I waited at the top of the tree. Waiting for them to come, to settle this once and for all.
I never wished for things to turn out this way between us. Between me and Ren, Goro and especially Sumire. Between me and all of the others. All I wished for was to grant the people of the world a life free of pain and suffering.
I looked down. I thought about Ren's harsh words yesterday. How I was only doing this to distract myself from my own pain. How I couldn't help Rumi. How she was probably out there, living her life as though neither myself nor her family existed, and there was nothing I could do about it if I didn't want to subject her to that trauma again.
To me, she was now as good as dead.
I shook my head. It didn't matter anymore. If I couldn't help her, then I would do all I could to ensure the rest of the world never knew my immeasurable pain.
I detected someone entering the Garden of Eden. When I looked down to see who it was, it was someone I did not expect to ever see again.
Face-up on the grass, wings spread out across the ground, a grand tabard and chest armor like that of an Angelic guard, and a fan-like mask obscuring her face.
I tensed up. I realized it was her. The one who almost killed me, and the one I had been having nightmares about ever since that day.
"...nnnh…" She stirred, looked around, and pushed herself up. She looked around for a few seconds, no doubt captivated by the paradise I had created.
"...where… am I?"
I hesitated to speak up; I feared she would lash out if she did. However, a few seconds later, I heard movement, and the Phantom Thieves entered the Garden as well.
"We made it," said Morgana.
"I hope Maruki is here," said Sumire.
Reimu turned around, and Haru pointed at her. "Wait… are you…?"
"...you again?" Reimu asked.
"Wait, how the hell did you get here?" Ryuji asked.
"I… don't know," Reimu shrugged. "The last thing I remember was drinking sake, and then…"
Yusuke looked around. "I don't see that other girl with you. You came on your own this time."
At this time, I decided to speak up. "I see you made it," I announced. All of them turned around and faced the tree. "Come on up, I'll meet with you at the center of Paradise…" I then manifested a spiral staircase, allowing them to climb up.
Reimu shook her fist. "That… that man again. Maruki." She whipped out her gohei. "So, you invited me here so that I could personally kick your ass again? Very well, wish granted."
"She seems quite fired up," Akechi noted. "And we can finally move on now that we've got some stairs." He whipped out his hand. "Let's end this."
"Right!" declared Sumire.
They raced up the stairs; Makoto summoned her Persona to ride up the stairs, while Reimu angled her wings and flapped them in such a way as to give herself extra speed and push as she ascended. Ren even used a grappling hook to skip some of the stairs, an idea some of the others copied, while Futaba simply flew up in her Persona.
"We're all ready. Let's do it, Joker!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Try exercising more patience this time, remember?" Morgana reminded them.
"No way is THAT happening!" Ryuji complained.
Haru giggled. "Oh, I think everything'll be fine. It's basically the same as we always do!"
They raced up the steps, right toward my perch. "I can see the top now!" Sumire exclaimed. "We're almost there!" They kept running, running like their life depended on it.
And then, they were here.
"Thank you for coming," I said simply, turning around to face the group. "It looks like I have your answer."
"You've HAD our answer," Ren reaffirmed. "It's time to finish this."
"Indeed. No more hesitation."
Reimu pointed her gohei at me. "Maruki! We meet again! Even I have no idea how I got here or why! Make no mistake, your threat to the Hakurei Border ends here!"
...Hakurei Border? I had no idea what she was talking about. And it was clear the Phantom Thieves weren't that sure either.
I walked forward. "If you win, my heart will be changed. However, if I win, my reality becomes the true reality. I will overwrite all of existence with my cognition"
"And if I win," Reimu sneered, "the yama of Tokyo is going to have a field day with you."
"Dude," Ryuji said, "she's still determined to kill him?"
"We mustn't argue with her right now," Akechi replied. "We'll need her assistance if we are to leave here alive."
"Doctor…" Sumire stood up and pointed her sword. "No matter what happens, we'll take back the rightful reality!"
"I see…" I looked up. "I'm not holding back anymore!"
The ground quaked, and they all stepped back. "Wh-what the?"
"Just as you all have your own beliefs, I too have no intention of changing my plans for reality. No matter what happens to me in the end, I will fix this torturous world! THAT is my OWN rebellion!" The space around me glowed, and I transformed into my own Metaverse attire, shining gold and staff in hand.
