Tokyo Psychic

Page 319

However, Akira Kurusu interrupted him.

"This school has been taken over by an enemy with 'memory manipulation' capabilities, so we're trying to minimize the frequency of communication. The more we exchange information, the easier it is for the enemy to pass on incorrect information."

He looked at the girl in front of him. "Mami Tomoe, Homura should have told you about 'time reversal' by now. Although this is our first meeting, we are already comrades-in-arms who have fought side by side thousands of times. Please use this as a starting point to look at the problem."

After a brief moment of surprise, the girl called "Mami Tomoe" nodded seriously.

Compared to the other three naive and innocent magical girls, Mami Tomoe, as their senior, clearly has much more combat experience.

So she relayed Akira Kurusu's instructions in concise language: the magical girls would go to four different locations at Mitakihara Middle School to guard the area. With their keen sense of witches, they would be ready to support the Phantom Thieves members who had encountered "Witch's Night," now the embodiment of "despair," in the Memory Space and were about to retreat.

Qi Xiao then gave further instructions regarding the precautions for the rendezvous operation before leaving with peace of mind.

Madoka Kaname stood in the shadows of the study room, clutching the Soul Gem, her gaze fixed on Akira Kurusu's departing figure with a strange expression.

I've never seen this boy before.

But it feels so familiar.

It seemed that his body and soul had taken note of his existence on their own.

It was as if they had been fighting side by side for a long time.

Most of the time, Akira Kurusu's opponent in the finals is Tsubasa Hanekawa from Naoezu Junior High School.

But when they actually entered the activity room for the pre-match rehearsal, they discovered that the girl who had once appeared in their world was nowhere to be found.

Or rather, her existence was erased from this timeline onward.

Like those weirdo experts who have been stripped of their abilities...

In every timeline where Hanekawa Tsubasa exists, she always manages to quickly distinguish herself in the field of "cognitive science" thanks to her exceptional learning ability, providing tremendous assistance to Maruki Takuto's research.

Akira Kurusu looked at the girl opposite him, who also came from Naoezu Middle School and bore a resemblance to Tsubasa Hanekawa. The script that had been played out countless times in this world had already begun.

He then looked around at the expectant teachers and students, and at the staff setting up cameras in the distance.

Perhaps for these ordinary people, what is about to happen is just a fleeting illusion.

Whether it's skyscrapers collapsing, ground cracking, or buildings crumbling in the wind and fire, the apocalyptic scenes of global catastrophe will eventually return to the peaceful and tranquil daily life of the city after time restarts. Akira Kurusu withdrew her gaze and turned to look at the classroom ceiling.

A pair of pale hands hung limply there.

It belongs to the arrogant evil god, "Dioscuri".

He manipulated memories to influence the world for years, dismantling countless groups that could have posed a threat to the leader.

Now that the robe has returned to reality, it is destined to drag the world onto the stage of its end.

The first act belongs to "The Night of the Witches," a collection of despair, a symbol of the collective unconscious calling for spiritual annihilation.

Neither Dioscuri nor Nyarlathotep possesses the ability to directly control the Witch's Night.

The villains created this desperate beast, but locked it in the deepest part of the Impression Space, ready to unlock it at any time to deplete the Phantom Thieves' power.

This is a very simple "moral game".

Although the existence of "Dioscuri" is closely related to all of humanity, the Phantom Thieves cannot allow "Witch's Night" to destroy the entire surface of the earth.

This would solve the problem caused by the alien visitor, Kyubey, once and for all, and also greatly weaken the power of these Personas.

The situation has developed to this point.

Anyone should be able to understand what the Phantom Thieves, led by Homura Akemi, are planning to do...

"We've caught Cupid!"

Suddenly, a gasp of surprise rang out from the bottom floor of the Impression Space.

Under the restrictions she imposed on the Persona "Cinderella" using a technique called [Space Killing], the first Kyubey was captured by her.

Immediately afterwards, good news came from all the Phantom Thieves teams in various places.

Homura Akemi didn't pay attention to them.

She had unwavering faith in the abilities of these phantom thieves, just as she trusted Akira Kurusu.

Although Kyubey also dislikes the existence of "Nyarlathotep," an enemy of civilization destined to destroy the universe, it is equally unable to assist the Mind Thieves.

Its instincts are constantly reminding it that if it is captured, the vast world it is connected to will become a "poison" used by witches and phantom thieves to attack "Nyarlathotep," which is truly a tragedy.

With Kasumi holding him by the scruff of his neck, Kyubey observed the impression space in front of him with mechanical eyes, especially looking at the floor.

