"Aren't there even more Shadows than before? Just gettin' this far's been a real pain in the ass!" said Skull to Joker, Countess and Mona before he let out a tired groan and shake his head in exasperation a little.
"It's all because you guys provoked Kamoshida, you know." Mona chided them before he glance solemnly at the closed door of the safe room. "Still… he seems to be awfully on guard…"
"If that's the case, then we just have to be more alert and careful as much as we can." said Joker as she sat down on one of the chairs near the other chairs and table in the middle of the safe room.
"Anyways, how're we suppose to steal that Treasure thing?" asked Skull as he glance at Mona.
"Don't be so hasty. First, we'll need to secure an infiltration route." replied Mona warningly to him.
"A what…?" said Skull as he crossed his arms in confusion to what Mona just told him.
"An infiltration route, Skull. That's what he just said to us." said Countess, repeating the final 3 words of what Mona just said to Skull.
"Yep, a path to the Treasure's location. Since we've four members, I'm sure that we can accomplish this!" said Mona quite happily and confidently to Joker, Countess and Skull.
"Hey, you told us that you don't have your memories and all, but somehow you still know that kinda stuff?" asked Skull in a slightly perplexed tone of voice to Mona before he glance at both Joker and Countess. "Do you two think that this thing got amnesia?" Skull asked them.
"I don't know, Skull." replied Countess as she shake her head.
"I believe in Mona, Skull. So far he's been very helpful, teach us the basics of fighting and fought alongside us against those Shadows." said Joker coolly to Skull.
"At least you're a step above that moron, Joker." said Mona as he smiled happily at her.
"Don't call me a moron!" said Skull as he scowled at Mona. "You sure talk and act big around her, but what if it turns out you're just some stray cat in the end?" added Skull suspiciously to Mona.
"That can't be…" said Mona as he shook his head a little.
"Still, why was the princess in such an odd place…?" said the voice of a knight suddenly from outside the safe room, which surprises Joker, Countess, Skull and Mona before they decided to listen quietly near the door.
"Princess…?" whisper Skull in confusion to the others (who glance and shrugged their shoulders in confusion at him).
"I could have sworn we were pursuing the readings of an intruder…" said the same knight.
"It doesn't matter now. We must take her back to King Kamoshida!" said the voice of another knight to the first knight before they heard the sound of footsteps walking away and they relaxed their guards.
"Who's this princess they're talkin' about…?" asked Skull as he glance in confusion to Joker, Countess and Mona.
"We had no idea, Skull." replied Countess with a shrug of her shoulder.
"I hope they don't mean who I think it is, Countess, Skull." said Joker with a worry look on her face to them. "We did sent her away by force, there's no way she could come back on her own. Unless… Oh, please, I really hope that the app isn't being downloaded on her phone like ours." added Joker even more worriedly in her mind.
"I should probably look into this!" said Mona as he quietly opened the door and walked out of the room, leaving Joker, Countess and Skull behind as they exchange exasperated looks with each other.
"Well, there he goes." said Countess.
"I hope he'll be careful…" said Joker in concern for Mona (which make Countess placed her hand on her shoulder to reassured her).
"And yet another question goes unanswered… Stuff like the castle and that navigation app are mysterious… but Morgana's got 'em both beat." said Skull sullenly to them.
"Skull! Remember, codenames!" Joker corrected him sternly.
"Yeah! How forgetful of you!" said Countess sternly to Skull as well.
"Crap! Sorry!" said Skull apologetically to them. "What was I again?… Oh yeah, Skull!"
"Oh no, you guys! This is bad!" said Mona worriedly to them as he came back into the room.
"That was fast!" said Skull in surprise to Mona.
"What is it, Mona? What's bad?" asked Joker as a bad feeling rose up from within her.
"Your friend… Lady Ann! She's been taken by Shadows…!" yell Mona worriedly to them (which make them gasped and widened their eyes in shock and worry in unison).
"Oh, damn it! I hate it when I thought correctly sometimes." thought Joker as she winced while pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers.
"Wait, what? But we sent her home earlier." said Skull.
"So how could she come back here?" said Countess.
"If Lady Ann does indeed have the app, it could be possible." said Mona.
"Are you saying that the app that's been downloaded on our phones without us knowing about it is now on hers too?" asked Countess with a worry look on her face.
"Yes! That's exactly what I said!" replied Mona as he scowled at Countess and jumped a little.
"Dammit! We let her out for her own safety, and she just came back in by herself…!" said Skull as he furiously scratch the top of his head in annoyance.