"His apparel just…"
I stepped forward. "And I believed you called forth your power like this: Persona." I grasped my mask, and all around me, tentacles manifested and uncoiled, a monolith plated in gold floating behind me, the source of them all: Azathoth.
"No way!" Morgana exclaimed. "So Maruki really does have a Persona!"
"I'd regret not pointing this out to you: you shouldn't mistake our powers as being equal."
"Of course they're not," Reimu retorted, unperturbed. "I've taken down dozens of gods and monsters tougher than that thing. You're nothing more to me than just another trophy on the wall!"
This girl… such indomitable strength of heart and will. I knew there was going to be no negotiating with her. And apparently, she saw no reason to either.
"It's time, Azathoth… our final battle has come…" I knew: no matter what happened and no matter how much of a fight they put up, I would see my reality through, or die trying. If I failed now, everything I had done would be for nought, and I would have nothing left. I was too far along: it was all or nothing, and I had the world to win. I was not going to be intimidated, not even when I was outnumbered twelve to one!
I faced them all, ready to fight, not just physically but also for my reality and ideals.
"Dr. Maruki!" Sumire exclaimed.
"I have to do this," I said. "Get ready!" My Persona's tentacles bore their claws, ready to take them on, defend me, and defend my Persona.
"Oracle, analysis," Ren commanded.
"Just a second, I'm getting a lot of different readings. Just hold them off until I'm done!"
"Understood." Ren looked at the others. "We should play defensively. Watch out for the tentacles, they can attack us without warning!"
"Got it!" Akechi then summoned his Persona, which appeared different from before, being a sort of archer clad in black with a compound bow. "PERSONAAAAA!" He blasted me with Megidolaon; my tentacles shielded me, but sustained heavy damage.
"Crow, what did I literally JUST say?!" Ren sighed. "Oh well, I guess he'll just be Crow, no matter what." He then summoned Metatron and came at me.
"My Persona guides me!" I directed one of the tentacles to grab him, before it got hit by a projectile and evaporated into mist. I looked to the side, and saw Reimu with her own Persona out.
"You're lucky I don't have my usual sealing amulets or Yin-Yang orb," she said. "Otherwise this fight would already be over and you'd be plastered against the wall over there covered in amulets and with enough needles in your skin to hit all of your pressure points ten times over." She twirled her gun. "But no matter, even with this handicap, I'll mop the floor with you!"
"...she considers having a Persona a handicap?" Morgana wondered.
"Just what kind of power does she wield normally?" Makoto asked.
"Alright, here's the results," Futaba announced. "Looks like those arms shift their resistances around in response to attacks. Keeping track of them would be tricky, so just use any all-hitting attack you're immune to yourself. In other words, smear 'em!"
"Alright," Ren said. "And then I want Mona and Queen healing as much as possible, and tossing buffs and debuffs when that's not needed, unless we absolutely need you to attack."
"Got it," Makoto nodded.
"Roger," Morgana said.
And so the fight began: I directed Azathoth to launch seeds, nuclear balls and rays of light at them, while they simply let loose with huge amounts of ordinance, except for Reimu, who seemed to insist on hand-to-hand combat, parrying the tentacles and slashing them with her gohei in an attempt to get through to me. Keeping her at length was easy, but it also meant not guarding myself from the assault of Megidolaons, Hassou-Tobis and other assorted elemental firepower that the Thieves kept throwing at me.
"Not bad," I said, "but we've only just begun!" I powered up Azathoth, causing even more tentacles to surround him. "So, let's move on!" I cast a spell, causing the battlefield to distort, and stopping their magic attacks, at least temporarily.
"Wha- why isn't my Persona working?!" Sumire said in shock.
Good. That should hold them at bay for a while. Time to use the reprieve to convince them to my side, I felt, as even though they were my opponents I still couldn't bring myself to kill them.
"Sakamoto-kun! Your dream of running...Running would make life so much easier for your mother! I can make that dream your reality!"
Ryuji stamped his foot. "You're right that a lotta shitty stuff happened to me in the past, but you know what? I'm not gonna let someone just take care of everything for me! I'm gonna fix up my life and the world with my own hands!"
...seems as though I can't get through to Sakamato-kun.
