bookbashuk Page 134
Page 134
"Go ahead."
……
Fifteen minutes later, on the second basement level, in area C.
"That's... a scream?"
Upon hearing the shrill screams coming from afar, Asuna Yuuki, who was walking at the front, immediately became alert, while Asagiri, who was following behind her, whispered.
"Phantom".
"learn."
After Kato Megumi cast a skill to reduce everyone's presence, the four-person team continued forward. After walking about twenty or thirty meters, they saw a room with a transparent glass observation window. And what came into view through the observation window was...
A person wearing a white coat and a blood-stained white mask, who looked like a doctor, and a headless nurse with only a bloody, mangled stump at the neck, seemed to be conducting some kind of scientific experiment.
The subject of the experiment was a monster who was bound to an upright metal bed with restraints. He was nearly three meters tall, his face was covered in blood, and his skin had been torn off. He looked incredibly terrifying.
The moment Asagiri and Asuna Yuuki saw the test subject, they immediately recognized him as the Blood-Faced Caregiver. Asagiri, who had carefully observed the Blood-Faced Caregiver's face before, recognized him at a glance as Old Hoddle Franklin, whom he and Asuna Yuuki had met once before.
"The pain experiment begins."
The headless nurse stood on a platform used as a stepping stone, and a syringe-like object appeared in her hand. She first tapped the end of the syringe, and then pushed out some liquid from it. Her movements looked very professional, but next, she slowly inserted the gleaming needle into Old Huo's eyeball.
The latter immediately let out a shrill scream, his massive body convulsing from the intense pain. But the restraints seemed to possess some strange power, holding his body firmly in place. Because his eyelids were taped shut, he couldn't even close his eyes and could only keep screaming. This cruel sight even made Asuna Yuuki and Megumi Kato, who were watching from outside the door, feel unbearable pain.
Is it possible to remain conscious?
The doctor in the white coat listened to Hoddle Franklin's piercing screams and saw the man in agony, but spoke in a completely emotionless tone.
"This is the price you pay for helping humanity escape from here. Since they can't be the test subjects, you will take their place."
Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki's pupils contracted in surprise.
So, the reason Hoddle Franklin was tied up and tortured here by nurses and doctors was because he and Asagiri had escaped from the Kyoyama Mental Hospital, and that's why he was subjected to such cruel punishment?
At this moment, Yuuki Asuna felt a pang of remorse, but also a surge of intense anger.
How could Hoddle Franklin, who retained his kindness and conscience, end up like this just because he helped himself and Asagiri?
Just then, Asagiri suddenly spoke softly.
"Up."
Immediately afterwards, Asagiri kicked open the door to the ward.
"boom!"
"Old Huo, I'm here."
Looking at the headless nurse and the demon doctor standing to the side, Asagiri did not hesitate to pick up the black gun-shaped summoner, aim it at her temple and pull the trigger.
"Persona, Human Asura!"
78
Chapter 78 Sacrifice.
Before Kotoko Iwanaga and Megumi Kato could even make a move, Asuna Yuuki and Asagiri had already launched their attack.
The rapier flashed and drew an elegant arc in the air, slicing the headless nurse in two. Meanwhile, the human demon grabbed the head of the doctor in the white coat and twisted it off before throwing it toward Asagiri.
The Personas and their users had perfect teamwork. When the Doctor's head was thrown by the Human Shura, Asagiri caught it immediately. Looking at the two still-moving eyeballs, she didn't hesitate to insert the rope dart in her hand into the eye sockets.
"You...can feel pain, right?"
Asagiri stirred the rope dart inside the evil doctor's head, listening to the screams that came out of it, and asked in a very calm tone.
"Tell me, how many levels of pain are you experiencing right now? Hmm?"
Listening to Asagiri's words and seeing the dark red glow emanating from the patterns on his body, Iwanaga Kotoko and Kato Megumi both had the same thought in their minds as the Shura who, though just standing there quietly, exuded a powerful sense of oppression that made it hard to breathe.
Sure enough, their team leader, though usually speaking and acting in an abstract manner, was a powerful and terrifying monster that they absolutely did not want to become enemies with.
