That's Why It's Called Falling... (Closed RP)

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Minato had caught the pause Nyx Avatar had. But despite that pause, he'd moved forward with his attack. The expected arcana change occurred, and he braced himseld for whatever attack was coming.

Minato had not expected the powerful electricity sparking around the top of the tower to appear, nor had he expected to get struck by a bolt of lightning he recognized as Thunder Reign. The force of the zap sent him to the ground, and there was literally no way for him to dodge the Maziodyne that had come his way. Minato let out a scream as the attack hit, and then went still. For a few agonizingly still seconds, it seemed Minato was dead, but somehow, he'd endured, if only barely.

He gave a few strained deep breaths before unsummoning Messiah and summoning Helel in its place. And then Minato did what would normally be a very stupid move and threw his sword at Nyx Avatar. The expected effect occurred, and the sword flew right back at Minato, appearing to slice him rather badly. The blade fell to the ground, and instead of the wound causing Minato to bleed to death, the wound healed up, as well as several of Minato's other wounds. Even his broken ribs reset.

[mugenginga]

There was a long pause whe Minato screamed. Longer than the pause, hesitation, or whatever had caused Nyx Avatar to pause before. The being stared at the still form of Minato. Being what it was, just how close Minato was to Death was crystal clear. However, instead of attacking, the shielding that allowed Arcana changes to take place occurred instead. Nyx Avatar spoke of the change, but Minato's condition would only allow him to hear the latter part. Given the way the being chose its words, it was the only part that was important. In terms of words. What was important was the being was changing Arcana without being driven to.

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... Though events may fall out of order, the end is always the same. To endure the suffering and torment that precedes the ultimate end, one must find their true strength."

Nyx Avatar landed after Duelist flashed to Strength. The protection granted by the Arcana change dropped mere seconds before the blade hit the Tetrakarn the being had put up earlier in the battle. The sword seemed to be absorbed into the shimmering shield, only to come out in the opposite direction less than a second after fully vanishing. It flew towards Minato with the same force he had thrown it at Nyx Avatar with, but the gash healed right up and took most of his wounds with it.

Minato's desperate attack had taken time, however. Enough time that Nyx Avatar was able to follow up the Arcana switch with another attack. The long sword was tilted again to allow the blunt side of the blade to hit, and the winged being brought it down quickly. Minato could dodge at this point, though. If it hit, the attack would rebound and hit a second time without granting the blue haired teenager to dodge. The Swift Strike was too fast for dodging with an initial hit.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

At this point, Minato was reacting by instinct to anything Nyx Avatar did. There wasn't time to think about things, the attacks were coming too quickly. He managed to move fast enough to dodge out of the way of the first hit, which allowed him to keep from getting hit by the rebound Swift Strike tended to have.

He changed Personas again, changing back to Messiah. He wasn't sure why, but he tended to feel more comfortable using that one than any others. He held his hand out again, and Messiah fired off another God Hand, which would finally be able to strike now that the Tetrakarn was down.

[mugenginga]

All things considered, the uneven dodging abilities of the two was probably some kind of blessing. Minato by this point had dodged roughly half the attacks Nyx Avatar had thrown at him. It wasn't an understatement to say that was why the blue haired teenager was still alive. The pattern continued when the God Hand flew straight at the winged entity's face. The way its arms went up to deal with the brunt of the blow meant the sword came rather close to Minato. As it was, he'd feel the wind off it as the attack hit, driving Nyx Avatar's arms into its face and forcing not one, but two steps backwards. It lowered both arms quickly, again with the blade passing Minato close enough to cause wind. It wasn't of the damaging sort, but given the size it did kick up quite a bit of resistance. Nyx Avatar flared its four main wings and the energy that protected it during shifts came up again.

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... Though events may fall out of order, the end is always the same. One must fully grasp the influences surrounding oneself. Only then can the joy and wonder of understanding another be obtained, the choice of two paths be made..."

