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 Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 3:44 pm
Karu Raiku  So began stage two of this crazy fight and well stage three of this entire maddening night. Alright Kazami lets do our best now, its the least we can do is give one hundred percent to help our allies tonight. He let out a sigh prepping himself for this fight. His energy and everything felt better, even his leg wasn't bothering him now. Amazing and very nice that he could walk now with wanting to die or cry. "Lets do this Kazami!" He called out as he crushed the tarot card in his hand Kazami appearing again to assist him. The persona wrapped her arms around around his neck lending some of her power to the one that summoned her. The spell would help make him hit harder, it seemed like a good idea he needed to have get a skill attack up to make his attacks up to the power of his allies. This night was beginning to become really interesting. He started the day bored average tired hanging out with Jo(shu). Now he was up some huge tower fighting with super natural crazy powers, oh how quickly the days can change. Maybe the Average Senior wasn't as average as he thought, maybe. Quote: Karu's Action: Mind Charge.
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 3:49 pm
Dan Sekohara 
Long, violent breathes dragged air deep into Dan's lungs as he watched the dark form of Shadow Soji fizzled away to nothingness. The sight of the i teams greatest enemy turning to nothing, even if it wore the face of Dan's friend that would not take this victory. As the white haired hero lowered his weapon he moved to Nekama's side. Smiling Dan opened his lips, but just as he was going to congratulate the young mute on a battle well fought when... their true enemy appeared before them. Dan was dumbfounded, incapable of attacking, incapable of moving at all the white haired hero watched as he sent a healing wave over him and then issued his challenge. After a long moment, while the others began to attack Dan stood silent positioning himself between the form of shadow Soji and Nekama, using himself as a shield for her. "Nekama, just stay behind me everything is going to be alright." Raising his hammer Dan prepared for his last stand against the darkness. With a violent shattering sound Dan summoned forth his persona. "Zeus Mark 1! Show him our power!" The giant mech seemed to nod slightly before zooming towards Shadow Soji with a holy light shrouding his twin lances. "DAN LANCE!" He called in his well worn heroic bravado as the guardian mech crashed onto the enemy's form.
Quote: Null Fear - Immune to fear Regenerate 2 - Recover 4% HP every turn in battle. [Medium-level] Speed Incense - Permanent Boost To Speed/Evasion Severe Almighty Damage. [Severe Almighty Damage] 0/3 cooldown
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:17 pm
Shadow Soji
[Tartarus - Summit]  He knew it wouldn't take a hand-written invitation to get the remnants of the Investigation Team that his other half had lead to get them to take up his challenge; his restoration of their power had been as much of an invitation as they were going to get, whatever the case. He couldn't help but be pleased with the vigor that they showed in attacking him, however, making no bones about their desire to wipe the smug little expression from his lips in whatever fashion they could manage. Forward rushed one of the newest of the crew to start the salvo, but Yue's punches were blocked and mostly ineffective, Naoto's Mind Charge portending powerful things to come once she had finished. And the same came to pass as Faust and Kusuri charged their strengths, magic and physical power respectively, ready to unload upon him once their abilities had reached their peak. His lips curled devilishly; they weren't taking any chances with him, they were going all out, every last ounce of energy they had to spend they were going to unleash upon him now. This was the final battle between them, and there was no reason to hold back. He chuckled under his breath as his weapons sparked with life again, crackling behind him as he waited for more from the enemy's display. Another Mind Charge from the silver-haired loud mouth, whose crude taunts only made the shadow that much more amused with them. Oh, to see anything that could actually elicit an emotional response from the ever-stoic zombie that was Rednal was quite a feat! He supposed he ought to be proud of himself...in fact, he rather was. There was no other reaction that was more appropriate, really, but did they intend to simply stand all day and collect their power, or was there an attack somewhere in the midst of all this talking waiting to be unleashed? He was already becoming bored with them. What was with all this waiting? Teddie spent a turn raising the power of everyone in the room as well, challenging him with all of his bear-like strength; the shadow supposed that he could be content to wait a little longer if this was the game that they wanted to play with him. He had waited long enough for this moment, the moment when he put on display to the world the difference between himself and the ragtag group of misfits that had been following his other half (as he had already shown the difference between himself and that dead nuisance), that he he supposed he could endure just a little more waiting. Thankfully, there were some among the other side who weren't quite so patient as their allies; twin meteor rains began to fall from the sky as Amelia and Chie let out their pent up frustration upon him, his raised weapons seeming to endure the blows as he was smashed by what looked like it should have crushed him. Throwing the blades to the side, he seemed to have weathered the attacks, but unlike before they weren't simply washing over him. There was impact, there was recoil in the stance of their target. Though very little...and the look upon his face of supreme confidence, like there was something between he and his enemies that had yet to be said, was enough to make the warning bells begin to ring in the back of the mind of the red-haired support specialist. 'If only I could summon my persona!' she bit her lip as she struggled against the arms of her captors, feeling their grip tighter than ever as they held her in place, 'Something feels strange. ...I've got to do something...anything to help them!' Her mind whirred, but the sad truth of the matter was that she wasn't a fighter...she had never been a fighter. And she had escaped their grip once, but a second time seemed out of the question. How could she make a difference like this? Was she...really the burden that the shadow had said she was? Her eyes watched, following as Nix's Blade of Fury slashed with fury down upon the shadow, whose blades once again endured the strikes and held them back from carving into his shadow-body. Sparks flew with each clash of his weapons; the shadow was handling the attacks quite easily at this point, though it seemed to know that there was much more yet to come.
