Chapter Text
Chapter 56: Rivers in the Desert
Sunday, October 23rd, Night, 20XX
"That's everything then, Futaba?" Ren asked while slumped at one of LeBlanc's tables. The café was closed for the night, but the entirety of the phantom thieves was still up and sitting around. To a person, they were slumped over on their elbows, eyes fluttering shut.
Futaba was probably the worst of them all. Her eyes had massive bags as her fingers continued to fly over her laptop's keyboard. "Yeah," she responded. "Just finalizing some access routes for tomorrow morning."
"Is that the right time?" Makoto asked. "When are we stealing Shido's heart?"
"Earlier is better, right?"
No one contradicted Ryuji. Feeling sleepy, Ren stood up to prevent himself from passing out. Running a finger along the countertop, Ren couldn't really come up with a reason to delay. "Alright. Then if everyone is available tomorrow, we will—"
A sharp knock on the front door cut him off. A face appeared in the window, peering in against the glass. It was one from his past that Ren had not been sure if we would ever see again.
"Lily!" Rushing over he pulled open the door to gape at the girl and her older sister, Orchid. "You two survived! Come in, tell us what happened!"
"You're awfully chippy for someone we betrayed," Orchid grumbled. The words contained no bite. In her eyes, Ren could see the guilt she felt.
Escorting them inside, Ren feared that he would have to shield them from angry onlookers. That lasted only a moment. Relief warred with weary minds leaving no room for indignation.
Besides, Ren added mentally, we still haven't redeemed ourselves for killing their father.
Sumire was clearly of the same mind as she gaped at the girls that had appeared. She had not been a member during the time the phantom thieves had interacted with them. Finally face-to-face with the girls, all of that repressed guilt started to bubble back up.
"W-We wanted to apologize." Orchid started. "We shouldn't have trusted that detective. I'm sorry for not fully trusting you, I just—"
"You have nothing to apologize for!" Sumire interrupted. Rising to her feet, she strode over to confront the two. Bending at her waist, she bowed so low it would have been mocking if not for the complete sincerity she was acting with. "I'm so sorry for what happened to your father. I-I…"
"Look, it's fine. I mean, it isn't, but we understood what happened before betraying you. That was unacceptable." Orchid continued. In this contest of apologizing however, she was on the backfoot.
Getting between this, Ren headed off the contest before it could spiral out of control. "Look, it is getting really late. You can have my bed again if you—" Remembering what happened in those unwashed sheets, Ren really wished his brain was working properly. I didn't even fight today!
In the lapse created from Ren pondering his idiocy, the girls jumped all over him. "You can't use time as an excuse to shelf this, Ren!"
"I agree. I know we came at a poor time, but this is important."
Caught off guard as he quickly became the villain, Ren stood between them unmoving. His position was apparently humorous as some of the thieves started to laugh at him. "Guess our benevolent leader can do wrong after all."
Ann's teasing was far from the end as Morgana added more. "It's impressive how he managed to unite them though!"
"Just shut it!" Ren growled, massaging his temples. "First of all, is there a reason you two are appearing now?"
The girls looked at each other. "Not particularly. We were just surprised that you hadn't moved against Shido… Also, we wanted to inquire about the new SIU director while we apologized. We would have come earlier but…"
"We didn't want to endanger you," Lily finished for her sister.
There was a lot in there to unpack. Ren wanted to yell at them for their timing, but we couldn't discredit their caution. Following that train of thought, Ren asked about it. "Why are you still being hunted? Is Akechi angry at you for betraying him?"
"No," Orchid shook her head. "Shido is hunting for Akechi and my sister. We are simply… trying to move on I suppose."
A somber mood laid over the café. Ren wasn't sure if it was appropriate, but he pressed further. "Your sister, she…?"
"She stayed with Akechi of her own volition. She loves him. I think he manipulated her but…"
"He definitely did," Sumire growled. "He tried the same thing on my sister."
Orchid and Lily gave identical pained looks at that. After awhile though, they both shrugged. "Rose is a big girl. Even if she now depends on a toxic person… it keeps her alive."
"And if she's alive she can get better," Ren murmured, impressed. It had to be agony knowing that someone dear to them was unwell and being unable to help. He wanted to place a comforting hand on their shoulder, but Makoto was already there, dragging them both into a tight hug.
"I'm so glad you're both alright." Makoto choked up. "Don't worry, we'll help her."
Orchid chuckled. "Come on Makoto. Haven't you learned not to make promises you can't keep yet?"
"Urgh."
"By the way… what happened to that investigator we talked to?"
That killed the mood again. Ah, I want to sleep… Ren gazed at nothing. He listened with barely half an ear as Makoto described in a strained voice what had happened, how her sister had ended up director of the SIU and had the now abandoned daughter living at their house.
"Are you close to changing Shido'shart then?" Orchid asked urgently.
"Ahh," Makoto nodded. "We can go as soon as tomorrow. But we may take it off to recover—"
"No!" Lily yelled. Embarrassed by the outburst, she lowered her head, providing no explanation.
Orchid chuckled, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder. "What my sister is trying to say is that tomorrow may be your last chance."
"Last… chance?" Ren asked. The words carried with them a sense of dread that he did not appreciate.
"We connected with Rose earlier, which also prompted us to come here tonight. Apparently Akechi is in the final parts of a plan to murder his father. Rose was hoping you could stop this by changing Shido's heart before that happened."
"Another mental shutdown?" Ren growled, "we need to do something permanent about him. I was naïve thinking he'd been dealt with."
Orchid shook her head. "Maybe he does deserve punishment, but I don't think you have to worry about him. Akechi's only target now is his father."
"Hmm…" Ren stared at the girls for a few seconds before giving up on thinking. "It's too late. If we are going to change Shido's heart tomorrow, we will need rest."
With everyone in agreement, the café emptied. It wasn't until after midnight that Ren laid down to sleep after a full day.
Monday, October 24th, After school 20XX
"Be ready everyone," Oracle called out. Standing at the back of the group, she couldn't help but twist her fingers as they prepared to siege the central chamber on Shido's ship. She had a job to perform, one that she had gotten used to, but that didn't make things easier. Failure to properly perform today could lead to deaths.
No, it's the same as any other time! The positive reinforcement fell flat for her. She could not ignore the aura of domination that was radiating from the imposing door. Oracle was still gazing up at it in awe as their vanguard pushed it open to reveal what was hidden within.
As they stepped through the doorway, the entire group was rendered speechless by an entire caucus of Diet members listening rapturously to Shido. "The hell?" Skull exploded.
"He's talking as prime minister," Queen groaned. "He really does believe that he will win the upcoming election."
"He is polling as the favorite…" Noir informed them with a pensive look. "Actually… My company donated to him."
"Huh?" Skull twisted to gape at the girl. "The hell you give the asshole money for?"
Noir shrugged. "It wasn't like we had a choice. It was expected of us."
"Forget it," Joker commanded. "Noir is free to waste her company's money. Let's make sure that Shido never ends up on that stage in the real world."
"Hell yeah!" Skull cheered.
The mood had clearly gotten to all of them, as Queen took a step forward. "Let's break up this façade, shall we? Come on Johanna!"
Calling forth her bike-like persona Queen hopped on and led the charge.
"Geez…" By far the physically weakest of the group, Oracle pumped her arms to stay near the back as they descended the auditorium to the center altar. She trailed behind the others and got a first-row seat to the moment the crowd rose in thunderous applause. Somehow, even above that, Shido's magnified voice boomed through the air.
