Chapter 43: Judgement
Two doors. That's all they had left to go through in the Abyss of Time. The end felt so close that the team felt like there was going to be a big catch to all of this. The same thing happened when they were sure they were going to end the Dark Hour after beating the Hanged Man, yet look how that turned out. Why wouldn't something similar happen now that they are down to the last two doors? At least that was what Aigis thought as she sat at a table upstairs. Letting her mind flow with theories and speculation until soft footsteps signal the approach of two people.
"You alright, Aigis? You seem to be deep in thought." Shinjiro comments as he and Akihiko join her at the table. Each of them holding a book in their hands.
"Yes, I am fine. I am only thinking about what awaits us behind the remaining two doors." Aigis replies, her hands resting on her lap as the Shinjiro and Akihiko nod at her.
"Can't blame you for that. Judging by order of cards, the final two should be the Judgement Arcana and the World Arcana. Although, what those two will take the form of I have no idea." Akihiko remarks before passing over a book. "By the way, want to join us on reading? We found these books hidden away and thought about given them a read."
"More like you strong-armed me into reading with you." Shinjiro jokes as he shakes his head. "Still, the offer is there if you want it, Aigis."
"Sure. I do not mind joining you." Aigis replies, picking up her book as the three start reading. Going over the contents inside as they all sat in comfortable silence. Soon, they were done with reading as they all put the books down with content on their faces.
"Not a bad book, but not my style." Shinjiro comments, looking at his book with slight indifference.
"I had a feeling you would say that. But still, a little light reading's not bad every now and then. Keeps your mind sharp." Akihiko remarks, folding his arms.
"I agree." Aigis acknowledges, nodding her head. "However, reading does no good if you fail to implement it in reality."
"Yep. Although, some ideas are hard to grasp when you're stuck in your head all the time. Seeing them written out as words on a page can help you understand things from another angle." Akihiko agrees, letting out a sigh.
"You still thinking about what you said to Ken? About sticking to a training regimen?" Shinjiro asks, surprising the two. "I happened to overhear you guys at the time, but I decided not to jump in. Didn't seem like my place to do so."
"Nosey." Aigis remarks, shocking Shinjiro while Akihiko lets out a chuckle.
"Nice one, Aigis." He replies before losing the smile on his face. "But, yeah. You're right, Shinji. I was so sure of myself then, but there is this nagging feeling of doubt in my head questioning if the effort I put in is all for nothing. Having more confidence in yourself is just easier said than done."
"You're right about that, Aki." Shinjiro agrees, shaking his head. No matter what we do, there will always be times that we are questioning our actions. I know as hell that I've questioned myself more often than not. It's in our nature to do so. How about you, Aigis? Do you do the same? Or are you always confident in what you do?"
"If I said I was, that would be a lie." Aigis replies, shaking her head. "I am always questioning myself, and there have only been a few times in which I was confidant in myself. But, more often than not, I wish that I was more confident in myself. Especially if… I have been given their powers." Aigis rests a hand on her chest, feeling the Personas inside her as she lets out a sigh.
"That's a good answer." Akihiko tells her with a head nod. "The first step in building more confidence is to have the right attitude."
"The right attitude?" Aigis parrots, confused at what Akihiko was talking about.
"Always looking to improve yourself while not stopping to dwell on things. That's what he means." Shinjiro replies, nodding his head. "As for us… I'm honestly not sure what our answer is."
"It's the same with me." Akihiko replies, leaning forward. "The only thing that I know… what ALL of us know, is that we can't stop pressing forward. Or else all the blood, sweat, and tears that we've shed will all be for waste. All the effort that we put in, down the drain. I can't let that happen. Those days I spent training have to mean something."
"And they will. Once we all get out of here, then we can all start forging our path for the future. So we can all meet up with them again." Shinjiro replies, nodding his head up and down.
"And we will. We will meet them all again." Aigis replies confidently, surprising herself at the moment. Why am I so confident… I know they are dead, but… why am I suddenly excited? Her question was answered as the Emperor Arcana and the Hierophant Arcana suddenly appear before her. Glowing brightly as Lavenza's voice echoes in her mind.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath.
Thy bond shall become the guiding light
and break the yoke of thy heart.
Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of the
Emperor and Hierophant, granting thee power to mark your own path…
I… maxed out my bonds? Just like that? Aigis blinks her eyes in surprise, before letting her mind wander back to last year. Well… I have bonded with them for almost over a year now… I suppose my Social Links with them would be easy to complete. AS Aigis stood up to leave, she noticed Yukari heading to one of the bookshelves nearby. Wondering what she was up to, Aigis walked over to her just as Yukari picked out a book.
"Yukari? Is something the matter?" Aigis asks, causing Yukari to jump as she spins around to face her.
"Aigis! I didn't hear you…" Yukari remarks, letting her heart calm down as she looks at the book she was holding. "As for what I'm doing, I'm just looking over the books that we have. This Dorm sure has a lot of them, huh? Everything from casual manga to super complicated stuff. When I saw you guys reading over there… it reminded me of all these books that we have. And how I never really ever read any of them…"
"Really?" Aigis asks, surprised at Yukari's admission.
"Yeah. So I thought, maybe now's a good time before we head back in to the Abyss. You gotta make time to take breaks once in a while, right? Like when we watched that show together." Yukari glances around the area, fond memories returning to her mind. "A lot of others used to read here as well, huh? Fuuka, Mitsuru, Minato, Minako… Ren, Ryuji, Makoto, and Futaba too. It was kinda relaxing even just watching them from a distance. But I could never bring myself to ask them if I could join…"
"But I've seen you and Minako read together plenty of times." Aigis counters with Yukari chuckling back at her.
