Chapter 74; No respite Pt:3

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

...Minato's Group...

Meanwhile, in the hole, Hiro kept fighting.

But his body was exhausted—his breathing was ragged, and his muscles burned with fatigue.

The blood flowing from his left shoulder had stopped, but it had already completely stained the upper left part of his coat.

The Shadows' attacks had torn parts of his clothing, exposing cuts and bruises, yet he was still standing.

Aigis raised her voice. "Hiro-san, get ready! I'm summoning Palladion now!"

Hiro spun the bloodstained kukri in his hand before putting away his Evoker. He looked up at the android. "Alright! Go for it!"

Aigis crouched slightly before thrusting her chest forward, arms spreading open.

"Palladion!"

Her internal Evoker activated, and the Persona emerged in the air above her.

Palladion locked eyes with Hiro before shooting toward him like a missile.

Hiro noticed a Shadow attempting to attack him from behind and reacted instantly, spinning his body and delivering a kick that sent the creature flying.

He then sprinted toward Palladion, his feet propelling him into a jump.

At the perfect moment, the Persona passed overhead. Hiro reached out and grabbed its metallic foot.

The Shadows tried to reach him, but it was too late. Palladion blasted upward, shooting out of the pit in a rapid ascent.

The wind whipped against Hiro's face as he was lifted, and when he looked down, he saw the darkness of the Shadows fading into the distance.

Then, he let go of the Persona and began to fall.

Cold air lashed against his face. His body spun briefly in the air.

Aigis sprinted toward him, calculating the trajectory. At the precise moment, she leaped and caught him midair, landing smoothly with him in her arms.

Hiro gasped, adrenaline still surging through his chest.

"Shit… I'm never doing that again…" he muttered, his voice drained.

Aigis gently set him down, but the moment his feet touched the ground, his legs gave out.

His exhausted, blood-soaked body simply collapsed, and he fell to his knees.

Pain throbbed in every muscle.

His body begged for rest.

Aigis observed him for a moment before opening a compartment embedded in her arm. From within, she retrieved a small, glowing crystal.

"This will help," she said, holding his wounded shoulder. "I'm going to break it now."

Hiro just nodded, too drained to argue.

Aigis raised her hand and crushed the Media Crystal against his wound.

A white light exploded outward, enveloping his body in a warm, soothing energy. Within seconds, the pain faded, and his injuries sealed as if they had never existed.

Hiro let out a relieved sigh and, now revitalized, stood up with much more ease.

He reached out and lightly ruffled Aigis's hair, a small smile appearing on his lips. "Thanks, Aigis. I really needed that."

She returned the smile but quickly turned her gaze toward Minato and Shinjiro.

Hiro frowned as he noticed Minato sitting inside a car while Shinjiro was pushing it from the back.

"Minato," Hiro called out, confused. "What the hell are you doing?"

Minato waved at Shinjiro, who stopped pushing the car and pulled his axe from his back.

Then, Minato pulled the handbrake, grabbed his sword, and stepped out of the vehicle.

"There's no time to explain…" He pointed at the werewolf Shadow, still fighting against Kastor. "But we need to lure it closer to the car. We're gonna blow it up with the car!"

Hiro blinked, utterly baffled by the plan.

"WHAT?! BLOW UP THE CAR?!" He shouted in disbelief.

Aigis nodded immediately. "It's an excellent idea, Minato-san. What should I do?"

Hiro looked from Aigis to Minato, unable to believe they were actually considering this.

For a second, he sought support from Shinjiro, who only shrugged.

Hiro let out a long sigh, rubbing his hand over his face. "Oh my god… Fine, I'll do it. But don't get us killed."

Wasting no time, he ran toward the Shadow alongside Shinjiro.

Minato moved to the side of the car and crouched, placing his hands under the chassis. "Aigis, help me flip the car over."

"Understood." Aigis ran to Minato.

The android positioned herself beside him, and together they applied force—but the vehicle barely budged.