"Thank you, everyone!" Shido exclaimed. "My plan will resurrect our country first from the storm that consumes the world! That's right, from the ashes of failed ambitions, I will guide our resurrection as the captain of our country!"
Oracle rolled her eyes at the speech. She tried to be nonchalant about it, but the display of power was intimidating. Her hands were shaking by the time she caught up to the others. Or rather, everyone except Queen.
The reckless biker charged forward, leaping into the air. She hung high in the air above Shido and the altar he preached at. Shido's speech cut off as he stared up at the descending bike.
Uhh, is she going to kill him?
Oracle's fears were short-lived however as Shido stood under the bike, hands raised and caught Johanna. Arms flexing with powerful muscles, the politician held aloft both bike and rider. "BEHOLD MY POWER! I am the god that shall save Japan!"
Oh, we underestimated him. We reaaaallllly underestimated him. Oracle thought as her fear multiplied sevenfold. Violently shaking, it took Oracle another five seconds to realize that she hadn't called forth Necronomicon. Finally summoning it, Oracle scanned the area and gasped.
"T-They… They're all fake!?" Oracle's gasp drew Fox's and Joker's gazes. The others were still looking at a helpless Queen who desperately clutched to her Persona.
"The audience?" Joker asked.
Oracle had no time to respond nor a reason as Shido shouted out in a voiceless roar. With a heave, he threw Queen at the group. At the same moment, the crowd of onlookers and the bleachers themselves disappeared.
With outstretched arms, they caught Queen as Johanna faded. Shido used that moment to step to the edge of the elevated platform that he was on. With an arm resting on his bent leg, he sneered down at them all. "Scurry away, rats! You are in the presence of a god."
"A… god?" Joker replied softly staring up at him. His expression was inscrutable through the mask. "All I see is a jester dancing on an illusory stage. Repent, Shido. We're going to steal your heart!"
"Oh, is that right? Can you when I have the power of the masses on my side?" Liquid gold rose up in the forms of people that surrounded Shido. The man himself did nothing, sitting back in a throne that formed around him as his clothes changed from those of a politician to a king, complete with a ridiculous helm that doubled as a crown.
The throne slowly rose into the air as a golden lion was composed from the people-shaped entities. "S-Such power…" Oracle mumbled as the beast continued to rise. The torso was finished, and the four legs began to appear.
"Let's go," Joker commanded. "As planned."
Their fearless leader stepped forward, making himself the primary target of Shido's golden mount. Standing to either side of him were their tankiest members: Skull and Queen. Spread out behind them were Noir, Fox, and Panther, with the powerful fire user in the middle. That left Mona and Violet at the back.
Oracle could tell that Violet did not want to be back here. Her eyes were locked in on Joker, desperate to be up there and fighting with her lover. Walking over to her, Oracle tugged on her sleeve. "Don't run off now."
"I won't," she grumbled, sounding less than one hundred percent certain. "Still, I feel pointless being positioned this far back."
Oracle chuckled. "Does that make me useless?"
"Of course not!" Violet backpedaled quickly. "It's just me… I need to use my blade to be useful."
"Well," Oracle muttered as the fight began. "I'm certain that you will be using it before too long."
A bead of sweat trickled down her neck from the tension in the air. As Necronomicon continued to search, Oracle nodded farewell to her protector and retreated inside of the UFO-shaped persona.
In here, information was easier to come across. Oracle only wished that it was more positive. At the moment, the large lion attacked Joker and did nothing as his persona nullified the attack, but that wasn't the problem.
Shido's control of his palace was immense. Unlike the other rulers that ruled only a small piece of land, this was more akin to her own palace. Like her desert, Shido had brought ruin to the world and now led the only functional location. Here, at the center of his cognition, the distortion was strong enough to have created the illusion from before. What's more… "We aren't… even fighting him?"
It was grating, but as Panther's fire magic rained down on the lion, Shido continued to ride upon it with an imperious look. As powerful as the golden creation was, Oracle could sense that the man's own power exceeded it.
Turning her analysis to the golden lion, Oracle let Necronomicon have at it. Her persona had automatically recorded the interactions between the party and the beast. "Hmm… Looks like all magic is good to go. Well, let's capitalize on that!"
Pushing her glasses into position like she like she a beautiful anime megane character about to drop a bombshell, Oracle smirked and dove into hacking. She wasn't sure about the exact mechanism, but Necronomicon instantly translated what she knew about hacking and computer networks into manipulating the metaverse.
The entire world turned into green wires for her. Seeing only outlines, Futaba selected her group, identifying the pathways that connected all of them. With that complete, Oracle pressed the confirmation button and began pouring energy from herself into all of them.
"Everyone!" Oracle broadcasted into their minds. "Your next magical attack is going to be big! Go ahead and take this thing out!"
Removing her goggles, Oracle ran a hand through her hair, fanning out the long orange strands. She didn't have magic like the others, but she did have this. It was draining in an odd way. Unlike the others, she recovered from resting, but there were no items that could help her out.
What proceeded outside of her protective bubble were pyrotechnics that put any anime or live-action movie to shame. From the entire roster lightning, fire, ice, and more ripped into the Beast of Human Sacrifice. It staggered, steam rising from it. Shido was silent for a moment, standing up from his throne to address them.
"Is that supposed to be resistance? Let's see how your magic fares to this!" Clenching his hand, Shido changed the fabric of his palace. As the one most sensitive to these alterations, Oracle shouted a warning to everyone.
"The lion is changing! Be wary!"
As Oracle had warned, light coalesced along both side of the lion's back. It expanded into large feathery wings. With a single flap, it took off into the air, circling the central podium.
"RAWR!" With a loud roar, the lion, the Wings of Human Sacrifice, called forth a column of fire. It hit Joker with immense power. He had been focused on defending against physical attacks and no resistance to the sudden magic.
"I'll pay you back for that!" From the back, Panther responded with her own fire. What had once been tearing the beast apart now slid off, dealing little damage.
"Tsk," Oracles analysis matched what her eyes told her. "It resisted that!"
"Obviously!" Panther yelled back.
"Let me take over!" Noir said, "Milady!"
As she tried to bring forth her persona, the Lion's eyes flashed, and an orb of blue energy attacked Noir back. The nuclear energy cut through the weaknesses in her persona, sending Noir to one knee.
At that moment, Mona's healing energy came out, restoring her and Joker.
This is going to be a long fight… Cracking her fingers, Oracle got back to hacking. It took longer this time. Her control of the metaverse was being hampered by Shido's excessive control.
Due to her the interference, Oracle couldn't help out as her friends responded. They had switched from magic to guns. Either using persona skills like Noir and Joker or pulling out their metaverse weapons, they shot Shido's wings full of holes.
"ENOUGH!" Roaring, Shido stuck his hand out. "Perish by the glory of the wings!"
The lion's wings flashed with a burst of white light and a pillar of intense light scorched the party. Oracle stopped to cover her eyes from the high energy input. "T-The hell?" It had hit everyone, dealing a large amount of damage and leaving many of them staggering around.
Cracking her fingers, Oracle got to work. "Don't think… I'll let it end like that!" With a final cry and press of the button, Oracle restored them. Not just the dizziness, but their stamina as well. As her mass buff went through, the feedback increased exponentially.
Groaning, Oracle moaned as she tried to maintain her connection to the foundation of the world. Wobbling inside her persona, Oracle only half watched as they continued to chip down the health of the flying lion.