"Yeah, after we started dating that is." Yukari replies with a smile. "But when we took breaks, they were definitely getting something else out of it as well… I can't believe that I forgot I was trying to follow Minako's example before our fight with Nyx. I bet that sounds pretty dumb, huh?"
"Not at all." Aigis replies, shaking her head. "I completely agree with you on that. We always must take time to rest. Working ourselves to exhaustion is only detrimental to our health." Yukari blinks at Aigis in surprise, not expecting her to agree so easily as she lets out an amused chuckle.
"Heh… thanks, Aigis. Yeah, let's take it easy for a while longer. We only have two more doors to get through. No point in rushing when we're this close." Aigis nods at Yukari in agreement, seeing the Lovers Tarots card appear before her. Glowing vibrant as Lavenza's voice returns to her once more.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath.
Thy bond shall become the guiding light
and break the yoke of thy heart.
Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of the
Lovers, granting thee power to mark your own path…
Another one maxed out… does that mean my journey is coming to an end? Along with my life? Aigis questions herself as she politely excuses herself to go downstairs. But as she did so, she started to feel strange, as though the completed Tarot cards were giving her a strength she never knew existed inside her. Before she could think about this more, she found Mitsuru sitting by herself on the couch, looking over her Evoker with a keen eye before returning it to its holster. "Mitsuru? Is everything all right?" Aigis asks, sitting next to her as Mitsuru gives her a kind smile.
"Not at all. I am simply plying a game with Koromaru." At that, Koromaru walks past them, nose in the air as he sniffs for something. "Heh… Are you having a hard time, Koromaru? Just keep at it. I know you can find it." Koromaru looks at her, letting out a bark as he continues his search for whatever it was that Mitsuru hid from him.
"What are you playing?" Aigis asks, watching Koromaru sniff around the TV before moving some place else.
"It's a little game I learned from Fuuka. It's a game where Koromaru has to find a specific object by scent alone. In a way, it's like treasure hunting while also keeping his senses sharp."
"That sounds like fun. But, you're not taking him for a walk? Minato and Minako would do that often with him." Aigis comments with Mitsuru letting out a chuckle.
"True, but where would we go? Our usual route of going past the Shrine is no longer open to us. And I would rather not risk going back to Paulownia Mall and run in our past selves. But while it might be fun for Koromaru to locate the target, hiding it proved to be as equally fun for myself. But I do admit I may have made this round slightly harder than usual. The scent is weaker, and there are more dead ends to throw him off the trail. Not only that, but I hid it in an elevated position that's difficult to access."
"That sounds… rather difficult, Mitsuru." Aigis comments with Mitsuru nodding at her.
"Now that I think about it more, I suppose it is. Although, I believe that in the face of a challenge what is most important… is upholding respect. From where I stand, disregarding one's weakness is neither kindness or fairness. In actuality, it's overconfidence, plain and simple, and no different from looking down on the opponent. That's why I never hold back, no matter how or what I'm up against."
Just then, Koromaru lets out a bark that sounded obstructed as he rushed over to them with a blue ball in his mouth. He drops it to the floor, a happy smile on his face as Mitsuru smiles at him with pride.
"Yes! Très bien! I never doubted you for a second, Koromaru!" She tells him, rubbing her hand over his head as Koromaru pants happily. "I am fortunate to be surrounded by such reliable friends… even if some of them are not with us for now. Perhaps that is why I can afford to be more optimistic."
"I'm sure if they were here, they would agree with you, Mitsuru." Aigis comments, seeing the Empress Tarot card appear before her. Shining brightly as Lavenza's voice once more echoes in her mind.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath.
Thy bond shall become the guiding light
and break the yoke of thy heart.
Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of the
Empress, granting thee power to mark your own path…
And just like the last two, Aigis could feel something solidifying inside her. But whatever it was still weak, like a small flame that could easily be snuffed out. Yet as she let herself feel it, it filled her mind with a sense that she had long forgotten about ever since February. A hope for the future. But why, when she believed that she would not live past this journey? It was conflicting with her on every level.
But as she let her mind wander, as smell started to enter her nose from the kitchen. Something that smelt burnt. Alarms ringing in her mind, Aigis rushes for the kitchen only to find Junpei next to the stove with a grimace, while smoke erupted from the black saucepan on the stove.
"Junpei? What are you doing?" Aigis asks, walking into the kitchen and surprising him.
"Oh! Uh… Aigis! It's nuthin', just thought I'd try to make something lickety-split with some spice we found." He looks at the saucepan, rubbing the back of his head with an awkward smile. "But I guess I messed it up… Ren and Haru made it look so easy when they cooked as well. Say, Ai-chan… is cooking really this hard?"
"It appears so. Especially after I saw Shinjiro teach Fuuka how to cook." Aigis replies, with Junpei letting out a long groan.
"…Yep. Sure does." Junpei looks back at the dish before putting on his game face while slamming his hands together. "Whatever! 'Sides, it's way too early to throw in the towel! If I give up now, then the only thing I managed to do was fail! C'mon, Ai-chan! Let's put our heads together and turn the tables, yeah?"
"Yes, let's!" Aigis replies, grasping her hands together as the two turn their attention to the cooker. From those on the outside, they would have expected the duo to end in failure at their salvage attempt. And yet, by some strange twist of fate, they managed to succeed in salvaging the dish as they both had empty plates sitting before them at the bar counter, with surprise evident on Junpei's face.
"Damn, can't believe we actually turned that disaster of a dish into a tasty, chunky curry. That roux sure is one hell of a miracle worker. I know Akihiko told me to be more realistic, but you really can turn the tables in an instant."
"It is certainly possible." Aigis agrees, looking over their empty plates. "And we have done so on more than one occasion as well."
