Audentes Fortuna Iuvat
4/16/16
Shujin Academy
Today is the day. Yuki is able to finally explore Kamoshida’s Palace since the initial time they went in. Despite Ryuji and Ann this time around not having Personas as of yet, Yuki was confident that she and Morgana would be able to protect them, for the most part. It also helped that Yuki still kept her battle-sharp reflexes from the previous timeline, although if they got trapped or surrounded, even that experience wouldn’t do her much good.
Yuki sent a message to the group chat. Back Alley. Meet me there after school. Yesterday, since Ann had informed them she wanted to join in on the assault within Kamoshida’s castle inside the MetaVerse, Ryuji added her into the group chat. Likewise, Yuki added Mona to the group chat; she’ll be relying on him as always for the navigation since Futaba is still currently indisposed.
She always wondered one thing though: how was Morgana so well-versed with using a phone when she had never seen Igor nor Lavenza or even Caroline and Justine use one? She shook her head: even if Morgana was previously created as the amalgamation of the people’s hope, Morgana seemed not really that well-versed in the world itself, a trait that was shared by Caroline, Justine, and Lavenza consequently.
When the end of school finally rolled around, Yuki made preparations to head over to the back alley. Luckily, she still had time to drop by Untouchables before meeting up to strike a re-kindled friendly relationship with Iwai, who was even more surprised this time around that a girl was interested in replica guns, never mind the fact that she casually recited every possible make of a pistol.
Suffice it to say, Iwai was even more impressed this time around, even giving her more access to a bit more of his stock than the last time around. Unfortunately, aside from picking out better weapons for herself, she couldn’t see the need to upgrade Mona or for that matter, Ryuji and Ann. The weapons their costume manifested still dealt plenty of damage, and the weapons and armor Iwai sold yielded only meager improvements to the gear they currently had. In the future, Iwai would come across better armor and weapons that she could invest in, but for now, it was not the time.
She came back to the back alley. Students were giving them a wide berth; Ryuji possibly had a hand in that due to his unmistakable profile: tall, somewhat built, with that spiky black hair. Ann is there, tapping on her phone. She most likely was still concerned for Shiho and would probably visit her if not for her insistence that Kamoshida had to pay for his transgressions. Mona is suspiciously absent… ah, no, there he is, running with his bag.
Mona huffed after he came to a stop in front of the group. “Whew… Sorry… I’m late.”
Yuki raised an eyebrow. “Why? I was late only because I had to stop by Untouchables. Why were you late?”
Mona just looked away and muttered under his breath. “Nothing…”
Ryuji cracked his neck. “We all here then?”
Ann flips her hair over her shoulder. “Let’s see what you guys were talking about.”
Yuki walks further within the alley. She turns back. They all were standing there like a bunch of idiots. She motions to them. “Let’s get deeper inside the alley. We obviously don’t want to disappear in plain sight, or by any matter, drag other people in. This is for only us to know.”
They looked at each other. Mona was the first to join Yuki. Ryuji and Ann looked at each other in hesitation, but Ann shook it off and walked forward, most likely eager to learn what they were all talking about. Ryuji, realizing he was the last one behind, trudged to Yuki’s side because he already was in too deep to pull himself out.
Yuki took a deep breath. “Okay. Ann and Ryuji, stay close and keep behind me and Mona. Until you have your Metaverse outfits, you’re more sitting ducks. I hate to break it to you like this, but better safe than dead.” She closed her eyes. "Kamoshida, pervert, castle.”
All four of them were suddenly hit with a brief dizzy spell. It forced them to hold onto the wall for support, but it passed.
Ann looked around. “Nothing changed. What the hell was that hocus-pocus you just mumbled? I don’t want to hear about that bastard’s name…” She blinked and saw Yuki walking back in the direction of the school, Ryuji and Mona following her.
Ann shouts, “Hey! Don’t leave me behind!” She rushes after them. When she got to the alley entrance, she took her time to catch her breath. “Why the hell did you walk away? I…” Standing straight back up, she notices Yuki’s and Mona’s costumes first. “Whoa, why the hell are you dressed like that? What is this, Halloween?” She then caught a glimpse of what was behind them. “Is that a castle!? Where’s the school?”
Yuki replies, “These are our costumes. They symbolize our will of rebellion, our ability to defy the people who rule this place, this case being Kamoshida. The castle is how he views the school.”
