm leaving it to you."

"All right." Aigis nodded, stepping out into the street with Yukiko and Shinji. "Yukari-san, fire."

DRAKKOOM

Erebus was consumed by an explosion of green wind fed the exploding shrapnel. Everyone looked over to the rooftops where Yukari was standing with a Heavy Bolter with two powerful green sickles of energy bursting from the top and bottom of the muzzle.

The Darkness screamed as it reformed, having been burnt and decimated by the wind-infused bolt that had torn into it from seemingly nowhere. It turned in fury towards Yukari and began to charge its next attack.

"YUKARI!" Shinji shouted, only to be stopped by Aigis. "What?"

THUNK

Silence fell as the massive Bolt entered the chamber.

"Minato used those weapons." Shinji remembered. "Weren't they designed with a rapid fire option?"

"Now you may run." Aigis told him, turning away from the Shadow and fleeing for her life as Yukari became an angel of death and cruelty, carrying a message from heaven for the undying heathen abomination below.

Erebus launched its all-devouring blast of energy.

DRAKKA DRAKKA DRAKKA DRAKKA DRAKKA DRAKKAOOM!

It didn't stand a chance.

(/')

"May I ask you something?" Mitsuru asked, pulling me from the destruction and back to the bike. "How is He doing?"

"For a dead guy?" I asked her. "Depends. Did you learn anything in the Abyss of Time?"

She lowered her head inside her helmet. "He became the Great Seal to stop the collective despair of mankind from summoning Nyx, didn't he?" she asked.

I closed my eyes again. "The burden is lighter nowadays. Other than that, same as ever."

Mitsuru nodded. "I see." She told herself. "Thank you. Just one more thing."

"Last question." I told her with a slight smile.

"Did He ever regret it?"

I opened my eyes again.

Then I closed them.

How was she to know?

I decided just to answer the question and get back to watching the battle.

"I am those regrets."

(/')

The Arcana is the means by which none is achieved

Erebus rose from the Ichor-filled crater, a powerful suit of European armour made from bone with a billowing cape, wide pointed horns on its helmet, a massive white javelin in its left hand while a massive shield sat on its right arm, a longbow in its hand

Authority is worth nothing

The responsibility of a kingdom chains the desires of a king till he is but a puppet for his masters… his people

"We cannot make any pre-judgements on its power or abilities." Aigis warned everyone as Yosuke and Chie joined the group. "Most importantly, there is an abnormal chance of this form being incredibly quick and agile, so everybody spread out."

As it turned out, Aigis was exactly right in her strategy, as a powerful spinning spike pierced her side as Erebus blitzed into her space. She was knocked back with incredible force as her right ribcage was shattered by the devastating attack.

She quickly morphed her torso into its mechanical form to prevent the damage affecting her battle capacity too adversely, then grabbed forward and jammed her hand into the crack between Erebus' chestplate and helmet. Point-blank, she blasted a cartridge of shot inside the armour, shredding the Shadow flesh inside.

The Shadow reeled back and Aigis rushed back to a safe distance and began to heal her wound systematically, morphing a small segment of metal to flesh then quickly healing it before moving onto the next section.

"It's important not to attack while it's regenerating." Aigis explained to everyone as she did this, remembering the experiments she and Metis had conducted in the Abyss of time. "A Shadow has a pre-set amount of damage it can take before it dies, no matter how many times you destroy its body. However, while it is regenerating from a situation that was otherwise dead, anything we do to interrupt this process only delays its return- it does nothing to the end goal of destroying it."

The missing part of her lung was impossible to restore, but she managed to close it off before Erebus completed its regeneration. "Also, remember that Dia cannot restore damage done to organs." Aigis continued. "Yukari-san managed to develop a technique to recover this kind of damage, but she cannot perform that kind of surgery this early into the battle."

"This early?" Yosuke asked, not taking his eyes off the armour as it decided between targets. "How far in are we?"

"We're either a third of the way in, or half that." Shinji warned. "Depends if it stops at Death like Erebus did last time, or at World like Nyx."

"Uh, what're we talking about?" Chie asked.

"Death… World…" Yukiko's eyes widened in realisation. "Wait, it's not going through the stages of the Arcana, is it?"

"Got it in one." Shinji nodded. "Right now its on Emperor, four out of twenty one, not counting the Fool form we fought first."

"Aha… you gotta be kidding me…" Chie chuckled sheepishly, glancing around at her companions. "Guys..?"

A blur of darkness descended onto her, bearing a white lance of bone driving forward.

SHLUCK.

"CHIE!"

Yosuke ran towards the Shadow, leaping into the air and stabbing his two shortswords down the cracks between its helmet and armour, forcing it away from Chie as Shinji pulverised the Shadow with an axe the size of a concrete pavement slab. Yosuke only let go to catch Chie as she slid off the spinning drill of bone the Shadow was wielding.

"Chie…" Yosuke gasped, cradling her. Blood seeped into his fingers as her arm dangled uselessly to his knee. Her shoulder was completely gone. The lower part of her right ribcage was visible. The remains major veins and air tracts were holes in the otherwise cauterized flesh.

Half of her throat was missing, and blood was steadily being pumped by her failing heart, flowing onto the young man.

She tried to say something.

But the air from her remaining lung wouldn't form into sound, only flowing out the side of what was once her voice box.

"Chie…" Yosuke gasped as her head flopped back. "Chie…"

"MOVE!" Yukari shouted, pushing Yosuke back and laying her stepsister on the ground with unseeing eyes of iron will and determination. "Kill it." She ordered, moving her hands around Chie to block the open blood vessels and regenerating something resembling a voice box.

Yosuke staggered back in horror. This wasn't happening…

This was not happening.

But it was.

It is happening.

And Yukari isn't going to save her in time.

"Y-you can save her right?" Yosuke asked, completely oblivious to the battle going on just feet away from the carnage that consumed his mind. "She's gonna be okay… right..?"

But he knew.

Personae couldn't raise the dead.

"No…" he gasped as the black clouds in the white sky began to circle. "No no no no no no NO!"

Lightning fell, striking Yosuke.

He burst into flame as winds tore around him.

Eight serpents of flame rose around Yosuke, twisting around him to form a great flaming cyclone of hate.

THE RAGE OF THY SOUL SCREAMS FOR VENGENCE

BLOOD OF THE FALLEN CRIES FROM THE EARTH

THE STORM ANSWERS

Susano-o rose out of the cyclone, his spinning saw blades whipping up the flaming hurricane into a greater storm as the flames of his hair billowed ominously.

THE BESERKER OF THY SOUL HAST GIVEN RISE TO A NEW PERSONA

The flames consumed Susano-o. Yosuke screamed with pain and hate as lightning struck the typhoon and it exploded. Floating there was an armoured monster, blood red armour with white cloth, which stood there with a great sword- a spiked belt that circled around the blade.

Black flames rose from the head and the mask of this new Persona. A massive ring of lightning encircled it, whipping up storms with the speed of its rotation alone.

SUSANO-O HAS GIVEN WAY TO SUSANOO NO MIKOTO

~ EVERYONE! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ GET BACK! ~

Shinji, Yukiko and Aigis leapt back from the armoured Shadow as Yosuke turned towards it slowly, his face expressionless, but his body screaming of hate.

Yosuke raised a hand towards Erebus.

His Persona charged.

The whip of the gods cracked the sky- a sonic boom to herald the wrath of the storm god.

Erebus raised its blade to defend itself, blocking the Persona's powerful blade swing for its head.

Yosuke burst in and rammed a blade of burning lightning through the gap in the Shadow's armour, wrenching its head from its neck.

~ He's gone Berserker! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ B-But he's projecting as well! It's like how Junpei was when Chidori died, and how Minato was when the Lover's controlled him, but both at the same time! ~

"Shit…" Shinji gasped, watching as the maddened Yosuke decimated the Shadow. "That bad?"

~ If we don't stop him, he'll die! ~ Fuuka shouted.

-^- But Chie's probably the only one with a chance… -^- Rise told her. -^- How is she? -^-

Yukari was still furiously trying to perform impossible surgery as the patient- her sister- was loosing more blood by the second, but more worrying, the blood was pumping out at a slower rate.

Chie's heart was giving out.

Yukiko abandoned trying to battle, rushing over to her friend.

It had never occurred to her before that they would ever suffer a wound too great for a quick Diarahan to fix.

But she could see it.

She was seeing what Yosuke was seeing.

Chie was -

Yukari slapped her.

"We can save her." Yukari snarled at the younger girl. "Focus and do what I tell you."

KRAKOOOMM

Erebus flew over the three girls and smashed into a building. Yukiko and Yukari turned to see Yosuke float into the air with his arms outstretched. "So, here I am." Yosuke said, though it was not his voice. "A pathetic loser who is never good enough. Yosuke, that joker, living off his dad, never doing anything for himself. Always relying on others, getting everyone into trouble."

"TO HELL WITH THAT SHIT!"

Lightning tore the sky in half as it began to rain heavily. ~ Oh no… ~ Fuuka gasped. ~ This really isn't good… ~

"Fuuka-san." Aigis said quietly as Yosuke rose into the air, summoning lightning and flames to torture the armoured Shadow. "What will Yosuke-san do when the Shadow is no more?"

~ He- he doesn't care anymore… ~ Fuuka whispered. ~ He doesn't care about who he hurts, so long as he's not the only one… ~

Aigis nodded. "Fuuka-san." She said. "Prepare Oracle."

(/')

I opened my eyes. "Oh shit this is not good."

"How bad?" Mitsuru asked.

"Fuuka's about to nuke Yosuke because he's gone berserk."

"What?" Mitsuru asked, snapping her head around. "Are you sure?"

"It's bad." I told her, glancing at the side car to check on Adachi. "I'm gonna have to speed this thing up."

I rested my hand onto the engine and rebuilt in on the fly.

The bike's blitzed past its max speed as it harshly accelerated.

If I'm lucky, I'll be able to save them both.

(/')

~ Oracle, standing by. ~

"Are you insane?" Shinji shouted. "That's a kid we're about to kill!"

"We have no other choice." Aigis replied, watching the god of death that was Yosuke Hanamura play with Erebus. "He's not himself anymore. We can't save him."

"YOSUKE HANAMURA!"

He stopped mid-punch as his eyes connected with the dark-haired woman standing outside the electronics shop.

"Cease." She ordered, blue flames swirling around her as a woman appeared above her head. "Calm down, do not kill yourself."

The flames around Yosuke died as the armour of his Persona burnt out and faded.

Yosuke fell to his knees, fainting.

"Thanks Rio…" Kenji gasped, catching his breath. "Alright, get the injured inside there now! Rio, you too."

"Hold on!" She shouted. "Why can't I fight?"

Kenji pressed a hand on her stomach. "Please." He told her as Shinji rushed forward to grab Yosuke as Yukiko and Yukari carried Chie over into the TV. "Before it gets back up."

"Fuuka-san." Aigis declared. "Launch Oracle."

~ Alright. ~

A bright star appeared in the sky and descended onto the city.

It exploded.

Chie choked a new breath just as she was about to be carried into the TV.

"Chie!" Yukiko gasped with a smile, hesitating to push her through.

"She's breathing, but that's only a start." Yukari told her. "Hurry!"

"Chie-chan…" Teddie smiled.

