[ Maruki is grabbed, yanked, pulled in close beside this near-stranger who shares something inexplicable with him, and he's about to shake him off when–
Maruki knows this feeling.
He knows it very well. A Curse– the Curse, a soul-deep foreboding that ekes in at every edge of his cognition. Akechi employs the same energy with great prejudice, a surefire way to take out the Tentacle of Healing and even the playing field somewhat between them – and sure enough, even with Adachi keeping him close at his side, that tentacle crumples beneath the weight of the growing Curse. It's fortunate the rest of Azathoth can hardly take a dent from it.
But it's not like what Akechi does. Not at all. It's much stronger. Vast, all-encompassing, darker than the night that brought those shadow wolves forward to begin with. Maruki stares down at the spinning symbols as dread grips at his heart, then back up at the persona–
Was this how Akechi felt, he wonders, the first time Maruki unleashed his own phenomenal power on him?
Stunned.
Seen.
The pressure of that Curse mounts, an unbearable weight on the whole world, and just as it reaches its zenith and bursts forth, Maruki regains enough of his composure to remember that he did have a plan when he shouted at Adachi.
As Adachi's persona strikes with its mandala overtaking the ground beneath them, Azathoth's own Almighty energy splits the sky above. A great, otherworldly beam of light meets that darkness. It doesn't pierce through; the two are like oil and water, but as soon as it's wreaked hellish havoc on the area, Tyrant Chaos' dome of brilliant light overtakes the same space. Maruki shoves at Adachi's shoulders to get him to double over, duck down, joins him with an arm flung over his face to guard against the blinding blast.
And then–
Nothing.
A world emptied. A world silent.
The sudden silence of the woods after their display of unmitigated chaos is oppressive. Maruki drops his arm, straightens up, blinks at the carnage they've wrought– and turns to Adachi, eyes wide. ]
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Maruki knows this feeling.
He knows it very well. A Curse– the Curse, a soul-deep foreboding that ekes in at every edge of his cognition. Akechi employs the same energy with great prejudice, a surefire way to take out the Tentacle of Healing and even the playing field somewhat between them – and sure enough, even with Adachi keeping him close at his side, that tentacle crumples beneath the weight of the growing Curse. It's fortunate the rest of Azathoth can hardly take a dent from it.
But it's not like what Akechi does. Not at all. It's much stronger. Vast, all-encompassing, darker than the night that brought those shadow wolves forward to begin with. Maruki stares down at the spinning symbols as dread grips at his heart, then back up at the persona–
Was this how Akechi felt, he wonders, the first time Maruki unleashed his own phenomenal power on him?
Stunned.
Seen.
The pressure of that Curse mounts, an unbearable weight on the whole world, and just as it reaches its zenith and bursts forth, Maruki regains enough of his composure to remember that he did have a plan when he shouted at Adachi.
As Adachi's persona strikes with its mandala overtaking the ground beneath them, Azathoth's own Almighty energy splits the sky above. A great, otherworldly beam of light meets that darkness. It doesn't pierce through; the two are like oil and water, but as soon as it's wreaked hellish havoc on the area, Tyrant Chaos' dome of brilliant light overtakes the same space. Maruki shoves at Adachi's shoulders to get him to double over, duck down, joins him with an arm flung over his face to guard against the blinding blast.
And then–
Nothing.
A world emptied. A world silent.
The sudden silence of the woods after their display of unmitigated chaos is oppressive. Maruki drops his arm, straightens up, blinks at the carnage they've wrought– and turns to Adachi, eyes wide. ]
Who are you?
[ What are you? ]