"Exactly! That's why you just gotta go for it, y'know? Maybe some folks prefer to pull back and try again later because… Because they're confident they'll succeed next time. And y'know, that's totally fine if it works out for them. But me? Not so much. I just kinda panic, like, I gotta do something NOW 'cause there might not be a next time. Guess that's why I like our Theurgy and ultimate attacks so much. They can turn the tide of battle in an instant."
"Maybe you'll get strong enough to pull them off whenever, wherever you want some day." Aigis tells him with a small smile. "And maybe I'll be able to do so as well."
"I'm sure you will, Ai-chan. It's no fun if I'm the only one who can do that!" Junpei replies with a grin, slapping his hand on Aigis's shoulder only to pull it back with a wince. If Aigis's emotional matrix was working right now, she would be chuckling at Junpei's reaction. At least she would have, if the Magician Tarot card didn't appear right before her. Glowing brightly as she felt another surge of energy inside her. As the familiar voice of Lavenza echoes in her mind.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath.
Thy bond shall become the guiding light
and break the yoke of thy heart.
Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of the
Magician, granting thee power to mark your own path…
Did Minato, Minako, and Ren ever max out so many bonds in one night? I feel I am breaking an unwritten record. Aigis mentally smirks to herself at the comment, just as Minato and Minako comes down the stairs and glance at her. It was hard to tell what they were thinking, but they must have sensed her maxing out the five Tarot cards as they gave her wars smiles and a nod of acceptance. But with their rest over, the team once more returns to the Abyss, where they found to no one's surprise the shadowy figure of Noir walking to the next door.
"No surprise it's Noir who's last." Shinjiro comments before pausing. "The next one should be the Judgement Arcana, right?"
"If we're going by the deck, then yes, it should." Fuuka replies, tilting her head. "Why? Is there something wrong?" Everyone looks at Shinjiro, who's eyes are locked on the door as he lets out a huff.
"I don't know… but I've got a bad feeling about this one…. And what's coming after it." The team all glanced at each other nervously at that comment, pondering what it was that Shinjiro was nervous about. But regardless of what he was feeling, they had no other option but to enter the next door. Uncertainty is running at an all-time high.
Just as they expected, all the Shadows in the area of Judecca bore the same mask with the number XX. It was all the proof that they needed that the Judgement Arcana was waiting for them at the very bottom. But as they moved to its location, Fuuka could not help but feel that there was more than one figure waiting for them at the end, but as they neared the final portal the additional contacts she could feel all vanished in an instant. Leaving behind only one large contact.
When they reached the bottom, the team didn't waste any time talking as they jumped through. They were eager to get the fight over so that they would be one step closer to getting out of the Abyss. But when they arrived, they found the platform to be much larger than the others, with the door separated from them by a large gap.
"Okay… where's the Shadow?" Junpei asks, seeing how no Arcana Shadow is waiting for them.
"It is here… I can feel it." Fuuka replies, resting a hand on her headphone. She closes her eyes for a moment, feeling for where it is hiding before letting out a gasp, pointing towards the gap. "It's coming!" No sooner does she say that does a massive figure emerge from the gap, wearing torn robes that would have been pure white with regal purple, but were now coated in black soot. The feminal features of the figure had faded away, leaving behind a withered skull with long black hair trailing down that was falling out. In one skeleton hand, it held a golden horn covered in blood while something else hung from its face.
It was Noir's mask, torn in two.
"It's the Judgement Arcana Shadow!" Minako shouts as the team gets ready for a fight.
"Then let's finish this!" Mitsuru shouts, taking her Evoker out. "Bufudyne!" She calls, blasting the Judgement with the ice attack, only for it to be negated with Mitsuru growling at the result. "So it resists Ice…" She remarks as Fuuka starts searching for its weakness. But as she did so, the Judgement took aim with its horn and let out an echoing blast of Megidolaon at them. Striking them hard as Fuuka lets out a gasp of shock.
"The Judgement has no weakness!" She cries out as Yukari heals them up. "It's immune to everything! The only thing it's not immune to is fire, but it resists it!"
"The hell!?" Junpei shouts as the Judgement Arcana slams its left hand on the ground. Sending out a shockwave at them and forcing them to jump over it. "How do we beat it!?"
"Megidolaon!" Minako and Minato shout, blasting the Judgement Arcana with the Almighty magic and managing to earn a cry of pain from the Shadow Arcana. Yet, the Shadow countered with its own blast of Megidolaon, damaging them more than they did to it.
"Damn it! What the hell are we supposed to do!?" Shinjiro shouts as Yukari fires an arrow at the Judgement Arcana, only for it to counter with Megidolaon again. "Every time we attack it, it fights back with Megidolaon! At this rate, we'll all get wiped out!"
"Carmen! Agidyne!" Aigis shouts in desperation, summoning Panther's Persona to her side and lashing out with flames at the Judgement Arcana. The flames wash over the Shadow as the team ready themselves for another blast of Megidolaon. But it didn't come. Instead, the Judgement Shadow attacked with a Maragidyne instead, while small flames licked over its body, signalling that it had been burned by Aigis's attack.
"That worked?" Ken asks in surprise as Minato heals them all up. "But why did it use Maragidyne instead of Megidolaon?" While the team was puzzled by this and avoided a Vorpal Blade from the Judgement Arcana, Yukari narrowed her eyes at the flames licking against the Judgement Arcana. Just as a memory came rushing back to her mind from their time in Tartarus.
If you're facing a foe that doesn't have a weakness, use a Technical Strike instead.
