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Byakuren looked up. "This place is…"

"A complete eyesore, I know," Marisa said. "And if 'ya think it looks bad out here, wait 'till we're inside."

We had arrived at the base of Ethos, just outside the entrance. The distortion, wickedness and sin festering inside the structure was palpable even from out here, wafting out the door like a miasma.

"I never imagined I would be returning to this awful place, under my current circumstances," Mamiko commented.

Byakuren turned to her. "You were once a 'shadow' trapped in this place?"

"Indeed," Mamiko nodded. "Brainwashed and enslaved by the distortion which rules this place. A distortion which made me almost kill them, before they showed me the truth and expelled the distortion from my being. Then I took possession of one of Alice-sama's dolls, and have served her since."

"I see," Byakuren smiled. "And, you often mention the Godly General Vajra…"

"That was the shadow form I took while I was trapped here," Mamiko replied. "Even though I have chosen a new name for myself, that will always be a part of me." She turned toward the tower. "And now, it is my turn to free the shadows here from this distortion."

"Ya' seem really fired up," Marisa said.

"Well, she does have a personal stake in the matter," I said. "Once a shadow under the tower's spell, now she wishes to ascend and solve the mystery of this place: Ethos."

"Wonder how long that will take," Nitori said, looking up. "I can't see the top past these thick clouds."

"We won't know for sure if we don't venture up inside," Youmu said.

"Before we do…" I turned to Byakuren. "This one needs a codename."

"Ah, yes," Byakuren said. "You all were calling each other by different names than usual…"

"It's to prevent unwanted effects from happening, both inside the Metaverse and out," Reimu said.

"Plus, it'd be really lame if we were doin' this sick superhero shit with just our regular names!" Marisa grinned.

I nodded. "If it helps you choose your name, we'll start by introducing ourselves by our own. I am 'Crow,' the leader of the group."

"Starburst, team medic and team nuker."

"Seraph, arbiter of supreme judgement."

"Fury, the cold, silver edge."

"I'm Doktor. I navigate for these guys and provide backup."

"And I'm 'Bull,' after the being I represent, and my strength is like that of a raging bull."

Byakruen looked around. "Crow, Starburst, Seraph, Fury, Doktor and Bull." She nodded. "I'll try my best to remember those. Forgive me if I have trouble remembering at first."

"No problem at all," I said. "Now then, some of us came up with our codenames based on our appearances. Others of us chose it to reflect our sense of justice, our motifs and what we fight for. Now then… what is it that YOU fight for? What is YOUR sense of justice, YOUR personal brand?"

Byakuren thought for a minute. "My sense of justice…"

"Let's think about it," Marisa said. "You saved youkai and led them down the good path, even though society told you to kill them all."

"Indeed, you didn't let societal expectations prevent you from doing the right thing," Youmu added.

"Furthermore, they all absolutely love you, are in your debt, and held you to be a god and savior, especially after you let yourself be sealed," Reimu said.

Byakuren looked down. "A god, a savior…" She shook her head. "I never meant to be any of those things. All I ever wished to be was a devout follower of the Buddha, spreading his message to all those in need of salvation, even those which the world admonishes and leaves behind…"

I thought about Byakuren's words for a moment, then said, "like a priest."

Byakuren looked at me. "A priest… I suppose one could say that."

"Yes," I nodded, "and combined with the motifs of your overall character and Persona, I think 'Priest' would be a fitting codename. One who preaches the word of good and dispels evil, by force if necessary." I looked around. "Anyone have any better suggestions?"

Marisa shook her head. "Nope."

"Not me," Reimu said.

"I think it fits," Nitori said. "Certainly beats 'Turbo Granny.'"

"I like it as well," Youmu said. "It conveys a certain power in a place like this."

"I'm not very familiar with the concept, but if the others think it's a good name, I will not object," Mamiko nodded.

I turned back to Byakuren. "How about you? Do you like the name?"

Again, Byakuren thought for a moment, before she smiled. "Yes. I think it is a fine name which suits me well."

