Chapter 31
After his proclamation in the Velvet Room to "change the future," Minato had wasted no time. So, naturally, the first thing he did was go to the pet store and buy dog food.
He had decided that his first move now would be getting more allies on his side, but humans (he considered the Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon Aigis to be human, too) would be complicated. Too many explanations, too many questions from them and his current teammates. Koromaru - despite how smart he was - could not communicate with any of the people present. That made things significantly easier. So Minato had gone straight away to pick him up from the shrine. And despite a rather frustrating week-long search (because nothing could ever be as simple as he thought), he finally got him.
Of course, as Mitsuru had said, Minato now had some serious explaining to do.
Mitsuru had gathered all members of S.E.E.S. (minus Yukari and Fuuka) in the control room, where they sat in an approximate circle. Some stood, some were sprawled on the floor, and Mitsuru was in her armchair, wearing a serious look that was at odds with her current circumstance. The looks on the others' faces ranged from serious (Hamuko) to befuddled (Akihiko). Junpei, meanwhile, was grinning from ear to ear, glancing between the members present as if thinking alright, who's gonna jump up and say "psych?!"
And, in the center of the group, sitting comfortably on a pillow, was the reason for their gathering: a panting, snow-white Shiba Inu.
Mitsuru finally broke the silence. "Arisato." His name was said delicately and precisely, like Mitsuru was holding it up for inspection. "You believe this dog is a Persona user?"
"Yes, Senpai," Minato replied.
(Koromaru pawed at the ground, and sniffed the air.)
"And you know this because he's been protecting the Naganaki Shrine from Shadow attacks?"
"Yes."
(Koromaru twisted himself backwards to watch his tail as it waggled. He was entranced.)
Mitsuru glanced at the dog, gaze determinedly neutral. "I do not mean to… doubt you, Arisato. You were precisely correct about the full moon being the determining point for the large Shadows, after all. But… I must admit, I am not fully certain about this."
All eyes turned to Koromaru, who looked to be moments away from chasing his tail.
Minato's brows slightly furrowed as he looked at Koromaru. He paused, then sighed quietly.
"Koromaru, I'll give you extra treats later if you stop acting up now."
Koromaru halted his motion, then glanced back at Minato. Minato cocked his head slightly, azure hair swaying. Then the dog turned around to face Mitsuru, and sat on his haunches, almost at attention.
(Frankly speaking, it reminded Mitsuru of Akihiko. What that said about her relationship with the boxer, she was unsure, and was not about to consider.)
"...Well then," Akihiko smirked. "A well-trained dog, too."
"More of a… disguised trouble-maker," Minato muttered. He looked at the dog with an unamused stare, and after a moment, Koromaru glanced back with enormous puppy dog eyes.
"In any case, Arisato," Mitsuru said, "we can verify your claims as soon as the Dark Hour arrives. But I believe you had other requests?"
"Yes, Senpai. I would like a patrol for the Naganaki Shrine. That was one of the promises I gave to convince Koromaru to come here."
Koromaru barked.
"I'd also like a vet to look at his leg," Minato continued, wholly unphased. "I think he injured it fighting a Shadow."
Mitsuru glanced at the dog's leg, indeed seeing a gash in it. But before she could speak, Hamuko's voice responded, steely and yet somehow... hollow.
"I definitely would like to get this dog to a vet, Mina," she said, hands clasped tightly together. "And I'm also more than willing to help patrol the shrine. Does anyone have a map of the area?"
Minato blinked, and glanced over to Mitsuru. Her face was subtly drawn together, with slight lines of concern etched on her expression. As Minato's slight movement drew her attention, she met his gaze for a brief moment before rising up from her armchair (it let out a quiet whoosh as air was let back into the fluffy cushions) and nodded. "Yes, there is, Arisato," she said to Hamuko. "I shall pull it up on the monitor."