"Technical Strike…" Yukari whispers to herself before her eyes widen in realisation. "That's it! Isis! Garudyne!" While everyone looked at Yukari with confusion, Yukari sent forth a powerful gust of wind at the Judgement Shadow. But, instead of her attack being nullified, it fanned the flames burning against the Judgement Arcana, erupting into an explosion that earned a cry of pain from the Judgement Arcana while Yukari smirked.
"What was that?!" Akihiko shouts as the Judgement Arcana collapses to the ground with stars spinning around its head.
"Do you remember what Mona told us back in Tartarus?" Yukari asks as all eyes turn to her. "About Technical Strikes?" It was then that a collective light bulb turned on over everyone's head, apart from Metis, who only had a question mark above hers, as they all turned their eyes back to the Judgement Arcana as it brought itself up once more.
"So… that's the key to defeating it." Minato comments, letting a smile form on his face. "Then let's see if we can remember what Mona told us!" As though it had heard him, the Judgement Arcana was enveloped in a yellow glow as Fuuka let out a gasp of shock.
"It's changed its resistance! It's now immune to Fire but resists Elect!"
"Then that makes this easy!" Akihiko shouts, taking out his Evoker. "Ziodyne!" Firing his Evoker, Akihiko sends the Elect magic into the Judgement Arcana, yet he fails to shock it as it fires back with Maziodyne. As they dodge the magic, Minako takes out her own Evoker and blasts the Judgement with Wild Thunder. While not as damaging as it would have been, she managed to shock it successfully with the Judgement Arcana paralysed in place, with Shinjiro rushing in to deliver a quick strike.
"God's Hand!" He shouts, sending a golden fist right at the Judgement Arcana and causing the electricity sparking over it to erupt like a fountain. Sending sparks everywhere as Shinjiro landed next to Aigis. "If this is all we have to do, then this will be easy."
"It's changing again!" Fuuka calls out as the Judgement now glows cyan. "It now resits Ice!"
"Bufudyne!" Minato shouts, sending the ice right into the Judgement, but fails to freeze it as it counters with its own Bufudyne at Akihiko, with Mitsuru jumping in the way to take the hit as Metis attacks with her own Bufudyne. Successfully managing to freeze it, Aigis summons Johanna to her side.
"Atomic Flare!" As the dark blue flames rush over the Judgement Arcana, the ice encasing it explodes spontaneously, sending chunks of flaming ice falling all around them as the Judgement Arcana blows into its horn. Sending out a pressure wave that debuffed everyone while buffing itself with a Heat Riser before encasing itself in a golden glow.
"It now resists Strike! But… what ailment can we inflict with Strike?" Fuuka asks, shaking her head in confusion. Before anyone could think, the Judgement Arcana unleashes a God's Hand on the team. Forcing them to scatter apart before attacking with an Akasha Arts. While the team countered with their own God's Hands, none of them managed to inflict a status ailment on the Judgement Arcana as it continued to attack with its own God's Hand. As Aigis was switching between the different Personas she held, she noticed one more that Johanna had that she hadn't really used at all. But it was worth a try."
"Flash Bomb!" Aigis cries as Johanna appears next to her. Sending out a flash bang grenade that exploded right in the Judgement's eyes, not only blinding it but making it dizzy from the sudden attack.
"It's Dizzy! But what attack do we use?" Akihiko shouts as they watching the Shadow Arcana sway on the spot. If they get it wrong, then they will be blasted by Megidolaon. And there was only so much they could endure from it before they gave out from exhaustion.
"Let me try! Kougaon!" Ken shouts, firing his Evoker and sending a spear of light right into the Judgement. The spear of light exploding into a pillar of light which scorched the Judgement Arcana while it screeches in pain. As the light settled, the Judgement Arcana was encased in a green aura as it started to let out a gust of wind from its horn. Forcing everyone back as the wind started to prove to be too much.
"It now resists Wind!" Fuuka shouts over the roar of the wind as she forces herself to the ground. The force almost enough to blow her back as everyone struggles to hold on. As for Aigis, she flips through her roster, trying to think of something before settling on a risk. After all, it hasn't worked yet, but it was all she could think of at the moment.
"Arsène! Lullaby!" It was a gamble as Arsène formed behind Aigis, sending out the hypnotic waves towards the Judgement Arcana. But just when it looked like they were about to be blown away, the Judgement Arcana succumbed to the spell. Falling asleep right before the teams eyes as the wind ceases. While the team took the chance to recover, Junpei rushed forward and unleashes a Brave Blade on the Judgement Arcana.
Snapping it awake as it grabs its head in pain. Junpei jumps back, avoiding the horn as it is slammed down where he previously stood. The Judgement begins to glow silver while two silver wings coasted in grime appear on its back. Sending out a blast of air as they flap before them.
"The Judgement now resists Light and Bless!" Fuuka shouts over the wind as the Judgement Arcana attacks with Divine Judgement.
"This is starting to feel like Nyx all over again!" Junpei shouts, ducking away from a blast of Kougaon as Aigis locks on to the Judgement Arcana.
"Necronomicon! Memory Eraser!" At her call, Necronomicon forms above Aigis as the glyphs along her body start to glow a blinding light. Be she suddenly orients herself 90' and unleashes a blinding beam of light at the Judgement Arcana. Stunning it briefly until it attempts to strike back with Makougaon. Only to pause and look at its horn in confusion.
"What's wrong with it now?" Yukari asks as they watching the Judgement Arcana play with its horn quizidly. Fuuka closes her eyes, feeling what ailment it was struck by before opening her eyes in shock.
"It's Forget! It's forgotten how to use its skills!" Akihiko looks up at the confused Arcana Shadow, before putting on a grin and taking his Evoker out.