There was an unearthly roar, and the Shadow stood once more. "Shit." Shinji growled, tossing the comatose Yosuke into the TV. "ATLAS!" he shouted, putting the gun to his brow and pulling the trigger. The titan floated in the air as a myriad of stone pillars became a webbed cage for Erebus, trapping it in its crater as Aigis and Koromaru summoned Athena and Cerberus respectively, one to rain firepower upon the beast, the other to unleash hell.

Erebus screamed as Naoto burst onto the scene, firing at the beast with a Bolter as Teddie rubbed a block of ice through his hair before unleashing a pack of ice bears to zerg rush Erebus.

Most were destroyed by the wave of spikes that burst from its armour as it leapt free, but one particularly resilient beast smashed into its chest, launching it into a building where Jun teleported onto its shoulders, tearing off its helmet and launching a burst of flame into its insides.

Jun leapt back and caught the spike that would have split his head in two, carrying it down as Erebus regenerated, then fell to the ground as Shinji, Teddie and Kenji charged and grabbed the Shadow, holding it in place as Naoto charged in and riddled its body with bolter fire at point-blank range.

DAKKADAKKADAKKA

Naoto didn't flinch as ichor flew into her face.

The Arcana is the means by which none is achieved

"NOW!" Kenji shouted as Teddie, Koromaru and Naoto rushed back. The suit of armour dissolved into ash, leaving the claymore embedded into the ground.

From the claymore, a tree grew. Its branches spread out as a truck widened around the blade. The bark was black and covered in thorns, but there was no fruit or leaves on the tree.

Hope yields nothing

Wishes exist only to stop the weak from achieving their goals by their own hands

"So, Hierophant is a tree." Naoto said, changing a clip on her Bolter. "Of course, it won't be that easy."

"Alright Aigis, you're in control here." Shinji pointed out.

"Understood." She nodded. "Jun-san, I'm handing control of the party to you."

"Right." The florist nodded, swinging his katana. "The branches and thorns are reminiscent of the Acacia plant, used in Freemasonry to symbolise purity, endurance of the soul, as well as resurrection and immortality." He tightened his glare. "Some theories suggest it was also the burning bush from the story of Moses, so expect a long battle with fire and spikes."

"Finally, a useful prediction." Shinji grinned, creating a large concrete axe. "Alright let's do this."

He lifted his arm to summon a wall of cement to block the spiked branch that lashed out at him. "Hey, kid was right!" he laughed, vaulting over the wall and chopping through the branch as it curved to stab him.

Koromaru howled and created a ring of fire around the party and the tree as Kenji charged forward to the tree with his axe. Naoto and Aigis circled Erebus' trunk and opened fire on the Shadow. The purpose was to inflict as much indiscriminate damage to this new form while it was only attacking with branches, hoping to force the Shadow into its next form before it thought of any new tricks.

Jun dropped three roses into the ground and, summoning his Persona, Chronos, he hyper-aged them as he had practiced for years, bending time around them as they grew into three powerful writhing spiked trunks that grew towards the tree, choking it and limiting its movements.

~ It's about to sprout fruit! ~ Fuuka warned everyone as large apples began to grow on the branches, growing and splitting into somewhat humanoid monster Shadows of the Hierophant Arcana. ~ Smaller Shadows! Be careful, I'll scan them for weaknesses! ~

-^- The smaller Shadows are weak to Dark attacks! -^- Rise shouted as the first Shadow landed. -^- Naoto, Koro-chan, gettem! -^-

Koromaru howled and a purple seal blocked the Shadow, before obliterating it in black flame. Naoto's bolter developed a similar glowing circle around the muzzle, and she began picking off the apples from the branches, destroying them before they could land as Koromaru's Persona Fenrir took care of those that she couldn't manage to get.

A dark green mist began to ooze from the roots as Shinji and Kenji hacked at the trunk. ~ Get back you two! ~ Fuuka warned. ~ It's using a mix of Stagnant Air and Poison Mist to poison you! ~

The two of them immediately leapt backwards and Aigis charged in, drawing out a scroll from a compartment on her side and unfurling it, drawing a chainsword and swinging it into the trunk of the Erebus tree.

"Everyone!" she shouted, tossing a second scroll towards Shinji as Kenji caught the first. "There are some gas masks in that scroll!"

Shinji immediately unfurled the scroll further until he found the appropriate slot and pulled out several masks and passed them about. "Sorry Koromaru." He chuckled, donning his own mask. "They don't come in Dog size."

Koromaru whimpered, then hopped back to a safer distance. Shinji rolled his scroll up and took the chain-axe Kenji was offering. "Not bad…" He chuckled, swinging the weapon to test its weight and roar. "Not bad at all."

A spear of ice stabbed from the ground, tearing the tree from its roots and forcing it into the air. Aigis jumped back as it began to roll down the frozen slope, losing its rigid form and devolving into a mass of tentacle-like roots and branches.

Teddie burst from the sewers. "It was taking energy from the power grid." He explained, launching another blast of ice at the Shadow as it began to root itself again. "We bearly stood a chance of taking it down that way."

~ Nice work! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ I'm sorry everyone, I was just so distracted- ~

"It's fine." Naoto interrupted. "Just keep helping us like before."

Koromaru whimpered, but shook his head defiantly as Shinji tossed him a Dis-poison to heal the infection. Koromaru barked and retreated to a safe distance- being the only one left in the group that was still able to get poisoned through air.

Erebus launched a wave of spiked branches at the group, but Aigis and Kenji slashed through them with their roaring chain-weapons. Shinji and Jun both circled around the Shadow, creating a powerful net of wood and stone to keep it trapped. Koromaru howled, and Fenrir loomed over the Shadow as chains burst from the ground to incarcerate the Shadow further.

Naoto unfurled an A3 sheet of OLED paper and pulled a large Boltgun from it. As the paper was, in effect, a television screen, there was nothing preventing her from using it to place weaponry in the TV world through it and drawing it out through the same manner.

The trick, however, was making sure that when she reached in, the weapon was where she needed it to be, as an instant portal into the TV world is worthless unless the equipment moved with you.

That was where all that practice with using Yamato-Takeru as a separate being paid off. So long as she opened the screen at exactly the correct position, then her Persona could bring her any weapon from her armoury at any point.

Her Persona could also rise from the screen carrying a Bolter of his own.

Naoto grinned.

This was worth it just for the feeling of a brilliant plan coming together.

Even if it made the old scar above her eyebrow bleed.

DAKKADAKKADAKKA

(/')

I laughed.

She really is His sister.

(/')

Under the weight of the destruction raining down upon it, the Tree of Darkness shattered, splintered… and was reborn.

The Arcana is the means by which none is achieved

A thin, spindly branch crawled out of the gaps between the trap laid for Erebus, and two branches, well, branched out and two humanoid beings grew from them.

Choice means nothing

None are free to control their fate to an absolute

The two beings were jet black and made out of solidified smoke.

One was clearly male, with a lower jawbone around the mouth, the bone leading into two horns, as Erebus' upper head had. The body was muscular, well built with wide shoulders, but with two red orbs where the eyes should be.

The second took the form of a woman with an hourglass figure. It had long black hair that fell in down its back and its chest, covering the head completely. At the pelvis was a large lower jawbone, with two horns at the back leading forward, as if there was a tusk at each hip.

"A man, a woman and a tree." Shinji laughed, taking off his mask so he could breathe better. "No need to predict that."

In that instant, Shinjiro Aragaki saw a thousand futures, and died a thousand times.

He felt a thousand different decisions these two Shadows could make that would result in his death on their next move.

"So that's their game." Naoto said. "They're offering a thousand different choices, but only one of them is the right one."

"Get it right, we can block their attack." Kenji nodded.

"Get it wrong, and we die." Aigis finished.

"But which one?" Teddie asked. "I mean, our actual situation is no different to how it was before they showed us that, but…"

"Psychological warfare." Naoto nodded. "They know what they're going to do, but now that we're questioning it, we cannot ignore what they've shown us even though it is of no use to us."

"So, what do we do?" Shinji asked.

Jun stepped forward and slashed his blade once, then twice.

The two Shadows fell as they rushed past him, cut in half diagonally by his attack.

"My Persona taught me to see that a long time ago." Jun explained to everyone as the Shadows began to reform. "I know what the future holds."

He readied his sword and turned to face his opponents. "Come." He told them as Koromaru howled a ring of flame to encircle them.

Right now, the world existed only of these two halves of Erebus, and Jun Kurosu.

They got to their feet and began to circle him in the flames as rain fell from the sky. Jun narrowed his gaze to stop the water and his hair from getting into his eyes.

For all his bravado, he knew this was going to be tough.

But those kids couldn't deal with this.

Not when they were spooked by the ghosts of the future like that.

Jun smiled.

Tatsuya would have known what to do.

He raised his left hand and caught a second sword that appeared through a hole in time. It was exactly like the one in his right, only slightly more worn.

Time travel was great once you realised that the universe didn't care about the odd paradox or two.

He held the two blades akimbo. "COME ON THEN!" He roared, watching the ripples in time closely.

His movements were like a very short, very precise dance, to the music of time itself.

Two bodies exploded into a rain of blood, and two bodies fell into the puddles amongst the flames.

Jun wiped Ichor from his eyes and waited for his enemies to return to their feet.

They forced themselves up, and Jun rushed to the male, beheading it before stabbing back into the female. It reached forward after he penetrated its heart, so he swung the blade through the flesh and swung again with the other to kill.

He kicked it down and slashed the two blades vertically down the male, slicing it into thirds. The female rose as the male fell, and Jun swung with his swords to take her down as the male got up.

Jun could see a future of himself overcome by weariness, and jumped back to allow both his enemies to rise.

He summoned a card before him and slashed it with his blade. "CHRONOS!" he shouted, summoning the father of time to cast Cross Fortune upon the two.

Summoning his Persona took less energy than swinging two heavy blades.

Tatsuya makes it look so easy.

Jun smiled.

He reversed the grip of his two blades and stepped forward while quickly ducking- slicing through the two charging Shadows.

He grunted in pain as he felt blood escape from two new wounds on each side.

He flicked his hair back as he turned to face his regenerating opponents.

He doesn't have the luxury of making mistakes.

Nor time to heal.

He stabbed his two blades into the concrete and flipped over the charging Shadows, but the blades slipped on the wet surface and he fell onto his back, the two weapons skidding away.

He summoned Chronos to cast magarudyne, whipping the flames into a burning cyclone and blowing the two blades into the two Shadows like he predicted. Jun got to his feet, nursing his back, then grabbed the handle of each blade and slashed them from the Shadow's torsos before swinging them down the two Shadows.

He quickly summoned Chronos to cast Love Prayer, simply because he couldn't continue to fight and live with his hurt back.

He wasn't a monster like those kids Minato trained.

"I'm not exactly just a florist either." Jun laughed to himself as he cut down the two Shadows again.

He fell as one of the Shadows tore off his leg, but he stepped forward and began to erase the damage.

Erasing wounds was hard and energy-consuming, but he didn't have the healing powers to regrow a whole leg. He knew the paths he had to take, so whatever it took to survive in this battle…

He slowed time to a crawl just in time to dodge under the Shadow's next wave of attacks, spinning around and slashing at them from behind.

He only got the male, the female escaping with light wounds on its back.

