Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3—or any version of the Persona series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

Symbiosis

Chapter Fifteen

The day before the eighth, the full moon, SEES took a break to conserve their strength. It didn't feel much like a break seeing as they were all still tensely waiting for the next day to come. The sentiment had certainly been there, but Minato doubted any of them got a good night's sleep when they turned in. If they turned in at all. Even Tamamo pulling him down to sleep did little help, his worries seeping through whatever barrier she tried to cast on his own emotions. It was a restless night and when he woke, he felt no different than if he hadn't slept at all.

The next day, after impatiently waiting for school to end, the three juniors quickly made their way back to the dorm. The chairman was already there, waiting alongside Mitsuru for their arrival. When Akihiko arrived not a few minutes later, the final plans were set.

It was determined that they would send a team in to enter Tartarus the same way that Fuuka had—through the gym. It was unlikely they would be displaced in the exact area that she was at, especially if she moved to evade Shadows, but it was their best chance at finding her. The team, after much debate and arguing, would be the boys. Yukari would remain outside with Mitsuru until Tartarus formed, where she would be on standby to either run in as emergency backup or provide healing when they came down with Fuuka.

On the official side of things, Ikutsuki had gone through the official channels to request time on the campus at night for the club, though it had apparently garnered a few strange looks for the lack of concrete information. After all, SEES, while a school club, did not give out much information as to what they actually did.

Still, being Chairman of the Board had some weight, so he managed to get permission regardless. That the Kirijo heiress, whose family owned the school, backed him probably helped.

"Just don't break anything," he told them with a wide smile, as if he were imparting a funny joke. "It would reflect badly on me as the club advisor for granting this in the first place."

And so they waited until evening, repeating the plans and contingency plans over until they had all but memorized it. Even Junpei. Then, with a reminder to act natural so as not to set off the guards' suspicions, they set out, taking the familiar path to school. They were admitted through the school gates with ease, checking in with the guards currently on shift.

Tamamo murmured something about the Kirijo Group not doing things by halves and how there had to be plants among the guards from the corporation itself to protect the secret that was Tartarus. Minato politely ignored her.

Mitsuru took them to the student council room, where they would wait out the remainder of the time until the boys had to head to the gym. They sat around, chatting idly, while the student council president left to retrieve the key to the gym from the faculty room.

"It's freaky being in the school when it's all quiet like this," Junpei remarked as he watched the sky outside turn steadily darker with the setting of the sun. "Especially after all that talk of ghost stories. I know it's not real, but still."

Yukari shivered. "Don't talk about that stuff now! It gives me the creeps…"

"Come on, cut it out, guys," Akihiko interrupted. The constant bouncing of his leg was the only indication of his own nervous energy. "Keep focused. It won't help anyone, least of all Fuuka, if you start psyching yourselves out now."

Minato kept his head bowed and eyes fixed on the tops of his shoes, concentrated on simply breathing. One hand fiddled with the transceiver in his pocket, not yet pinned on his jacket lapel for fear of it falling out before they even reached the gym and the operation began. Eventually, he forced himself to let go of it so he didn't accidentally press too hard and break it. Instead, he distracted himself with other methods, like fiddling with the hair tie he'd pulled out in annoyance and, after shooting it off somewhere like a rubber band, pulling out the folders he was allowed to work on for the student council. It was more that he was looking over things than working, though. He didn't want to cause a ruckus if he got something wrong with his mind so preoccupied on the fights to come.

"Oh, right, you're part of the student council!" Junpei exclaimed. He appeared to have left his spot by the window to look at what Minato was working on, but moved back when he saw the official headings. He dropped down in a nearby seat. "Is it true you're dating one of the girls? I heard it was that 10th grader, the treasurer… what's her name…?"

Sometimes, Minato wondered at Junpei's one-track mind. Or, well, two-track, if one counted Dark Hour heroics.

"This time, I don't really blame him," Tamamo said with foxlike glee. "Chihiro-chan is cute!"

Then you date her, he thought blandly. Chihiro-chan? Really?

"Maybe I will!"

Pushing his Other's indignant yipping away, Minato said, "We're not dating. It's more like…" He looked to the side, trying to think of a word. His eyes landed on Akihiko for a moment before returning to his papers. "…therapy."

Junpei blinked. "'Therapy'?"

Minato shrugged. "She has androphobia. Or something like it."

The confused look didn't go away.