She glances over at Mona. He was busy observing the castle. Mona’s costume differed somewhat from his time as a talking bipedal cat. Though he still possessed his signature yellow scarf wrapped around his neck, for a mask he wore a more refined and elegant version of a balaclava and wore a black stealthy jumpsuit with buckles. He also wore a utility belt around his waist. Finally, he wore black combat boots. “Mona, you’re on support. Can you handle it?”
Mona is shaken out of his thoughts. “What? Oh, right. Yeah, I can do that. Leave it to me.”
Yuki turns to the two of them. Ann admits, “This place… it’s out of my mind to even imagine it, much less witness it. So this is how Kamoshida views the school; I always knew he was somewhat of a twisted person, but I never thought I’d see... this.”
Ryuji nods. “Even if it’s my second time here, it still amazes me that there could exist a place like this.”
Yuki nods. “This place is going to be massive, and the goal is to…” She looks to Mona. Mona happens to understand, and takes it over from there.
Mona picks up where Yuki left off. “First we need to secure an infiltration route to Kamoshida’s treasure. He’s sure to have one somewhere in the depths of his castle.”
Yuki punches her fist in the air. “That’s right! Now let’s move out. Ann and Ryuji, remember my advice. If you wander off while we’re in there or don’t stick too close, you could very well get captured by Kamoshida’s guards. He’s sure to be on high alert considering the fact that Ryuji and I confronted the real Kamoshida just yesterday.”
She moves off. Mona, Ryuji, and Ann follow into the castle courtyard, which seems to be free of guards. Good. That’ll be…
A voice calls out to her. “Trickster, please come over here.”
She follows the voice to a spot in the courtyard. There Felix is beckoning her with his hand. She goes over. “Felix, does Igor need to talk to me?”
Felix nods. “It’s of relative importance. Surely you might already know what it may be about, but you should nevertheless answer the Master’s summons.”
Yuki nods. Felix opens the door, escorting her through.
A flash of bright light engulfs her, and she again found herself seated before Igor, with Lavenza standing by his side.
Igor inclines his head. “Trickster, I see that you have taken your new duty to heart. Now, as in accordance with our contract to aid you, let me remind you of the power you possess. As the Trickster, you possess limitless power. You have the ability to not only manifest a new Persona but also to take within you other Persona as well. Indeed, you should be aware of the purpose of the Persona compendium; its purpose is to store and keep track of all the Persona you have acquired. Lavenza, as you already know, is in charge of your Persona compendium.”
Igor laces his fingers. “In addition, as I said, you have the ability to take within you Persona of other likes and affinities. To add to this, as you are at the start of your long journey with your extensive experience, I have seen fit that you should be granted the ability to handle 12 Personas. I trust you will make great use of it, in your journey.
Igor leans forward. “We have already discussed that Felix will be in charge of Persona Fusion and its respective counterparts. Acquire Persona and fuse them to form even stronger Persona. Over time, we will grant you more fusion and execution techniques as you progress forward.”
Yuki nods as she receives the gift Igor graciously had in mind for her. “Thanks a lot. Igor, is there anything else I need to know? Considering the reality I came from, I’ve noticed some deviances here and there, some major and some minor.”
Igor only gives her a mysterious look. “Trickster, to be wary is better than to be oblivious. Worlds are worlds, and each world has discrepancies, but even someone like I can not predict what can ever happen. All I can do is offer you my support and hope your journey this time around fares as well or better than the last.”
Igor waves his hand. “One last thing… I have seen fit to grant you the Third Eye. This power will no doubt come to aid you in the future many times over. Now then, it is time for you to go, Trickster. You have places to go, people to see, and Palaces to traverse and suppress.”
Yuki couldn’t fathom what Igor is talking about like always, but she got the gist. She can’t count on him to help her divine the future, other than prepping him for her duties as a Phantom Thief. She inclines her head and steps back through the glowing blue doorway.
She comes to in the courtyard, Ryuji and Ann gathered around her. “Hey… you there?”
Yuki nods. “I’m here. Just had something to do.”
Ann is a little worried about her. “You’ve been staring at that brick wall for a while now.”
Yuki grimaces; how best to explain it, hmm. “It has something to do with my powers here. I kinda have a personal benefactor who helps me hone my powers.”
Mona nods from the back. He was keeping an eye out for any possible guards that might stumble across them, even if the courtyard was completely empty. “She and I both share the same benefactor. However, I guess you can call her… ‘special’... to be more accurate. My benefactor is personally invested in helping her with this place, considering her unique talents compared to the rest of us.”
