[East Tower - Tokigumo Academy] In the deepest part of the Academy's East Tower, the long-sealed Persona Forbidden Zone suddenly shattered.
Inside a shadowy corridor, a stone monument appeared, engraved with the emblem of a jet-black ace card.
[Spade Ace - The Original Cardmaker]
A dark glow pulsed from the monument, and a figure slowly emerged from the black mist.
It was Principal Mitou Sayaichiro - once known as the First Magus King of Tokigumo.
"The time has come..."
He stretched out his hand and pressed it against the monument.
At that moment, the entire tower shook. Symbols of the Ancients spread from the ground to the celestial barrier, releasing a wave of pressure from another realm.
"The Persona system... has reached its maximum state of awakening."
"Yorumi Sou-show me if you are truly worthy... of the title of 'Cardmaker.'"
[System Announcement: Persona Network Full Access Unlocked] At the same time, the Academy's core magic system issued an urgent broadcast:
[Persona System - Final Phase Initiated] [Hidden Persona Fragment Discovered: Black Ace] [Authority Holder: Principal] [Now Activating: Persona Reconstruction Trial - Final Seat Conquest] A moment of eerie silence fell over all of Tokigumo Academy.
And then... A voice suddenly broke through all the communication channels.
It was Vice Principal Shichiin Daigo!
"The headmaster's treachery is confirmed! He is planning to release the remaining Persona fragments from the other world - that would mean the total destruction of Tokigumo!"
He was broadcast from the main communications room, drenched in blood, staggering, with tendrils of Otherworld matter crawling behind him.
He had been attacked - and was now on the run.
[Magus Division Tactical Briefing - War Approaches Again] Yorumi Sou's brow furrowed.
After facing the Joker, his mental strength hadn't fully recovered.
But the crisis did not allow her to rest.
Koudou Saya suppressed her emotions and spoke coldly: "So... we're going to stop the director?"
Funck nodded, his tone heavier than ever: "Not only must we stop him... we must take the Black Ace."
"Otherwise, the entire academy will become a persona farm - completely devoured by otherworldly beings."
Mitou Karuma licked his lips, a faint light flickering around his clenched fists:
"Sounds intense... I won't hold back this time."
Hakuran added quietly:
"The Persona Tower will be the battleground... and you, Sou, will be in the center."
Yorumi Sou stood up slowly.
A new card floated to his palm - [Joker Rewrite].
Beneath his feet, an illusionary barrier activated by itself, forming what looked like a new magical stage.
[Phantom Knight Order - Official Emergence] At the north gate of the campus, beyond the Stargate, a battalion in silver and black armor silently advanced.
At their head stood a silver-haired, masked woman, her gaze cold as steel:
"I am Cléa, Ace Knight of the Phantom Order."
"By order of the Black Ace, we are here to cleanse the Tokigumo Persona System."
Behind her stood five otherworldly warriors, each with Persona fragments fused into their bodies.
They were unstable, but they wielded overwhelming power.
Cléa held up a card, her voice ringing out:
"From this moment on, Tokigumo Academy enters into the Protocol of Persona Purge."
"All who resist will be erased."
[Yorumi Sou's Declaration - Magic Against Fate] On the Ryuga Field, Yorumi Sou stepped forward alone.
Behind him stood every member of the Magus Division - Koudou Saya, Hakuran, Karuma - and even the wounded but still standing Funck.
Cards danced from his fingers, each glowing with the five-colored crest of the Tower of Illusion.
His voice was soft, but it rang clear across the grounds:
"I am Yorumi Sou."
"Minister of the Magus Division of the Tokigumo Academy."
"Persona is not a weapon for purification. It's not a system for war."
"And now, in the name of the Magus Division, I declare war on the Phantom Order."
At the bottom of the East Tower, the headmaster raised his head, a smile on his lips.
He gently placed a card - [Spade Ace - Origin].
The Black Ace finally revealed its true power.
"Come, Yorumi Sou-"
"This will be our final bet... as the true Card Makers."
The Awakening of the Black Ace