The cold, dark water washing over her skin felt like a knife twisting, a piercing pain.
Togawa Sakiko looked at the water surface beside her, where she was wearing a magnificent performance costume, and dark golden pupils glowed with black flames.
She stared blankly down at her other "self" whose neck was being tightly choked.
"Togawa Sakiko" was wearing a school uniform, and beside her, a soaked notebook floated up, the writing on its pages too blurred to discern.
Just as Togawa Sakiko felt somewhat at a loss regarding all the changes, a pair of warm hands quietly approached and gently covered her face.
The girl in the school uniform gazed at the "self" in the performance costume on the water's surface with a gaze full of immense regret and surprise.
"I always thought that when a wish truly attracted the attention of a god, 'I' could calmly and joyfully accept all changes."
Regaining some clarity in an instant, Togawa Sakiko gradually relaxed her grip, "How could this be..."
The girl beneath the water turned her face, looked at the notebook beside her, and then smiled gently, "Yes, we have already given up too many precious things for the sake of life. If even the last bit of memory worth cherishing is to be taken away, then this so-called 'god' is truly too evil and cruel."
As she spoke, she tried to reach out and comb Togawa Sakiko's messy long hair, "Next, there's an incredibly important 'performance' waiting for you. No matter if the critics are gods or whatever, you must bravely and resolutely deny their voices..."
The surging sea had, at some unknown point, become as calm as a great lake, mirroring the faces of two identical girls. Their figures quietly overlapped in the darkness.
All the seawater symbolizing "loss" instantly evaporated, leaving behind a clear, mirror-like dark world.
Togawa Sakiko placed her hands on the mirror-like surface. She looked at the schoolgirl smiling brightly at her in the mirror, and with some effort, she stood up.
Suddenly, she turned around and found that the Phantom Thief's phantom had long since disappeared.
So, clutching the burning emotion in her heart, Togawa Sakiko walked steadfastly into the boundless darkness.
Even if she didn't know where the future would lead, at least her current self was not yet qualified to stop.
...
Reality was collapsing into the Mementos.
This was the first time Yajima Yuzuki, as a Persona user, had experienced something so terrifying.
"Sagawa! What happened?!" she shouted at her assistant.
"He's caught up!" Sagawa was filled with panic. The entire Mementos was shaking like an earthquake. In the huge tunnel, the rails and ground made violent crashing sounds, as if thousands of chains were bundled together, dragged and scraping. From deep within the tunnel, some massive beast seemed to be roaring, continuously spewing misty white light like steam.
"Where's Fuu-senpai?"
"She's inside the tunnel..."
No sooner had she spoken than a blood-soaked shadow flew out of the tunnel, its Chimera Persona shattered into pieces.
The Persona user, covered in cracks and bleeding, her face almost unrecognizable, fell heavily to the ground, unconscious.
"Quickly retreat with the [Devil]," the man with the katana on his back rushed past Sagawa and Yajima Yuzuki, "I'll buy you time."
But as soon as he rushed into the tunnel and released his Persona, dark bullets immediately shot out, grazing his face, shattering the Japanese samurai-shaped Persona into countless fragments.
The Persona user with the katana on his back immediately rolled his eyes and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Yajima Yuzuki watched as this senior member of the organization fell, the pocket watch hanging on his chest instantly shattering, meaning that, without her realizing it, he had already been instantly killed thirteen times in a row.
Self-proclaimed "Chosen Ones," Persona users, continuously rushed out from behind them, fearlessly and one after another, charging into the tunnel ahead...
Soon, the ground was littered with unconscious "corpses" lying haphazardly.
The Phantom Thief casually tossed his dagger, slowly stepping over them. Even a few Persona users feigning death, holding their breath and pretending to be unconscious, were keenly detected by the Phantom Thief, who approached and kicked them unconscious.