She walked over to the monitor and began typing in commands while Minato glanced over to his sister. Hamuko's focus was wholly on the monitor, and she did not look at him, nor did she acknowledge the other eyes on her. Instead, she kept her hands held together, as if grasping onto something and trying desperately not to let go.
Minato felt himself begin to frown. But before anything else happened, Mitsuru turned back around as a map of the Naganaki Shrine popped onto the monitor. Flipping his focus to the monitor for the moment, Minato scanned the topographic map on the screen... but, as he had remembered, there wasn't much there. After going up the one entrance to the shrine (a large stairway), there were three options. You could turn immediately left and go to the playground; you could follow the main path and find yourself at the main shrine; or you could go to either side of the main shrine and find yourself at a "side shrine" (where Minato used to pick up some Inari Sushi) or a separate building, respectively on its left and right sides.
Not much room to maneuver. However, that didn't stop Hamuko.
"I would say we go tonight," she said. "We can first follow Koromaru to see where he normally sees Shadows. If none are appearing, then we can split up into small groups and patrol the area that way. We shouldn't be too far from each other, so we can just call out if we run into trouble, and the other teams can come running. I'd say we have three groups of two: Mina and Mitsuru-senpai, you can keep watch over the playground while Mitsuru-senpai scans for enemies. Akihiko-senpai and Junpei-kun, you two can patrol the side-shrine and the main shrine. Koromaru and I can look after the main lawn to the immediate right of the entryway."
She looked around at the others in the room. "Does anyone have objections to that?"
Minato stared at the map on the screen, mentally drawing out Hamuko's plan on the monitor. It would certainly work, but it didn't seem very… well, Hamuko. That level of micromanaging was much more like Minato himself. Honestly, it was even more than what he'd normally do.
As he looked back down to the rest of the group, he saw all eyes on Hamuko, with one exception: herself. Hamuko was staring straight at Minato, eyes boring into him with an intensity that raised his hackles. It was almost odd - there was no expression on her face other than pure, unadulterated focus. Hamuko was utterly focused on Minato in a way he was sorely unused to.
It was only after a few seconds of staring that he realized he hadn't given any acknowledgement of her plan. With Hamuko's eyes still on him, Minato gave a short, stout nod, and Hamuko turned her attention back to the rest of the group. "Alright, then." She stood up, her gaze above everyone's heads. "Let's meet up at the Naganaki Shrine in one hour. See you all there."
With that, she turned around and beelined for the doorway. Even Koromaru raised his head and watched as Hamuko strode out, her shoulders thrust out broadly but tensely, like a wire was holding them in place. Before anyone else could speak, she was out the doorway and into the hall, out of sight.
The door quietly shut on its own, and the rest of S.E.E.S. started getting up and muttering amongst themselves, while Minato slowly fit the pieces of the meeting together in his mind like a jigsaw puzzle.
Did Hamu really just look to me - and only me - for confirmation of her plan?
As he got up, he felt the furry coat of Koromaru brush by his leg, and he looked down. The albino dog was looking up at him curiously, almost cat-like as he wandered in between Minato's legs.
"Yeah?" Minato asked, kneeling down in front of Koromaru (after he stopped snaking through Minato's legs).
Koromaru glanced over at the doorway Hamuko had just exited from, then glanced back to Minato with a tilt of his head.
"She's my sister," Minato answered quietly. But Koromaru shook his head. "Oh. You knew that?"
Koromaru yipped quietly with a nod, then glanced back over at the doorway. Following his gaze again, Minato tried to parse through the various things he knew about Koromaru to figure out what the dog was trying to communicate. In the end, he just shook his head. "Sorry. I don't know what you mean."
Sitting at attention for one moment longer, Koromaru stared up into Minato's eyes. Then, without another word (or bark, or yip), he got up and walked to the door, waiting in front of it until Junpei (who had also been walking towards the door at the same time) arrived and opened it. Koromaru slipped through and disappeared from view.
Junpei glanced back at Minato, bemused, while Minato gave a little shrug. Cracking a small smile, Junpei chuckled and shook his head before going through the doorway himself.
