Yui and her friends made it back to Adachi after fighting their way through the countless Shadows that repopulated Magatsu Inaba in Yui's absence. They also couldn't help but notice the giant, swirling mass of darkness in the sky, understanding that it spelled disaster if they could not stop Adachi. Adachi looked back at the group with an irritated glare in his eyes.
"Ah shit...I knew I should have shot you when I had the chance." Adachi grumbled.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you have many opportunities to try again." Yui shot back.
"You're gonna pay for everything you've done! For killing Yamano and Konishi, for putting Yui and Nanako-chan's lives in danger, all of it!" Yosuke shouted.
"Oh yeah, Nanako-chan...can't forget about her. To be honest, I feel a bit sorry for her, having to eventually wake up in this new world." Adachi commented.
"Please, I hardly believe you care about her at this point!" Yui snarled.
"Eh...like I said, I feel bad for her more than anything."
"Just shut the hell up already! Now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. And in either of them, we kick your ass!" Chie said angrily.
"I hate to break it to you little shits, but trying your best won't cut it. You should just give up now." Adachi said with a confident grin.
Yui and her friends all summoned their Personas, ready for anything Adachi would attempt. Adachi cackled evilly at this.
"Cool...my turn! Magatsu Izanagi!"
Adachi clutched his head, laughing maniacally as his Persona arose, taking on the form of a bloody swordsman with a malevolent stare. Some of Yui's friends gasped at this, while Yui simply narrowed her gaze.
"So he's got one too." Yui muttered.
Magatsu Izanagi charged forward with blinding speed, and was met with Yumiko clashing his blade with her shackles. Magatsu Izanagi was strong enough to push Yumiko back a bit, until the other Personas came by to assist.
"Impressive, isn't it? It's quite a lot stronger than yours, wouldn't you say?" Adachi asked arrogantly.
"You think you can intimidate us at this point?" Yui replied.
"*sigh* As I was saying, nothing good ever comes from facing reality, as there's no way to change things. Go ahead, turn a blind eye. Go through life believing only what you want to believe. It'd be much easier for you!" Adachi stated.
Magatsu Izanagi managed to knock away some of the Personas with his blade, restricting the more resilient ones with magic chains. Yui struggled against the paralysis as Adachi continued to say his piece.
"Reality is fundamentally nothing but boredom and strife. Nobody accepts the world for what it is. You know this too, don't you?" Adachi said, walking closer to the group.
"Sure, I used to think so too. But I've come to see how people really are deep down." Yui retorted.
"Shut the fuck up…" Adachi spat in ridicule, pulling out his gun again.
Adachi pointed it in the team's direction, putting them all on alert.
"What? Is it because you're an 'artist'? You should know better than anyone that it's predetermined who makes it in life. It's that lucky ticket called, 'talent'. Once you realize that, all that's left for you is despair. But don't worry, soon this reality will turn us all into Shadows. We'll live our lives blindfolded, and then we'll finally be equal." Adachi declared.
Magatsu Izanagi continued to attack the other Personas, striking masterfully with his weapon and seriously injuring Konohana Sakuya and Sukuna Hikona. Yukiko and Naoto fell to their knees, clutching at bloodless, invisible wounds.
"Wouldn't reality be better if it were carefree? You're lucky to make it to 80, and then it's pretty much all over after that. As Shadows, you wouldn't have to suppress your emotions anymore." Adachi said.
"Nobody wants that! You're completely crazy!" Yosuke argued.
"Think back to when you met your Shadows. Weren't they so much more lively than you ever were? They act purely off of instinct, they only went berserk because you resisted them. Even you got to see this yourself, didn't you Yui-chan?" Adachi stated, feigning friendliness for his own twisted amusement.
"Even though I accepted her as a part of me, I'd never wish to be exactly like her, to surrender to the id!" Yui responded.
"You kids just don't know when to quit. I really don't get it! What do you want so badly that you'd put yourselves in harm's way? Is it some sense of justice? Or do you want to spice up your dull, pathetic lives?" Adachi asked.
Magatsu Izanagi managed to wound all the other Personas aside from Yumiko, who despite being pinned down by Magatsu Izanagi, was able to successfully block all attempts to stab her, moving as furiously as Magatsu Izanagi attacked. Yui was unable to move, laid on her back in near helplessness. Despite her grievous injury, Chie desperately reached out to Yui, wanting nothing else but to help her.