I smiled and nodded. "Very good. Then from now on, during our missions, you will go by 'Priest.'"

Nitori stepped up. "Alright. Now that we got a codename, there's something I want to do real quick." She summoned her Persona to scan Byakuren, who stepped back in surprise before realizing the laser was harmless.

"What is…?"

"Aaaaand done," Nitori said. "Scan complete."

"'Scan?'" Byakuren asked.

"Just seein' what your combat specs are," Nitori said. "Everyone's got different strengths and weaknesses to the attacks our foes throw around, just as they are more or less vulnerable to our attacks. Crow's change all the time, based on which Persona he's using, but his main one is resistant to Curse and weak to Bless. Seraph needs to watch out for Ice, Starburst for Psychic, and Fury for Fire attacks. Bull, as far as I can tell, is neutral to everything. As for you…" She looked at her PDA. "Looks like you're kinda opposite of Crow: Bless attacks ain't nothing to you, and it looks like you can also take Ice and Electric better than usual, but Curse attacks you'll need to steer clear of."

"Alright then," Byakuren nodded. "No Curse attacks for me."

"Excellent," I said. "Now, with everything settled, let us begin the operation."


Walking inside the tower, we were just about to review our targets, before a car horn sounded behind us and a bathtub with wheels and a high pile of junk came rolling in.

"Whoa, hey, that the-" Marisa clung onto her hat, then turned around to the car. "Don't do that! Shout or somethin'!"

Jose jumped out of the car. "Sorry about that, I didn't know you all were in here. I just got done leaving stuff for my master, and…"

Byakuren came over to him. "Oh? Who might you be?"

"Oh, ah…" Jose stepped back. "Hi there, miss. You're…" He looked at her, absolutely silent. "You're very beautiful…"

Byakuren chuckled. "I'm very flattered. Thank you. I am 'Priest,' the newest member of the team."

Jose then looked over to Mamiko. "And you are?"

"I am Bull. I was once a shadow in this wretched place, before I was saved by the Day Breakers, and now fight to dispel the distortion myself."

Jose's eyes widened. "A… former shadow?"

"Indeed. I escaped this place, and inhabited a doll body created by Alice-sama."

Jose looked at her for a second, before turning around to me and smiling. "Seems you're doing a very good job, mister."

"I know talent when I see it," I said. "And, Bull wasn't the only slave to distortion: Priest was the ruler of the last Fortress we took down. As you can see, we won her to our side."

"I see," Jose said. "The will of humans, and I guess youkai as well, is… it's strong!" He took out a juice box and drank from it. "By the way, would you happen to have any flowers with you? It's been a little while since we last met, so…"

Marisa took out a very large sack and dropped it on the ground with a loud thud. "This enough for 'ya?"

Jose walked over to the sack, focused for a bit, then stuck out his hand, causing the sack to collapse and a yellow ball of light to float to his palm, where he grasped it.

"Mmm-hmm, this should be enough," he smiled. "I'll make sure to give you all some really great stuff in return… oh?"

"What is it?" Marisa asked.

"Well, it's… I can tell you're carrying distortions with you… just like the ones the Phantom Thieves would give me…"

It took me a second to realize what he was talking about, before I said, "ah, yes, the crystals formed from the Will Seeds we have collected. Care to show him those?"

"Uh, sure?" Marisa shot out the two crystals, and Jose went over to pick up one of them, the one formed from Yuyuko's Will Seeds.

"What are those?" Byakuren asked.

"Every Fortress contains three 'Will Seeds' which represent the ruler's congealed distortions." I picked up her crystal and offered it to her. "Including yours."

Byakuren attempted to reach out to it, paused for a moment, then took it from my hands. "My distortion… I can feel it, all the awful things I used to do, think and believe… all contained within this mysterious stone of skulls, a reminder of the wicked person I once was."

"Uh-huh, and I can make it into something useful," Jose smiled. He took out some tools, including a bare ring, and tinkered with the Crystal of Gluttony. Both Marisa and Nitori watched him intensely as he did so.

