Kotori Shirohane - Hall of the Slain: Floor 1 | Sunday

Though the group came across some sporadic groups of shadows - looking like medieval warriors from Europe, but decrepit and rotten. That didn't do much to diminish their strength though - but as they only came in small numbers, the party could easily press on. However, these few shadows they were facing couldn't possibly be all, Kotori worried. After all, Ayano had mentioned they were surrounded - she couldn't help but keep glancing around nervously, unsure if that flicker was yet another shadow or just a figment of her imagination.

Still, at least they hadn't come across anything too strong yet; the occasional scrape being easily healed and the resistance they did meet being quickly pushed aside. As such, they were progressing evenly through the ruins - which, as they pressed on, were becoming ever more dilapidated. Where the first door had been a grand stone affair, the next one they passed was made of rotting wood. The hallway they passed was missing stones and piles of worn-away rubble was strewn about their path. Occasionally, another few shadows might show themselves, but once again the combined offensive power quickly put them down. At one point, they came past a dining hall; its wooden table showing signs of rot whilst the once-fine silver which was laid out had taken on a dark brown tint.

The entire place seemed to have been ravaged by decades or perhaps even centuries of time - and together with the still-unseen host of shadows surrounding them, gave of a rather unnerving feeling which left Kotori glancing about ever more warily. Stepping into a hall - Kotori wasn't quite sure what to make of the layout of this place, though they'd mostly pressed on straight forwards - Ayano once again reminded them of the presence of the shadows around them. But try as they might, they couldn't make any of them out - unless the occasional flicker or hint of movement was actually real and not just her nerves getting to her.

Seeing them move in her screen send a chill down Ayano's spine. She's played horror games alone before and had thought beforehand that she was used to such sights, but when it's happening in real-time, the terror escalates to a new height. Trying to steel herself, the girl turned her attention to the center screen, the one that displayed Kami's group and their surroundings. From the looks of her video feed, the dungeon seemed to look like an actual dungeon, similar to the ones used in times long forgotten, although something about the design of the place just seemed to fit a dystopian RPG-type of setting. The occasional shadows took on the forms of your typical undead, honestly it looked like they belonged to a session of DnD, if DnD involved teenagers travelling to the inner psyche of one's mind and battle the horrific truth of one's self that is.

Only when the Norse-looking shadow knights appeared did Ayano connect the dots about the dungeon's name...The place they were traversing to was Valhalla, or rather, a much more macabre and abandoned depiction of it. When games usually visualize Valhalla, they tend to put more...life and joy into it. Sure, dead guys having the time of their lives drinking and eating doesn't really evoke the brightest of imagery but it certainly would be a step up than whatever they were travelling to. The connection became much more apparent when the group had passed through a large dining hall, but it was just as abandoned as much as the rest of the dungeon was. You would think Odin would have better upkeep. Eventually they reached some sort of hall, and immediately the sensors in Ayano's left monitor began to blink. She turned her head back to the blinking monitor and saw that the shadows from before had surrounded the group. Hastily grabbing onto her headset, the brunette held her mic and issued her words of warning to the party. The situation they were in didn't look good, how does one fight that which he cannot see?

"Surrounded...? But I don't see anyth-", Kami's senses flared and screamed out to him, a familiar sensation, it was the instinct to sense danger. Immediately Kami raised his weapon, he expected nothing to hit it, but there it was, a chipped, sharp blade, held by a bony assassin skeleton. The shadows in front of him unraveled, until finally it was seen in full. The party was already surrounded, as the rest jumped from their shadows and attacked the party. The first order of business, repel the attack.

He summoned forth Zeus and surrounded the party in a Mazio. It didn't seem to do any significant damage, but it kept them from attacking for the moment... Five...? No, six... Seven of them? Before anyone in the party could retaliate, the shadowy assassin skeletons jumped back and disappeared, only their red eyes remained, and in moments even those were gone...

"Ayano, let me know when they approach. We'll intercept them", he requested.

On Ayano's screen the shadows were moving impressively fast... Although she got another reading. It had the same signature as the party members, but she looked around, and no one seems to have run off into the dungeon... So who was it? Still, the battle ahead was what mattered most. She can see the shadows movements, though they were quick, all she had to do was say when one was approaching.

Kotori Shirohane - Hall of the Slain: Floor 1 | Sunday

Followed and surrounded by foes unseen, Ayano suddenly cried a warning - leading to most of the group to tense up in anticipation for an immediate attack. However, nothing could be seen or heard in the murky shadows around them - but just as tension started to make way for confusion, with Kaminari being the first to voice his, a nigh-inaudible sound much like wind seemed to fill the air. It cut Kaminari off mid-word as he raised his weapon in alarm - just a moment before the blade, having cut through the air, impacted on it. The shadows peeled back, if only for a brief time, to reveal a skeletal figure to be holding the blade; glowing red eyes fixed on the third year.

Kotori, meanwhile, was rapidly glancing about in fear of another such sudden attack - and, worse yet, what might happen if the next strike wasn't parried just in time. Kaminari, however, was quick to act and summoned Zeus to cast a wide arc of crackling electricity all around them - some of the skeletons seemed to have been about to charge but were quickly discouraged by the unexpected counter-attack. None of them seemed to have taken very much damage - but at least the party wasn't under immediate attack for a moment; enough time to regain their bearings and prepare to meet any incoming attacks with Ayano's warnings.