"Have you ever stopped and thought about the truth you seek? Who really wants the 'truth' anyway? You know what the truth is? Namatame was the one behind those serial murders. That's the truth in the eyes of the world. Even if you manage to catch me, what do you think will happen? The point of focus will merely shift. In the end, no one really cares who the real killer is." Adachi spouted as he sat down.
Magatsu Izanagi picked up Yumiko by the face and lifted her up, as she was now severely weakened.
"You want the truth? This...is the truth you've been seeking." Adachi said gravely.
In one swift motion, Magatsu Izanagi thrust his weapon through Yumiko's body, wounding Yui and causing her to shriek in agony.
"Yui-chan!" Chie screamed.
Magatsu Izanagi pulled out his blade and carelessly dropped Yumiko onto the ground, and for a moment, Yui laid motionless. Adachi looked over and sighed, finding no satisfaction.
"*sigh* Even that wasn't any fun..."
When he looked away again, Yui managed to groan a few words.
"That...is not...the truth!" Yui growled.
Adachi stood back up and walked over to Yui, who was still reeling.
"What are you talking about? I just told you. See, this ignorance is why you kids are so annoying." Adachi grumbled, pointing the gun at Yui's head.
"Enough...enough with your excuses!" Yui muttered.
Yui summoned all of her strength to sit up and grab Adachi's gun, wrestling the barrel away from her face. This completely took Adachi by surprise, and he was quickly losing his grip.
"No matter how clever you think your excuses are, they don't negate your transgressions! THAT is the truth, Adachi!" Yui shouted.
Yui pulled the gun from Adachi's hand and tossed it aside, and in that same moment, Yumiko flew up and shoved Magatsu Izanagi away. Naoto's Persona landed a powerful slash on Magatsu Izanagi's body, causing him to flinch.
"Your logic is more self-centered than that of a child! Humans cannot survive on their own. If you cut yourself off from society, of course your life will be difficult!" Naoto stated, being held up by Kanji.
"What would you brats know?" Adachi shouted.
"I at least know, Adachi. Because I tried to once. It was miserable and hopeless. Just like how you ended up." Yui stated with a fire in her eyes.
"You're discontent with life, yet you don't want to die! You even try to renounce your humanity! All you're doing is throwing a tantrum!" Yukiko shouted boldly, as she set Magatsu Izanagi aflame.
As Magatsu Izanagi fell to the ground, Chie used Tomoe to summon a giant fist from the heavens, crashing down on him with a thunderous boom.
"You're not a chosen one, or anyone special like that! All you are is a lame criminal who takes no responsibility for his actions!" Yosuke declared.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!" Adachi shouted, despite being repeatedly shoved back by the other Personas.
Jiraya summoned a furious whirlwind that swept up Magatsu Izanagi, allowing Kintoki-Douji to fly a rocket into him and create a devastating blast. Despite the repeated blows, Magatsu Izanagi remained upright, though Adachi was beginning to unravel.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you like I killed the others!" Adachi shrieked.
"You're wrong. You always have been." Yui said defiantly.
"I can't stand to look at you! You can't even stand there without denying what I say! Shut up and die!" Adachi screamed.
Magatsu Izanagi summoned a giant bolt of lightning at Yumiko's feet, creating a blast of dust and fire.
"Ha! That's what you get for-"
Yumiko leaped from the cloud of ash and struck Magatsu Izanagi with a fierce kick, sending him to the ground. Adachi shrieked in terror at this show of defiance.
"We all faced truths we never wanted to see as we made our way here. Even me. Thanks for that, by the way." Yui told Adachi.
"Cut it with your bravado! You have no idea what I've been through!" Adachi shouted with rage.
"You're not the only one who's had a rough life. You're not special in that regard. Face reality and own up to your crimes!" Yui stated.
Magatsu Izanagi tried one last time to attack Yumiko, but Yumiko effortless dodged his slash and wrapped a bandage around his neck. She tightened the bandage, strangulating him until she whipped her arm back, ripping his head clean off his shoulders. In a splash of black and red, Magatsu Izanagi dissipated, causing Adachi to wail in pain and despair. Adachi fell to the ground, defeated.
"It's over, Adachi…" Yui muttered.
Adachi laughed hopelessly, in disbelief at his failure. He rolled over on his back, his face contorted into an expression of madness.
"How could this happen? This isn't fun anymore. Oh well...that world is going to disappear soon. It's not like I can go back." Adachi whimpered.