"Morgana-kun! I know how you truly feel..And there's no need to fear your differences anymore! Don't worry...You don't have to explain anything to me. All I have to help you is merely imagine it!"
Morgana shook his head. "I've always said that I'm not a cat. But I'm not a human either. I was created for only one reason: giving hope to humanity. And letting you win would go against everything I stand for, including giving humans the hope and courage to fix the world on their own!"
...Morgana's resolve was rather unshakable as well.
"Takamaki-san! Didn't you always want to protect your friend? Don't abandon such a pure dream when it's right in front of you!"
Ann glared. "Shiho is the strongest person I know! Even if we can't be together as much anymore, we'll never be separated! She has overcome more pain than you'll ever know, and I feel stronger as well knowing that I put Kamoshida in his place!"
...even Takamaki-san wasn't one to be swayed to my reasoning so easily.
"Very well, then," I shook my head as the spell wore off. "Let us continue."
As before, they resumed their assault of elemental spells, while I attempted to counter with my own as well as with tentacles. After a particularly devastating Hassou-Tobi from Ren, I cast another spell, this time disabling their Persona's physical abilities.
"What the- I can't attack?!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Regroup, everyone!" Ren instructed. "Don't waste your energy!"
Another reprieve, and another moment in which I would try and convince them that my reality was the best option.
"Kitagawa-kun! I know you don't really want your approval to be earned through force! You want a world guided by beauty...and I can give you such a world!"
Yusuke shook his head. "There is no beauty to be found in a world where no pain and suffering ever happens. Loss, negativity, fear, hatred, sorrow… as painful as each of these may be, they are an inseparable part of the human experience, inspiring innovation, progress and stories of bravery and heroism! I will not accept an insipid, gilded world without them!"
...the human experience, innovation, progress, heroes...
"Niijima-san! Everyone has the right to wish for a happy family! You don't need to keep holding back your desires!"
Makoto threw her fist out and up. "My family isn't just my family I was born into; it includes the family I've made with my friends as well! Even if both of my parents are dead, I still have all of us, and I am making my parents proud by excelling in life and carrying out their example!"
...Niijima's passion was as powerful as her punches. There was no swaying her.
"Futaba-san! Wishing for the happiness that was robbed for you isn't selfish or asking too much! I just want to give you a world where you can forget your worries and have an ideal family!"
"There's no cheat code for happiness," Futaba retorted. "I was saved from a pit of despair by Ren and everyone else, and I overcame my grief of losing my mom on my own strength! Between Sojiro and my friends, what more ideal family do I need?!"
...even Sakura-san, after everything that had happened, was determined to see the old world through, misery and all.
"It seems I still can't reach an understanding with most of you," I sighed. "I'll just have to keep fighting for my ideals."
As the spell lifted, the group changed tactics, Debilitating Azathoth and incapacitating the tentacles with status effects. So once I had an opening, I cast a third spell, disabling their non-attack tactics.
"I-I can't heal anyone!" Morgana yelped in distress.
"Pull back and regroup!" Ren instructed.
One more try. If I could win even some of them to my side, that could be all I needed to ultimately pull the rest of the group into accepting my reality that I made just for them.
"Okumura-san! Stop tormenting yourself over your father's sins! I swear, I'll give you a world where you'll have every chance to succeed in your own right!"
Haru swept out her hand. "My father was a caring, strong man who fell to the distortions of the world! I will not let anyone dictate what I do anymore! I'll carve my own path to success, no matter what anyone says about it!"
...as delicate and graceful as she seemed on the surface, Okumura-san could unleash the cold steel of her heart whenever she felt the need to.
"Yoshizawa-san! That pain you're suffering... It must be impossible to move on! I want to save you from that awful life!"
"But I HAVE moved on!" Sumire declared. "Ren showed me how to live again! I have the determination now to forge ahead without fear, anxiety or self-doubt, and I'll carry Kasumi's legacy with me everywhere I go!"
...even Yoshizawa-san. I'll admit, the amount of healing she had managed to do in such a short time impressed me, almost enough to make me think twice about granting her wish. Almost.
One more. If there was one person I could convince, it had to be him.
"Akechi-kun! Don't throw away your life! If you're with Ren-kun and his friends, you could begin to atone for what you've done!"
