Chapter 72; No respite Pt:1

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

...Minato's Group...

At Moonlight Bridge, the air was thick with the rustling of Shadows, their grotesque bodies circling a pile of coffins that seemed to have been carefully gathered.

The only sounds filling the space were the guttural growls of the creatures and the subtle creaking of metal as they moved.

One of them, a bipedal and misshapen figure, raised its head, its hollow eyes turning toward a nearby alleyway.

A faint noise echoed from within, something small, calculated. The creature let out an irritated snarl and charged toward the sound.

Inside the alley, only overturned trash cans and rats scurrying among the debris could be seen. But something was there. The presence was palpable, as if it had been lured to that very spot.

Growling lowly, the Shadow advanced, smashing one of the trash cans with enough force to crush it against the wall.

The twisted metal flew aside, scattering garbage across the ground. But there was nothing there.

It grunted, confused, its head turning from side to side.

Then, a shout erupted from behind.

Hiro emerged from the shadows, spinning in the air before the Shadow could react.

He delivered a powerful kick to the creature's head, sending it crashing against the alley wall.

The impact resonated, dust and debris falling from the cracked concrete.

The Shadow let out a pained roar and tried to get up, but Hiro gave it no chance.

In one fluid motion, he pulled his kukri from inside his coat, spinning the blade in his hand.

With a single strike, he buried the blade in the creature's throat.

A dark liquid splattered as the Shadow convulsed violently, until Hiro wrenched the kukri free, decapitating it.

Its body dissolved into black mist, vanishing into the air.

Hiro let out a sigh, spinning the blade to clean it.

"That makes five..." He cast a glance toward the darkness of the alley. "You can come out now, it's clear."

From the depths of the alley, three figures emerged from the shadows.

Minato, Aigis, and Shinjiro quickly approached, their eyes scanning the street.

Shinjiro leaned against the wall, resting his battle axe on his shoulder. "How's it looking out there?"

Hiro peered beyond the alley, eyeing the horde of Shadows still roaming the area. "There are too many… and those coffins are too small for an adult. You were right, Aigis. The Shadows are gathering children." His gaze shifted to Minato. "What's the plan?"

The four huddled near the corner of the alley, observing the Shadows circling the coffins.

One of them, bulkier and more muscular, was patrolling the area, its empty eyes sweeping the surroundings.

Minato broke the silence. "Two of us should defend the coffins while the others deal with the Shadows."

Aigis nodded. "Minato-san, I request that you leave the coffins to Aragaki-senpai and me. You and Hiro-san can handle the Shadows in the street until Kirijo-senpai arrives with the others."

Before Minato could respond, a slender Shadow appeared at the alley's entrance, dragging a coffin.

It stopped, as if sensing the group's presence.

Hiro tightened his grip on the kukri, and the others prepared for combat.

But the creature only observed them for a moment… and then continued dragging the coffin away.

Shinjiro frowned, lowering his axe. "Another one… Why aren't they attacking us?"

"I don't know..." Minato shook his head and turned to Hiro. "Try contacting Mitsuru and the others."

Hiro nodded and looked up at the sky, his voice tense. "Guys, how are things on your end?"

Fuuka's telepathic power answered.

Akihiko's voice echoed in their minds. "We're reaching the residential area now. But, surprisingly, no Shadows have attacked us yet."

Hiro peered around the corner, watching the Shadows continue their movement. "I can't say the same. We've already faced at least five Shadows. They were weak, but they keep coming."

Junpei, in his usual carefree tone, chimed in. "So it's just a horde of weak Shadows? Well, I guess that's not so bad."

Yukari scoffed. "Oh, idiot! They might be weak, but there are too many of them. If we get surrounded, we're dead."

"Ahhh… yeah..." Junpei muttered. "I kinda forgot about that part."

Minato drew his sword, his voice serious. "Mitsuru, I think Aigis found something. It looks like the Shadows are gathering the coffins."

Mitsuru responded quickly, her tone sharp. "Gathering coffins? You mean the normal people?"

Shinjiro rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, that's it. Plus, it looks like they're performing some kind of ritual. And the coffins… they're small. Like…"

Yukari's voice turned more distressed. "Children… The Shadows are gathering children to consume them?"

Minato nodded. "Seems like it. But the strange thing is that some of them saw us and didn't do anything."

A deep growl echoed through the street.

The four of them turned simultaneously, their eyes locking onto the muscular Shadow now standing at the alley's entrance.

Its empty eyes bore into them before it roared again, its muscles tensing.