Duelist flashed to Lovers. The being had differed in its usual pattern in that instead of resumings its original position when it landed, it had actually landed a bit back from where it had come up from. Nyx Avatar was a fair distance removed from Minato now, although still nowhere near the edge of the large roof. The wings weren't hanging off the edge. There had been quite a bit more wording to the Arcana shift than any other before, and there had been more of a voice shift than usual from the entity. Nyx Avatar had sounded more like Ryoji there than he had during the entire fight, although the distortions had still been present. It likely caught Minato off guard. Nyx Avatar through out a hand and the wave of energy that fired at the blue haired teenager was that of Marin Karin.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Minato's eyes had widened even more than usual as Nyx Avatar spoke. Because its voice had been nearly free of distortion. Because it had sounded like Ryoji. Not that distorted mess that sounded like his voice, but more like the real Ryoji. He hadn't been able to dodge the Marin Karin because of it. The symptoms of a Charmed person occurred. That inability to tear their eyes from their Charmer, the almost blank look, the practically infatuated look.

Minato's Persona disappeared as he took a couple steps forward. "Oh... Oh god, Ryoji..." He looked conflicted as he walked forward, but at the same time, he'd lost pretty much all will to fight. He couldn't have stopped himself if he'd wanted to.

If it had just been the Marin Karin, he might have been able to fight it, but it wasn't just the Marin Karin. It had been Nyx Avatar's much more human voice that just compounded things. It caused Minato to give in without much of a fight at all.

"I'm... going to save you, you hear me...?" Minato said. "Death may be the end, but that doesn't mean we have to die here... it doesn't mean you have to die here either... Just 'cause you're part of Death doesn't mean you have to die too..."

He sounded near delirious, but from the sound of his words, he was managing to struggle somewhat against the affect of the Marin Karin, or these were the words even his delirious, Charmed self wanted to say, no matter what.

[mugenginga]

Throughout the whole fight, there had been few changes in Nyx Avatar's expression. That widened grin, that arrogant seeming smile, it hadn't shown up even once. The mask taken from the boy named Ryoji Mochizuki was incapable of frowning. They eyes could show no emotion, simply round circles. Staring into them was like staring into the Void itself. The face bearing that mask looked down towards Minato as he walked forward. Nyx Avatar didn't move as the blue haired teenager closed the distance. The grip on its blade loosened ever so slightly, and the entity seemed to be relaxing as much as its construct would allow. The only movement now came from the winds atop Tartarus, causing the feathers of the being's five wings to move.

The way Minato was walking was a bit rough. Almost as if his legs were going forward without his permission. You couldn't have taken that guess from his face. The face made the teenager almost seemed drunk. As if he was fighting to stay on his feet. The condition meant the distance closed slower than it might otherwise have. The whole time, Nyx Avatar remained still, simply watching. It was when Minato was close enough to the tall being to touch it that things changed. For the first time that night, the smile on the mask widened. The edges of the dark smile stretched to either side, covering almost the entire face. It was that which broke the still the being had adopted. Nyx Avatar's left hand shot forward.

Minato was lifted off up the ground. The speed would have been hard to dodge had the teenager been in his mind. As it was now, he stood no chance. It was the second in a series of key events. Less than half a beat later, the Harbinger of the Fall was turning its body and throwing Minato towards one of the pillars surrounding the roof. The aim was dead center, and Minato's spine impacted with the inner most center of the pillar. Had the pillars been angular, it was possible the point would have broken his spine. Nyx Avatar had begun to move before Minato had hit, and the length of its blade was key with the next move.

There was a very deliberate manner in which the being angled the blade. With the position it had thrown the blue haired teenager, the most natural angle would have hit his left shoulder. Nyx Avatar moved its arm so that the point of the sword was at Minato's right. The teenager didn't get a chance to slide down the pillar, despite the natural forces of gravity being in full effect. The sword caught the moonlight as it moved, and it moved in a manner that drove the point through his upper right chest. The deliberate nature of the move not only suspended Minato over twenty feet off the ground, but it severed several key nerves in his right arm, effectively rendering it useless. The winged entity began walking towards Minato in slow, calculated steps. Given its height, it still wouldn't be long before it reached him.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Minato hadn't had anything near a chance to dodge. In his Charm-addled mind, he barely even registered the fact that he'd just been thrown into a pillar until he actually hit it himself. He let out a yell as he hit it, but it was more from the shock of it than anything else. It was only once Nyx Avatar skewered him on that pillar that things really registered to him. It hurt so much, but his mind was so muddled and he'd taken just so much abuse over the past hour that he didn't even care anymore about the pain. All that registered was that Nyx Avatar was walking toward him, he was suspended twenty feet in the air, and he couldn't feel his arm anymore..