Without any spells to directly aid her companions' fighting abilities or area-wide attacks, there was little Kotori could do beside wait for the inevitable attacks; though at least she'd be able to heal any wounds sustained or add some damage to any appearing skeletons. She nervously glanced about at any movement, any hint of those unnatural red glowing eyes or a hint of sound - but the only things she heard beside her quick breaths was, oddly enough, something akin to faraway wind; leaving her and the others to rely on Ayano's forewarning and their reflexes as they peered into the surrounding dark shadows that hid their foes.

Sato wasn't particularly much help to the battle with his small-range attacks, but the others took care of the crowd of shadows before long. Matt burnt the mannequins to ashes and pushed them back, and then Rui delivered a decisive blow to a majority of the shadows. Sato took out a few of the remaining stragglers with a few blasts of wind, and before he knew it, it was all over. It was almost disappointed, how easy they had it, but it would've been a whole 'nother story if it weren't for Matt and Rui. Sato flashed them a quick thumbs up before they head through the door they were originally trying to get through.

Past the door were stairs leading up to the second floor. It was a sweet relief to Sato's eyes as the colors gradually died down as they climbed the steps, eventually stabilizing into a much more tame palette as they stepped onto the second floor of the dungeon. Or rather, it was a normal palette, darkened by the contrasting lack of lighting. As the group made their way down the hall, Sato noticed the design of the hallway appeared more like a house than a convention center. Presumably, it was modeled after the victim's house. Not like Sato would know what Shizuka's place looked like, but he could assume. The only other apparent thing in the hall was a 'door', but in reality it seemed to be a door frame filled with a screen that probably wasn't actually a screen.

On the supposed screen was gameplay of some kind of otome visual novel, a genre Sato almost wished he knew less about. The scene went on for a while, the party standing around it to watch, until eventually the narrative of the female protagonist suddenly got cut off, only to be replaced with what Sato assumed to be the perspective of the boy they (or rather, the protagonist) had been talking to. The portrait of the main character appeared, though blacked out into a silhouette (to preserve the ability to project yourself onto the protagonist, Sato figured), as well as three choices. They were... basic, to say the least.

And Sato considered them more than he wanted to. Rejecting her wasn't an option. Would kissing her be too far? Merely embracing her seemed too little, but there was no in-between... Looking to the others, Sato decided to share his opinion before anyone else could. "I think we should choose to, um, kiss... her." Though he regretted it a little.

The general consensus seemed to be to kiss... With a reluctant sigh, Rui touched the screen, and selected the option. As soon as he did, the screen shattered, an image of a POV kissing scene before it became a blackened cracked mess. The screen before them fell apart, and soon a door was revealed to them, instinctively Rui stepped up to it in an attempt to open it, but as soon as he did, chains wrapped around it, locking them out.

"Shadows! Behind you!", Rui and the party turned to see a group of shadows, led by a black female-shaped mass in a wedding dress, a bouquet of masks, and black shadow blobs surging around it. It moved slowly, but anyone who got near would be struck by a lash of black mass, or smashed away by the bouquet which it used like a weapon. This made fighting with melee difficult, but they had other options.

"Focus on using magic against it", he ordered, before summoning Askr to pelt it with Garula.

---

Kami's eyes widened with surprise as the area around them became doused in a bright crimson flame. He heard the screech of a hawk before looking up, and he beheld a curiosity. A hawk, and what he can only describe as a Persona. He turned his eyes back to the battlefield, and the shadows that were hidden were now exposed. This was their chance.

"Give it all you've got", he ordered, as he charged in first, bringing his weapon to the first, and summoning Zeus to smash another. Whatever that bird was, it was good fortune.

Meanwhile on Ayano's sensors, she was able to identify the presence, it was the hawk, and it didn't seem hostile to them.

---

Eventually putting the clues together, Tadao approached the pictures on the far back. There was an uneasy silence as he appeared to examine every single one of the family photos, and eventually he tapped one of them. As if space was distorting, the entire wall twisted, the pictures lining the walls swirled like a vortex until one big picture was formed, and Tadao placed his hand upon the elder brother's face. As he did so, the entire room began to darken, an invisible wind picked up, and the entire room began to become as dilapidated as the rest of the dungeon.

"Oh dear...", they had no navigational support, but it looks like they were going to need to survive what was coming next.

Red-black shadows appeared, wielding pitchforks, their thin sickly bodies unsettling, their ragged wings making disgustingly slack noises as they landed upon the windows that lined the side of the ward, as four of them slowly crept inside, each of their movements slow and uncanny, blank faces without emotion and featureless.

Whatever they were, Tadao was already summoning his Persona to deal with them.

Kotori Shirohane - Hall of the Slain: Floor 1 | Sunday

There was a tension in the air which only grew with every moment that passed in which none of the skeletal attackers came forth to attack. Whilst Ayano could give them some forewarning, it was still a close affair everytime one burst from the shadows and struck out against one of the party members. Luckily, no one had been hit yet - but at the same time, the very limited amount of window of opportunity to attack the enemies meant that the group hadn't made much headway either. All told, it wasn't exactly the most comfortable situation that Kotori could imagine, even as she frightfully glanced all around in the vain hope of spotting a sign of an incoming attacker.