Ryuji looks at her. “Really? It does seem to me that you know a lot about what we’re dealing with. She should be the leader of this group.”
Ann nods. “As much as I don’t like to say, having you call the shots will save our skins while we’re in this freaky medieval castle.”
Mona nods. “Can’t argue with that.”
Just like that, she became the leader of their little gang once again. Yuki nods. “Alright, I’ll do it.”
Mona snaps. “Right, nicknames. We can’t go around using our real names. Not if we want to make it to the far corners of Kamoshida’s castle!”
A silence ensues as everyone tries to think of one. Mona sheepishly smiles, “On second thought, we should hold off on naming you two for now.” He points out to Ryuji and Ann. “He’ll no doubt recognize you two off the bat and you guys haven’t even awoken your powers yet. As for me… what do you think?”
Yuki blabbed the only thing that was in her mind of him. “Buckles.”
Mona looks at her with his arms crossed. “Okay, that’s lame. I’ll be… Bond.”
Yuki looks at him. “Have you been watching those Bond movies? You do look like a secret agent, but it makes me feel like I’ll just reference James Bond movies every time I look over at you.” She ponders for a second. “Let me see… how about ‘Blackjack?’”
Mona looks over to Ryuji and Ann. They were nodding their heads, trying not to laugh. “Blackjack… huh… not bad, I’ll take it. As for you…”
Mona looks at her. “Your persona is Irene, right? After Irene Adler, huh?”
Yuki nods. How ironic that her original Persona this time around had to be one of Sherlock Holmes’s rivals. “Why don’t we use your Persona as the basis for your codename? How about Adler?”
Yuki thinks about it. It doesn’t quite evoke the same feeling as Joker, but somehow Adler has its own unique appeal to it…” She clears her throat. “It’s acceptable. I’m Adler and he’s Blackjack, and that’s what we’ll go by for us two.” As for you two…” She looks over to Ryuji and Ann. “Kamoshida will pick you guys out of a crowd even if you went by nicknames considering you haven’t awoken your will of rebellion and your costumes. We'll pick codenames for you two later”
Yuki then clapped her hands together. “For real, now, let’s move out!”
They trudged silently over to the vent opening, which Yuki noted is still unsealed. Even in this timeline, Kamoshida and his guards were still rather incompetent.
They got inside the castle, into one of the castle’s storage rooms. Mona held up a finger as he peeked out of the room. No guards were in the hallway. That being said, she could hear some commotion from the main entrance hall. He fell back to the rest of the gang. “Okay, it’s clear outside, but there are some guards in the main entrance hall, so we’ll have to find a different way moving forward. Of course, we should probably eavesdrop on them, check to see if we can learn anything about their movements.”
Yuki nods. “Good idea, Mona. We can find out more through them. Everyone, be absolutely quiet. We’re going to find out what his guards know.”
She and Mona crept out, Ann and Ryuji only giving each other a look before following. They crept out of the room, making sure to keep out of sight. They hid behind the doorway, listening in on a guard captain and a platoon of guards.
The guard captain announced, “All right, listen up! King Kamoshida is busy elsewhere preparing something, so he has instructed me to give the instructions he entrusted. All of you are to patrol the landing and dungeons. Those visitors we had a while back… King Kamoshida is not willing to take any chances considering they may come back and besmirch his Royal Highness. Apprehend and capture all intruders you come across! For the glory of King Kamoshida!”
The guards chanted back, “For our Lord’s glory!”
The band of merry thieves looked at each other. Mona whispered, “It looks like the Ruler of this castle is busy elsewhere, so we don’t have to worry about running into any powerful enemies anytime soon. On the other hand…”
Yuki finishes Mona’s train of thought. “The golden-armored knight said he was preparing something. You think it could be a trap?”
Ryuji scratches his head. “On one hand I’m gonna say no considering the fact that the real Kamoshida only cares about himself and his glory, so he might be preparing something for his own pleasure, but on the other hand… this is a different version of him, so how should I know the fuck this dream version of him thinks?”
Yuki just looks back. “I guess all we can do is keep our eyes wide open. We have no way of knowing what he’s preparing unless we get deeper within.”
All of them nodded, as they formed ranks around Yuki. She crept back to the infiltration entrance and then noticed a doorway on the other side of the hallway. She crept closer and cracked it slightly open. She peeked through; a single guard paces around in the room ahead. She looked back and mouthed, “One guard. On the count of 3… I’ll fling the door open. The guard will check it out and we’ll ambush it.”