"Well, too bad for it then! Ziodyne!" Calling Caesar to his side, Akihiko unleashes a heavy blast of Elect magic at the Arcana Shadow. An ear-piercing cry leaving its skeletal face as the ailment is wiped away. But as it regains its skills, the Judgement changes affinity once again, glowing with a deep pink aura as it suddenly unleashes waves of Psionic energy at them. Using its mind to telepathically grab the falling sand and fire them at the team like pellets.
"It's now resist Psi magic!" Fuuka calls out in alarm with Aigis already switching Personas around to Milady. Blasting the Judgement Arcana with Psiodyne leaving it confused. Something that Metis was more than happy to take advantage of, as she started to glow a scarlet red.
"I've been waiting for this! Let's go, Psyche!" As Psyche charges Metis up with energy, she is enveloped in a purple glow before dashing forward. Slashing out at all sides with her mace, hands, and feet before leaping backwards into the air. Where Psyche was ready to meet her, grabbing onto her hand as Metis deployed her visor. "Charging Blitz!" Metis cries as Psyche throws her towards the Judgement Arcana, Metis becoming a blazing comment as she lands a powerful kick on the Arcana Shadow. Encasing it in an explosion, she jumps back, only to find a wall of blue flames slam into her and the others as the smoke clears with the Judgement Arcana now glowing a dark blue.
"It now resists Nuke! Aigis!"
"Atomic Flare!" Aigis was already one step ahead as she blasted the Arcana with Nuke magic, striking fear into as Mitsuru follows up with ice. The two spells once again resulting in a massive explosion that sent the Judgement Arcana reeling, yet not defeated as it glows a dark red with black. Followed up by unleashes Maeigaon on the team, enveloping them all in the Dark magic and sapping away at their strengths. It became obvious at what it resisted now.
"Thanatos! Eigaon!" Minato shouts, summoning the ruler of the Death Tarot to his side and giving the Judgement Arcana a taste of its own medicine, with Minako following up close behind with Helel, the two Dark spells washing over the Arcana Shadow as it falls into the hands of despair. Koromaru barks at the Judgement Arcana as Cerberus manifests behind him. Unleashing Maeigaon at the Judgement Arcana, enveloping it in an explosion of darkness.
"That has to have done it, right!?" Junpei shouts as the dust settles, only to reveal the Judgement Arcana was still standing before them, glowing an orange glow. "Aw, come on! What now?!" As if to answer him, the Judgement Arcana attacks with a Brave Blade on Shinjiro, knocking him back and almost off the edge of the platform if not for a last-minute save by Metis.
"Thanks, Metis." Shinjiro tells her as the two stand up.
"It's nothing… I just didn't want my sister getting upset at losing someone." Mets replies, looking away with a pout until a cry from Akihiko grabbed their attention. He had just been hit by a Rising Slash from the Judgement Arcana and was thrown into Mitsuru. The couple almost getting thrown off as well with Shinjiro growling in anger.
"Okay, you Shadow! Now you've gone and made me mad!" He charges forward, dragging his axe along the ground as Augustus forms behind him. "Bloody Charge!" With a massive swing of his axe alongside a thrust of Augustus's spear, the two land a heavy Slash attack on the Judgement Arcana. Not that it did much due to it resisting the blow, but it did mange to do something else. As evident by the red aura surrounding it as it suddenly became much more aggressive in its attacks.
"It's inflicted with Rage!" Fuuka shouts in alarm, ducking under the massive horn. But for Minato, he saw it as an advantage as he pulled his Evoker out.
"Messiah! Agidyne!" Firing his Evoker, Minato summons his other self to the field, sending a sphere of right into the neck of the Judgement. Consuming it in a pillar of crimson fire as it falls to the ground. But it pushes itself back up before anyone could celebrate, glowing a deep brown as it thought back with Primal Force. Catching everyone off guard and sending them all to the ground apart from Metis. Who stood defiantly against the Judgement as she summoned Psyche to her side.
"This has gone on long enough! Let's see you resist this, buster! Sexy Dance!" While every raised an eyebrow at that attack, Metis unleashed an arrow with a heart on the end towards the Judgement Arcana. Landing right between the eyes and causing its head to recoil back. But much to everyone's surprise, the attack worked as the Judgement was soon enamoured by Metis who had turned to look at Minako. "Time to clean this up!"
"Right!" Minako shouts, bringing her Evoker out. "Let's do this, Sandalphon! Kougaon!" Firing her Evoker, Minako summons Sandalphon to the field, sending a lance of light right into the Shadow Arcana's heart. Or the spot where it would have one if it did. But the attack had its effect as the Judgement collapsed to the ground in a daze, leaving it open to an All-Out attack from everyone. But even as the dust cloud cleared, the Judgement refused to fall as it rose back to full height. Glowing in an aura of every colour.
"W-What is this!? The Judgement is immune to every attack!?" Fuuka shouts in alarm as the Judgement Arcana seemed to laugh at their desperation in a twisted amusement. But as it did, Aigis could feel a burning anger building within her as a new Theurgy rose to the surface of her mind.
"You believe you have won? Far from it." Aigis replies, standing to face the Shadow as she glows a scarlet red. "This fight it over! Great Pilfering!" At her call, Captain Kidd and Goemon appear beside her. The two of them glowing scarlet red as Goemon slams his foot down to encase the Judgement in a cage of ice. While Captain Kidd flew around the cage. Blasting at the trapped Judgement with his arm cannon while Goemon rushes forward. Holding his pipe like a katana as he slices through the cage. Followed up by Captain Kidd who body slams the Arcana Shadow with his ship while also stealing a glowing orb from the Arcana Shadow. As the two leap away, the ice cage erupts into an electrical explosion, sending ice flying everywhere and embedding themselves in the Judgement Arcana.
