PERSONA 3 DEVIL'S HERALD

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

...FULL MOON OPERATION...

The Justice Arcana, now free, flapped its wings and fired a bolt of lightning directly at Aigis.

The impact was devastating, causing a short circuit in her systems and forcing her to her knees.

Before she could recover, the Chariot Arcana kicked her hard, sending her flying into Fuuka, who barely had time to brace for the impact.

Fuuka, clutching her head after the collision, whispered desperately, "Aigis! No..."

Taking a deep breath, she tried to steady herself and gave new instructions. "Sanada-senpai, the Chariot Arcana is vulnerable to electricity. Do not target the Justice Arcana—it absorbs electric attacks."

Hearing Fuuka's words, Minato noticed Akihiko about to use his Evoker. "Akihiko, not yet! The Justice Arcana might step in!"

Akihiko quickly put away his Evoker and charged toward the Chariot Arcana.

With an agile leap, he delivered three powerful punches to the creature's face, attempting to weaken it.

The Justice Arcana, seizing the opportunity, flapped its wings and positioned itself for a clear shot at Akihiko, firing a magical ice bullet.

Mitsuru, realizing the imminent danger, didn't hesitate. She drew her Evoker and pointed it at her head. "Persona!"

Pulling the trigger, Penthesilea appeared behind her.

Flying swiftly, the Persona intercepted the ice bullet, which dissipated harmlessly due to Penthesilea's immunity to ice.

Penthesilea twirled her twin swords, unleashing a series of rapid, precise slashes, but the Chariot Arcana retaliated with a powerful punch, slamming Penthesilea into the wall.

The impact cracked the Persona's chest plate, and Mitsuru felt a sharp pain in her abdomen as if she'd taken a direct hit herself.

Minato, seeing the situation worsen, quickly switched Personas. "Orpheus!"

He pulled the trigger on his Evoker, summoning Orpheus, who appeared behind him, ready for action.

The Persona strummed its lyre, launching flames at the Chariot Arcana and burning one of its tread-like arms.

Orpheus then lunged at the Justice Arcana, striking it with the lyre in a powerful blow that cracked its helmet.

Determined, Yukari raised her Evoker and pressed it against her forehead. "I can't back down! Io!"

Io appeared, and Yukari directed a stream of wind at the Chariot Arcana, pinning it against the wall. "Go! Attack Justice! I'll hold the Chariot!"

Mitsuru looked worriedly at Yukari and shouted, "Takeba! Using the Evoker so many times in a row will drain you!"

Yukari, yelling back, insisted, "I know! But someone has to hold one of them so the rest of you can attack the other. Please, go!"

Without hesitation, the others charged at the Justice Arcana.

With a primal scream, Hiro leaped and slashed off one of the creature's wings, sending it crashing to the ground.

Mitsuru, Akihiko, Junpei, Hiro, and Minato began pummeling the Shadow, delivering relentless strikes with their weapons.

Each blow caused parts of the Arcana to vanish, while it screamed in despair, pleading for help from the Chariot Arcana.

Meanwhile, Yukari continued pulling the trigger on her Evoker repeatedly, keeping Io focused on the wind currents.

But with each pull, her energy drained further, exhaustion creeping into every fiber of her body.

When she pulled the trigger again, the Evoker activated, but Yukari coughed up blood.

Minato, focused on beating down the Justice Arcana, noticed Yukari falling to her knees.

Desperate, he shouted, "Yukari!"

At that moment, the Justice Arcana unleashed a lightning shockwave, knocking everyone back.

Akihiko managed to stay on his feet thanks to his lightning resistance, but the Chariot Arcana hurled a chunk of the wall at him, striking his head and leaving him dazed.

Groaning in pain, Akihiko struggled to rise. "Ugh... my head..."

Minato, still reeling from Orpheus's weakness against lightning, saw the Chariot Arcana approaching Yukari, who was coughing and struggling to stand.

She looked at her blood-stained hand and then up to see the Chariot Arcana towering over her.

"No..." Yukari whispered, terror creeping into her voice.

She grabbed her Evoker from the ground and pressed it to her head, pulling the trigger, but nothing happened.

Io wouldn't respond, and Yukari knew she couldn't summon her Persona again.

"Please... work... Io, please, show up..." Yukari begged, terror growing as she repeatedly pulled the trigger.

Hiro, struggling to his feet after the shockwave, screamed with all his might, "NO!"

The Chariot Arcana raised its arm, ready to deliver a final blow to Yukari.

She closed her eyes, bracing for the fatal strike. "I'm sorry... Dad..." she whispered, resigned.

The Arcana's arm descended forcefully, dust rising around them and obscuring everyone's view.

Minato cried out in desperation, "Yukari!"

Junpei, in shock, exclaimed, "No! Yuka-chan!"

Hiro, who was rushing toward Yukari, stopped suddenly.

