One With Nature [Sharaku - ???]

It didn't work as well as he wanted it to. While Yamato's first attempt to grab her was foiled with the Shadow's first claw attack. Its subsequent attack dug into the Persona, causing the Tainted Persona to growl angrily. Yamato-Takeru, while being thrown by the Shadow to land onto Sharaku, it smashed both hands at the grass to the space near both sides of Sharaku without harming him. Irina was still straddling the Forgotten at the point of her counterattack, so she would have to pull the Persona towards Sharaku in order for them to collide.

As the Persona's hands made contact with the grass, harmless to Sharaku, it viciously swung its legs toward the space at the Forgotten's right side, a similar direction where Irina tried to retreat away to gain distance. The Persona would end up standing on its two feet near the lying Sharaku and facing Irina as it quickly unsheathed its blade at the ready for use. Its Nyarlathotep Child owner was already there to stand beside Sharaku and it.


Of course, this was only a guess. But the offer still stands, leave or die. Either way, there was something peculiar about her. Joshua, by his own instincts and modicum of hunting experience, knew that if she were any kind of animal, she was certainly feeling threatened by now with all these unpredictable variables. And animals tended to be more dangerous when cornered. It was better this way to let her go so that the team wouldn't have to deal with her. In fact, Joshua was doing all he could to hold himself back.

All that anger and all his murderous intentions... it was starting to overflow. He had wished that Azami would be awake right now to analyze this bitch. At the corner of his eye, he was starting to feel frustrated. Instead of helping him deal with Irina, Analee took this time to actually try to attack Ariston.

"Goddammit! Stop it! Now's not the fucking time to deal with him! Help me deal with this bitch first!" he hissed out at the former Primordial with his amber eyes glowing and then he wrenched his face towards Irina's direction once more to snarl, "Are you fucking leaving or not?!"

Skills Used:

Human Weakness:

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Joshua was starting to feel sharp pinpricks drilling through the surface of his skull. The tainted Persona's influence was growing through this aggravating situation. He could hear it inside his mind repeating the words like an incessant mantra, Rip and tear... Rip and tear... Rip and tear... It was too bad nobody around could hear it. But the pain was starting to be evident with his hand clutching his head and with his teeth showing as it grit together. "Ahh...rggh..."

Even worse, this animal here wasn't keen on leaving. And Analee reminded him what they were here for. Truly, they had to take on Ariston? This... this wasn't what he wanted. If it were someone else, the hesitation would be gone. Simon just showing out of nowhere didn't help much either. What was he even doing...?

It didn't matter. Joshua had to make a choice. And it was a choice he loathed in making. But it was because of this choice that he soon found himself cornered. This only served to worsen his own condition. He turned desperately towards Ariston, his eyes rabid from Yamato's influence. "Arist...--on."


Yamato screamed for blood. Its blade was pointed at Ariston, despite his pleas. Clearly, he was losing what control he has over himself. Joshua looked over towards Analee's direction, "We... are not going to kill him... But I will... hold up my end of the bargain without having to end him."

He was firm on that end. But regardless of whatever bravado he had, Joshua was at his wit's end now. Yamato-Takeru wanted Kusanagi to be drenched in scarlet. He made one last look towards Simon, a silent plea for him to stop him if the battle went too far.

Spoiler:

Human Strength and Weakness:

Joshua wasn't exactly in a great state himself, not affording him the ability to listen to Sharaku at this moment. It took him all he could to hold himself back... and he was failing. Each second that passed, he could feel his very consciousness being eaten away slowly and surely. The sharp jabs through his skull started to feel like stakes piercing into his brain matter.

Despite this, he heard what both Ariston and Analee had to say. After all, they were the most important focus at this very moment. What the former said, caused him to snap. He started to cackle, filling the entire area with peals of chilling hysterical laughter.


There was a tinge of despair at what Joshua heard was Ariston's decision. That man decided to hold fast. And yet, he dared to give him the option to search Rinna with him. How could Joshua trust him? Zachary was his only lead. Yes, it would be better to have him on his side than a shady druglord. Yet, if he had no idea about Rinna as evidenced in these two years, then there's no point to it. If only Ariston had something that the druglord didn't when it came to finding her, then maybe it would have been different. Joshua finally stopped to give him a pained rabid glare while still clutching his head.