It twisted, driving a kick to Jun's torso, but he blocked it by stabbing a whole katana into its leg.

The Shadow screamed as Jun slammed it to the ground, slicing its head off. The florist leapt backwards, ramming his back into the male Shadow, pushing it back towards the flames before spinning into a head-removing sword swing.

Jun ducked under the regenerated female Shadow's sword stab, tackling it with his shoulder and slicing the arm at the shoulder. He caught it by the forearm and used both blades to cut through both Shadows.

The arm dissolved in his hand as the Shadow reformed, so he rolled to pick up the second blade and stabbed them both as they charged.

~ Wait, Shadows shouldn't regenerate that fast… ~ Fuuka said in his ear. ~ Jun, this time try feinting. ~

Jun stepped back from the Shadows as they quickly reformed, then charged and slashed at the male's head, only to pull away at the last second and swerve around it.

There was a sickly spray of ichor as the Shadow's head was forced up by another from underneath it, though the Shadow seemed to ignore the bizarre new growth.

~ They're predicting your attacks… ~ Fuuka realised. ~ And they begin their regeneration before they actually die so you won't get to rest! Someone help him! ~

SLICE

The two Shadows fell to the ground. "It's fine Fuuka-san." Jun panted, wiping Ichor from his face. "All I have to do is figure out the timing of their prediction and break it."

He turned around and watched as the Shadows began to reform, slower than they had been doing earlier. "See?" Jun asked her. "Nothing to worry about-"

He looked down as a tree root wrapped itself around his ankle. "Damn." He whispered as the Shadows split up and dove around to attack him from both sides.

With one leg trapped, he couldn't get enough spin into his attacks to actually kill them in one blow.

If he stabbed them, then they'd still rip his head off as they ran through the blade.

He glanced at the watch Tatsuya gave him.

Only one thing for it.

He dropped both swords and summoned a card in each hand. "CHRONOS! THRONE!"

He crushed them in either hand.

"God Hand."

Jun's hands burst into golden flames as he ducked under the two Shadows, caught them both by the thigh and swung them both into each other.

He grinned as he glared at the root trapping his foot, and it withered to dust that mixed into the puddle on the floor.

The male Shadow charged at Jun, who ducked under it and threw it over his shoulders before spinning into a kick that sent the female Shadow that was running behind it flying to the edge of the ring of flame that still burnt in the heavy rain.

The male Shadow picked up the two blades and leapt for Jun, who caught one blade between his knuckles and rammed a fist into the Shadow's jaw. The second blade flew through the air, landing in the female Shadow's head blade-first; killing it instantly.

~ Wow Jun-san! ~ Fuuka gasped. ~ That was amazing! ~

Jun smiled as he flipped the blade between his knuckles and caught it as some charred bones fell from his burning hands. "Unfortunately, this won't last forever." He said in reply as he tossed the sword aside.

~ Jun-san..? ~

Jun smiled as he rammed a golden fist through the female Shadow's chest, then tore his arm up through its head and slammed the male Shadow against the floor.

~ Everyone! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ Stop Jun-san! He's going to get himself killed with that attack! ~

The Arcana is the means by which none is achieved

The gold flames surrounding Jun's hands vanished, leaving them withered to blackened stubs.

The circle of fire surrounding him died out in the rain.

Erebus' jaw lengthened into a longer, canine jaw.

Its shoulders grew in width as the whole Shadow became a beast.

Intelligence means nothing

All the wisdom in the world cannot deny the fact that humans are but as beasts

"Fuuka-san!" Naoto shouted. "What's going on?"

Erebus rammed his skull into Jun's sending him flying. "FUUKA!" Shinji shouted, charging at Erebus' new form. "Come on!"

The Beast turned and rammed a hand into Shinji, launching him back several feet. "Easy…" Kenji warned, raising a hand for a Persona card.

It didn't come.

"Fuuka-san…" Kenji asked, opening and closing his hand over and over again in disbelief. "FUUKA-SAN!"

Silence.

Naoto looked to Aigis, who had fallen to the floor, lifeless.

Teddie fell to his knees, clutching his head.

Koromaru whimpered.

"Dammit…" Shinji growled. "It's blocking our Personas…"

"JUN-SAN!" Kenji shouted, suddenly realising that the one closest to the monster was without hands.

Jun was on his knees, screaming in agony.

"DAMMIT!" Shinji roared, charging forward to grab one of Jun's discarded Katana.

Erebus pounced on Jun, slamming the injured man to the floor.

Shinji leapt into the air with a scream of fury, swinging his blade down on the monsters head.

"JUN!" he shouted, pushing the headless monster away from the man. "You okay?"

He wasn't.

His shirt was drenched in blood and his chest seemed sickeningly flat, as if every single rib in his body had been crushed. Blood was seeping through his lips, dark and thick from grievous internal injuries. He wasn't moving, he wasn't breathing…

"Dammit…" Shinji growled as Erebus regenerated. "DAMNIT!"

BLAMBLAM

The monster fell sideways as two bullets from Naoto's Beretta 92 burst through its skull. "The Shadow's current incarnation prevents us from using our Persona's abilities." She explained as she kept her gun trained on the Shadow's regenerating head. "This includes Teddie's sanity, our healing abilities, our natural resilience against injury, our communication with Fuuka-san and Rise, the ability to use the Bolters and chain-weapons, access to the TV World, and Aigis-san's mechanisms."

Erebus surged back to its feet, its red orbs trained on Naoto.

BLAMBLAM

She didn't even miss a beat, dropping two slugs in the monster's skull as she continued speaking sternly. "If Jun is dead, then we owe him not to let that waste. If we kill this form without getting injured, then we should regain our abilities and be able to receive reinforcements again."

BLAMBLAM

"Right, so you're just gonna keep shooting it then?" Kenji asked as Shinji backed off from the writhing Shadow.

"Unfortunately, unlike the Bolter, my handgun only carries eight rounds." Naoto said. "It takes two shots to kill it and I only have two bullets left."

"So that leaves me and this guy then." Shinji sighed, swinging the Katana in his hand. "Tch."

"HHRAGH!"

Ichor flew from the Shadow as its head went flying. "There…" the new arrival panted. "Found… you guys…"

"Kaz?" Kenji asked, before laughing. "Man, what kept you?"

"Traffic…" Kaz panted, standing upright.

BLAMBLAM

Erebus' head exploded behind Kazushi.

"This guy keeps coming back after we kill him." Shinji explained, kicking up the second katana and tossing it to Naoto. "We can't use our Personas right now either, so don't let your guard down."

"Thank you." Naoto replied, getting into a kendo stance her grandfather had taught her. The blade was far heavier than the bamboo shinai she'd trained with, but that was only to be expected.

Her muscles were also much weaker than she realised. She'd been relying on her Persona's strength far too much.

Erebus got back to its feet and roared. "Surround it everyone." Naoto ordered as the four of them got into a square formation around the Shadow. "It will charge, and when it does, move and cut. Efficiency, not skill. Let the sword cut for you."

Kenji refused to comment that, as the only one of them with an axe, he wasn't at liberty to use the strategy that Naoto was suggesting.

Shinji stepped over Jun's corpse, thinking a silent apology to his fallen ally.

He didn't need to go like that.

He deserved to go down fighting, not whimpering.

He would have gone down fighting, had he not been robbed of what made him more than human right at the very end.

And now four mere humans stand before the beast.

It charged.

Shinji stepped forward.

Shinji slashed.

Shinji cut.

Erebus fell.

It landed atop the fallen hero.

The hero with a grenade in his mouth.

"When did he…" Shinji gasped, before seeing the fading smile as an ashen stump weaved into the pin and pulled from it the grenade.

Shinji smiled.

He ran back.

Erebus roared.

KRAKOOOM

Silence.

The crack of flames.

The groan of the Shadow as it returned to life.

The roar of Kenji charging forward.

The thud of axe hitting flesh.

The scream of Erebus healing.

The scream of a warrior swinging his axe.

The trickle of ichor landing in puddles.

The splash as its head landed in the water.

The grunt as the Shadow grew it back.

The stab of Kazushi's blade through the beast's heart.

The slice of the blade leaving through the skull.

The smash of Shinji's fist through the split body.

The rip of Erebus' body being torn apart.

The gentle crash of the heavy rain hitting his face.

The Arcana is the means by which none is achieved

These were the last sounds Jun Kurosu heard.

(/')

"Heey, sleeping beauty!"

I opened my eyes and glared at Adachi. "We just lost one of our allies." I told him. "He was a good man, unlike you."

"Hey, come on now." Adachi laughed. "That's not exactly fair, coming from you."

I sighed. "Mitsuru, just so you know, this guy was convicted of attempted rape, serial murder, perversion of justice, destruction of evidence, and being an absolute sicko."

"Hey, that's not all there is to me." Adachi laughed.

"True." I admitted. "You're also a sick bastard that almost killed Minato twice, almost ended the world, and-"

He pulled a gun against my head. "No, I did not." He said.

"Fine." I sighed. "He told a bunch of kids that he was going to orchestrate instrumentality so they would kill the fog monster that was trying to take over his soul, and only stayed in prison because he needed somewhere quiet to fix the damage. How's that going by the way?"

"Pretty good." Adachi laughed, pocketing the gun. "You really should take better care of dangerous things like these ya know."

"Which is why they chained you to me." I told him. "And believe me, I'm not letting you out of my sight, so give me my gun back."

"Aw, come on." Adachi reasoned. "You can trust me!"

"I know." I told him. "That's why I'm not letting you out of my sight. And believe me, I can see pretty far."

"Not far enough though, if they got one over on you." Adachi chuckled. "What're you gonna do, keep swapping Persona users forever?"

"I got a plan in mind." I smirked. "So, Mitsuru, how're you doing?"

"Who did we lose?" she asked.

"Jun Kurosu." I told her. "He was from the second generation."

"You know, there were actually Persona users before Tartarus." Adachi piped in. "Of course, they don't count in your little 'generation' system, do you?"

I closed my eyes. "Shut up Adachi."

(/')

There is no Justice

Only opposing sides convinced of their own righteousness

Erebus' new form was a man standing in a robe. It carried a bowl in each hand- the right hand dish was burning and the other held a storm.

A piece of cloth loosely covered the two red orbs that served as eyes, but its evil grin remained as maniacal as ever.

A black blade pointed downwards floated around the Shadow. The whole form was a perversion of the symbol of lady justice.

~ Hey! Can you hear me? ~

Shinji smiled. "It's good to hear your voice again Fuuka." He said as Aigis blinked, standing to her feet.

"Oh wow…" Teddie groaned. "That was beary fuzzy…"

~ Uh, where's Jun? ~ Fuuka asked.

Nobody answered.

She could feel his absence.

~ Oh no… ~

"Fuuka-san." Naoto said flatly, avoiding the topic as she reclaimed her bolter. "Please scan the enemy. Rise, please bring Seta and anyone else who is fit to fight."

-^- Yukari-san says that anyone weak to Fire or Ice should get out of the fight! -^- Rise shouted. -^- It's gonna use them to a level that we've never seen before! -^-

"I'm out." Kenji said. "So's Koromaru."

The dog whimpered, but he agreed as the two of them bounded for the TV. Kenji tagged Seta as they swapped places.

"Alright then." Shinji growled, turning to the Shadow. "It likes to keep us waiting, doesn't it?"