"I… can still do more!" Forcing herself to give the party everything she had, Oracle reconnected to the world. "Take… this!"
Sending another wave of energy through the party, Oracle increased the power of their next physical attack. The action left her collapsed over the console. Whispering, she begged them to shoot it down.
They fulfilled her request with flying colours. Milady's guns roared with astounding effect as the lion roared in pain, large amounts of its stamina ripped away as it struggled to knock them down with well-placed magical blasts.
"Now then, let's finish—" Trailing off, Oracle finally sensed what she should have been focusing on. From behind, the shadow that kept annoying them reappeared. I need to warn Violet! Going to turn to her guide, Oracle screamed in pain as Shido's rebuttal to her meddling hit in full force. No… way. They planned this? Unwilling to be bested so easily, Oracle punched in one last command as Shido's domination of the area relaxed to focus on her.
Ability: Heat Riser
Targets: All Allies
Punching it in with a final cry, Necronomicon shattered around her, dumping Oracle to the ground. Twisting in midair as her vision faded, Oracle saw the gun aimed for her head. Oh, I'm dead.
Bang! The gunshot rang loud and clear to her ears. Oddly though, she didn't die. She was being held midair by the person who had cut the bullet down.
"Ahh, Inari my saviour," Oracle smirked. "This was supposed to be Violet's role.
"I sent her to deal with Shido," Fox replied as he laid her to the ground. "Recover, I will guard you."
"As you command," Murmuring a reply, Oracle passed in and out of consciousness.
Monday, October 24th, After school 20XX
"You fiend," Fox spat as he faced up with the shadow. "How dare you try to shoot her of all people. Prepare to die!"
"Oh? That's some aggression. I'm afraid I don't know who you are, Inari."
"I don't want to hear that name coming from you, murderer." Fox spat, his vision red with anger. "I will now return the favour of you killing her mother."
"Did I?" The cognitive Akechi pressed a finger his cheek as if considering the claim. "If you mean the Wakaba woman, I'm pretty certain that she committed suicide."
Fox ground his teeth but did not reply, instead assuming a stance meant for a single quick slash.
The cognitive shadow smirked, moving his gun to his left hand, he summoned an ominous blade in his right. "Let's go then!"
They charged at each other with a sudden burst of speed. Fox put all of his agility into it. He felt like he had Oracle behind him, pushing him onwards as her magic enhanced his speed and power.
Slow!
Mentally claiming his victory, Fox ducked around his opponent's high swing, adjusting the path of his blade to come up inside of it. With a dull thud, sword parted cognitive flesh. Instantly, Fox darted backwards to stand protectively in front of Oracle once more.
Cognitive Akechi simply stared at his truncated limb without a single cry of pain. Looking up, he stared at Fox with an emotionless face. "I thought those two were the main problems. But you were faster and swung harder than either… How curious."
Fox's blood froze in his body as that emotionless gaze suddenly split into an insane smile. With eyes wide, lips spread back, it looked like an alien mockery of human enjoyment.
"NOW! Show me what else you can do!"
Fox took a glance back and was happy to see that the fight against Shido was progressing well still. Joker had helped fling Violet high in the air until she was level with the flying lion. From that position, Jeanne had torn it to shreds with her most powerful physical ability. As the lion collapsed back to the ground, it was already morphing into something new.
In that short period, something was beginning to grow from the wrist where the hand had been. "No!" Fox gasped as he put the information together.
"Ah, that's right!" Akechi laughed. "Time to show me your defense now!"
The mutated stump turned into a minigun. The six-barrel gun starting to whir while Fox could only stand protectively in front of Oracle.
"Let's do this!" Akechi laughed maniacally.
With a loud whirring, flashes of light appeared from the nozzle as a seemingly endless stream of pellets assaulted his position.
"RAAAAA!" Letting out his best battle cry, Fox allowed his instincts to take over. Thanks to Oracle, his defenses and speed were both increased. His katana was a blur as he cut bullets from the air prioritizing his head and using his torso to stop bullets from hitting Oracle's.
For every bullet he cut down another nine were fired. Some would hit him and others were scattering across the room. He could hear the phantom thieves behind him yelling as they tried to regroup from Akechi's interference.
Continuing to howl, Fox swung as his vision slowly went dark. He barely felt the pain from the hot impacts anymore. That couldn't be a good sign. Arms freezing up, Fox collapsed to one knee, coughing up a stream of blood.
I failed… As Fox thought that however, the stream of bullets came to a halt. "I'm out. How disappointing. I suppose you won this round, but can you block this in your state?"
"Hiyah!" Coming together just enough, Fox slashed up, cutting away the bullet from Akechi's pistol. In the real world it would be by far the less dangerous of the two guns. Here, however, Fox could tell he would have died taking a tenth the number of hits from that thing as he had endured at the minigun's hands.
"Tsk," Akechi scowled as Fox regained his feet. "Does your anger truly burn bright enough that you continue fighting?"
"It… isn't just anger," Fox answered honestly. His head was still spinning as his vision faded in and out. Staggering a step to the side, his foot touched Oracle's hand. "It's… something else as well."
"Love?" Akechi sneered, pronouncing the word with a harsh mocking slur. "Trying to act the hero to get in that's girl's pants? There will always be another woman… You can buy them with money or… or power…"
Fox gave the shadow a quizzical look. Something odd just happened. Akechi was standing there, now human right hand pressed to his head as if trying to remember something.
Cognitive Akechi growled and shook his head. "Yes, that's right. Lord Shido will bestow any woman I want for serving him! Yes, that is correct!"
"You're a sad tool," Fox replied simply. "My anger against you was misplaced. You are not the one that caused us such suffering; merely a distorted reflection that doesn't truly exist."
"Doesn't exist?" The shadow grumbled. That red blade reformed in its now human right hand. "Let's see if you can still say that while I cut you apart!"
Fox knew he could not win this. His body was falling apart to the point that using Goemon's abilities was impossible. Groaning through the pain, Fox still assumed a stance for fighting. His legs were shaking to the point of giving out, but he refused to give up.
"Like the samurai of the past, I refuse to yield to you, creature of darkness. Even if I fall, my passing is like that of water on rock. Be it a dozen or a hundred attempts, you will be worn away to dust!"
Fox wasn't sure where the words had come from, but they felt right. Through the pain, he was contented—well, mostly. There was only one thing that he wished he had gotten to do.
As Fox prepared for death, a sudden force gripped his leg. He couldn't look, but the frail fingers and the position meant it could only be one person.
Oracle? What are you—She didn't say anything, but Fox's body pulsed with renewed ability. She had not healed him or increased his stats, but she had given him the ability to take the detective down with him. I won't let you down!
Fox stepped forward as the detective dashed. Shadow Akechi was fast, abnormally so. In his current state, Fox felt like he was walking through molasses compared to the shadow. Instantly, his legs gave out. Falling to the side, Fox's arms flailed, stance shattered.
"HAHA, idiot!" Akechi's blade lunged out, piercing Fox's abdomen.
"Gah! You… are as well!" Left hand grabbing unto the deadly blade that had pierced him, Fox roared soundlessly and swung with one hand.
His next strike, amplified to great heights by Oracle, cut the air with a blue haze of power. The detective was too slow to make a decision. His sword stuck; he could only gape as the deadly blow approached.
With only some resistance, Fox cut straight through the abdomen, separating the two halves of the body that were blown apart. The bottom half began to dissolve into black energy instantly.
