Chapter 70; Blade Fight Pt:2

...10/09/2009 Thursday; Dark Hour...

...Mitsuru's Group...

A Shadow roared in fury, its claws pressing Akihiko even harder against the coffin.

He felt the air being forced out of his lungs as the creature raised its fist and delivered a direct punch to his face.

The impact was like an electric shock jolting through his skull. The crack of breaking bone echoed in the brief silence between blows, and he felt warm blood trickling from his nose.

But the Shadow didn't stop.

Another punch. Then another.

Akihiko's lip split open, the metallic taste of blood spreading through his mouth.

Each blow was brutal, and his vision started to blur.

He knew he couldn't keep taking hits like this.

With a hoarse, irritated growl, Akihiko forced his eyes open and saw the Shadow raising its fist once more.

This time, he reacted.

With a quick reflex, he raised his hands and caught the creature's fist before it could strike his face again.

"Get off me, you bastard!" he snarled, trying to push it away.

But the Shadow didn't relent.

With its free hand, it grabbed Akihiko's head and slammed it against the coffin.

The coffin's lid scraped against his skin, blood dripping from his forehead and staining the engraved samurai crest.

And then something strange happened.

The symbol glowed, as if it were absorbing the blood.

The Shadow seemed to notice.

The way it was pressing Akihiko's head against the lid was no longer just mindless brutality.

It was doing this on purpose.

Akihiko struggled to break free, but the creature's grip was too strong. Pain throbbed in his skull, his breathing growing unsteady.

Then, a bark echoed through the street.

A blur of white and speed—Koromaru leapt onto the Shadow's shoulder.

The knife he carried gleamed for a brief moment before sinking deep into the creature's throat.

Koromaru let out a low growl and, with a fierce motion, tore through the Shadow's neck.

The creature let out a distorted shriek before dissolving into black mist.

Akihiko gasped, trying to steady his breath. "Whew… Thanks, Koromaru."

The small dog barked a few times before dashing toward Yukari, who was still providing cover for Junpei.

Mitsuru rushed over to Akihiko, her eyes scanning his condition. "Are you alright?"

Akihiko wiped the blood from his nose. "I've been better. Felt like that thing was using my head as a tablecloth."

Minato's voice came through telepathy, tense. "Mitsuru, how much longer over there?"

She lifted her gaze to the sky, assessing the situation. "We've cleared most of them. Why?"

The response was quick, Shinjiro's voice filled with urgency. "A big Shadow just showed up here. I tried to reach Hiro, but he's stuck."

Yukari, keeping her eyes on the battlefield, fired a precise arrow into a Shadow's head. "And you can't help him?"

"Aigis is shooting from where we are," Minato explained. "But if we go down there, the Shadows will reach the coffins."

Aigis's voice followed soon after, calculated but with a note of warning. "Mitsuru-senpai. I have detected an energy signature emerging from your location. Proceed with caution."

Junpei, breathless, finished off the hand-shaped Shadow with a final swing of his sword. "What do you mean, 'energy signature'?"

But before anyone from the other group could respond, silence fell over the communication.

Yukari frowned, lowering her bow slightly. "Guys? Can you hear us?"

No response.

Mitsuru narrowed her eyes. "Something's wrong…"

The coffin behind them exploded, the blast shaking the ground like thunder, the shockwave hurling Akihiko and Mitsuru away.

Both of them rolled across the asphalt, feeling their skin scrape against the concrete.

A sharp ringing filled Mitsuru's ears as she struggled to regain focus.

Akihiko, lying on his side, reached for his aching shoulder.

"What the hell..." He spat a bit of blood onto the ground before forcing himself up.

Junpei, Yukari, and Koromaru ran toward them, tension written all over their faces.

Yukari extended a hand to Mitsuru, helping her up. "Are you okay?"

Mitsuru blinked a few times, still slightly dazed, accepting Yukari's hand to stand. "Yes… but what just happened?"

All eyes turned toward the center of the explosion.

The thick smoke was still dissipating, but within it, a silhouette emerged.

It was an older man.

His graying hair was disheveled, his Japanese-style sleeping robes slightly torn from the impact.

Slowly, he rose to his feet, his eyes scanning the scene around him.

The green sky, the stacked coffins. And behind him, a massive tower in the distance, its countless clocks spinning meaninglessly.

"Where am I?" His voice sounded confused. "I was just in my bed a second ago..."

Junpei stepped forward, sheathing his sword on his back but keeping his stance cautious.

"Sir. Step away from the coffins," he said, raising his hands in a calming gesture.

The old man looked at them, finally noticing the four wounded youths, their weapons still in hand.

His eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Who are you? Stay away from me."

Mitsuru straightened, her voice firmer. "Sir, please, don't stand near those coffins."

"Why should I?" the old man retorted, narrowing his eyes.

And then something cut through the air.

A black stake pierced the man's chest.

He tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond.

The agonizing pain of the stake made it impossible to breathe properly.

His vision blurred, and he saw creatures emerging from the houses, approaching—not as distant figures, but as a rising, ravenous tide.

The Shadows leaped onto him, one after another. Their viscous bodies wrapped around his limbs, his hands, his face.

The group watched, frozen, as the creatures merged with the old man's body like a thick, black liquid.

The substance slithered over his limbs, coating his skin, seeping into his flesh.

Akihiko's eyes widened. "They're… they're..."

The man tried to scream, but his mouth was consumed by the suffocating black substance.

His body convulsed as his muscles began to twist, his joints snapping into unnatural positions.

Junpei took a step back, eyes wide. "They're... fusing with him?"

The sound of bones shifting echoed through the air.

The old man's body grew, his skin vanishing beneath the mass of darkness that reshaped itself around him.

The humanoid form distorted—his arms broadened, his legs thickened, and a white glow began to emerge from within the darkness.

