[It all happens in a matter of seconds, their chance of a quick and painless victory shattered by the sound of Dipper's shoulder being impaled and Yu diving to grab him, the both of them falling with the thunderous sound of imminent defeat at the jaws of the monster as it prepares to feast on the hapless duo.
This will be over in seconds too, Dipper and Yu being ripped to shreds by its sharp teeth and everyone else too paralyzed to move, making themselves easy targets for everything that remains.
Tick.
There's an almost triumphant glint in the serpent's eye like that of a cat toying with its prize, certain that it's proven itself to the victor over the intruders that dared invade its feeding ground. It roars deafeningly as it opens its jaws and rears its head before lunging for the kill.
Tick.
Two, maybe three seconds left before an inevitable bloodbath happens. Minato's too far away to push them out of the way or to block the attack like everyone else, but if they could have just seen his face as he gets up he would have seemed painfully alien in that moment, calm and determined in the face of odds no one could hope to beat.
Tick.
It would be a lie to say that Minato's ready for this moment or that he predicted it, yet it's truthful that he's been retaining his strength over the past few days for this reason, one and only-
It all goes back to the text Yu sent him about the jungle trip and Ket returning before it. He had spent so many days feeling guilty about what had happened by that time, hating himself and his petty feelings for causing so much grief by that time, only to see that no one blamed him for it. He doesn't blame them for that since no one could have known the true reason why he hated himself for it: It wasn't at all for not being there, for feeling he could have done better...all of them acceptable reasons, but hardly the entire truth.
Minato blamed himself for the choice of refusing to be with Ket and that mistake is why he chose to accept Yu's offer, why he's standing here right now and raising a hand at Dipper's and Yu's direction instead of using his Evoker, knowing that he can only save himself if he had opted for the latter; they'd be dead by the time he can summon his Persona, and what he had chosen on that day that he accepted the offer...
That is what he affirms now, allowing his gaze to linger on Yu's horrified face for but a split second and feeling as if his heart might break in that same moment as he utters a single word.]
Stop.
[Tick.
The beast ignores Minato's soft warning, crunching down onto something with a sickening noise, a cry resounding in the air immediately after-
Only there's no blood to be seen anywhere near where Yu and Dipper are and it's the monster that's reeling, almost seeming to cry in agony as it pulls back with some of its fangs broken from the impact of hitting a glimmering barrier surrounding the two.
Minato would have thought such a feat impossible once, but in coming to meet Yu, having his Evoker knocked away by Hyoubu and rushing through the burning village only to have been too late to do anything he's come to realize that perhaps he leans on the device like a crutch, its familiar weight a fond memory of his past and of people he'd never see again, which will only drag him down if he continues to pine and not depend on his own strength.
He would smile for everyone to see right then with the crisis averted and a miracle achieved...]
Warning for gore... 1/2
This will be over in seconds too, Dipper and Yu being ripped to shreds by its sharp teeth and everyone else too paralyzed to move, making themselves easy targets for everything that remains.
Tick.
There's an almost triumphant glint in the serpent's eye like that of a cat toying with its prize, certain that it's proven itself to the victor over the intruders that dared invade its feeding ground. It roars deafeningly as it opens its jaws and rears its head before lunging for the kill.
Tick.
Two, maybe three seconds left before an inevitable bloodbath happens. Minato's too far away to push them out of the way or to block the attack like everyone else, but if they could have just seen his face as he gets up he would have seemed painfully alien in that moment, calm and determined in the face of odds no one could hope to beat.
Tick.
It would be a lie to say that Minato's ready for this moment or that he predicted it, yet it's truthful that he's been retaining his strength over the past few days for this reason, one and only-
It all goes back to the text Yu sent him about the jungle trip and Ket returning before it. He had spent so many days feeling guilty about what had happened by that time, hating himself and his petty feelings for causing so much grief by that time, only to see that no one blamed him for it. He doesn't blame them for that since no one could have known the true reason why he hated himself for it: It wasn't at all for not being there, for feeling he could have done better...all of them acceptable reasons, but hardly the entire truth.
Minato blamed himself for the choice of refusing to be with Ket and that mistake is why he chose to accept Yu's offer, why he's standing here right now and raising a hand at Dipper's and Yu's direction instead of using his Evoker, knowing that he can only save himself if he had opted for the latter; they'd be dead by the time he can summon his Persona, and what he had chosen on that day that he accepted the offer...
That is what he affirms now, allowing his gaze to linger on Yu's horrified face for but a split second and feeling as if his heart might break in that same moment as he utters a single word.]
Stop.
[Tick.
The beast ignores Minato's soft warning, crunching down onto something with a sickening noise, a cry resounding in the air immediately after-
Only there's no blood to be seen anywhere near where Yu and Dipper are and it's the monster that's reeling, almost seeming to cry in agony as it pulls back with some of its fangs broken from the impact of hitting a glimmering barrier surrounding the two.
Minato would have thought such a feat impossible once, but in coming to meet Yu, having his Evoker knocked away by Hyoubu and rushing through the burning village only to have been too late to do anything he's come to realize that perhaps he leans on the device like a crutch, its familiar weight a fond memory of his past and of people he'd never see again, which will only drag him down if he continues to pine and not depend on his own strength.
He would smile for everyone to see right then with the crisis averted and a miracle achieved...]