[Magic Tower - Deepest Level - Hidden Archive Room] At dawn, the sealed 13th floor of the Magic Tower finally opened.
Yoru Mikado, Fonk, and Shujin Mitou stood in front of a glowing gate made of bluish-white carvings. Thirteen card faces - from Ace to King - were etched into the door. Only the Joker's face was broken, incomplete.
Fonk turned his magic cube and spoke softly:
"The card faces were not naturally awakened.
They were created."
As the gate opened, a powerful surge of otherworldly energy washed out.
The trio stepped inside. The air immediately thickened, like entering a long-forgotten tomb.
The walls bore reliefs of experimental subjects, each paired with a map persona:
● Ace Project: Failed - Soul Shattering.
Queen Project: Unstable - Prone to destruction.
Jack Project: 37% Success - Mind control possible.
King Project: Not yet initiated - Requires Otherworld Core.
Fonk paused in front of a scroll labeled: PROJECT MIRROR CARD.
He unrolled it slowly, his voice heavy: "This is the Seiyu Conglomerate's most secret project.
They used early Magic Club students as test subjects, turning them into containers for 'split personas'... You were the last experiment number."
Yoru froze.
"I... was a test subject?"
Fonk nodded, pointing to a blurry ID at the bottom of the file:
[Subject #J13: Yomi - Joker Development Line] The Truth of Split Personas × Jack's Lament Yoru's mind reeled. A voice pierced his consciousness - not Queen's calm, nor Jack's loyalty.
It was... something deeper.
"You are not the Joker.
You are the Fuser."
"You hold the roots of all personas... and you are the final key."
At that moment, Jack's spirit appeared in Yoru's mind.
His face bore pain and clarity never seen before.
"I... am actually another you."
"I am the goodness you pulled out of your pain... just to survive."
"And Queen... was the ruthlessness you forged to win."
Fonk turned, his gaze sharp:
"The Joker was never truly part of the deck - he's the flaw born outside it."
"But because you are the fault... You are the only one who can break the system."
School Authorities Move × The Academy on the Brink Scene Shift.
In the Academy boardroom, the Vice Principal slams a document on the table.
"The Magic Club must be disbanded."
"Yoru Mikado is uncontrollable.
He possesses the entire Persona deck and could open the Otherworld Gate."
But the headmaster just smiled.
"No. He must live.
Because - we need him... to open the King's Throne."
Suddenly, a black-robed councillor appeared.
His eyes were dark as wells, and behind him the distorted shadow of an off-world gate twisted into being.
"We have been waiting for this 'Fuser' for a very long time."
Magic Club Secret Meeting × Awakened Ones Gather Elsewhere.
In the secret chamber of the Magic Club, Shujin tapped a new scroll of the Whip Technique on the table:
"I can now hear the whispers of the animals.
It's a sign of my awakening."
Sayaka Oudo looked down at her bow, her voice hushed:
"My arrows... are beginning to resonate.
They lead me... to some kind of origin."
Byakuran stood in a shadowy corner, his tone as flat as ever: "The Magic Club will not disband.
We'll strike back first."
Fonk nodded and unfolded an old, hand-drawn ritual map:
"This is a route I once marked inside the 'Persona Tower.'
We'll infiltrate its deepest layer... And search for the King Persona's Core Mark."
The King's Eye In a dream, Yoru once again fell into a crimson-black room.
A massive shadow moved in the void.
A golden crown floated in the air, and twelve cards slowly spun around it.
This... was King.
He spoke:
"Fuser... you have finally reached me."
"But do you understand...?"
"My purpose is to free all personas."
The mirror shattered. The dream ended.
Yoru awoke, a cold clarity shining in his eyes as never before.