"Oooh, show me how to do that sometime!"

"Sorry, it's a trade secret."

"...heh, darn."

After a couple of minutes, Jose held out the completed Ring of Gluttony. "And here! It's a ring you can all use when fighting shadows."

"Oh? How so?" Reimu asked.

"Actually, the Phantom Thieves also explained this to me," I said. "Basically, what Jose has done is concentrate the Fortress ruler's distortion into that ring. If one wears it in battle, they can use a power based on that former ruler and their distortion. Since they're concentrated distortions of former Fortress rulers, they can be quite powerful indeed."

Youmu came forward and looked at the ring. "May I… may I see it?" She asked.

"Sure," Jose said. He handed Youmu the Ring of Gluttony - reaching up to do so, a rare sight given Youmu's short height. She took the ring, turning it around and taking in its intricate details, before slipping it onto her right ring finger, after which she stretched out her fingers to get a feel for the ring.

"Well?" I asked her. "How does it feel?"

Youmu closed her eyes, and clenched her fist. Then, she extended her arm, causing spirits, much like the ones which assisted Shadow Yuyuko during her battle, increasing in number and orbiting around her before her surroundings erupted in cherry blossoms.

"Whoa, impressive!" Marisa exclaimed.

As the petals settled, Youmu drew her sword and slashed the air in front of her several times before sheathing it once more.

"I feel… more powerful," she said. "I think it might only be for a short time, but…"

"I see," I observed. "A skill which revitalizes you and increases your power. Certainly, that will be a useful tool during our investigations." I turned to Byakuren next. "Why don't you try giving yours to Jose for him to tinker with?"

"Oh? Well, certainly." She knelt down to give Jose the crystal, and I could swear I saw him staring briefly at her cleavage. Not that I had any room to complain, given how much I did that when I was a child. Once more, he tinkered and toiled with the crystal, all while Marisa and Nitori watched intently. After a few moments, he had a newly minted Ring of Vanity, and offered it back to Byakuren for her to inspect.

"Well, how did I do?" he asked. "I mean, after all, that is all yours."

Byakuren slipped the ring onto her finger, and concentrated to get a feel for it. Like Youmu, she then extended her arm, this time causing an apparition of a colosseum, like the one we fought her shadow in, to appear all around us, with crowds cheering us on, and filling us all up with fighting spirit, which even appeared around us in orange waves, before disappearing.

Byakuren put her arm down, and looked straight. "My power… even my distortion can become my power!"

"That's just another sign you've overcome it," I said. "Taming that darkness into a power you can use to benefit yourself and your teammates."

"I'm glad it turned out well!" Jose chirped. "By the way, all those flowers? I've got tons of things for you to look through in exchange." He went over to the car, pressed a button, and all of a sudden a starry tent popped out and established itself in front of it. "Feel free to take a look!"

"Alright, awesome!" Marisa wasted no time pilfering the pile of junk Jose had, looking for something worthwhile to add to her own pile of junk back in her house, no doubt. Meanwhile, me and Reimu searched for more moderate goods such as medicine and "soul" items, which I knew were rather rare. I was just about to ask Jose for one such item, when Marisa pulled out some sort of disc from the pile and inspected it.

"What's this thing?" she asked. "It says 'Battle Memory: Kamoshida.'"

Jose came over to her. "Oh, right. Well, when I was working on rings for the Phantom Thieves, I copied the distortions because I thought I could do something later. That disc contains the memory of their battle with Suguru Kamoshida's shadow."

"Suguru Kamoshida…" Reimu mused. "I feel like I've… wait, that was that gym teacher you told us about who was molesting those girls?"

"Yes, he was," I nodded.

Reimu shook her fist. "I rue I couldn't have been there. I would have kicked his ass so hard…"

Marisa pulled another disc from the pile. "And this one. 'Battle Memory: Madarame.'"

"Ichiryusai Madarame," Jose clarified. "The con artist who fleeced his art students for money and fame."

Nitori took both of the discs from Marisa, and looked them over. "Hmm… mmm-hmm… ooohhh… aha!"

"What is it?" I asked.

"I think I can do something with these!" she said excitedly. "If I can get these, then if you give me a few days I can whip up something good for all of you!"

I wondered what she would want to do with them, but then I remembered her still-unfinished battle training facility, and realized what she likely had in mind. "Aha, I see. Well, I see no reason why not."

"Cool!" Nitori pocketed the discs, and I went ahead and got supplies with our remaining flowers, before we headed up.


We went straight for the blue wall at the end of Prajna block, since according to Nitori all of our targets were behind it.

"I thought you couldn't see behind it?" Reimu asked.

"Well, I used to not, but for some reason, after beating Byakuren's shadow, we-"

She touched the wall, which opened up down the middle, the two doors sliding away to reveal another staircase leading up further into the tower.

"Whoa!" She jumped back and squealed as the doors opened.

"Our triumph over another fortress must have weakened the seal enough to allow us to pass," I observed. "Perhaps as long as we keep finding and destroying fortresses, we can access more of the tower."

"If that's the case," Marisa asked, "then do you think this place and the fortresses are related?"

"They must be, if it is the case," I said. "After all, Mementos was the source of all palaces."

Nitori read the inscription on the archway leading above. "It says 'Dhyana.' Could that be the name of the next block?"

"Dhyana?" Byakuren said. "And, you all were talking about 'Prajna' as well?"

"That's the name of the block we're currently in," I said.

"Interesting… then, this tower has sections named after the six Paramitas, or Perfections."

"Paramitas?" I asked.

"Well, I mean, this whole place has Buddhist imagery and themes, and we've got two experts now to guide us through all of it," Nitori said.

"Indeed," Mamiko affirmed. "The six Paramitas: Prajna, which is Wisdom; Dhyana, which is Meditation; Virya, which is Vitality; Shila, which is Morality; Dana, which is generosity; and Kshanti, or Patience. There are also four additional Paramitas which are sometimes included: Upaya, which is Skill; Bala, which is Strength; Pranidhana, Determination; and Jnana, Knowledge."

I nodded. "I see. So, in other words, what you're saying is that there could be anywhere from six to ten blocks, and potentially that many fortresses locking them away."

"Potentially, yes," Mamiko said.

"Furthermore," Youmu added, "it would seem that the block names correspond with the people we had to defeat to unlock them. For example, Yuyuko-sama is very wise, if deceitful and playful at times."

"And I spend much of my free time meditating," Byakuren added.

"Then, I wonder if the other block names could give us ideas who our other opponents might be," Reimu wondered. "Or, if the people who become distorted somehow shape the floors we explore." She signed. "Certainly, I want to know how deep - or high, I suppose - this whole incident goes."

I stepped onto the stairs. "Well, we won't find out if we don't dive in and take a look around. Doktor, guide the way."

"Absolutely," Nitori said, as we ascended the stairs.

Compared to the purple walls of the block below, Dhyana block had blue walls, and torches with blue flames. Additionally, we found shadows from Byakuren's fortress, including the Daemons and Andras from when the arena twisted and distorted as regular foes fighting alongside the Archangels, Shiisas, Ame-no-Uzumes and whatnot we encountered as shadows beforehand. It was during these trials that we managed to see the full extent of Byakuren's capabilities: like Marisa, she could also heal, albeit only groups as opposed to either groups or individuals, so she couldn't do it as often. She was also rather reliant on instant kills, which seemed to work more often than normal and became even more effective the more time elapsed between uses, while her Kouha spells didn't appear to hit as hard even when the target was weak to them. Finally, she could take far, far more punishment than the rest of us as long as she wasn't targeted with Curse attacks, leading me to realize she was a "tank" of sorts. Finally, just her very presence made us all feel more powerful, as though we could power through blows which would knock us down otherwise.

And, of course, she was very fond of her very large, very heavy gun, which none of the rest of us could even pick up, much less run and jump with.