"I don't want to hear that bullshit!" Akechi roared. "I have no need or care to atone for my actions. Do you want to know why?!" He stomped his foot. "Because I'm fake, that's why!"
Everyone else gasped.
"Wha… what do you mean 'fake?'" Futaba asked.
"I mean what I say," he stated. "I'm just a cognition born from Joker's desire to have his best friend still be around, even if I almost killed him out of rage and jealousy. The real me…" He looked at Reimu. "This one claims to know the real me! So death means shit to me! I have no reason to hold back!"
...Akechi-kun was still alive? But… impossible… how could he…
I shook my head once more. "There's no point to this." I summoned a wave of tentacles, aimed at the group. "If I can't make you accept, I will finish this, and implement the true reality without interruption."
"This is bad!" Futaba exclaimed. "Brace yourselves!"
The group huddled and braced, as I fired the first tentacle. But, just as it was about to impact, all of a sudden a crimson blur flew by, slicing it off at the base. Reimu then picked up the entire arm, using it to parry and destroy every single other tentacle, before rushing at me in an attempt to finish me off. I commanded Azathoth to unleash a blast of energy, destroying the tentacle and knocking her back. She landed on her feet, using her wings to steady herself.
"Reimu-san! I know not of your past or your pain, but you must surely harbor sorrow within your heart! I plead to you, accept my reality. I can create a better world for you!"
"What would you know…" She coldly stepped forward. "It has been fifteen years since my mother's death on that stormy night. Do I still miss her? Of course I do. But being held back by the past and wishing to regress to a simpler time isn't what a Hakurei does. I come from a line of warriors, and the story of my family is as blood-red as my clothes and my will to carry out justice." She held her gohei out. "I maintain the balance of youkai and human in Gensokyo, and my loyalty is with that place first and foremost. Everyone, from my closest friends to my greatest enemies, depend on me throwing myself in the line of fire on a regular basis to defend all that they hold dear. It is the last best place for all things magical and mythical. Letting you win would cause all of that to stop existing, and all of its residents, including Goro, to die. Therefore, it is my sworn duty to defeat you, one who threatens genocide even if you do not know it."
She then summoned her Persona, pulled out her gun, and shot me multiple times, causing me to collapse to the ground and tearing up my clothes. If not for my Persona powers, she would have killed me.
"And you just made the mistake of offering me mercy while I'm on the job."
I pushed myself back up, and addressed the only person I had not yet attempted to convince.
"Ren-kun… think about all the pain and suffering you would unleash upon the world if you defeated me… don't you claim to stand for justice?"
Ren nodded. "I do. I despise all injustice, and as the Phantom Thieves, we work together to take it down wherever it is seen."
He then summoned Izanagi-no-Okami.
"And that includes the world of lies you peddle, where free thought and self-improvement don't exist." He grasped his mask. "By the Myriad Truths all will be revealed!" Blasts of light came raining down all around me, striking Azathoth and causing him to fall to the ground, depowered and defeated.
"Wha- no!" I rushed over to him. "Azathoth!"
"Azathoth… did I… fail?"
A torch materialized in front of the Thieves. "Is that…"
"It's Maruki's Treasure," Morgana said. My treasure, the torch which I would use to guide humanity into a new, brighter future.
"But… Why a torch? Haru asked.
"A torch is a light to guide people. It may symbolize his perception of himself as the guide for the entire world," Akechi explained to them. He scoffed. "We're going to change his heart, aren't we? Go on, take it."
Ren walked forward, and I watched as he took it.
"So… this is it…"
The area started to quake. "The place is collapsing!" Futaba exclaimed.
"We'd better take our leave," Yusuke said. Morgana then turned into a van, and all of them climbed in and took off down the stairs.
All of them, except for one.
I looked at her. "What are you doing?" I asked. "You must leave…"
Reimu shook her head. "I'm not leaving until I carry out my duty." She whipped out her gohei. "Now then, any last words?"
I looked at Azathoth. "Rumi… I'm sorry… I couldn't…"
I clenched my fist. "No… I can still…!" I rushed down the debris in pursuit of the Thieves. I can still do this, I told myself. I refuse to accept defeat!
"Wha- get back here!" Reimu took off after me in hot pursuit.
