Chapter 7:
"Arsene," Akira shouts, "ravage them!" Waves of cursed energy lash out to hit the last of the shadows and they crumble back to dust. Akira bends over and tries to catch his breath as Ryuji helps Morgana back to his feet.
"Reinforcements! Why do they get to call reinforcements?!" Ryuji shouts.
"If you keep yelling I'm sure we'll be fighting more," Morgana hisses. "We need to get moving, they took Lady Ann into the castle and she's going to be in a lot of danger if we don't get to her. You guys provoking Kamoshida in reality has likely altered the palace and the shadows in it."
"Agreed," Akira says. "Let's go get her and get out. We'll need a game plan before we can come back and actually do anything to the palace."
XXXX
Ann struggles against the restraints holding her to this large 'X' she's tied to. More of the knights of this castle surround her and watch silently.
"Is this some kind of filming? Who's in charge here?!" Ann shouts at them.
None of the shadows move or acknowledge what she says. They continue to stand in attention in lines, waiting for something. A door in the back of the room opens.
"So this is the intruder," Kamoshida says walking into the room. Ann looks at him mouth agape. Kamoshida is wearing a crown and royal cape, and only a pink speedo beneath it. The image disgusts Ann and makes her want to begin dry heaving again.
Behind Kamoshida walks another Ann. Ann stares at her copy, unable to comprehend what she's seeing. The girl looks exactly like her, dressed in a very skimpy bikini and wearing a tiara with cat ears attached. Her eyes staring seductively at Kamoshida makes the real Ann sick. Is this what that asshole sees me as?
Kamoshida turns to the nearest knight, "I can't believe you mistook my Ann for someone like her. Hehehe," he chuckles turning to the real Ann, "are you afraid?" Ann steels her face and tries to ignore the fear in her heart knowing Kamoshida is trying to intimidate her like he always does.
"What is that outfit?" She spits at him. "Have you lost your mind?"
"I do as I please here, after all, this is my castle. The world of my desires."
Ann remembers what that anthropomorphic cat said to her earlier. That's exactly what it had said, a world of his desires. Ann begins to realize what she has gotten herself into. Kurusu and Sakamoto are probably on their way. I need to stall him!
"Enough of the bullshit, Kamoshida! This isn't funny!"
Kamoshida turns to the alternate Ann, "The girl's decided to tell me off. What do you think of that?"
"Talking back… is like… totally unforgivable," the other Ann says in a nasally attempt at being sultry. Ann feels sick, seeing that this is how Kamoshida truly sees her. A dull minded slut.
"In that case," Kamoshida says turning back to the real Ann, "she should be executed!" A large knight in all golden armor steps away from the lines of knights and draws its sword as it begins moving nearer to Ann. "Now then, how should I play with you?" Kamoshida continues. "Shall I tear you into little pieces? Let my guards have their way with you?"
Suddenly, a door is kicked open in the far back corner of the room, Akira and Ryuji running in behind it.
"Takamaki!" Ryuji shouts.
Kamoshida sighs, "Just when I was about to start enjoying myself..."
"What's the deal with this guy?!" Ann shouts.
"How many times are you gonna come back?" Kamoshida asks. "I bet you're just like those thieves, you came because you're pissed at me too, huh?" he says turning to Ann. "But, ah… I forget that chick's name, but it's your fault she jumped you know. You were soooo reluctant to throw yourself onto me that I had her take your place."
"YOU BASTARD!" Ann shouts as angry tears begin to stream down her cheeks.
Kamoshida motions to the knight to execute Ann and it begins to move closer to her.
"NO!" Akira shouts.
"Takamaki!" Ryuji echoes. Too many guards stand between them and Ann.
Ann hangs her head and whispers to herself, "Is this… my punishment for what happened to Shiho?"
"That's it!" Kamoshida says gleefully. "You should've been like this from the start."
"You're just going to listen? Don't give in!" Akira shouts to her. Ann raises her head at these words. She knows he's right, the delinquent troublemaking transfer student shouting praise to her fills Ann with a feeling of righteous anger.
"You're right," she says. "Letting this piece of shit toy with me… what was I thinking?"
"It's like I always say," Kamoshida beings, "slaves should just obey and—"
"Shut. UP!" Ann shouts at him. "I've had enough of this, YOU'VE PISSED ME OFF YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Akira nudges Ryuji and smiles.
Ann feels a pressure growing in her head just behind her eyes. The pressure quickly begins to build and spread back across her temples and encompassing her entire skull. Ann screams in pain as a voice in her head speaks to her.
"My… it's taken far too long," it says. "Tell me, who is going to avenge her if you don't? Forgiving him was never the option. Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within. I am thou, thou art I…"
The pain in Ann's head is blinding and all she can hear is the voice speaking to her calmly. Ann screams and writhes, pulling against her restraints. All she wants to do is to curl into a ball and protect her head from the drumming reverberations inside it.
"We can finally forge a contract," the voice continues. "My name is Carmen; do we have a deal?"
"I hear you," Ann replies, "Carmen. You're right! No more holding back!" Ann shouts as she feels a mask envelope her face.