As Fox collapsed to the ground, he watched through hooded eyes as the detective's top half pushed itself partly up and looked at him. Then, to Fox's horror, it smiled.
"So, you win again. I'll be back to play with your leader." Leaving that ominous message, the shadow detective melted into the floor as Fox lost consciousness.
Monday, October 24th, After school 20XX
"Bring it down!" Joker screamed at his team. Nerves on the verge of fraying, he was still unsure exactly what was happening with the shadow Akechi. Fox had managed to stop that hail of bullets somehow.
Far more important was what the pyramid in front of him was doing. Inside of its beaten and rusted gold exterior, a terrible force was building. Shido perched on the pinnacle and smiled down at them with the same glee as a child with a magnifying glass knowing exactly what has about to occur to the insects below him.
But Joker was no ant. He could feel the building energy in the core of the pyramid. If the normal shot that it had taken at them was anything to go by, he did not imagine for a moment they could endure whatever it was charging up for.
"Grimekhala!" Calling forth one of his multiple personas, Joker's attack scraped away another layer of the pyramid's vitality.
Come on, everyone!
Answering Joker's call, one magic attack after another descended upon the pyramid. Panther and Skull's lightning and fire mixing together to create a deadly looking tornado of heat and snapping bolts. Noir's psychic and Queen's nuclear attacks chipping further away as the structure groaned uneasily.
For once, Shido's smile waned as defeat became a real possibility.
"Not yet!" Rushing to the front, Mona came and added in another attack, abandoning his role as healer in this critical juncture. One corner of the pyramid was blown off as it tilted to one side. Despite the building damage, it maintained charging just long enough.
"So close," Shido taunted. "I'm afraid this is the end of you!"
"Didn't you forget someone?" Joker taunted. Having given Violet his grappling hook, he was not surprised as her lithe form fell from the above, persona next to her. Two blades, one metal and one of holy light split the pyramid in half, dumping Shido to the ground.
Victory!
Smirking, Joker shot his team a thumbs-up. Then, as it tickled the back of his mind, he turned to find Fox and Oracle. Their prone forms were lying alone at the back of the room, a pool of blood around them.
"MONA!" Joker screamed, pointing at them.
As comprehension dawned on the group, coordination broke down. Shido was rising from the ashes of the pyramid with only Violet right in front of him. Not only Mona, but all of their healers began to rush over. As Panther went, so did Skull. Noir tried to keep her head on by grabbing Queen's hand, but the president's mind was too focused on their fallen members.
That left only him to help Violet. Shido had stripped off his robe and headgear. Revealed was a brace that coated the shadow's body. It looked like some sort of fictional resistance training gear.
"Ohh? Just the two of you standing before me? Very well!"
As Shido roared, three-coloured light surrounded him. It was a move that was very familiar to Joker, it also filled him with dread. It was the very same performance enhancing ability that Oracle had cast on them all earlier. Those enhancements were long gone.
"Here you go, Violet!" Calling forth a different one of his personas, Joker matched Shido buff for buff.
"Thank you, Joker!" She responded, raising her rapier to go one on one with Shido.
That left Joker in a bind. Without knowing what abilities Shido would use, it was hard for him to plan ahead. His decision of enhancing Violet's combat proficiency may have already been a fatal mistake if the rest of the group didn't orient themselves quickly.
"Let's go, girl!" Rising to their challenge, Shido squared up to Violet. He darted toward her at a high speed. With the speed increase, Violet was able to side-step and riposte with her rapier. The sharp blade adding minor cuts to the impressive arm.
Why is he so strong? Joker wondered upon seeing Shido's incredible capabilities. The other rulers had had demonic forms, but Shido's was… different somehow. It was as if he had somehow altered his own palace.
The distracting thoughts stole away the millisecond Joker had to react as Shido ignored the enhanced Violet and rushed for him. My persona! Joker desperately tried to switch back but it was impossible. There was a period of time after using a different persona that he was locked into it. His reflection of physical damage was gone.
So, facing down Shido's fist, Joker smirked. Heart running a hundred miles per hour, Joker's bluff was stupid if Shido had an analysis ability.
The fist stopped.
Barely a hairsbreadth from Joker's forehead, Shido stopped up. He didn't have time to calm down though as Shido grabbed unto his shoulders. "Heh, you think your immunity to my punches will help?"
"Uh, yes?" Joker replied. He wasn't sure what Shido was thinking, but he took the opportunity to ram his dagger into Shido's gut. Shido's skin was like steel. The abdominal muscles were pulsing diamonds that prevented his knife from sinking in more than the smallest tip.
"Heh, weak. And Akechi told me you were a problem."
Joker thought about coming up with a snide reply. That chance was taken as he was suddenly lifted off his feet as Shido spun him in a circle, throwing him bodily at Violet.
"Senpai!?"
Moments later, he crashed heavily into her, tumbling to the ground together. Even with his reflect back on, it didn't seem to work against getting thrown.
"So, it does work!"
Joker's head jerked up and he tried to escape, but Shido was simply too fast with the speed increase. Arm grabbed by Shido, Joker was used as a club to wack at Violet.
"H-Hey!" She protested, skipping away.
What the hell is happening!? It was impossible for Joker to orient himself. He had no idea where his knife had went. As his body whirled through the air, arm beginning to scream in pain, the floor and ceiling became one in his spinning vision.
Unable to do anything, Joker simply clamped his mouth shut and tried not to throw up as Shido and Violet fought in a whirlwind. He could not keep track of the particulars, but Violet was on the backfoot as she dodged around Shido's deadly punches and his body.
"URAGGH!" With a frustrated roar, Shido whirled around and released Joker.
Careening through the air, Joker still had the clarity of mind to tuck his limbs in. He winced as he collided against one and then a second fleshy object before skidding along the floor.
Groaning, Joker held his head as he struggled back to his feet. Taking one step, he fell back to the floor. Going on all fours, Joker emptied his stomach. I overestimated my resistance.
That much was clear, but it didn't make him feel any better. Taking two deep breaths, that was all the time Joker gave himself before staggering to his feet once more.
His head was still bad, but it was manageable. Every step that he took was almost his last, but on the verge of falling, a stabilizing shoulder caught him.
"Wow there, leader!" Skull laughed. Be careful, will ya?"
"Are Fox and Mona alright?" Joker asked hoarsely. "And how about the people I hit?"
"We are all good," Skull assured him. "Queen and Noir are bailing out your girlfriend. You good, man? We need your personas for this I think."
"Do you?" Looking up at the stage, Joker was just in time to watch as Shido knocked Queen away with a powerful blow. Each of Shido's attacks were incredibly powerful. Unlike the other super strong shadows they had fought though, Shido was also mobile. That made it far harder to land magic attacks on him.
Joker watched as Noir tried just that and Shido darted away, the purple bubbles of energy popping uselessly where he used to be. "It's just him though…" Slowly, Joker's face split into an evil smile.
"Panther! Use that break ability to remove his buffs!"
"O-Oh, right!" Flashing him a thumbs-up, the fire mage switched plans and stripped Shido of his vaunted increase. The once godly power crashed down to earth.
Now I'll drive you into hell! "Come, Trumpeter!" The signal of the end was blown as the three lights surrounded Shido. They were not the bright and cheery power that increased. No, this ability was one Joker had picked up today in the velvet room. It completely debilitated the target, lowering power, defense, and speed all at the same time.