He sighed. "Androphobia is a fear of men."

"Oooh." A pause. "So you're… what, trying to cure her of her fear or something? Why you?"

Strangely, there was no jealousy in that last question. He seemed honestly curious. Unfortunately, Minato didn't know why—didn't really pay attention until suddenly he was hanging out with the girl or walking her home. So he shrugged again. "I have a girly face?"

Junpei guffawed. On the other side of the room, Akihiko made a sound like he briefly choked on air while Yukari let out a giggle before politely covering it up.

"…Actually, that kind of makes sen—"

Stop right there, Tamamo.

Mitsuru eventually returned and SEES continued to whittle away their time, chatting sparingly about whatever came to mind or repeating the plan for the umpteenth time. Yukari expressed her worry for Fuuka's wellbeing, wishing that she could tag along with the boys. But Mitsuru denied her, stating that it would be best if she, whose Persona was the most adept at healing out of all of them if one did not count Minato's ability, remained behind. They could not risk her getting attacked on the upper floors and being unable to see to any wounds.

When midnight finally neared, they stood as one.

"Takeba and I will retreat beyond the school gate until Tartarus has fully formed," Mitsuru recited as she and the brunette stood at one end of the hall.

"And we'll go and wait it out in the gym," Akihiko finished. "Be careful, you two. And keep an eye out for that Natsuki girl. Minato's—" At this, Minato blinked. Since when had the senior called him by his given name? "—right. If the Shadows call for her, she might try to come here."

"I'm sure the chairman has things well at hand at the dorm," was Mitsuru's reassurance.

"You guys take care, too," Yukari added, worried.

Junpei gave an easy smile. "Don't sweat it, Yuka-tan! We got this!"

She deadpanned. "Would you please take this seriously, Junpei?" Sighing, she pinned them all with glares even as she and Mitsuru started down the hall. "Honestly! You guys better watch out for each other! Don't let them be idiots, Akihiko-senpai!"

"She really has become a nanny," Junpei muttered, shaking his head.

"I heard that!" Yukari's voice sounded sharply from the other end of the hall.

He jumped. "Yikes!"

Amused, Akihiko tossed the gym door's key lightly in his hand. "All right. Let's get going already. Yamagishi's waiting."

Sobering, the two underclassmen followed his lead, turning to head down the opposite path.

Staying in the gym at night was arguably worse than staying in the main school building itself. The large space, scarcely lit by the full moon, made the darkness seem endless and every movement the boys made echoed eerily in the nearly hollow building.

Junpei shuddered, taking a seat by the bleachers. "Man… that Fuuka girl had to stick around in this place? Even without Tartarus, that must've been torture."

"Getting bullied is never fun," Minato agreed, eyes trailing along the walls and ceiling. He stood near the center of the gym, trying to compare the image in the dark to what he remembered of it in the daytime. There were usually other sports equipment set up for whatever club was practicing there at the time, such as his kendo club, so seeing it empty made it seem a lot larger.

Akihiko didn't venture far from the door, his eyes glued to his watch. A quick once-over told Minato that he had two Evokers on him. Was one for Fuuka? "Look alive, guys," he announced after a brief silence. "Just one minute more to midnight."

Junpei jumped to his feet, hauling his sword up with him. He shook out his shoulders and arms. Minato took a few steps forward, eyes glued to the small windows that allowed light into the gymnasium. As he mentally counted down the seconds (he was a couple off), in the space of a single blink of his eyes, the sky went from blue to green.

Then the rumbling began.

The floor segmented and Minato struggled to stay upright when it lurched beneath him, jolting upward and separating him from Akihiko and Junpei with a quickly growing rift. He heard Junpei curse, yelling out in his own shock when their platform began rising and separating as well. Scrambling forward, he got as close as he dared to the edge and looked over it to ascertain his teammates' safety.

"Don't move!" Akihiko warned, shouting across the distance. He was crouched down with one hand planted on the floor as if to stabilize himself. "Just wait until Tartarus is done forming! We'll have to find each other later!"

"You guys better not die!" Junpei hollered just as Minato's section violently shifted upwards, knocking him onto his back. When he pushed himself up, he watched as a wall locked in place, covering the opening. There wasn't any warning when the floor gave another jerk, and he barely had time to brace himself when—

"Minato… Minato, wake up."

"Ugh…" was his eloquent response.