The Shadow glanced at Shinji as the party got ready, its grin as menacing as ever.

Then Erebus lowered its stance and stretched its hands forward before it, the fire underneath the storm.

Then it twisted its shoulders to bring its hands to its hips, rotating the palms to keep the fire and the storm in the same position relative to each other.

"Uh-oh…" Teddie muttered. "This is beary beary bad…"

The Shadow stepped forward, bringing its hands straight ahead and launching a powerful firestorm in a straight line.

Shinji created a wall of stone to block it, but the blast burst through it with ease. If he hadn't dodged, he would be dead.

"So it can use the Kamehameha." Kazushi grunted. "Great."

The Shadow raised the cup of fire into the air, sizzling as the rain boiled in the flames.

The flames danced from the cup, coursing through the bay like serpents, forming the walls of a labyrinth of flames.

Then the rain became snow.

~ Um, it's just trying to separate you all while confusing you… ~ Fuuka told everyone. ~ The flames aren't that strong so you can jump through them if you need to, but cover your face while doing so. ~

"The fire walls are only a couple of feet apart." Aigis pointed out. "Why is the snow settling?"

~ I don't know… ~ Fuuka admitted. ~ It must be part of its ability, but I'm trying to work out what it- AIGIS MOVE! ~

The blonde leapt through the flames as a cyclone whipped up around her original position and was struck by a powerful burst of lightning.

~ The Shadow's manipulating heat currents to create localised thunderstorms! ~ Fuuka explained as wind began whipping up around Aigis's feet again. ~ If you see the snow moving around you, you need to move FAST! ~

Aigis ran back through the corridors, patting out the small flames on the shoulder of her jacket before getting stopped by a powerful hand.

Erebus stood there.

The two cups floated above its shoulders, the blade floating behind its back. It gripped Aigis's shoulder with its evil grin.

The snow under their feet began to turn.

~ Naoto-san, attack at three o'clock! ~

DAKKA

Erebus' torso exploded and Aigis leapt back, landing in the snow as the lightning struck. The sparks danced across the snow, paralysing her.

Aigis screamed for help as Erebus began to reform, crawling away as it took a step towards her.

Seta burst from the flames, ramming his right hand into Erebus' head. The Shadow was forced through the flames, where Shinji's blade was waiting for it.

"Alright!" Shinji grunted, pulling his axe from the ground and stepping ba-

His foot was frozen to the ground- buried under six inches of solid snow and ice.

The snow around him began to move in a circle.

"SOLJACK!" Seta shouted, summoning the Jakkai soldier to cast Blue Wall on Shinji to protect him.

A blast of ice rose from underneath him as flames span around Shinji from both sides. He broke out of the attack and was grabbed by the throat by Erebus, who lifted both him and Seta into the air.

Aigis tore through the flames and kicked the beast in the jawbone, spinning over it and firing a wave of bullets into it point-blank. Erebus' sword swung around and struck her on the back, launching her back into the flames.

"ATHENA!" She shouted, spinning into the air and charging back at the Shadow with her Persona. She burst into golden flames as the goddess of victory struck the beast's blade with her shield as Aigis sprung a short chainsword from her wrist and stabbed it into Erebus' throat.

She clenched her face as flesh and ichor flew as the blades roared with hunger. The teeth devoured the Shadow, tearing straight through it. It collapsed into two halves as it lost grip on the two men. "Keep your head above the mayhem." Aigis warned, hopping back through the flames to get some distance before the Shadow reformed.

Shinji and Seta both dodged behind the flames. It was a good strategy- though the flames did little damage if you passed through them quickly, they obscured vision, and through Fuuka's guidance they could get some surprise attacks on the Shadow.

Until it rose above the flames.

"It's riding the thermals…" Naoto realised, aiming her bolter at it. "Of course it's riding the thermals."

DAKKA

The massive bullets flattened as they melted on their approach- but they froze and shattered as they hit the ground.

~ That's just not right! ~

(/')

"That's insane…" Mitsuru gasped. "Minato, how would you-"

"He's not Minato, lady." Adachi chuckled. "It's his Shadow, Get that into your pretty little head already."

"What is it Mitsuru?" I asked her.

"The Enemy keeps changing form." Mitsuru told me. "Currently, it's a heat manipulator-"

"I've been watching." I told her. "Just melted a bullet with a heat barrier."

"I- Yes." Mitsuru nodded. "What strategies can you offer?"

"Don't shoot it." Adachi chuckled. "Just run while nuking it with Almighty attacks."

"There's a maze of fire and it's snowing." I sighed. "It an also snipe you with lightning, it flies, and has super strength."

Adachi laughed. "Man, this is gonna be fun." He sighed, shaking his head. "Shame we're already this late."

I lifted up my wrist and tugged on it. "GLURK!" Adachi choked, his head swinging towards me.

"Well, look at that." I smirked. "Move the chain to my arm and you're my little bitch… how does that feel?"

"Not as kinky as it sounds." Adachi wheezed, rubbing his neck.

"Focus!" Mitsuru shouted. "What can we do to help?"

BLAM

I looked down to my arm to see a stump with a straight chain running out of it. The chain curved sharply near a smoking gun, fading into invisibility towards Adachi's throat.

"And you really thought it would be that easy?" I asked him. "Really?"

"Not particularly." Adachi sighed, shoving the gun into his trousers. "Tell them to focus ice attacks above it, with Zio spells to break it up. Garu will keep the heat contained near the Shadow, and to use walls for those types to keep the combo contained."

I smirked. "They're already doing that."

"Oh, really?" Adachi asked, his eyebrow raising. "Charlie's there, isn't he?"

"Charlie?" Mitsuru asked.

"Seta." I translated, closing my eyes and focusing back on the battle. "He likes nicknames."

(/')

The water vapour from the melted ice span around the Shadow's bubble, exploding each time lightning struck it. The heat only aggravated the violent reaction of splitting hydrogen from oxygen, and the effect was akin to very small nuclear explosions.

Of course, the team was exceptionally liable to blasts of heat but, thanks to Erebus concentrating the heat into blasts, convention wasn't an issue when dodging them.

~ Alright, it's working! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ But Seta-san's running low on power…~

Of course he was.

He was the only one among them who could cast the Wall spells needed for the attack to work, and Kazushi wasn't all that proficient with his lightning attacks, so Seta had to pick up the slack on that too.

Still, it was the only plan they had, and it was his responsibility to make sure it worked.

He glanced at his feet to see the turning snow. He hopped out of the attack range and launched another Ziodyne at Erebus.

Teddie swung his claw into the spinning card to create a massive block of ice above the Shadow. It melted as soon as it existed, and evaporated as it sloshed around the bubble of heat, then exploded as it was struck by lightning.

The combo was flawless, unless the Shadow adapted.

Of course, if it adapted, Seta would have time to rest.

So it was waiting.

Once Seta was exhausted, the human's wouldn't be able to defend themselves against its might any longer.

But if it changed tactics, then they would just find another counter-attack.

So this was the best plan.

It hurt.

But it was the best plan.

"Alright everyone, I've got the Shock Magatama's!" Naoto declared, pulling her hands out of the OLED sheet carrying a blanket wrapped around a pile of blue orbs.

Oh, that was it.

The Shadow dropped the heat barrier and descended to the ground. ~ It's changing tactics again! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ Be careful! ~

Erebus raised a hand and twirled it lazily.

The flame walls were torn into the air and began spinning in a complex cyclone of flames. The Shadow opened its hand wide and the cyclone became a spinning ball of super-heated flame, like a sun or-

~ It's a star… ~ Fuuka realised as wind began blowing towards the Shadow and the fireball shrank in size but grew in heat. ~ It's creating fusion! Oh no… ~

"But that's-" Naoto stopped herself. She'd decided to stop being surprised at just what Shadow's could do when they put their mind to it, and she wasn't going to start now.

"The power of the sun in the palm of its hands…" Aigis gasped. "I've never seen that kind of power before…"

"Yeah, but what's it gonna do with it?" Shinji asked. "It seems a bit much just to throw-"

The Star collapsed.

The wind screamed towards the Shadow's hand

The entire party had to brace themselves against the floor to avoid being sucked in themselves.

~ HOW? ~ Fuuka screamed. ~ That star had no where NEAR the mass needed to turn into a Black Hole! And even then, it should be much stronger than this! ~

-^- Uh, guys? -^- Rise interrupted. -^- Yukari-san says that Minato-san did this before. Basically, around the Shadow is a big sphere of certain death to anything that touches it, but the Shadow probably can't let go of it or it'll get eaten itself! -^-

"The event horizon…" Naoto nodded, noticing the bubble of darkness around the Shadow's arm. "Of course, the amount of power and control needed for this would prevent it from using its other abilities."

~ Yes! That's why the sword hasn't been moving! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ It's like a computer! If it tries to do too many things at once, or run a powerful program, it'll get the hourglass and the less important programs freeze up! If it has the black hole, it can't do anything else! ~

"Huh." Kazushi grunted. "Doesn't change the fact that it's got a FREAKING. BLACK. HOLE. AT THE END OF ITS ARM!"

"But what's it going to do about it?" Seta asked.

"That's what I asked." Shinji growled.

"No, really." Seta continued. "I don't think it knows itself."

Naoto looked at the Shadow, and as a human, the body language screamed uncertainty.

All it knows is that it has a very strong thing in its hands.

If it lets go of it, it'll die.

If it charges and uses it as a melee weapon, the other humans will get it in the back, and if it's forced to regenerate, it'll lose the Black Hole.

"It doesn't have a plan…" Naoto realised. "The Shadow has no idea what it's going to do next, because all the options available are bad ones…"

Seta rested his blade on the ground. "I've got an idea." He said as the black hole's gravity began to drag the sword towards Erebus. "Cover me."

He held his right arm out and charged for the Shadow. "SENSEI!" Teddie shouted.

There was a burst of white flames, and Seta's right sleeve exploded, revealing a white sleeve that led into a white glove, with golden spikes on the fingers that gripped the massive, decorative Naginata.

Tossing the weapon into his left hand, Seta leapt into the air and slammed his right arm into the centre of the event horizon.

The Black Hole dissipated upon contact with the gloved claw, and Seta slashed at the Shadow as Naoto fired.

DAKKA

Erebus' head exploded.

Seta rolled on the ground and got to his feet. "Knew it." He grinned, panting as his right arm returned to normal, if bare.

~ Uh… what- what was that? ~

"Myriad Truths." Seta explained as Erebus began to rebuild itself, explaining the skill he used but not answering Fuuka's question. "I force reality onto the target, but I need skin contact or a large source of spiritual power behind me for it to work." He blew on his hand as the Shadow got to its feet. "Of course, it doesn't work on Shadows themselves, but Shadows doing impossible things is another thing entirely."

He ducked under a flaming sword that swung for him, then bolted back towards the party as the Shadow pursued. Naoto picked it off with her Bolter as Seta's blade vanished.

Shinji charged at the sword and tackled it, wrestling it to the ground. "BLONDIE! NEWBIE!" He shouted. "GET IN THERE!"

Teddie and Kazushi didn't need to be told twice. Summoning their Personae, they loosed a flurry of ice and electric attacks upon Erebus as it tried to establish a barrier of heat.