I ran as fast as I could, down the slope, past the falling rocks and glass, until I caught up with the Thieves, perched on a nearby ledge. All of them looked up to me, surprised to see that I had made it out. Reimu came up just behind me, before a falling chunk impacted the path in front of her, knocking her off and forcing her to use her wings to glide over to the same ledge the Thieves were on.
"Sorry, but I won't admit defeat just yet," I proclaimed to them.
Ren stepped forward. "Please stop," he said. "We've already taken the Treasure."
I shook my head. "I'm sorry. You know I can't do that. I've been chosen by the world itself. Granting this wish is my responsibility!"
I reached out my hand, and the torch flew from Ren's hand into mine.
"Ah! He just… his Treasure!" Ann exclaimed.
I lifted the torch into the air, summoning Azathoth in a pillar of light. In an instant, tentacles emerged from him, forming into arms, covering his body, until eventually creating the figure of a massive humanoid. A layer of gold armor covered his body, and he stood tall over everything around him, me, and the Phantom Thieves.
"He's done it…" Morgana said in awe. "He evolved his Persona…"
"If it is for everyone's happiness, I don't care what happens to me," I proclaimed. "Don't resist… accept it. With my power… no, with mine and Adam Kadmon's together, OUR REALITY IS NIGH!"
I stood before them, with Adam Kadmon standing tall behind me.
"I refuse to let it end like this," I declared. "Adam Kadmon… guide us all to our ideal reality!"
"You're wrong!" Sumire countered. "We'll decide what our reality is, even if we have to build it with our bare hands!"
"Yeah!" Futaba said. "We refuse to let this end any other way!"
"Alright!" Morgana pointed his sword at me. "Let's end this right here-"
Reimu spread her wings and held out her gohei, blocking their way while walking slowly towards me.
"What is she doing?" Haru asked.
Reimu took off her mask and looked me in the eyes. "I refuse to let you win," she said coldly. "Summoning a giant golden statue isn't going to shake my will to stop you. Get the Watatsuki sisters on your side and then maybe I'll start getting concerned." She pointed her gohei at me and summoned her Persona. "But your crimes end here!"
I shook my head. I wouldn't call my actions 'crimes,' not unless you were the sort of person who believes liberating people from pain and suffering to be criminal, like the worst tyrants of the past centuries and even now in some destitute nations. "You still don't understand," I said. "I wish to create a world where suffering and agony no longer URK-"
I was caught off-guard by an Agilao to the chest.
"Duel me, coward!"
"Whoa, she's gonna try and fight him and that effin' thing by herself?!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"We need to help her!" Makoto said.
"Actually, let's not, at least for now," Akechi suggested. "She may lash out at us if we do."
"Then, I'll keep analyzing," Futaba said.
"Everyone, be ready to jump in at a moment's notice," Ren instructed them.
As I recovered from the attack, I looked at Reimu. "Alright then. Challenge accepted." I raised my staff. "Persona!"
As Adam Kadmon, my Persona had a number of new attacks replacing the ones it possessed as Azathoth, such as laser bursts from his palms to being able to drain energy from his targets. Hers was relatively much weaker by comparison, relying on somewhat weaker Fire and Gun attacks, but where I had sheer magical power, she more than made up for it with her superior melee combat prowess. Thus, while she was nominally weaker, I was scared to let her get in too close, because I knew that if she managed to breach Adam Kadmon's defensive line, I was likely done for.
Unfortunately, that was exactly what happened. She was very good at dodging his blasts, the only one that could be considered to have hit her was the splash from a Grand Palm. She could use her wings to spin around and deflect other attacks, and in the end, the only thing I managed to do was slow her down. Once I flinched, that's when she went in for the kill. I instinctively clashed with her gohei with my staff in a last effort to defend myself. Somehow, I managed to dislodge it, causing it to flip back toward the Thieves, but then she simply grabbed the staff with her empty hands and pushed back.
"Nice stick," she snarked, before snapping it in half, ripping the halves from my hands, throwing the spiky end at my hip and then kicking me back against Adam Kadmon.
She went to retrieve her gohei, then turned back to face me. "Just give up," she sneered. "Who knows? I might spare you if you do…"
"Why are ya so hellbent on killin' doc?" Ryuji asked.
"What he's doing is wrong," Makoto said, "but he's far from irredeemable!"