"Mankind has always reached for the stars, but no matter how strongly we've tried or how desperately we've stretched, we have always lacked the means to extend our reach into the heavens. Bound by humanity, bound by morality, we're doomed to tread upon this earth and fight one another...and for what? To amuse arrogant goddesses like Izanami? To be subjected to the perils of Nyx if we ever stray from their plans? This is a cycle I intend to correct," the shadow began to speak as though he weren't speaking to the Investigation Team at all, but a declaration of intent, his words seeming to echo in their ears as a fulminating darkness became ever-stronger before them...the presence of their leader's shadow growing darker and darker by the second, "Gods will say that hubris is man's greatest folly; I say man's folly is not acting with ambition, but not knowing when to act! Soji Seta...the man you all love and admire so very much...is the perfect example of this fact." His golden eyes seemed to glow and about him the tower itself began to tremble, pieces of the walls beginning to break away and fall from Tartarus down the sides of the Dark Tower towards the town below, dissipating with impact, leaving nothing in their weak save the thick, black ooze of shadows which sprung to life and began to crawl back towards the base of the Tower itself. It was as though the tower itself was coming to life before their very eyes...changing, becoming something different, and the rumbles made it hard to keep your feet if you were standing atop the structure as it went. "Here was a man with the power to extend his reach into the heavens, but he simply lacked the confidence to do it! Before me I see his friends, who dare to reach into the heavens but lack the strength to reach it! Which is more foolish? The boy who could become a god and chose not to, or his friends who think themselves on the level of gods but lack the means on their own to do reach them? You're like two pieces of the same, incomplete puzzle! Only you fell apart before you could put it all together. And that's where we come in," the shadow smiled as the tower rumbled to life more, his power growing, the blue pillar of strength around him tinged with a swirling, thick obsidian, "Shadows are the darker half of mankind, we are the potential you lack. If you don't have the strength? Accepting us will allow you to have it. If you don't have the confidence to be strong and overcome your fears? You give in to us and we provide you with confidence. We are where humanity's strengths come together, and where their weaknesses are tossed aside! And born from the doubts of humanity's most unique, it's peak specimen, I have both the power...and the confidence...to achieve what I intend! Do you understand?"
His smirk remained, even as another Mind Charge around him raised the power of an enemy, and as though to emphasize his point Dan's Lance crashed forward and dug into the twin blades blocking the assault, almighty energy smashing into the shadow but unable to drive it backwards in the manner that he had hoped. Parried aside after a long moment, the shadow scraped the edges of the two blades together and there was a wave of ominous energy which washed over the team...no damage was done, no stats were altered, only a cold realization, a strange sense of dread continued to grow, building as their true enemy stood before them, unveiled at last in all its dark, impossible glory. It spoke of reaching into the heavens and the future, the evolution of man, but for those who stood against it there was only one feeling, one future which began to seem possible. And it was an ending. It was death. And still they fought on with all that they had, every last ounce of belief and strength inside of them, a culmination of the long journey that they had taken, the victories that they had won, but even then it felt as though there was something missing, didn't it? Some crucial piece...not greater than the whole, but vital all the same. Could they win without it? Having come this far, could they be the force which pushed back the darkness, or...were the shadow's prophetic proclamations a precursor to whatever endgame the shadow intended to unleash?
"Guys, you have to be careful!" Rise's voice suddenly pierced the darkness, the idol struggling against the grips of her captors violently as panic began to take her, "You have to hold out! There's something...something dangerous about him! You need to-AH!" Suddenly a strike to her midsection silenced her, and though it was hard to tell which of her captors had delivered it, her breath was stolen away and she hunched over in their arms, violent pain searing through her stomach as she tried desperately to inhale and exhale. She still tried to scream, but couldn't find her voice...what was this feeling, she wondered? Tartarus, Nyx, Soji's Shadow...the team, the Messiahs, reaching into the heavens...Soji? What did it all mean? What was...this shadow really trying to accomplish? ...And why did the whole thing fill her with such a terrible dark feeling inside her chest? It was heavy...it was scary. She had to find a way to scan this thing without getting caught; she had to help her friends. She had to...she just hoped that they could hold out a little longer. And that whatever the shadow intended to do that made her feel so strange wasn't quite so dangerous as her senses told her it was.
Otherwise, without the last missing link of the Investigation Team's puzzle, there was no way that any of them were going to survive. Quote: A sense of dread permeates the Tower!
[Tartarus has begun to rumble and shake! Is the Tower of Demise falling apart?!]
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:27 pm
  Faustus Necromonium and Kusuri KeirakuFeeling his power hit it's apex, and seeing the attacks of his allies actually Connect, Faust figured it was time. Again, his clothes shifted, and wings grew from his back as he took on the form of Mythos, before darting around, and breaking his card.
"Mythos!! Once more!" Faust called out, as a Heaven's Tempest, Boosted by his charge, And the Charm on his neck. The shaking area around him bothered him, but he had to keep strong for this. They had to Win, No matter what!Kusuri herself started forward as she noticed Shadow-Soji actually taking the strikes, instead of them fading over him. Good, good. That meant she could do some damage hopefully, and as she broke her card, the scales surrounded her figure once more. Again, her Energy Soared out of her, doing some more blunt force damage towards the Shadowy version of their Leader. Charged up with her Rage, she hoped it would do good enough to showcase her power. Hopefully...Quote: Kusuri: Akasha Arts (1-2 Blunt force damage) (2 hits. See page 11313 of OoC) Strength Incense Passives: Divine Pillar (Halve damage. Can't dodge) Fire Boost High Fire Boost Arms Master Powersoul: 1.5x Phys Damage against Demons/Devils. May wear a second Acessory Emerald ring: Physical strikes leave jagged cuts that bleed: counter: 10% odds. I do: Let's her give a power charge to any of the girls, or to Faust Power-charged Kusuri RAGE!! (2/6) Primal Instinct: (Yosuga) (1/4) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Faust: Heaven's tempest. (Very high Wind Damage + Wind Break) Mind-Charged. Matarukaja (1/3) Mythos Rising: 15% Healing Wynnd Charm -Wind Boost Speed incense: increasing that Evasion/Accuracy. Divinity: (shijima boost) (1/4) Spell Master-Halves SP cost.
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Hopeful Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:43 pm
 Rednal Ak'ThiasThank you, Rise, I didn't know that our enemy was dangerous! Oh, come on, don't be sarcastic. You feel it, don't you? That we're missing something? Eh. Yeah. Wish Genji'd made it up here; he's an observant sort of fellow. I'm not so good with the puzzles. And help keep me crazy enough to throw off the dread, would you? I don't want to give in to feelings like that. A gun formed in his hand, and the light in his gauntlet shot into it a moment before a stream of bullets erupted out of the weapon. With all the various enhancements he had on, his bullets, even at their weakest, were about as strong as his most powerful bullet would have been without any enhancements of its own... but his Mind Charge had amplified his attack to a much greater degree than even those enhancements had provided, and three small suns shot through the air with deadly force. With the combination of power increases and speed of attack, it was a bit like being able to cast his more powerful spells a heck of a lot faster, and without the irritating drain on his energy. Oh, yes. His weapon wasn't a very complicated one, but when used in the proper way, it certainly had the potential to be very deadly indeed... at least, versus any foe who wasn't so unreasonably powerful as the one they were facing now. "So, uh, this is just me, but is anybody confident of being able to rescue Rise? I kinda bounced before, but it sounds like she was saying something important..."Quote: Rednal's Actions:-Ari Dance -Nuclear Boost (+25% to Nuclear Attacks) -Nuclear Amp (+50% to Nuclear Attacks) -Magic Incense (Permanent Increase to Magic Power) -Green Power Ring (Small Increase to All Stats) -Matarukaja (Increase offensive power (1/3)) -Mind Charge (2.5x power to next magical attack) Action: Regulus Bullets x3 (Target: Shadow Soji) [Medium Nuclear Damage to Target(s)] (Nuclear Boost) (Nuclear Amp) (Magic Incense) (GPR) (Matarukaja) (Mind Charge)
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 7:36 pm
 Ƞɩҳ Gαɭɭҽɳ ▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂ Nix listened as Shadow Soji continued to speak, easily blocking her and the other's attacks as if they were nothing. This still didn't make any sense. Why help them recover and allow them to attack him at will while he didn't attack back? Did he keep them alive only to hear what he had to say?.. Rise was trying to warn them about something but suddenly she was cut short, literally. Hold out, that's the only advice they got before she was stopped. Clearly she was going to say something the Shadow didn't want to be heard. Her life was bleeding away and so was their only hint to figuring out what was going on. Dread washed over Nix as she tried to think of what to do, the suddenly shaking of Tartarus didn't help either. Nix shook her head to try and clear her thoughts. What they needed right now was some kind of opening, a chance to get Shadow Soji away from Rise so they could save her.. Also a chance to strike him down. Her strongest attacks with her persona didn't help so.. The girl had to take a chance. Sure it could end badly but it might be worth the risk. ".. We need to help Rise but we also need to get the shadow out of the way as well.. Here goes nothing." The new member drew her black black again and rushed towards Shadow Soji, swinging her blade at his chest. A better target to aim for than the neck or arm since those were smaller targets.. Or at least she hoped so. Quote: Anglachel the Elf Blade: Deals double damage against pure shadows and demons, but also if damage is reflected onto allies. Auto-Tarukaja effect against all other foes. Physical Attack: Target - Shadow Soji ▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂ Ѳn that day, my ℋeart crumbled in sιℓєиcє
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 7:36 pm
Karu Raiku "I hope I'm not the only one that felt this entire thing shake." He called out between his allies. This wasn't good, was Souji's shadow planning on leveling the entire tower? That wasn't something he exactly wanted, not while he was on the top of a building that was hundreds of feet up. Jellying up the land below wasn't exactly on his to do list right now. No we're going to crush this idiot and his god complex! The spell cast by Teddie took the place of his Heat Riser spell he would normally cast to power up more making things faster for him. He had tried to catch what Rise had said to them, but she had been cut off by he captors. Not to mention he sure how to take the comment of his Silver haired ally. Confident about being able to rescue Rise, well that's what I had started out to do. An after I'm a persistent little bugger. He focused on his main opponent as he caught the card in his hand again the spell circles already forming around his hands. "Kazami!" he said call out her name once again as she appeared beside him holding out her umbrella again this time helping focus her power into the spell Karu was caster. Okay Kazami, here we go. Love Colored..."Master Spark!" Sure it was the same attack as he had used before, but this time his own Mind Charge spell and the Matarukaja Teddie has cast were powering up the strength of his beam of magic he was starting to grow use to casting, a solid yellow whitish beam of energy that seemed to light up the area around it. It was so fun to use even if it wasn't as powerful as some of the magic his teammates could cast. Quote: Karu's Actions: Master Spark [High Almighty Damage to a single Opponent] +Mind Charge and Matarukaja. Target: Shadow Souji. (Invigorate 1 and Invigorate 2)
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:03 pm
[Nekama Kobayashi]  There was a moment in which it seemed that all had worked out for them, that their efforts had amounted to something and Shadow Soji had been defeated. That moment passed too quickly, however, any joy the mute might have felt at the end of the battle crushed as the Shadow once more made a speech and issued a challenge to the I. Team. Were they just toys for him to play with? It was clear their lives meant nothing to him and if they didn't act soon, only terrible things would befall them. Her cheeks colored a little and her heartbeat quickened a little as Dan stepped forward to defend her once more. Nodding she glanced at her persona, then back at Shadow Soji, the dark, unnerving energy he cast about the room made her hands want to shake and her strength falter. But now was not the time for her to waver, they had come so far and she'd done so much already; everyone had done so well up until now. She couldn't forget their strength, their drive that had gotten them this far, and the compassion that had saved her from losing her own shadow. No, now she had to fight with everything she had and then some, this fight had to count for something. Nekama couldn't afford to let the dread sink deep into her soul and inhibit her attacks. 'Thank you,' her thoughts echoed as she willed herself to stand tall and proud despite the shaking of the tower. 'Please continue to allow me to fight along side of you, I finally feel alive... I finally feel as though I more than just a face in the crowd and I want to continue walking down this path!' Things were progressing now, the time to go back was long gone and it seemed that the time for one side to push the other back was quickly approaching. Nekama's eyes widened as she watched Nix race to the shadow and fearing for the brave girl's life she quickly waved No Face forward. 'Help her! she silently called out, her inner voice stressing the urgency of the situation. With a quick nod the persona raced forward and slashed its bladed fans at Shadow Soji, a simple enough attack meant to aid the white haired girl. Quote: ]Items: Albina's Band – Resist Silence and Auto-Marakukaja physical attack (Shadow Soji) The night is Deafening.
When the silenceis listening
Always denying the murmur
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Yuetchi Farandole generated a random number between
1 and 4 ...
2!
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:31 pm
  Naoto Shirogane
The Detective Prince of Inaba Yue Adomachi
"Unfortunate Junior Brother, Hermit's Philosopher, and Scrappy Protector" Naoto backed off and glanced at Rise, then Rednal. "You feel what's happening to the tower? There's clearly something we've yet to figure out...but what it is..." Come on...you didn't spend all this time as a detective just to fail here, especially when lives are at stake! She frowned as she darted at Shadow Souji, throwing a powered up Blight at him thanks to Teddy's attack boost to the party. What was it? Rise caught it before any of them. If she could just scan him, but she couldn't, not with her captors keeping her under their hold. With Shadow Souji's seriousness, lives really were st stake here. And there was this undeniable bad feeling in her gut she just couldn't shake, that even unnerved Yamato's usually controlled demeanor.
Yue was thoughtful as he crushed his card, summoning the black horse to his aide. With a neigh it attempted to ram its hooves at Shadow Souji with its special skill, reinforced by the power charge and the attack boost from another team member. I've got this bad feeling... He shook his head. What was happening? What was going to happen? He sure as hell wasn't going to die here the first night he finally got to know just what the hell was going on around here. Quote: Naoto Shirogane:Extra: Persona Fusion [Yamato-Takeru (Reborn)] Weapon: Black Hole [Revolver] Skill: Blight [Target: Shadow Souji] Effects: Mind Charged Matakuraja 1/3[Magic] Yue Adomachi:Weapon: Fists of the Iron Isles [Deal High Physical Damage w/ Each Punch] Armor: N/A Skill: Weight Crusher + Power Charge + Matarukaja Effects: Attack Cooldown 0/2 Matarukaja 1/3
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Yamiko Enoki generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
2!