That left Akihiko, Ikutsuki, Mitsuru, and Minato in the room. Akihiko was over by the monitor, gazing up at it with a tense look of concentration. Mitsuru and Ikutsuki, meanwhile, were in the midst of their own conversation.
"...notes, Mr. Chairman?" Mitsuru was saying. Ikutsuki nodded.
"Your notes for all the combat encounters would be most helpful, Mitsuru-san." He smiled. "Given that it appears Persona users can be non-human, it would be most useful to scan through your past encounters for any information I could use to recalibrate my Persona-finding software… or maybe hardware, too."
"Of course. I can certainly give you access to those - frankly, I had thought you already did have access."
"Perhaps I do!" Ikutsuki laughed, adjusting his glasses as he left Mitsuru's side, giving Minato a nod and a bright smile (too bright) as he did. "But I would like to ensure I do. Thank you!"
As Ikutsuki walked away, Mitsuru turned to Minato. "Ah, Arisato. I wanted to ask-"
"Oh, Mitsuru-san?" Suddenly, Ikutsuki was on the other side of Minato, interrupting Mitsuru. Minato blinked and glanced to the side, but Ikutsuki didn't even look at him. "I also wanted to ask, has there been any progress on Fuuka-san's awakening?"
One look at the expression on Mitsuru's unamused face was enough to make Minato need to cover up a smile, reaching up one hand to scratch the side of his chin. She gave him a quick glance, eyes narrowed, before she turned back to the chairman.
"No, there are no updates quite yet. She has yet to awaken during the Dark Hour, but she is still spending some occasional time with us for testing as per usual."
"Excellent - just wanted to make sure I hadn't missed any recent updates." Ikutsuki gave another nod with a smile. "I shall take my leave now - farewell!"
True to his word, Ikutsuki did indeed leave, a prance in his step as he strode away with one hand restlessly tapping the side of his pant leg as he raised his other to stroke his chin, the one second that had passed since his final words enough time for his mind to eject itself a million miles away.
Meanwhile, Mitsuru's mind seemed to still very much be in the present, judging by her closed eyes and the nigh-invisible tightness in her expression. After a few moments (and a subtle deep breath), Mitsuru opened her eyes again and looked back to Minato.
"...Apologies, Arisato," she said, her emotions held taut at the end of their lead. "What I was going to ask was: how do you think your sister is…" she hesitated. "...feeling. Recently."
Ah. That.
"...I've never seen her like this before," he replied. He fell quiet, trying to find more words, but Mitsuru spoke before he could.
"I am not surprised to hear that. She appears to be… closed off." Mitsuru's brows furrowed, and Minato felt himself begin to do the same. "And please correct me if I am wrong, but that is not something I consider expected behavior for your sister."
Minato shook his head, and Mitsuru pursed her lips. "…I see. Then, on that note, I wanted to ask a favor of you."
Minato blinked.
"Do you believe you can talk to your sister?" Mitsuru asked. "I would try myself, but… I have a suspicion that any conversation between us regarding her feelings would be unproductive, to say the least."
"Hm." Minato paused, then nodded. "Yeah. I can try."
"Excellent. Perhaps it was presumptuous of me to even ask. You might already have planned to do so, but I still wished to ask for my own sake, too."
"I understand," said Minato - and he did. Not only because (just as Mitsuru had predicted) he was planning on talking to Hamuko at some point, but also because he could empathize with wanting to make doubly sure that someone's problems get sorted out.
That was a significant reason he was here, after all.
Mitsuru gave him a nod in return, and turned back around to face the computer. But despite Mitsuru's unspoken dismissal, Minato did not take his cue to exit just yet.
"Mitsuru-senpai?" he asked. Straightening, Mitsuru pivoted back around, a questioning look on her face.
