...04/10/2009 Sunday; Dark Hour...
...FULL MOON OPERATION...
The sound of metal clashing against metal explodes through the street.
Minato moves first.
His blade meets the bars of the Arcana of Strength with a dry impact, sparks jumping in the greenish air of the Dark Hour.
Junpei follows right after, swinging his sword with brute force.
His strike makes the bars tremble, but they immediately reorganize, protecting the Arcana's body like a living wall.
On the other side, Aigis fires.
The shots echo like short, repeating thunder, ricocheting off the metallic structures and opening small gaps that quickly close again.
Minato twists his body and delivers a rapid sequence of slashes.
Most of them hit only the bars.
Junpei growls in frustration and changes his rhythm, starting to attack from unpredictable angles, forcing the Arcana's defenses to shift.
"TAKE THIS!"
He strikes with everything he has.
The impact is strong enough to push part of the bars away from the Shadow's body.
An opening.
Minato doesn't hesitate.
He jumps.
His sword comes down in a clean, precise arc, cutting through the space before the bars can return.
The strike lands on the Arcana of Strength's chest.
A dark gash opens.
Black liquid spills over the dress, already stained from the wound on her shoulder.
Her scream vibrates through the air—sharp, furious.
She floats back, trying to retreat.
But Minato has already landed with the Evoker in hand.
He raises it.
Points it at his own head.
"Persona!"
The trigger is pulled.
A shot rings out, and a burst of light erupts beside his head.
Orpheus appears above, wrapped in bluish flames.
He doesn't hesitate and flies straight toward the Arcana of Strength.
He raises his lyre and strikes downward at the Shadow's head.
The impact is solid.
The Arcana releases a distorted shriek and, with her remaining arm, hits Orpheus violently, throwing him back.
The Persona dissolves into blue particles in the air.
Junpei is panting now.
Sweat drips down his face and he wipes it away with his forearm.
"This damned cage…" He looks at Minato, who's also breathing heavily. "Got any bright ideas?"
Minato spins his sword in hand, shaking the black liquid from the blade.
He shakes his head.
"Not yet…" His eyes lift, searching. "If only we knew where the Arcana of Fortune is…" He tightens his grip. "We wouldn't risk ending up like Hiro."
Across the street, a green light bursts.
Yukari's hands rest on Akihiko's shoulder and chest.
The light pulses between her fingers—soft, warm—spreading like warm water beneath his skin.
Akihiko feels his lungs open again, air flowing more easily.
Koromaru stays by their side, body tense, eyes locked on the battle ahead. A low growl rumbles in his chest whenever the Arcana of Strength moves.
The light in Yukari's hands begins to fade.
Until it disappears.
She slowly pulls her hands away.
"There… I did what I could. Feeling better?"
Akihiko gets up without rushing. Rolls his shoulder. Cracks his neck to one side, then the other.
He rubs the back of his neck and gives a few small hops in place, testing his body.
"Much better." He exhales sharply through his nose. "Thanks, Takeba."
Yukari grips her bow but doesn't relax.
"What do we do, senpai? When the Arcana of Fortune appears, we can't move properly."
Akihiko looks at her, eyes now steady.
"Either Hiro or I can probably resist her magic better." He clenches his fist. "For now, give Minato support. I'll help Mitsuru and Fuuka wake Hiro up."
Yukari nods.
In a fluid motion, she pulls her bow from her back, fits an arrow, and draws the string.
Her breathing slows.
She takes careful aim and releases it with precision.
The arrow cuts through the air, crossing the street like a silver streak.
And it hits the open wound on the Arcana of Strength's back dead-on.
The impact makes the Shadow's body tremble.
A furious scream erupts.
More black liquid spills from the opening, dripping to the ground and forming small dark puddles on the asphalt.
Aigis continues firing from a distance.
Between one shot and the next, her sensors pick up movement.
The dark liquid gathers in uneven puddles.
Nothing unusual.
Until—SPLASH.
One of the puddles ripples.
A sudden splash breaks the surface.
As if something invisible had just stepped on it.
Aigis closes her eyes for a moment.
The built-in machine guns in her arms lower slowly, the mechanical sound almost inaudible amid the chaos.
She stops firing.
The silence around her contrasts with the roaring battle.
Her eyes open again—now sharper.
She starts walking slowly toward the scattered black puddles on the asphalt.
Each step is calculated.
She examines one.
Then another.
The dark liquid reflects the greenish glow of the Dark Hour, motionless… apparently.
Minato takes a few steps back after dodging a swipe from the bars, which tear through the air where he stood a second earlier.
He breathes hard.
When he looks up, he notices the gunfire has stopped.
He frowns.
Aigis isn't shooting anymore.
She's looking at the ground.
"What is it, Aigis?!" he calls out, breathless.
Without taking her eyes off the puddles, she answers: "I detected movement in one of these puddles… I just need to…"
She approaches a small cluster of dark stains.
The liquid looks still.
Meanwhile, Akihiko runs up to Mitsuru and Fuuka.
He kneels beside them.
"Did you manage to do anything?"
Mitsuru quickly lifts her eyes, a bit tense, but seeing Akihiko makes her chest loosen just a little.
"Are you feeling better?"
Akihiko nods, rolling his shoulder one last time. "I've been worse."
Fuuka leans over Hiro.
She starts giving him a few light taps on the face.