Tamamo let out an amused huff. "I'm sorry, I don't speak caveman. C'mon, you have more important things to do than nap on the ground right now."

Minato didn't want to move. His body felt sore, like what he imagined he would feel like if he had been tossed in a blender and then spat out again. Why was he so sore?

"Tartarus gave you a beating," Tamamo replied. "Now seriously, get up. I don't have any proper sensing skills so you might get eaten by a Shadow at any moment. Given that they only eat brains, I don't fancy getting chewed up along with you."

Wait… what? Tartarus? Shadows?

Minato blinked his eyes open and found himself staring at walls that definitely did not belong to his bedroom. He shot up, ignoring the flash of pain in his body at the action, memories swiftly returning as his blood rushed to his head.

"That's right," he mumbled, rising to his feet. "It's the full moon. We're here to rescue Fuuka. We went into the gym and Tartarus formed around us…"

"Oh good, you're both all right," said a voice from behind him. Minato whirled around only to find the boy in striped pajamas standing innocently in the middle of the hall. The boy merely smiled in the face of Minato's shock. "Did I scare you? I was waiting for you to wake up."

"That wasn't very nice, Pharos," Tamamo said, and Minato wondered why he never thought of the two conversing before that moment. Because of course they would.

The boy tilted his head to the side. "Pharos…?"

Something that felt suspiciously like embarrassment and panic flared up from Tamamo's corner. "Shoot! That wasn't—I mean… oops."

The boy seemed bemused for a moment, but then appeared to move past it. "You should get going. As she's mentioned, there is more than one ordeal you must face tonight." He smiled, and if he had been any other child, Minato would have described it as angelic. "Besides, there's someone waiting for you. You guys will need her."

Minato started. "You mean Fuuka Yamagishi?" So she was alive?

The mysterious boy only tipped his head in response. "I'll visit you again."

With that unhelpful farewell, the boy faded, leaving Minato stranded in a corridor on an unknown floor of Tartarus. Sighing, Minato clicked on his transceiver, hoping to get a signal and connect with the rest of SEES. Unfortunately, he was apparently outside of the service area.

Mitsuru's disjointed message only punctuated the fact that he was on his own. "…distance… too far… can't provi—back up… separ—from Akihi…"

The sound then cut out, leaving only a static silence.

"First tales of a vengeful ghost, then the group gets separated…" Minato recounted. "This is usually when the serial killer starts murdering people one by one, right?"

"Usually, but in this case you've got a lot worse than a serial killer to worry about," Tamamo quipped. "Remember, two Shadows, so it's best not to waste time. Akihiko and Junpei should be several floors above your location… er, hopefully, at any rate."

"What about Fuuka?" he asked as he started moving. Stairs, stairs, wherefore art thou, stairs?

"She'll find you," she replied. Then, amused, she asked, "You do know 'wherefore' means 'why', right?"

"Whatever," he muttered. A streak of triumph ran through him when he located the room with the stairs and he quickly ran up it. As he got to the top, reaching another floor, his transceiver sounded with more garbled words. He quickly decided he would simply ignore it; he was clearly out of range, so trying to determine what was being said would take more time and effort than he had available.

He took a few steps forward, intent on acting on his decision, when a voice spoke up, clear and sounding like it was right at his ear, "Who's there…? Are you human?"

It took Minato a few seconds to realize that it had sounded directly in his head. Stunned, he shuffled back so he wasn't in immediate view of the hallway in case any Shadows happened to pass by. "Tamamo? Was that—?"

"Fuuka," his Other confirmed. "Her Persona's specialty is that of communication. Hence, telepathy."

Starting his search for his comrades again, he couldn't help but wonder, "Geez, how many voices am I going to have in my head by the end of this year?" And then, because telepathy was a new thing they'd never discussed before, "Can she hear you, too?"

Tamamo hummed. "Not sure. I don't think she's fully aware of her ability, so she's probably not listening for any voices in return." Despite her supposed indifference, Minato could feel that she was curious as well. Maybe even a little excited at the thought. "I suppose we'll find out eventually."

Nodding, Minato hurried through the halls, intent on regrouping as quickly as possible so they could all just get this night over with.

Two floors up, with Fuuka's voice calling out every so often, Minato finally found Junpei and Akihiko. He actually heard their footsteps echoing along the halls, following them until he got close enough to call their names.