However, having put all her focus on that task had left her oblivious to the ever-mounting whistling sound from before. It was distinct from the sound of the blades being swung through the air or an elemental wind spell - unfortunately, Kotori didn't quite manage to finish the thought when all of a sudden a bright red flame erupted before her; only narrowly missing a skeleton that was sent sprawling to the ground by the sudden strike. Heat radiated off the sudden explosion and tore her from her thoughts; leaving her to close her eyes and quickly shield her face from the imminent attack - which did indeed occur just moments later.

Strangely enough, however, none of them hit. Gingerly peeking through one eye, she saw that all around the group the ground was ablaze; the flame strikes having damaged most of the skeletons and even killed a few - but most importantly, the light scattered the conealing shadows and left their foes open for attack. That, however, wasn't what caught Kotori's attention - instead it was the even more perplexing sight to which she was drawn by a drawn-out cry. It was not human in nature - but not frightening for it either, as it was instead the cry of a hawk; circling above - and accompanied by what she immediately recognised as a persona, even if her mind was scrambling to somehow rationalise it.

"Eh?" was her best attempt and therefore miserable failure at doing so - at least before movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention once more. A skeleton, silhouetted against the slowly-abating flames, was drawing near even without the covering darkness. Kotori quickly remembered that now was no time to be staring at inexplicable occurences or wonder about the unexpected assistance, no matter how welcome it was - instead, she called upon her own persona before directing it towards the encroaching attacker. "Zionga," she called - a call that was immediately answered by a roaring bolt of lightning that crashed into the skeleton which, weakened both by a previous counter-attack in the dark and the sudden bombardment, was taken down by the attack; much to Kotori's relief.

All around, the others were having similar success against their foes. With their numbers quickly dwindling, Kotori's thoughts strayed back to the strange hawk - and with the immediate confusion lifted, realising that, by the looks of it, it had somehow come to their assistance; the inferno from before having been directed at their apparently common enemy - even if it left her with more than a fair share of questions.

The girl watched in both awe and horror as the shadows began to overwhelm them. Judging from the feed she had been receiving on her monitors, the shadows attacking Kami and his group were skeletal assassin's whose very image and name evoked a sense of danger and read, true to their name, the shadows would slash and cut with quick but deadly precision before disappearing into the shadows once more, ready to make their mark and dish out more than just small cuts. What got Ayano worried were their numbers, if it were just one or two, it would've been at least a fair match, but with the sheer amount of them, fighting would practically be a suicide mission.

"Ayano, let me know when they approach. We'll intercept them"

"Got it. I'll do my best!"

The brunette turned to her left monitor to see the blinking red lights symbolizing the shadows they were facing, she grunted as the lights on her screen darted to and fro as if it was some rhythm game where you had to touch them, thankfully, she was able to see that the assassin's would stop for a few seconds before dealing a deadly attack and that was her cue to inform the others. Hah, it's just like playing a video-game with QTE's and button prompts! Taking note not to get ahead of herself, the ordeal went for quite a while but the shadows showed no signs of stopping but the party on the other hand...Suddenly, she had gotten another reading. The blinking and the alarming sound made her cock her head into the side of the screen, it showed a blue light, which struck her as odd. The blue light was only meant for friendlies...She took a quick gander at her center screen, carefully eyeing the surroundings to see if anyone had run off from the group but everyone was still there, trying to handle the skeletal assassins.

Within the minutes, Ayano could swear that her breath was going to run out soon from all of her shouting...She should've brought along a bottle of water if she knew this was going to happen. Why can't there be a Persona who predicts the future? Although, then again, such a power would either be useless or overpowered. Nearly slumping in defeat, the girl was shocked when the area was suddenly blanketed in a crimson light, her shock only intensified when she heard the cry of a hawk. Immediately, she turned all attention to the source of the screech and what beheld her was what could only be described as a hybrid between a Transformer and a crow, could this have been the friendly reading she was getting earlier? It seemed like it, it didn't resemble a shadow and its light revealed the assassin's and thus the party was finally able to rain pain on their silent stalkers.

@Sho Minazuki@oblivion666

Ryan followed Tadao to the pictures at the back, watching warily as he tapped one of the pictures. Suddenly the world began to go insane as all of the pictures warped together into one big picture. Tadao placed his hand one the brother's face and the room suddenly matched the rest of the dungeon.

"Looks like I get to test out my Persona." Ryan tried to inject some confidence into his voice, but his words were tinged with fear. He grabbed his combat knife out of his belt and focused on the power inside of him.

The shadows appeared, monsters straight out of a nightmare, and Ryan summoned Erec. One of them got close to Ryan and he flinched away from it. "Garula!" And just like that the monster was blasted backwards into a wall. Ryan blinked and looked at Erec with a newfound respect.

The others seemed to agree, and with what looked to be hesitance, Rui selected the kiss option. This apparently upset the game, as it suddenly shattered apart before practically exploding into a pile of broken glass on the floor. Luckily, there was a door behind the screen, meaning it probably didn't actually matter.