"Come on, Hiro… wake up."
Nothing.
His body remains still.
His breathing is deep, steady.
As if he were submerged in a sleep impossible to break—even with gunfire and shouting echoing all around them.
Fuuka swallows hard.
"It's like Hiro is in a really heavy sleep… he won't wake up."
Akihiko places a hand on her shoulder and gently moves her aside.
"Okay. Let me try something."
He looks down at Hiro's unmoving face.
His hand rises to his own chest, rubbing it, as if he's trying to steady his breathing… or preparing for something.
Mitsuru watches, not understanding what Akihiko is about to do.
"W–what are you doing?"
Akihiko shoots her a sideways glance. "Trust me."
He takes his hand off his chest and rests it over Hiro's face for a moment, assessing how hard he needs to be.
Then he pulls his arm back.
No hesitation.
Akihiko's palm slams into Hiro's face with enough force to turn his head to the side.
An immediate groan escapes.
Hiro brings both hands to his face, writhing slightly on the ground.
"Ow, fuck! My face!" His voice comes out muffled between his fingers.
Mitsuru exhales all at once—a trembling breath she didn't even realize she was holding—and rests her hand on Hiro's shoulder.
Hiro opens his eyes fully now. One side of his face is already turning red, the handprint clearly visible.
He looks at the three in front of him, completely confused.
That confusion mixes with irritation.
"Was that really necessary, Akihiko?!"
Akihiko shrugs, a half-smirk appearing despite the cut on his forehead.
"Well… at least you're awake."
Hiro lets out a low huff.
He blinks a few times, trying to shake off the strange heaviness still clinging to him.
Then he notices Mitsuru's hand on his shoulder.
Without a word, Hiro lifts his own hand and places it on top of hers.
"What happened?" He looks between the three of them, still dazed.
Fuuka kneels beside him. From inside her suit, she pulls out a small handkerchief and begins gently pressing it to the reddened area on his cheek.
"The Fortune Arcana put you to sleep with the roulette," she explains, her voice lighter now. "Kirijo-senpai and I were trying to wake you up until Sanada-senpai… well… you know."
Hiro winces when the handkerchief touches the sensitive skin.
Mitsuru doesn't take her eyes off him.
"Are you feeling better?"
For a moment, their eyes meet.
Hiro removes his hand from hers, leans forward to pick up the kukri on the ground, and stands. He spins it between his fingers with ease.
"Yeah…" He tests the weapon's weight in his hand. "But outta nowhere it feels like I haven't slept in a month."
He looks over his shoulder.
Farther ahead, the rest of the group is still fighting the Arcana of Strength. Blades slice the air. Gunshots skim past.
But the Shadow moves with disturbingly smooth grace, slipping through most attacks like she's dancing between them.
Hiro looks back at Mitsuru. "So… what's the plan?"
Mitsuru rises, straightening her posture, her rapier firm in her hand.
"We need to find a way to hit the Fortune Arcana." She fixes her gaze on him. "Can you and Akihiko handle that?"
Hiro tilts his head slightly.
"Sure." He glances to the side. "Let's go, Akihiko."
Akihiko is already up. He flexes his fingers, adjusts his stance, and nods.
The two break into a run.
Farther ahead, Aigis remains focused, her mechanical eyes scanning the ground—analyzing the puddles of black liquid.
Aigis stands motionless for a few seconds.
Her eyes trace each puddle scattered across the cracked ground of the station.
Silence.
Aigis tilts her head slightly.
Her internal scanners begin emitting faint, rhythmic beeps.
She takes a step.
Then—Splash.
One of the puddles vibrates.
Circular ripples spread across the dark surface, as if something had just breathed beneath it.
Aigis's sensors flare.
She locks onto the specific puddle where the sound originated.
"Found you!"
Without hesitating, she lunges.
The asphalt cracks under the metallic impulse of her legs. She sprints in a straight line, each step heavy and precise.
She jumps, delivering a flying kick toward the puddle.
For a moment, it looks like she's kicking nothing.
Until her feet strike something solid.
A dry, echoing impact.
A metallic, distorted, furious shriek tears through the air.
The Fortune Arcana is forced to materialize.
The mechanical body appears as if being ripped out of its camouflage. Part of the side plating is dented where the kick hit.
The Shadow is thrown backward, soaring through the air—
But before it can recover, Hiro comes up behind it.
He glares at the Shadow with murderous intensity and, with a rough cry, raises his kukri overhead.
In one precise motion, he brings it down.
The kukri connects with the metal plating that forms the Shadow's "head."
The impact is brutal.
A chunk of the casing breaks off, flying aside and bouncing on the ground.
The Arcana of Fortune is driven downward by the force of the blow, cracking into the asphalt.
Hiro keeps the blade embedded for a second, breathing heavily, eyes burning.
"Got you, you piece of shit!"
The Shadow emits a broken, irregular noise, like failing gears.
The three of them surround the Shadow Arcana and begin beating it down.
Hiro rips the kukri out of the ground and strikes again countless times.
Akihiko follows with short, heavy punches, each one punctuated by metallic cracks.
Aigis delivers precise, calculated blows to structural points.
The Fortune Arcana tries to move.
But every attempt is interrupted by another hit.
Metal plates start to break off. Screws fly.
Internal cables are exposed, releasing small purple electrical sparks.
TO BE CONTINUED...