As Captain Kidd and Goemon return to Aigis while leaving the glowing orb at her feet, the Judgement Arcana lets out one final roar of defiance, before collapsing into sand and filling in the gap leading to the door.
"That… was a hard fight." Akihiko admits, rubbing his hand over his head.
"For real… felt like we were fighting Nyx all over again." Junpei admits, rolling his arms.
"If you fought that was bad… try fighting Nyx from the very begging with just five people." Minako snarks, cracking her back. "Now THAT was a hard fight."
"Still, it only show just how much we really relied on them." Yukari comments as they gather around the two pieces of Noir's mask. "I think we relied on them a bit more than we want to admit…"
"Perhaps we did…" Mitsuru comments, kneeling to pick up the two pieces. And just as expected, their vision was enveloped in light as they found themselves in a futuristic corridor of dark grey steel, with blue and green running light and the sound of machinery echoing through the corridors.
"I didn't know what to expect… but this wasn't it." Ken comments as they look around the corridor until they notice a very familiar group approaching them from behind. It was every member of the Phantom Thieves, including Noir, walking right towards them. For a moment, it felt like they had all been reunited until Skull stopped and turned to Noir.
"By the way, you seemed real fired up back when we first met. Was that an act Mona put you up to? Y'know… the beauty thing?"
"Beauty what?" Shinjiro asks the group with a puzzled look. Although by seeing how embarrassed Noir was at the reminder, it certainly did look like something she remembered fondly.
"That was… um… I was trying to be a heroine of justice." She sheepishly tells them, not meeting their gaze. And it certainly wasn't the answer the Thieves were expecting as they all cast glances at each other. "Ever since I was young, people around me have never seen me for who I really am. They would be kind to me just to please my father, and would get money and presents in exchange. Adults, teacher, even friends… It seemed like everyone smiled at me for their own personal gain."
"I know how that feels… all too well." Mitsuru comments, looking away as she lets out a sigh.
"That's why you kept the details of your family a secret at school…" Queen remarks, standing next to Joker as the two give her sympathetic looks.
"I can certainly understand that. It'd be baggage that you would never be able to escape from." Joker remarks, letting out a sigh as Queen rests a hand on his arm. "I know that all too well…"
"But the female superheroes I used to see on TV were so great! They always fought for others, not themselves… and they were always happy. I wanted to be just like that! Even though I knew it was a fantasy… I still looked up to them." Noir ends with a beaming smile, something that everyone, physical or spectral, couldn't help but smile in agreement with.
"Everyone goes wild over heroes at some point." Skull comments with a shark grin. "It's fine havin' someone that on our side, right, Joker?"
"You don't have to convince me of that." Joker replies with a grin. "We would have welcomed you at any time, Okumura-san."
"Please, Joker. I already told you, you don't have to be formal with me." Noir replies with a grin but before anyone could continue the chat, a distorted voice echoes behind the spectral S.E.E.S.
"What are you doing here!?" All eyes turn to the source where, much to everyone's confusion, was a blue skinned man wearing a cartoonishly evil space emperor outfit. Complete with fishbowl, antennas, and a long black cape with red on the underside.
"Um… who's the knock off Darth Vader?" Junpei asks, rubbing his head as Noir could be heard saying 'Huh' over and over again.
"I think that's… Noir's father. His Shadow, to be exact." Mitsuru comments with some uncertainty as Shadow Okumura stomps towards them.
"I thought I told you not to associate with vulgar people!" At his side, a young man in a white suit with dark flecks dancing around him like flies joins his die, adding more confusion to the group.
"Who the hell is that?" Akihiko asks, tilting his head at the stranger. Although judging what they could be heard from the Thieves talking quietly to each other, it was a cognition of someone that Noir and her father knew about.
"Do you recall what I said before? That I would do my best for you?" Noir asks her father's Shadow as she walks towards him with determination in each step. "This is my answer to that!" She shouts at him, throwing a hand out. As for Shadow Okumura, he raises an eyebrow at her, letting his gaze fall on the Thieves behind her.
"Are those… the rumoured Phantom Thieves?" Shadow Okumura asks inquisitively, until his eyes go wide, and he lets out a deep laugh at Noir. "I see! You're handing them over to me as a plea for forgiveness!"
"What made him think that was happening?" Aigis asks as the S.E.E.S team were either taken aback or confused by Shadow Okumura's assumption. Something that the Thieves and noir were also taken aback by as well.
"Overcome failure at any cost, even if it means betraying others! You truly embody the Okumura motto! Very well, join me." Shadow Okumura holds his hand before him with a sinister grin on his face as Noir takes a step back from him.
"What made you believe that!?" Noir shouts, shaking her head in denial. "Why do you only ever think about gains and losses!? That's why the company has a bad reputation! All because you treat people like they're tools!"
"To gain, you must give… One must be resolved to give even more if they wish to stand above others." Shadow Okumura dismisses Noir words with a shake of his head. We are on vastly different levels… and soon, I will rise to a new stage! The political world! The cold reality of kicking people down is a part of business! Virtue and sentiment are for losers. Okumura Foods shall be the foundation of my victory!"
"How can he allow this to happen?" Yukari asks, shaking her head. "Doesn't he know what he's doing?"
"I think he does… and he doesn't care." Minato comments, shaking his head as Noir takes another step back while the Thieves stay on edge.
"Mr. Okumura. We don't need a girl who's been soiled by Thieves." The cognition of Sugimura, Noir's fiancé, steps up with indifference in his eyes. "Unless you make some compromises, I can't introduce her to my father."