When Rui went to open the door however, several chains whipped out from nowhere and wrapped themselves around the door. With no way to just conveniently cut through magic chains, the group was forced to deal with the shadows that suddenly appeared behind them. The shadows were already were approaching the team, but they seemed to be moving on the slow side. A few of the others attempted to get close so they can attack, but the feminine shadow that lead the horde pushed them back with its whip and bouquet. Without much of a way to get in for an attack, the only good course of action was not having to find a way in all together.

Luckily, Sato was well-prepared for such an enemy. Summoning Chronos, he timed his attack after Rui's for when he saw the shadow was most open. Swinging his arm, Chronos spun its scythe over its head, an explosion of light and cards hitting the shadow. While Sato was already preparing a Garula, Matt and/or Rui would have to deal with the smaller shadows, considering he and Akane had nothing to hit them all with. All being said, Sato was confident in their ability to stand up to their current enemy.

Akane Hanazawa // Mirror World // Super Magical Runway F1
Sunday, June 28th, 2015

Having finished off the mannequins thanks to Rui and Matt's AoE skills, they cleared up as they advance towards the second floor. That's where things got weird. How weird? Well on top of the usual spaciness you'd expect of your run-of-the-mill dungeons, but the design this time was that of a regular house, but mind you, that wasn't really the strange part. The one that took the cake was at the end where they found themselves in front of a large tv screen with what appeared to be characters from a game.

Given that the sprite and the male character being shown on-screen, it was made obvious the main character was a girl. Don't tell me....an otome game? Of all things.... Suffice to say, Akane wasn't exactly fond of Otome games. To top it off, it presented three choices. Given the fact it was here in the dungeon....chances were that they probably had to select something. Despite considering the embrace option, she decided to go with the general consensus and go with 'kiss' choice.

It was quite the boring ordeal but what made it worth it was Rui's reaction when he went to select the choice. Akane couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Soon the screen feel apart and a door to the next area was revealed, however, as Rui went to open them, chains wrapped around them, locking them out. Megumi then warned them of a shadow attack, if the whole door locking didn't make it obvious enough.

Given their new enemy, and latest orders, Akane could tell it was going to be an irritating fight. Well, at least for her considering she was a melee fighter and didn't have any magic attacks. All in all, in basically means that, unless they manage to break through those annoying weapons of theirs and get closer, she was forced to play support. Summoning Setanta, she casted another Matarukaja while she waits for her moment to strike.

Alexei Dragunov | Hall of the Slain

It has been a daze, these past few days and weeks. Ever since he had gone through the harrowing experience of nearly losing Elena to an unknown world. He had been given a strange power, rather a calling card what Rui later told as 'Persona'. It had been a surreal experience, though he didn't remember much if he was even helpful in his first delving in the mirror world.

Even this time, he was barely making any sense of the situation. The corridor was dark and every time they try fending of the lingering malevolence that permeated the place, they'd be attacked from an other direction. It was tough time moving forward. Though he had the familiar face of Kotori, he couldn't say if he was giving a good account of himself in this situation.

The tyre iron in his hand was idle for a long time he had swung at shadows that were elusive before a strange hawk appeared. With its appearance the area was bathed in red light and their assailants was revealed. Skeletal assassins, they seemed intimidating when Ayano had brought them up but looking at their size, Alexei felt a hint of confidence. His persona was a being that handled fire and technically from what he saw, fire worked well.

He called Prometheus and said "Maragi", the persona swung his baton in a wide arc, dousing the eternal flame that it carried onto a bunch of skeletons while Alexei charged to the nearest on with an overhead crushing strike from the iron. Prometheus too mimicked his motions as he went to attack another shadow in a similar strike.

Even the spells seemed to not be making as much as a dent... It was safer certainly, but Rui was noticing something strange about it's spell defense...

"Megumi, confirm it for me. Where are all it's tendrils going when it defends a spell?", he inquired.

"Huh? Oh it's... All to the spell?... Ah!", that's right, whenever it defended from a spell, it concentrated all it's defenses to the source of the spell. Rui drew back his sword and moved into the front line.

"Keep hitting it with spells, it seems to be open when it's defending", he ordered. At the same time he summoned Askr, casting Sukukaja on himself. The Matarukaja from Akane earlier was going to be a real help. His aim when going for the flank attack was to compromise it's defenses at best, so that everyone else could wail on it.

---

"Okay let's keep moving", ordered Kami, leaving the room behind in a mess of fire, as the last of the stealth skeleton shadows fell beneath the party's immense counter-attack. The hawk seemed to have left, unfortunately, but according to Ayano it was heading to another dungeon... Strange. It's like it was helping everyone, still, this was a blessing, they can be at a better state when they finally reach the end of this dungeon. Eventually they came to a giant door at the top of what appears to be countless steps... The serene and martial silence of this room told them one thing... That door up there was going to be the way to the finale.

"Right, everyone make sure you're ready, then we move", he gave everyone a moment to recompose before they made the long climb... As they got closer they saw that the door was ajar... They could hear talking.

@Leolycan Your time has come.