What he saw made his blood boil, and for a brief moment, his eyes glowed red before returning to normal.

"You bastard!" Hiro roared in fury.

As the dust settled, everyone saw that the Chariot Arcana had missed its strike.

Yukari, dazed, opened her eyes to see Aigis holding the Arcana's arm.

"Aigis..." Yukari murmured in relief.

Aigis, with narrowed eyes, firmly declared, "You will not harm her."

Her shoulders and knees began to glow intensely, her fingers turning red-hot, indicating an imminent overload.

"Initiating system release. Disabling thermal regulators. Overload mode activated," Aigis announced as her chest plate opened, emitting a bright blue light from within.

With immense strength, Aigis lifted the Chariot Arcana, stunning everyone.

"Holy shit!" Hiro exclaimed in disbelief.

Aigis, her expression robotic and determined, announced, "Orgia Mode activated!"

She hurled the Chariot Arcana across the area with overwhelming force. Then, placing her hand over her chest, the panel protecting her core opened further.

"I will protect everyone. No matter the cost," Aigis declared as a blue aura enveloped her body, resembling a butterfly, amplifying the glow of her joints and tiara.

"Hiro-san! Get Yukari-san out of here!" Aigis commanded, crouching and readying herself for the next attack.

"Got it," Hiro replied, sheathing his scimitar and running to pick up Yukari in his arms.

He quickly carried her back to the group.

Aigis charged at the Chariot Arcana like a raging bull.

Her kicks created small blue explosions, each strike forcing the Arcana to recoil as its body sustained heavy damage.

Watching Aigis fight, Hiro asked, "What did Aigis do?"

Yukari, weak and barely conscious, answered in a trembling voice, "It's her Orgia Mode... trust her..."

Hiro gently placed Yukari on the ground and began unfastening her vest to help her breathe more easily.

Minato knelt beside Yukari, trying to reassure her. "Yukari, I'm here. Don't worry."

The Gekkoukan High emblem on Minato's armband began glowing red as his theurgy cartridge ejected from his Evoker.

"Arisato, your theurgy," Mitsuru alerted.

Minato quickly retrieved the cartridge, loaded it into the Evoker, and pressed it against his head. "Orpheus! Cadenza!"

He pulled the trigger, and a bright flash spread from one side of his head to the other.

Orpheus appeared, harp in hand, playing a soothing melody that activated *Cadenza*.

Blue musical notes floated around the group, closing their wounds and revitalizing their minds.

Hiro felt his pain dissipate, but suddenly a sharp headache struck, forcing him to clutch his forehead as it throbbed intensely.

"Hey, are you alright?" Akihiko asked, concerned.

Hiro, standing and taking a deep breath, replied, "I..."

Before he could finish, he noticed the Justice Arcana rising and targeting Aigis.

The Arcana fired a magical lightning bullet that struck Aigis in the back, disrupting her circuits.

However, Aigis managed to recover just in time.

But the Chariot Arcana seized the opportunity, landing a powerful kick that sent Aigis flying backward.

Hiro, without hesitation, unsheathed his scimitar and charged toward the Justice Arcana.

He leaped onto the creature, gripping it tightly.

With all his strength, Hiro plunged his scimitar into the opening in the Arcana's helmet, eliciting a pained scream.

Black ichor poured from the wound, indicating he had hit its core.

"Why won't you just die?!" he shouted angrily.

But then Hiro heard a cracking sound coming from his weapon.

To his dismay, the scimitar shattered, leaving only the hilt in his hand.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Hiro exclaimed in disbelief.

"Look out!" Akihiko yelled, trying to warn Hiro.

Hiro looked ahead and saw the Chariot Arcana raising its conveyor-belt arm.

In a brutal strike, the Arcana slammed Hiro against the wall, pinning him there with its powerful grip as the sound of an engine revved ominously.

Mitsuru realized what was about to happen—the Chariot Arcana was going to use the conveyor belt to grind Hiro against the wall.

Desperately, she bolted forward, screaming, "STOP IT!"

The Chariot's conveyor belt began to move, crushing Hiro's chest against the wall.

A scream of agony tore through the air as his skin was shredded by the relentless machine.

His blood painted the Arcana's front as the unbearable pain caused Hiro's consciousness to fade.

He could barely focus on his companions, who ran frantically toward the Shadow Arcanas.

"STOP!" Aigis cried out, struggling to stand.

The Chariot Arcana finally released Hiro, who collapsed to the ground like a ragdoll, motionless as a pool of blood spread around him.

Mitsuru stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide in horror as she saw Hiro's lifeless body lying on the ground.

She had been careless, and now one of her own was on the brink of death.

"No..." Mitsuru murmured, frozen in shock.

Fuuka, already in tears, screamed in despair, "HIROOO!"

Mitsuru, trying to regain control, raised her rapier, her voice filled with rage. "Someone check on Hiro. The rest of you, take down these Shadow Arcanas, NOW!"