~ Of course! ~ Fuuka gasped. ~ It's smarter, so it's more prone to panic and loose its confidence when we throw off its rhythm! Good work everyone! ~

Shinji stamped on the sword blade and gripped by the handle.

With a grunt of pain, he swung it over his head.

With a shout of anger, he swung it down through Erebus' head.

The sword broke against the concrete.

The Arcana is the means by which none is achieved

The falling snow returned to heavy rain.

Erebus got to its feet, hunched over as a blue glass folded up from the ground and encased it in a bipyramid of blue crystal. It sang in a high-pitched wail as it floated into the air.

Society means nothing

Even with all these people in thy way thou art all alone

The crystal shrunk as a ring of thinner diamonds span around it. The diamonds lengthened into blades and the rotation accelerated.

"Shit…" Shinji gasped. "GET DOWN!"

A thin pink beam shot out from the Shadow, piercing a building.

The beam swung around, almost decapitating those who almost weren't quick enough, slicing through several buildings in the process and chopping through one of the pillars of the Moonlight Bridge.

The nearest building began to slide towards the water front. "Oh shit…" Kazushi whimpered. "Not good."

"ATLAS!"

BLAM

The titan rose up and dragged a stone pillar to catch the falling upper half of the building.

-^- The centre! -^- Rise shouted. -^- Kenji-senpai says that you need to catch the falling half dead centre and on a floor to push it back, but that won't stop the building from collapsing! -^-

~ EVERYONE MOVE! ~ Fuuka screamed. ~ GET OUT OF THERE! ~

The Shadow had returned to its diamond shape, but twisted into itself and shifted into a cross-like shape. Pink beams shot from each end, meeting in the middle and unleashing a huge blast.

It didn't hit any of the Persona users.

It obliterated the stone pillar and much the entirety of the building that was being supported.

The roof of the building rolled in the air as the bottom half collapsed into shards of glass, steel and concrete. It was dragged into the vacuum left by the blast, most of it being dragged away from the battle.

There was a pile of massive white fangs amongst the rubble.

"Oh man…" Kazushi gasped as the first of the glass began to rain down from above. "Oh hell no…"

"Dammit!" Shinji growled, slamming his hands to the ground and summoning five pillars from the ground to catch the rooftop several metres above their heads.

The pillars tore straight through the roof- had Shinji trained in architecture or structural engineering, he would have widened the surface area of the pillars in order to catch them, but instead he became a chef.

"Fat lot of good that's doing me right now," He spat ruefully as the concrete shattered into broken slabs above him as they smashed into his pillars. He turned around so the building collided with his shoulders- he'd spent too much time trying to stop the roof's descent instead of running like everyone else.

He covered the back of his neck with his hands as the concrete chunks collapsed around him. "Dammit…" he coughed, trying to breathe dust.

Then he heard the ghastly wail above him.

He looked up to see the bottom edge of the Shadow twist and melt into a slowly spinning drill.

'I hate drills.' Shinji thought as he tried unsuccessfully to melt into the rubble as the drill grew closer and closer, summoning a card into his hand and spinning it.

He put an evoker to his head. "KOHRYU!"

BLAM

The golden dragon twisted up from his temple, coiling around Erebus and roaring as lightning tore through its crystallaine body.

Now how the hell did he do that?

A powerful blast slammed into the Shadow's side as it screamed from both wounds. The drill froze as the diamond morphed into a massive hexagon-like shield, absorbing the blast before contorting into a longer shape with a black sphere with blue spikes spinning around it, launching a powerful blast right back at the attacker.

Shinji grabbed a huge chunk of concrete and slammed it into the immobile drill, only for the stone to crumple against the blue structure.

He grunted, then wrapped his arms around the contorting spike and lifted it.

The Shadow above him was raised into the air.

It contorted to form a cannon pointed straight down at Shinji.

He glared right into the black core.

DAKKA

Ichor fell onto Shinji's face.

The Shadow screamed, unfolding itself into a massive cloud of spikes pointing towards the water, withdrawing the drill in its death throes.

Shinji hoisted himself out of the hole he was in and ran across the rubble as the Shadow began to fold itself back into the diamond form from before.

"So, we can only hurt it while it's attacking…" Naoto noted, lowering her Bolter. "Problem is, when it does attack, it doesn't hold back…"

"Sorry, am I the only one freaked out by how this thing came straight out of Evangelion?" Kazushi asked flippantly. "I mean COME ON!"

"Get used to it." Seta told him. "It only gets creepier from here."

"Sensei…" Teddie warned him as the Shadow began to twist into a thin tower of rotating squares of various widths.

In the middle was the black core.

"HIT THAT CORE WITH EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT!" Seta roared as Metatron descended from a rooftop and launched a Megidolaon upon the Shadow.

Erebus launched a powerful blast through the angel and obliterated the rooftop it came from. Seta summoned Satan to launch a Black Viper attack at the core as Teddie and Shinji bombarded it with spikes of ice and stone.

The Shadow screamed as it returned to the crystal form, then split into a rotating ring of blades surrounding the core. ~ It's going to attack from all sides now! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ Be careful! ~

A long, thin beam shot from the Shadow, piercing one of the suspension support pillars of the Moonlight Bridge, before swinging around to slice through the suspension cables on the Iwatodai-side half of the bridge.

The steel and concrete bridge twisted like paper. Cars began to slide over the side, falling into the black water with a great splash.

~ But… but that doesn't hurt us… ~ Fuuka gasped as the beam continued to slash around, cutting through multiple towers before fading out. ~ I mean, destroying buildings doesn't work, but how would destroying the bridge help it win this battle? ~

"It wasn't about winning this time…" Aigis realised, a note of horror in her voice. "It was about hurting us as much as it could, so it is killing innocent lives because we can't stop it…"

Shinji slammed a fist to the ground to push the upper halves of the buildings back and seal the damage with his stone. "No more." He decided. "No more deaths. We owe them that."

The Shadow sang as it contorted into a cannon-like shape, aimed at the group. "FIRE!" Seta shouted, summoning Izanagi-No-Ookami to launch a searing Agidyne attack at the Shadow as Naoto launched another Megidolaon before letting loose her Bolter.

Aigis and Kazushi both summoned their Personae to stab the Shadow's core, but were consumed by the blast before they could reach their target.

The Persona users only had a split second when they realised that they were too late, that the Shadow's attack would wipe them from the face of the earth.

But before the thought could really sink in, a figure dove down from a rooftop, carrying a grimore in her hands and a stern expression on her face.

Ananta and Shiva rose around her, their powers fusing to cast Infinity and protect the party. The blast melted the ground around them, but the floor under their feet stood firm, even as the space in front of them was reduced to a hole.

Black water flowed through the sewage and fresh water supply pipes that had been rendered open, falling into the exposed ocean below the artificial bay.

"Please watch your step." Elizabeth warned everyone pleasantly, taking a moment to adjust her hat. "The fall seems to be quite precarious."

Shinji clapped his hands together and slammed them against the ground, creating several stone bridges over the chasm. "COME ON!" He shouted, standing upright and grabbing his Evoker.

~ NO! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ If you get too close, it'll kill you! ~

"So what do we do?" he asked. "Keep firing at it while it blocks and launches everything back? In case you haven't noticed, we're all standing in the same area. For any of us to stand a chance, we need at least two groups."

"And decoy to draw out its core, and another group to attack it." Naoto nodded. "Of course, the two groups must be of similar size-"

She was cut off by the deafening roar of Erebus' blast, which was once again blocked by Elizabeth's shield. "I propose making a decision quickly." She suggested. "As you can imagine, this shield does consume quite a lot of energy."

"Teddie, Naoto, you two are with me." Seta decided. "Aigis-san, take everyone else. We'll go in opposite directions, keep a distance, bombard it from both sides, alright?"

"Move once the beam stops." Aigis ordered everyone.

The beam died.

The shield faded.

"NOW!" Shinji roared, slamming the ground to launch his group onto the rooftops as Teddie slammed his hands against the floor, creating a bridge of ice to carry Seta and Naoto onto the frozen waterfront. The Shadow's crystal formation split into the spinning ring of blades and slashed through Shinji's rising platform, but he created a new bridge of stone for the party to run across as Naoto opened fire with her bolter.

Seta and Teddie summoned the Persona cards into their hands and crushed them, summoning Kamui and Mara to bombard the Shadow with spears of ice and flames as they ran.

-^- Ugh, that thing? -^- Rise asked as the Shadow morphed into a column built of square shapes of various sizes, launching another sky-splitting blast from the black orb in the centre. -^- Not Surtr or something? -^-

Athena and Musashi charged from Aigis and Kazushi's positions on the rooftops and stabbed the core as it attacked the waterfront. The Shadow screamed as it explosively transformed into a mass of spikes, then contorted itself into an x-shape, launching a thin white beam from each end that met in the centre to launch a much more powerful blast which was blocked by a massive stone wall that rose from the ground.

The blast melted through the stone like a hot sledgehammer through a snowman, and Elizabeth had to raise her forcefield again as their teammates on the ground bombarded the core with ice and steel.

Eventually, the Shadow screamed and ceased its attack, folding back up into a defensive diamond, then sending a thin beam spinning around the area wildly, achieving nothing other than cutting a few walls in half and slicing the ground behind Teddie's head.

~ It's on the run! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ Keep going! ~

Shinji launched a flurry of stone pillars at the Shadow as it morphed into a larger form with a massive hexagon shield that absorbed the stone pillars before launching them back. Aigis summoned Athena to smash the pillars down as Shinji stepped back to create a massive stone spike above the Shadow.

The stone fell, piercing Erebus' blue crystal where it was thinnest. The Darkness screamed, morphing into a spiked sphere that span wildly, launching a flurry of weaker, erratic blasts in every direction.

Shinji blocked much of these with a stone wall as Elizabeth summoned Surtr to unleash hellfire upon Erebus. The Shadow screamed again, shifting into the wider form with the spinning blades.

That was when Naoki leapt through the air and landed on one of the large spikes.

Erebus tilted as it loosed its spinning energy blade, slicing vertically downwards. Naoki, being actually on the Shadow, avoided the beam, but Erebus continued to swing the attack at the closest fighter, Kazushi. He dodged to avoid a fatal blow, but still not fast enough, and found his arm cleanly severed from the rest of his body. He stared at his flying limb in horror, then grunted in pain as a new one began to grow from the wound.

"Limbs are lost." Aigis told him, summoning Athena to charge for the exposed core of the Shadow. "That's why we can cast Dia."

The Shadow screamed as various Personae bombarded its exposed core as Naoki ran across its form, pushing back the blue crystal as it began to return to a defensive build.

Kazushi grunted in grim pleasure, summoning a blue card into the air before him and slicing through it. "MUSASHI!" he shouted as the blue-clad samurai sped through the air. "VORPAL BLADE!"

The Shadow screamed as it unfolded into a star shape. Naoki tried to hold on, but he slid off as the Shadow unfolded again into a star and then a third time.

~ Oh no… ~ Fuuka gasped. ~ RUN! ~

A massive blast obliterated the building they were standing on, and many others behind it. Shinji grabbed Kazushi as they leapt to another building, followed by Elizabeth and Aigis as the rooftop fell into the orange wave of certain death.

