Abraxas Palace

The Phantom Thieves were handcuffed and on their knees, at the mercy of the Imperator, who was strangely absent.

Noir asked, "How did he find us?"

Queen said, "I don't know."

Joker said, "Everything's gonna be fine. We'll get a way out of this."

The Imperator dropped from the rafters above, startling the group with an audible thud. The Darkness snakes grew from his back, and he stood above the kneeling group. He said, "I warned you. I told you to stay out of this fight, and that if you interfere, nothing will stop me from tearing you apart."

Skull said, "Then why are we still alive?"

The Imperator replied, "Because, Ryuji, you're here for one final test. Second reason is that despite what you might think, I don't kill because I think it's cool. I kill when I have to. I already have you where I want you, there's no point in killing you."

Panther said, "That didn't stop you from killing Futaba."

The Imperator said, "That's where you're wrong, Ann. I killed Futaba because if I kept her alive, she would've been open to a rescue. I've gained info, but you lost nothing. Kill one of you, and it puts you at just the right disadvantage. I have all of you, so what's the point in more bloodshed?"

Queen said, "You can keep talking about how you want to prevent bloodshed, but face it. You kill and torture for fun."

The right snake shot towards her face, stopping right in front and screeching at her and scaring her. The Imperator laughed and said, "The Darkness doesn't like you, Makoto."

Noir said, "Please. Just let us go."

"I can't do that, Haru. You pose too great a threat to me empire to allow to roam free. There's too much at stake."

Fox said, "What's at stake is a cold monster ruining the lives of thousands for some delusions of peace. People don't live in peace outside of the walls of Abraxas. They live in fear."

The Imperator replied, "Yes, Yusuke, but fear is the only way you can get through to people. There hasn't been a single mention of war or violence. If that comes from fear, I say it's worth it."

The elevator opened and Akechi stepped out. The Imperator said, "Ah yes! Welcome Akechi! We've managed to capture the Thieves."

Akechi's eyes widened when he saw the Thieves, then he said, "I see. Is this why you called me up here?"

The Imperator said, "There is one other reason."

He pulled out his silenced pistol, handed it to Akechi, and said, "I want you to shoot Ren Amamiya in the head with this gun."

Ann yelled, "What?!"

Ryuji said, "Don't do it!"

He stepped back, allowing Akechi to walk towards Joker (whose real name was Ren), and he put the pistol right on his forehead, the rest of the Thieves yelling against it. Akechi smiled and said, "This is a familiar position."

The Imperator stood right behind him, urging him by saying, "Do it. Shoot him."

Akechi remembered something the Sangheili had told him about in the Metaverse:

(Once, I saw him get shot through the head. The entire top half of his head was gone. The worst thing that happened was that he was out of commission for a couple days...)

Akechi took a deep breath, cocked the hammer on the gun, then whipped around, swinging the gun around, aiming it right at the Imperator's head. As he was a split second away from pulling the trigger, something flashed past him faster than he could see, cutting his hand off. A green energy enveloped him and the gun. The gun levitated back to the Imperator's hand as two figures appeared.

One was a petite woman with green eyes and green hair that naturally curved at the ends. She was in a black dress with long sleeves, and four high cut leg slits that showed off her legs and black high heels. She was enveloped in the same green energy as she floated down from the rafters as well.

The other figure jumped from the side at lightning speeds, revealing himself as a slim young man with an androgynous appearance. He had long black hair tied up in a topknot, and large gray eyes. Noticeable features of his were the purple marks underneath his eyes. He wore a tight black bodysuit highlighted by metal plating on his shins, arms, shoulders, chest, and waist, as well as a long purple scarf. He wielded a ninjato sword, stained with blood from cutting off Akechi's hand. Akechi was frozen in place, incapable of grabbing his arm in pain, now forced to deal with that pain.

The Imperator said, "Akechi, I'd like you to meet two of my lieutenants..."

He pointed to the telekinetic woman and called her, "Tornado..."

Then he pointed to the androgynous man and called him, "...and Cyclone."

The Imperator explained, "Did you think I wouldn't know about you're involvement with the Thieves? The Darkness, that you encountered there? It's the same Darkness attached to me. It remembers you aiding the Phantom Thieves. It remembers you being against me from day 1. This here was your final test to earn my trust, but you blew it because you had to get brave. Well, without you, the Phantom Thieves can't get into my Palace, so..."

He put the gun to Akechi's head, who couldn't talk as Tornado's telekinesis held his mouth shut. The Imperator said, "Goodbye."

Ren yelled, "No! Don't do it!"

The Imperator shot Akechi through the head, killing him as Tornado dropped his body to the ground.

Haru yelled, "Akechi!"

The Imperator sighed and said, "Cyclone, take his body to the morgue. Tornado, take them to the prisons in Commons section 3."

Makoto yelled, "You animal! You can't just walk away from this!"

The Imperator said, "And please shut them up!"

Tornado nodded and said, "As you wish, master."

Tornado lifted them into the air, flying out of the fortress with them in tow. Cyclone picked up Akechi's body and threw it over his shoulder, walking into the elevator while the Imperator walked back towards his throne. He sat upon it, saying out loud, "Huh. Now that I've dealt with the Phantom Thieves, I don't really have much to fight. I guess there's still the Honorbound, but they haven't made a move in nearly a year now."