Even hindered as he was, Shido was still strong. He had an aura about him that rebuffed casual attacks. However, the decrease was enough to make him mortal.
"Get him, everyone!" Joker croaked rather indignantly. He wasn't one hundred percent, but now standing on his own, he added a few bullets to the barrage sent in Shido's direction.
Eyes darting quickly to take in the situation, Shido was unable to dodge the deluge of abilities that assaulted him. Mona healed, Panther stripped away buffs, and the rest attacked. It was an easily repeatable, surefire strategy.
Shido roared and struggled. Each of his attacks dealt large amounts of damage. Even with his speed reduced, he dodged an odd blow. It was still futile. He had given up on trying buff himself in exchange for dealing more damage. All that meant though was that Panther's scorching fire was added to the attacks that Shido had to dodge around.
"Cowards! Face me fairly!"
"We're thieves!" Skull taunted, yelling back. "Since when is theft fair!?"
"Are you the person that should be saying that?" Mona picked up the mantle. "You've walked on a mountain of corpses to get where you are!"
Shido could only roar in pain as another wave of magic sent him to his knees.
Taking a cursory glance of the thieves, all signs were good. Oracle and Fox were moving again, even if they weren't fighting. Their mind was emptying fast, but it was manageable. Shido was going to go down well before there were any issues on that end either.
True to expectations, Shido floundered for another minute before collapsing to one knee exhausted. As Shido kneeled before them, Joker walked up to him, unholstering his gun. "This is over, Shido. Repent and dissolve the palace."
"Damn brat, you think you can threaten me with a gun and think I'll take it sitting down!?"
Joker had stopped listening. Damn Brat! Those first two words, he'd heard them before. In a memory that haunted his nightmares. He had woken up in cold sweats as words identical to those echoed in his mind.
Damn brat, I'll sue!
"It's you…" Joker murmured. Heartrate increasing, he stood frozen in shock. The gears in his mind had ground to a halt. The teeth of the cogs chewing uselessly against those words that had reactivated his memory. It all seemed so obvious now. Those same cold eyes, the bald head and goatee.
"Joker, what's wrong?" Violet asked, touching his arm.
"This man… he is the one that arrested me." It had been more than half a year since then, but all of his original feelings came rushing back. The shame, the sense of loss as his parents cut him off with barely any help.
"W-What!? You…"
Joker restrained Violet before she did something she would regret.
Instead, looking into those cold eyes, Joker smiled. "I won't thank you, but because of your high-handed actions, I met the girl of my dreams and a group of loyal friends. In a way… your own arrogance is your downfall, Shido. Give up on this. Allow yourself to repent for your crimes."
"Crimes? Ahh, I suppose so. A starving man cannot murder to feed himself. A society needs boundaries and rules to function." Standing up, the shadow extended a hand in a gesture of friendship. "You're right, phantom thieves. Thank you for opening my eyes."
Joker hesitated in confusion. The words made sense but there was no change in those hard eyes. Unable to come up with a decision, Shido smirked.
"Is that what you thought I'd say. Let's finish this, fools! A duel to the death! RAAAAAA!" With a massive roar, Shido flexed and sent pieces of broken metal flying around the room. Now free from the training device, his aura of power increased twofold. It was as if waves of pure rage were rolling off of him.
No, not anger, arrogance. Joker corrected himself. Shido had seemingly unending pride in his ability to lead and conquer. "What power…" Violet murmured. "Where did this come from?"
Can we beat this? Joker's indecision meant he was still standing around confused as Shido roared and a circle of fire surrounded them. With a quick glance, Joker confirmed that it was now only the three of them in this space.
"Coward," Joker spat.
Shido chuckled. "Weren't you the ones who fought dirty first? I think we'll have an enjoyable duel to the death boy! Just me and you!"
"Sorry," Violet broke in. "But I'm not going anywhere."
"But don't you think…" A new voice said, shifting from a low inhuman growl to a smooth male voice with each word. "That you'll be dealing with me?"
Akechi had risen up from Shido's shadow and stepped out to stand beside the palace owner. Rather than being smug, Shido gave the detective a disappointed look, looking down as if Akechi was no more than a rat scurrying at his feet.
"You failed."
"I miscalculated. I'm here now."
"Tsk," Shido raised his fists. "No point on delaying further. RAAAA!"
Roaring, Shido nullified the debuffs that Joker had placed on him before reapplying his own buffs.
Ohh, that's really, really bad! Joker nervously entered a defensive stance. Taking a glance at Violet, understanding passed between them. They could not allow the two to separate them. With slow movements, Joker walked in front of Violet, facing down the father and son combo of shadows.
"Joker! Joker! Are you alright? Is Violet in there with you?"
Oracle's voice suddenly rang in his head. It was one of her persona powers that allowed for long range communication.
"Ahh, we are alright." Joker responded mentally hoping the words would get through. If he was being honest though, he wasn't sure if the communication was bi-directional. That answer came right away.
"Ahh, you have no way of responding! Umm, do your best!"
Real helpful! Joker growled, wishing he had some way of replying. Instead, all he could do was prepare to reflect all of their attacks. Actually… Can they even hit me?
It wasn't proven yet, but neither Shido nor Akechi looked to be attempting an immediate assault. As each second ticked past with inexorable lethargy, Joker became more confident. If Shido had unlimited access tot his form, he would have used it from the start without embarrassing himself earlier. There were definitely some limitations to it.
"Look at the hope begin to blossom in their eyes," Akechi drawled, his voice was like a snake's. Its disgusting slithering coating his skin as Joker broke into a cold sweat. "They think you are posing, Shido."
"Hmm! Then let me change their expectations! Die, boy!"
With a roar, Shido opened a gateway above Joker's head to what he could only call hell. It seemed to be a world of fire and brimstone that promptly spilled out into Shido's palace from right above where Joker was standing.
Even from meters away, the radiating heat was starting to burn Joker's face. His clothes crinkling in the heat as the fabric threatened to catch fire His persona was resistant to fire, but it was not enough to save him from this.
"REN!" Violet screamed, her composure disintegrating.
Thinking quickly, Joker found the only escape: straight forward. Diving and rolling, he felt a few stray chunks of lava fall on him, but beyond that he escaped unscathed. As he rose, knife out, Joker blinked at the lone Shido. Turning around, he found Akechi rising from the cooling chunk of molten rock that had been meant to be his gravestone. The detective laughed and slashed with his blade as he became solid once more.
They separated us!
Growling, Joker felt that familiar feeling of fear coursing through him. "What the hell was that? If you were so strong, why not use this from the start!?"
Shido smirked. "I had to make sure you were worthy of seeing it, boy."
"Huh, so you let us beat up on you and now you trap us in here to fight me alone. Yes, your power and confidence are truly astounding."
"Heh, you can talk smack boy. Now that you mention it, I think I remember you. You pushed me to protect that bitch."
"You fell on your own," Joker snapped back. "The charges were a farce from the police you own."
Shido smirked. "Welcome to the real world. And now you're here, manipulating public opinion to get your way. You're welcome for the lesson."
"I didn't need a lesson! I needed—" Joker stopped the tirade. This was pointless. Shido was baiting him into doing something stupid. Violet and Akechi were already engaged in a deadly dance as their swords sent up showers of sparks to illuminate the crazed dance.
Without another word, Joker charged. Unholstering his gun, Joker put four shots into Shido's face. The shadow predictably lifted a heavily muscled arm to block the bullets. They did even less damage than Joker had been hoping for. Utilizing Shido's reaction, Joker jammed his knife into Shido's gut while calling on his persona at the same time. "Girimehkala!"