She flashed three fingers and then flipped one down every second. “One!” She flung the door wide open.
The guard flinched at the sound. “What? Has this door just opened right now? I thought it was shut from the outside. The guard walked closer.
“Now!”
Yuki jumped out and flipped onto the back of the guard. “Reveal yourself!” She pulled off the mask the guard had and leaped off as the guard burst into a corona of red splatter.
The enemy was a Pixie. She was about to call on her Persona when she realized something. This time around, she didn’t have Arsène to down it with Curse; she had Irene, which only had Kouha. The only other thing that Pixie was weak to…
Mona was up first. “Alright. Time for me to get down to business!”
Yuki shouted. “Wait. Use your gun!”
Mona shouted back. “Gun!? If you say so…” He then pulls out a massive machine gun, something similar to a M249. He takes aim through the scope and fires, pelting Pixie with a single bullet.
It falls down.
Mona shouts. “All right! Time to hold it up!”
Yuki and Mona rush in and surround Pixie before it can recover, pointing their guns at Pixie (Yuki was glad she still had a pistol as her ranged weapon; she couldn’t imagine wielding a SMG or something heavier). Pixie groans while looking up at them. “What do you want?”
Yuki states, “Cash or treasure. Nothing else.”
Pixie swoons. “You know, you do have a really confident voice; unfortunately, I… forgot to bring some on me.”
Yuki’s eyes tighten. “Then it’s the darkness of the abyss you shall go to. Mona… you ready?”
Pixie throws up its hands. “Wait! I’m sure we can figure something out, right? No need to do that!”
Yuki looks at Pixie. “Like what? I’m listening.”
Pixie stammers, “Well… uh… you’re surprisingly reasonable… That reminds me… I’m not just one of Kamoshida’s pawns, I come from the Sea of Souls. And now I request to join you.”
Yuki sighs. “I guess that’s the only thing you have left to offer.”
Mona is slack-jawed as Pixie dissolves into a mask and fades into Yuki’s mask. “What just happened? It vanished… into you.”
Yuki smiles. “Didn’t Igor already tell you? I have special powers.” Ryuji and Ann are equally as stunned; Ann nudges Ryuji. “Hey, uh, have you figured out what the hell she did? And why does she sound so cocky and… confident?”
Ryuji takes a few seconds to formulate a response. “Well… no clue. I guess she doesn’t like to show off in front of others.”
Just then a clattering of boots came in from the side, as another door to the left of them burst open. A guard rushed through. “I heard fighting and…”
He stopped in front of the gang. “Intruders! For King Kamoshida, die!” It spawned into a Bicorn.
Yuki yelled, “Mona, let’s teach this thing not to mess with us.”
Mona formed up around them. “Zorro! Garu!”
The recognizable figure that is Zorro appears out of thin air behind Mona and whipped up a gust of wind that engulfed the Bicorn. Unfortunately, the Bicorn shrugs it off with a whinny.
Yuki smiles. “Pixie, Zio!”
Pixie emerges and blasts Bicorn with a zap of lightning, sending it to its knees. Yuki and Mona surrounded it, and Yuki negotiated with the Bicorn, ultimately convincing it to join her side as yet another ally in her fight.
Yuki turns around. All three of them were slack-jawed. “Hey… not a bad start, right?”
Ryuji whisper-shouted, “Never mind that. I thought you only had one. How the hell did you manage to capture and summon that other one!?”
Mona contemplates it. “I heard Master… Uh, I mean, our mutual benefactor, call Adler here a “Trickster.” If it means what I think it means, then she’ll become our ace in the hole. She can take in multiple Personas and wield them; I believe only a few people possess the potential to wield a Persona, and even fewer possess what our benefactor dubbed ‘the Wild Card’ potential.”
Ann looks away. “I’m so glad I made up with her beforehand. I feel like I’d have regretted not doing so otherwise. She’s like a demon.”
Yuki puts her hands on her hips. “Thanks…? Anyway, we gotta keep going. If we stay here too long, pretty soon we’ll get surrounded.
Yuki walks off. Ann and Ryuji walk behind her, each thinking how this sudden development startled them, with Mona bringing up the rear.