---

Ryan's Garula was effective... On one of them, sending it flying back and slamming into the wall, but like suspicious and cautious beasts, they used that attack as a sign to lash out, charging at Ryan. At that moment, Tadao stepped in-between the charging shadows and Ryan, his Persona with it's giant shield managing to stop them from reaching Ryan.

"Don't worry about me, keep attacking. My Persona was made for this", he assured. Right, keep on attacking while Tadao held them back. The gigantic sword-shield of his Persona was quite reassuring, still, the party's aim was to attack from behind the safety of Tadao and his Persona Roland. Simple enough, but they needed to be quick. The one Ryan had struck earlier was getting back up, if they were this sturdy their waves of attacks needed to be consistent unless they wanted to be overrun.

Within the lavishly decorated throne room that resided just before the dungeon party behind the marginally opened door, two similar voices could be heard subtly echoing into the hallway. Even now, the voiced seemed to be in heated debate, though one of the voices seemed only to be amused by the exchange. As the party drew closer, their words would now become audible as the light from within poured into the dimly lit tunnel.

"You're out of your damn mind," The angered voice called out in a near-shout, "You really think I give a damn about the opinions of others? Hell, half of the people in this town can't get by on their own, and it's not like I don't get paid to do my part.

"Ah, true," The other voice responded, it's tone more regal and formal in it's address, "But that does not explain your reasoning behind your heavy load. You run yourself ragged for their approval, and you have every right! Why would a shining beacon be content with being ignored? These people should worship and adore you for all that you have done for this city and the people within it."

If the party opened the door, they would be able a well lit throne room, ornate in it's design and decoration as several of the pillars that lined the interior of the dungeon now marked a lavish carpet that led further into the room. Despite the pristine condition of the expansive room, the walls and ceiling were littered with manacles that held within them a featureless figure that remained still in it's elevated nature. These blank bodies hung limply from their restraints, all with heads facing the floor as if in a display of bowing towards the throne. At the foot of the ascending stairs stood Masahide in his school attire, his foot placed squarely upon the first step as he looked up the pathway to another man, seeming an almost exact match to the male. Despite the resemblance in facial features, the complexion of the regal male atop the ivory throne was more lively than his counterpart, his body sheltered behind lavish gold armor that shone brightly in the well-lit surrounding.

At once, the attention of the seated male turned to the party as he arose with outstretched arms, "Ah! See? Even now, the people flock to their lord! They cannot exist without our guiding presence to lead them." With this, the regal figure of Masahide's shadow began descending the stairs, the red cloak of which he once sat upon billowing in an exaggerated fashion as he moved.

As the shadow mentioned the others, Masahide turned to the group in a mild disbelief, clenching his teeth as he attempted to still his growing rage as the words of the other, "Great. Now we have an audience." With a harsh sigh, Masa pinched the bridge of his nose in agitation as he fell silent.

"Hush, boy. You know that we long to be the center of attention," The shadow spoke out once more, having fully descended the stairs as he stood before the true Masahide with a knowing smirk, "It is only right for the people to pay homage to the true hero of this city! Let them marvel at our splendor." With this, the armored male passed by the other without another word, his arms falling to his side as his attention turned to the party once more.

Now trembling with anger, Masahide rounded, his fist clutched tightly as his voice rose to a shout, "I don't know who the hell you think you are. You keep talking like you know what goes on in my head, but you couldn't be farther from the truth. Who gives a damn if people notice me? Why is it impossible to believe that I'm just doing this to leave my mark on this world?!"

"It is not impossible, but what is a defining mark without anyone to witness it?" The regal Masahide quizzed the other, raising a brow curiously as his attention remained forward, "We both know your true desires. After all, I am just a spitting image of who you are. Which only comes naturally, because-" Turning his head to gaze over his shoulder towards Masahide, the man in gold armor retained his smile as he spoke, "- I am your true self. The one you try to keep hidden from others."

“What are you talking about?!” Masahide erupted with anger, his voice echoing through the very room as one the bodies subtly swayed.

“Hahahaha! Do not play dumb with me, boy! Why deny our perfection? You cannot possibly believe that you and I are so different? The sooner you accept it, the easier it will become. Embrace the fact that I am the true you!”

“… Shut up." Masahide snarled, his body growing heavy at the mix of hatred and embarrassment at the private words being bellowed out before the others that had arrived mere moments before, "Just because I’m trying to make this world a better place does not mean I’m a vain bastard like you! There is no way in hell you can be me!”

At this, a strong an audible pulsing resounded within the room, bringing the expansive venue to an eerie silence. Without warning, one of the manacles from the ceiling audibly snapped as the held body plummeted towards the floor. One would expect the lifeless figure to strike the stone beneath with a sickening slap, but the body merely landed upon it's hands and feet as it remained crouched at the side of the shadow in armor. Slowly, the form of the Masahide's shadow began to twist and contort, his arms and legs extending disproportionately as the features of his face faded to a blank expression with harrowing eyes. In a matter of moments, the man before them went from an ornately armored mirror-image of Masahide to a menacing, yet regal shadow that clasped what appeared to be a glass of wine that accompanied his lavish suit that replaced his former armaments. The blank form to his side also began to twist and distort, sprouting fur in tufts that quickly overtook the now elongated and bestial form of the creature that curled around at it's master's side.



