Part 100: 12/19/11

12/19/11

I think it's finally all over.



Today's already the 19th… The year's almost over.
It feels like it's been so long… But so short at the same time…
You know… The way people in town have been acting lately is no joke anymore…
But, we've come so far! We've discovered the real killer ourselves!
All that's left… is the final showdown.
We've gotta get that bastard Adachi, no matter what! I have a feeling that the town will go back to normal when we do.
Let's make sure we win this! I'm counting on you, Leader!
I'll be counting on you too.
Gotcha! You can count on me to do anything!
If you and everyone else are with me, Souji-kun, I'm unstoppable!

Everything was just getting worse and worse up to this point.



Male Student: Hey, did you hear about the student rep from the class next to ours?
Female Student: …Wow, really!? Why would a student rep do that!? Either way, that's crazy!
Male Student: For real!
Mrs. Nakayama: Ahem! The student rep is question is just ill from the fog!
You shouldn't make assumptions without evidence! Not to mention, fog-induced illness is painful, you know that!?
I'm certain the student rep is ill from the fog! The other teachers told me!
> The uproar only grows louder…

We returned to the TV world to confront Adachi and end this once and for all.

VIDEO- "Showdown"

Click Here For Video!

Allow me to confirm the crimes you've committed thus far.
You had suspicions that this world was dangerous, yet you threw Mayumi Yamano into the TV.
Knowing full well that Ms. Yamano died here, you did the same to Saki Konishi.
*sigh *
Not only that, but you duped Namatame into taking over your murder attempts, while you watched like a spectator at a game.
When the disappeared stopped dying, you sent a warning letter to ensure more victims.
Even when a copycat killer arose, you had the gall as a detective to eliminate a suspect under investigation.
Two people died in the last six months, and a young girl is now in critical condition… But that's not all.
If at any turn something had gone wrong, many more would have succumbed…
…All for some foolish "excitement", like a criminal reveling in the chaos he creates!
Yeah? So what's your point? All I did was put people in here.
It's the world that really kills them, isn't it?
This world reflects people's thoughts…
Which… Oh dear… Does that mean the real culprits are everyone on the outside, including you?

God is that guy so full of shit.



You did that stuff knowing full well those people were gonna die! If that's not a crime, then what is!?
Haha… You're so self-righteous.
How can you say that…!? Aren't you a police officer!?
Out of everything you could have been, didn't you specifically choose to join the police!?
Don't make me laugh. Just because someone joins the police doesn't make them some kinda "agent of justice."
Y'know why I applied? So I could legally carry a gun… That's all. You'd be surprised how many are like that.
I thought it would be fun, too, but to tell the truth, that was a wash. Everyone around me was such an idiot…
I made one tiny mistake, and they all got on my case and sent me out here to Nowheresville as punishment…
I was bored shitless and wondering what to do next… when I discovered this power.
For crying out loud… why a bastard like you!?
A gift for having to put up with this lame job out in Nowheresville, I guess.
I did that stuff 'cause I could. And it got interesting, so I watched.
That's your reason!? You can't be serious…!
You really don't care what happens to our world!?
Let's be honest. There's nothing great about the real world, is there? It's just dull and annoying as hell.
No one accepts that's the way things are… They're just stuck with it because they can't deny it, either.
Those who actually succeed in life… They just happen to be born with the magic ticket called "talent."

He's just wrong, too. I've seen people begin to build bright futures with their own efforts in my time here. It's not everyone else's fault he's a useless prick.



Once you realize that, all you have left over in life is despair. The ultimate game over.
Wouldn't it be better if that kind of reality was wiped away?
That's complete BS!
Brats like you are so damned naïve… You piss me off.
Listen… You might have hopes and dreams right now, but that's only because you know nothing about reality.
One day you'll see… You'll be faced with the boring reality that boxes you in, no matter where you go.
You're the only boring thing here!
If you wanna disappear, go ahead! Stop dragging us into it!
*sigh * Stop yelling, punk. I understand you're all afraid and gotta act tough to cover it up, but geez…
I'm telling you all this based on my own experience in life.
Think about it for a second…
Once everyone turns into Shadows… they'll still keep on living, oblivious to all the things around them…
So how's that different from the way it is now? No, this'll make things much easier for everyone.
Easier…? What the hell are you talking about!?
C'mon! How many people out there actually think about what's real, or what's right and wrong?
Next to none, I bet. It's useless to think about those things in the first place.
You don't get anything out of facing reality, and there's no way to change it either.
I mean, what could be more boring than brooding over things you can't change?
It's better to just ignore them and believe only what you want to believe in life.

