Chapter 56; The frenzy Pt:2

...05/09/2009 Saturday; Dark Hour...

...FULL MOON OPERATION...

Outside, Akihiko had Polydeuces summoned.

Polydeuces raised his arm, its sharp blade gleaming before he drove it straight into Kastor's head, tearing a furious scream from the Persona.

Kastor released Shinjiro, who was on the verge of losing consciousness.

At that moment, Palladion, Aigis's Persona, flew toward Shinjiro, catching him mid-air and quickly carrying him to where Yukari was.

Hiro, shouting, joined the battle. "Akihiko! Try to lead Kastor to the fountain!"

"Got it!" Akihiko responded, locking eyes with Kastor.

Polydeuces and Kastor were now exchanging furious blows.

Each strike echoed through the shopping mall, sparks of power radiating every time Polydeuces' blades and Kastor's fists clashed.

Aigis, noticing the opportunity, extended her hand toward Akihiko. "Akihiko-san, take my hand."

He grabbed it firmly, and with surprising strength, Aigis lifted him and spun him mid-air before hurling him directly at Kastor.

Akihiko landed on Kastor's horse's neck, gripping the reins tightly.

Yanking them hard, he steered Kastor toward the fountain in the center of the mall.

The world around Hiro seemed to slow down, and he felt his soul detaching from his body, which continued running.

It was as if he were watching himself from a distance, a mere spectator as the chaos around him moved in slow motion.

Above the battle between Kastor and Polydeuces, Lucifer floated, his wings beating slowly, his cold laughter slicing through the air.

"Well, well... It looks like you don't care about holding back anymore," Lucifer said, his smile dripping with perverse delight.

Hiro clenched his teeth, irritated. "You're trying to drive me insane!"

Lucifer, without losing his grin, crossed his arms as if amused by a rebellious child.

"Am I now?.. I only wish to show you what you truly are. You will bring death to them all, and I… I just want to help you."

Lucifer's words pierced Hiro, stirring a mix of rage and doubt.

"Help? You just want to turn me into a monster! But I... I'm not a monster! I want... I want to save them!"

Lucifer's laughter echoed, even more chilling.

He raised a hand to his head as if contemplating something distant, then fixed his eyes directly on Hiro's.

"You're right... He *is* special..." Lucifer whispered, his smile twisting even more sinister before placing his hands on Hiro's shoulders. "Very well… if you wish to kill, let me help you."

Suddenly, Hiro was yanked back to reality.

The noise around him roared back at full force, and he didn't hesitate.

The Evoker was loaded with the Theurgy cartridge, and he aimed it at his own head.

"Lucifer, COPY!" Hiro shouted, pulling the trigger.

A red flash burst from the other side of his head, and for a brief instant, his eyes shone a deep crimson.

But they quickly returned to normal.

Lucifer emerged, but something was different this time. Behind Hiro, Penthesilea, Mitsuru's Persona, also appeared.

Yukari, confused, widened her eyes. "Hiro… is using Mitsuru-senpai's Persona?"

Akihiko, still gripping Kastor's reins, glanced at the scene, bewildered. "How is he…? Whatever. HIRO! NOW!" he yelled.

With a leap, Akihiko threw himself off, and Kastor crashed violently into the fountain.

The water, now tainted red, drenched the Persona, slowing its movements.

Hiro, now eerily calm, whispered, "Diamond Dust."

Lucifer raised his arm, where Penthesilea's blue gauntlet had formed.

With a single motion, he invoked Diamond Dust, Mitsuru's signature ice magic.

A wave of frost rapidly spread through the shopping mall, sending a bone-chilling breeze across the battlefield.

With a wicked grin, Lucifer snapped his fingers, summoning countless ice spears that impaled Kastor from all directions.

The Persona let out a final, tormented scream before being completely frozen, its form now a massive ice statue at the fountain's center.

Lucifer and Penthesilea vanished into the air, the power of Theurgy gradually fading. Hiro felt his body growing heavy, dropping to his knees as he panted.

His breath was ragged, still processing the impact of using the cartridge.

Akihiko ran toward him, worry evident in his eyes. "Hiro, how did you use Mitsuru's Persona?"

Hiro slowly lifted his head, wiping away the blood trickling into his eye. "It must… it must be my Theurgy. I think I can copy one of your Personas' abilities."

His gaze drifted to the wrecked pharmacy, where Mitsuru was helping Fuuka stand.

"Go check on Shinjiro. I'll see how Fuuka's doing. A shard of glass went through her arm."

Akihiko opened his mouth to protest, but Shinjiro's bloody cough caught his attention.

Without hesitation, he ran to his friend, leaving Hiro to go on his way.

Entering the destroyed pharmacy, Hiro saw Mitsuru, her eyes relieved as she took in the sight of him standing after using Theurgy.

She gave a faint smile, fighting back the tears that threatened to well up.

"Are you okay?" Mitsuru's voice was heavy with concern.

Hiro shook his head, wiping away the blood still staining part of his face. "Yeah. What about you two?"

"I'm fine, but we need to take care of her arm," Mitsuru replied, gently holding Fuuka's injured limb.

Hiro knelt beside Fuuka, seeing how hard she was trying not to scream in pain.

Her eyes were glossy, and she bit her lip, struggling not to break.

"Easy, it's okay," he murmured, brushing a tear from her cheek. "We'll fix this."