"That's right," Morgana nodded. "As twisted as his methods are, his wish is far more noble than scum like Kamoshida, Madarame, Kaneshire and especially Shido. We can't afford to let him win, but where he's coming from…"
"It isn't much different from our own backgrounds," Futaba said. "I mean, he pretty much lost his girlfriend to a tragic incident where her parents were brutally killed. That'd cause anyone to warp the world for the better if they could, just like him."
"But… see it from my perspective," Reimu countered. "This man's actions are already causing Gensokyo to grow unstable, and that place could tear itself apart if this is left unchecked. Gensokyo, my home, where my friends live, and which youkai and lost gods depend on in order to survive."
"Hmm. I suppose you would have a rather more vested interest in eliminating Dr. Maruki's threat if that is the case," Yusuke noted.
"But… I'm still not completely clear on what Gensokyo actually is…" Ann said.
"Hah." Reimu's shoulders dropped. "I suppose since the cat's already out of the bag for you all, go ask Sumireko about it. She'll tell you everything that you need to know." She turned back to me. "Now then… what are we going to do with you?"
I wrenched myself off of the ground. "I'm… I'm sorry."
Reimu smirked. "Well, I guess you at least admit it. Not that it's going to mean much-"
"I said I didn't care what happened to me," I interrupted. "But I guess I wasn't committed to my words."
Adam Kadmon offered his hand.
"Heh… you too, huh?"
Akechi immediately pointed his gun at me. And Reimu too, for good measure.
"Crow-senpai!" Sumire exclaimed. "What are you-"
"Can't you tell?" he said, before firing his gun, whose shots were only blocked by tentacles coming out of the ground. Reimu's shots were similarly deflected.
"What the hell is he doing?" Reimu wondered.
I walked toward Adam Kadmon, the tendrils circling me as I did so. "You feel the same way, don't you?" I walked up onto his hand. "Of course you do… after all…"
Akechi flipped out his sword, and walked toward me, with Reimu backing him up. "No!" Sumire cried out, "you can't!"
"We hesitate right now, we die!" he shot back.
"We don't know what he's doing," Reimu said. "Better to stop it while we're ahead."
But their efforts were in vain. Adam Kadmon lifted me up to safety, then I floated up and allowed myself to be absorbed into his face.
…
I found myself surrounded by tendrils. They were all around me, casting a blue glow in the pitch blackness.
I held out my arms, and offered myself. "I'm all yours… use me however you want. Now… show us the reality… the reality we wished for…"
A tendril stabbed into the back of my neck, and I let out a pained gasp as it did.
I felt a pulse, and everything turned red.
"I am thou, and…"
Our power flared, and our eyes glowed.
"THOU ART I!"
We unleashed a mighty, energy-filled punch, slamming our fist into the ground and sending a colossal shockwave which knocked all of our opponents back, some onto their backs, while others stalwartly managed to stay on their feet, their faces covered in blood and bruises and their clothes torn as debris flew into them.
"Oh no!" Futaba exclaimed.
We spoke up. "This power is the source… and the destination! I will be the light that guides mankind!"
"But we're still not going to run," Makoto declared.
"We're going to beat you, and go back to our OWN reality!" Sumire called.
"That's the spirit," Morgana cheered. "Now let's finish this!"
Yes, let's finish this. Us, not them. My determination to see my reality come to fruition was indomitable now. I had everything to lose, and everything to gain, too. I had to do this, for Rumi's sake. I would be failing her if I didn't win now.
The Thieves tried to attack, but their blows simply bounced off of our body, armored in gold and shining as brilliantly as the sun. "Huh? Nothing works?" Morgana exclaimed.
We reeled back another punch. We were ready to finish this.
"No! I must not fail you all!" we exclaimed.
"This is bad!" Futaba shouted. "Everyone get back!"
We aimed our punch at Ren, the leader. Swinging with all our might, we slammed down onto the ground, creating a massive explosion and shockwave, kicking up so much dust that nothing could be seen.
Did we do it?, we thought.