"SHIT!" Shinji shouted as the beam died, leaving a smoking trail of destruction almost half a mile long in its wake. "Of course, the only way to hit its core is through the blast-hole, isn't it?"

"That appears to be an accurate judgement." Elizabeth commented. "Of course, the Shadow appears to be turning to face us."

"Well ain't that just fantastic." Shinji spat. "And of course your shield isn't enough for it, right?"

"I'm surprised that you noticed, judging from how quickly the shield was decimated during that last blast." Elizabeth smiled. "Unless, of course, you are merely making a cynical guess based on previous experiences?"

"Everyone, RUN!" Aigis shouted as the Shadow prepared to launch another attack.

The four of them leapt from the building as a wave of destruction decimated another row of buildings. They rolled as they hit the ground, sustaining minor injuries that did little to stop them from running for their lives. "Fuuka, initiate Oracle!" Aigis shouted.

~ It won't work! ~ Fuuka shouted. ~ Only a direct attack through the opening of the blast can stop it, and it must be a powerful one! Oracle comes from above, it's useless! ~

"ANY VOLUNTEERS?" Shinji shouted as Erebus stopped its attack and began to turn around slowly. "BECAUSE I GOT NOTHING!"

"Throw me." Naoki told him, running up.

"WHAT?"

"I can break through any defence." The Demi-Fiend reasoned. "Get me to the top and I'll rip a hole in it for the Oracle."

"Why the hell didn't we do that from the start then?" Shinji shouted at him.

"Because it would've sliced me in half." Naoki replied, glancing back at the Shadow. "Right now though, I don't think that's gonna happen."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Remarkable." She said, deeply impressed. "Such a simple approach to a simple yet difficult problem, you humans are so…"

"Demon." Naoki corrected as the Shadow's mouth reached the group. "Of course, I'll get incinerated if anything goes wrong, but that's kind of a moot point right now-"

Shinji grabbed him by the waist and hurled the demon right into the opening as it began to charge its blast. "RUN!" he roared, leading the escape as Naoki twisted in the air and slammed a fist right into the centre.

The Shadow screamed as the knuckles sunk into the flesh. Naoki grabbed at something, and rammed his other hand into it, tearing it apart before biting down on the flesh.

Erebus screamed.

A forest of crystal spikes burst from the back of the Shadow, extending for several dozen metres.

Then the crystal began to tear.

Black ichor burst from the wounds as the crystal structure sunk. Naoki leapt back and legged it at the massive beast collapsed, dying under its own weight.

The Arcana is the means by which none is achieved

"About…" Teddie gasped. "Time…"

Destiny is a cold comfort

There is no plan… Just a series of meaningless events

"And here comes Fortune." Shinji grinned as a humanoid figure rose from the carnage. Erebus' jaw smiled at them under the red orbs that served as its eyes.

It turned to face the team. Its flesh merged into something resembling a waistcoat and trousers. There was even a bow-tie and collar around its neck.

"So, what now?" Kazushi asked, picking up his sword. "It's gonna use cards to slice us into pieces?"

The Shadow raised a hand and clicked its fingers.

The team's weapons vanished- even Elizabeth's compendium was gone.

"The hell..?" Shinji whispered as the Shadow clicked again.

Kenji, Rio, Yosuke, Ken, Marina, Koromaru, Yukiko, Yukari and Chie appeared amongst the ichor. Yukari was kneeling over Chie, whose right arm was still missing, the shoulder bandaged, and the left side of her inner torso was on display mid-surgery.

Yukari's hand glowed white over the open wound. No blood was escaping, but the upper-half of a lung was lying inside the cavity, unattached to the blocked off bronchus so the patient could breathe without air just leaving through the wound.

Chie was out cold, barely breathing

Yosuke huddled over next to her with Yukiko's arm around his shoulders, clutching his knees in shock and horror.

Ken was clutching his stomach, blood still weeping from the healing wound.

Marina groggily awoke from unconsciousness. "Wha…?" she mumbled, looking around in confusion. "WHAT?"

The Shadow clicked its fingers again as Fuuka and Rise appeared next to it in their Personae. Erebus clicked its fingers again and the two were forced out of their Personae and onto the floor.

"So, it's a teleporter." Seta deducted as Juno and Kanzeon faded out of existence. "This should be tricky."

Shinji roared and charged for the Shadow, dragging up a massive fist of stone as he did so.

Erebus clicked its fingers.

Shinji was sat at a table, raising a cup of tea to his lips.

He stopped.

"THE HELL?" he shouted, throwing the table into the air as he got to his feet. "ARE YOU SHITTING ME?"

Erebus snapped its fingers again.

Everyone was suddenly dressed in fine eveningwear, as if for a party or dinner at Pierre Gagnaire.

Koromaru was even dressed in a little dog tuxedo.

The Shadow leered at the humans, a permanent smile on its face, as it clicked again.

The eighteen of them were sat around a large circular table amongst the carnage of a ruined waterfront. Silver cutlery was set at each place on the white tablecloth that slowly absorbed the black ichor from the floor and the red rain from above.

Chie fell forwards in her place, the unattached lung rolling out of her torso and through the excessive absolute cleavage in her dress, bouncing off her lap and splashing in the ichor below.

"CHIE!" Yukari shouted, leaning towards her but unable to leave her seat. "Huh?" she shouted, grabbing at the wooden chair and trying to pull herself from it, then the chair from the floor. "Oh no…"

Erebus chuckled as it leaned over her to drop a single rose in a glass vase in the centre of the table.

(/')

"I lost contact with Fuuka." Mitsuru growled as the city came into view. "Shadow, what's going on?"

"That's better." I chuckled. "Basically, the Fortune form is a reality warper that's forcing them all to play Calvinball."

"Calvinball?" Mitsuru asked.

"It's a game where the rules are never explained to the players, can change at a moments notice on a mere whim, is insanely complicated and the aim of the game isn't to win, but to have fun." Adachi explained. "I loved that game when I was younger. I kept manipulating the other kids into making rules that stabbed them in the back."

"And, as you can imagine, Erebus is the only one making the rules." I told her. "The one rule that's certain is that the winning team will be the first team that wins."

"Unless it changes its mind." Adachi piped in. "So, how long until we get there?"

"We'll get there just in time to see the last one die." Mitsuru snarled.

I smirked. "Have more faith in them." I told her. "In Calvinball, the most creative one wins."

(/')

Erebus slunk around the table menacingly, relishing having all eighteen of these damned mortals under its complete domination.

It stroked a finger across Aigis' shoulder.

She tensed in disgust, but couldn't move her hands as it peeled the strap her dress from her shoulders, letting the right side slack slightly as Aigis turned to glare at the Shadow with utmost hate.

"This doesn't make any sense…" Fuuka said from across the table in a tight turquoise dress with a single shoulder. "I mean, why?"

"It's sick…" Rise hissed, her hair loose, sodden hair sticking to her bare back. "I mean one strong gust of wind, and-"

"No, not that." Fuuka interrupted, trying to ignore her teammate's open chest that was barely covered by two loose pieces of wet cloth. "Why doesn't it just kill us? Why is it doing this?"

"Shadows like to watch us squirm." Yukiko said, cringing as Erebus slipped a hand down the cleavage of her red dress. "It's loving this…"

"Actually, no." Seta pointed out. "Throughout the fight so far, this thing's been trying its damn hardest to kill us. Why play with us now?"

Yukiko gasped as Erebus's hand tensed on her breast.

"Interesting…" Naoto commented, leaning forward in a dark blue dress that did little to hide what she'd being trying to cover for the past ten years of her life. "You don't like us questioning you playing with us now. It's almost as if you'd like to kill us all now, but can't."

Erebus stood up straight, Yukiko sighing with relief as the Shadow's hand left her chest.

"Your powers can affect the world around us, but you can't actually affect us." Naoto continued. "That's why the gloves around our hands won't move, because according to the world you made, our clothes are unbreakable and can only be moved by you."

"That's it?" Naoki asked. "So no magnetic crap?"

"It's like His power, the one he started using after Ryoji showed up…" Yukari noted, glancing at Chie.

Still breathing, good.

Heart's still going, that much is visible.

One advantage of these damned dresses.

"Wait, He was never this good, was he?" Kenji asked.

And HE wasn't. I sure as hell am.

"Hold up, who's this 'He' person?" Yukiko asked. "You've mentioned him, but who is- OW!" She shouted as Erebus smacked her head into the table "HEY!" she shouted, twisting her head to glare at him through her broken nose.

"Minato Arisoto." Elizabeth said.

The table fell silent apart from the candles hissing in the rain that bounced off the tablecloth.

"Wait, I know him." Rise realised. "Blue hair in his face, played guitar at the show in Iwatodai back in oh-nine?" she asked.

"That's the one." Kenjamin laughed, shaking the water out his hair. "The man who beat down a primordial goddess and saved the world."

"Hold on, I remember him." Rio said, turning to Kenji. "Your friend who you went for ramen with all the time, right?"

"He helped Kenji-kun save you when you became a Lost." Teddie told her. "It didn't bring you back, but it's why you both have your Personas."

"I remember…" Yukiko gasped. "He stayed at our inn, remember Chie?" she asked, turning to the unconscious girl instinctively. "Oh… but he's your boyfriend, right Yukari?" she asked the girl next to her best friend.

Yukari looked down.

"Well, where is he?" Rise asked. "I mean, if he's that powerful-"

"He's dead."

Everyone turned to Naoto. "He had a heart attack four years ago." She continued. "He used his entire life force to defeat Nyx, but held on a few more months somehow."

There was silence.

Yukari laughed.

"What's so funny?" Kazushi asked her.

She kept on laughing despite the gravity of the situation. "You're terrified of his mere name, aren't you?" Yukari sneered, turning her head to glare at Erebus. "All that, and you're just a little-"

SLAM

"Yukari!" Shinji shouted, staring across the table at the Shadow who just pushed the girl's head onto the table.

"I'm alrigh." She grunted, spitting up blood. "Bid ma doungue, but nothing bad."

She spat out a chunk of flesh and licked her teeth with her new tongue- it always felt weird.

"You're absolutely scared shitless of him coming, aren't you?" Marina asked, smirking.

Erebus stepped back and glared at her.

"You're tired." Aigis realised. "I hadn't thought about it, but you're tired…"

"That's it…" Fuuka gasped. "We've all been fighting on a rotation, taking breaks as we go, but you've been fighting non-stop since you appeared… You're running out of power and need to recuperate!"

Erebus glared at her.

"Holy shit, that makes sense…" Kenjamin managed, laughing. "Damn, that makes so much sense!"

Erebus's shoulders shook, as if it was sobbing.

Then it threw its head back, clearly laughing.

It raised a hand into the air.

It clicked its fingers.

And Akihiko Sanada landed on the table.

(/')

"FINALLY!" I shouted. "Been wondering why he was around."

"Who?" Mitsuru asked.

Adachi yawned, stretching his hands behind his head, legs dangling over the edge of the sidecar.

"Akihiko." I told her. "Back from the dead, apparently."

Adachi's eyes opened wide. "Not possible." He said. "Dead is dead. You found that out the hard way with the Homunculi, remember?"

"What about that one time in January?" Mitsuru asked.

"It didn't work." I told her. "All soulless homunculi that thought they were the people they replaced. They all died within three years."

Mitsuru frowned.

"So it was for nothing." she said eventually. "Then why is Akihiko alive?"