Unless they were rare scumbags so utterly wicked that they didn't even deserve repentance, or strange beings that weren't even human in any sense, Kurusu Akira generally wouldn't kill them, but rather find ways to make them "repent."
After all, the root cause of those sinners' twisted desires lay with the "false gods" secretly controlling the world.
Of course, if enemies came looking for him, Kurusu Akira, accustomed to acting alone, sometimes couldn't help but do things that went beyond the "Phantom Thief's code"... such as excessive self-defense.
Without trustworthy teammates, he could only maximize his vigilance.
When the ceiling suddenly shattered and Persona users ambushed from above descended, Kurusu Akira's Iaijutsu, which he had practiced diligently for months, reflexively activated.
At a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, he swiftly drew his pistol and aimed it at the descending enemy above. His Persona, Arsene, the manifestation of his inner strength, also appeared, brandishing a long, spear-like smoothbore gun, also aimed at the enemy above.
"Riot Gun."
A thunderous gunshot echoed through the empty station.
----------------
Yajima Yuzuki and Sagawa desperately fled through the station with Togawa Sakiko.
Finally, a train stopped at a slightly distant platform.
The two Persona users quickly took Togawa Sakiko into the blood-red carriage.
Even with the crisis imminent, Yajima Yuzuki insisted on placing Togawa Sakiko on a seat, continuing the "memory stripping surgery" that she hadn't been able to complete earlier.
She was unwilling to abandon the mission given by god, so she re-operated the scythe sealed in her wristwatch, determined to at least erase all of Togawa Sakiko's memories related to Persona.
The moment the scythe pierced Togawa Sakiko's body once again—
The girl, who should have been unconscious, suddenly opened her eyes, dark golden pupils seemingly burning with black flames.
Yajima Yuzuki was startled by this sudden turn of events. The next moment, an irresistible force violently slammed into her chest, accompanied by the sound of breaking bones, and her body uncontrollably crashed against the carriage wall.
The entire carriage shook violently. Sagawa, beside her, almost immediately summoned her Persona, an old man in a straw cloak. This was "Old Man Kusano," a divine messenger from Japanese folklore who always appeared "invisibly." After becoming a Persona, he possessed the ability to erase the presence of any object he touched.
Sagawa used the power of this Persona to erase the presence of the pistol she had kept in her coat pocket, then immediately drew it and emptied the clip at the unsuspecting Togawa Sakiko.
Consecutive gunshots rang out, but the bullets were entirely blocked by some invisible wall-like object just before hitting Togawa Sakiko, creating a harsh screeching sound as they collided, then flattened and scattered across the floor with a clatter.
Sagawa dared not make any further moves.
The carriage immediately fell silent, with only the deafening clang of the wheels on the rusted tracks.
Yajima Yuzuki leaned against the wall, panting in pain. Then she looked up at Sagawa opposite her, and gritted her teeth, making up her mind... She gripped the wristwatch on her hand, then forcefully twisted the dial.
The scythe reappeared, but this time it encompassed both Sagawa and Togawa Sakiko within its attack range.
Sagawa immediately reacted to the impending "betrayal," and couldn't help but scream at her in horror, "Yajima, what kind of joke is this?"
Her only response was Yajima Yuzuki's cold gaze.
"We don't have time."
Upon realizing that she was about to enter a dead end, Yajima Yuzuki unhesitatingly released all restrictions on the scythe. This time, its blade would spiritually sever any living creature it touched.
She was glad that the "poison" she had recently released on Togawa Sakiko through her Persona, which made people "lose power," had not yet completely worn off.
Even if the other party awakened her Persona at such a critical moment, she would absolutely not be able to dodge this move.
Togawa Sakiko, whose consciousness was gradually returning, saw the scythe sweeping close by and immediately tried to dodge, but found her body completely unresponsive, weak and sluggish like a severe illness...
But at this moment, a voice within her body shouted loudly.
"Don't give up hope for 'rehabilitation'! Don't forget the desire for 'rebellion'! Then, let us make a contract now!"