Akihiko also turned to watch them both at this point. Maybe it was something about Minato's voice, or maybe it was his instinctual Mitsuru-danger-alarm going off in his head, who knows - but he seemed to immediately be wary of whatever Minato was going to say.
And for good reason.
"Have you gone to visit Yukari-chan in the hospital?" Minato asked. "It's already been a week. That's a long time."
Yes, Minato knew what he was saying, drawing a target on himself as he pointed out a potential flaw in Mitsuru's behavior. He was unsurprised to see Mitsuru's eyes narrow and Akihiko's widen, as Minato undoubtedly broke one of the Top Ten Rules of Dealing with a Kirijo and the tension in the room suddenly spiked.
"...No, I haven't yet." Mitsuru's words were spoken casually, as if she wasn't staring Minato down with the approximate intensity and intent of a sniper with a loaded rifle. "Why do you ask?"
"I think she'd appreciate it," Minato claimed (while privately doubting it). "It'll be good for her to see more people."
Plus, Minato thought, I would like to kick-start your friendship with her, since it will clearly take months longer if you two are left to your own devices.
After all, Minato knew that once Yukari could get over her initial dislike of Mitsuru, and once Mitsuru could stop trying to lead all the time and let herself also be friends with her classmates, the two would become good friends.
Admittedly, he may be meddling a bit too much in his friends' lives. For some reason, this consideration floated through his mind as Mitsuru's poorly disguised glare bore down on him, weighing down the room and making poor Akihiko sweat bullets in the background. But damn it all, he'd been far too lax in changing things before now - so if he was going to make a mistake, he'd prefer to do it by changing too much this time.
Having said that - Minato also had to admit, he was being a bit manipulative. He knew that he could quite easily use Mitsuru's stubborn determination to always do the right thing to his advantage here. And he was confident Mitsuru knew she should visit her classmate.
Sure enough, after a few more moments of chilled annoyance from Mitsuru, she relented and closed her eyes. The air seemed to become lighter, and Akihiko exhaled (quietly) from the other side of the room.
"...Of course, Arisato. I will go and visit Takeba, so long as you talk with your sister."
Minato almost smiled. Leave it to Mitsuru to take a request and turn it into a deal. "Sure."
"Very well. Then you had best prepare yourself, Arisato - not much time is left now to prepare for tonight."
She was right. The hands of the clock in the Control Room ticked its way ever closer to midnight. As Mitsuru turned back around once more, Minato finally took his cue to leave. Glancing over to Akihiko, he gave a tiny wave of greeting when he saw the boxer's eyes on him (Akihiko blinked, then returned one of his own), before padding over to the exit and closing the door behind him with a soft click.
Then, without breaking stride, he made his way down the hallway, towards his room - mentally cataloging the items he'd need to bring with him, his mind slipping into preparation mode effortlessly.
It was time to step up his efforts on the battlefield, too.
S.E.E.S. had gotten better at hiding their weapons from the prying eyes of the "normal" people of Iwatodai, at least compared to when they first started operations. Given the heft and bulkiness of their somewhat medieval weapons, it was a given that hiding them would be tough - but thankfully, the thing that would be most alarming to the public was also the easiest to hide: the evoker. The other weapons were so outlandish that the members of S.E.E.S. mostly got odd looks, but no alarmed glances, especially this late at night, when people seemed to expect the unexpected.
Yes, there are teenagers who walk around in unseasonable renaissance fest attire, their attitude seemed to say. But the site of our local high school exploded a decade or two prior, so really, what do you expect from Iwatodai?
This was especially the case with Junpei's massive broadsword, which he had taken to carrying like a baseball bat over his shoulders (flat end facing himself), which was rather comical and certainly did not help with the odd looks. Thankfully, the rest of the group's weapons were more easily hidden, especially Akihiko (weaponless) and Mitsuru and Minato (whose smaller swords were not nearly as glaringly obvious as Junpei's behemoth blade).