"And with that, the curtain arises," a voice boomed within the room, the face transposed onto the seemingly wolf-like beast moving it's mouth along with the spoken words, "Come now, children! Offer yourself to the god amongst you!"

Kotori Shirohane - Hall of the Slain: Floor 1 | Sunday

Calling upon Kikuri-Hime, another lightning bolt struck one of the few standing sneaky skeletons, by now so weary from the fiery barrages of both the hawk and Alexei's Persona, Prometheus, as well as the strikes from Kaminari and Riku that it fell apart from the final blow. The eerie sound of bones rattling echoed throughout the room as the last skeletons were similarly dismanteled; their remains scattering about before dissolving like the many shadows before them. Even so, everyone was still very much on guard after the previous ambush - at least until Ayano could give them the all clear; much to the group's relief.

Looking about as she took a moment to catch her breath, Kotori noticed that the hawk was no longer soaring above them; seemingly having vanished as quickly as it had appeared. A puzzled look upon her face, she didn't know what to think - but she was thankful nonetheless; giving a quick bow in gratitude in the direction she thought it may have flown off into and hoped it stayed safe before Kaminari gave the orders to press on. They left the room behind - still smoldering in some places after the heavy bombardement - as Ayano told them that the hawk was indeed flying elsewhere, leaving Kotori hopeful that it might perhaps be as helpful to the other groups as it had been to theirs.

As they carried on, Kotori began once more to glance about; even more so than before after the ambush that had been sprung upon them. This, however, turned out to be unnecessary as they didn't encounter any further shadows along the way; something that Ayano could only confirm as they reached a set of stairs. Following it upwards with her eyes didn't exactly fill Kotori with joy at the thought of having to climb all of them - but judging by the tension that overcame everyone when they saw the enormous door atop the stairs, everyone realised that behind it would be no respite. With even even less to look forward to, Kotori took a deep breath as Kaminari told everyone to ready up. "Kikuri-Hime. Media," she said, her Persona following suit as she raised the thorned flower in her hands as a soft light enveloped the group; easing fatigue, healing scrapes and bringing everyone to top condition before heading into what would undoubtedly be a most taxing confrontation. And with her side of the preparations completed, the long climb began.

As they ascended the strangely silent stairs, every sound they made seemed amplified - but also let them pick up on a faint voice coming from up ahead. As they drew closer to the door, they became able to distinguish some words - and the fact that it was, in actuality, two voices which sounded strangely similar. This gave Kotori quite a sinking feeling as she realised what this meant - and even more so when she also realised that she recognised the voice. "Eh?" was the sound she made when she noticed that the person up ahead was none other than yet another of her classmates - Masahide Saji. For a moment, her initial doubts and fears returned - not only Shizuka, a fellow Agriculture Club member, and Mako, another classmate, but now Masahide as well. It seemed as if everyone who had been kidnapped was somehow linked to her. Her pace slowed as she began to wonder if perhaps she was doing something that was bringing them to harm - but after a second, she vigorously shook her head.

Such worries and fears would only be a downward spiral of negativity - and that's not what she needed right now; especially not with what was ahead and with the other three - Alexei, Kaminari and Riku - at her side counting on her to do her part. Catching up again and slightly regretting the action when she realised how quick her breathing was when they reached the top of the stairs, the group pushed onward and into the room.

After the derelict and decayed nature of the entire dungeon beforehand, the room they entered was a stark contrast. Pillars, not crumbling but standing tall, lined the path ahead. It was laid out with a carpet deep red in colour. The walls were lined with works of art - though she might not recognise any of them, the decor of the place suggested that they too were likely of resplendant worth. The only thing out of place were the strange contraptions all about the ceiling and walls which helds what looked like people chained within them. Despite this, it was an overwhelming display of wealth which all lead up to the real center piece of the room - an ivory throne, upon which sat a single figure. At the stairs before the throne stood another - yet both were the same: Masahide Saji. The figure atop the throne seemed almost delighted when it saw the group of four entering; his tone almost jovial as he greeted them - yet his words were clearly condescending; leaving little doubt as to which Masahide was the real one.

Once more, confusion and discomfort came over Kotori as she heard the Shadow continued speaking. It didn't seem right to be witnessing someone's innermost thoughts being spoken out aloud; especially when they seemed so at odds with how the person normally was. After all, Masahide was fairly well-known for helping out around town without asking for anything in return - yet here he was, saying it was all just to have people look up to him? However, in the midst of all this, Masahide suddenly began shouting - and in doing so, spoke the fateful words which resounded throughout the throne room as he denied his other self.

Kotori feebly raised a hand as if to try and stop the words already spoken when silence descended across the room - only to be suddenly broken by a snapping sound as the manacles holding one of the bodies aloft seemed to crack and leave it to fall to the ground. Yet instead of striking the ground, it instead seemed to land on all fours; reminiscent of an animal rather than a human. At the same time, the Shadow drew closer - and with every step, its arms and legs seemed to grow longer and longer as its face lost ever more features. Colour drained from his body until all that was left was a deathly pale figure, its long fingers grasping a glass of wine whilst the body beside him began to shake and grow whilst what looked like hair sprung from it. In moments, the hair sprouted all over - until it was covered in black fur, no longer human but rather a wolf of sorts, though Kotori had never seen a wolf with a face for a head.