"There you are!" Junpei exclaimed, running over. "Man, we were worried. We met up pretty easy, so when you didn't show up…"

Akihiko nodded, frowning. "We probably shouldn't enter Tartarus this way again. There's too much we still don't know about it to make it safe."

"We had a reason this time, but I agree," Minato murmured. "Any sign of Yamagishi-san?"

Junpei shook his head. "Nope. But there was this voice I kept hearing… Senpai said he heard it when we met up, too. But you know, it sounded kinda like—"

"Who is this?" Fuuka's voice called, only Minato noticed this time that it was not directly in his head. "Are you human?"

"Like that!" Junpei jumped. "Wait, but that time it sounded like it came from behind us…?"

Collectively, they turned. It took a few moments, but eventually a girl their age peeked out from around a corner, her teal-blue hair standing out against the dark colors of Tartarus's walls. She appeared startled when she saw them looking at her and froze where she was, small and uncertain.

Akihiko turned fully, but slowly, as if not to scare her off. "Are you Fuuka Yamagishi?"

The mention of her name caught her and she quickly pulled around the corner, running over to them. Up close, she seemed even smaller. With her short hair and pale skin, she was positively doll-like.

"Wow, you're alive! That's awesome!" Junpei breathed, ecstatic and disbelieving all at once. Then, he seemed to grab hold of himself, straightening and flashing a charming grin. "Never fear, Junpei's—"

"I'm glad you're all right," Akihiko said, speaking over him and ignoring the indignant yelp he gave at being interrupted. "Come with us. We're here to get you out."

An expression of pure relief spread over Fuuka's face even as she wobbled, her legs giving out on her after possibly hours of being on the move. "Thank you so much… I…"

Junpei, ever the flirt but ultimately the nice guy, moved to keep her from keeling over. Minato sent Akihiko a look before following, kneeling down to assess her health. To the side, he heard Akihiko trying to contact Mitsuru and Yukari on the transceiver.

Fuuka, dazed, sent him an utterly bewildered look. "Where are we?" she asked. "I… I know that I was at school, but then…"

Minato gave a quiet scoff even as Junpei promised they would explain. "At school", she said. In the middle of the night. They knew the story, but if they'd just found her there, she probably wouldn't have said anything about the bullying.

"It might be the Dark Hour addling her mind," Tamamo suggested. "Unless she's the type to stay up late often, I doubt she's experienced it much. And given that she might've been living through the Dark Hour nonstop while trapped in here, she must be really tired, too."

"Are you hurt?" Minato asked instead of dwelling on the matter. He had Unicorn ready (or so Tamamo said) to summon, having prepared for the imminent Shadow battle to come ahead of time.

"Ah, right! Are you okay? Did you run into any monsters?" Junpei questioned worriedly.

Fuuka looked between them, surprise etched on her face. "So, there are strange creatures in here, then…" She shook her head. "I've managed to avoid them so far."

As Akihiko and Junpei expressed their shock, Minato stood, pulling out his Evoker as Fuuka explained. Her voice faltered when she saw him point it at his head. "W—What are you…?" She flinched when he pulled the trigger, but the horror that was just beginning to show faded into wonder when Unicorn sprung into being at his side.

The mythic beast whinnied at Minato's nod, the soothing light of a Dia spell washing over Fuuka. She wasn't injured, so it was mostly for the stamina drain and minor aches and pains the Dark Hour must have inflicted. Then, leading the Persona over, Minato held out a hand to help her up.

"We should return to the entrance," he said as Fuuka rose. He nudged her over to Unicorn's side, which lowered itself so she could sit. "The sooner, the better."

"That reminds me," Akihiko murmured, stepping up. He pulled out the second Evoker he'd been carrying, handing it over to the teal-haired girl. When she stiffened in alarm, he was quick to reassure her. "It's not really a gun. It's like what he used." He gestured to Minato. "Just think of it as a lucky charm."

Fuuka held tight to the device, looking between it and Minato and moving only when Minato instructed her to hold onto Unicorn's mane. After making sure the other two were ready, Minato led the group on, but not before telling Junpei to stick close to his Persona and Fuuka.

"I don't want to push her since she's probably feeling weak from all this," he said, "but if we get attacked looking for an Access Point, I might have to switch Personas. Unicorn will disappear in that case, so we'll need you to defend her." Then, because it still made him uncomfortable giving orders outright, he asked, "Is that okay?"