Yuki, as they progressed deeper, recognized the castle layout. It was mostly unchanged… except for some discrepancies here and there. That being said, there are a few new puzzles that threw her off for a bit. On the way, she managed to recruit a Kelpie, a Silkie, and a Jack-O-Lantern to round off her offensive capabilities. They finally reached a dining room, but before progressing further, they decided to rest at a safe room lying just a few feet before it.
Everyone took a seat, resting and recuperating for the next leg of their trek through the castle. Yuki called out to everyone, “You guys good? We can always call it a day and come…”
Ann slammed the table. “No! I want to get this done and over with! I’m not letting anyone else get subjected to the horrible things Kamoshida did to Shiho! Shiho deserves swift justice!”
Ryuji interjects, “I know, Ann. Me too; I don’t want Kamoshida to remain free and at large any longer… it’s just that we shouldn’t tire ourselves out too quick.”
Mona adds, “It’s all right that you’re fired up, but we’re the only people currently capable of making Kamoshida pay for what he’s done. If any of us falls, it’s over for them.”
Yuki strides over and puts a hand on Ann’s shoulder. “I get it, Ann. Truly I do; however, we need everyone to be in tip-top shape if we plan to succeed. That said, I’m sure all of us want to keep going, right?”
Ann and Ryuji nod. “Right. It doesn’t even seem like you two are fazed too much.”
Mona gasps, “Speak for yourselves! You two aren’t fighting; I can already feel myself getting slightly tired, but I’m still ready to go for a while longer.”
Yuki inclines her head. “I’m alright for now. However, we should probably call it a day by the time we get to our next safe room. Fatigue is starting to set in.”
They rested for a while before exiting the safe room. They entered the dining room; the room is rather immaculate for a dining room, with dishes and cutlery assembled nicely. However, something felt off… there weren't any guards around in such an open space and it was silent… too silent.
Yuki turns around. “It’s a trap!”
Just then, the door they had just walked through had bars impale downwards. Guards spawned in right behind them.
Yuki shouts, “You two, get behind us!”
Ryuji and Ann huddle in between Mona and Yuki, who drew their melee weapons. Mona drew his scimitar, and Yuki her sword. She and Mona cautiously shift their stance as they tried to cover Ryuji and Ann.
From the other end of the room, more guards spawned in, but they made a pathway.
And there he was. Shadow Kamoshida, looking just as hideous and ghastly as the first time Ryuji and Yuki saw him, in the same outfit that Yuki as Ren encountered him in the other reality. Yuki always wondered, of all the outfits Shadow Kamoshida chose, he had to wear a stupid Speedo and just a cape. It must be a power trip with him.
Shadow Kamoshida gloats. “Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. I knew you guys would eventually come back. It’s payback time for that time you locked me in my own dungeon. And I see you brought new guests… well, I’ll be sure to take my time torturing them too.”
Ryuji shouts, “You’re appallingly sick, Kamoshida!”
Kamoshida smirks. “Heh, what would a track traitor like you have to say? You abandoned your friends for some glorified post, and all you have to show is nothing besides your fake compassion. You let me walk all over them, while you were pretending to think you were keeping me in check.
Ryuji’s face paled; he knelt down. “No, no, that isn’t true…”
Yuki shouts at him. “Ryuji, don’t listen to him!”
Shadow Kamoshida turns to Ann. “As for you… you’re a surprisingly well-made fake of my Ann… but do you think that Suzui didn’t enjoy what happened to her? I can tell you that she must have enjoyed it even a little.”
Ann pales as she collapses into a mess. “No…No… Shiho… you’re wrong! She’d never enjoy anything like that!”
Just then, two cognitions ran up to him. Yuki was boggled. It was Shadow Ann, and Shadow Shiho? Even then, there were differences. Shadow Ann was dressed in a sexy lace bodice unlike the time where he saw Ann’s cognition clad in a bikini and cat ears; Shadow Shiho was dressed as a bunny, albeit in a more sexualized manner. She only knew that Kamoshida possessed the idea of Ann as a cognition. She had never imagined that Kamoshida would be so depraved to have the idea that Shiho is his property.
Mona nudges her. “What should we do? We’re surrounded!”
Yuki grits her teeth. “We protect them, at all costs!”
The guards spawned into too many Pixies, Jack-O-Lanterns, Kelpies, and Bicorns that the both of them could not fend off. However, they will protect them or die trying.
Mona and Yuki shout, “Persona!”
“Garu!” “Agi!”
Their combined attacks bowled down a small portion of the guards, who were now proceeding cautiously towards them.