He's just wrong. It's as simple as that.



No matter who you are, your lifespan is about 80 years or so, right?
Then it'd be easier if we all just became Shadows.
No need to hold back anything… No more pretending we don't see things.
Honestly, we don't need our world anymore.
Better to let it be swallowed up and for mankind to turn into Shadows…
That's what all those people who're scared to death really want…
So it's my duty to see that they get it.
Nobody wants anything like that! It's just you, dumbass!
Geez… Don't you remember what it was like when your Shadow came out?
It must've been enjoying life far more than you!
Be careful! I dunno what's happening!

Adachi was surrounded by darkness…



These things move on pure instinct! They go wile because you defy them!
You annoying little brats are the ones who aren't wanted in the new world!
Speak for yourself!!
Living is too painful for you, but you don't want to die… Of course no one would understand! It makes no sense!
You're just throwing a tantrum like a kid who can't have his way!
People can't live alone.
If you give in and sever your ties to human society, it will naturally become hard to live in.
Yet you refuse to face life and admit your fault, running from your own humanity like a coward.
And though you claim to find life troublesome, you caused nothing but trouble for many others!
Your twisted logic is that of an immature, egotistic brat!
Sh-Shut up!
Stop trying to act all tough…
You guys can't even stand on your own unless you deny everything I said!
S-Stupid teenagers…! You have no idea what kinda shit I've been through!!
"Favored by the world" my ass… I'm gonna say it flat out.
You're just a worthless criminal!
Ngh… Aaaaarrgh!
Here he comes!
This will probably be our last battle… Let's hit him with everything we've got!

We had no idea what was in store for us.

VIDEO- "Adachi"

Click Here For Video!

Your existence won't belong there!
I thought I could just leave you be, but you're like a plague… I'll have to get rid of all of you!
You're the plague!
Let's do it… If we work together, there's no chance we could lose to a man like this!
Shut up…! Get lost! Get the hell outta my sight!
I can't believe he's the one…!
That bastard! We can't lose, no matter what!

Boss Battle: Adachi
Adachi's an interesting battle. He's resistant to physical attacks but not immune to anything in particular besides Light and Dark, as you'd expect from a boss. When his first turn comes around, we get to see what makes this fight different.





A Persona!? But that cant' be!

That's right, Adachi is a Persona user. What's more, you might well have noticed that Persona is a bit familiar. Adachi's Persona is none other than Magatsu Izanagi, a grim shadow of our original Persona. Adachi starts out with pretty simple stuff like physicals and Mudoon.



Now he'll start mixing in some group attacks and Evil Smile. You need to cure Fear if he causes it because he'll kill the people with Ghastly Wail on his next turn. Do a bit more and things change again.



Bastards…! There's no way I can lose… It makes no sense! I can't lose!

Now he'll start mostly using Magarudyne. What you might have noticed this whole time is that, really, he's pretty easy. A bit too easy. The main objective of this fight is to bring Adachi down while expending as little SP as possible, because you have to fight the next boss in the same state you finish this fight.

Adachi fell pretty easily. Almost too easily…

VIDEO- "The King of the Hollow Forest"

Click Here For Revealed Truths!

Ngh… Oh well…
Our world's gonna disappear soon, no matter what… I didn't have anywhere to go back to anyways…
Everyone's gonna become Shadows…
Heheheh… Urgh!

And Adachi… changed…



All human… will become Shadows.
And I shall descend upon the united world… as the master of order.
Descend…? Order…? What's with this guy all of a sudden…?
What's happening!?
Guys… This isn't Adachi…! Isn't someone completely different!
Both this world and yours will soon be enclosed in a fog that never lifts.
It will be the peaceful world that mankind has longed for…
Who are you!?
I… am Ameno-sagiri…
One who rules the fog. One awakened by man's desires.
Do what you will, but your world's erosion cannot be stopped.
It is an inevitability…
You played your part well, stirring up the will of the masses into madness.
But that will soon come to an end…
Mankind will soon become Shadows and live on in the darkness of the fog, oblivious of their reality…
What the hell are you!? Why are you doing this…!?