"Adachi?" Yui asked.
"Man...what a pain…"
Adachi brought his gun to his head, intent on killing himself.
"No, don't!" Yui shouted.
Before Adachi could pull the trigger however, he was ensnared by dark tendrils, held like a puppet and lifted up into the dark vortex in the sky. Before Yui and the others could begin to process what happened, an ominous, looming voice started to speak to them.
"ALL OF HUMANITY SHALL BECOME SHADOWS. AND I WILL DESCEND UNTO THE UNIFIED WORLD AS THE RULER OF ORDER!" The voice declared.
"What's happening?!" Yosuke asked.
Adachi became enveloped in darkness and took on the form of a spiky eyeball lit by multiple colors with a shiny camera lens as its iris. It stared down at the team with great judgment.
"Wait a minute! That voice! I know you! You're that thing we saw inside Shadow Teddie!" Yui said in shock.
"SOON THIS WORLD AND THE OTHER WILL BE TRAPPED WITHIN A FOG THAT NEVER LIFTS!" The voice said.
"Who are you? What are you?" Yui asked the figure.
"I AM AMENO-SAGIRI. I AM THE ONE WHO CONTROLS THE FOG! I WAS THE ONE WHO WAS AWOKEN BY THE MINDS OF HUMANS!" Ameno-Sagiri stated plainly.
Ameno-Sagiri looked around itself, unblinking.
"NO MATTER WHOM YOU TRY TO HINDER, YOU CANNOT STOP YOUR WORLD'S EROSION. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME!" Ameno-Sagiri said ominously.
"Everyone! It's pulling the two worlds together! Our world is about to fuse with the shadow world!" Rise warned the others.
"HUMAN DESIRES ARE MY DESIRES. AS SUCH, I AM THE ONE WHO GUIDES THEM TO THOSE DESIRES. HUMANS CANNOT DISTINGUISH BETWEEN FICTION AND REALITY, SO I HAVE DECIDED TO EXPAND THIS WORLD. YOU HAVE BEEN GOOD ACTORS, INCITING THE MASSES AND SPREADING THE MADNESS. UNFORTUNATELY, YOUR ROLE HAS COME TO AN END. SOON, YOU WILL ALL BECOME SHADOWS. YOU WILL FORGET REALITY AND BECOME ENTITIES THAT WANDER THE DARKNESS." Ameno-Sagiri explained, stating his warnings as nigh.
Ameno Sagiri continued to descend upon the team, like an asteroid on a collision course for the Earth.
"THIS LAND ORIGINATED AS A WORLD WITHIN THE COLLECTIVE SUBCONSCIOUS OF PEOPLE. IT IS NOW BEING DEVOURED BY A HOLLOW FOREST, COMPOSED OF EVER-GROWING DESIRE AND FANTASY."
"A hollow forest?" Yui repeated.
"IT WAS I WHO BESTOWED THOSE POWERS UNTO YOU, SO THAT YOU MAY SERVE AS HARBINGERS BRINGING ABOUT FATE!"
"It was him?! He gave us the power enter the TV world?!" Rise exclaimed.
"HUMANS SEE ONLY WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE, IN THE WAY THEY WANT TO SEE IT. THIS IS THE WORLD WHERE THOSE PERCEPTIONS GATHER. IT HAS A WINDOW THAT DISPLAYS WHAT HUMANS WANT TO SEE."
"The Midnight Channel...that's what it was all this time!" Yui whispered in disbelief.
"So the reason the Midnight Channel showed people who received media coverage was because people wanted to 'see' them?" Yosuke asked the god.
"I understand now. The Midnight Channel in Namatame's hospital room wasn't showing Namatame's inner thoughts. It was showing us that because we thought he was the culprit, and believed we couldn't let him go." Naoto muttered.
"Then...when we were watching the Midnight Channel by ourselves, we must have seen slightly different versions of it. It was based on our own individual perception!" Yukiko realized.
"INDEED, THE MORE PEOPLE DESIRE ILLUSIONS, THE LESS INTERESTED THEY BECOME IN SEEKING THE TRUTH. THUS, THE HOLLOW FOREST EXPANDS WITHOUT END."
"You think people don't want the truth?! I don't believe that for a second! We fought and came all this way to get this far!" Chie shouted.