The unfocused, intoxicated look hadn't faded from Minato's face as he looked up into Nyx Avatar's own. At this point, he was rambling, but it was clear it was his own words, not the Marin Karin speaking.

"We're all going to die eventually... We can't do a thing about that... but the people here all deserve to die natural deaths," Minato spoke. "No one wants to die. Even those who wish for death don't realize what it truly means to die, and even then they fear death. Those wishes for death that called you here in the first place are nothing more than foolish tortured people who don't realize that fate isn't as definite as everyone makes it out to be."

Something seemed to have clicked for Minato as he got slammed into that pillar. Whatever it was was important enough he was speaking through the fading Marin Karin to tell everyone there.

[mugenginga]

The length of the being's strides meant it had reached Minato after his second sentence. It's right hand was lifting into the air. Minato would be far too distracted by the pain and the points he was trying to make to realize this, but it was the motion Nyx Avatar had taken when it had used Megidola earlier. It continued to rise as Minato spoke, and the palm as it was had spread as the blue haired teenager made his point about those wishing for death being fools. The being hesitated, and its arm lowered. It grabbed Minato's face and leaned forward. Had the mask held a nose, they would have been touching. He seemed to be staring into Minato. As it spoke, there was an eerie lack of exhaling air from its mouth.

"Your actions prove you would die for my former self, that you have chosen to do so by your very presence," Nyx Avatar's smile appeared for the second time that night. It had dropped as it closed the distance, "Do not speak to me of the Answer. Your presence here means if it would save the existance of a shell, you would give your life. You understand nothing."

The being tightened its grip on the right side of Minato's face. The pressure was focused and deliberate. With only his non dominant hand of any use, there would be no way to prevent the result of Nyx Avatar's pressure on his cheek bone. A hairline fracture appeared, and the pain would be severe. The smile only widened.

"I only wanted to prevent your suffering..."

The voice lacked distortion.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Minato hadn't been able to do anything to stop the being from lifting up its hand and grabbing his face. He looked pained as Nyx Avatar spoke. The Answer...? He... wasn't sure what it meant by that. Minato knew he'd known it once upon a time, but the memory of what it was had eluded him for a very long time.

All of these thoughts were thrown from Minato's mind as his face was suddenly filled with splitting pain. He gave a scream of pain, and it was only once Nyx Avatar removed it that his head slumped down. Had the scarf still been tight around his neck, Minato's face would have been buried in it. He gave a small sob. He was crying.

But probably the most tortured look Minato had of the night came when Ryoji spoke. Because that had been who it was. His voice lacked distortion altogether, it sounded human, it sounded similar to his own, it sounded like Ryoji.

And it was at that moment that the others finally made it to the roof. Amaterasu had alighted on the roof first, and she scanned the area for Minato. She yelped as she realized where he was: twenty feet in the air, skewered through with a sword.

Souji had followed after Amaterasu, and he looked the most shocked at the scene, particularly at where Minato was, and his current condition.

"M-Minato!" Souji yelled. Naoto and Kanji had both seen the scene, but they didn't seem to know what to say.

Abel, however, had mostly passed off Minato's condition. The main thought in his head was what an idiot Minato had to be to come up here by himself like this. He'd even tried destroying their only quick way up. As it was, Abel ended up being the first to act, and ran at Nyx Avatar, charging up a Holy Dance in his right palm as he ran forward. It was once he got close that he finally concentrated the Holy Dance and sent it flying at Nyx Avatar.

[mugenginga]

(OOC: Sorry its so long! Worth special note is the attack used near the end won't hit Minato.)

The layout of their group meant Teddie had come up after Naoto. He had windmilled his arms to avoid tipping over, and it wasn't because those in front of him had come to such sudden stops. It was because of Nyx Avatar. He'd seen it before, actually. It had been hovering over the area in Minato's manifestation of his psyche. But this was up close. This had the aura. This was far more than a Shadow. Teddie was as speechless as Naoto and Kanji as the others came up.

Atem drew a breath in as he saw Nyx Avatar. The last time he could honestly say his mind had felt the same way in the presence of something... it was when he'd been absorbed into the demon that Dartz had merged himself with. That almost drowning feeling, that feeling that it had taken the bonds he'd made in his new life to pull him out of. It was similar to Zorc as well, to that fight where most of his priests had fallen around him. The thing wasn't as large as either of them, but the presence was there. Yuugi had come up beside him and his eyes had widened. He remembered Minato's TV World. It looked similar to the thing that had been above then. The short teenager didn't know why, but he'd never quite made the connection between Nyx Avatar and that thing. This was what Ryoji had come? This was the true form of the Appriser? He looked over to where Minato was and his eyes widened. Nefertum was already summoned and floating above him.

"Nefertum, Diarahan!"

Anzu and Seth, along with their respective monsters, had come up next. Atem had jerked towards Anzu as he heard her footsteps. Due to the shoes she tended to wear, she had a distinctive sound. The expression he expected to see was there, and Seth had to grab her arm and yank her to the side to prevent Red Eyes, Black Dragon from barrelling into her. The Ka took a position above the rest of the group and flared its wings to either side as Jounouchi came up. His eyes widened and he came to a stop almost as if the idea that he should be running was simply forgotten.

_{"Holy shit..."}

Abel came up next. His single demon had been destroyed in the fight coming up. Cain, Kaido, and Atsuro would be the last ones up. Kaido had lost Pazuzu, but Orochi was functioning. The multi-headed snake had coiled itself up tight to allow the space for the full group. Cain had both his demons, and had a reaction most similar to Abel. He didn't rush forward the way his brother had, but he gave some quick commands to Norn and Hecate. The latter gathered energy for a Megidolaon between her hands, while the former prepared to heal Abel. Cain smirked at the presence. He knew what Death felt like, and the higher in the tower they'd gotten the stronger that presence had become. Of all the group, he feared death the least. To him, it was simply a hiccup in his development. He stayed back from the rest. He'd command from the back, and Abel would be getting a lecture if they got through this.

All of this had happened in the space of about half a minute. Every attack fired at Nyx Avatar hit. The combination of three Holy Dance hits and Megidolaon was enough to force the being to take three steps backwards. In fact, the combined attacks were almost enough to bring the Appriser to one knee. Its wings were wilted a bit, and it was clear the attack had done some significant harm. Any further attacks after Hecate's Megidolaon would do no good as the aura present in an Arcana Change flared up. Cain wasn't familiar with the attack, but he did know they needed to handle something. He quickly pointed to Kaido, Atsuro, Naoto, Anzu, and Yuugi and then gestured towards where the Shadows were coming up.

"Get back there and hold the Shadows off! Don't make me explain myself, just go!" Cain ordered, "Seth, you stay here and handle support!"

The man didn't sound panicked, merely firm. He did, however, gather some Almighty energy in his hands. If anyone chose to argue, he'd inform them why he was giving the tactical information. Fact was, it was possible Naoto would figure some of his reasoning. Abel was already directly involved with Nyx Avatar, and was one of their strongest members without even needing a Persona. Cain was arguably the second strongest of the Bel Court, and his tactical skills maintained him better in the middle of the field where both groups could hear him. Atsuro and Kanji made sense to be split up, and there was a level of sense for Cain putting the person he trusted more at his back. While Kaido and his demon were a bit more on the physical side of things, he and Atsuro were used to fighting together. Anzu wasn't very good in a direct fight, making more sense to keep her as support, and there was a definite emotional stability Cain was taking into account with sending Yuugi away from the more problematic side. Beyond that, it kept him and Atem seperate. Atem was known for acting rash when it came to the short teenager, after all. Jounouchi tended to combine physical skills and more magical based ones due to the strengths of his Ka, making him a sort of counterpoint to Atsuro. He also handled himself in a fight well.

Atem turned his head towards Naoya and glared, but he said nothing. The former Pharaoh understood the split up, and he couldn't see a reason to argue. Keeping Yuugi out of harm's way didn't bother him much either. Jounouchi didn't argue the orders, Cain had shown himself to be good at how he divided the group up. Anzu had given a quick nod and ran over to where Cain had indicated. She was aware of her position in the group, and stayed behind those more able to actually fight as they went over. Yuugi had given a worried glance towards Minato, but had listened as well. Seth nodded and made some gestures towards Phoenix for it to be ready to heal. He was reading with his own healing skills. As the group was splitting up, Nyx Avatar went into the words for its Arcana change and the Diarahan took effect on Minato.