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:18 pm
  Amelia M. Heartilly and Chie Satonaka
"Alright, let's try that again..." Amelia spoke aloud, Fulgora and Chie falling back as the twin blades took the damage from their attacks. The Shadow was still having an amused look on his face, ready for more as he swept those blades across them. Amelia tensed up, preparing herself for any sort of pain but.. nothing. There was nothing. Well, there was something, and what that could be was a sinking feeling in her chest. It was then that the tower itself started to rumble and shake, Chie grunting some in trying to keep her footing with her eyes scanning at the area. "What's going on?!" she called out when the Tower seemed to be breaking off as things continued on to rumble. Amelia clenched her teeth, soon looking up to see the Shadow continuing on with his promise of becoming a God. If not just greater than that. What was happening to this place? What was happening to this Shadow? Her eyes darted to hear Rise calling out to hold on, something being terribly wrong at this point. It was obvious, but if it was Rise herself stating such, then there was a lot more to it than a mere feeling of unease and dread. More to it. What was happening?! Chie looked over towards Naoto and she only called out. "What is it that we need to figure out? Just how?!" but her eyes went back towards the Shadow with his smirk on his face and she saw that Rise was only getting to worst end at this point.
And hearing Rednal? Well, Amelia's glare went right over towards him as if putting some emphasis in Shadow Soji's statement about her thinking that he's the problem. "Hey, no s**t!!" she yelled out, before looking back and taking a quick slash at her card in some haste. "Freakin' mister obvious." she spat in her breath in English before Fulgora readied her sword and pointed it towards the heaven where the ominous moon glared down at them. No, no time to argue or pick the not-so-wanted fights. Blue lightning sparked up once again before a heavy rain of it went onto the Shadow and the captors that were holding onto Rise. She had to get them out, they had to get her out. They need her with them, and away from HIM! Chie was thinking the same thing, soon sprinting back into action with her double spear ready to try and slam it down against the Shadow and in hopes to probably sweep him with another strike. That is if her first is successful. Let's try this again! Quote: Skills Used Amelia -- Guardian Hammer [ Target: All ]Chie -- Agneyastra
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Fashionable Businesswoman
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:49 pm
Samara Nakagawa The Witch Let me stay,
Where the wind will whisperto me,
I know now what lies beyond mysleeping refuge,
The nightmare I built my own world to Escape Samara had made it to the top of the tower some time ago, her ascent up the lift hadn't been so pleasant. Reluctantly she had given in to her opponents pleads and ridden up with him, this had proven to be a bad choice on her part, as his happy nature and over all carefree attitude about this whole grave situation irritated her. She wasn't having a good time of this whole fight and her aggression most certainly had been taken out on Tobikuma, her scissors had once more been aimed at him with less than friendly intentions. Sure, there was no fun in the fact that he didn't struggle, that he wouldn't fight her back – but sometimes a gal had to do what needed to be done. She wasn't in a friendly mood and the sooner she took her place amongst the Messiahs, the better, in fact as soon as the pair arrived at the top of the tower she raced to their side and settled in amongst the new recruits. Samara's pride stung a little in the fact that she had not dealt a significant amount of damage on her opponent, but amongst the others she couldn't help but feel stronger. Yes, there were others like her and they could see the world for what it really was, and perhaps like her they wanted to destroy those who couldn't understand what she was – what they were. The deep frown that had settled itself in her expression began to tilt upwards as Shadow Soji spoke. The black haired girl hung onto his every word, he was a god, he was their god and he would lead them into a new era. Fear reared its ugly head as the goody two shoes attacked the shadow, she knew they couldn't hurt him – he was too powerful. As the fake Shadow Soji was defeat, a dreadful feeling settled in her stomach, a lost sort of sense as she realized she wouldn't know where else to go if this new found leader was gone. She was ready to follow their ideals, to prove herself and she'd hardly done that; but this game couldn't be over already, could it? No, her thoughts were confirmed when the shadow once more appeared, stronger than before and boasted of his strength, of his little test for their enemies A giddy sort of giggle escaped her as she laced her fingers together and continued to watch the story unfold before her. Her head swiveled to the side as the tower began to shake and crumble, her smile full on now and twisted as she watched the area become more dangerous. This was a good place to be, there was a peace that settled in Samara as she stood ready to attack on a command and watched as the the opposing team tried to save one of their own and bring down Shadow Soji.