It sensed it.

The desperate beast beneath the earth is repeatedly ramming the door that imprisons it.

Finally, in the moment when the real-world "Dioscuri" confronted Akira Kurusu, the lock that imprisoned "Witch Night" was removed.

The entire impression space collapsed in an instant.

The scorching winds of hell, accompanied by flames, soared into the sky, threatening to pierce through the barriers of the world!

Immediately afterwards, the piercing scream of the Despair Aggregate, like a prelude to a tragedy, accompanied by the roar of the brakes, resounded throughout the sky and the earth!

At that very instant, time was paused.

"All phantom thieves! Prepare to evacuate the Memory Dimension!"

In the absolute realm of black and white, only the witch's calm voice echoed in the ears of the Phantom Thieves.

The final battle has officially begun.

Meanwhile, on the streets of Kamahama City, the [Shadow Patrol] group, led by Yuuki Osamu, began to relocate with the help of the Magical Girl Extermination Squad.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Takihara City, the [Special Investigation Team] led by Narukami Yu was also shifting its battlefield.

According to the tactics they had discussed with Akira Kurusu.

The Phantom Thieves and the magical girl from Mitakihara will delay "Witch's Night" until they reunite with Takuto Maruki and arrive at the battlefield.

Maruki Takuto will use the Persona "Azathoth" to imprison "Witch Night" along with all the Personas users and the magical girl extermination team in a fictional world. They will be under the command of Aegis and Elizabeth to fight against the Despair Aggregator.

The three "saviors" chosen by the Velvet Room must confront the arrogant evil god and Nyarlathotep, the "enemy of civilization."

307. [The Only Anchored Timeline] (See Takihara Final Battle Arc, the End)

Thick black fog penetrated the ground.

The industrial masterpieces that humankind was so proud of vanished in an instant.

The reinforced concrete skyscrapers are like collapsing sandcastles—they are more like the foundation of their existence that has been removed. In the instant when the laws of physics fail, they twist themselves into unbelievable angles, and then, with a morbid submission, turn into dust and collapse.

The streets crumbled, the order of gravity collapsed, and broken sections of concrete, like shattered cookies, rose into the dark blue sky of Mitakihara, accompanied by a shower of dust.

A series of booming sounds echoed from deep underground, like the wailing of a baby, the shrill screams of an old pipe organ out of tune, or the incoherent murmurs of thousands of people.

Their voices echoed throughout Mitakihara City, like iron nails driven deep into everyone's minds, accompanied by intense pain.

...

At that moment, at Mitakihara Middle School, the magical girl who had successfully rescued the Personas from the Memory Dimension suddenly felt a piercing pain in her mind.

Not only them, but even the seasoned phantom thieves found it hard to bear.

Everything in sight was covered with a thick layer of static, like the static on a television screen. The campus buildings began to dissolve. This was a more subversive situation than the "subconscious layer" of the mental palace. It was beyond the realm of words and made people feel nauseous.

Akira Kurusu had already experienced countless encounters with "Nyarlathotep" and had developed a considerable degree of resistance to this kind of distortion that was capable of destroying the human mind.

Only he and Homura Akemi were able to maintain their fighting stance immediately.

In addition, Shiomi Kotone was the one who adjusted her state the fastest.

He possesses a Persona of savior caliber and also wields the power of the [universe].

Kotone Shiomi immediately went to take care of the phantom thieves who were in disarray.

As for the magical girls, Homura Akemi, who had returned to school, was helping to take care of them.

"Witch's Night?!"

This was the first question uttered by Mami Tomoe, the most experienced magical girl in combat, after she regained consciousness.

"There's another group dealing with it, so don't worry, Senpai. They'll definitely defeat Witch Night." Homura Akemi displayed a calm, almost cold expression that Mami Tomoe had never seen before. "Next, we'll face an evil even purer and more extreme than Witch Night."

Mami Tomoe was, after all, just a 15-year-old girl. After realizing the dramatic changes in the world and sensing the indescribable existence underground, she immediately seemed to lose her own opinions and accepted Homura Akemi's on-the-spot command.

Suddenly, he noticed the shield hanging on Homura Akemi's arm, whose time disc was spinning wildly, clearly indicating that even the rules of time were in disarray.

She turned her head again, only to find that the phantom thief and magical girl around her had disappeared. She was now in a "clear" space, with a mountain of discarded television sets in front of her.

Countless screens suddenly lit up, playing scenes of humans killing each other, magical girls turning into witches in despair, and the Phantom Thieves being attacked by public opinion.