"Roar……"
As the headless nurse and doctor demons turned into foul blood and gradually sank into the ground, Hoddle Franklin, bound to the metal bed, squeezed out a sob that was less a roar and more a mournful wail.
"Old Huo, do you still recognize me?"
As Hoddle Franklin watched Asagiri walk up to him and remove the needle from his eye, a glimmer of light gradually appeared in his previously bewildered eyes.
[Hoddle Franklin, the caregiver at Giant Mountain Mental Hospital, has greatly increased his fondness for you.]
Upon seeing the notification that popped up in the app with the eye icon, Asagiri removed her dark gray mask and revealed a smile.
"As expected, you still recognize me. Let me put you down first..."
Just as Asagiri was about to untie Hoddle Franklin, she saw bulging veins on his neck and blood flowing from his face. The next second, Hoddle Franklin broke free of the iron ring around his neck.
"Leader, watch out..."
Before Kotoko Iwanaga could finish her reminder, she saw that after breaking free of his restraints, Hoddle Franklin did not attack Asagiri. Instead, he looked anxious and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he could not utter a single word.
Just as Kotoko Iwanaga and the others were puzzled and wondering what Hoddle Franklin meant, Asagiri seemed to be thinking.
"You mean, you're trapped here forever, and there's no way to escape?"
Hoddle Franklin nodded vigorously in affirmation.
"So you want us to stop wasting time saving you and just get out of here?"
Hoddle Franklin nodded again.
Seeing this, Asuna Yuuki, Megumi Kato, and Kotoko Iwanaga were all dumbfounded.
How exactly do these two communicate?
If you're talking about two people who know each other very well and can understand each other through eye contact, that's one thing. But the key is that one of you is human and the other, while not exactly a demon, is definitely a wandering spirit. How can your thoughts connect?
Is it because Asagiri has the special passive effect of "unruly tyrant"?
Or is this his own hidden talent?
That's outrageous!
"Old Huo."
Faced with Hoddle Franklin's urgent urging, Asagiri simply stretched out her hand slowly.
"Come with us, let's get out of here..."
"Become my persona."
Upon hearing Asagiri's words, a faint golden light suddenly shone through Hoddle Franklin's eyes, which had been bloodshot and somewhat dazed from the relentless torment of twenty-four hours.
His bloodied face, stripped of its skin, trembled slightly. He opened his mouth and, despite having lost the ability to speak, managed to utter a muffled, low syllable.
"it is good."
The next second, Hoddle Franklin's nearly three-meter-tall body transformed into a phantom Tarot card, which slowly landed in Asagiri's palm.
[Personality: Hoddle, Franklin]
[Hodr Franklin: A caregiver working at the Giant Mountain Mental Hospital before his death, unaware of the secret experiments being conducted there. During a riot at the hospital, he was captured by the patients, his face was peeled off, and he died after enduring inhuman torture. Trapped in the eerie atmosphere of the Giant Mountain Mental Hospital, he is endlessly hunted and tormented by the demons transformed from the patients, until… the return of Utsunomiya Asagiri.]
Despite being a ghost in Hell, Hoddle Franklin still wanted to save every innocent person who mistakenly entered the Mountain Asylum, even if it meant being tortured by the mental patients. This will to protect them became the power of his Persona.
[This Persona's unique ability: Sacrifice]
[Sacrifice: You cannot actively summon Hoddle Franklin. When you suffer a fatal wound, you can activate Hoddle Franklin's exclusive ability, which will transfer and absorb all your injuries. Activating this ability will be considered as a death, but you will gain corresponding resistance enhancements and a temporary increase in defense.]
[Note: After "Sacrifice" is activated, Hoddle Franklin needs time to recover, and this ability will go on cooldown. The specific cooldown time depends on the type and severity of the fatal damage you suffer, with a minimum cooldown of twelve hours. If you forcibly activate this ability during the cooldown period, although it will have the same effect, it will result in the permanent destruction of this Persona.]
[Corresponding Tarot Card: The Hanged Man (Upright)]
"Death and rebirth... no, the ability to transfer fatal wounds... not bad."
Asagiri understood that Hoddle Franklin's unique ability as a Persona, although seemingly similar to the time reversal of the newly awakened Shura, was actually quite different.
