Asuna's expression changed instantly. She tightened her grip on the Exorcist's Longsword and snapped her gaze toward the source of the sound.
That direction was where the hotel elevators were.
The first floor layout flashed through her mind in perfect detail. With her mory, recalling the entire structure was effortless. And if she rembered correctly, the path from the equipnt room housing the water tank to the front desk inevitably passed the elevator entrance.
So the source of the hotel's Anomaly, the thing hiding inside the water tank, had co out on its own.
Asuna drew a few deep breaths, forcing herself to steady her emotions. Still, her hands trembled faintly. She had seen what happened when a Player who drank the water detonated. The blood, the pulp, the unbearable aftermath.
If it could do that through water alone…
What would its true form look like?
"Violet. Necro. Put on your protective gear," Asagiri said.
His voice snapped Asuna back to reality. She imdiately pulled out goggles and a disposable mask, secured them, then took two small cotton wads and plugged her ears.
The goggles ca from the staff lounge. The mask had been scavenged from a guest room. The cotton was pulled from cotton swabs. None of it counted as equipnt or props in the app, which ant even if she could bring them back to the real world, they definitely would not carry over into the next Dungeon.
Once she finished, Asuna inhaled hard and fixed her stare on the elevator side of the lobby.
From where they stood at the front desk, they could not see the entrance directly. They could only hear it, that wet, creeping pitter patter, closing in step by step.
Then the owner of the sound finally appeared.
Even with all her ntal preparation, Asuna's face still shifted.
A grotesque creature shuffled into the lobby. It wore white pajamas. It was nearly three ters tall, with drenched black hair dragging across the marble like a mop. Its body was bloated and pale, the color and texture of a corpse left soaking for ten days, maybe more.
Every step squeezed out foul, unknown fluid from its swollen skin. The stench rolled ahead of it like a wave. Even from nearly twenty ters away, even with masks on, Asuna and Kotoko both frowned on instinct.
"Oh?" Asagiri's voice cut through the nausea, calm and almost curious. "So you're the so called source of the Anomaly."
In the next mont, he sprang onto the front desk counter with effortless ease, posture sharp and confident as he looked down at the approaching Banshee.
"Seeing and choosing to walk closer instead of running, I admire your courage." His smile thinned. "That's the only thing worth praising."
A black firearm appeared in his hand again.
He raised it slowly, pressed the muzzle to his temple, and his eyes turned a brilliant gold. Without hesitation, his finger pulled the trigger.
"Persona…"
"Human Asura."
A faint red glow flared.
Behind Asagiri, a towering humanoid shadow manifested, over two ters tall, its dark body marked by dim, flickering red patterns.
"Go."
At his two quiet words, the Human Asura launched forward, moving with speed that did not match its massive fra. It crossed the distance in a blink.
In close quarters, the Human Asura was a Persona without weaknesses.
"I'll help too…" Asuna started to move.
"Wait," Asagiri said, hopping down from the counter. He caught her wrist gently and shook his head. "Not yet."
Asuna did not understand why, but she nodded anyway. "Okay."
By then, the Human Asura had already reached the Floating Corpse Evil Spirit.
It made no sound. It simply clenched its hand into a fist and drove a straight punch into the creature's face, simple, brutal, and direct.
Bang!!!
The mont the blow landed, the creature's cheek caved inward. A spray of unknown liquid burst out, and the stench thickened instantly, as if the air itself had rotted.
"This sll…" Asuna's stomach turned. Even with the mask, her body reacted on instinct. She covered her nose beneath it, eyes watering behind her goggles. Without them, she doubted she could even keep her eyes open.
"When it gets hit, the fluid inside splashes out…" she forced out, voice tight. "It's basically a walking water balloon."
Compared to Asuna, Kotoko stayed eerily composed. She watched the disgusting scene without flinching, even analyzing it like a lecture.
"Judging by its appearance, it's probably a corpse that was soaked inside the hotel's water tank," Kotoko said. "And the reason it can spread the Anomaly through water is because parts of its body are inside that water. In other words…"
Kotoko's tone remained calm.
"That's corpse water."
"Just hearing you say it makes want to throw up," Asuna muttered.
"Disgust doesn't work on anymore," Kotoko replied lightly. Then she raised her staff toward the fight, brows drawing together. "But there's a problem. That stench is too strong. Getting close might be impossible."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And did you notice? The corpse water erupting from its body looks corrosive."
Asuna followed where Kotoko pointed.
Sure enough, parts of the Human Asura's body had begun to lt where the fluid splashed. A section of its head was already missing, eaten away as if scraped off by invisible acid.
Ugh!!!
The Floating Corpse Evil Spirit suddenly lunged. Its swollen hands clamped onto the Human Asura's shoulders, and its mouth opened far too wide, stretching into sothing impossible.
A dark green liquid surged out like a flood.
It poured over the Human Asura's body.
The Persona's form smoked and collapsed, corroding rapidly. Before it was completely destroyed, it forced one last motion. Its right fist punched straight through the Floating Corpse Evil Spirit's abdon.
But no blood spilled.
It was a Banshee. A hole like that was not fatal.
"Cough, cough…"
Asagiri coughed twice, his body swaying faintly.
Asuna's heart tightened. She rembered what his exclusive talent implied. If a Persona was destroyed, the user would lose a large amount of stamina and ntal power.
She started forward.
Then she saw Asagiri lift the firearm again, calm as ever, and press it to his temple without hesitation.
"Persona…"
"Human Asura."
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