Sickly yellow beads peered out from the black void where the Shadow's eyes should be - and then it spoke, despite having no mouth. Instead, the wolf-like being seemed to be its voice as it beckoned them to come toward him. No matter how often she may see them, Kotori could never get used to the sheer inhuman appearance of these shadows or the menace that radiated from them - but she also knew that letting such discomfort get to her would be the single worst thing she could do right now. Instead, she called upon her Persona - and as she spoke her name, "Kikuri-Hime," she felt the calming presence put her at least somewhat at ease. After all, she wasn't along in facing this Shadow as Alexei, Kaminari and Riku all readied themselves for what was to come.

Even without getting countered, the shadow seemed to be defending against their spells well. Throwing out a Garula, Sato watched as the shadow seemed to effortlessly block his spell with its weird tendril things. Rui seemed to be catching onto this to, as he asked their navigator to confirm that the shadow was putting all its defense into blocking the team's magic spells. And so it did, as the shadow had moved everything to face Sato as he'd been attacking it.

Rui started to charge in from the side, boosted by both his sukukaja and Akane's tarukaja. Even without Rui's order, what they had to do was obvious, so Sato kept slinging spells at the shadow, keeping it focused on him. Even if the shadow moved to try to block against Rui's attack, it'd be left open to Sato and other's attacks. There was no way this wouldn't work!

@Sho Minazuki@oblivion666

Ryan nodded quickly despite the fact that Tadao couldn't see it with his back towards Ryan. "Right then! Gale Slash!" Erec responded to Ryan's order by slashing his rapier quickly through the air. It cut a lot of the enemies as they rushed forward, sending them back with a few limbs having been cut off. Having realized that Gale Slash hit multiple enemies, Ryan used it a few more times to thin out the horde.

The sound of breaking glass signified the beginning of the counter-attack as the shadowy tendrils broke apart like shattered glass. There was a bloodcurdling scream as Rui immediately followed up his Persona's Mighty Swing, keeping it from recovering. This was their chance. As the party began their assault, he jumped back and positioned to join the barrage with his own Persona's spells.

The following assault was relentless, and left the shadow a burning husk as it dissipated. Rui didn't waste any time to get the party moving through the now unblocked door. At the same time as defeating the shadow, the lights in this part of the dungeon came on... There didn't seem to be anything other than this signifying the defeat of the shadow and making it easier to see, so they simply stepped through the doors...

Before them was an almost familiar scene, the one they were here to rescue, and their shadow.

@Amaterasu It's go time.

---

Kami stood silent knowing what was about to unfold. He had thought that they could prevent a fight with a boss shadow if they managed to come soon enough, but every time, they would always be too late, and so he accepted that. Time clearly runs uniquely in this world, it was the only explanation. Two days in here was an awfully long time, yet every time they got here it was almost as if they had only been gone for less than an hour... Still...

"Masahide, get away from there, it's too dangerous!", he yelled as he ran forward to keep him behind him.

"Everyone else, stay wary of that dog...", he pointed out. This seemed to be a kind of two on one fight of some kind, but what type? They needed to be careful. Now was a good time to stack on buffs as Kami cast Rakukaja on himself, being the front line for this battle.

---

"Hm...?", Tadao could hear the shrill cry of a hawk. The situation they were in wasn't looking good, they were able to fend them off, but these shadows did not seem to have an end to their sturdiness, no matter how many times they were pushed back, it looked like some kind of force was keeping them from being hurt.

Within moments a crimson flame filled the hospital ward, the slimy texture of the shadow's skin melted, they screamed in agony as their strange protection was suddenly gone...

"It's our chance... I know not what blessing gave us this, but let's not doubt good fortune. Roland!", he called upon his Persona once more and began a rampage, striking whatever enemy was near.

Without the aid of that mecha-bird hybrid, who knows what could've happened to the team? Somehow, she and the rest of the team need to repay that bird one way or another, but that'll have to come later. To her utter surprise, the avian had darted off somewhere, and a quick gander at her scanners revealed that it was going off to another dungeon, most likely to help the other groups out. Huh, what a strange little thing it was. With the skeletal assassin's slain, there was only one thing to do, and the foreboding atmosphere within the dungeon had only been amplified to a dangerous level. The blinking red caution sign appearing on her screen didn't help either, the group had no choice but to push forward, and Ayano put her faith in to everyone.

Kami and the others had made quite a climb, the brunette could only feel sorry for them and how sore their feet must be, it was one of the perks of being a navigator instead of actually exploring the dungeon. She uttered a warning to the party, sensing the ominous and intimidating aura from behind the door, it didn't take a rocket genius to figure out who and what was behind the door. They had come this far, to turn back now would be all for naught, and so they opened the door. Appearing before them were the usual scenario that they had witnessed time and time again, the true self and the other self, the concepts of which having been lost and twisted ever since their ventures. The regal and grandeur illusion the throne room was casting certainly helped with the atmosphere the shadow of Masahide was trying to evoke; a narcissistic king who thinks he is above perfection itself, one of the worst facets of man. It didn't take long for the boy to lash out his anger and denial at his shadow and say those three words...