Hiro twirled the kukri in his hand, his eyes sharpening, his voice laced with urgency. "Shit… that big one just spotted us. Mitsuru, we have to fight now. We'll talk later."

Minato raised his sword, his eyes locked on Hiro. "Hiro, you're coming with me!"

Hiro nodded and glanced at Aigis and Shinjiro before speaking, "Protect the coffins! Be careful!"

Without hesitation, Hiro and Minato sprinted out of the alley, charging toward the massive, muscular Shadow.

The creature slammed the ground with force, roaring before lunging at them.

Hiro spun his kukri and slid beneath the creature's legs, his blade slicing precisely through the back of its knees.

The Shadow let out an irritated growl and dropped to its knees.

Minato seized the opening, his sword gleaming as he delivered a horizontal slash across the creature's chest, followed by a rising vertical strike that carved a deep gash.

Black liquid gushed from the wound.

Without wasting a second, Hiro grabbed the Shadow's head and drove his kukri into its forehead.

But instead of collapsing, the creature let out a deafening roar and slammed its elbow into Hiro's abdomen.

The impact sent pain rippling through his body, making him grunt in agony.

Gritting his teeth, Hiro yanked his kukri free and, with a swift downward strike, severed one of the creature's arms.

"Watch out!" Minato shouted as something moved behind Hiro.

Instinctively, Hiro dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a punch from another Shadow.

This one had a bipedal shape, but its body was grotesquely misshapen.

He spun and delivered a precise kick to the creature's stomach, making it stagger backward. Without hesitating, he lunged forward and drove his kukri into its gut.

With a shout of effort, he tore the Shadow open from the torso up, splitting it into a grotesque "V" as black liquid sprayed.

The creature dissolved into dark mist as Hiro kicked it away.

His gaze swept the battlefield, quickly analyzing the situation. There were still too many Shadows.

"Ah, shit... there's still a whole damn lot of them." He spun his kukri, his stance shifting into high alert.

On the other side, near the coffins, Shinjiro swung his massive battle axe, cutting down five Shadows with a single brutal motion.

"Aigis!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the street as he watched the android fire her built-in machine guns at the enemies. "Do you have any idea how many Shadows are here?"

Before Aigis could answer, a Shadow silently appeared behind Shinjiro and struck his shoulder with a metal pipe.

"Argh!" Shinjiro growled as pain shot through his arm.

He turned, fury burning in his eyes as he faced the creature.

With a swift motion, he slammed the axe handle into the Shadow's head.

The creature screeched in frustration, momentarily disoriented.

Before it could recover, Shinjiro grabbed its head and lifted it with raw strength before slamming it into the ground.

Without hesitation, he raised his foot and delivered a crushing stomp.

The Shadow's head shattered, spilling black liquid before vanishing into mist.

Meanwhile, Aigis continued firing, her eyes glowing as she activated her scanners.

"I have currently detected twenty Shadows nearby," she reported. "However, the command room's computer had identified a much larger number."

Before she could continue, the sound of footsteps came from behind.

Without even looking, Aigis grabbed the head of a Shadow that attempted to attack her from behind.

Her metallic grip tightened as she pointed her fingers at the back of its neck.

A single precise shot pierced through the Shadow's skull, making it disappear into mist.

Shinjiro, still catching his breath after kicking another Shadow away, clenched his teeth. "You're right... the computer showed at least seventy of them..."

On the other side of the battlefield, Hiro faced four Shadows at once.

His eyes analyzed their movements, scanning for openings.

When one of the Shadows lunged from the left with a piece of metal, he raised his kukri, deflecting the strike.

With a fierce shout, he twisted his blade and decapitated the creature with a single motion.

Without wasting a second, he stepped back, pulling out his Evoker and pressing it against his temple.

"Lucifer!" he roared.

The dry click of the trigger echoed. A brilliant light flared beside his head, and then, emerging from within him, his Persona appeared.

Lucifer spread his imposing wings and launched himself at two Shadows.

With brutal precision, he drove his arm through the torso of one of them and activated Eiga.

The creature let out an agonized shriek as countless black wires erupted from its body, consuming it entirely before it disintegrated.

The second Shadow tried to react, but Lucifer grabbed its head with his other hand and crushed it effortlessly, reducing it to dark mist.

Hiro swiftly holstered his Evoker, his gaze locking onto the last Shadow before him. With a fierce charge, he buried his kukri deep into its chest.

The Shadow let out a piercing screech, but its twisted arms shot up, grabbing Hiro's wrists.

"Tch..." he clicked his tongue in irritation, jerking his head back before slamming it brutally into the creature's face.