Slowly, the black substance hardened.

The white light spread across his transformed body, revealing an ancient, imposing armor, gleaming like ivory under the spectral glow of the Dark Hour.

A metallic sound rang out as the creature straightened itself.

Where the old man once stood, now loomed a massive figure—a samurai clad in white armor.

On his back, he carried an odachi, and at his waist, a smaller katana, secured to his belt.

The energy around him pulsed with an overwhelming presence.

The Shadow raised its head. Its rigid, calculated posture radiated the discipline of a warrior.

Without hesitation, it drew the katana from its sheath.

The whisper of steel slicing through the air cut through the silence of the night.

The creature leaned forward slightly, assuming a combat stance.

Mitsuru took a deep breath. "What did they do to him?"

The Shadow Samurai slid one foot back—a minimal movement.

In the blink of an eye, it vanished.

A chill ran down Mitsuru's spine even before her eyes registered the dark blur behind her.

Instinct took over before she could even think—she ducked at the last second.

The metallic sound of a katana slicing through the air barely missed the top of her head.

Yukari's eyes widened. "It's so fast…"

Akihiko didn't waste a second. He pulled out his Evoker and pressed it against his temple.

"Polydeuces!" he shouted, pulling the trigger.

The gunshot echoed, and in a burst of blue energy, Polydeuces emerged behind him.

The Persona raised its arm, its glowing needle-like lance gleaming, and threw a punch at the Shadow Samurai.

But the Shadow leaned back with surgical precision, dodging by a hair's breadth.

Its katana gleamed as it gripped the hilt with both hands and leapt, spinning mid-air.

Its body passed over Polydeuces' arm, and in the same motion, its blade slashed multiple times across the Persona's chest.

The cuts were shallow, but Polydeuces let out a cry of pain.

Akihiko stumbled back a step, instinctively clutching his chest.

A burning sensation spread through the wounds, as if his skin were being seared from the inside out.

His eyes darted to Polydeuces' chest.

Where the katana had struck, a kanji had formed—the symbol for pain.

The Shadow Samurai landed lightly on the ground and flipped backward, its dark gaze locked onto Akihiko.

With a cold, precise gesture, it pointed its hand at Polydeuces.

The kanji glowed violently.

Polydeuces screamed—a cry that didn't come from just the Persona, but from Akihiko himself, their voices merging into one.

A raw, agonizing pain tore through his body—something beyond the physical.

He collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. His vision blurred as Polydeuces disappeared in a fading blue light.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru shouted in alarm as she pushed herself up.

Junpei didn't hesitate. Sword in hand, he lunged forward, swinging it in a horizontal slash toward the Shadow Samurai.

With a fluid motion, the Shadow twirled its katana and blocked the attack with ease.

Mitsuru tightened her grip on her rapier and shot a look at Yukari. "Takeba, check on Akihiko!"

"Got it!" Yukari slung her bow onto her back and rushed toward Akihiko.

Mitsuru wasted no time. Her rapier gleamed as she thrust forward in rapid succession, aiming for the Shadow's chest.

The creature took half a step back, but in an instant, it recovered and, with a swift movement, pushed Junpei's sword aside.

With its free hand, it grabbed Mitsuru's rapier, stopping her advance.

Mitsuru clenched her teeth and glanced toward Junpei. "Iori! Attack now!"

Junpei didn't hesitate. With a quick pivot, he spun on his heels and slashed downward from behind, his sword arcing toward the Shadow Samurai.

The Shadow raised its katana at the last second, blocking Junpei's strike with a loud metallic clash.

But Mitsuru acted fast.

She lifted her leg in a precise kick to the creature's knee.

The Shadow staggered, instinctively lowering itself to maintain balance.

Mitsuru seized the moment. "Keep pressing it!"

She and Junpei advanced together, their blades spinning in a coordinated assault.

Relentless strikes rained down on the Shadow, but it moved like a specter, parrying every attack with inhuman reflexes.

Blue flames trailed behind their swords as the battle's intensity surged.

Metal clashed in a frenzied rhythm—a deadly dance between hunters and prey… but the Shadow was far from the prey.

It deflected, countered, and evaded. No wasted movements.

Mitsuru attempted a thrust toward its back, but the Shadow turned at the last second.

Its katana gleamed as it sliced through the air, heading straight for Mitsuru.

Junpei reacted without thinking.

He stepped in front of Mitsuru, gripping his sword tightly, and intercepted the Shadow's attack before it could reach her.

The blades collided, sparks flying on impact.

Junpei's muscles tensed.

He bit his lip, feeling the crushing weight of the enemy's katana trying to force him to the ground.

"This thing…" He gritted his teeth. "It's too damn fast."

His eyes darted to Mitsuru. "Senpai… a little help here?!"

Then, Mitsuru had an idea—using her Evoker on Junpei.

She didn't hesitate, pulling out her Evoker. "Iori, use Hermes to push it back! I'll summon him for you!"

Junpei nodded, his arms trembling under the pressure of the Shadow. "Do it!"

Mitsuru pressed the Evoker against the back of Junpei's head and pulled the trigger.

The shot rang out.

A burst of white light erupted from Junpei, and Hermes materialized beside the Shadow Samurai.

With an agile spin, the Persona raised its hands and channeled Agilao, the strongest fire spell.

A searing flame ignited and blasted toward the Shadow.

The impact was immediate.

The creature's left arm was engulfed in flames.

It recoiled, letting out a distorted screech of irritation, the symbols on its armor pulsing feverishly.

Junpei dropped to the ground, feeling the crushing force of the enemy's pressure suddenly vanish. He gasped for air, rubbing his sore wrists.

"Damn…" He looked up at the still-burning figure. "It felt like I was holding up a car."