Silence, for a few moments, before a figure dashed out of the dust right towards us. It was Ren, absolutely furious and ready to swing away. He came right up to us, and started slashing with his knife so fast it was as though we were in an over-the-top action anime, and he was tearing away the armor as well, which he previously could not do. Moments later, the other Thieves came out of the dust cloud, and began swinging away and tossing ordinance in similarly extreme fashions, and we simply could not react fast enough to defend ourselves from the relentless onslaught.
"What the… what is this power?" Futaba exclaimed.
"It doesn't matter," Akechi yelled. "Let's slice and dice!" Seemingly no one else objected to his bloodlust, and they continued their savage attack, ripping away armor and striking the soft skin underneath.
As we attempted to swat them away, one final figure emerged from behind them. It was Reimu. Her wings were fully spread out.
And she was flying. She wasn't able to fly before.
"Time to die!" she called out, as she summoned her Persona and charged me. She then started throwing far more powerful attacks than she had used before: Inferno, Blazing Hell, Riot Gun and Megidolaon. Since she could fly, she directed her attacks at our head, and was able to repel our swings for the Thieves.
"This is completely badass!" Ryuji shouted.
"We've completely turned the tables," Makoto said.
"But still… why do we have this power?" Haru asked.
Ann then pointed at someone's back. "Wait… is that…"
Sumire felt her back, then pointed at Ren's. "Do we have… doors on our backs?"
...doors? On their backs? How was that possible?
The Thieves briefly let up their attacks to recharge, and we used the moment to look around for anything amiss, for any possible outside interference.
That's when we noticed her. Floating in the air, far behind the battlefield with a colorful aura behind her, was a blonde woman in yellow-and-green robes and a black hat, her limbs spread out, and feeding power into the Thieves.
We realized then that she was the reason for their newfound strength. We reckoned that if we could get rid of her, then we could turn the battle back toward our favor, and we could then see our dream world into reality. So, we wound up a mighty punch, and thrust forward with all our power, intent on knocking her straight out of the air.
Our punch impacted. Far too early, we realized.
We looked up.
A truly massive, demonic figure with six wings had blocked our punch.
"Whoa… look at that!" Morgana said in awe.
"No way… it's that Persona again…" Yusuke said.
"It has a door on its back, too!" Sumire exclaimed. "Did it power up Joker-senpai's Persona?"
Everyone stood back in awe at the hulking monstrosity of a Persona before us. Even Reimu, who couldn't do more than just hang in the air staring at it, was dumbstruck.
Ren looked up, then glared at us, sweeping his hand. "Repel the lies, Satanael!"
And Satanael did as his master commanded: it parried away our arm, held up a truly massive rifle with one hand, and fired a shot into our chest. The power soon dissipated, and Ren's Persona reverted into its prior state as Raoul. However, gravely wounded as we now were, that didn't matter much anymore.
Desperate, and still not wanting this world to slip away from us, we mounted one last attack, pouring all of our remaining strength into a forceful punch, and launching the fist right into the group.
The fist impacted, but not on the ground. Instead, we looked down and saw all of the Phantom Thieves marshalling the combined strength of their Personas to repel the attack, while Reimu had seemingly rolled off to the side to dodge it instead.
"Everyone!" said Ren, straining his voice. "Push it back! It's weak!"
Akechi then looked over at Reimu. "You know, we could use a goddamn hand over here!"
Reimu did not answer. Instead, she looked up at our arm, which was being held back by the Thieves. She apparently saw an opening, because with one mighty, wing-assisted bound, she leaped on top of the arm and ran right up it, again using her wings to provide more speed up the incline.
"What is she doing?" Sumire asked.
"Actually, I think I know!" Futaba said. "Everyone, just keep pushing back!"
We couldn't do much more than watch in horror as the red-and-white warrior angel came speeding up the arm, before jumping into the air, spreading her wings wide, raising her gohei and summoning her Persona to unleash a single bullet from the barrel of its weapon, right into our head.
The bullet pierced Adam Kadmon's skull, destroyed several tendrils, then struck the top of my mask, destroying it.
Time seemed to slow, as the tendrils came undone and disintegrated. I felt myself falling, thoughtless, since any thoughts I would have had at that moment were completely frozen and blank.
All of them, that is, except one.
"I'm sorry, Adam Kadmon," I whispered. "I've failed you."
A massive explosion sent me careening through the air and into the palace, which was now in its death throes as floors collapsed on top of one another, pillars toppled, and what few surviving shadows and cognitions there were made futile efforts to scramble to safety. I landed face-first on the remains of a glass platform, by body sprawling out in all directions.