Hamuko's naginata had previously been a problem to keep hidden. But today, she had arrived at the meeting site not with the long, polearm weapon, but rather with a simple, one-handed sword, similar to Mitsuru's own weapon (if not a bit shorter).
"Hamu-tan, where's your lance-thing?" Junpei asked as she arrived, cocking his head (and miraculously managing to not cut himself on his broadsword, already precariously balanced on his shoulders).
The scabbard of Hamuko's sword was diagonally attached to her back, with one strap running parallel to it, and another perpendicular across her front. Tightening it around herself, Hamuko quietly responded. "I think it's about time I stopped experimenting, and started using the weapon I already know."
Junpei blinked, before nodding and facing forwards.
No one else spoke.
About 20 minutes had passed since that moment, and the active members of S.E.E.S. (which Mitsuru had a sneaking suspicion would now include the snow-white Shiba Inu softly padding alongside her, his limp barely visible now that his leg was properly bandaged (the vet would be visiting tomorrow)) were now approaching the front entrance to the Naganaki Shrine. The lights were mostly out at the shrine, and the place seemed deserted - which made sense, given how close it was to midnight. Only a few minutes remained until the Dark Hour struck.
"Everyone, please wait for a moment," Mitsuru said, walking over to the side of the top of the stairway, next to the playground. Unlike her usual set-up, Mitsuru was not driving or walking her traditional motorcycle. She was still waiting on a replacement after the previous one had been ruined in the previous full moon battle (and that was a loss she felt every day - so far, she had been forced to take the Kirijo-sent limo to school, rather than take the train and deal with all the havoc that Kirijo Mitsuru being seen on public transportation would cause). Due to that, she carried a sleek, black messenger bag today (with the Kirijo logo embossed in a small splash of red on one corner, because of course). Inside was a Dark-Hour-proof laptop, the one remaining original after a Shadow destroyed the first one in its fight with Minato during the first full moon battle. Mitsuru had backed up the information on this laptop before they left with it - although another laptop was being made, it wouldn't do to lose the decades of Shadow research (ethically done and otherwise) in one unfortunate attack.
A minute or two into the set up process, the remaining lights at the Naganaki Shrine shut down without warning, and a sickly, milky-green hue covered the land. The Dark Hour had come. Mitsuru glanced down to check on the status of Koromaru, and - sure enough - the newest addition to their team was still awake. The dog sat on his haunches, perfectly unperturbed by the sudden fall of the Dark Hour.
Once again, Minato was right. Mitsuru allowed herself a tiny quirk of a smile. Never underestimate an Arisato.
But, back to business. She glanced over to her most senior club member.
"Akihiko. A word in private, please?"
Both Minato and Akihiko looked over at the phrase, before Akihiko padded over as requested. He arrived just as the laptop had finished booting, and Mitsuru summoned Penthesilea in a burst of glass.
"I need you to be especially wary today," she murmured, looking him in the eye. "I still trust Arisato - Arisato Hamuko, that is - to be field leader, but she has not… been herself, recently. I need you to watch out for her, and be sure she is aware of any relevant details."
Akihiko's brow furrowed. "What if she makes a bad call?"
Fighting the impulse to do something improper (bite her lip or squint in thought), Mitsuru paused. "...Use your best judgment about her choices, just as you always would. I am simply asking that you be extra vigilant today. If you have a concern about one of her choices today, please voice it sooner than later." She inclined her head. "That is all."
Akihiko nodded an affirmative, then retreated off to join the rest of the group.
With no one's focus immediately on her, Mitsuru allowed herself a deep breath of preparation before she linked everyone to the mental network. "All right, I am prepared now," she said. "I will assist you from here with analysis, although I am also prepared to assist with combat if need be.
"Also…" she briefly stopped as her mind processed the absurdity of her next statement, "Koromaru-san, can you hear me through the link?"
Even disregarding the fact that she was attempting to communicate to a dog through a mental link created through a Persona, and the fact that they were here on the advice of said dog… Mitsuru felt like she was going crazy because she had just given the dog an honorific.
