PERSONA 3 DEVIL'S HERALD

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

...FULL MOON OPERATION...

Everyone lay sprawled on the ground, their bodies bearing the marks of countless blows.

Akihiko, weakened, coughs incessantly as he faces the Chariot Arcana before him.

"Shit..." Akihiko mutters, his voice faint.

The Chariot Arcana advances and kicks Akihiko, brutally knocking him to the ground.

On the other side, Mitsuru, in a final effort, presses the Gekkoukan emblem on her armband, ejecting the Theurgy cartridge.

With trembling hands, she loads the cartridge into her Evoker and points it to her head.

"No... Senpai... You can't summon Penthesilea anymore..." Junpei murmurs weakly, his voice filled with desperation as he watches Mitsuru.

Mitsuru breathes heavily, trying to summon the strength to pull the trigger, but her body gives out, and she collapses.

The Evoker slips from her hand, landing near Akihiko.

Meanwhile, Aigis rises slowly from beneath the debris, her systems emitting warning signals.

[Warning! Unknown energy detected!]

"What does this mean?" Aigis asks herself, confused.

The Chariot Arcana readies its final strike against Minato but suddenly halts, its expression shifting to concern.

Everyone notices the change and follows its gaze toward Hiro, who is beginning to rise. Something is wrong—his face is turning pale.

"I..." Hiro whispers, barely audible.

"Hiro... please... stop..." Fuuka pleads weakly, reaching out toward him.

The Chariot Arcana charges forward again, pinning Hiro against the wall with its tread-like arm.

"HIRO!" Mitsuru screams, trying to get up but failing.

The Arcana's tread begins to move but suddenly halts.

A metallic sound of something being crushed echoes from the Shadow's arm.

"What? It stopped?" Minato asks, bewildered.

Hiro's eyes begin to flash red, and with just his hands, he grips the tread, stopping it from moving.

A dark aura envelops Hiro, growing more intense with each passing second.

"I... won't..." Hiro murmurs, his voice thick with anger.

His eyes snap open, glowing a fiery crimson, identical to Lucifer's.

A primal, beast-like roar escapes his mouth, echoing throughout the battlefield.

"I WON'T DIE YEEEEET!" Hiro bellows, his voice resonating like a feral beast.

With immense strength, he tears the Shadow Arcana's arm apart, forcing it to retreat.

Using the momentum, he launches himself off the wall and slams into the Shadow with his shoulder, knocking it to the ground.

"What the hell is going on?" Akihiko asks, terrified.

"My God... Hiro," Mitsuru murmurs, stunned and frightened, watching Hiro's transformation.

Now consumed by a bestial fury, Hiro begins pummeling the Shadow, denting its armor with ease.

He grabs the Shadow's head and continues pounding it, each strike more ferocious than the last.

"COME ON, AIGIS!" Hiro shouts, his voice charged with an almost maniacal determination.

Aigis, still recovering, gets to her feet and rushes to Hiro. Together, they start forcing the Shadow's armor open, trying to tear it apart.

"Akihiko-senpai, the Theurgy!" Aigis yells, looking at Akihiko.

Akihiko grabs the Evoker lying on the ground and points it to his head.

"Go, Polydeuces!" he shouts, activating the Evoker. A flash of light bursts forth, followed by sparks of electricity.

Polydeuces materializes, roaring with fury, and points its needle at the Chariot Arcana, beginning to charge an enormous electric attack.

Aigis and Hiro, both screaming, use all their strength to rip the Shadow apart.

"COME ON! OPEN UP, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Hiro roars, his voice echoing with ferocity.

The Shadow's square face begins to detach under the pressure, and black liquid starts pouring out, drenching Hiro and Aigis.

"Akihiko! If you fire, you'll hit Aigis and Hiro!" Mitsuru shouts, worried.

"I know! But if no one holds it, it'll dodge! This is our last Theurgy!" Akihiko responds, focused.

The energy ball on Polydeuces' needle grows larger, emitting a yellow light that brightens the dark area, small lightning bolts crackling around it.

"You're not getting away... DO YOU HEAR ME?!" Hiro shouts, finally ripping the Shadow's face off.

Black liquid gushes out even more violently.

"HIRO! HELP ME HERE!" Aigis yells, forcing the opening wider.

Hiro jumps off the Shadow and joins Aigis. Together, with firm hands, they begin tearing the Shadow apart, exposing its dark core.