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 7:51 am
Shadow Soji
[Tartarus - Summit] And now, here came the onslaught that he had been waiting for, the full-borne power of the Investigation Team sans their impressive leader thrust upon him like the edge of some celestial spearhead; his golden eyes practically glimmered with amusement and anticipation as Faust lead off with a Heaven's Tempest, an impossible whirlwind of resistance-shattering wind that broke upon him like the first violent gust of a hurricane. Twisting his weapons so that the blades were backwards, he folded his arms before him in a cross-block and felt the squall smash into his empowered frame with all the rage that the green-haired boy intended. How far had he come in power since his days of slinging half-assed Garula spells in an effort to pull the likes of Leon and others out of the television? To think that he could inspire such ferocity in so meek a young man was truly an accomplishment, but that was a talent that he had in common with his lesser self, he supposed. Through inspiration and encouragement he had managed to draw out the best of all his allies, supporting them, boosting their confidence and their strength alike, and when the time came it was with him at their back that they had fought their hardest and won their greatest victories. Now, through nothing but words and a little provocation, his shadow had done the same. The dark side of the moon, the other side of the coin, so to speak...he weathered the wind and felt the heavily amped physical power of that boy's partner in combat and much more smash down upon him with all the fury of a demigoddess...oh, she certainly was just as powerful and fiery as his duplicate had said. Far from the self-protected waif she had been before, now she was open and furious; he endured the blows and cast the last of it aside as he blocked, the smirk never quite leaving his handsome lips as the attacks poured in. One-by-one, the Investigation Team was emptying their best spells against him, just as he had invited them to do...was it overconfidence which had lead him to restore their health and magic? Was it foolishness? One had to wonder the thinking behind it; had their leader ever been prone to either? Was this perhaps his darker half's weakness, or...the questions remained, even when nuclear shells rocketed across the top of the Tower and slammed into the front of the shadow's guarded stance, nearly pushing him back with each shuddering impact. Oh, Rednal...what were those weapons in his hands? The shadow couldn't help but wonder where they had come from, never having seen them before, sure that his other half's ally had never wielded something which packed quite that much punch in the past. ...But it wasn't enough. He cut through the last of the bullets as it slammed into him with his blade and another wave of ominous dread rolled from his body over the team, golden eyes focused on the charge of the white-haired girl with her blade. She was determined but unskilled, just a neophyte in this battle that had been going on for longer than she could have known. In came her slash towards his chest, but it was telegraphed and slow to his empowered senses, his feet moving like a dance to the side as he rolled down the length of her blade and behind her, hand catching her by the back of her shirt as he spun to her back. Tugging simply, it was with a casual sort of ease that he tossed the girl back into the crowd of bodies aligned against him and let them endure the impact of her weight against them. It seemed it was necessary to remind them not only that he was the most powerful opponent they had fought, but that his skills were hardly lacking when compared with the advanced techniques of their leader. With blade still in hand only two fingers lifted from the hilt were needed to redirect Nix, and with another smooth block he endured the force of Karu's Almighty assault, Nekama's Physical attack thereafter smashing against his bladed guard soundly. This time it was certain...the Investigation Team's attacks were hitting, but they were also being endured quite well, guarded against, blocked with an ease and a smirking expression that said the shadow was barely breaking a sweat against them. No strain. All ease. They were fighting one another on the same field, with the same rules and the same powers, but what the shadow seemed intent on driving home was that right now there was still one remarkable difference between them. Skill and the depth, the impossible well of power, the gulf between he and his opponents...both the remnants of the Investigation Team itself and his other half...was so very wide. Could they be a threat to him in the future? He had admitted as much. But as they were now, broken and incomplete...? The Tower of Demise rumbled more violently, Yue's attack seemed to bounce from the guard of the shadow and Naoto's Blight Spell smashed against it with an impossibly violent impact, though the shadow somehow endured. It simply blocked and guarded, endured that which it did not avoid; it was like fighting an enemy that looked like you and fought like you, only there was something much different to it. As though it were made out of sturdier stuff, as if there was a secret fire inside of it that fueled it to be stronger...it looked just like their leader, like any one of them, and yet it was so vastly different. A pantheon-level lightning attack smashed down upon the shadow, its blades enduring the attack like always, but even as it rained down upon his allies there was a barrier that shielded them from the attack...likely the machination of the Messiahs leader once more. It smirked deviously, almost as though enduring some insult with the knowledge it would return the favor soon...and even the intense strength of Suzuka-Gongen Reborn's Agneyastra wasn't enough to put a true dent in the pristine visage of the shadow.