"Who are you?"
In Togawa Sakiko's eyes, the black flames surged instantly, then spread outwards—
As if sensing her confusion and unease, the voice turned into a hearty laugh.
"I am thou, thou art I."
"You who constantly abandon the past for survival, and bear heavy shackles…"
"Even if you fall into hell, and are slandered as a demonic evil, you must build a towering pagoda and declare to the world your resolve for chaos and rebellion!"
Black flames burst forth instantly, leaving a scorched, bizarre black mask on her exquisite face, while also burning down her school uniform. When the flames receded, she was clad in a grotesque yet magnificent performance outfit.
Togawa Sakiko whimpered in pain, then she raised her hands and gripped the mask on her face, pulling it off with all her might—
As blood splattered, the thin black mask fluttered down like a butterfly.
The voice deep within her heart was louder than ever before.
"Now, release your anger and hatred, along with my name!"
She raised her half-bloodied face and stared intently at the rapidly enlarging scythe in her vision. "Nimrod! Stop it!"
The image of a demon wearing a crown, bearing angelic wings, and clad in giant eagle armor flickered behind her. Black and white piano keys quickly spread out in mid-air like bricks. He laughed wildly, spread his arms, and then slammed his fingers onto the keys, dancing. "I am the lord of all under heaven!"
The scythe, imbued with the will of a god, passed through Sagawa's body. The Persona user's eyes immediately dimmed, and she fell to the ground lightly like an empty shell.
Immediately after, the scythe, capable of killing "spirit," rushed towards Togawa Sakiko!
Yajima Yuzuki stared at all of this with a twisted expression. 'No matter what strange Persona you awakened, it's impossible to dodge this attack. This is the will of a god!'
But the next moment, all developments plunged Yajima Yuzuki into immense fear and panic.
Because that scythe was bounced away the instant it was about to touch Togawa Sakiko.
Togawa Sakiko was indeed unable to dodge this attack with the power of her Persona.
But she didn't need to dodge at all!
The chief of the world's heroes who built a high city and a great tower in the land of Shinar, bore the will of the true God and possessed the power to spread chaos and freedom.
The Persona Nimrod swept his hands across the piano keys. Ring-shaped sound waves quickly spread outwards, and all "directions" were reversed at this moment.
The scythe, originally heading towards Togawa Sakiko, instantly changed direction, sharply and rapidly turning back, striking towards Yajima Yuzuki by the wall!
Yajima Yuzuki immediately shrieked in fear. She raised her right hand, gazing desperately at the wristband that no longer moved.
If she were struck by the power of her patron god, it would be considered "judgment." And death reversal would absolutely not be triggered by a god's judgment—because it was originally a reward bestowed by a god. How could one defy the master's will?
The scream vanished in an instant.
The train shook violently once more, as if something heavy had struck the roof, then it resumed its steady journey.
Togawa Sakiko looked at the two women in the carriage who had lost their breath, and she felt a wave of dizziness.
The physical weakness, the mental exhaustion from desperately resisting "memory manipulation," coupled with the psychological impact of her worldview collapsing and being reshaped in a short time, made her current state too poor to maintain this powerful Persona for even a second.
Nimrod's form quickly dissipated, and the mask on Togawa Sakiko's face and her performance outfit instantly turned into flames, scattering around.
She reverted to being the ordinary girl in a school uniform.
But just as she was about to fall to the ground.
With the sound of glass shattering, a dark shadow rushed into the carriage.
The cuffs and tails of a black trench coat flapped with high-speed movement. Immediately after, Togawa Sakiko felt a warmth so familiar it moved her.
She looked up and indeed saw the white nightingale mask.
Only this time, it was no longer a phantom in a dream, but a real "idol."
Her heartbeat was more intense than ever before.
Noisy and lively, as if someone was playing "Flight of the Bumblebee."
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