Its weight made the task far more difficult than they had anticipated.

Meanwhile, the werewolf Shadow roared in fury and, with a brutal movement, broke free from Kastor's grip.

The Persona dissipated in a white glow as the creature charged toward Hiro and Shinjiro.

Hiro spun his kukri to face the beast's attack.

Its left claw came down in a brutal strike—but with precision, he drove his kukri into the Shadow's palm.

The creature let out a howl of pain, snarling at Hiro with glowing eyes full of hatred.

But it didn't see Shinjiro coming.

With a shout of effort, he raised his war axe and buried it into the Shadow's abdomen.

The beast's roar of agony echoed through the streets, but it refused to fall.

With its free hand, it swung a devastating punch at Hiro, landing a direct hit to his chest.

Hiro was thrown backward. His body twisted through the air before crashing violently against the asphalt, rolling several times before finally coming to a stop.

Shinjiro yanked his axe back and staggered a few steps, breathing heavily.

Hiro shook his head, trying to clear his dizziness. As his fingers curled, he felt something was missing.

He looked at his hand and realized his kukri was gone. "Shit… my kukri!"

His eyes darted to the Shadow. The blade was still lodged in its severed hand.

Now he was unarmed.

"Hiro!" Shinjiro shouted. "Catch!"

Hiro looked up just in time to see Shinjiro spinning on his heels and throwing his axe toward him.

But that moment of distraction cost him dearly.

As Shinjiro lowered his guard to throw the weapon, the werewolf Shadow lunged.

The creature raised its arm and, with brutal force, slashed at Shinjiro.

Its claws tore through his chest.

Blood erupted into the air, staining the ground a deep red.

Shinjiro let out a pained scream, his hands instinctively reaching for the wound before he collapsed onto his back.

Hiro felt his blood boil.

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"

He appeared through the smoke and dust, wielding Shinjiro's axe.

With a single brutal motion, he cleaved off the Shadow's left hand.

The creature howled in pain, stumbling back.

Hiro didn't waste any time. He rushed forward and ripped his kukri from the Shadow's severed hand, now gripping a weapon in each hand.

Shinjiro, still on the ground, looked up and saw the scene.

Hiro, drenched in blood, held the kukri in one hand and the war axe in the other.

Without hesitation, he charged.

With a furious cry, Hiro struck the Shadow in an unrelenting series of attacks.

Each blow made the creature wail in agony as it tried to retreat, but Hiro didn't let it.

The axe came down in a savage arc, tearing through the Shadow's stomach and spilling its blackened entrails onto the ground.

The beast tried to bite back, but Hiro ducked at the last second, never breaking his momentum.

With deadly precision, he drove his kukri into the creature's chest while simultaneously burying the axe into its neck.

Black ichor gushed, staining his face.

Hiro's eyes burned with fury as he glared at the creature.

The car groaned, its tires scraping against the asphalt as Aigis and Minato struggled to tip it over. But it wasn't enough.

Hiro was still locked in combat with the werewolf Shadow, and time was running out.

Aigis closed her eyes, calculating.

"Initiating system release. Disabling thermal regulators."

When she opened them again, her irises glowed like a blue flame.

Intense heat radiated from her body as her knees and shoulders ignited with blue light.

Steam hissed from the vents in her body, and a butterfly-like aura flickered around her torso.

Minato glanced at her and narrowed his eyes. "Aigis…"

She merely gripped the car's chassis tighter. "Orgia Mode, activated!"

The plate on her chest opened, revealing her pulsating core.

With one powerful push, Aigis flipped the car over in a single motion, the vehicle spinning through the air before crashing onto the asphalt.

Minato wasted no time. He plunged his sword into the fuel tank. "Aigis, help Hiro bring the Shadow over here!"

Aigis nodded and rushed toward Hiro.

Hiro still held the Shadow, his muscles taut as he drove the kukri deeper into the creature's chest.

The beast's agonized roars echoed through the dark streets, but it still fought, still resisted.

Then, a brutal impact struck its leg.