Yuki calls up Pixie. “Zio!”
A bolt of lightning sears a Bicorn into ashes. Still, there were too many guards to deal with!
She kept spamming magic to thin out the number of guards, but there still was too many.
Mona shouts, “Aargh!”
Yuki turns around. A Pixie had gotten him with a Zio; he laid flat on the ground, winded. “Mona!” She rushes over, dodging the Agis and Garus directed her way, as she fires down the Pixie.
Just then, a Bicorn did a Lunge. She tries to switch to Pixie and cast Zio but found she couldn’t, lacking the spiritual energy to do so. She switched into Irene and braced herself for the impact. This is going to hurt.
The Bicorn slammed into the both of them, sending them flying across the room and into some tables, smashing the tables and covering them in broken timber wood.
The guards then despawned from their Persona forms. King Kamoshida, cuddling with his two cognitions, shouts directions. “Apprehend those two and restrain her. I have plans for him.” He points a finger at Ryuji.
The guards grab Yuki and Mona, groaning from underneath the wreckage, and pin them down on the ground.
Two guards walk towards Ann, pinning her up against a wall by her hands, despite her furiously kicking them in the sides.
King Kamoshida strode slowly towards Ryuji with a guard flanking both sides of him, the two cognitions still grasping his body. “You, Sakamoto, will get to witness the pleasure that is me killing your friends. And then you will witness me rape her.” He points to Ann, whose face is shaking in pure horror and anger. “And then you will die, knowing you’re a failure who wasn’t able to save his friends. You thought you could do something to me if you become a Student Council member? What do you have to show for it? All you are is bark and no bite. I was surprised when you came and visited the real me yesterday; it seemed that you had teeth, but in the end, your efforts amounted to nothing.” He gestures to the guards holding down both Yuki and Mona. “Guards, ready your weapons. Execute those two on my mark!”
Ryuji pales. "No... you're wrong. I always meant well..."
Yuki shouts, “Ryuji, you’re nothing like he said. Fight! You care about other people, and you knew that your hands were tied, but that didn’t prevent you from helping others.”
Kamoshida laughs. “Look on as these worthless scum die for nothing because they sided with useless trash like you!”
Yuki shouts, “Ryuji! Don’t take that! Fight back! You can do something for everyone, for Shiho!”
Ryuji slowly gets up. "You're... right.” He directs his harsh gaze at Kamoshida. “All you think about is using and taking advantage of people… you’re the real scum of the Earth, Kamoshida!”
He takes a few steps forward before he clutches his head.
Mona shouts, “Is that…!?”
As Ryuji clutches his head, a voice calls out to him. “You seek power, correct? You seek the ability to change things for the better? Then let us form a pact. Since you have taken the mantle of responsibility, why not use that responsibility to don a suit of power and wield it to smite injustice? The ‘other you’ within you has been waiting long for this to come to this… I am thou… thou art I… There is no turning back… This is what you have been waiting for!”
A mask artistically resembling a cross between a fencer’s mask and a simple visor colored greyish-black appears on Ryuji’s face. He then pulls it off, screaming, and erupting in a pillar of blue flame. Kamoshida and his guards were taken aback by the spectacle.
When the flames died down, it revealed a Persona that Yuki was unfamiliar with. “This… This is my Persona… And now… you will pay for every crime you have done! Galahad, let’s show them how it’s done!”
Yuki spaces out. Galahad… not Captain Kidd? This is a new development… Is Ann going to have a different Persona as well?
Kamoshida shouts, “This one too!? Kill those two now! Leave the girl be, I’ll deal with her later.”
Ryuji shouts, “Not if I have anything to say about it. Galahad, Zio!”
Galahad charges forward, using the tip of its spear to point towards the ceiling. A bolt of lightning zaps the guard pinning Yuki down. Before the other guard could react, Yuki grabs her sword and slashes it at the other guard, making it dissolve. She extends a hand towards Mona. “Mona, you okay?”
Mona, groggy, accepts her hand. “I’m fine. It was kind of a doozy, though.”
Yuki nods. “Well, don’t get complacent yet. It’s not over.” She then looks around. “I thought there were more guards around… what happened to them?”
She then looks at Ryuji. He and Galahad were busy causing havoc around the room that most of the guards seem to already have been defeated.
She and Mona rush over to free Ann, but Kamoshida and a small contingent of guards thwart them. “Ah, Ah, Ah, not so fast. Not unless you want her to die and carry back a corpse…”
Ryuji joins their side. “You bastard? You dare take her as a hostage?”