Testing out Shido's magical resistances in this new form, Joker sent his own pillar of fire at the man. It was far weaker than the hellscape Shido had tried to dump on his own head.
"Grr!" Shido grunted from the triple barrage, stumbling back half a step. Even with the defense increase, Shido had taken noticeable damage from the attack. "Damn brat!"
"Gonna sue me?" Joker mocked as he skipped away from a powerful swing of Shido's arm. A plan began to form in Joker's mind.
"Die, idiot!" Shido raged.
It was not the physical blow that Joker had been preparing for. Instead, the area around him began to crystallize as the heat was sucked out instantly. A little above his head, a giant ice crystal began to form. Opposite the fire from before, Joker felt the bone-chilling cold from the crystal beginning to chill him through his persona's protection. He had no doubt that grazing its surface would freeze his body solid.
"sh*t!" Swearing, Joker did his best to dive out of the way. Teeth chattering, his body was lethargic as his body temperature was rapidly falling. Despite that, Joker was able to avoid the falling monolith as it collapsed to the ground, shattering into a million pieces.
"Idiot!" Shido was right there, waiting for him. A casual kick took Joker in the side.
Joker smiled. Meeting Shido's eyes, Joker returned the insult. "Idiot."
The reflective force of Shido's kick hit the shadow in the side. His own powerful blow sent him sprawling half a dozen meters. Near his own wall of fire, Shido got back to his feet only to be meet with another pillar of fire from Joker's persona.
I can do this! Joker hadn't been expecting the ice attack, but as powerful as Shido's magic is, it was still slow. Both varieties did not have the instant appearance that the weaker varieties did.
Joker could see that Shido was making the same calculations as his eyes wavered. The slightest bit of doubt appearing there. His biggest asset of physical strength was useless against Joker.
"What's wrong?" Joker taunted, spinning his knife. "You running out of energy already?"
Shido only smiled.
The expression sent chills down Joker's back. Sensing something was wrong, he half turned to look behind him. Akechi was standing, gun pointed out towards him. It was his standard handgun, the barrel coated in an ominous dark energy. His body was leaking mist from a dozen cuts across his body, courtesy of Violet.
"REN!" Violet screamed.
Eyes flicking back-and-forth between them, Joker made the snap decision to leave Akechi to her. He had taken a shot from Akechi's gun before and was—.
BANG!
Joker looked down at his chest. There was a small hole there from where the bullet had exited. What? But I—Coughing, Joker emitted a small string of blood. Energy leaving his body, Joker fell to one knee. There was no pain, only a coldness that originated from the hole in his chest.
Body shivering, Joker looked up as Shido called that crystal of death into being once more. Unable to muster the energy to move a finger, he looked up without moving. This is… the end? It was a sad way to go, but predictable. Shido had built himself a palace to counter changes of hearts and it showed.
"Oh no you don't!" Using the grappling gun that Joker had lent her, Violet sent herself sliding across the floor.
Getting tackled, Joker grunted as he skidded with his girlfriend away from an icy grave. Lifting his head, Joker watched as the two shadows laughed as closed in on them. "Run," Joker gasped. His body was starting to regain functions, but his chest was still a void of heat, draining his energy. "Use the grappling gun to clear the fire."
"No hooks," Violet responded idly. "Besides, we can still do this. I'll buy you time, heal yourself."
As Violet released him and rose, Joker saw why she knew the bullet wouldn't be reflected. Her right leg had a hole in it, that continued to leak energy. With most of her weight situated on her left leg, Violet lifted her rapier before her.
"Apologies," Akechi laughed. "I'll get the trash out of way so that you can deal with your own prey."
A thud drew Joker's attention. A new person had somehow entered the room. They seemed to have fallen from the ceiling. "The only trash that I see here is you. Die, you cheap replica."
Joker was stunned by the real Akechi's arrival, but the fake was not. It whirled in an instant, turning from Violet to shoot at Akechi.
Twinned bangs rang out as both Akechi's fired at the same moment. In his dark outfit, the real Akechi fell to one knee with a pained expression. His offhand covered the bullet hole in his torso. The fake Akechi however only took half a step back.
"Weak."
"Idiot!" Shido screamed at the fake Akechi.
From behind, Violet used the opening to dart forward, ramming her blade through the shadow's heart from behind.
For once, it finally reacted in a human manner, mouth gaping as it fought against death. "Clever… girl," the Akechi coughed. Dropping his gun, he grabbed Violet's rapier with his left hand, stopping her from jerking it out.
In his right hand, he changed the grip on his sword, preparing to strike down and back at Violet. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she had the inevitable task of trying to dodge while anchored in place.
"Forget about me?" The real Akechi growled. With a vicious lunge he buried his blade through the fake from the front. The tip getting dangerously close to cutting Violet as it burst from the shadow's back with a shower of energy.
"Shi…do…" The fake Akechi pled, a weak, shaking hand stretching out towards its master.
Joker expected a dismissive laugh or a snort of contempt. Instead, Shido smiled. "You did well. RAAA!"
With a loud yell, Shido called forth his magic. Once more the portal to hell opened but rather than lava, a concentrated beam of burning light swept across the area where the three people were tightly intertwined.
"SUMIRE!" Joker screamed, lifting a helpless hand. He could do nothing but watch as the area turned into a cloud of dust and debris with the harsh light covered their bodies. Ignoring the pain and weakness in his body, Joker forced himself to his feet, staggering over to the site of destruction.
The once pristine marble floor was now a pile of quickly cooling molten slag. The deformed black hole mirrored perfectly the pit in Joker's stomach. Fear clogging his throat like a physical object, he waved through the smoke frantically. The scent of burning fabric driving him to hysteria.
The first thing he found was the shadow Akechi. He was still impaled by the two blades, lying on his side. Half of his head had been burnt a charcoal black while the one good eye stared sightlessly into the air. The rest of his destroyed body was beginning to disintegrate.
He's dead.
It was perhaps a blessing and a bad omen. Moving on, Joker found the real Akechi next. The extent of the damage to his body was hard to gauge on his dark outfit. But where is Sumire!? Frantically looking around, he couldn't find her. Desperate, he reached down to grab Akechi's shoulder. Making contact, Joker's eyes finally saw what he should have from the start. Violet's ivory outfit was sheltered underneath of Akechi's body.
"Ugh…" With halting motions, Akechi stood up. His eyes were piercing ruby orbs of pure rage. Joker had the impression that when it burned out there would be nothing remaining. Akechi did not even seem to see Joker as he staggered over to the nearly gone shadow, retrieving his destroyed sword.
Violet's eyes were fluttering, multiple shallow wounds covering the once pristine legs that she showed to the world. Her outfit had similar cuts, but overall, she looked fine. Letting out his held breath, Joker gently stroked her cheek. "It's alright, I'll take it from here."
"Urgh," Violet's eyes struggled to focus. As they closed one last time, she whispered a final good luck charm. "Break a leg out there."
"Will do." Stroking her head, Joker turned to watch as Akechi confronted his father's heart. He had a dozen questions for the detective. Akechi's earlier intervention made it clear that he wasn't there to stop them, but then why? Not wanting to distract, Joker kept his lips sealed.
"Hello, Father." Akechi smiled, blood dripping from his lips. Burned to an unknown degree and with a bullet hole that was not healing, the detective teetered on death's door. The wounds went beyond the simple reduction of vitality that a persona could heal.