"YES...THIS, I DID NOT FORESEE. IT WAS THE ONLY THING I HAD NOT ANTICIPATED. ONE BY ONE, YOU CONQUERED THE SHADOWS THAT WERE INTENDED TO KILL YOU, AND TURNED THEM INTO A MEANS TO FIGHT BACK." Ameno-Sagiri confessed.
"Our Personas…" Yui muttered.
"NOW I WONDER, IS THIS NEW HUMAN POTENTIAL WORTH VENTURING INTO? IT MUST...BE TESTED…" Ameno-Sagiri declared.
Ameno-Sagiri blinked, generating a devastating blast of energy and fog. The team readied their Personas, bracing themselves for an insurmountable enemy.
"We won't let our world come to an end!" Yui shouted at Ameno-Sagiri.
In response to this, Ameno-Sagiri wrapped Yui up with shadowy tendrils, encasing her in a dark sphere.
"HUMANITY DOES NOT WISH FOR THE FOG TO LIFT. WHY ARE YOU SO INTENT ON RESISTING? WHY ACT AGAINST THE WISHES OF YOUR FELLOW PEOPLE? IS THAT TRULY JUST? WHAT CAN A SINGLE HUMAN ACCOMPLISH?" Ameno-Sagiri asked Yui, his eye narrowing.
"I'm not...alone!" Yui strained.
Ameno-Sagiri made a strange sound, something almost akin to scoffing.
"HUMAN BONDS ARE UNSTABLE. THEY ARE NOT WORTH PLACING YOUR TRUST IN. WAS IT NOT HUMANS WHO CHOSE TO LEAVE REALITY BEHIND AND WANDER THE HOLLOW FOREST?" Ameno-Sagiri told Yui.
"You're wrong! Reality isn't so bad! They taught me this! My friends! My family! I made it this far because they were there for me! If I'm with them, I can change the world! We'll never give up!" Yui said defiantly, struggling as she was being strangled by the darkness.
"Yui!" Yosuke called out, seeing Yui in distress.
Suddenly, with a bright blue glow, Yosuke's Persona evolved into a new form, transforming from Jiraiya to Susano-o, a man in a blue jumpsuit with a saw blade circling his body. Susano-o flew up to the dark bubble Yui was encased in and slashed at it, forming cracks in it.
"Yui-chan!" Chie cried out, just as her Persona evolved from Tomoe to Suzuka Gongen, a female warrior in black and white armor.
Suzuka Gongen flew up to the bubble and struck a devastating blow to it, shattering the bubble and releasing Yui. Suzuka Gongen cradled Yui and brought her back down to her friends. Though she was no longer conscious, Yui was otherwise unharmed.
"We'll help you, Yui-chan! We can do this!" Yukiko stated, as her Persona changed from Konohana Sakuya to Amaterasu.
"Come on, senpai!" Kanji and Rise said in unison, their Personas changing into Rokuten Maou and Kanzeon, respectively.
"Sensei!" Teddie cheered, his Persona changing from Kintoki-Douji to Kamui.
"We're all here for you, senpai!" Naoto exclaimed, her Persona evolving into Yamato-Takeru.
Everyone's Personas flew up to Ameno-Sagiri and unleashed a flurry of spells and attacks, overwhelming the great god. Ameno-Sagiri crashed into the ground, weakened, but still furious and determined.
"Now's your chance, senpai! Hit him in one blow!" Rise called out to Yui.
Yui flashed awake, summoning a series of tarot cards, each with an arcana representing the social bonds she had formed with her closest friends.
"Persona!" Yui shouted.
Yumiko appeared to absorb the energy within them and face Ameno-Sagiri. Ameno-Sagiri fired a giant laser from his eye, to which Yumiko responded by summoning a giant curved mirror, reflecting the energy straight back at him. He began to glow a blindingly bright white as he broke apart, his eye wide with disbelief. When the team were able to see again, they saw that Ameno-Sagiri was now a mere eye in the sky, and the fog had given way to reveal a blue summer sky. Everyone gasped in awe, and Ameno-Sagiri began to speak again.
"YOU HAVE PROVEN THE EXTENT OF HUMAN POTENTIAL. HUMAN DESIRES ARE MY DESIRES. SO I SHALL RETURN WHEN HUMANITY WISHES IT. TIME WILL SHOW THE PATH HUMANITY WILL TAKE. CHILDREN OF THE NEW POTENTIAL…" Ameno-Sagiri stated, in an oddly calm manner.
With the promise of his eventual return, Ameno-Sagiri faded away, leaving Magatsu Inaba in a brightened, albeit still destroyed, state. It was then that the others realized that they had won, and it was finally over.