The impact sent the Shadow stumbling back, emitting a grotesque hiss. Hiro wasted no time. Clenching his fist, he delivered a direct punch to its head.

Still panting, he grabbed the Shadow's head with both hands.

With a sickening snap, its neck gave way. The Shadow's body convulsed in spasms before collapsing as Hiro yanked his kukri free in one swift motion.

"Are there still more?!" he asked between heavy breaths, his eyes scanning the debris-filled surroundings thick with smoke.

Across the street, the sound of metal slicing through flesh rang out.

Minato, his sword still buried in the muscular Shadow before him, pulled out his Evoker and pressed it against his head.

"Persona!" he shouted.

The sound of the trigger broke the air, and a white glow spread beside Minato's head.

The silhouette of Orpheus emerged behind him, its fingers gliding across the strings of its harp as it unleashed Agilao.

A fiery circle ignited beneath the Shadow's feet before erupting into flames.

The creature howled in agony, its body writhing as it burned away until nothing remained but dark mist.

Until the ground began to shake with monstrous force, as if something massive was approaching.

Shinjiro, Hiro, and Minato struggled to maintain their balance.

At first, the tremors were faint, like a distant rumble, but then they intensified, strong enough to crack the asphalt beneath Hiro's feet.

"Aigis! What's happening?!" Hiro shouted, trying to stay on his feet.

"I'm not sure!" Aigis responded, gripping a nearby pole. "It seems to be a Shadow… The tremor is not natural!"

The fissures in the asphalt spread like spiderwebs, reaching toward Hiro. The street beneath him suddenly gave way, sending him tumbling down.

"Hiro, get out of there!" Minato yelled, eyes wide.

"I know, dammit!" Hiro shot back, already scrambling to his feet.

The ground collapsed into a massive crater.

Hiro ran, the crumbling debris falling behind him like the jaws of a ravenous beast.

"Hiro-san, take my hand!" Aigis extended her arm as far as she could, her expression tense.

Hiro leaped. The moment played in slow motion in his mind—the wind cutting against his face, the sound of rubble crumbling around him. His fingers brushed against Aigis's fingertips… but he couldn't reach.

"Shit!" Hiro shouted before plummeting along with the debris.

He fell along with the wreckage.

A thick cloud of dust rose, shrouding his silhouette from the others' view.

Aigis stood frozen, her hand still reaching toward the place where Hiro had vanished.

"Hiro-san!" Aigis cried out, her voice laced with desperation.

"Goddamn it! Hiro!" Shinjiro ran to the edge of the pit, his eyes scanning frantically for any sign of his friend.

"Hiro! Can you hear me?!" Minato's voice echoed as he knelt at the edge, searching for Hiro.

The crater in the asphalt smoldered, the debris still settling.

No response. Only the distant sound of something metallic rolling among the rubble.

"HIROOO!" Minato yelled again, his voice reverberating into the depths of the pit.

Time seemed to stretch until muffled coughing broke the silence.

"I'm fine!" Hiro's hoarse voice finally rang out, and soon after, the dust began to settle.

Among the wreckage, Hiro's dirt-covered and battered figure appeared. Pushing a concrete beam off his shoulder, he stood up.

Parts of his coat were torn, scratches covered his forearm, and a thin cut ran along his left cheek. His disheveled hair was coated in dust.

"Fuck… How the hell am I still alive?!" Hiro muttered, placing his hands on his knees as he caught his breath.

Aigis sighed in relief, the tension visibly leaving her shoulders.

"Are you hurt?!" she called out, her voice filled with concern.

"No, I'm fine." Hiro waved a hand, brushing dust from his eyes.

"Can he get out of there?" Minato asked, looking at Shinjiro, still panting.

Shinjiro scanned the pit's edges and the scattered wreckage.

He shook his head. "No… He's stuck. Damn it..." His voice carried frustration.

Hiro twirled his kukri in his hand, scanning his surroundings.

Broken pipelines sparked, casting eerie flashes of light over the twisted debris.

The walls of the pit were too steep to climb. The air down there was heavy, thick with the scent of destruction.

A low, distorted sound reverberated through the wreckage.

First one, then another—until dozens of yellow eyes began appearing in the darkness.

Quadrupedal Shadows emerged from the debris, some resembling skeletal hounds, others with grotesquely elongated limbs and misshapen bodies.

Sweat dripped down Hiro's neck. He tightened his grip on the kukri, watching as the horde surrounded him.

"Shit..." he muttered through clenched teeth. "I'm surrounded..."