"She needn't be your lawful wife any more… Take her as your lover, or whatever it is you desire." Shadow Okumura comments with cold indifference, shocking and hurting Noir deeply while everyone else gasps in shock.
"Haru… this is what you meant, wasn't it?" Mitsuru asks quietly, closing her eyes. "Back when I had my own similar circumstance in December…"
"Lover…?" Noir asks with hurt in her voice. Not at C-Sugimura, but at her father's Shadow as she walked towards him. "I was raised under this company's wealth… I even accepted a political marriage for you. This is not what we discussed, father! You want me to be that man's plaything just to satisfy your own ambitions?!"
"Hmph. Why fret? You should be overjoyed that you're fulfilling your role as an Okumura daughter. This is the only value you had from the very beginning!"
"That sick bastard!" Junpei screams, slamming a foot down. "How can he treat his own daughter like this!?"
"Unforgivable…" Ken remarks as Koromaru growls at Shadow Okumura, as Noir falls to one knee in shock. Something that C-Sugimura took as an advantage as he walked towards her with wide arms.
"Now… why don't you come… to my place?" As he stepped forward, black liquor spread all over him, turning him into a giant hulking robot with a red visor for eyes. Shocking the S.E.E.S team as C-Sugimura stomped forward. "LET'S HAVE FUN! I'LL PLAY WITH YOU UNTIL I GET BORED! A HIGH SCHOOL FIANCÉE… WHAT A TURN-ON!" At that, it raises it arms above Noir, ready to crush her as Mona ran forward.
"No! Haru's Persona won't stand a chance against that—"
"It's all right!" Oracle calls out just as C-Sugimura tried to attack. Only for his arm to get caught by Milady as she fully forms above Noir protectively. "She hadn't awakened to her real power, that's all!" As C-Sugimura was forced back, Haru looks up at him with a glare, even as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. But before she could stand, a pulse ripped through her mind, sending her to the floor as a spotlight shone down on her.
I see you finally made up your mind… my dear, fated princess. Freedom for you must stem from betrayal. If you still year for it now… then you must not err. Now, tell me… Who shall you betray?
"My heart is already set. This you know." Noir replies, glaring upwards as her eyes glow gold, standing back up to full height while Milady chuckle at her approvingly.
Yes, that gaze…! I can finally display my true strength. I am thou, thou art I… Let us adorn your departure into freedom with a beautiful betrayal!
At that, Noir throws her hand out as a wall of rose petals flies out from nowhere just as Milady charges through them. Her skirt parting way, to reveal the arsenal she held beneath as Skull backs away in shock. Not that anyone could blame him from what Milady was packing under her skirt.
"Farewell, dear father. I am no longer your subservient puppet!" Noir call out as an axe materialises in her hand, alongside a grenade launcher appearing on her back. As for Shadow Okumura, he backs away with a snarl towards an elevator as C-Sugimura stands before him as a guard.
"Then so be it… you're worthless to me! Deal with them how you wish!" Shadow Okumura commands as he flees the area, with C-Sugimura stomping forward towards Noir as the Thieves form up around her.
"You poor thing… I'll toy with you until you break!"
"I think that's our line, rust bucket." Panther comments, snapping her whip to the side as Skull shoulders his pipe next to her…
"But I don't expect you to come to reason at all." Fox remarks, standing next to Noir
"Do these kinds of freaks ever do?" Queen asks Joker as she bashes her fists together.
"By my memory, they never do." Joker replies, flipping his knife in his hand.
"That why we shoulda just told you this from the start, asshat." Skull mocks as he points a finger at his single robotic lens.
"We're the Phantom Thieves!" Noir shouts pridefully as everyone falls into a combat stands, with Mona at the front shouldering his falchion as they all let out a rebellions smirk of rebellion.
"And we're here to take your bride!" As Mona's voice echoed around them, the S.E.E.S team's vision turns white once again. Transporting them back to the arena where they fought the Judgement. With Mitsuru holding Haru's mask, once more whole and complete.
"I can't even begin to imagine what Haru-san had to go through." Ken remarks as they all look at her mask. "To find out that your own parent would use you as a tool… that had to have hurt deeply."
"Was she… another one of your friends?" Metis asks Aigis, who nods back solemnly.
"Yes. Haru was the last one to join the Phantom Thieves in order to change her father's heart. But… he was killed and his death used to frame them for murder. Even now, she still regrets that they failed despite what she was put through… All of them regret failing to save her father."
"Even though what I went through was similar… there were its differences." Mitsuru comments softly, placing the mask on her belt. "But… we are not yet done."
"No. We still have this door left to go through." Metis remarks as Shinjiro approaches it. Walking over the sand that used to be the Judgement Arcana, he opens it as a beaming light escapes. Blinding them ass as they feel themselves once again on the move.
Finding themselves in lounge with several vending machines nearby. And sitting on a green couch with her belonging next to her, was Past Yukari.
"Looks like it's my turn." Yukari comments as they hear an announcement echo over the speaker.
"Attention all students in the dormitory. The cafeteria will be closing in thirty minutes." That seemed to get Past Yukari's attention as she took her phone out and checked the time, wincing at what she saw.
"Oh, crap… Well, whatever…" She tells herself as she puts her phone away, just as two girls from her class walk up to her.
"Oh, there you are! We went to your room to look for you." One of them tells her with Past Yukari looks away with some tiredness in her eyes.
"Sorry, I don't think I'm going today. It'll be crowded anyway." The two classmates look at each other with disappointment in their eyes before seeing what Past Yukari had next to her.
"Wait, is that your stuff? Have you not even been to your room since we got back?" They ask with Past Yukari looking at her stuff and letting out a depressed sigh.
"Yeah… I suppose not." She admits, her gaze not meeting anyone.