A sickening crack echoed as the Shadow's limb exploded into chunks of corrupted flesh and shattered bone, scattering across the pavement.

Hiro looked up just in time to see Aigis lowering her leg, the energy of her Orgia Mode crackling around her.

"Hiro-san, push it to the car now! I'll help!" Aigis commanded.

Hiro nodded without hesitation. "Got it!"

Aigis grabbed Shinjiro's war axe alongside Hiro.

Together, they began dragging the beast toward the overturned car.

The Shadow roared, its claws scraping against the ground in desperation. It thrashed, trying to stop its forced advance, but they didn't let up.

Hiro gritted his teeth, his fingers gripping so tightly his knuckles turned white.

For a brief moment, his eyes flickered red—but then returned to normal.

Aigis's feet dug into the asphalt, each step leaving deep indentations in the ground. The heat from her core pulsed in the air, her mechanical strength pushing past its limits.

Minato, standing beside the car, raised his sword. "NOW!"

With a final, unified cry, Hiro and Aigis hurled the Shadow against the vehicle.

It slammed into the wreck with a thunderous impact, gasoline splattering across its body and the asphalt.

Hiro and Minato didn't wait. They threw themselves to the ground, shielding their heads as Aigis retreated and activated her arm-mounted Gatling guns.

The gunfire echoed.

The first bullet struck the gasoline, igniting a small spark.

The spark became a flame.

Then, everything exploded.

The shockwave rippled through the street, shaking signs and shattering windows.

The car was torn apart in a violent inferno, engulfing the Shadow in a roaring blaze.

Aigis took a few steps back, the reflection of the fire flickering in her metallic eyes.

Hiro slowly pushed himself up, his lungs burning from the smoke.

He planted Shinjiro's axe into the ground and leaned on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

"Shit…" He spat blood onto the ground. "Finally…"

Minato stood beside him, wiping blood from his face with his sleeve. "I think this time, it's actually dead."

Aigis approached the flames, her sensors analyzing the charred remains of the Shadow. But something moved.

Before she could go after it, a firm hand grabbed her shoulder.

"WHAT?!" Hiro saw everything, his eyes widening in desperation. "AIGIS!"

"Go after it!" Minato said, his voice firm but urgent. "I'll take care of Aragaki!"

Hiro just nodded without hesitation and ran toward the building. The sound of destruction echoed ahead of him.

Meanwhile, Minato crouched beside Shinjiro, who was still sprawled on the ground.

Shinjiro looked at the distant explosion, incredulous. "For fuck's sake, is this damn Shadow ever gonna die?"

Inside the building, the Shadow showed no mercy.

It slammed Aigis from wall to wall, its ruthless strength smashing her against every surface.

Sparks burst from Aigis' body, her systems beeping frantically.

The Shadow crashed Aigis against the floor and wasted no time. It raised its remaining hand and started pounding her.

Each punch reverberated through the building, and Aigis was beginning to feel the limits of her systems.

But she didn't give up.

With superhuman effort, Aigis caught the Shadow's fist, the beeping of her systems ringing in her ears, warning that Orgia Mode was running out.

Her core pulsed intensely, but it wouldn't be able to sustain the charge much longer.

Then, Hiro appeared like a ghost.

With a battle cry, he lunged onto the Shadow's back, grabbing it by the neck.

The sound of metal slicing through flesh was almost deafening as he drove his kukri into the Shadow's chest over and over again.

Each strike echoed, the impact forcing agonized screams from the creature.

Finally, after so many blows, the Shadow dropped to its knees, its furious eyes fading, its body beginning to give out.

Hiro, breathing heavily, looked at Aigis. "Get up!"

Aigis rose and charged forward again like a raging bull, grabbing the Shadow by the waist with all her strength and shoving it backward.

Hiro wasted no time. With a murderous glare, he leaped back and then sprinted forward again, his eyes burning with the fury inside him.

"DIE ALREADY, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

...TO BE CONTINUED...