PERSONA 3 DEVIL'S HERALD

...06/08/2009 Thursday; Dark Hour...

...FULL MOON OPERATION...

The Shadow Arcana's cannon moved slowly, aiming at the group with menacing precision.

Before it could fire, Aigis's electronic voice cut through the tension.

"Jump!" she shouted, and everyone reacted instantly, leaping out of the cannon's trajectory.

The shot reverberated through the tunnel, a sound like thunder.

When the shell hit the ground, it created a crater, scattering debris into the air.

Hiro barely managed to land after a backward somersault, yelling in frustration and disbelief: "How the hell are we supposed to kill a tank without a bazooka?!"

Akihiko, full of determination, charged toward the Shadow.

Using all his strength, he struck the tank's underside with his knuckles.

The impact reverberated through his bones, a subtle but annoying pain radiating from the hit.

"This armor's tough!" Akihiko growled, stepping back and shaking his arm. "Physical attacks work, but they're almost useless!"

Fuuka, trying to stay calm, raised the Evoker to her forehead.

"Lucia!" she shouted, pulling the trigger.

The characteristic flash of the Evoker lit up behind her head, and Lucia emerged, floating protectively around her.

A wave of light pulsed out from the Persona like a sonar as Fuuka analyzed the Shadow Arcana.

Her eyes narrowed as she realized the creature was divided into two main parts.

"Protect Yamagishi until she's done analyzing!" Mitsuru commanded, raising her rapier. "Arisato, with me!"

Minato nodded, and he and Mitsuru advanced together.

The Shadow, now with its cannon reloaded, began turning it toward the group.

Mitsuru quickly circled the creature, positioning herself behind it where the cannon's aim would take longer to reach.

She raised her Evoker and pointed it at her own head.

"Penthesilea!" Mitsuru called out, pulling the trigger.

Shards of ice glittered in the air as Penthesilea appeared behind her.

The Persona spun its twin swords, unleashing Bufu, its ice magic. Spikes of ice formed behind Penthesilea and were hurled against the tank's armor.

This time, the attack worked. Fissures appeared in the plating, revealing its vulnerability to magic.

Minato scaled the Shadow, using his agility to climb toward the cannon.

With a swift motion, he pierced the top of the cannon with his sword.

A furious roar echoed from the Shadow as a sinister green light emanated from the cannon.

The tank's turret used Garu, wind magic, creating a powerful gust that threw Minato backward.

Before he could collide with the wall, Aigis leapt into the air, catching him and landing with a heavy thud. She carefully set him down.

"Minato-san, are you okay?" Aigis asked, activating her machine guns, ready to attack the Shadow.

Minato cracked his knuckles and raised his sword with determination.

"I'm fine. Looks like the cannon's weak to physical attacks."

Suddenly, the tank's body opened small vents, firing a barrage of missiles straight toward Fuuka.

"Fuuka!" Hiro shouted, panic evident in his voice as the missiles closed in on her.

Fuuka's eyes widened in shock, death seeming imminent.

But Junpei quickly stepped in front of her, raising his Evoker to his head.

"Hermes!" he cried, pulling the trigger.

Hermes appeared behind Junpei, flapping its wings and conjuring Agi, fire magic.

The frenzied flames engulfed the missiles, causing them to explode before they could reach Fuuka.

Yukari, holding her bow, aimed at the tank's cannon and fired an accurate shot, striking the opening that gave the gunner sight.

The cannon let out an angry screech, retaliating with a blunt shell aimed directly at her.

The shell traveled with incredible speed, hitting Yukari in the abdomen and slamming her into the wall with brutal force.

"Yukari!" Minato cried, alarmed at seeing her injured.

Hiro, staying focused, pulled out his Evoker and aimed it at his head.

"Persona!" he shouted, pulling the trigger.

But nothing happened. The activation sound played, but there was no flash.

"What? Now you decide not to work?!" Hiro exclaimed, incredulous.

Mitsuru noticed the Shadow Arcana's cannon turning toward Hiro and shouted, "Watch out!"

Hiro barely had time to react. He looked forward only to see the cannon fire a magical shell, a sphere of light that sliced through the air toward him, hitting him directly.

The impact was devastating, sending Hiro crashing into a pile of crates. His body burned with pain as the light magic exploited his weakness.

"Hiro!" Mitsuru cried out in despair, her voice echoing through the tunnel.

Fuuka, still deep in her analysis, began sweating, her voice trembling:

"No… please, Lucia, faster…"

Minato ran to Yukari, who was still struggling to catch her breath after the impact to her chest.

He gently held her face, his worry evident in his eyes.

"Take it easy, Yukari. Breathe. I'll heal you," he said, dropping his sword to the ground.

In one swift motion, Minato pulled out his Evoker, spinning it to switch Personas before pointing it to his own head.

"Titania!" he called, pulling the trigger.

A bright flash lit up behind his head as Titania, his Persona, materialized.

With the appearance of an elegant fairy, Titania's slender, graceful figure radiated calm. She wore a long, green dress adorned with golden, leaf-like patterns.