The Darkness said, "They're waiting. They will strike. Do not let your guard down."

The Imperator said, "Didn't plan to, but thanks for the reminder."

Prison: Commons Section 3

Tornado kept the Phantom Thieves in tow, keeping their mouths shut with her power. She came across the prison. It was a massive fortress with surface to air missiles built on the roof, guarded by Sangheili, robotic drones (humanoid white robots with singular eyes, and weapons built into their arms) guarding the entrance, and a watchtower overlooking the whole prison with two Sangheili sniper. Tornado floated towards the entrance as the drones scanned her. Recognizing her the bases doors opened, allowing her entry. She floated inside, which was a multi-level maze of cells, all surrounding a central courtyard where prisoners could eat, interact, and such. Watching over was a Sangheili who controlled the cells, and kept track of the prisoners via implants. Tornado found seven open cells, throwing each Thief inside their own individual cell. The Sangheili sealed them in as she released them. Ryuji immediately rushed the door, but it was useless. The door was made of reinforced glass, allowing him to still see Tornado despite being stuck in the cell. She smirked and waved at him mockingly, saying, "Enjoy the rest of your life in this prison, Phantom Thief."

She flew away, leaving the prison.

Unknown

Underground, a group of people were sitting around a massive computer screen. One was a girl in a cape and hood, wearing a bird mask and armor similar to Makoto's metaverse outfit. She also was missing an entire arm, and wore a leather glover that covered the forearm.

Standing next to her was a man completely outfitted in a cybernetic body, complete with a sword hilt built into his back, and a metallic jaw. The only human part of him was the top half of his face sporting combed back, pale white hair. There was also a bandage covering his left eye.

Next to him was a girl, younger than the others. She had black hair, wore a green and white battle skirt, along with a green and gold headband. She also walked barefoot, and was completely blind.

Next to her was a man who had spiked black hair, wearing an orange and blue gi.

On the other side of the hooded girl was a man wearing green combat armor and a helmet with a large yellow visor. He also had an assault rifle attached to his back.

Next to him was a blonde girl in a tan jacket that exposed her midriff, with a black shirt underneath. She also had black mini-shorts with brown belts wrapped across her stomach and waist, shotgun shells stocked in them. She also had a pair of golden bracelets on her wrists.

Next to her was a woman that was completely red, with a black cube afro and triangular glasses. Her suit had a star painted over it, and cubic pointed shoulder pads. She also had two red gemstones, one in each of her hands. One had a triangle facet while the other had a square facet.

They seven of them were watching the computer screen, which showcased footage of a camera just outside one of the Commons sections. It showcased Tornado taking the Phantom Thieves to the prison.

The cyborg said with a somewhat gruff and scratchy voice, "Lotta noise for just some petty thieves."

The red woman said in an English accent, "These weren't normal thieves, they posed a legitimate threat. Otherwise he wouldn't have so many broadcasts assuring people they were captured or executed."

The blind girl said, "What is it that they do that's soooo important?"

The girl in the bird mask said in a slightly distorted voice, "I don't know. But I want to know. Any advantage we can get is a win."

The blonde girl said, "We're talking about breaking into a friggin' super prison. He catches a whiff of us getting near that place, he sends the Winds after us, and we all die or get captured. Tornado in particular is not someone we want coming after us."

The soldier in armor said, "I'm shocked, Yang. Usually you're the first one to want to get into a fight."

He gestured towards the man in the gi and said, "Same as Goku over there."

Yang said, "Hey. I'm all for a good fight. But not when it's blatant suicide. There's no way in there without getting caught first."

A low, robotic voice began speaking from the computer, saying, "Perhaps I can come up with something."

The girl in the bird mask said, "What do you have, BT?"

BT said, "Using my Vanguard Titan chassis, I may be able to deploy an EMP device. It will short out the cells and instigate a prison riot. This will be our prime opportunity to analyze the situation before making our move."

The cyborg said, "Woah. I don't know if I like that idea. Two things. One: that puts way too many of those prisoners at risk. There's too high a chance that our 'Phantom Thieves' could get killed in the chaos. Two: Half of those people are in there for a good reason. They're actual criminals and we're talking about releasing them as well as our guys."

Yang said, "So basically, what Raiden is saying, is that if he sends out men to kill, we risk losing the people we're trying to break out. If he sends them out to incapacitate, we risk murderers and vandals being set free."

The group sat in pondering for a while. The blind girl said, "I think we should do it. But someone needs to keep those guys, especially Tornado, off our backs while we're getting the Phantom Thieves out of the riot. I can do it!"

Goku said, "No way you're facing them on your own, Toph. I'll be there to help you out."

The soldier said, "I'll go in with X. She and I can find them and get them out of there."

X was the girl in the bird mask. She said, "Alright, John. Raiden, Yang and Garnet should be there too. In case Cyclone or the other Winds of Destruction show up."

Raiden and Yang nodded.

X said, "So that's the plan. BT hits the base with an EMP and shuts down the security to trigger a riot. While John and I are extracting the Thieves in the chaos, Raiden, Yang, Garnet, Goku and Toph will hold off the Winds and any other soldiers sent after us. Everyone got that?"

Everyone nodded with murmurs of agreement.

X said, "Alright. Let's do this."