"Father…? You can't mean!"
"Ohh, so you did have an idea!" Akechi laughed maniacally, the screeching sound of a deranged man haunting Joker's ears long after it ended. "Does it all make sense now? The version of me that you dreamt up is no more than an illusion. I only wanted you to rise so I could push you off from the top! Think of the great splatter you'll make upon impact!"
"Tsk, then why change plans now?"
For once, Akechi looked back at Joker. A lot of that anger in Akechi was meant for him, Joker knew. However, he swiftly turned back to Shido. "A certain person begged me to do this. This is erasing debts owed, no more."
Joker wished he had time to dissect Akechi's words, but the detective keeled over, hacking up a stream of blood. As he did, the light of the fire barrier illuminated his outfit and Joker gasped. Almost half of his outfit had been burned away. The skin underneath scorched a matching black.
"Akechi!" Joker called out. "Thank you, for saving Sumire."
The detective glared back. His mouth a sneer of pure contempt. "You are too weak. Get stronger. Strong enough so that no one can take her from you."
I will. Joker nodded acceptance of the final promise between them.
"RAAAA, LOKI!" With one last scream in his pitiable life, Akechi called forth his persona and struck at Shido. Joker did not remember seeing the ability. It was a terrifying claw that pierced all resistances, digging deep into Shido, stealing a large part of his vitality.
The cost was Akechi standing immobilized, energy gone.
Shido's face was a rictus of anger as he charged. Using his left hand, he grabbed Akechi by the face and lifted him a foot off the ground. His grip was so tight that Joker could hear as Akechi's mask began to crack. Something the bones underneath would do shortly.
"Die, failed progeny of mine. You shall finally meet the fate of that stupid mother of yours."
Akechi twitched in Shido's grip. "Don't… MOCK MY MOTHER!" Howling, Akechi's left arm came up, the gun gripped there tightly and rammed the barrel against Shido's chin before pulling the trigger.
Shido recoiled and dropped Akechi's body. Just as Joker was letting himself believe that Akechi had done it, the shadow straitened up, the hole in its head beginning to seal. "Bastard child. Never did know how to behave."
Akechi meanwhile was trying to stand. Now on all fours, Joker could only wonder how the detective wasn't dead. He should have been long past his limit with those injuries.
Shido moved then. He had at some point increased his abilities again. It happened so fast that Joker didn't even have time to respond to it.
Next thing he knew, Shido was lifting a bloody hand from Akechi's body, a beating heart grasped within it. The slowly expanding pool of blood. The detective's now unmoving body. Those red eyes fixed on Joker one last time. A rage that surpassed even death itself. Slowly though, that rage burned out.
"Your own son…" Joker murmured. "You killed your own son."
Shido crushed the heart in his fist. It exploded with the soft squelch of a rotten fruit. That's all the care and importance that Shido treated life with.
"I'm going to kill that girl next," Shido threatened. His voice had lost its emotion. He had been seriously injured and that loud arrogance and been tempered into cold-blooded murder.
Joker's mind and stopped working and could not process the change in Shido. A wave of red consumed him. The pulsing anger building off the confines of his mind. "You killed your son, bastard!" Yelling at Shido, Joker regained his feet, all weakness fading from his body.
Get stronger. Strong enough so that no one can take her from you.
Rabid breaths coming faster and faster, Joker felt a deep contempt bubbling up inside him. Not at Shido, but at himself. His weakness, his arrogance. Joker had come here unprepared, and it had cost one person his life and nearly his girlfriend as well.
It felt to Joker like he had inherited Akechi's rage. A hatred for the system that the man before him represented. No, Shido was the system. The core of corruption in the country. The head of the snake.
Joker felt the ebbs of new power beginning to coalesce inside of him. Not the expression of a human desire that had manifested Arsene. It was a power devoid of human influence. A fully bestial power of raw instinct.
Achieving justice for weak?
f*ck that.
Changing society for the better?
Unimportant.
Performing changes of heart to rehabilitate people?
Complete bullsh*t.
It's us versus them. Dog eat dog. The strong robbing the weak.
Joker screamed as his outfit morphed. The dull blacks became trimmed with gold. The tuxedo-esque cloak frayed, the back split into tails. No individual change was massive, but the total changes surmounted to give his outfit a totally different impression.
Shido stumbled back and away from Joker. Not so much at the change in the outfit, but Joker's eyes. They now glowed with a harsh amber light. It was the gaze of a heartless predator.
Leaning back his head, Joker howled to the ceiling. "Come, Raoul!"
With an emission of power that made the flame barrier flicker and almost go out, Joker's new innate persona rose above him.
Just like the modifications to his outfit, the persona, Raoul, was clearly related to Arsene. It was not a direct evolution, but more of a different version of Arsene. The pride and self-assuredness of Raoul was through the roof.
"That one was stolen from us. What is the verdict that we will hand out?"
The answer to his persona's question was simple. "Death. Raoul, Phantom snow!"
Wings spread, the entire chamber seemed to be filled with a pure white snow. It fell in mesmerizing patterns, light getting distorted as it consumed Shido and the fire barrier that he had put up. Where the flakes touched, the energy present distorted and seeped into it.
"HUH? W-What the hell… is this?" Shido staggered a step before falling to his knees. Joker watched in real time as all of Shido's once infinite energy was sapped away, one soft flake at a time. Shido panted heavily and the barrier fell. Moments later his form shifted from the muscled figure back to the politician.
Unholstering his gun, Joker advanced, golden eyes still alight with rage and passion. His steps rang out loud on the destroyed floor.
The sound roused Shido who raised his head to look at Joker. Understanding flooded the man's eyes. "H-Hold on, I'll change, I swear!"
Joker paused, "you swear?"
"Yes of course! Just spare me! Take the treasure, it's yours!"
"Of course it is," Joker remarked, grasping the ship wheel and hefting it. "After all, your life is mine."
"R-Right! So we are even! Take it and—"
Bang!
Joker's bullet took Shido between the eyes. "Life taken," he growled. Blood pooled out from between the shadow's eyes in a realistic manner for only a few seconds before the body began to dissolve. As it did, the entire palace shook.
They were running out of time. Joker had to get Violet and—
Energy fled his body and Joker collapsed to the floor unconscious.
Monday, October 24th, After school 20XX
Panther could only focus upon leaving as Skull scooped up Joker's body in his arms; Queen grabbing Violet.
It was an objective that kept her mind from the horrifying scene that she had witnessed. Oracle had been keeping them decently up to date with her long-range perception capabilities. Those had not been necessary once the barrier had fallen.
Joker, with all the swagger of a villain had sentenced Shido to a fate worse than had been agreed upon.
No! He had a reason!
Clinging onto that faint hope, Panther darted toward the exit. It was a silent column that began their exit from the yacht. Running, Panther's vision constricted to only the twists and staircases before them.
On the verge of exiting through the front door, her world lurched. "W-What is this?"
She was not alone in crying out. In moments, her whole perspective had shifted and the door to leave became their ceiling. Standing on the side of the stairs which were now their floor, Panther stared up horrified at the door which could have been a mile away for how high it was.
"W-We're trapped," Oracle moaned. "The ship is sinking and we're doomed!"
"Get him awake," Skull growled, pushing Joker's body into Fox's arms. "I'll get those doors open."