Her translucent wings glowed softly with a bluish-purple hue, and her blonde hair cascaded gracefully over her shoulders.

Titania placed her hand on Yukari's chest, and with a gentle motion, cast Diarahan, beginning to heal her wounds.

Yukari took a deep breath, feeling relief wash over her body as the healing spell took effect.

"Thank you... Minato. Sorry for letting my guard down," she said, still regaining her composure.

Minato, stowing the Evoker and picking up his sword again, replied firmly, "Don't mention it. Let's go. It's not over yet."

Meanwhile, under the pile of crates, Hiro was struggling to get back on his feet.

Pain throbbed throughout his body, but what troubled him most was the doubt gnawing at him.

Why didn't the Evoker work? His mind was filled with conflicting thoughts, until an unfamiliar voice echoed in his head.

"What's the problem? Having trouble ripping off your mask? Come on, I know you want to protect them. But your heart is so, so conflicted…" the voice taunted, dripping with sarcasm.

Hiro, trying to stand, asked with difficulty, "Who... are... you? I can't let them get hurt…"

The voice laughed, a cold, cruel sound.

"You live to kill. You are the one who brings death."

Hiro, filled with anger, raised the Evoker and pointed it at his head, yelling, "Shut the hell UP!"

He pulled the trigger again.

"Let's go, LUCIFER!"

This time, the Evoker activated, and a red flash blazed behind Hiro's head.

Lucifer, his Persona, emerged, pushing the debris away and allowing Hiro to stand.

Lucifer flew toward the Shadow Arcana, extending its hands toward it.

With a decisive gesture, it cast Mamudoon, an advanced dark magic spell.

A massive purple hand erupted from the ground, delivering a crushing blow to the Shadow's shell, leaving it visibly damaged.

Lucifer vanished, and Hiro, now recovered, ran back into the fight, positioning himself beside Mitsuru.

Mitsuru, relieved to see Hiro on his feet, asked, "Hiro, are you alright?"

Hiro stowed the Evoker and spun his scimitar, a determined smile spreading across his face.

"I'm fine. Barely hurt."

The Shadow, in a final act of resistance, aimed its cannon at Akihiko and fired a magical ice bullet.

Akihiko barely had time to react, jumping to the side and narrowly avoiding the shot.

"That was close," he muttered, breathing a sigh of relief.

At that moment, Fuuka, still deep in her analysis, opened her eyes to speak.

"Lucia's finished!"

Junpei, eager for answers, turned to Fuuka.

"So, what do we do?"

Fuuka closed her eyes again, processing the information Lucia had gathered.

She mentally mapped out the Shadow's resistances and weaknesses, formulating a strategy.

Then she shouted for everyone to hear, her voice filled with urgency: "The turret is weak to physical attacks, but don't use magic on it—it's immune! For the tank's body, use magic, physical attacks are almost useless! And Sanada-senpai, don't use Polydeuces—this Shadow can absorb lightning attacks!"

Minato, an idea forming in his mind, spun his Evoker to quickly switch Personas.

"Akihiko! Junpei! Use your Personas to rip the cannon off!"

Akihiko and Junpei charged toward the Shadow while Aigis began firing her embedded machine guns, aiming directly at the cannon.

The gunfire echoed through the tunnel, eliciting irritated cries from the Shadow.

Wasting no time, Akihiko pulled out his Evoker and pointed it at his forehead. "Polydeuces!"

Junpei, equally determined, pressed the Evoker to his own head. "Persona!"

They pulled the triggers simultaneously, activating their Evokers.

Polydeuces and Hermes materialized behind them, ready to attack.

Polydeuces darted toward the Shadow Arcana, its needle striking at the joints of the cannon, while Hermes unleashed a frantic flurry of kicks.

The Shadow howled in agony, but suddenly, a blast of wind erupted, throwing everyone to the ground.

Hermes and Polydeuces vanished as the group scrambled to steady themselves against the force of the wind.

Akihiko, struggling against the gusts, shouted, "Fuuka! What's happening?"

Fuuka, her voice filled with concern, replied,

"I don't know! It looks like the Shadow is splitting!"

Hiro, gripping Mitsuru's hand, looked confused. "What? Splitting?"

At that moment, the Shadow's cannon began to sprout wings and, with a swift motion, separated from the chassis, revealing its true form as the Justice Arcana.

The figure now had a metallic chest plate, a pair of stubby legs, and a helmet-like head.

Mitsuru, alarmed, murmured, "I was wondering where the second Shadow Arcana was hiding."

Meanwhile, the chassis began to morph. The treads detached, transforming into arms and legs, and the Shadow's body rose, adopting a bipedal stance.

Hiro, incredulous and irritated, exclaimed, "Oh, great! Now the tank walks?! What the hell?!"

Aigis, determined, sprinted toward the Justice Arcana. "We need to take down the Justice Arcana first!"

She unleashed a barrage of bullets, but the tank-like Arcana moved swiftly, positioning itself in front of the Justice Arcana and deflecting the shots off its armored surface.