This all came to the forefront when we found and confronted Hayate Uchishiba's shadow, who, unsurprisingly, took the form of an Incubus. Rather amusingly, Reimu at one point confused him with Pulinpa, causing him to cough up exorbitant amounts of cash which Marisa sucked up like Kirby at a KFC buffet, before we knocked him down and unleashed an All-Out Attack to make him come to his senses.

"I couldn't help it!" he pleaded. "I've never been able to find love, so I got jealous of all those bastards who got girlfriends and lived happily ever after!"

"And you think that's acceptable?" I shot back. "That kind of thinking is precisely why no girl would ever want to marry you. Now, destroy the camera, destroy the photos, and repay all the ransom money. Once you do, maybe you can rethink your attitude and get a fresh start."

He chuckled. "Heh. Of course. Why didn't I see I was such a selfish bastard? If it's the least I can do to make amends, then I…" He then disappeared into light, and we collected his treasure bud, a flower.

"Phew, that should put an end to his crimes," Reimu said. "I can't believe someone like him slipped under my notice."

"Well, I mean, you look for major threats to the Hakurei Border, not small-time criminals," Marisa commented. "The people in the Village would probably trust you less than they already do if you tried to play cop all of a sudden."

"Or," I suggested, "perhaps if you stepped up to intervene in minor crimes and peacefully de-escalate them, they might gain your trust."

"That's…" Reimu shook her head. "Look, let's just move on to the next target."

"Fair enough," I replied. So we continued further up the tower, collecting flowers, treasure and cash, and for me, picking up a couple shadows along the way as well. At one point, we encountered a safe room, and I used the chance to fuse some more Personas, eventually coming out with a Mothman and an Anzu. Shortly afterwards, we encountered the shadow of Masashito Takanashi, who took the form of a Jack Frost; needless to say, he went down in short order, and we confronted him.

"Come on," he complained, "why do you have to go after me and not Hideo? He's the bigger bully, and he picks on me all the time!"

I shook my head. "But that is no excuse for you to go and bully others. Go confront that bully, tell your teacher, do what you need to to get him to stop, but you need to stop picking on others."

He nodded. "Okay. I will. I'll stand up to him and tell Kamashirasawa-sensei too." He too disappeared into light, leaving behind a Dekaja skill card.

...Dekaja. All I had to do now was find or fuse a Nue.

"Excellent," Marisa smiled. "Two down, one more to go."

"Right," Reimu nodded. "Kosu-chan…"

"We'll help her out, no matter what," Marisa said. "We all got your back."

Reimu nodded. "Right."

With Reimu's resolve renewed, we continued our ascent up the tower, making sure not to stay on a floor for too long, to avoid the Reaper.

"The 'Reaper?'" Byakuren asked us.

"Yeah, so there's this really big, badass shadow that wanders this place, according to Goro. If it catches up to us, we're all gonna be toast, so we have to keep moving to avoid it."

We were near a staircase up as we were discussing this, when the telltale rattle of the chains echoed down the hallways.

"That's our cue to move on," I said. "Hurry."

"Understood." All seven of us filed up the stairs, safely away from the Reaper's wrath.

As it turned out, the next floor up was the last one for this block. On the opposite side of the room was a green wall, heralding the entrance to the next block above. And standing in front of it was the shadow of a short, young girl with orange pigtails.

"Kosu-chan!" Reimu rushed forward to confront the shadow, while we all followed behind.

"What are you doing here?!" Shadow Kosuzu accosted.

"We're here to help you," Reimu said.

"Help me? Bullshit! You're just here to tell me what my place in Gensokyo is again!"

Reimu's eyes widened. "No, no, that's not it! We're here because we want to-"

"I don't fucking care," Shadow Kosuzu shot back. "Secrets? Borders of fantasy and reality? I refuse to be leashed by anyone, human or youkai! Allow me to show you my determination and strength!"

She shivered, before dissolving into black and re-emerging as an Oni.