"Come on, you guys! Let's find and rescue her now!" said Joker firmly to them before they quickly left the room and ran down the hallway.
As Joker, Countess, Skull and Mona ran back the way they came from (and fought off some more Shadows and Joker, Countess and Mona's Personas level up and learn new Malaqua, Cleave and Patra skills), they stopped when they saw that the sealed hallway with the long red carpet on the floor and the empty knight armors standing on both sides of the wall leading toward a door is no longer sealed up. They then run down the unsealed hallway toward the door (and heard Ann yelling to the knights inside the room), opened it and went into the room and widened their eyes in shock then anger at what they saw inside.
XXXX
Inside the red room…
After the knights brought Ann into the castle with them, they immediately took her down several rooms and hallways and into a completely red-coloured room with dozens of pink flower petals, lit candles and pink-skinned faceless girls wearing nothing but tight-looking white short sleeve shirts and dark panties (which make Ann had a disgusted look on her face when she saw them) scattering and lying on the floor and they bound her arms and legs against the manacles on a wooden X-shaped cross with a large portrait of a shirtless Kamoshida hanging on the wall behind her.
"What's all this about!? Seriously, I'm gonna call the cops!" snapped Ann to the 2 knights standing and watching in front of her as she try to freed her arms and legs from the manacles to no avail.
"So, this is the intruder." said Kamoshida as he approach and stopped to glance at Ann.
"Kamoshida!?" said Ann in surprise to Kamoshida before she's surprise even more when she saw the copy of herself wearing a bikini and a crown on her head followed and stopped beside him. "Huh? Who's that…? More importantly, what is this place!? Why's the school turned into something like this!?" demanded Ann to Kamoshida.
"I can't believe you knights mistook my Ann for someone like her." Kamoshida sneered a little at his knights before he began chuckling wickedly at her. "Are you afraid?" asked Kamoshida in a taunting tone of voice to her.
"What is that outfit…? Have you lost your mind?" said Ann skeptically to Kamoshida.
"I do as I please here. After all, this is my castle… The world of my desires." said Kamoshida as he smirked at her.
"What the-!? Wait… Is this some red-light district!?" said Ann in disbelief as she struggle against the cross.
"What a lively slave." said Kamoshida in a mock-happy tone of voice to Ann.
"This isn't funny! Enough of the bullshit, Kamoshida!" snapped Ann angrily at Kamoshida (who let out a "tch" sound before he turned to glance at not-Ann).
"The inpertinent girl's decided to tell me off. What do you think about that?" asked Kamoshida coolly to not-Ann.
"Talking back is like… totally unforgivable…" replied not-Ann slowly and seductively to Kamoshida.
"In that case… she should be executed." sneered Kamoshida as he turned and lightly glared back at Ann as he tilted his head to the golden knight to silently ordered him to walked closer to Ann and he did. "Now then, how shall I play with you? Shall I tear you into little pieces?" taunted Kamoshida as he smiled wickedly to Ann.
"Are you kidding me…?" said Ann in fear and disbelief to Kamoshida.
XXXX
"This is effed up… Is that what he thinks of the girls on the volleyball team…!?" said Skull as he, Joker, Countess and Mona stared in anger and disgust at the faceless girls moaning, sitting and sprawled out seductively on the floor.
"I don't believe this. This is just… Ugh!" snapped Countess with an angry look on her face.
"Hey, calm down, Countess." said Joker as she placed her hand on Countess shoulder to calm her down (which worked a little and she give Joker a slightly grateful smile).
"Hey, that's…!" yell Mona to Joker, Countess and Skull as he turned and saw Ann shackled up on a cross and surrounded by Kamoshida, not-Ann and the knights with a shock look on his face before they quickly run toward her.
"Takamaki!" yell Skull as he clench his fists.
"You thieves again? Just when I was about to start enjoying myself…" said Kamoshida as he turned to glance and scowled darkly at them for coming and interrupting his fun.
"What's the deal with this guy…!?" yell Ann incredulously to them.
"You little…!" growled Skull as he glared at Kamoshida.
"Release Takamaki-san now!" said Joker firmly and angrily to Kamoshida.
"Hmph, as if I would listen to a criminal girl like you… How many times are you all gonna come back?" Kamoshida sneered at Joker, Countess, Skull and Mona before he glance back at Ann. "I bet you're just like those thieves. You came because you're pissed at me, huh? But, ah… I forget that chick's name, but it's your fault she jumped, you know." said Kamoshida mockingly to Ann.
"Huh…?" said Ann in confusion to Kamoshida.
"You were so reluctant to throw yourself onto me that I had her take your place." said Kamoshida.
"You did that to Suzui-san!? How could you, you sick pervert!" snapped Joker angrily at Kamoshida.
"You bastard!" yell Ann angrily at Kamoshida as well as she struggle even more against the cross before she gasped in fear when the golden knight move even closer.
"No! Get away from her!" yell Countess as she and Skull was about to charge forward and intercept the knights but they stopped when they saw Kamoshida raised his hand to the knights, silently ordering them to raised their swords near Ann's chest.
"Take one more step and I'll kill her on the spot." said Kamoshida threateningly to them.
"Dammit…!" said Skull as he and Countess gritted their teeth in frustration.
"Just stand back, watch and enjoy the dismantlement show." said Kamoshida smugly to them.
"No! Don't!" protested Ann.
"Maybe I'll start with her clothes…" said Kamoshida as he glance pervertedly at Ann.
"You're such a perv!" purred not-Ann happily to Kamoshida.
"Ugh! No amount of bleach is gonna be enough for me to wash my eyes and ears out after what I just saw and heard in front of me!" thought Joker with a beyond anger and disgusted on her face at Kamoshida.
"H-Hey, what are we gonna do!?" demanded Skull worriedly to them.
"We don't know, Skull. Because if we do something to help her, Kamoshida will have his knights kill her immediately." replied Countess grimly to Skull.
"Is this… my punishment for what happened to Shiho….?" said Ann sorrowfully to herself and to Shiho as she lowered her head to look down at the floor.
"That's more like it. You should've looked like this from the start." said Kamoshida smugly to Ann.
"Shiho… I'm so sorry…" whisper Ann as tears started to glisten in her eyes.
"What are you doing, Takamaki-san? Are you just going to listen to this sick pervert? Don't you dare give in!" Joker reprimanded Ann.
"Huh…?" said Ann as she raised to glance in surprise and confusion to Joker before a stern and determined look appear and replaced the previous looks on her face. "No… I don't want that… You're right. Letting this piece of shit toy with me… What was I thinking…!?" added Ann angrily to herself as she struggle in her shackles again.
"It's like I always say. Slaves should just behave and-" said Kamoshida as he scowled at her, trying to revert her back to her sorrow self.
"…Shut up!" snapped Ann, cutting off Kamoshida's words. "I've had enough of this… You've pissed me off, you son of a bitch!" added Ann as she glared hatefully at Kamoshida.
"My… It's taken far too long." said a slightly deep and refined woman's voice slightly impatiently to Ann before her eyes abruptly turned yellow and she gasped out loud when she felt an indescribable pain suddenly wracked her head and body.
"Tell me… Who is going to avenge her if you don't?" asked the woman's voice sternly to Ann (who closed her eyes as she gasped and writhed even more in pain in her shackles).
"Forgiving him was never the option… Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within… I am thou, thou art I… We can finally forged a contract…" the woman's voice told Ann (who let out a scream of pain and agony before she slumped down in exhaustion).
"I hear you… Carmen. You're right. No more holding back…!" said Ann quite loudly and in agreement to the woman's voice named Carmen before a red-coloured cat-shaped mask appear on her face (which make Kamoshida and his 2 princesses gasped and step back in nervousness).
"Did she just say Carmen? As in the Carmen who's a fictive female gypsy created by Prosper Merimee and who's also a femme fatale who used her charm and beauty to lured and sent men to their doom." thought Countess after she heard what Ann said.
"There you go… Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself. Understand? Then I'll gladly lend you my strength." said Carmen proudly to Ann as she finally break her arms and legs free from the shackles of the cross before she grabbed and ripped off her mask, causes blood to burst out and run down her face before a strong beam of dark blue flames suddenly appear and enveloped around Ann before the flames died down to reveal Ann (whose uniform had change into a different tight-looking red latex zipper suit with cleavage cutout on it and a clipped on long red tail behind it, dark red thigh high boots on her legs and a pair of pink gloves on her hands) with a tall, large, slim-looking, dark-skinned, shoulder-length and curly black-haired, yellow-eyed woman wearing a sleeveless layered red, pink and black-coloured stripe dress as she holds a heart-shaped face man wearing a black suit by the back collar of his suit while she stepped on the back of another under her stiletto shoe as she stands behind Ann.
After Ann awakened to her Persona, she glance in defiance at Kamoshida, his princess and knights before she charge toward one of the nearest knights, kicked his sword out of his hand up into the air, jumped and grabbed hold of the sword with her hands before she swung the sword down on not-Ann (which make her scream out in surprise and pain before she fell to her knees and dissipated into black mists).