Panther wanted to call out to him but didn't have time to say anything as Skull buried his spiked club into the wall. Using it as an anchor, he heaved himself part of the way up. With a tremendous effort, Skull ignored the sharp spikes to get on top of it and jumped off it to grab unto the door handle. Skull fell back down with the door. His shoulder pulling harshly as his body weight rebounded off the bottom of the arc.
"Whip!" Skull growled down at Panther; hand extended down for it.
Obeying instinctively, Panther tossed it up to Skull. Using his teeth, Skull tied the end around the door handle, allowing the rest to fall back down.
"Ingenious," Queen mumbled in appreciation.
"Let's go!" Skull roared. Swinging on the door, he released at the top of his arc and barely managed to get his fingertips around the edge of the door frame. Showing off his upper body strength, Skull heaved himself up and then looked down. "Come on and start climbing up! I'll catch you when you swing!"
Panther bit her lip. Looking between Skull and the slowly waking thieves, they did not have much of a choice here. If they didn't wake soon… Violet's eyes fluttered open. Panther breathed a sigh of relief. Grabbing unto her whip, Panther climbed it to the door handle. Repeating Skull's feat, she didn't need to be quite as acrobatic as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her up with one fluid motion. Now on the outside of the palace, Panther gaped at their surroundings. The once majestic cruise ship had snapped cleanly in half. Below them a massive vortex was forming where the two halves were falling into the ocean.
"How… How do we escape?"
Skull grunted and pointed. "Escape boats over there. Get in and I'll lower them."
Panther chuckled, placing a hand on Skull's arm. "Hey, don't try to do everything. We'll get out of this together."
For a brief moment the harsh rigid lines of Skull's body softened as he looked at her. "Yeah. We'll fix this disaster."
Disaster. Panther had to admit, it was an apt description of how the day had gone. This wreck before them would be the result of the day that the world would see. The murder of a well-loved politician. Their already shaky with the public after the Okumura fiasco would evaporate.
Assuming we survive.
Panther's dark thoughts had no more time to fester as Oracle was grabbed by Skull and pulled up. She was followed closely by Fox. Next came Violet's grappling hook, Joker grabbed under one arm. The still weak Violet quickly fell to the ground, dropping a Joker that was beginning to stir.
Panther stuck out a hand, touching the girl's shoulder. "Are you alright?"
"I… No…" Violet choked. She sounded on the verge of tears. "Let's just get out of here."
Nodding, Panther waited as the others clambered up. Her whip and Skull's club had to be left behind. Given that they appeared with their phantom suits, Panther was not too concerned about them.
She wished she had more time to observe the terrifying scene, but the boat was rapidly falling. The giant central chamber where they had fought Shido was already gone. That gave them less than a minute to escape from the palace before it consumed them.
"Come on!" Skull growled.
Panther's heart fluttered as he commanded them again. While they were all exhausted and frozen from the shock of recent events, he was the engine that constantly pushed for more. He brought the passion that they needed.
Seeing their sorry state, Skull brandished a fist, yelling. "Stop acting like this race is done! We just get out of here and we have a chance! We voted him our leader! Don't you all dare start doubting his actions now!"
The rallying speech was enough to get them moving again. Thankfully, the edge of the front of the mansion's entrance was close enough to the railing to make the jump. Navigating the way to the emergency boats, Panther breathed a sigh of relief as she helped Violet pull Joker into one of them.
Looking up, she yelled out to Skull. "Come on now, Skull!"
"Yeah, what are you waiting for?" Mona added.
Skull leaned over the edge and winked down at them. "Be there shortly!"
With an initial stomach-turning drop, the rafts began to descend to the water's surface. They were falling at a pretty consistent rate that would put them down to the water in another dozen seconds or so. The railing above drifted further away, and Panther's panic rose. "SKULL!?"
No response came and Panther knew. She should have checked the lowering mechanism. She should have stayed behind. Unable to bear it, she clawed at the metal edge of the collapsing palace. Scrambling uselessly, her efforts were interrupted by a thud that knocked her to the ground. Sitting on the floor of the raft, Panther looked around stunned as Mona and Violet took the oars of their raft to steer them away from the nearby gaping maw.
"NO, RYUJI! RYUJI!" Howling, Panther leaned over the edge, staring up at where he should be. Panther's vision was fading as the metaverse shifted and began to end as they got far enough away from the core.
Her vision remained long enough to watch as Skull launched himself from the railing, arching away to land in the open ocean.
As the raft disappeared, Panther staggered forward. Her hands resting against the stone containing wall around the diet building. Jumping up, she looked back and forth for Ryuji. Where is he? Where is he?
"You're safe!" A somewhat familiar voice yelled in surprise. "Umm, is Akechi with you? I sent him a message and—"
Sumire collapsed into her sister's chest, weeping.
Ann did not have time to wonder why Kasumi was here or what this was about Akechi. Pushing off the wall, her head was on a swivel. With shock fading from the others, they began to search as well. Ann avoided Haru's pitying gaze.
No, I refuse to believe this!
Not seeing Ryuji here, Ann began to walk away. Eyes focused on the people, she missed grooves in the ground and stumbled around with no coordination. No one would have thought her a model right now.
"Ryuji…" Ann moaned. Collapsing to her knees, she rocked in place, hugging her trembling body. "No, he can't be gone. He can't be!"
A touch on her shoulder shocked her. Looking up, she found a now conscious Ren looking down at her. "Don't worry, we will find him."
Ann nodded, standing up. "Y-Yeah, I'm sure he got out." Sniffing back her building tears, she went to say more when a faint yell caught her ear.
"f*ck! Work damn it!"
"Ryuji!" Shaking off Ren's hand, Ann ran toward the voice.
Monday, October 24th, After school 20XX
Ren followed behind Ann as she ran for Ryuji. He could sense most of the others trailing behind at a distance. Filled with trepidation, Ren began to drift even further behind Ann. His body didn't want to bring him there. Ren didn't want to know.
He didn't want to, but it was happening.
"Ryuji!" Ann cried out again rushing into an alley. Ren stopped at the mouth and looked down its length. Past Ann's back, a limping Ryuji could be seen. He was supported heavily by the wall as he staggered along. As Ann yelled out to him, Ryuji looked up and raised a hand to her. That proved to be a mistake as Ryuji lost his balance and slid down the wall.
Ren stopped at the alleyway entrance and watched.
"Help me walk. I need to get moving to get the blood flowing."
"Ryuji…"
The pain in Ann's voice was a dagger straight into Ren's heart.
"It will help!" Ryuji insisted, the anger in his voice melting away. "My knee is just numb! It—It's fine!"
"Ryuji…"
And the knife twisted a little more.
Unable to watch any longer, Ren put his back to the entrance and just listened to the heartbreaking exchange.
"Ann, my knee," Ryuji said, his voice breaking with tears. No one would have guessed that the words were coming from the 'hardened' delinquent of their high school.
"I know, Ryuji. It… It will be okay, alright?"
"B-But if I can't run, I won't be able to support my mom! I-I can't be injured again!"
"Oh, Ryuji! Don't worry, we'll figure something out, alright?"
Ren took one glance back down the hallway as only the sounds of shared sobbing emerged from within. Ann was cradling Ryuji's head to her chest, and she tried herself to not weep.
As a dozen more knives slammed into him, Ren headed home. He thought that some of the other thieves had shown up, but Ren couldn't think about now.
Everything went wrong… Akechi, failing to change Shido's heart… It was a disaster.
Yet, despite that, Ren could not find any tears. Eyes oddly dry, he returned to his attic by himself.