"Kosu-chan…"

"Now's not the time," I said. "Here it comes!"

Compared to Shadow Mitori in the block below, Shadow Kosuzu had no special tricks or gimmicks - just a lot of hard-hitting attacks with her staff which we had to dodge while retaliating with greater power. We struggled to dent her with physical attacks; fortunately Youmu managed to freeze her solid, allowing Mamiko to come in and shatter it, knocking Shadow Kosuzu down in the process.

"Did we get her?" Marisa asked.

"Hold on… no, not yet!" Nitori exclaimed.

Shadow Kosuzu got back onto her feet, then shouted, "I hold the secrets of the Night Parade Scroll! Watch as I unleash Hell!" She then cast a spell which was clearly Mudoon.

"I'll take this," Byakuren said as she blocked the way, before Marisa butted in.

"No! Get away, you fool!" Marisa elbow-tackled Byakuren aside and took the Mudoon in her; absorbing it harmlessly as a result.

"Oww… Marisa, how could you-"

"That shit woulda killed 'ya fer sure!" Marisa shouted. "Next time, let me handle anything Curse-related!"

"Anything Curse-related," I thought. I looked at Nitori. "Doktor, have you scanned her weaknesses?"

"I just got done, sorry for the wait. Bless attacks, give her divine punishment!"

I grinned. "Priest, Starburst. Perhaps you two could work together on this one: Priest goes on the offensive with Bless attacks, while Starburst will block Curse attacks for her."

The two magicians looked at each other for a second, then nodded in agreement. "Actually, that idea's pretty solid," said Marisa.

"Indeed," Byakuren affirmed. "Crow is quite the strategist."

"Splendid. I'll provide backup. Seraph, you get in here, too."

"Roger that," Reimu said. All of us then assaulted her with Bless moves, including Byakuren's Kouga, my Makougaon and Reimu's gohei. Once she was down, we were free to let loose a devastating All-Out Attack.

Once the dust settled, Shadow Kosuzu knelt down, back to normal.

"Kosu-chan," Reimu said. "I was being honest when I said I wanted to help you."

"Geh…" Shadow Kosuzu sniffled. "You don't get it. Nothing's been the same ever since I was possessed by the Night Parade scroll. People in the village spread rumors about me now because of it. Sure, I put on a friendly face for customers and visitors, especially Akyuu-sama, you and Marisa, but inside, I'm…" She broke down crying. "I wish I could undo everything! Burn those youma books and scatter the ashes into the river! I wish I could be just a normal girl again!"

Reimu knelt down herself to comfort Shadow Kosuzu. "Kosu-chan, I… I mean, you're right. I suppose it was partly my fault for letting those things happen. Telling you about Gensokyo's true nature from the start would have been dangerous, for sure, but in retrospect perhaps we should have told you from the beginning, since in the end we had to spill it anyway. But, what's done is done, and all we can focus on now is controlling the damage."

Shadow Kosuzu continued to sniffle. "But… my ability to read any text, seeing youkai auras… you can't say I'm a normal human anymore, all because of my curiosity. I mean, I was practically a youkai for a hot minute, and if it weren't for Yukari-sama, you… you would have…"

"I…" Reimu looked down, and sighed. "I… couldn't help it. It's my duty as the Shrine Maiden. I'm bound to punish humans who turn into youkai, like that Fortune Teller, and yet…"

"Just because it was the law didn't make it right in that situation," I finished for her.

"Crow…"

"Laws can be used to uphold justice, but they can also be twisted and imposed by those wishing pain, suffering, and total control over the populace. It is up to you to decide when laws are worth upholding, and not to blindly follow them like a sheep. Just because someone has committed a crime, does not mean they cannot be redeemed."

...says the person who murdered dozens of people and ruined the lives of countless others.

Reimu was silent, as though she had trouble understanding what it was I was asking of her. Soon, though, she turned back to Shadow Kosuzu.