Mami Tomoe watched helplessly as a figure climbed to the top of "TV Mountain".

That appeared to be a well-dressed... "human".

He, or rather, He, has a rugged masculine face, or the appearance of an ordinary old man, or even a soft feminine face, or the image of a naive and innocent child...

The myriad forms on the robe blend together, creating a complex and bizarre, nauseating feeling that sends chills down your spine, like countless segmented insects swirling around, their venomous danger causing pure fear to grow deep within your heart.

Mami Tomoe couldn't tear her gaze away from that "face" that was merging with her subconscious. It seemed to have become one with her soul, one moment the gentle smiles of her dying parents, the next her own pale, lifeless face, as if long dead. It wasn't a visual image, but a subconscious concept directly poured into her brain.

But at that very moment, a dark shadow suddenly appeared behind them.

It was Akira Kurusu who, without hesitation, swung his hand knife, interrupting the cognitive pollution of Mami Tomoe before she was dissolved by "Nyarlathotep" with His incomprehensible power.

The evil god on "TV Mountain" immediately made an exaggerated expression.

So the robe clapped, and He praised.

"You're quite skilled, Mr. Phantom Thief. Sure enough, anyone can find a perfect way to beat a single-player game that's been played a million times."

The sound didn't seem to travel through air vibrations; it was like a scalpel piercing the phantom thief's auditory senses with a nauseating, slippery, and superior sensation. As in every timeline, Akira Kurusu looked up at "Nya" on "TV Mountain."

"You've become more human, evil god."

"Arrogance and hatred, these are human emotions."

In response to Akira Kurusu's words.

The figure at the top of "TV Mountain," Nyarlathotep, gradually suppressed the smile on his face.

He was indeed laughing.

Unlike before, when he performed by imitating humans, Nyarlathotep now actually has the corresponding emotions that evoke "smiles".

All of this was because of the sudden appearance of "Judas" in that battle outside of that timeline.

As an evil god embodying remorse, "Judas," by igniting himself and with the help of Homura Akemi and Madoka Kaname, forcibly imprinted "Nyarlathotep" with his mark, allowing his existence to be recognized by Phelemon.

Thus, from that moment on, the “enemy of civilization,” who had destroyed countless worlds and personally killed the previous two Velvet Room contractors who had escaped their seal, suffered its first demotion.

Once this degradation begins, there is no turning back. Ferremon, who had been battling with Sacrifice for a long time, relentlessly tried to drag "Nyarlathotep" into the realm of human understanding. And Ferremon did indeed succeed.

Almost all guidance for the Velvet Room Contractors and Personas was abandoned, and even the Sea of ​​Hearts was greatly affected as a result, leading to the birth of several evil gods.

This closed-loop timeline ultimately made the "Nyarlathotep" that Akira Kurusu faced fundamentally different from all the previous timelines.

Feelings like hatred, resentment, and anger, which shouldn't have been in Nya's mind, began to emerge all at once.

Today, Nyarlathotep, who stands before the mind thief, is no longer a "mortal enemy of civilization" that requires mobilizing the entire world's power to fight against him on a macro level.

Rather, it is a "cognitive collection" imprisoned in a human body, which can be defined by cognitive science.

Therefore, He can be redefined and renamed: "Nyarlathotep, the aggregate of all false messages in the sea of ​​the heart."

"Hehehe... Hahahaha..."

Nyarlathotep suddenly burst into a maniacal laugh. His suit began to writhe like fluid, and the "human parts" that made up his body were quickly peeled away, revealing a deep, chaotic essence beneath that seemed capable of swallowing light.

But this action was quickly thwarted.

All concepts in the world that belong to Him are anchored in reality through the sea of ​​the heart.

His conceptual connection with "Nyarlathotep" outside the world was completely severed, and consciousness throughout all timelines was imprisoned in such a weak and concrete body.

As the chaos dissipated, a well-dressed figure reappeared on "TV Mountain".

He raised his head and looked down at Lai Xixiao at the foot of the mountain.

The opponent, together with Shiomi Kotone who arrived just in time, completed the [Personality Combo Technique: Infinite Sin Armor-Piercing Bullet].

The fallen angel named "Satanyal" is spreading his pitch-black wings that blot out the sky. In this bizarre and fantastical space-time, the gun held by God has become an almost anchor-like presence.

At this moment, endless power of original sin is brewing within it; it is a deadly weapon composed of the legacy of the "Messiah" and the ultimate persona, a god-slaying spear output from the power of the [universe] and the [world].