"That's what I want to find out about, so shush." I snapped, closing my eyes.

(/')

"How the hell..?" Shinji gasped once Akihiko had crawled off the table.

"It's a game." Akihiko told him. "The Arcana are playing a game with us."

"What game?" Yukari asked. "And why did they bring you back?"

Akihiko sighed. "Every night, there'll be Shadows to battle." He explained. "And every red moon, you have to fight one of the Arcana. This is just the Fool, it's a preview of each of the other twenty-one Arcana…" He gulped. "Next time, you'll have to fight Magician…"

"You said 'you'." Naoto noted. "Why didn't you include yourself there when you did before?"

Akihiko looked down at his feet.

"I'm their damned referee…" he sighed. "They dragged me back, wiped my memories of whatever the hell happens after death, and made me their DAMNED REFEREE!" He shouted, stepping backwards, arms in the air as if at gunpoint.

He looked at everyone in despair. "I tried to warn you, but you were already fighting…" He said. "If I touch either you guys, or the Shadow, then the human race is disqualified- a demon will come out of every single one of the big white things and kill every human alive."

"What..." Seta growled.

"That's not all…" Akihiko continued, backing away from everyone. "If… If you guys can't kill the main enemy within the hour, then the Shadow comes out into the real world and the fight continues, where everyone can see…"

"Akihiko." Shinji asked his old friend calmly. "How long do we have left?"

Akihiko looked in his eyes.

"Three minutes." He said. "And you have eleven forms left…"

SLAM

A screaming human fireball rammed Erebus against the ground, punching straight through its head. "ALRIGHT!" the human torch declared, pumping his fists into the air. "WHO DA MAN? HUH? JUNPEI IORI, THE BADDEST MO-FO OF THEM ALL! COME ON!"

The Darkness rose to its feet, regenerating its head. "BEHIND YOU!" Fuuka shouted, as Junpei swung around with his sword, slicing through the Shadow's head.

"NUH-UH, NOT ME!" Junpei jeered, kicking the Shadow's chest with a burning foot. "YOU CANNOT TOUCH- HOLY SHIT AKIHIKO-SENPAI!"

"YOU'VE GOT SECONDS TO KILL IT OR WE ALL DIE!" Akihiko shouted. "I CAN'T HELP, DON'T ASK QUESTIONS, JUST KILL IT AS MANY TIMES AS YOU CAN AS FAST AS YOU CAN!"

"UH, ON IT! ATTIS! " Junpei shouted, dropping the sword and charging into the Shadow, ripping its chest open with flaming hands and ripping it apart with lightning speed and efficiency with the daggers that grew from his wrists.

The Arcana is the means by which none is achieved

Shinji got to his feet and threw the table into the air. "ALL RIGHT!" He shouted as everyone else stood up, Chie falling back. "Yukari, fix her. EVERYONE ELSE!"

Strength is worthless

Suffer and despair as you struggle against an undefeatable foe

The Shadow vanished as Junpei was sliced in half at the waist. "GARGH!" He shouted, grabbing his legs as the wound healed. "Dammit!" he shouted, skin regenerating under his fireproof clothes. "Where'd he go?"

Shinji shouted as his arm flew into the air with a trail of blood. Marina cast Diarahan as her own legs were sliced off.

"It's using a normal sword!" Naoki shouted, tugging off his tie. "It's just really, really fast!"

He coughed up blood as the black Shadow appeared on his chest, driving the blade through his heart.

(/')

"Mitsuru." I told her, grabbing onto her waist tightly with one arm and grabbing Adachi's chain with the other. "Swerve left and brake now."

"Are you-?"

"NOW."

She did as instructed and the three of us went flying across the water, the bike screeching into a building.

I launched us higher into the air as Adachi pulled out the Evoker and shot me in the head, but too busy using what little power I had to keep us from dying to deal with that.

I let go of Mitsuru just before we landed, the three of us rolling across the concrete and ichor until I landed on one knee, one hand on the ground and the other outstretched to catch the Evoker as it fell to the ground.

The rain slicked my hair down my face as ichor bled down over my eye and cheek.

I glared up to see Yukari, kneeling with Chie and next to Yosuke.

She was staring at me in shock… and recognition. Considering the circumstances, I couldn't really blame her for thinking that I looked like -

"M-Minato…" she gasped.

I stood to my feet.

"Wrong." I told her, grabbing Jun's sword and throwing it into the awaiting black bubble.

The idiot knew what was going to happen to him from the start, didn't he...

I grabbed Yosuke by the face. "Arcana Shift." I snarled, the chain on my right hand vanishing as one grew from my left, connecting to a collar around Yosuke's neck.

I let go of him and shoved my hand into Chie's chest.

Let's see how much of His power this guy can handle.

Yosuke screamed as I programmed the Hollow Arcana to build a new lung, ribcage, circulation system, arm, boob and shirt for Chie. "Adachi, Mitsuru." I said. "I'm gonna be out of it for a minute or so." I told them. "Everyone else, you have no weapons, no evokers, so Inaba Scoobies are free to cast buffs, everyone else stay the hell out of their way."

I began the program.

Yosuke screamed as a tiny, insignificant portion of the power of the Universe passed through him.

Frankly, I don't blame him.

I'm just glad that I've got the Hollow Arcana back.

"YOU'VE GOT FORTY SECONDS!" I shouted, throwing a Boltgun to Adachi as Chie's body began to shudder as if having a fit. "Yukari, hold down her tongue!"

He caught it and began to open fire at Naoki. The Shadow leapt away and someone began to heal the Demi-Fiend as Junpei burst into flames and flew after the Shadow.

Adachi teleported onto his head and began to shoot at a window. Ichor burst from it and the Shadow began to fall to the ground. Mitsuru charged up the wall, leaving a trail of ice as she sliced upwards through the Shadow, black blood falling like rain as she kicked from the building, placing her evoker to her head as she fell.

"ERIS!" She shouted, pulling the trigger with an explosion in her mind.

A pale blue woman with long black hair burst from the clouds. She wore form-fitting, revealing gun-metal armour that clawed at her skin, leaving much of her on display. Metal, bat-like wings surrounded her as she clutched a golden apple in one claw, a malevolent, demonic trident in the other.

I couldn't help a slight smirk tug the corner of my mouth.

Looks like everyone learnt something in the abyss of time. Every single surviving member of S.E.E.S. is currently holding four Personae.

The goddess of strife slammed her trident into the Shadow's torso as Adachi appeared on the ground next to it in a cloud of bats. Grinning, he stamped on its throat and placed the Bolter to its head.

DAKKADAKKA

The Shadow turned into smoke and flew into the air. Adachi raised a hand and a shining blue card appeared just before the Shadow, rotating slowly as Erebus's blade slid through it. With the sound of breaking glass, the mighty armoured Hephaestus rammed an axe-like hammer into Erebus, launching it into the path of Mitsuru's blade. "BEGONE!" she shouted, placing the evoker to her skull and summoning Artemisia to create a cluster of ice spikes which stabbed through the Shadow's flesh, raising her feet so she slid down them expertly.

She put the evoker to her temple again to summon Eris, who drove her trident into the ice cluster, causing it to invert, stabbing Erebus a hundred times over as Adachi appeared above the Shadow, launching his bolter right into the centre.

Erebus burst from the ice with its blades, parrying Mitsuru's defences and slicing her right arm off at the shoulder as it flew by.

A claw of ice caught it by the back of the neck and slammed it into the ground- Mitsuru had forgone healing herself and created an artificial arm of ice to trap the Shadow.

Then a fist burst from her shoulder and through the ice; shattering it and slamming the Shadow's head further into the ground.

Lava burst from the ground under the Shadow as Mitsuru's eyes shined orange.

She put the evoker to her skull with her left hand as she flew into the air.

"This ends now!" she shouted, summoning the goddess of the hunt to cool the magma into a pillar of steaming black stone. She flipped through the air as Adachi appeared atop the pillar with his bolter aimed down the centre.

DAKKA

Adachi jumped as the Bolts from his gun shattered the pillar right to the bottom, creating a massive hole through the Darkness.

And the blue card under its chest.

"BALROG!" Adachi shouted as the massive black demon rose from the ground, the orange magma of its belly glowing through its black skin. Two curved, black horns protruded from under its white mane.

The demon roared as it cracked its burning whip around Erebus as it tried to heal the massive damage already inflicted upon it as Mitsuru landed, slicing her blade through the Shadow vertically.

Erebus teleported away, right into the path of the Bolt Adachi just fired. Its flesh exploded as several cards began to float in the air in front of it as the Shadow began to blindly launch a flurry of shuriken.

Izanagi-no-Ookami, Kamui, Amaterasu, Yamato-Takeru, Satan, Helel, Musashi, Siren, Odysseus and Magatsu Izanagi all rushed Erebus, dealing blow after blow upon it, ending in the mighty wrath of Marina's and Elizabeth's combined Armageddon.

"THE ENEMY'S DOWN!" Mitsuru shouted into the air as Junpei, Aigis and Naoki, ran up beside her. "LET'S FINISH THIS!"

Adachi grinned as he overlooked the crater where the recovering Shadow lay as Mitsuru's companions nodded to each other.

They charged.

"YOU'LL FALL BY MY HAND!"

Chie coughed up blood onto Yukari's hand as she settled down, almost is in response to the chaos occurring a few feet from us.

Yukari pulled her fingers out from her mouth as Chie opened her eyes. "Chie…" Yukari said with a grateful smile.

"Ow…" Chie groaned. "Wha…?"

"Chie?" Yosuke gasped, before collapsing on the ground.

"Not bad." I told him, standing up. "Most people would die from that kind of exposure to the Hollow Arcana, but I thought you could take it."

The Arcana is the means by which none is achieved

"DAMMIT MITSURU!" I shouted, twisting around as she stood around the crater with everyone. "I SAID FORTY SECONDS, NOT THIRTY!"

Perspective account for nothing

Everything in this world exists to wear you down

This entire world exists for the sake of cornering you

THREE LINES?

"EVERYONE GET THE HELL BACK!" I shouted.

The five of them got pushed back from the crater, all flying their different directions.

The Shadow rose from its hole. It had huge, bulging muscles, with long, black hair that flowed upwards. The white cloth that served as clothing rippled as if in an updraft.

The smile was gone.

Just two red eyes of hate.

Time for me to take action.

I shoved my arm down Yosuke's throat.

He gagged and Yukari shouted something, but I shoved another arm in and squeezed into the tiny space. He grabbed at his throat as his flesh bubbled and mutated, his clothes exploding into a black and red blaze as he fell onto all fours.

His hair shortened at the back, his fringe growing.

His t-shirt and jacket stopped burning, now a white shirt and a red tie.

A chain ran from his neck to his right wrist.

There was an Evoker in his hand.

My hand now.

"Thanks for the loaner kid." I said through his mouth. "Don't worry, you'll get it back at the end of the day."

I strode towards the Shadow with all the power I could manage. Let's see now, I've got the disadvantage of organs and bones, but I have a decent amount of spiritual power now.

Combined, this form can use more of the Universe than we could separately, but there is the risk if me actually digesting the kid if he spends too long in here.

Of course, since I only have about a minute left, that won't exactly be an issue.