...Their assault had been spent...and the shadow still stood before them like an intimidating pillar of power, confident and terrible as ever. Rise watched with her amber eyes in a sense of growing horror what happened before her; all of those attacks...they had all been so strong, they were all hitting the enemy, his guard up, they should have still been doing some significant damage! What was missing?! Was it possible that their enemy was simply...that strong? Were they all just tossing pebbles against a stone wall, marveling and spirits failing as they bounced to the side? It was too much...the dread inside of her chest was growing painful, consuming, she knew somehow in her mind that if she couldn't do something or say something soon to help her friends that the worst was going to come to pass. They couldn't win like this...there was no way! They had come into the tower with the expectation that they might die, but never had they been so close to the brink, so close without the safety net of their leader's soft smile, his cool confidence, that power which the shadow had said made the impossible possible...was this really where their battle finally met its end? Defeated by a cruel imitation of their leader, the man that they had all trusted and loved so deeply, doomed to perish and be responsible for the Fall, the End that Senpai had mentioned only briefly before from his conversations with Minato Arisato? It was...impossible. It couldn't be! Her mind raced with possibilities as she struggled against her captors grip, her stomach aching and her head clouded with pain and anger and sadness, but none of that mattered right now! None of it! Not when her friends were fighting so hard in front of her...not when everything that Soji had stood for was being spit upon by his shadow and his memory was all that they had left to honor him by. Tugging once, she felt one of her captors tug her arm back violently...but the way she slammed into his chest and felt his breath give for a moment gave her an idea! All of those standard self-defense moves they had taught her when she became an idol, things she had never thought she would need to know, they were coming back to her now...she couldn't do it just yet, though...she needed a window of opportunity. But did she have the time? For now, she had to do something...her eyes closed as she tried to focus, focus on the team, focus on their enemy, focus on this sinking feeling of dread that was settling into the pit of her chest and dripping down into her stomach bit-by-bit like some acrid poison inside of her. She could feel her focus growing as she tried to calm her mind...sense...stretch out her feelings and perceive what it was that made her feel so uneasy about all this. ...She didn't know when it had happened, but within the very arms of her captors she had transformed. From the meek young girl held hostage by two scary men into a much more elegant being; she had morphed, her clothes melding into a white dress with black underlings, radio dishes adorned her accessories for honing her senses, and even her person seemed to glow a little bit brighter than normal. Rise had changed and become Himiko (Reborn). And with her focus she sensed not the exact method, but the true intensity of the dread that filled her heart when she focused upon the shadow that rebuffed her friends and mocked their leader's memory. Her eyes shot open immediately! Struggling against the bonds of her holders, she would not let her voice be silenced this time! She shouted, and even as a fist met her stomach her powers allowed the message to go through. 'Everyone, you have to hurry! The tower's falling apart! If you don't finish soon, it's going to collapse!'
"Long ago, there were men who sought to literally extend their reach into the heavens. Rather than waiting meekly for the gods to have their way, coming to Earth whenever they felt like playing with humanity, they embraced their pride and built a tower which extended so high into the sky that it was said to pierce the heavens. And do you know what this tower was called? BABEL! God decried the Tower of Babel as the ultimate act of vanity by man, and the heavens condemned the tower along with those who built it. Cursed, the tower fell from the skies and their seat upon the throne in heaven was secure; in its place we were left with this. A mockery of that tower, this one cannot reach into the heavens, and all that waits at the top, the reward for ascending to its very peak, is death. I think...that this tower and its purpose was a warning to mankind. Reach too high into the heavens and this is what awaits you. Misery...despair...death. Who would even dream of ascending higher when the price is so high? Who would dare challenge gods when you risk the very end of humanity to issue such a challenge? Only someone who did not value humanity, who did not value the bonds between human beings could ever dream of such a thing...only a being with the power to manipulate the very fabric of worlds, someone who had been foolishly touched by a vain god for the purpose of her own entertainment, perhaps?" the shadow smirked as it looked high into the sky above as the gathering clouds slowly parted, an unnatural and circular hole in the opaque sky above spreading for some reason...his own spike of energy ascending higher and higher into the opening above, "You see, I think that Babel was more than just an act of pride. Babel was more than pride, it was the peak of man's ambition! It was our path to ascend into the heavens and claim is bounties of our own will! We were made by gods...we're toys for deities, manipulated by the likes of Izanami and Izanagi for their own little games...but in their own vanity they endowed us with a power with potential. Persona isn't the potential to awaken to your inner self...it's the potential to awaken your inner god! It's the path to awaken your own divinity! With this power I will ascend to the very heights, the top of the Tower of Babel which pierces even the heavens themselves! And there, by casting off my...lesser self...by becoming the Harbinger of Death and defeating Nyx herself...and by renouncing this pathetic humanity...we will deal a blow to the gods that will finally free us from the games of gods and deities! We, as shadows...humans who have given into the darkness and become gods themselves...will finally control our own destiny! The world will be free...and at the top of it all, ruling from the Tower in the Heavens...will be me. Your Black Messiah." His chilling laughter filled the plateau atop the shaking tower with a sense of cruel dread, the weight and scope of this true Fiend's intentions finally come to bear. This was the goal for which he had been striving all this time! This was the reason for everything...for his influence over the TV World, for bringing Tartarus into the real world, for the Black Messiahs...it was all in preparation for this moment! And as the ground shook, the skies parted, and the shadow of humanity cast a dark pall over all who stood at the top still fighting to preserve the light, their champion was still missing...those who remained in his stead fought on with this new-found knowledge, their own part to play still before them.
"There's only one thing that I have yet to do before I move to the next stage..." the shadow smirked as its gaze finally returned from the heavens, an eerie calm settling onto its features as it looked upon its 'friends' one last time, "To cast aside humanity itself and give rise to the Tower, I will sacrifice on this Altar every last bond that my...human side held dear. He clung so desperately to the bonds with you that made him human, that gave him strength and allowed me to grow, that he rejected the right to godhood! ...I have no such inhibitions..."
