Ann Takamaki knew that one person could have multiple Personas. After all, she had talked to Ren Amamiya about it, and he could summon multiple Personas, but he couldn't summon them all at once; he had to switch them out.
But for a Persona to become a real person... this was the first time she had ever heard of it... no, it was the first time she had ever seen it.
"Then... did Mordred also become a living person, just like Minamoto no Raikou?" Ann asked, looking at Taichi tentatively.
"Not a living person," Minamoto no Raikou said, glancing at Ann to explain. "We are ripples that disappeared into history long ago. Although we are connected to our Master, the ability to physically manifest is a combined result of the fog and the barrier, which caused a major change in the surrounding environment."
Ann didn't quite understand, but she found the key point.
"History?" Ann's mouth slowly opened. "Mordred and Minamoto no Raikou? Don't tell me!"
"No way! It can't be true! Why! How could Minamoto no Raikou, who was called a 'famous general of the warrior clan and a guardian of the court' during the Heian period, be a woman?!"
"Ann, don't make such a fuss," Taichi said, patting Ann's shoulder to comfort her. "History, other than for the people who were there at the time, is mostly what you'd call 'if you know, you know.' It's been tampered with so many times that the original author probably wouldn't even recognize if the final version had a single yen's worth of a connection to their first draft."
"Even if someone told me that Oda Nobunaga was a woman one day, I wouldn't find it unbelievable."
After all, the Nobunaga in the Nasuverse is a woman.
"...I guess history is something you're better off not learning," Ann said with a sigh after taking another look at Minamoto no Raikou.
If Taichi remembered correctly, Ann was a bit of a slacker in school.
After collecting the last soul in the hospital into a katashiro, Taichi turned to the Nekomata, who had been silent all this time. "Alright, now take us to meet the others."
Mordred was already making a fuss about wanting to have a match with Minamoto no Raikou, her "junior."
"Master, this hospital is now surrounded by the Visitors," Minamoto no Raikou said suddenly. "You two should not be too far from me."
"Meow!" The Nekomata, who had run to the window out of curiosity and looked outside, was so scared it jumped back and huddled at Taichi's feet. "Taichi-sama! Outside! It's full of those terrifying monsters!"
Ann couldn't help but glance at it. It's a Nekomata, so why is it so cowardly? The Yokai that had come to tell her what was happening earlier was the same. It was a Yokai, but it acted like it would die instantly if it stayed outside for one second longer. It made her feel completely hopeless about the situation.
"Are there a lot of them?" Taichi cautiously moved to the window and took a look outside, then immediately pulled his head back.
"What's it like? Are there a lot of those Visitors?" Ann, hiding behind the wall, poked Taichi's arm and asked again.
"...They're everywhere," Taichi said, smacking his lips. "There are so many I can't even count them all."
"Can Raikou-sama handle them?" Ann blinked and looked at the powerhouse on the scene.
Minamoto no Raikou was already standing openly at the window. "Their numbers are not a problem, but they're too scattered. I can't get rid of all of them in one go."
Even though she could crush a large group with a single step, Minamoto no Raikou's area-of-effect attacks couldn't wipe out every single Visitor within her sight. If even one bug were to slip through her attack and put her Master in danger, Minamoto no Raikou would consider it a dereliction of duty.
Minamoto no Raikou's nonchalant tone made Ann misunderstand something, and she also walked boldly to her side. The next second, she ran back with a pale face.
"There are too many! It's just too many! There must be hundreds flying in the air! And there are so many on the ground, they're like ants."
"What's in this hospital that's so attractive to those Visitors?!"
"I don't sense anything," Minamoto no Raikou said, shaking her head regretfully. "Because there's nothing in this entire area that feels right to me."
"There's no time for a drawn-out fight," Taichi said, biting his fingernails. He then looked at Minamoto no Raikou. "Raikou, if you went out to fight alone, without us as dead weight, how long would it take you to end the fight?"
"Half a minute would be enough," Minamoto no Raikou said, looking back at him with a worried expression. "But Raikou is worried that those bugs would take the opportunity to break in and harm you, Master."
"I can handle a few Visitors in a short amount of time," Taichi insisted. "And I won't fight them head-on. I'll just use evasive maneuvers with Ann. Half a minute is definitely doable."
"If Master says so..." Minamoto no Raikou's gaze sharpened. "Then Raikou will trust you. Please do your best to hold on until I end the battle outside."
As soon as she finished speaking, Minamoto no Raikou pushed open the window and jumped out.
"This is the sixth floor!" Ann instinctively wanted to go to the window to see what was happening. But Taichi, who was prepared, grabbed Ann's arm and desperately ran in the opposite direction.
Purple lightning flashed outside the window. Although a large number of airborne Visitors were falling like raindrops, many were still trying to escape in all directions. A few of them were trying to rush into the hospital windows. However, the windows on this floor were within Minamoto no Raikou's main attack range, so none of them made it inside. But the sound of shattering glass came from the floor below.
Taichi shook his wrist, and his gauntlets made a clattering sound. "Ann, do you know which room doesn't have a window?"
"The storage room!" Ann said, hugging Taichi's arm in panic. "It's the room where they keep medical supplies. It's airtight and has no windows! It's in that direction!" Ann pointed to the end of the dimly lit hallway.
"Let's go!" Taichi nodded and half-supported Ann as he quickly moved in that direction. "We'll hide in the storage room."
"Nekomata, keep an eye on our surroundings and watch for Visitors in our blind spots!"
"Meow!" The Nekomata replied with a meow.
Taichi could already see a figure floating up the stairs. It was a tattered white cloth, but with a triangular headpiece and a human face shape at the top. Another Visitor he hadn't fought before. Most importantly, Taichi couldn't see any solid material underneath the cloth.
Damn it! A ghost!