I shoved the evoker down my trousers and charged at Erebus. It raised an arm and unleashed a shockwave, no, this isn't a blast.

The world behind me is dragging me back.

Hanged man.

Am I upside down, or is it just in my head?

That isn't hair falling up. It's a mass of horns to throw me off.

I'm not running along the concrete floor of Iwatodai bay.

I jumped to the right.

NOW I'm running along the concrete floor of Iwatodai bay.

Of course the effect was localised.

If it wasn't, the city would be underwater right now.

This guy is a gravity bender.

To anyone else, this would be a problem.

I swung a kick into its head- utterly crushing it under my shin.

It lifted a hand and grabbed the leg.

That spinning…

Ah.

Black Holes could be a problem.

I kicked on the chest and jumped back, sliding across the floor as it became a ceiling.

Now, let's see if I can still do this.

I summoned a bolt of lightning into my hand- still got Zeus's power.

I launched the storm.

Erebus blocked it with its arm, but I reached from the thunderbolt and grabbed the wrist.

"Throwdown." I said with glee as I flipped the Shadow into the air and into the ground.

"You know what this is, right?" I asked the Shadow, pulling the evoker from my trousers. "An Evoker. This isn't a method of summoning a Persona, this is so much more. Against things like you, it is the perfect weapon."

I put the muzzle to Erebus's head. "A device that uses Nyx's feathers to induce so much mental pain, it splits the mind in order to make the soul manifest from the body- to humans, this summons a Persona."

I grinned as the red orbs in the Shadow showed fear.

LET US SEE WHAT IT DOES TO YOU

BLAM

Erebus screamed as twenty-one cards flew into the air. The Shadow convulsed as it changed into the massive, two-headed dog that it truly is.

I laughed, creating a cowboy hat specifically to wave into the air as I shouted with glee. "YOU KNOW HOW IT IS!" I shouted, getting to my feet and running from the Shadow. "Every card you eat is a new power!"

There's a rule in demonic cannibalism.

If one demon consumes another, they will fuse.

The stronger one shall take a fragment of the weaker's power, strength, personality and memories.

Just look what Yosuke's doing to me.

So, in theory, I can end Erebus for good right here.

I shoved the Magician down my throat as the lumbering giant charged for the other cards. I twisted around and launched an invisible arm for the Priestess card, bringing it back to me to bite down.

I raised Yosuke's arm and pointed the other to the ground, creating an orange portal in the distance and a blue one close at hand.

I started shifting the orange portal around and using the arms to grab as many cards as I could- doesn't matter which ones, just as long as I get more than Erebus does.

The Shadow roared at me, launching a powerful white blast at me.

Assimilation, the power of the Empress.

Bugger.

I spat Yosuke out just as the beam consumed me.

Why the hell didn't I think of that…

"N-no…" Fuuka gasped. "No way…"

"Impossible…" Mitsuru managed. "IT'S NOT OVER!" she roared. "DESTROY IT! SAVE HIM!"

The Arcana is the means by which none is achieved

Their blood ran cold as Erebus stood massively before them, sprouting twenty-two black wings and white armour.

There is no meaning in our world, and no meaning in us who live there

We, meaningless, think of the world, knowing that there is no meaning there

This is even meaningless itself

Erebus grinned as he waved a hand over the mere mortals that stood in fear before him.

Yes, there is no Fate for us

Only those who are swallowed by ignorance and fear and miss a step fall into the rapid river called Fate

Your hero is dead

He's gone

In the Darkness, In the abyss, he lives on only in death

So, if you still wish to fight the inevitable, fight until the end

No matter what force opposes thee, never yield

When there is nothing left to lose, I WIN!

Just who the hell do you think I am?

I am a Shadow, the true self…

I am not Minato…

I am not the Universe…

I... AM... ME!

MINATOS THE SHADOW!

Erebus roared, falling to his knees as I forced his head to the ground.

And You Thought You Could Best ME?

I laughed as the Abyss' skull fractured with a web of cracks under my grip.

As Despair itself struggled to flee from my wrath.

KNOW DESPAIR, SON OF CHAOS

DEATH SHALL NOT TAKE YOU

ABANDON THE SIMULACRUM OF STRENGTH YOU HAVE STOLEN FROM MAN

I AM YOU

YOU ARE NOT ME

WE ARE NOT ONE

I AM HALF

YOU ARE NOTHING

The skull shattered, the Darkness was scattered, and I strode from the black mist of Erebus as the chain around my arm shot out to connect to the collar around Yosuke's neck.

I flexed my fingers.

If I cut my ties and walked away, I could live as a mortal human for a couple of years before ending.

Even without Minato, I have enough strength to fight on my own, thanks to Erebus.

You'd think a Primordial god would offer more strength, but he'd been losing a lot of power lately due to the lack of despair in the human race lately. He'd jump at the chance for a power-up and to kill the one causing him trouble.

I licked my lips.

Angelic.

No, this is more than a mere angel.

This is one of the great angels.

Leliel.

The Angel of the Night.

The Jaws of God.

Makes sense that he'd take the form of the embodiment of all Shadows.

I bunched my fingers into a fist.

So that's it.

The high angels are posing behind the Arcana masks to keep me occupied from something.

Sounds like fun.

I looked up at the twenty men, women and dog that survived this battle.

Smiles of disbelief.

Smiles of satisfaction.

Smiles of weariness.

Smiles of what-the-hell-just-happened?

I held a fist above my head in triumph.

Thunder cracked in the sky above.

MEMENTO MORI

We all looked up through the rain.

The black clouds completely covered the white sky.

No…

Those weren't clouds… those were Shadows.

Two massive arms, one on Port Island and the other in Iwatodai.

A colossal, bony grin and two massive red moons for eyes

Despair peered down from the sky, mocking us.

"No way…" Junpei gasped. "YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME?"

Then came the weight. A crushing, turbulent pressure, crashing down on mind, body and soul.

A weight just like Nyx from her moon when He fought, years ago. When only the strength of the Universe itself stopped this pressure from forcing him down onto his knees.

This wasn't some angel knock-off. This Erebus is the real deal.

THIS was the power of a primordial god.

I'm the only one still standing…

No way…

At least with Nyx we had the power to fight it.

At least with Nyx we had the time.

At least with Nyx I wasn't alone…

Alone…

The world flashed white.

He stood there, His hair white and blending with the white world around Him.

He smiled, lifting a single finger in the air.

Then He pointed it at his temple.

I blinked in the rain.

No way…

I looked down at the cold evoker in my hands.

Could that actually…?

I looked up as Erebus's massive primordial face came down to leer at me.

I smiled, raising the gun to my chin.

I'm not doing it like He did.

"Persona." I said, pulling the trigger.

BLAM

Black and red glass flew around me as I held the evoker out to my side, a manic grin slashed across my face as my tie, shirt and hair blew in the wind.

The chain on my arm jangled as a foot materialised around my shoulder.

THOU ART I

AND I ART THOU

FROM THE SEA OF THY SOUL I COMETH

I AM JACOB

SUPPLANTER FROM THE WOMB

Jacob had wild dark hair around his head, barely covering his red eyes.

His skin was deep bone white, and wore a sleeveless black trenchcoat.

His powerful arms were covered in tribal tattoos, vermilion coloured markings on the right arm, and ultramarine ones on his left.

On his back was a symbol of a white skull, with two red quarter-gear rings below it, and a red semi-ring with twelve spikes on the outer rim above it.

It reached up into the sky and grabbed Erebus by the horns with both arms, then rammed its head into the god's.

I laughed as Erebus reeled back from the blow, then roared as Jacob- My Persona, brought his hands together and created a massive Boltgun in each hand and shoved them into each eye.

I stopped laughing.

"Kill for the living, Kill for the dead." I whispered. Erebus whimpered just as the white sky began to fade into black

I pointed my index finger through Jacob's head, the line between his two bolters and aimed between his eyes.

I smiled.

I winked.

"Bang."

DRAKKAKKAKKAKKOOM

I was sat in a bar next to Yosuke, Teddie, Daisuke, with Seta standing across the bar opposite us as the world bustled.

Needless to say, they were a bit rattled.

"What the hell was that?" Seta asked.

"What?" Daisuke asked, twisting around to see. "What's going on?"

The bar shook.

BOOM

The dim blue light turned bright as the music stopped. "Man, an earthquake?" Daisuke shouted as someone screamed.

"What, this isn't right…" Teddie muttered, looking around the dim chaos of the bar and suddenly noticing me. "AH!"

I grinned and waved, before falling face-down on the bar.

I heard some soothing, very familiar music.

Although, it's different to how I remember.

Faster, with drums.

Reminds me of rain...

"Well, this certainly is a surprise." A familiar voice chuckled.

What?

I groggily opened my eyes.

Blue.

A blue nightclub.

Not the bar I was just in.

And I'm lying on a table, not at the bar itself.

I'm on an upper balcony, with the dance floor of a nightclub going on below.

Sounds like a party.

A blonde woman in a tight blue suit placed some drinks on the table.

I grabbed my skull and pulled myself upright to see who I was drinking with.

WHAT?

Igor chuckled at my surprise, as if I were a first time customer.

Come to think of it… I am.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man…" he chuckled.

Igor chuckled, then turned to the man on my right. "And it is a pleasure to have you join us as well."

"The hell...?" Yosuke asked in disbelief.

What.

-}+{-

SEE YOU ALL IN TWO YEARS! THANKS FOR EVERYTHING SO FAR, AND LOOK FORWARD TO CHAPTER THREE!

AND IF YOU WANT TO THANK ME, KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR ELDER TURNER!

While I'm here, here's the soundtrack order and timing. I'm putting it here to avoid spoilers, for those who want to read it again.

Beginning: Disquiet (Devil Survivor)
Lion Attack: Zone Time (Persona 4)
The Angel's Appearance: Mithos (Tales of Symphonia), The Voice Someone Calls (Persona 3)
Erebus appearance & battle Pt. 1 [Fool]: Darkness (Persona 3: FES)
Erebus battle Pt. 2 [Magician]: Wheeling Corby (Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn)
Erebus battle Pt. 3 [Priestess]: White Requiem (BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger)
Erebus battle Pt. 4 [Empress]: Wiping All Out (Persona Music Live: Wel City Tokyo)
Erebus battle Pt. 5 [Emperor]: Before the Mighty One (Arc Rise Fantasia)
Berserk Yosuke: The Corrupted (Kingdom Hearts 2)
Erebus battle Pts. 6-8 [Hierophant, Lovers, and Chariot]: Worth Dying For (Radiant Mythology 2)
Erebus battle Pt. 9 [Hermit] In My Sprit, Fate, The Aggressor
Erebus battle Pt. 10 [Fortune] Dark Cloud "The Ceremony"
Erebus battle Pt. 11 [Strength] Soul Hackers Theme
Erebus Battle Pt. 12 [Hanged] Deep Night
Erebus Battle Pt. 13 [Death] Nyx
EREBUS: Deep Darkness
Summoning Jacob: Kimi to Taiyou ga Shinda Hi
Bar, Velvet Room, Outro: Aria Of The Soul

So, for reals this time:

SEE YOU ALL IN TWO YEARS! THANKS FOR EVERYTHING SO FAR, AND LOOK FORWARD TO CHAPTER THREE!

AND IF YOU WANT TO THANK ME, KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR ELDER TURNER!