"Kosu-chan," she said more confidently. "We all made mistakes, not just you, is what I've been trying to say. I didn't realize it myself, not until that guy came into my life and started making me question how I thought about everything." She looked Shadow Kosuzu in the eye. "I'm sorry."

Shadow Kosuzu smiled. "I accept your apology."

Reimu smiled back. "Just know that no matter what, you have friends looking out for you. If you feel sad, afraid, lonely, or just need someone to talk to, come by the Shrine any time. We'll be happy to have you."

"If I come to the Shrine, you won't forget to show me how to play Spell Cards?"

"It's a promise."

Shadow Kosuzu smiled and nodded, before glowing and disappearing into light, leaving behind a book.

Reimu picked up the book. "A youma book," she said. "Given everything that happened, it's no wonder something like this would represent her distortion." She turned around. "I'll destroy this when we get back. It's too dangerous to be left alone."

"Actually," I suggested, "why don't we hold onto it? It could have some uses here in the Metaverse."

"Like what?" Reimu asked.

"Actually, he's got a point," Nitori said. "I can sense dark energies coming from that thing. No doubt someone who clung onto it would find their Curse attacks getting stronger. And since Crow is the only one here who can use them…"

I nodded. "Regardless, we should leave it in responsible hands. I'm sure it will be harmless inside of Starburst's bag gun…"

Doktor then came over and collected the book from Reimu. "Actually, let me mess around with it. I might be able to refine it into something more readily usable."

Reimu chuckled. "Heh. I guess the Metaverse really does work in different, strange ways compared to reality."

"Indeed." I turned to Marisa and Byakuren. "And you two. I think you did a fine job working together. If you continue to join forces, I doubt any demonic shadows will stand a chance, and even other shadows will fear you."

"Working with Priest… 'ya know, I never really thought about it until now, but we're both witches, so I guess that makes us two peas in a pod."

"I thought it was brave of Marisa to step in and save me, and wonderful she can do that," Byakuren said. "Still, she managed to push me away rather easily. I've sparred with her several times, and she was never able to do that…"

Marisa tipped her hat. "Well, here in the Metaverse, we've got a whole different set of powers than the real world. Speed and strength we don't have out there, totally different magic, and abilities based on, according to this guy, our own idea of a hero."

"Our own idea of a hero…" Byakuren looked at herself. "I wonder why I look like a biker, then."

"Prolly because you like riding bikes out there," Marisa said.

"Plus, you spend most of your time acting peaceful and serene," Reimu added.

"So, what better way to represent a hero and a rebel than a biker chick?" Nitorio said.

"One who uses Christian imagery?" Marisa said again.

"In other words," I said, "you are a priest who exorcises demons not with words, not with Bibles, but with fists and lead. That wild, inner part of you who wishes to break loose of your normal calm and serenity, and absolutely let loose. That is the part of you reflected in your appearance and your Persona. It is the 'you' which you had repressed until now but now accept wholly as a part of your person."

Byakuren looked at herself again, then looked at all of us. "I see… then, all of your appearances are your heroic ideals as well."

"Yes," I nodded.

"Byakuren smiled. "Then I shall do my best to live up to my hidden ideal, both here and out there."

"Don't… go overboard with it," Marisa said. "You're a scary person when you get zealous. But yeah, I think we'll make a great combo."

"Indeed." I looked at the green door. "It seems we won't be able to proceed any further. I suggest we head back for today."

"Eh? But, I still got some fight in me," Marisa said.

"Perhaps," I said, "but we don't want to expend all of our energy in this place in one day." I was thinking ahead, potentially, to two days from now, when we would potentially be thrust into the fight of a lifetime. "There will be plenty of time to come back here to plunder treasure and train."

"I mean… if you say so," Marisa shrugged.

"I think it's a good idea," said Youmu, the only other person who knew of the plan. "We don't want to completely wear ourselves down."

Reimu stretched out, including her wings. "Well, I for one don't object. Let's head back."

"Alright then." So we warped back to the entrance, collected some more things from Jose, then went our separate ways for the day.