Junpei only grinned. "Protecting the fair lady? I'm your man!"

The three boys fell into the routine of running through Tartarus's halls, searching for an Access Point to return them to the entrance. But they were noticeably tenser than usual, eyes alert and ready to move in order to protect their charge. It was as they were running that they came across one of the sparse windows of Tartarus, the wide open space prominently displaying the enormous yellow moon for all to see.

Junpei slowed, gaping at the sight. "Check out the moon! I've never seen it so bright!"

Minato clicked his tongue and Junpei slowly tore himself away from the window, running with them. "It's full. The moon always seems larger during the Dark Hour, so that's understandable."

"Huh." The other junior looked back over his shoulder to catch a final glimpse of the window. "Hey, wasn't it a full moon the night we went to the monorail? I remember it being pretty bright then, too."

Glancing over to his teammates, Minato wondered if they would realize the pattern as well. "It was."

They went down a hall. He recognized the signs of a dead end, but prayed that this one would have the Access Point they were looking for.

Beside him, Akihiko looked thoughtful even as he ran. "A full moon, huh?"

"Hey! I recognize that glow!" Junpei cried out over him. "That's the Access Point! Finally!"

True enough, a familiar green light seemed to emit from around the corner. Picking up the pace, Minato stopped Unicorn carrying Fuuka before it. He nodded to Junpei to help the girl down from its back, turning to Akihiko as the other boy did so.

"Senpai, you go first. Junpei will come next with Yamagishi-san. I'll make sure they get through since my Persona's out already… we haven't run into any Shadows yet, but who knows if anything followed us," he directed before adding, "Be careful."

Akihiko quirked a brow. "Your intuition at work again, Minato?" He smirked when Minato deadpanned at him. "Gotcha, 'Leader'." Then, without another word, the boxer readjusted the grips of his gloves before striding through.

Minato waited a few moments to ensure the boxer had time to step away from the connecting point in the lobby before gesturing for Junpei to follow with Fuuka. He led her gently, close enough without touching to keep her from falling and belying his normal perverted nature. Minato watched them go, eyes slipping back to the halls on watch for straggling Shadows. It was only a few seconds after they were through that he dismissed Unicorn, unsure of whether the Persona could use the Access Point as he did, and followed after them.

With a deep breath to calm his nerves, he stepped through. The familiar rippling sensation enveloped him, like walking through water, and he stepped forward again and again until he met no resistance. The lobby of Tartarus met his eyes.

And Yukari's scream met his ears. "Minato-kun! Duck!"

Knees buckling automatically in response, Minato dropped to the ground just as something whizzed over his head, hitting the wall with a crash. When he looked over, he saw it was the strange bike that Mitsuru owned, completely totaled. He turned the other way and found two lumbering giants of Shadows, one distinctly round and feminine while the other was stout and masculine, with the members of SEES scattered about their feet.

"Nothing's working!" Yukari cried. She appeared beaten and battered. Io floated beside her, but the main body of the Persona, too, drooped with exhaustion, static sparking over her dark skin.

"Keep calm, Takeba!" Mitsuru commanded. She stood tall, rapier in hand, but frustration was clear on her face. "Panicking will help no one!"

Minato took in the scene quickly, finding that Yukari, Mitsuru, and Akihiko had taken to cornering the enemies. Junpei, on the other hand, took Fuuka to the side of the stairs, crouching down with her to keep her from sight. He was not unprepared to fight, however, if the way Hermes was now out and hovering behind them was any indication. He refrained from sighing in relief at the sight, glad that the other boy took charge of her safety. With a nod to Junpei, acknowledging that he had things handled, he readied his sword and joined the fray.

"What happened?" he asked, intent on knowing exactly what they were dealing with. "Where did these things come from?"

It was Mitsuru who answered, "From the outside. Takeba and I were working on establishing communication with you all when they appeared without warning. They headed straight here and entered through the doorway while we were trying to warn you. We managed to hold them off until Akihiko stepped through the Access Point, indicating your arrival, but not without injury."

The Kirijo heiress sent a pointed look to Yukari, who by this point had nearly bent over double in pain. Io was gone, though whether the brunette had dismissed the Persona herself or if her concentration had simply cut the link between the two was uncertain.

Keeping his eyes on the two Shadows, tensing when they struck out at Akihiko and Polydeuces, Minato said, "Yukari, get back."