What followed was the transformation of what was once a mirror image, into a hyperbolic demonization of itself, accompanied with a canid creature that certainly looked more than ready to feast on the remains of the party, Ayano hoped it certainly wouldn't have to come to that. Not a moment too soon, Ayano began to rapidly type on her keyboard, her left screen deciphering data on the tall figure and her right screen deciphering the wolf. It would take a moment before the scan was complete and Ayano could only do what she could during that time,

"Keep your distance, guys! My scan is going to take a while, so please try to hold out for a little while!"

After a struggle to open her eyes from the heavy drowsy feeling, Shizuka squinted as the sudden light blinded her vision for a moment. In an attempt to adjust her eyes, hazel orbs slowly open themselves just to be greeted by obnoxiously colorful spotlights. "Wh... Where am I...?" Being unable to recall what had happened before becoming unconscious, the raven haired maiden straightened her sitting posture to survey the unfamiliar surroundings.

..... Sparkling runway stage. Limitless shower of cherry blossom petals. Colorful lights randomly beaming throughout the runway. Sparkles and bubbles floating in the air. ... Just where on earth was she? Blinking at such an odd sight, the poor girl then realized there was some kind of transparent wall before her. As she looked around herself, Shizuka quickly stood on her feet from her discovery. She was inside a transparent showcase.

How did she end up here in the first place? In a sudden panic, the teen desperately tapped her hands against the transparent case while screaming, hoping someone would hear her, "I-Is anyone out there? P-Please help me!" As if to respond to her call for help, another's voice was heard. Except... she was laughing, and it was a voice too familiar to her. It was the sound of her own voice.

Puzzled at the laughter with her voice, Shizuka's hand covered her lips in shock. In a mocking tone, the owner of the laughing voice chuckled and revealed herself before... herself? Widened eyes stared at the smirking mirror image, in an extravagantly-made white magical girl outfit, that now stood in front of her. Unable to find the words to express how utterly confused she was, the other parted her lips, "What's the matter? Hoping for a charming prince to come and save you?" Who is she and how is she able to read my thoughts?, Shizuka continued being speechless, her hands trembling in fear.

"No response? I was right, wasn't I?" A devilish giggle escaped the mirror image's lips. "You always sought attention from your senpais and customers to treat you as the princess you deserve to be treated as. Just like the protagonists of the games you play and mangas you read! Isn't that so?"

Slowly shaking her head in disbelief, Shizuka's trembling lips began to retort against the look alike. "N-No... T-That's not how I fe-feel...! I-I genuinely enjoy their company, I-I wouldn't ask for a-anymore."

Leaning forward and waving her index finger as if she had said something wrong, the look alike teased, "Tsk tsk tsk. You shouldn't lie to yourself like that, deary. I can hear the hesitance in your voice as clear as day." Just noticing the presence of another in the area, the magical girl outfitted image turned towards the group with a delighted expression. "Oh, look who we have here! Our beloved senpais actually came to rescue you it seems. Fufufu, I wonder if they've heard how much of an attention seeking girl you are!"

Shizuka flinched at the mention of her upperclassmen and turned her attention towards the group of four. "Ha-Harvester-senpai!" Just the sight of the upperclassman put her at slight ease until the other Shizuka spoke ill of her.

The once smiling lips on the other girl curved into a more scheming grin as she continued her ramble, "Too many senpai routes to pick from, what's a girl to do? Poor gullible Harvester-senpai over there has no idea you're a born otome game protagonist, you can't simply pick one! You only picked him first because he conveniently confessed. It saved all the work on your part! But like all otome game protagonists, we'll eventually have to move onto the next routes waiting for us. Sorry senpai but this is the real me, ohohohoho~!"

"S-Stop saying such horrible things! Se-Senpai, it's not true, p-please don't listen to he-her...!" Eyes starting to moist with tears, the raven haired maiden pleaded, her body trembling from frustration at this mirror image that just seemed to know anything about her. Just what did she want and why was she causing this much grief to her? "W-Why... Why are you to-tormenting me like this wi-with these lies...?"

"Me? Lie? But I've been telling the truth about us the whole time, silly Shizuka! After all, I am you. The part of you that you keep hiding away from everyone, Shizu-chan! There's no need to be ashamed that you want to live in your own shoujo manga with your very own harem! We both know that's what we want and with the senpais here with us, our dream has come true~!" A hysterical laugh echoed through the runway, creepy enough to send slight chills to anyone who knew of her.

Unable to hold back the overflowing tears, Shizuka desperately screamed out towards the 'fake' with streams of tears rolling down her cheeks, "Yo-You are not me! Yo-You don't understand how I t-truly feel at all!"

As if a magical phrase has been said, the look alike paused for a moment. A devilish giggle once again, before she spoke for the last time, "Fufufu, those were the exact words I've been waiting for! With the miracle power of a maiden's heart, transform~!"

Like some sort of fantasy magical girl transformation sequence, the imitator was suddenly wrapped in a pastel colored, psychedelic orb with ribbons, from out of nowhere, fully envelop the orb until POOF. Sparkles exploded from where the orb used to be and was replaced with a figure of a fox demon.


"There will be no escape from me, senpais~!"

Boss theme: World is Mine (Rock Arrangement)