"There you go," Carmen says, "nothing can be solved by restraining yourself. Understand?"
Ann vigorously nods her head as the pain seeps away and she feels the restraints seemingly loosen. Ann musters her strength and struggles against them one last time to break one arm free; then the other.
"I'll gladly lend you my strength," Carmen tells her.
Without thinking about what she's doing, Ann reaches up and grabs hold of the mask on her face and rips it away. The feeling of tearing skin and blood running down her face feels little more than a tickle as blue flames erupt around Ann. The light of the flames blinds her but doesn't burn her as she feels a newfound strength return to her entire body as the flames die down.
Ann looks behind her to see a large woman in Victorian garb standing over a kneeling man with a heart for a head. In one arm, Carmen holds her dress and another man by his throat in the other. Ann turns back to the room full of guards to see Akira, Ryuji, and Morgana silently eliminating the ones in the back one by one as they're distracted.
Ann runs up to one guard and kicks his arm, knocking his sword high in the air. Ann runs and leaps, grabbing the sword before bringing it down against her shadow copy. The sword slices cleanly through, separating the copy before both parts turn to dust.
"You know, I'm not some cheap girl you can toy with you scumbag," Ann says to Kamoshida. The look of fear in his eyes give Ann a satisfaction beyond anything she could imagine right now.
"B-bitch," Kamoshida chokes out.
"You stole everything from Shiho… you destroyed her. Now it's your turn!" Ann shouts. Ann points at Kamoshida as the other two Shujin students and the cat walk to stand by her side against Kamoshida and his handful of guards left. "I WILL ROB YOU OF EVERYTHING!"
"How dare you?!" The golden knight shouts. "Get King Kamoshida out of here, we'll deal with the girl," it orders. All but three of the guards in the room surround Kamoshida and usher him out as the remaining guards revert to their shadow appearances.
"No one's going to stop me now!" Ann shouts as the shadows form together and materialize into a large demon sitting upon a monstrous toilet. "Let's go Carmen!"
"Ann!" Akira shouts to her. "This is your persona! Use it!" Ann nods and faces the demon. It cracks its knuckles and smirks at her. It's so large, Ann briefly wishes she had some kind of weapon to use against it. As suddenly as the thought occurs, Ann feels something light materialize in her hand. She looks down to see a whip, long and red and wrapped tightly together. Ann barely notices her own clothes have changed as she looks back at the demon.
"Dance, Carmen!" Ann shouts as she begins charging the demon. Fire erupts from the ground as the demon howls in agony. It drops, toilet and all, down to the ground within whips reach as Ann reaches it. She cracks the whip behind her and slings it up and around the demon's neck and pulls with all her might. The demon on his toilet begins to tip and topples over, laying on the ground.
"Together," Akira says softly as they all rejoin Ann standing next to the demon. They surround the demon, pulling out swords, pipes, and knives as they await Akira's signal. With a nod of his head, Ann begins to run at the demon with the others and jumps over it with an arching flip. Ann briefly notes how high she can jump in this world, as if gravity were weaker but only when she acts against it.
Ann twists and jerks her body, bring the whip down and across the back and face of the demon over and over again. The others strike and shoot and attack the demon with her until they're all so tired they stand and stare at it. The demon tries to get back on its feet, using its toilet as a crutch. It stumbles and as it collapses, the demon and toilet crumble to dust as the room grows silent. The sounds of the Shujin students taking deep breaths is the only sound to be heard. Ann drops to her knees, knowing she is no longer in any immediate danger.
"Are you alright Lady Ann?" Morgana asks.
"Lady Ann?" Ann repeats. "You know you never really told me how it is you're a talking cat. You barely explained where we are." As Ann says it, she looks down to see what she is wearing, full attention paid to it. It's a all red, skin tight, leather suit with thigh high boot. Her chest also is exposed by an opening in the suit, leaving little to the imagination. "Wait, why am I dressed like this?! Wha— DON'T LOOK AT ME!" she shouts to the two boys standing next to her.
Ryuji immediately looks away, blushing cheeks visible underneath his skull mask. Akira chuckles lightly and turns his head towards Ryuji.
"Calm down Ann, you look great if it's any consolation," he says.
"How can you expect me to be calm?!" she shouts. "I thought we were going to do something to Kamoshida physically or professionally! Instead you bring me to another universe hidden in the school and get kidnapped and strung up and objectified—"
"I told you bringing her was a bad idea!" Ryuji says to Akira.
"Yes," he responds, "but look. She has awoken her persona. Anyway, search party will likely be coming to finish us off with Kamoshida running."
"Right," Morgana says. "Let's get out of here for now and regroup in reality."
Akira offers a hand down to Ann to help her up. She looks up at him, a faint smile spread across the face he's still got visible under that mask. She takes his hand as he helps her to her feet, legs still wobbling. Ryuji takes one of Ann's arms and puts it over his shoulders as Akira does the same with the other one.
"Thanks guys," she says.
"Morgana get us out of here," Akira says to the cat, who nods and turns and zooms ahead of them out the door.