He summoned his spear in his right hand and pointed at Zela's principal, this time, he wasn't holding his own head. Joshua finally came to a decision. Or rather, Yamato-Takeru did as it now started to take up a stance. This was something that the former loathed to make.

Weakness:

In the bushes, hiding from sight, Phalanx prepared his attack. It seemed like this wasn't going to end peacefully after all, which was a big shame, really. But what could you do? He had the element of suprise on his side, and while he didn't exactly wish to anger Simon, he couldn't just let Joshua handle all this on his own, now could he? They were both outnumbered and outgunned, and this wasn't a fight he would be taking under normal circumstances, but Joshua... forced his hand. If they somehow lived through this, He'd have to teach Joshua how to close out the influence of his Tainted Persona, so things like this wouldn't happen again. He could see it in the boy's eyes that his words wasn't his own, but rather those of Yamato Takeru. From the Shadows, he'd give Joshua a sign that basically said "Stop... this is not worth the risk. Stand down, or you're forcing me to do something I'd rather not do." If he wouldn't listen, of course the android would have to step in, and take the kid with him. This wasn't something they were prepared for, after all, and while he hated running from a fight, he didn't want any part of this. Maybe had they been more prepared, this would've been doable, but as of right now, they didn't stand a chance. Not in these circumstances.

Phalanx:

While Phalanx was giving him warning signals, they weren't going to work. Yamato had him in its grasp. The conflict was utterly unavoidable. With some judging that they were at best ten meters from each other, Joshua had used his ability again to take away Sharaku's own enhancements. In case, if he had any, while the Nyarlathotep Child backpedaled a meter back. Yet, he would still keep going like this as the Persona followed him.

Meanwhile in the midst of the movement, the Persona crossed its arms to itself and then spread them out to summon a myriad of floating double-edged blades. To a historian, they would note that at best they were from the Japanese Jomon period where the double-edged tsurugi existed before the katana did. Each one shot out as a horde of steel aiming to cut into both Sharaku, Ariston, and Ariston's Persona. They took up a huge space of twenty meters diameter with the two men in the center of it all, clearly within the attack radius, dodging within the gap of blades wasn't possible due to the massive number that filled the space. Even if they did, the blades would soon shatter like glass upon contacting the first thing they hit which would make it difficult to dodge within the the radius.

Of course, he was careful not to hit his allies comprising of Analee, Azami, and Phalanx if they were within or close to the attack. But most importantly, he didn't hit Simon either. The former angel was too much of a pacifist, and he wasn't going to force his hand this soon yet.

Action:

Stats:

Phalanx would hold for a moment, waiting for the perfect moment to strike from where he was hiding. Turns out he didn't have to wait for very long, as the fight immediately was put to a standstill by Simon's intervention, quelling the offense on both sides. Before Acting, He'd heave Azami's unconscious body over his shoulder, before summoning Neptune to do his duty. Immediately after the massive explosion's dust had settled somewhat, the light skill that Phalanx had charged up during this time was activated. The wrists and ankles of Sharaku, Analee and Ariston would be violently pulled together by sturdy shackles of Energy, hindering their movement. These shackles would sit so firmly in place that it would take some serious finesse with a skill to break them without hurting those bound by it. The skill's intention wasn't hurt, only to contain them long enough for him to take Joshua out of there. As his persona locked the others in place, Phalanx started moving as quickly as his legs could carry him towards Joshua, aiming a punch right towards his target's gut, in an attempt to knock him out by physical trauma, or at least momentarily stun him long enough for Phalanx to drag him out of there forcefully. "SNAP OUT OF IT!" If successful, the sound from metal smacking into flesh would reverborate around the area, as he'd lift up Joshua as well, before heading away. He wasn't gonna let the kid die. After seeing the display by that grey-skinned man, this couldn't end well at all.

Before he reached the edge of the clearing, he would summon his Soulbound weapon for one final tactic. The red lance fell down in front of him on his own command, with the trigger for the buildt in Piston inside the weapon facing upwards, he'd slam his heel into it, causing the Piston to jam itself into a nearby tree with such force that splinters flew everywhere. He wouldn't stop moving however, only dispelling his weapon in the process of leaving, making the tree fall down behind Phalanx, making a direct pursuit a bit more of a hassle. Analee was on her own now. She couldn't possibly be trusted by anyone... She was more unstable than Joshua was at present, and that in itself said something.

Phalanx: