August 2nd, 20XX (Tuesday)
Daytime - Ishida's Palace (The Vampire's Tomb)
After taking down the minotaur, Toya continued on past the two torches in the room. His mind was still clouded by his anger… and he had no real way to control it. But at that exact in time moment… he didn't care about that. He simply wanted to continue on and find the gemstone, so he could be one step closer to taking down Ishida- for his brother. After passing by the two torches and walking down a narrow passage, he found himself in another somewhat open room. It was a bit smaller than the last one, and there was a coffin in the middle of the room, as well as torches scattered around the wall. Toya was in a rush at this point… he just wanted to be done with things. He ripped off his mask and summoned his Persona, channeling a blast of dark magic and firing directly at the coffin. The coffin broke open, but… there was nothing inside.
"Oh, child… such an ungraceful style of going about things won't get you anywhere." Toya's eyes widened as he heard someone behind him. He turned around, and saw a woman that was in the air, floating in place with her arms and legs crossed. She slowly came down, and as she did, Toya noticed she was wearing something: a necklace, with a red gemstone lodged in the middle. "Oh? Has the gemstone caught your eye? It's quite a beautiful sight, is it not?"
"Nothing that comes from this god forsaken place has any beauty in it."
"Oh, and such strong words! I don't think you're one to talk about beauty when you're walking around with that awful aura…" The woman held her chin for a moment, staring at Toya. "Though… I must say, your eyes… purple is such a beautiful color."
"Just give me the damn gemstone already. I don't have the patience for a conversation with someone like you."
"Someone like me… Oh, child…" The woman's mouth formed a smile, before suddenly showing two large fangs, her eyes focused on Toya's as she began to laugh. "Such beautiful eyes don't fit on someone who exudes such ugliness… I'll just have to take them!" The gem on her necklace began to glow, as she pointed one finger towards Toya. Suddenly, a flame shot out of the finger she was pointing at him, forcing Toya to jump back to get out of the way.
"Damn it… first a minotaur, and now a vampire? Give me a break!" Toya's blade materialized in his hands, pointing towards the vampire and pulling the trigger, but she simply dodged out of the way. Toya grit his teeth, and continued to fire away, but to no avail. The vampire moved quickly, but only ever moved just far away enough to dodge the bullets, chuckling the entire time.
"Is this how you defeated that brainless brute? Such reckless force… I guess it makes sense."
"The minotaur? That was nothing. You're going down just as easily as he did." Toya ran forward, jumping into the air and slashing down in the vampire's direction, but she dodged away in time.
"Ugh, don't even mention that disgusting creature in my presence. I'm not talking about that horrid thing." The vampire held her hands out, as more fire was shot out of her. Toya blocked some of it, and dodged away from the rest.
"If you're not talking about the minotaur, then… who do you mean?"
"Wasn't a skeleton meant to greet you at near the entrance…? Ugh, don't tell me he didn't even show… I questioned his worth, but this is just ridiculous." Toya stopped moving entirely for a moment. The skeleton… there's only one person she could be talking about.
"What did you say…?"
"That man is was unfit to guard Lord Ishida's sacred mine… it's no surprise that someone as pitiful as you could get in. Once again, I have to clean up after his mistakes… What a waste of my time." The vampire sighed, clenching her fist for a moment, as it began to glow an orange reddish color. There was a big attack coming… but Toya didn't move an inch. He stood absolutely still, and processed everything that the vampire said… all of those insults directed toward his father.
"You bitch…"
"What did you just call me…!?" In a fit of rage, the vampire opened her fist, the gemstone around her neck glowing brightly as a large blast of fire shot out of her hand, aimed directly at Toya. However, a blue and purple flame suddenly erupted from his face. Engulfing the fire magic that the vampire fired at him. The vampire slowly backed away, feeling a mixture of shock and fear. That attack… that was by far her strongest. But seemingly out of nowhere, Toya was able to delete said attack from existence. Toya's head hung low, his eyes open and looking at the vampire.
"Beauty… Grace…?" Toya slowly moved his hand toward his mask, gripping it tightly and gritting his teeth. "Keep that shit to yourself!" Toya ripped off his mask, the blue and purple flame growing bigger, with the purple portion of it noticeably bigger. He looked directly at the vampire, his eyes occasionally flashing from purple to gold, but his Persona did not appear. Instead, he stood still, glaring at her with an intense anger in his eyes. Suddenly, he charged forward, gripping his blade tightly as he dashed straight towards the vampire. She tried to dodge out of the way, but Toya predicted her exact movement, and sliced his sword directly in her direction- landing a direct hit. She grunted in pain and tried to attack with more fire magic, but Toya relentlessly continued his assault, stopping her before she could get her attack off with another slice. His eyes were bloodshot, the intense rage overflowing within him as he continued mercilessly slicing away. The vampire screamed out in pain and anguish, but at that moment in time, Toya's mind was so focused on attacking that he didn't even hear it. He went completely berserk, until all that was left was an unrecognizable body- which slowly melted into nothingness, leaving behind the red gemstone. He began to breathe heavily, before suddenly falling down to his knees.
There was a sudden guilt that was overflowing within him. He said that he was okay to Makoto earlier… and he was wrong. There was something wrong with him- and he knew it fully well. But… he didn't know what. It was like he could feel something eating away inside of him- a desperate hunger that called out to him, begging for more control over him. But the problem is… he couldn't stop it from taking control. It was just a matter of time at this rate… he had to everything in his power to prevent himself from giving in to that power- that rage within himself. He kneeled down and picked up the red gemstone that the vampire left, and turned around. He had exhausted himself a bit… he needed time to rest.
August 2nd, 20XX (Tuesday)
Daytime - Ishida's Palace (The Lich's Crypt)
As concerned as Makoto was for how Toya would be on her own, she couldn't focus on that forever. She had her own trial to complete- her own job to finish. She went past the area where she fought the ghost, before the path ended with one giant room. In the middle of the room, she saw a blue gemstone, floating in the air just above a pile of bones. She was nervous, but… she already took down an enemy she couldn't see. Surely this couldn't be any trickier. She walked towards the gemstone, reaching her hand out to grab it until it suddenly began to shine, as the boner underneath it began to rattle. In a panic, Makoto jumped back, staring at the bones as they slowly took the form of a skeleton. The blue gemstone began to shine a bit brighter, engulfing the room in its light and causing Makoto to cover her eyes. Once the light had gone down and Makoto stopped blocking her vision, she saw the skeleton standing up straight, covered in a green robe with a staff in its hand, with the top of the staff being the blue gemstone she tried to grab. The skeleton's skull had two blue lights that represented eyes glowing from its eye sockets, and began to let out a sinister laugh. A skeleton with a staff… that would make it a lich.
"It's rare that someone tries to grab this sapphire… but to think that it's an actual human this time… I must say, I'm rather impressed by the bravado you've shown."
"You've dedicated your life to someone as horrible as Ishida… why!?"
"I wouldn't expect a mere human to understand the brilliance behind Lord Ishida's plans. His actions are a necessity to keep his country prosperous."
"How is corruption going to fix anything…!?"
"You truly do not understand… I see. I don't see the purpose in me explaining this to you. Our conversation shall end here… and due to your forbidden entry to this sacred place, as will your life!" The lich gripped its staff tightly, pointing it forward as ice magic began to fire out of it. Makoto quickly dodged out of the way, but she was only barely able to get out of the way. The lich's spells were quick- far quicker than any spells she had seen in Kaneshiro's Palace. She took off her mask and jumped into the air, landing on Johanna and revving up, driving around the lich to try and gauge how fast it could attack- and it was even faster than she thought. He would be. She couldn't even get an attack off- the lich had too much pressure. "Give this up. You're no match for me."
"I'm not giving up! I swear, I will make sure Ishida's crimes don't go unpunished!"
"Such grit… I suppose that's how you defeated the wraith I created."
"The wraith…? Wait, you created that!?"
"To defeat an enemy you cannot even see… You deserve respect for that. Stay still- I'll make your death quick and painless." Makoto had an idea all of a sudden. The wraith… she couldn't fight it normally. She had to bait it into an attack, and then punish. That's how she was able to defeat it… and it's how she can overcome the lich, too. She spun around on Johanna, before suddenly, the ground in front of her was engulfed by a blue explosion. A thick cloud of smoke quickly filled the area, confusing the lich as Makoto kept spawning explosions, covering more and more of the room in smoke. "Such a cheap trick… very well then. Come out and face me!"
"Charge, Johanna!" Makoto yelled, and the lich's head turned in the direction of her voice. He listened closer, and heard the engine revving up, and saw the front of the motorcycle charging out of the smoke. Just upon seeing the front, the lich fired a powerful blast of ice magic directly at it. However… after firing that blast, he realized there was nobody on top of it. For a moment, the lich panicked, rapidly shooting blasts of ice around the room- but to no avail. He couldn't find Makoto, no matter where he shot.
"Where are you hiding…!?" The lich looked all around the room, desperately trying to find Makoto. However, little did he know, Makoto was already right there, waiting behind him. Without a word, she quickly grabbed the blue gemstone on the lich's staff. The lich turned around for a moment, one of the lights in his eyes fading instantly from losing his power source, the residual power keeping one lit as he faced Makoto. "When did you get behind me... !?" Makoto pocketed the blue gemstone, turning her eyes to the lich. Without saying a word, she formed her hands into two fists and began attacking the lich. She didn't know if the lich had any tricks up its sleeve, so she didn't take any chances. Every single punch put a crack in its skull, and she didn't stop until the final light in the skull's eye was completely gone. Once she was gone, she relaxed, as the lich faded into black mist. She took the blue gemstone out of her pocket, looking a bit closer at it. She actually really liked it… but now wasn't the time for that. She put it back in her pocket and went back toward the main hall.
August 2nd, 20XX (Tuesday)
Afternoon - SIU Building
"Have the Phantom Thieves made a statement yet, Ishida?"
"No, they haven't. They've been backed into a corner."
"Good. With them out of the picture, things will be able to proceed smoothly. You'll be compensated accordingly." The man Ishida was on the phone with promptly hung up, with Ishida smirking. Everything went according to his plan… and the one person who could have possibly uncovered the truth, Ken Kazero, was already disposed of. The Phantom Thieves had no options now… and even if they found a way to deal with the Medjed threat, it's already been planned for. Ishida truly thought it through… and he had the utmost confidence that he would be able to pull this off.
August 2nd, 20XX (Tuesday)
Afternoon - Ishida's Palace (Main Hall)
Returning back to the main area of the Palace, Makoto was incredibly relieved to see Toya already there, waiting for her with a ruby in his hand.
"You did it!" Makoto expressed her excitement, taking the sapphire out of her pocket and showing it to Toya.
"We both did… I knew you could do it." Toya walked towards the door, putting the ruby inside of its slot, as Makoto did the same with the sapphire. Once all three gemstones were in the door, they all began to shine, before the door suddenly rumbled, rising up to reveal a passageway behind it, leaning downwards. Toya and Makoto looked at each other, nodding before continuing down the passageway. As they slowly descended down the path, they couldn't help but notice that there were even more gemstones than there were before- all of various different colors. However, they couldn't focus on it. They continued down the path, ready to be done with this nightmare of a Palace.
August 2nd, 20XX (Tuesday)
Afternoon - Ishida's Palace (Underground Shrine)
Getting to the end of the short passageway, Toya and Makoto were surprised to find… a shrine, as if made to worship some kind of a god. However, their focus wasn't on the shrine- it was on the misty object just above it.
"There it is… Ishida's Treasure." Toya simply stared. This was it… everything his brother asked of him was symbolized by that treasure. He was gonna honor his brother's death… and he could finally rest in peace. It was still a sad thought, but… it gave Toya the determination he needed to control himself- and his emotions.
"Let's get out of here… I don't want to be here much longer." Makoto looked around nervously, before turning around. Toya stared at Ishida's Treasure one more time… this was it. This was everything he needed to obtain. It felt like time stood still while he looked at it… like his entire life was centered around this object that hadn't even materialized yet. He could do this… he had to do this. For a moment, he looked to the sky, having one thought before turning around to follow Makoto back.
"Ken… watch over me."
August 2nd, 20XX
Afternoon - Ishida's Palace (Cemetery)
Climbing up the ladder and exiting the mine, Toya and Makoto looked at each other one more time. They had both gone through hell to get through the Palace… but it was finally done, and now all that was left was to take Ishida's treasure. But then, out of nowhere, they heard the ground shake underneath them. Confused, they looked around, only to see every single grave rumbling. The last time this happened… they had to deal with a Shadow- but this was more than that. Countless hands rose up from the ground, as Makoto hid behind Toya, watching in fear as a countless number of zombies came out from the ground. However… they didn't attack. They turned away from the pair, and instead looking toward the entrance to the mine, and all kneeling.
"How daring of you two… to try and enter my sacred grounds." Toya and Makoto's eyes both widened, as they looked toward the entrance to the mine, as someone slowly rose up. A man in a long, white robe slowly ascended into the air, landing on the ground and facing the two of them. This… this was him. The director of the SIU… Genkei Ishida.
"Ishida…!?" Toya stepped forward, clenching his fist as he stared Ishida down. The way he dressed… was he supposed to be a god…? Then, it clicked for both of them. That shrine they saw at the bottom of the mine… that was his shrine. The person who was being worshipped… it was him.
"Your faces… I see. So, the detective's brother… and the prosecutor's sister. An interesting pairing, I must say. Though, this is where that partnership of yours will end."
"End? Don't be ridiculous. We're going to stop you." Makoto stepped away from Toya slightly, not hiding behind him any longer, but looking at Ishida head on.
"My brother's final request to me was to take you down… like hell I'll let things end before I make that happen!" Suddenly, Ishida began to laugh. "What's so funny, dammit!?"
"Your desperate attempts at bravery… it's pathetically laughable. However… I am a man of my word. Mark my words, Phantom Thieves… You shall not survive this encounter!" Ishida stared forward, smirking as he snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the zombies began to shake, as they all fell down to the floor, face first. A blue mist came out of their bodies, as they all faded away into nothingness. However, that blue mist… it all came together in the air above Ishida. Within a few moments… the mist had taken a new form- a solid one. Ishida smirked, as a loud roar came from the air above him where the mist all converged. Toya and Makoto weren't done in Ishida's Palace for the day yet… they had one final challenge. Their weapons materialized in their hands as Ishida slowly descended back into the mine, leaving behind Toya and Makoto's final challenge of the day: a massive, zombified dragon.