"Get down!" Akihiko shouts, diving to the ground.

Everyone shields themselves as Polydeuces releases the lightning orb, which flies straight into the Shadow's opening, embedding itself inside.

A rising hum is followed by a deafening explosion, sending a cloud of dust and debris into the air, engulfing everyone.

Minato rises, still dazed, trying to process what just happened.

"What was that? Was that really Hiro?" he asks, his voice filled with uncertainty.

Akihiko, also standing, watches the lingering dust cloud.

"That definitely wasn't him. He looked more like a beast," he replies gravely.

Two silhouettes emerge from the dust, approaching the group—Aigis and Hiro, both wearing serious expressions and unwavering gazes.

Mitsuru, worried, looks at Hiro. "Hiro... are you okay?" she asks, her voice gentle but full of concern.

Hiro, his eyes still glowing red, carries what remains of the Chariot Arcana's mask.

With a slow motion, he raises his hand and crushes the mask with his bare hands, shattering it completely.

After that, the dark aura surrounding him begins to fade, and his face returns to normal.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea hits him, and he falls to his knees, vomiting a black sludge—the same color as the liquid Shadows release when wounded.

Voices begin echoing in his mind, calling him a "murderer" and a "monster."

He starts to panic, his mind teetering on the edge of madness.

Mitsuru quickly kneels beside him, holding his head and pulling him into an embrace, trying to calm him.

"It's okay. It's over now," she says, her voice soothing as she runs her hand through his hair.

"I know... but my head is killing me..." Hiro replies, his muffled voice pressed against her chest.

Junpei limps closer, his face reflecting the shock of the situation. "Hiro, what the hell were you back there? You looked like a monster."

Hiro closes his eyes, trying to recall, but his mind is blank.

He can only remember fragments—moments of pummeling the Shadow Arcana—but nothing more.

"I... I don't know," he answers, confused.

"What? You don't know?" Junpei asks, incredulous.

"No, it's not that. It's just... I can't remember anything. I just wanted to pro...tect... you..." Hiro barely finishes his sentence before collapsing into Mitsuru's arms.

Mitsuru shakes him gently but quickly realizes he has fainted.

"He passed out. But how did that wound close? There's no sign his chest was even hurt," Mitsuru remarks, surprised as she examines his chest.

She holds his unconscious face, carefully inspecting him before closing her eyes, relieved that he seems to be fine.

Aigis, deactivating Orgia Mode, releases steam from her body as her systems slowly return to normal.

"The energy levels emanating from Hiro-san were alarming. It seems his Persona went out of control," Aigis analyzes, her tone filled with concern.

Mitsuru continues to stroke Hiro's hair, deep in thought.

"We're heading back to the dormitory. The president should still be there. I'll take the chance to call my family and have them send doctors to treat us, especially Yukari and Minato," she says, making a firm decision.

"But what about Hiro?" Akihiko asks, concerned as he removes his knuckle protectors.

"That's the question. Despite all the attacks, he seems unharmed. Just exhausted," Mitsuru responds, still uncertain about what truly happened to Hiro.

Fuuka approaches, pointing at the black sludge Hiro vomited. "But is he really okay? He threw up this."

"I think we should discuss this with the president, don't you?" Junpei suggests, scratching his head, clearly worried.

"Yes, he might know what to do. Aigis, can you carry him?" Mitsuru asks, carefully laying Hiro down on the ground.

"Of course. What about Yukari-san?" Aigis replies after cooling her systems.

A groan of effort echoes through the space.

Everyone turns to the source of the sound and sees Minato hoisting the unconscious Yukari onto his back.

"Minato-san, you're injured!" Fuuka exclaims, worried.

"I know. But I can't stop now, not with her like this," Minato responds seriously, despite his condition.

The group exchanges glances, understanding the urgent need to return. Aigis kneels down and gently picks Hiro up in her arms.

Akihiko glances around, a tired smile breaking across his lips. "Well, on the bright side, we managed to take down two more Arcana Shadows."

Mitsuru also looks toward where the Chariot Arcana vanished. "You're right. We did it."

As they approach the large metal door that had locked them in, they all stare at it, unsure of how to open it.

"So, what do we do ab..." Junpei begins to ask, but before he can finish, Aigis delivers a powerful kick, sending the metal door flying off its hinges.

"That works," Akihiko comments, surprised, his sarcastic tone lightening the moment's tension.