Ann groggily snaps to attention. “What?”
She then is met with the appearance of Cognitive Ann and Cognitive Shiho.
Ann mutters, “What the hell are you two?”
Cognitive Ann giggles. “Wow, she sure is dumb for someone that looks like me. We’re here to serve our Lord and be his playthings. We will do anything he will say.”
Cognitive Shiho adds seductively, “We enjoy pleasing our Lord and savior King Kamoshida in many ways.”
Ann cracks. “Shiho… please, tell me, this isn’t true!”
Ryuji yells, “Snap out of it, Ann! You know the truth! You know Shiho will never say she enjoyed it! You know how she truly feels!” He takes a step forward.
Shadow Kamoshida snaps a finger. The guard unsheathed his sword and held it against her neck. “One step closer and she dies. She will become my slave now…”
Ann said pointedly, “What?”
Kamoshida repeats. “It’s like I just said. You will become my slave, and slaves should just behave…”
Ann darkly said, “...Shut up. I’ve had enough of this. Being captured? Being used as some kind of bait? Being your slave? Spare me the ridicule. I will NEVER become your slave! You’ve pissed off the wrong girl, you son of a Bitch! And now, you will pay for it!”
Just as Ann finished speaking, she too convulsed in agony.
In her head, a voice spoke. “Finally, you have realized the truth. Forgiving him, that was never an option, but to submit? That was never something you ever will consider, have you... If you do not avenge her… then who else will? Realize now the fact that you will never willingly leave yourself behind when it comes to matters of vengeance… that is what your true self desires… I am thou… Thou art I… We can finally forge a contract…”
Ann’s head, in the midst of this, turns and twists rapidly, before falling limp. The others feared the worst, but they then heard her whisper, “I hear you…” Yuki was unable to tell what she said next, but her mask appeared. It was remarkably different from the mask she in a different reality wore as Panther, with gilded lilies and roses etched through the entire more angular mask, one fit for a day at the court of some monarch. Instead of cat ears, a design of elegantly etched vines adorned the top.
Ann, with superhuman strength, managed to break free of the guards’ grasp. Shadow Kamoshida, upon this realization, cried, “Forget taking her prisoner. Kill her before she can do anything else!”
The guards raised their swords, but Ann was a hair quicker. She pulls off the mask just as the guards proceeded to slash with their swords.
A column of blue flame erupted around her, vaporizing the two guards and startling Kamoshida and his two cognitions.
As the flames died down around her, Ann stepped out, adorned in brown heeled boots, black linen tights, a long rustic white shirt covered by a vestment, and topped off with a very wide-brimmed hat. At her side, she had a whip (Yuki saw that it looked different, somehow).
Shadow Kamoshida stepped back. “This one as well? What is this? Guards, dispose of her now!”
Two guards from his entourage charged her. Ann unfurled her whip and whipped it around one of the guards. Yuki couldn’t believe her eyes; it had barbs at the end. It grappled onto one of the guard’s arms. Ann yanked on it, and the guard lost grip of his sword, all the while having barbs grip onto his sword hand. Ann picked up the sword and charged. The guard opposite him took a ready stance, but Ann yanked the whip and the guard she had entangled got whipped into the other guard. The other guard’s sword impaled the entangled guard; oops. While the guard was trying to regain his bearings, Ann closed the distance and stabbed him. The other guard dissolved.
Shadow Kamoshida is silently watching with fear. Ann points the sword at him. “You’re next, bastard.” She rushed in towards him.
As she closed in on Kamoshida, Cognitive Ann and Cognitive Shiho detached themselves to shield him. She leaped forward, cleaving upward. It sliced like butter through Cognitive Shiho on Ann’s right, continuing straight through Cognitive Ann on Ann’s left. One of the guard captains then used his sword to parry Ann’s sword.
Clang!! The guard captain uses his weight to push Ann back with the blunt flat edge of his sword.
Ann jumped backward. Yuki, Ryuji, and Mona move to regroup with her. Ann discards the sword. “Bastard, I’m not some cheap girl you can toy around with… scumbag.”
Shadow Kamoshida spat back. “Bitch…”
Ann continued. “You ruined Shiho’s life… Now it’s my time to pay you back twofold for all the hurt you caused her… It’s time you learned to fear women because if you think we’re not capable, I’m about to prove you that’s not the case!”