In the corner of his vision, he saw her head snap up. "Huh?"

"Get back," he repeated. The rotund, vaguely feminine Arcana Empress Shadow craned its neck, looking their way. Minato pulled out his Evoker, lifting it to his head.

Yukari refused. "No way! I can still—Eek!"

Pulling the trigger, Minato summoned Unicorn back into the physical plane before jumping, shoving Yukari out of the way of the Shadow's attack. The thin scepter it wielded struck the ground where Yukari had been standing, leaving an ominous crack in the floor. Without an audible command, Unicorn struck back at it with a Zio spell and, though it did no clear damage, it was enough to take the Shadow's attention from them.

Yukari swallowed audibly, legs threatening to give out on her. Minato reached, gripping her cardigan to keep her steady. "Get back. Got it."

"Yamagishi-san's behind the stairs. Junpei's looking after her," he informed her. "Stay back with Yamagishi-san and send Junpei in."

She nodded and limped back as quickly as her body would allow. Barely any time passed before Junpei was jumping over the stairs, one hand keeping his hat on his head while the other held his sword. He took Yukari's former place, eyes shooting a quick look Minato's way as he took his usual combative stance.

"So what's the plan?" he asked.

Minato eyed Mitsuru and Akihiko where they were a little ways away from them. Though their elders were careful not to take their eyes off their opponents, a slow nod told him that they were listening as well. Mind working quickly, he brought up the things Tamamo had told him before the fight.

Affinities. This was to be a battle of affinities and weaknesses.

And, judging by what he saw of Unicorn's attack earlier, the Empress, at least, was immune to spells.

"One at a time," Minato said, pointing to the Arcana Empress. "Focus on that one first. It doesn't seem to be affected by spells, so knock it with physical strikes. If the other Shadow interferes, try using spells on it."

Decision made, they flew into action. Minato hung a little back, keeping his eyes on the Arcana Emperor, which lumbered slowly and stiffly as SEES rushed its counterpart. Its slow movements made it easy to dodge around it, which the others were quick to do as they bombarded the Arcana Empress with swift attacks.

The large Shadow shrieked in response, lifting its scepter high. A pulse emitted from the round orb on top, gathering energy before releasing it in a torrent of wind. It struck, blasting the various SEES members back several steps.

"That was stronger than other spells you've been hit by," Tamamo noted, voice grim. Minato had to strain to hear her, fighting through the haze of pain that immediately followed the attack. "That one had a reaction with my barrier. Magarula, I think it was."

Damn. If Yukari hadn't been weakened, it would have been better to keep her in the fight.

There was no time for Minato to dwell on that, as the Arcana Emperor's attention focused on him. It moved forward, short legs carrying it the distance while its gangly arms lifted the short sword in its grasp. The sword slashed downward and Minato moved to the side to avoid it. Calling Unicorn, he watched as a bolt of lightning struck the Shadow down, temporarily bringing it to its knees. He struck it again for good measure.

Then, he joined the others against the Arcana Empress. He refrained from switching out Unicorn for Zouchouten, as he knew the latter had a weakness to wind. Instead, he put his kendo practice to good use.

Slashing at the Shadow, Minato noticed Mitsuru back away, rapier in hand. Her head was tilted up as she observed the effeminate Shadow. Her Persona, the dual-wielding Penthesilea, was hovering before her with its own helmeted face directed their current opponent's way.

"It's weakening!" Mitsuru announced just as the Arcana Empress began to slump. "One strong attack should do it!"

"Junpei! With me!" Akihiko called. Polydeuces loomed over him from behind.

"All right, Senpai!" Junpei gave an eager laugh, running over with Hermes following swiftly behind. Shoulder to shoulder, Junpei pumped his fist in the air, goading their Personas forward. "We've got this! You're going down!"

Polydeuces shot forward, arm pulled back while Hermes spiraled upwards. Like a freight train, Akihiko's Persona rammed its needle-like arm into the Shadow's overextended gut, knocking it flat onto its back. The weakened Shadow struggled to right itself, rolling both ways to return to its small feet, but Hermes descended—death from above—slicing through its elegant mask.

With a dying cry, the Shadow dispersed, leaving the Arcana Emperor as their only target.

"F—Fuuka…" a familiar voice called from behind them.

Junpei whirled around. "Hey! Isn't that—!?"

Akihiko cursed. "Why the hell is she here!?"

And that was when things went wrong.