Kamoshida step back even more in nervousness and fear from Ann after she got rid of her copy while the golden-armored knight moved in front of them to protect them from her.
"You know what? I'm not some cheap girl you can toy with… you scumbag." said Ann coldly to Kamoshida as she stood up and glared at him.
"Bitch…!" muttered Kamoshida angrily as he glared back at her.
"You stole everything from Shiho… You destroyed her… Now it's your turn! I'll rob you of everything…!" yell Ann as she take a few steps forward, raised and pointed a finger accusingly at Kamoshida while Joker, Countess, Skull and Mona walked forward and stood on both sides of her.
"How dare you! Enough of your insolence!" yell the golden knight angrily at Ann before he and 2 of his fellow knights standing with him started to shake, melted down to a large puddle on the floor and merged together before they formed and reveal a large, purple-skinned, red-eyed horned and bearded demon sitting on a toilet seat.
"No, I've enough of you. Nothing and no one's gonna stop me now! Let's go, Carmen!" retorted Ann to the demon as she clench her hands into fists before she (and the others) got into battle stance.
"How dare you deny King Kamoshida's love, you selfish lass!? Pay for this insolence with your life!" exclaimed the demon angrily to Ann.
"That dirtbag just sees women as sexual outlets! Don't make me laugh with that "love" bullshit!" snapped Ann angrily to the demon as a whip weapon appear in front of her and she take it in her hands. "C'mon, Carmen! Let's give 'em a fiery hell!" said Ann to Carmen.
"Of course, my mistress." said Carmen as she nodded to Ann, who charge toward the shadow with Joker, Countess, Skull and Mona and they proceed to attack it relentlessly with their weapons, managed to knock it down before they jumped and attack it swiftly from all sides.
The shadow was not amused with their attacks as it got up from the floor, healed it's injuries a little with a Dia skill before it uses Magaru skill on all of them, injuring them a little and managed to knock Skull down.
"Skull!" yell Joker concernly to Skull before she glared at the shadow. "You'll pay for that! Come, Pyro Jack!" said Joker angrily at the shadow before she switch her persona Arsene to Pyro Jack and uses Agi skill on it, knock it down again before she, Countess, Mona and Ann jumped and attack it from all sides again until they defeated it.
"To think… there would be a woman… who could stand up to King Kamoshida…" said the shadow weakly to Ann.
"Pff, outside of school, that guy's nothing but a pathetic loser!" said Ann mockingly to the shadow before it dissipated into black mist while Joker helped Skull to stand up from the floor.
After the shadow dissipated away, Joker, Countess, Skull and Mona turned to glared at Kamoshida while Ann panted tiredly as she hunched over and placed her hands on her knees.
"Oh shit…!" said Kamoshida fearfully to himself before he quickly turned and run out of the room and away from them.
"Wait…!" yell Ann as she try to go after him but fell to her knees in exhaustion.
"Takamaki-san!" said Joker as she approach, gently grabbed her shoulders and helped her stand up from the floor.
"Why'd you come here, man!? And more importantly, how!?" yell Skull in a reprimanding tone of voice to Ann.
"Hey! Is that how you speak to a woman!?" snapped Mona as he, Joker and Countess scowled at Skull before he glance concernly at Ann. "Are you all right, Lady Ann!?" asked Mona softly to Ann.
"Lady Ann…?" said Ann as she pull herself away from Joker and glance at Mona in surprise and confusion. "Wait, what is this thing? Is it alive…? How can it talk? And… where in the world are we…!?" demanded Ann to them.
"J-Just calm down. Everything's going to be OK; don't worry." said Mona reassuringly to Ann.
"How am I supposed to calm down!?" yell Ann quite frustratedly to Mona before she glance down and saw her new outfit with a disbelief look on her face. "H-Huh…? Why am I dressed like this!? When did I- Ugh, what's with this!?" added Ann as she covered her body with her arms and kneel down in embarrassment.
"We'll explain to slowly to you later, Takamaki-san. Right now we need to get out of here before Kamoshida return with reinforcements." said Joker warningly to Ann and to the others.
"Joker's right, guys! We don't have a choice. Let's retreat for now!" said Mona as he glance at both Countess and Skull.
"Right." said Countess with a nod of her head.
"We were just getting' fired up, and you had to come and get in the way… Rgh, fine…" grumbled Skull before he and Countess approach Ann and hold out their hands. "Here… give us your arms." Skull told Ann before she warily placed her hands on theirs and stood up before they turned and quickly left the castle.