Fuuka nodded, trying to stay composed. "But… it hurts… I can't move my right arm…"

Hiro examined the wound carefully, his eyes narrowing at the shard of glass embedded in her forearm. "I know. But we'll get it out, okay?"

He looked at Mitsuru. "Can we remove it?"

Mitsuru shook her head. "If we try, it could hit an artery. We're lucky it's not bleeding too much."

Outside, Aigis's metallic voice rang out. "Hiro-san! Kirijo-senpai! Is everything alright?!"

Hiro carefully lifted Fuuka in his arms. "We're fine! We're coming out!" He stepped outside, Mitsuru following close behind.

The scene around the fountain felt frozen in time. Kastor stood petrified in ice, a haunting, imposing statue.

Akihiko knelt beside Shinjiro while Aigis pressed down on a wound on Minato's shoulder.

Blood trickled down, carrying with it a black fragment that flew off into the distance.

The purple veins that had tainted Minato's skin began to fade, and his once-clouded eyes refocused.

"Minato. Can you hear me?" Yukari asked, her voice trembling with worry.

Minato blinked, disoriented. "Yeah… Where's the Shadow Arcana?"

Mitsuru crouched beside him, her expression finally easing. "We killed it. Kastor's rampage was the real problem. Everyone's safe now. Aigis, help Hiro treat Yamagishi."

Hiro, still carrying Fuuka, turned to Shinjiro. "What about you? How are you holding up?"

Shinjiro coughed, spitting more blood. "I'll live… Just take care of Fuuka."

Carefully, Hiro set Fuuka down as Aigis approached, activating her scanners to analyze the wound.

"Hiro-san, hold her arm like this," Aigis instructed, guiding him as she steadied Fuuka's limb. "I'm removing the glass now."

Ken, watching from a distance, couldn't tear his eyes away from Kastor's frozen form.

The monster that had destroyed his life. Shinjiro's Persona.

His thoughts suffocated him until he felt something warm and familiar against his leg.

Looking down, he saw Koromaru rubbing against him, trying to comfort him.

Ken offered a faint smile, running a hand through the dog's fur. "I'm okay, boy. Thanks for asking."

As Ken stroked Koromaru, something on the ground caught his eye—a faint glimmer reflecting off the icy floor.

Curiosity drove him to pick up the small shard—the same one that had come from Minato's shoulder when Aigis pressed the wound.

He walked over to Mitsuru, extending his hand with the shard. "Kirijo-senpai, what is this?"

Mitsuru took the shard from Ken's hand and examined it, her sharp eyes immediately recognizing the material.

"This is a crystallized fragment of a Shadow," she explained, turning the small crystal between her fingers.

"Sometimes, when we're wounded by a Shadow, fragments can embed themselves in our bodies. In rare cases, these fragments crystallize, and if we don't remove them, they can poison our bloodstream."

Before they could continue, a sharp scream interrupted the conversation.

Fuuka was writhing in pain, tears streaming down her face as Aigis, with extreme precision, removed the large shard of glass from her arm.

It was an impressive piece, about five centimeters long, dripping with blood, though not as much as expected.

"Shh, easy," Hiro murmured, his voice gentle as he held Fuuka in a reassuring way.

When the shard was finally removed, Hiro ran his hand over Fuuka's head and whistled for Koromaru. "Come here, boy. I need to grab something from your kit."

Koromaru ran to Hiro, barking in response, and approached as Hiro patted his head.

He quickly opened the small first aid kit attached to the dog's vest and pulled out a Media Crystal.

Holding Fuuka's arm with one hand, he crushed the crystal over her wound with the other.

A soft white glow covered the injury, and the bleeding stopped as the wound began to close.

Hiro looked into Fuuka's eyes. "Better now?"

Still a bit pale, Fuuka smiled gratefully. "Yes... thank you."

Ken, watching the scene, turned to Mitsuru with determination. "Kirijo-senpai, what do we do now?"

Mitsuru stood up and pulled a small vial from her belt, carefully placing the crystallized Shadow fragment inside.

"We need to return to the dorm and find Iori. Also, we have to get Arisato and Aragaki back so they can recover."

Minato, struggling, tried to stand up on his own. "Let's go back... We need to find Junpei."

Yukari placed a hand on Minato's neck and immediately noticed his fever. "Minato, you're burning up!"

He was breathing heavily, but his stubbornness remained. "I'm fine."

Mitsuru turned to Aigis with a serious expression. "Aigis, help Arisato walk."

Suddenly, Fuuka frowned, her body tensing for a moment.

A chill ran down her spine, and she immediately stood up, alarmed.

Without hesitation, she pulled out her Evoker and pressed it against her forehead.

"Lucia!" she shouted, pulling the trigger.

Fuuka's Persona materialized around her as she closed her eyes, focusing.

The connection formed, and the search for Junpei's trail began.

For a few moments, everything was silent until the image became clear.

Fuuka opened her eyes, confused. "I found Junpei-san! But… why could Lucia locate him now?"

Akihiko looked at her in surprise. "What? You found him?"

Hiro scratched his head, trying to process the information. "Where is he?"

Fuuka glanced around, still trying to understand. "He seems to be on the dorm rooftop... But why did Lucia only manage to track him now?"

Shinjiro, struggling to stand, spoke firmly. "Let's go! Before he disappears again!"