(Thank god she used the more formal honorific, too - it was all too tempting to call him Koromaru-chan or something similar, but Mitsuru decided that she was going to treat this dog the same as any new Persona user: with respect.
...Regardless of how cute they looked. Or how much she thought a little sweater would suit him perfectly. Or a bow-tie.
...Damn my mind, stop that!)
WOOF!
Cutting through Mitsuru's flurry of thoughts was the distinct cry of a dog's bark, not only directly audible but also coming through the mental link.
Mitsuru caught a few smatterings of surprise from the members (except, unsurprisingly, Minato). But at this point, it seemed everyone was too accustomed to oddities, and so despite the shock, everyone stood waiting at attention: Junpei, Hamuko, Akihiko, Minato, and Koromaru.
"Stay alert," Mitsuru commanded. "Arisato, you may take command."
"...Ok." Hamuko's soldier-mode was even more shuttered than usual, her movements nearly mechanical as she turned and faced the main entryway leading to the shrine. "Everyone, break into your groups. We're moving out."
As the active groups carefully marched up to the front of the shrine, and Minato smoothly unclipped his evoker from its holster beside her, Mitsuru closed her eyes and began to watch them all through her Persona's eyes. She cast her telepathic gaze about, scanning (figuratively, for now) for anything out of the ordinary.
However, though she kept a watchful eye on their surroundings, and checked every nook and cranny from the shrine's columns (worn from much love and care, and a bit of graffiti) to its lawn (maintained, but not quite thriving), nothing appeared.
It was odd. This seemed like a likely time for Shadows to appear, as there were so many people awake during the Dark Hour, ready to be feasted upon. And yet… nothing. Half an hour passed with no activity, and S.E.E.S. began to relax. The groups met up in the middle for a few minutes, quietly discussing what they'd seen (nothing), before splitting back up.
Even still, nothing happened.
As the waiting game continued, Mitsuru began to gaze at other parts of the area surrounding the shrine, parts she hadn't yet looked at in her focus on finding Shadows. Even from the black-and-white vision that came from scanning the area through Penthesilea's eyes, Mitsuru couldn't deny the sense of tranquility and power the area held - and especially the power exuding from a large tree to the left of the main walkway. Though she couldn't currently see its color, she knew its branches (and those of the many surrounding trees) were filled with lush green, bursting with life even in the height of the cold, dead Dark Hour. It stood towering far above the main building of the shrine, strong as an ox: a lone sentinel watching over the shrine.
And yes, maybe Mitsuru was getting a bit caught up in her metaphor. But it was striking just how imposing a figure the tree cut, all the while remaining away from the center of the action, and relatively far from the main path.
Who knows how long it had been there, or even who had initially planted it. Yet there it stood.
The rest of the group had not been admiring the tree quite as much as Mitsuru, with one exception: Koromaru. As the rest of the group talked about this and that, having met up in the center for the second time this evening, Koromaru seemed entranced by the tree, staring at it intently in a way that caught her attention. But before she could examine the dog's expression for long (and what a statement that was), something else caught her attention. Something impossible to ignore.
An emotion from Koromaru - sorrow. Deep sorrow, overpowering her mind for a brief moment and making her take a step backwards.
Then, a second later, a ripple of darkness shot out from underneath Koromaru. It rocketed towards the path, before splitting in two and flying off in different directions: dark circles rushing along the ground.
Mitsuru's heart leapt into her throat, and adrenaline burst through her body. "Everyone!" She cried over the link. "Shadows are appearing!"
Minato stiffened and whirled around before Mitsuru had even finished speaking, fast enough to see the last bit of the Shadows fly out from underneath Koromaru. The rest of S.E.E.S. followed suit a half-second later.