And with those words the sky suddenly grew dark...the blue spike of power and light that had extended high into the skies above condensing, compressing, settling all into the hands of this creature, this shadow which stood before them. All of that power, all of that intense, dreadful power crackled inside of his hands, surrounded his body, danced along his blades as he chuckled deeply...darkly. The very skies of the Dark Hour came to life in an ominous chorus. And somewhere in the hearts of each of the members of the opposition which still stood before him, a heavy doubt sprung to life in the voice of their own shadow. This...was the climax. The culmination of humanity's dark side had declared war on the heavens...all that remained was to erase the last vestiges of humanity Earth...its heroes...then the true battle would begin.
And all of a sudden, every spark and fire and synapse in Rise Kujikawa sparked to life and screamed danger! She understood what the shadow's intention was, what it was preparing to do to her friends...nothing could have stopped her in that moment, her elbows sinking back into the stomach of one Messiah to steal his breath away, her heel crashing into the arch of the foot of the other, she broke free and shouted with all of her might at her friends, desperate, panicked, they had to hear her over this chorus or it would all be too late!
"GUARD! Guard now!" her voice echoed in an immense panic in their minds, "He's going to kill you! You HAVE to Guard NOW!"
Her words echoed and the night grew dark...and Soji Seta's Shadow, in all his chaotic magnificence, stood before them, ready to do what was necessary to put an end to this once and for all. Quote: A sense of dread permeates the Tower!
[Something terrible is about to happen! Tartarus crumbles around the Investigation Team! Rise has warned her friends of an impending danger, but is it too late to survive?!]
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Hopeful Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 8:21 am
Ҟυʂυɼɨ & ℉ａｕｓｔｕｓ ▂▂▂▂▂▂ The purple haired junior watched as Soji's shadow tanked all of the hits, taking them with a sense of smug satisfaction, not slowing in the slightest.
"What is he?" she stated idly, before hearing him speak of the Tower of Babel, and go on another of his speeches, talking about how Persona was the power to awaken one's own inner God. She had no retort for that, having looked at her persona as a goddess of her own. However, before she went to try to fight back, she heard the voice in her mind. The extraordinarily panicked voice.
"Guarding!" she called, backing off from the shadow and raising her arms into a defensive position.
Faust himself had a silent cheer at his attack hitting, before noticing the shadow take most of everything in stride, before talking about the Tower of Babel and such, before explaining more of his motives. He opened his mouth to retort, before hearing the panicked voice, and Kusuri's echoing the sentiment. He pushed back, aiming to spread as much distance from Soji's shadow and him as possible as he brought up his arms, and planted himself in a defensive stance ▂▂▂▂▂▂ Quote: Kusuri: GUARD Strength Incense Passives: Divine Pillar (Halve damage. Can't dodge) Fire Boost High Fire Boost Arms Master Powersoul: 1.5x Phys Damage against Demons/Devils. May wear a second Acessory Emerald ring: Physical strikes leave jagged cuts that bleed: counter: 10% odds. I do: Let's her give a power charge to any of the girls, or to Faust Kusuri RAGE!! (3/6) Primal Instinct: (Yosuga) (2/4) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Faust: GUARD Matarukaja (2/3) Mythos Rising: 15% Healing Wynnd Charm -Wind Boost Speed incense: increasing that Evasion/Accuracy. Divinity: (shijima boost) (2/4) Spell Master-Halves SP cost.
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 8:27 am
  Teddie, as Kintoki Douji Reborn!Teddie listened in on the Shadow's words, watching as everyone flung their best attacks at the Shadow....So....Why was he still moving?! Much less, Why was he still so confident?!
The Tower of Babel was new to him, being a shadow-borne himself, but the effect wasn't lost, with the figure proclaiming to become a god. Speaking of the Sacrifices as well terrified the bear, and hearing Rise's voice screaming out for them to Guard, the Bear Cowered, aiming to protect himself as best as he could, Guarding.....Guarding Guarding...
Quote: Ted:G-G-GUARD (Everyone's Attack up for 3 turns!! MataruKaja: 2/3)
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Hopeful Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 9:04 am
Rednal Ak'ThiasRednal pointed dramatically at Soji's Shadow as it raved about its intentions. "You aren't even making sense anymore!" he said. Loudly. "First you tell all of us how you're going to become a god and rule the world and manipulate things to your whims, and then you complain to us about gods who rule the world and manipulate things to their whims? You're just contradicting yourself; all you're doing is replacing one tyrant with another who'll be exactly the same!" Yidhra's hair wove into a defensive barrier around him, her protective powers working at their utmost as Rednal complained to their foe. It was a bit like trying to drag down somebody who was specifically standing up to draw attention... Not that she minded, really. Quote: Rednal's Actions:-Ari Dance (Reduce Attack Power / Accuracy of All Enemies) -Green Power Ring (Small Increase to All Stats) -Matarukaja (Increase offensive power (2/3)) Action: Guard (Target: Self) [Reduce Damage from an enemy's attack]
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