The Human Asura's time reversal is similar to the effect of a pocket watch, except that it cannot be used actively. It will only be activated when he dies, and the limit is one minute. Injuries sustained before one minute cannot be healed. If he gains a combat advantage within this minute, it will also be erased as time reverses.
Hoddle Franklin's ability "Sacrifice" is essentially a perfect healing spell. No matter how long ago the injury was sustained or how severe it is, activating this ability can restore the victim to a completely intact state and also grant a buff that increases defense.
The ability to increase fault tolerance is never too much.
"Hodl Franklin..."
Just then, Kotoko Iwanaga suddenly murmured the name of Hoddle Franklin, then took off her white beret, placed it on her chest, and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
"Please leave in peace. Tsk."
"leave?"
Kato Megumi looked puzzled upon hearing this.
"Wasn't that Mr. Hoddle Franklin the persona of the Leader?"
"Do not."
Asagiri shook her head and said softly.
"The real Hoddle Franklin has broken free from the control of this strange area. Hmm... how should I describe it? Become a Buddha? Anyway, that's roughly the idea. The Persona I obtained is the power transformed from his will to sacrifice himself to protect the innocent."
"Having attained Buddhahood... that's good."
Asuna Yuuki nodded, clasped her hands together, lowered her head slightly, and murmured.
"Mr. Hoddle Franklin, I hope you go to a better world. We will carry on your spirit and continue to fight."
Just then, Kotoko Iwanaga suddenly seemed to sense something and frowned.
"There's a strange aura; it's an enemy. Prepare for battle."
Upon hearing Kotoko Iwanaga's reminder, the other three did not hesitate at all and left the narrow ward, heading out into the more spacious corridor.
The twin brothers they had encountered before reappeared in the distance of the corridor, this time accompanied by a dozen ragged, emaciated mental patients. Behind these demons was a man who was extremely thin, wearing a heavy black oilcloth apron, a pure black cloak, a black gas mask, and holding a giant pair of scissors; his appearance was very strange.
"Is it you? Is it really you!?"
Hearing the strange man's excited question, Asagiri, who was standing at the front, answered without hesitation.
"Yes, it's me, I'm your father."
"Pfft..."
Although it was a crucial moment to prepare for the start of the battle, when Asagiri suddenly said that, even Kato Megumi, who tends to be expressionless, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Forehead……"
The strange man wearing a gas mask seemed surprised by Asagiri's sudden remark. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he continued in a manic tone.
"The one who can summon that black monster, and that strangely-looking blonde little girl... So, you really are 'Shadow'! I originally thought those guys just saw an illusion, or made meaningless guesses, but I never expected you to actually exist, able to control such a powerful, bizarre being that can take lives without even attacking. Tell me, how exactly did you do that!?"
"'Shadow'? Oh, I see, that's the nickname Blackwatch gave me..."
Asagiri first gave a noncommittal reply, then looked at the man wearing a gas mask, a black gun-shaped summoner appeared in his hand, and he pressed it against his temple. As he pulled the trigger, he spoke in a calm tone.
"Want to know my abilities? Then come and experience them for yourself."
79
Chapter 79: Cycles and Escapes.
"Is it coming..."
The doctor's tone was filled with excitement and agitation, as if he had seen the most perfect experimental subject in the world, and he spoke frantically.
"Let me see for myself! That ability to manipulate such powerful and bizarre forces!"
The next second, Asagiri's eyes turned from black to gold, and a powerful, suffocating energy surged from her body. The hem of her long black trench coat fluttered gently, and a great battle was about to begin...
"withdraw!"
Just then, Asagiri turned around and grabbed the hands of Yuuki Asuna and Kato Megumi, quickly running towards the other side of the corridor. Unlike the bewildered Yuuki Asuna and Kato Megumi, Iwanaga Kotoko seemed to have been prepared. Originally at the back of the battle formation, she turned around and became the leader at the front.
"This way, I remember the route!"
After running several dozen meters, Asuna Yuuki finally realized what was happening and asked as she ran.
"Weren't we supposed to fight them? Why did we run away?"
"Only a fool would fight them."