I can't accept that people wanted something like what Ameno-Sagiri suggested.



Though their hearts longed for peace, it could never be attained… So they tore down the wall between image and reality.
Indeed, this is the outcome desired by mankind.
And mankind's desires are my desires.
That is why I decided to expand this world…
Y-You're sayin' you're the one who created this nasty-ass world!?
This is part of the sea of unconsciousness that exists within human hearts.
A hollow forest born from bloated desires and false imagery.
Humans view things as they see fit. They wish not for truth, but rather prefer the undesirables be hidden in fog…
Still, humans fear what they cannot see.
That brief yearning for truth becomes a ray of light which breaks the fog and torments the Shadows…
That's why they attack and kill whoever's nearby at that time…
A hollow forest…
Then, this place isn't simply affected by people's hearts… It actually exists inside them?
Mankind abandoned its pursuit of truth, placing itself in the depth of chaos and falsehood.
Thus, my strength has grown, and the fog will not lift.
Your world will be engulfed by the hollow forest.
Will you shut up already!?
We'll just use our power to beat the heck outta you, and it'll all be over!

It seemed he was behind our troubles the whole time.



I bestowed power onto those who could brave the hollow forest.
That is what allowed you to come in contact with this world… And you all have done very well since.
"Bestowed power"… "Contact with this world"…
You mean the power to enter the TV!?
Then, the Midnight Channel-Was that phenomenon also your doing!?
Humans fail to see things as they truly are. They choose to see only what they wish.
I acted only in support of this.
A world filled with desires… Viewed through a window, from which one sees what one wishes to see…
Humans departed from reality of their own volition, craving more false images.
A window that shows people what they want to see…
So that's why those who got famous suddenly appeared on the Midnight Channel, one after another…
It was all in people's minds…
I have to say, it must be true…
The Midnight Channel we saw in Namatame's hospital room… That kept bothering me since.
What we saw there wasn't Namatame's true intentions at all…

And it all makes sense now. There was never any 'truth' to anything on the Midnight Channel. We always just saw what we wanted to see…



Ngh… We let ourselves be deluded…
Exactly… The more false images one yearns for, the more one stops yearning for reality…
And so the forest grows on… That is the expansion of this world.
Enough talk already!
Long story short, you're the one behind all this!
Yeah, I dunno who you are, but you're going down!
People want to become Shadows!? Their desire is your desire!?
To hell with that! When did we wish for that crap anyways!?
We kept fighting and fighting like morons to get where we're standing!
Yes… That I did not forsee.
The ability to master your own Shadow that emerged to kill you, and use its power…
A new and uncertain facet of mankind… Is it worthy to put my trust in, or not…?
It must be tested…

And that's when things got nasty…









So this is the cause of all the fog?
Indeed. I have come to put you all to the test and judge your worth.



Like we give a damn what you came for!
You've done what you want so far, but that'll end when we crush you!



Precisely!
Then we know what we've gotta do now!



I don't want people to turn into Shadows!
We'll defeat it for sure!



I'll back you up with everything I've got! This thing has no right to exist!

There was no way we were going to give up now.



And so we faced down the strongest foe we'd ever seen.

VIDEO- "Ameno-Sagiri"

Click Here For Video!

Now… Let everything vanish into the sweet fog of illusion…
This is the end… This time, it's all over!
let us begin…

Boss Battle: Ameno-Sagiri
Ameno-Sagiri is worlds nastier than anything we've faced up to this point. He gets two actions each round, and he'll use a nasty mix of -dyne level spells and a Light attack called God's Judgement that halves the target's health at first. After we've taken his health down a little, he gets serious.



Why act against the wishes of your fellow man? Consider… is that truly just?

Then he'll use his signature move, Nebula Oculus. This is a powerful almighty attack similar to Megidoloan. He'll also start using group -dyne spells and Agneyastra now, so make sure you keep him Debilitated as much as possible. Bring him down slowly and steadily and eventually you'll see this:



Why will you not understand this!?