"We did it!" Yui whispered.
Yui looked at her friends, and they all returned a smile. She then looked at Adachi, who had been released from Ameno-Sagiri's control and was now propped up against a pile of rubble. Adachi stirred awake, much to his dismay.
"So that's it then...go on. Leave me here. I'm just about done for. The Shadows here will devour me any moment now..." Adachi mumbled.
"No…" Yui told Adachi.
"Eh? Why not? Didn't you come here to kill me?" Adachi asked.
"Of course not, idiot! You have to keep on living and pay for your crimes." Kanji stated.
"That's how it is in the real world." Yosuke said.
"Come on, Adachi. Let's go home." Yui told Adachi, kneeling down and reaching her hand out.
Adachi smacked Yui's hand away, disgusted and angered.
"We have the same power, and yet things turned out so differently for us." Adachi grumbled.
"That's because I had my friends, and you had nobody." Yui stated.
"Don't even talk to me about 'friends'. I don't want to hear it…"
"You know it's never too late to change." Yui said.
"What are you talking about?"
"I was miserable like you once. I was on the same dark path you were taking...until I wasn't. It's only too late to change when you're dead." Yui explained.
"Why are you even speaking to me? You have no reason to-"
"I'm saying this because it's more than you will ever be. But everyone has the power to change the world. That means they can change themselves too."
Yui stood back up and motioned Yosuke and Kanji to pick Adachi up by the arms.
"You don't deserve any of my kindness, Adachi. Yet I still give you it. Think about that in prison." Yui said without looking back.
Yui led the team back to the entrance of the TV world, and brought Adachi with them.
Marie had wandered away from Junes and ended up at the Samegawa Riverbank, unable to sit still while worrying for her friends. She stood around for some time until a blanket of fog began to surround her.
"Huh? What's going on?" Marie asked aloud.
"It is time to awaken." A voice called to her.
"Who's there? Who are you?!" Marie asked in fright.
A tall figure approached Marie whilst concealed in fog. It loomed over her in contemplation.
"Ameno-Sagiri has been defeated. The fog shall return to its rightful place." The figure said to Marie.
"What? What are you-"
Marie was suddenly struck with an agonizing headache as memories flooded back to her, leaving her knelt down on the grass in distress.
"I...I see...I'm…" Marie whimpered.
"Good." The figure said with a nod before dissipating.
As Marie processed her plight, she began to weep like a child.
"Yui-chan...Rise-chan...everyone...I can't stay with you all. I can't stay with you after all. But the memories you gave me...I'll treasure them for the rest of my life…" Marie whispered as tears streamed down her face.
Marie stood up and wiped her tears away, which only caused her to cry even more.
"That's why...I'm taking them with me. Yui-chan...Rise-chan...I'm sorry…"
As the fog disappeared, so too did Marie.
The police took Adachi away in a stretcher by the request of Dojima, an act of kindness to his former partner. Yui's friends all celebrated their victory, knowing full well that they had truly solved the case this time. As everyone began to leave Junes and go home, Yui blankly clutched her heart, feeling a sudden emptiness in her.
"Yui-chan? Are you OK?" Chie asked, taking notice.
Yui shook her head upon hearing Chie's voice.
"Eh? Oh, I'm fine." Yui replied.
"OK, good! You seemed...a bit out of it."
"I know. It's just...I can hardly believe we've really done it."
"Neither can I. It's great, isn't it?" Chie said with a smile.
"It sure is. I guess we can go back to our normal lives again."
"Sure seems like it. I'm looking forward to it."
Chie began to walk away until Yui grabbed her hand.
"Yes?" Chie asked Yui.
"Sorry, I know you want to go home just as badly as I do. But I just wanted to say…" Yui said.
Yui chuckled a bit and smiled at Chie.
"I just felt like telling you that I love you...again." Yui stated.
Chie cupped her face and blushed, unable to resist smiling.
"Yeah...I love you too." Chie responded.
"I hope that's not going to get annoying." Yui joked.
"Oh Yui-chan...never." Chie said confidently.
They gave each other a kiss before going home.
Author's Note(12-2-23): And so the Investigation Team has won...or so they think. The next couple chapters from here on out may seem a bit like filler, but I'll try to avoid that and write some stuff with substance and intrigue to make up for missing time. One has to wonder what all this talk about a Hollow Forest is...