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... Though events may fall out of order, the final end is always the same. The road to the end diverges at many points. Only through friendship can the ideal future be grasped. Death awaits at the end, the one true absolute."

The words likely caught Minato's attention. The voice wasn't that of Ryoji, but it didn't match Nyx Avatar's usual tone either. There was something more feminine about it, as if Ryoji's distorted voice was being distorted by yet another filter. The being flared its wings out. A flap downwards and it came up off the ground. The single push put it in the air by about thirty feet, leaving a spiral of black on the ground. This wasn't the usual red of an Arcana shift. The card appeared in front of the being, clearly showing the Duelist Arcana. The flash was dark, and it now showed Death... except it seemed there were two symbols in one place. The Duelist Arcana seemed to be underneath the barely transparent Death one. Nyx Avatar held out both its hands, and suddenly what appeared to be Arcana cards with blades resembling Nyx Avatar's sword were raining from the sky down onto the party. As the attack had shot out, a loud sound like glass shattering could be heard, and a very noticable crack appeared under the Harbinger's right eye socket. It was roughly parallel to where the cheek bone would be.

Atem, Anzu, Jounouchi, Kaido, and Teddie all collapsed without warning. Those from worlds with Persona would know the attack as Die for Me!, although the variation was new. Cain's eyes narrowed at the onslaught. It was the sort of spell that would push any it effected to the brink of death. With a single stroke, half their force had been wiped out. The attack reflected back from both Seth and Abel, but it was blocked by Nyx Avatar's own resistances. What Cain did note was the huge drop in oppression in the area once the attack had hit, as if the entity had drawn on more power than it should. There was an effort being put into remaining in the air, and the entire mess was punctuated by the voice that seemed to come from everywhere and no where at once. It was that of a mature woman and not that of Nyx Avatar. Accompanying it was the feeling of a powerful deity...

"I will not permit further interference!"

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Abel had jumped away from the being as soon as the energy for the Arcana change had flared up. He looked back at Cain as he gave his orders to the five to hold off the oncoming Shadows. Naoto gave a short nod as Cain gave his order, and summoned Yamato-Takeru.

The arcana change occurred, and out of all of them, Minato probably looked the most pained at the words. Not at the words, but the tone. That wasn't Ryoji. That wasn't Death. That feminine lean to its words, that strange extra filter his voice was being sent through, that was Nyx and only Nyx speaking through her avatar.

But the attack that came next none of them could have expected as Nyx Avatar held out its hands and sent several cards flying down from the sky. Souji's eyes widened as he realized what attack it was, and how it managed to bring down over half of their group. Atsuro went down, as did Kanji. Amaterasu seemed to be unaffected, though that was possibly due to her goddess status. The sound of shattering glass occurred, and Souji had looked up at Nyx Avatar's face. There was a very noticeable crack there... and it seemed to be corresponding to something.

The voice that rang around the area was one that of all of them, only Souji would be able to recognize, because he'd heard it once before when Izanagi had talked him into eavesdropping on Ryoji due to the chaos going on in that apartment. It was hauntingly beautiful and part of it spoke into his very being. That had been Nyx.

And Minato seemed to realize it. He knew why Die for Me hadn't even so much as glanced in his direction. Ryoji still lived. The Death symbol and the Duelist symbol were layered together. Duelist was fate in regards to Death. If he was going to change anything, this was his last chance. He'd finally realized what Nyx Avatar was saying. He understood now, he'd made his choice, and he was going to grasp it with all the will he could muster.

"This isn't the way things are meant to end, Nyx! Death is the end of all things, and nothing can escape it, but this kind of death, one called by people wishing for death, isn't the way things should end! Maybe there are many people on this Island who are wishing for death, but that doesn't mean there aren't many, many more who want to live! Live to the end of their lives, live and seize that future they've always wished for!" Minato cried out. "This isn't fate! If this was the fate of all worlds, then our world should have died! The Fall should have ended things! But those bonds humans made, the wish to live stopped it! And those very same bonds are what's keeping Ryoji from dying!

"Because I know Ryoji's still there! Alive! You're telling us to stop interfering, but Ryoji's fighting this just as much as we are! Every time he attacked me, every time I got that much closer to death, he hesitated! I heard his voice, Nyx! He's in there, and he's still alive, fighting like the rest of us! You may call him a shell and a Shadow, but he's just as human as the rest of us, and he has a chance to break free of the fate you pushed on him! No matter what you tell him, he has a choice!"

Minato looked toward Nyx Avatar--Ryoji--as he spoke again. "I know you have that choice. I believe in you, Ryoji."

[mugenginga]

Yuugi had come to a sudden stop as Anzu collapsed beside him. Crumpled was perhaps the better word. She only fell forward by virtue of how fast she had been running, after all. He lost all color from his face as he realized he and Naoto were the only ones of their group standing. He jerked towards the main group, the panic more than a bit tangible, and realized that not only had quite a few members of their group had fallen as well... but Jounochi and Atem were among them.

"Wha-what...." Yuugi had to force even that much out. He was pale as a ghost.

"Phoenix, get Atsuro!"

Seth's eyes had widened as most of the group simply fell around them. Instant death spells were fairly well known within the demon realm. As it was, they could only hope those that had collapsed remained living. Samarecarm did not work on the truly dead. He held out his hand towards Kaido as Phoenix flared her wings. There wasn't enough time to revive everyone, and Seth made it clear where his full loyalties lay. The teenager had a logical point with who he revived, though. The ones he and Phoenix were curing were the only ones he knew had battlefield experience. It was quite possible and likely Atem did, but...

The spiralling white light swirled around Kaido, and he let out an annoyed grunt as he pushed himself to his feet. Orochi had moved forward after its summoner had fallen and was dealing with some of the Shadows that had gotten a little close to the group. It was purely an act of self preservation from the Shadows and Abel. It in truth had no interest in protecting the Enforcer and Captain. Atsuro would be able to get up as well thanks to Phoenix' spell.

Cain's minimal reactions hadn't caused him to miss a beat. He had simply cast Makarakarn on himself and the group members near him. Due to the collapse, that pretty much meant the only ones effected by the spell were Souji, himself, and Norn. There was no special meaning to him allowing Souji to receive the effects. They were in a fight, and they needed all the hands they could get. Cain would be among the first to admit that Souji was a valuable asset, although he had noted with amusement the lack of interference from Izanagi. Odds were the god wasn't able to act for some reason or another, and there had been a friction between them for a while... Cain was holding off on his attacks. From what he'd gathered, simply defeating Nyx Avatar would only set the Fall into its final motions. Humanity was stupid, but if this one could defy a deity... Cain smirked. The Persona Minato now favored was making a fair bit of ironic sense at the moment.

----------

The words Minato was speaking were dull, muted, barely reaching. As if the blue haired teenager was yelling at the top of his lungs, but he was ten feet underwater. Under darkness. It wasn't death, it was something different. He'd seen the void off the side of the Island before, perhaps it was similar to that. He had existed to offer a choice. Death in peace, or death in torment. Twice. Twice now the decision had been the latter. He'd held off where he could, his very being questioning the kindness of it.

What defined a cry for help? Why would that cry come out when the end was assured. He didn't have the answers. There was an opposite side to the coin. As ungraspable as Death was, as impossible was it for any being to know the Answer... Life was the same. It was the same, that answer. The meaning of life was found in death. That was the one absolute. It always had to end.

However....

----------

Nyx Avatar seemed tired. It didn't follow up its attack, and its wings were drooping a bit in the air. Had the being been on the ground, it was possible it may have been struggling to stand. Those with their feet on the ground seemed to be holding off on their attacks. To let its former host speak? The being understood the difference in the struggle. This time, they wanted more than the impossible. They didn't just want to stop the Fall. The blue haired boy wanted to save the one he loved. The effects of Marin Karin hadn't been a result of a spell cast by an enemy. The winged being lifted one hand and covered its face.

"How many people would you kill to spend a moment with that mask...?"

The haunting voice was smoother than before. Ryoji's voice seemed not to even be a presence there. It was hard to see given the height and the hand, but the crack under Nyx Avatar's right eye lengthed just a bit. The sound was normal, and wouldn't be possible to hear from the ground. It was as if it was fully Nyx now. Before an answer could be given, the hand lowered and Nyx Avatar turned towards Minato.

"An entire world, perhaps?"

[Firebreath Fishslap]

The white light of Samarecarm spiraled around Atsuro's unconscious form for a moment before his eyes flickered open and he pushed himself to his feet. He woke up in time to hear Nyx's words.