"Really? So you've just been spacing out here for hours all this time? Is… something going on?" One of them asks with concern in her voice. While Past Yukari felt touched by the gesture, it wasn't something they would be able to help with.
"Oh, no, I'm fine. It's nothing important. Just kinda hard to believe that it's been, what, four years since I got here?" She tells them with a deflecting lie. One that the two easily bought as they both sigh in unison.
"Oh yeah, I know what you mean. It is kinda depressing. Like, why do we have to stay cooped up in a Dorm for what should be the best three years of our lives? And our first year's almost done! High School will be over before we get to do anything fun…" Past Yukari glances away, not sure how to respond to that as the two girls sigh in unison. "Well, try not to let it bother you too much, Yukari. We'll get through it." With that, the two walk away, leaving Past Yukari on the couch as she sighs to herself despondently.
"Yeah, it'll all be over soon, huh…? Stupid… Of course I wouldn't find out anything about Dad just by going to school… If even the police or the media haven't found out anything new… what hope do I have?" She sighs to herself as she straightens her back out. "Ten years already… Maybe I'd be better off giving up…"
"Excuse me. You're Takeba-san, yes? The first-year?" A woman asks, possible a staff member, approaching Past Yukari from the side. Past Yukari nods, earning a sigh of relief from the woman as she reaches into her back pocket.
"Oh, good. I'm glad I found you. There's a letter for you." She holds out the letter to Past Yukari, while Present Yukari reaches into her coat for that same letter. "It actually came yesterday. I'm sorry for the late delivery. But honesty, it took me a while to find out who it was addressed to. The writing seems to have aged badly." As Past Yukari takes the letter, she lets out a gasp at who it was from. "It's from an Eiichiro Takeba. Is he a relative?"
"Yes… but that should be impossible! He's been dead for ten years." She replies without thinking, surprising the woman as she looks at the back only to let out another gasp of shock. "Commemorating the opening of the Moonlight Bridge… This IS from ten years ago…!" She looks back at the woman with wide eyes, a smile about to break out on her face. "So sorry, but I have to go read this!"
"Wh— Takeba-san, wait! I need your signature! And you left all your things here! Takeba-san!" With that, everyone's vision went white as they all returned to the area. All eyes rested on Yukari, who held that same letter in her hands.
"You were all alone… trying to combat the Kirijo Group's deceptions for so long…" Mitsuru remarks with sadness in her voice.
"Yeah…" Yukari replies, holding the letter close to her chest. "I was just… so desperate to learn the truth." Mitsuru nods at her, looking back at the letter as she lets out a smile.
"It would have been a much nicer vision if it had your father in it. I would have very much liked to meet him, even in a vision."
"Yeah… it would have been nice." Yukari admits, looking back up. "But I'm fine. There's no point on dwelling on the past. All we can do is move forward towards the future, right? It's what my Dad would have wanted…" She takes a moment to pause, looking up at Aigis as a thought came across her mind. "You know how Aigis got the same power as Mina and Minato? As well as the Personas of Ann and the others? That means she has to have gotten something from them. Even if she doesn't know it herself yet. I guess… I want to show that I'm making some progress as well. That all of us are making some progress."
"It's the same with us." Minako tells her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We all want to show them what we can do. That we all learned something from them." Yukari nods at her as everyone stands in a circle, as a realisation comes across Yukari.
"Now that I've seen my own memory, I know for sure that we were right. About how all of them shared a single commonality. After all, the night after I got my father's letter, I awakened to Io."
"Meaning that what we have been seeing are the moments that gave us the reasons for awakening our Personas, right?" Minato asks, before nodding his head. "That makes sense. You were there when Minako and I awoke, and almost all of us were there when Fuuka awoke. And Aigis and Metis could use theirs from the moment they woke up."
"And that explains why we have been seeing Ren and the others awakenings as well." Minako replies, taking Ren's mask off her belt. "To show us what they had to go through in order to awaken… and that we shouldn't interfere with that."
"But why do we need to know that?" Ken asks, tilting his head. "If Ren and the others went back to their time, they should already have awakened in April, right? And, why those memories for us in particular? Is there some lesson that we need to learn or something?" As the team talked among themselves about what it could be, Metis stood off to the side in silence. Something that Koromaru noticed as he sat himself down right in front of her.
"Yo, li'l sis!" Junpei calls out to her, startling Metis. "Don't go all acting like this doesn't involve you. C'mon, let us know what you think, too."
"Why? It's not like I can talk about the past with you." Metis replies, not looking at them in the eye. "I don't know anything about it. Unlike all of you, I don't know anything about your pasts or even about your friends from the future, so… It's like I'm the only one who doesn't belong here…"
"You may not know anything about us, but it's true the other way around." Aigis tells Metis gently. "You must have memories that we know nothing about. Like the memory of when you discovered your emotions."
"So, isn't it about time you let us in on some of those memories?" Akihiko asks in a gentle voice. As for Metis, she remained quiet as her visor closed over her face. Hiding her emotions from the team.
"Metis, you might be misunderstanding. It's not as though our pasts have been purely enjoyable. In fact, there are likely more painful memories than pleasant ones." Mitsuru tells her gently, but Metis shakes her head at her.
"That's clearly not true. All the things that you talk and laugh about are from your past. And if there are painful memories, you've all forgotten about the most painful one of them all." Everyone blinked at Metis in confusion at that, while Minako, Minato, and Aigis's eyes widened in surprise before closing in sadness. They hadn't forgotten that memory, even if everyone else had. Even as the Fool and Eclipse both reached rank 8, they could never forget the truth of what happened. And it felt like the time was coming when that truth would finally come to light.
Even if no one wanted to accept or believe that it was.