At this point he'll use Bewildering Fog. This makes him completely immune to attack for a while. What he'll then do is buff himself with Tarukaja and Sukukaja and Mind Charge. You have a full turn to do whatever buffing or healing you'll need, at which point you need to guard because when the fog lifts he'll cast Nebula Oculus, which will likely kill anyone who isn't guarding in one hit. Now he adds Dekaja and Dekunda to his arsenal, and will use them quite a bit if he's debuffed or you're buffed. He'll also start using Shadow Naoto's Galgalim Eyes attack, which if you recall reduces someone's health to 1 and Enervates them. As his health gets critical, he shifts to his final phase.



I will bring about the deaths of those who would keep true peace from the world!

He'll use Quake, an attack that knocks people down, then release the Bewildering Fog again. Once again you need to be ready to guard, he'll Mind Charge and Nebula Oculus when the fog lifts. His tactics don't change much, but by this point you're likely to be low on resources. Just keep things together and you can bring him down.

But not even this monster could stop our united strength.

VIDEO- "The Fog Lifts"

Click Here For Video!

Power comes from the heart…
You have proven to me human potential…
Very well. I will lift the fog from the place where you will return to.
Mankind's desires are my desires.
If mankind so wishes, I will return at any time… I am always at your side, watching…
Well, don't wait up! We'll keep that from happening no matter what!
Time will show the path humanity takes… Children of the new potential…
You think… it was controlling Adachi-san?
Who can say…? I believe it was at least partially his own intention as well.

Speaking of Adachi, we still needed to deal with him.



……
……
Fine… Live however you want…
If you think… you have the power to change the future… then go right ahead…
Everyone has the power to do that.
Heh…
Get outta here… The Shadows will finish me off…
Just leave me be… You came to kill me in the first place… didn't you…?
No, dumbass.
If we leave you here dying… and a dead body eventually appears, then what?
What's that accomplish for anyone…?
Your stupid game's over. We're taking you back.
Live and face your punishment… That's who it works in our world.
…Right.
I'm sure that's the outcome Dojima-san wishes for as well.
> At last, you and your friends have thwarted the cause of all the strife…

I never could have imagined the day we'd be standing here, the killer finally caught.



We dragged Adachi out and waited for the police.



Policeman: He's wanted on suspicion of murdering Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi, right?
Correct.
Policeman: Understood.
We have an ambulance waiting downstairs. Should we have them bring the stretcher up here?
An ambulance…
Policeman: Detective Dojima assumed one would be necessary.
He wanted the suspect to be carefully taken into protective custody. It… Well, it was a personal favor to him.
They were partners, after all…
……
Then yes, please have them bring up the stretcher.
Policeman: Understood.

And when we left Junes, the sun was waiting for us.



Boy's Mother: Oh, Makoto! Don't run like that!

I'd almost forgotten what Inaba looked like.



We did it… This time, it's for real…
Wh-What's up, Senpai? Did you think I was crying?
It's just so bright… It's been so long since the sky was that blue…
It's finally over…
Thank you.
Hey, don't get all sappy.
We did this together.
But well, this means…
…We've won.

We all got together.



Ooh, what's this?
Everyone ready!? Here goes…
We did it, woohoooooo!
Why didn't you guys say it!?
Um… I think that was a little too hard to get on the spot…
Which part did you mean for us to say?
The "woohoo" part!
Can't we just do it over…?
Man, having to redo something like this kinda kills the fun of it…
Alright Chie, do that weird call again.
Not if you're gonna call it "weird." Hmph.
U-Um, people are beginning to stare… I don't think we should stay like this much longer…
My hand's getting kinda sweaty…
Sheesh, fine then.
It's all yours, Sensei!

I kinda choked.



All: Woohoo!
> With everyone's help, you were finally able to lift the fog enclosing the town…

But who cares?



We saved Inaba.



Dude, aren't you supposed to do this before you start something? Not after it's over?
Huh? Wh-Who cares!?
Snrk… Ahaha!
> The battle has finally come to an end…
> The one behind everything has withdrawn, and the fog enclosing the town has lifted…

For the first time since I arrived, the town is at peace…

Next Time on Persona 4: Christmas