"Owww…" I managed to push myself back up onto my feet, before my Metaverse attire dissolved. I was now left in nothing more than the doctor's clothes I was wearing before, my hair back to its usual, messy, unkempt look.
I realized what that meant. The Metaverse was disappearing, and my powers along with it.
I looked all around. All my work, everything I believed in and worked for years to achieve, was now literally falling apart. I couldn't believe it. What did I do wrong? Was I not committed enough to my vision? When did my differences between myself and the Thieves begin?
Most of all, though, I just stared forward in disbelief. I wanted to create the perfect world, one where no pain and suffering existed, and get back at the bastards who tried to fuck me, pillage my research and use it for their own selfish gain.
But now, my perfect world would be no more. And I had no one but myself to blame for it.
I looked up, and saw a helicopter flying out toward the city lights, with Ren hanging off the bottom on a grappling hook. I couldn't do anything but watch the people who defeated me sail off into the night.
Then, as if on cue, she appeared. Floating down gracefully with her wings, she touched down upon the floor, and began to walk towards me. As she did, her own appearance changed, with her angelic look giving way to an unusual shrine maiden outfit. Her silky, black, free-flowing hair was now tied up with a large bow and hair tubes, although it still swayed in the wind. She expertly twirled her long gohei around between her hands. And without the mask, there was nothing obscuring the angry red eyes which pierced right through my very being.
I didn't know that the angel of death would be so beautiful.
"Well then…" she said. "It would seem to just be the two of us now."
I looked at her solemnly, too crushed from my defeat to even be scared of her anymore. "What is it that you want?"
"I'm sure you already know," she threatened. "You've been beaten. Your threat no longer exists. And now I must ensure that you do not repeat your crimes." She stopped walking. "But before I do, I'm feeling a little merciful. I've seen your actions and methods, but I've never heard your motive. Tell me, why did you want to override existence and throw our world into chaos, threatening the land which I call home?"
"I…"
I collapsed.
"I couldn't… Rumi… I did it all for her sake… because I can never live with her again…" I broke down crying, smashing the ground with my hand. "Why? Why, Rumi?! Why did such an awful thing have to happen to you?! I… even with this power given to me by God, I couldn't create the world I wanted." I slammed the ground. "I gave up everything so that no one could suffer as I have, and now I have nothing left! Fucking nothing!" I screamed toward the sky, "are you happy now, Shido, you piece of dogshit?! What about you, Trump? Putin? Kim? Are you all pointing at me and laughing while the world burns under your tyranny?!"
If she was listening at all to what I was saying, she wasn't voicing her opinion on it.
The ground shook, and the glass platform began to come apart. It cracked around me. Let it, I thought. I didn't care anymore. I had nothing left. Death didn't scare me. If Reimu wanted to kill me, punish me for what I did, all she had to do was stand there and watch as I fell to my fate.
Finally, the glass gave way, and I fell. I resigned myself to my fate. If I am to leave this world behind, I might as well do so on my own terms…
I suddenly stopped.
I looked up, surprised, to see Reimu leaning over the edge, grabbing my hand.
"Huh? Why? Why are you…"
"You're not going out like that," she said. "I will hold you to your actions. I will see justice done."
She began to glow white… and so did I. I looked into her eyes as sheer whiteness blocked out everything else in my vision.
I woke up.
When I woke up, I saw a wooden ceiling. I looked down at my body, and saw I was in a futon.
I pushed myself up off the floor, and looked at my surroundings. I was in a small room.
No. Based on the bars off to one side, I was in a cell. Where the cell was, I didn't know. The room beyond the cell looked like the inside of a Shinto shrine, rather than any normal jail. In this cell, there was a toilet on the far side and not much else besides the tatami. The cell was fairly large, yet empty. I thought to myself, what is this place? How did I get here? What happened after my palace collapsed?
My questions were answered when I heard a door slide open and then back shut. Footsteps came my way, and then. She. Appeared before me.
"I see you're up," Reimu said. "I was surprised when you appeared on the floor next to me."
I grasped the bars. "...where am I?"
Reimu looked at me and smirked.
"Welcome… to Gensokyo."