Shadow Kamoshida shouts, “Guard captains! Forget the original plan! Kill them all, starting with that insolent bitch!”
Guard Captain A shouts, “You lecherous bitch! You will pay for besmirching our Lord’s name!”
Guard Captain B shouts, “When we’re done with you, you’d have wished you’ve taken our lord’s generous offer!”
They dissolved into red bursts, revealing a Belphegor and a Jack Frost.
Jack Frost shouts, “Hee Ho! I will freeze you into statues for our lord to laugh at, before shattering you into a million pieces!”
Yuki shouts, “Battle formation, everyone!” The four of them got into position. She looked at Ann and Ryuji. “First battle for you two. You guys ready for this?”
Ryuji nods. “We were born ready!” Ann smiles. “I’ve been dying to give him a piece of my mind.”
Yuki gives a faint smile back. “Good, get ready!” She sees Belphegor and Jack Frost are about to attack. “Guard!”
Belphegor and Jack Frost cast Mabufu. Fortunately, all of them manage to tank the two-cast Mabufu relatively well.
Yuki nods to Ann. “Cast some magic!”
Ann smiles. “Finally…” She grabs her mask. “Morgaine, come to me! Agi!”
Morgaine, huh… So not Carmen… these two have different Personas while Mona still has Zorro as his Persona… I’ll figure this out later…”
She targets Jack Frost and lands the Agi. Mona shouts, “Effective! Continue attacking!”
Ann nods. “Agi! Target that giant toilet demon!” Yuki already knew Belphegor’s and Jack Frost’s weakness, but she couldn’t remember every Persona’s weakness off the top of her head.
Mona shouts, “They’re all down! Hold up!”
The four of them drew their guns, preventing Jack Frost and Belphegor from recovering. Yuki noted the giant shotgun in Ryuji’s hand, expected, but she noted Ann wielded a SMG in one hand, and a mini crossbow with a telescope sight in another, dangling downwards.
Yuki shouts, “All-Out Attack!” They jumped backward, as they leaped into the air, dashing at the two stunned enemies, slashing and hacking at them.
As they finish their coordinated team attack, both the enemies seem to still be standing, but they looked more tired.
Yuki shouts, “Mona, you’re next!”
“Garu!” A gust of wind envelops Jack Frost but doesn’t take it down.
It was her turn. Both of them are weak to Agi, so… “Jack-O-Lantern! Agi!”
Jack-O-Lantern sends a hurtling fireball at Jack Frost, dissolving the unfortunate Jack Frost. Yuki punches her fist skyward. “Another Agi!”
Jack-O-Lantern sends another hurtling fireball at Belphegor, which knocks it down to the ground.
Mona shouts, “Surround it!”
They surround the dazed Belphegor. Yuki smirks. “Any last words?”
Belphegor, dazed, snarls. “You blasphemous fools… you have no idea just who you are dealing with…”
Yuki yawns. “Blah, blah, blah. Everything you say is unoriginal. All-Out Attack!”
Another All-Out Attack ensues, and unfortunately, Belphegor couldn’t take the brunt of this one. He dissolves into ashes upon their finish.
The battle concludes, and the group fist-bumped each other. Unfortunately, they looked around, and it seems Kamoshida fled in the midst of this chaos.
Ryuji shakes his fist. “Come back here, coward!” He takes a few steps forward, only to stumble.”
Ann shouts. “What he said! Come on, let’s hunt him down!” At least, that was what she said before she collapsed, her legs sprawled on the ground.
Yuki and Mona move to support them as they get up, Mona helping Ryuji and Yuki helping Ann. “I think we should retreat for today. We made good progress today, but let’s not push our luck. We’ll need to be in tip-top shape to confront Kamoshida.”
Ryuji sighs. “I guess you’re right. I’m feeling beat.”
Ann shouts, “I’m still pumped! Come on, let’s keep going. I’m going to avenge Shiho. Hey, let go of me!!”
Yuki points at her knees. “You’re about to collapse if I let go of you. Give it a rest for today, please. Otherwise, I’ll drag you out screaming and then bench you.”
Ann shirks at the threat. “...All right, you win.”
They retreat back to the safe room and then utilize a distortion in the Safe Room to safely travel back to the entrance, from which they exited Kamoshida’s Palace.
They reappeared in the alleyway, heaving and crouching over.
Yuki looks at all of them.
"Now, the fight to avenge Shiho truly begins."