Souji was on guard, but he wasn't attacking. He didn't know what was going to happen. If they tried to defeat Nyx's avatar, it wouldn't do any good. It would just rise up again and summon her to this world. And then it would just take a needless sacrifice to save things.

Minato wasn't moving his gaze away from Nyx Avatar. He had a defiant look on his face, and it seemed the will to fight had once again been awakened in him. Not even Nyx's words seemed to phase him much. There had been a bit of pain as Nyx asked how many people he'd kill to spend just a moment with Ryoji, but it faded quickly enough.

"Is that why you're bringing the Fall about? To meet with Erebus?" Minato yelled. "Maybe I'm no better than you, doing all of this just to save Ryoji. But I want to save everyone! No one else needs to die for this!"

[mugenginga]

"Kaido-san! Atsuro-kun!"

Yuugi seemed relieved the two were okay. Kaido hadn't stopped when Yuugi said his name. He was scowling. There were three people other than him standing now, and yet he was the only human in their group fighting? Yuugi looked towards Nyx Avatar as it turned towards Minato and asked its question. His eyes widened. Nyx was doing this to meet someone she loved? That meant that someone was going to have to be disappointed. Yuugi jerked his head away and summoned Nefertum's card. He wasn't an idiot. He realized that it was a choice between Nyx' wishes and their own, both couldn't happen. He hated that they were going to have to choose the one with the smaller number of losses. He crushed the card and gestured towards Anzu.

"Samarecarm!" Yuugi turned towards Seth, aware enough of the situation to realize what had happened, "Get the others, Keiji-kun!"

"The Fall is a result of mankind's suppressed desires. Can anyone here say from the core of their subconscious they don't wish to be free of suffering?"

The goddess' words were beginning to skirt some of what Izanami had once said. The motivation appeared rather night and day, though. Izanami had claimed to be doing it for mankind. Nyx seemed to be driven more by her own desires. They could be called selfish, but as Minato had pointed it out there was likely little difference to what he would have done himself. It had come to a common case of divinity, one Amaterasu thankfully seemed to be lacking in. The wishes of the gods outweighed the wishes of an infinite number of mortals, a countless number of worlds...

----------

To be with Erebus. To be with him. Only one could happen. He was supposed to be gone, a mask... but he hadn't been able to let him die. This was a second chance, an already impossible occurance. Death was the end, but wasn't it a beginning? What would happen in either case?

Last chance... more chances... Infinite worlds, but this was the last one he would know.

I want...

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"Seth, do as he says."

Seth hadn't moved from his guarding position at Yuugi's words. He looked up at Cain and realized who had been addressed. Keiji. Seth averted his gaze and concentrated. Phoenix spread her wings at the same instant, and the white light swirled around Atem moments after swirling around Teddie. Seth had chosen based on the strength he'd seen Teddie's Persona had. Phoenix had healed Atem due to his less reckless nature in regards to the two still down.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Souji was still watching things carefully, but Nyx's words hit him hard due to how similar to Izanami's they were getting. Their motivations differed, but Nyx said she was doing this because humanity wished for it. But before he could step forward, Amaterasu began snarling at Nyx.

"You're only sayin' that 'cause you need an excuse for what you're pulling!" Issun yelled. "Yeah, humanity suffers a lot, but that don't mean that they can't get through it on their own! They continue on, despite the obstacles in their way! That's what makes them strong!"

The way you put your selfish desires before those of humans sickens me, Nyx. If this is how all gods outside of Nippon act, then perhaps I'm glad I restrict my activities to that land, Amaterasu snarled. I know not of what transpired to cause this separation between you and your love, but if you are willing to sacrifice every human in the multiverse to meet with him again, I cannot pity you.

"Maybe somewhere deep inside us, we do wish that the suffering will end... but to protect our world, I would still stand against someone who would kill all humans in the world to end it," Naoto stated.

"Even so, I'd still fight against all of this! Maybe that makes me a hypocrite, but I'd still do it!" Atsuro yelled.

Abel was staying quiet. He was still watching things carefully, but he wasn't speaking quite yet. Ending all of the world's suffering through death... he wasn't sure how he thought about that.

"Hey Nyx... looks like everyone doesn't care what you think. They want us all to live. What do you say to that?" Minato challenged.