One of the Shadow blobs stopped on the path, before swirling and churning rhythmically. As it began to froth, a massive paw emerged from its center, slamming onto the ground and clawing for a foothold, splashing Shadow matter on the well-kept lawn. Before anyone could react, its claws found hold, and the paw heaved with effort, dragging the rest of its body from the black ether with shocking speed: a lion, eyes completely white and devoid of pupils. It shook its body, speckling the area with gunk, and revealing chains running across its entire body, particularly around its neck. It laid eyes on the group and snarled, beginning to stalk forward, lugging an enormous steel ball (with a blue mask bolted on) out of the ether, cracking the brick path with an audible crunch as its shackle was disgracefully dragged forward. Mitsuru had not expected to see this Shadow here, but she knew what it was even before looking it up: a Wild Beast.
At the same time, the other blob screeched to a halt by the playground. It remained perfectly still, before a Shadow erupted from its center, shooting into the air with a spin and hovering above the slide. It wore a black-as-night cape, hood up and covering its face so just a mask with a single hole in the center was visible. Its legs were poles, sleek and black, but its torso wasn't human-like at all: a lantern hung between its head and legs, dangling with a flame flickering inside, casting dancing shadows on the inside of its caped body.
A Phantom Master.
Hamuko remained frozen in place a moment too long for Mitsuru's liking, and she opened her mouth to bark orders at the team in the field leader's stead. But just before she did, she noticed something else: As the Shadows hauled themselves from the ether, three members of her team had already begun moving.
Minato and Akihiko had turned and dashed toward the animal-like Wild Beast, Minato unsheathing his sword and raising his evoker. Meanwhile, Koromaru had spun and growled, hackles raised, before dashing after the other boys, overtaking them in seconds.
The Wild Beast roared, and Koromaru snarled in reply, hurtling towards the Shadow. At the same time:
"Sukunda!"
Minato yelled and glass shattered as Icarus entered the fray, wings flapping once in a single wide motion. The Shadow winced as the spell hit its mark, the magic appearing like heat ripples rising from a baking road in a halo around the Shadow.
Then Koromaru arrived. Just as the Shadow was hit with the spell, he leapt at the Wild Beast with teeth bared. Slamming into it, Koromaru tore into its throat, clawing at its sides while the Shadow roared and shook, eventually tossing him off. Koromaru hit the ground hard and rolled, but quickly snapped back to his feet with determination and ferocity written plain in his expression: eyes narrowed, hackles raised, and teeth bared, now dripping with Shadow gore as he slowly prowled around his prey.
Minato and Akihiko strafed around the Shadow from opposite sides, feet pounding hard against the pavement. Minato pivoted so that both the Wild Beast and the Phantom Master were in his line of sight, and he extended his blade to the side, spinning his evoker in his other hand before standing at the ready.
It took a moment for Mitsuru to register that, for the first time in a while, Minato's back was not slouched in the slightest.
This entire bout took merely seconds. So Mitsuru still hadn't spoken when Minato barked out orders himself.
"Everyone!" He bellowed. "To me! Enemies have arrived!"
With that, Koromaru barked in agreement, and the rest of S.E.E.S. jolted into action.
Shoutouts to:
Shadowhawk207, plaudes2008, ETHERIOUS3, Mattysc42, Lizardon02, HollowYang, CereysKerrigan, Hevxut, HunterOfPrey, Ravolus, Suuk, Yaqzkr, Rowlets and Oshawotts, Fungi425, and Morased for following;
Shadowhawk207, plaudes2008, ETHERIOUS3, Mattysc42, Lizardon02, CereysKerrigan, Hevxut, Ravolus, Suuk, Yaqzkr, winter'sgrey19, golem28, and Morased for favoriting;
0lcra, Maxxus Herald, RARE2000, and CereysKerrigan for reviewing;
And my incredible beta Disasternoj for betaing!
I still don't have a lot of commentary at this point of the story - as you can probably tell, we're still more or less in the intro section of this season (though I wonder if some of you are starting to see where things are going :) )
Thanks for reading everyone, and see you in the next update!
[Next chapter drops on May 21st, 2024!]