Persona Trinity

by IIIIIIIIII

Six months have passed since the defeat of Yaldabaoth and the disbandment of the Phantom Thieves. Ren Amamiya now enjoys a normal high-school life, hard-won though it may be. For once, normalcy started to feel normal. However, the whims of fate would set the Wild Card User on another path. And he would be far from the only one fate would call on. Pairing: Pseudo RenxHarem YuxHarem

26. The Tower of Strenght

A/N Been a short while, but here we are. As a heads up, I decided to split the chapter up after all, though I'm still proofing the second half (which is actually a good-bit longer) and that'll be released this coming Friday.

Also, great news that P5 Royal, P4 Golden, and P3 Port are gonna be on XBOX within the next year! Cool news to have gotten today, right? My guess is the same thing will happen to PS5 as well, but the XBOX announcement just came first. We'll see, though. Atlus is a weird af company that does weird af stuff sometimes.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona, or any of its character, and I make no money off of this

Chapter 26

August 5th — Shinjuku: SPD Precinct

Naoto Shirogane sat diligently in a conference room she'd long converted into an office, her eyes zooming across page after page of notes and documents that were in the case files surrounding Akashi Nijima's death.

Abruptly, Yu came walking in through the door. He opened it with extreme caution so as to not disturb her, and the moment he laid eyes on her, he realized he'd made the correct call.

The daylight had nearly faded, and yet it was perfectly clear that she hadn't noticed in the slightest. It might have been the most engrossed in something that he'd ever seen her.

Eventually, his presence was noticed.

"Hm…? Oh, Yu," Naoto muttered in realization. She forced her eyes shut a few times having clearly not been ready to take her eyes off the pages of the notebook in front of her. "I didn't notice you come in. Have you been here long?"

"Long enough to see how absorbed you are," Yu said with a laugh. He stepped towards her side. "Find anything interesting?"

Naoto nodded, a certain seriousness coming to her eyes as she replied, "In droves."

She turned the pages of the notes in front of her and moved over to allow the Wild Card a better view.

At first it appeared to be nothing special—just a few documented photographs of some random street corners. They were covered with graffiti of all colors and blends, and though as a whole they looked painfully ordinary, there was the presence of one marking that he recognized.

It was the exact same marking they'd seen all over the Metaverse marked in each of the four photos.

"The graffiti…" Yu muttered in awe.

"That was my reaction as well. They were likely territorial markers utilized to mark safe places for 'transactions', or at least that's the theory submitted here. I'm inclined to agree," Naoto replied. She continued to turn the page, showing additional pictures that had been taken on other street corners. "Detective Nijima found the first thread and kept at it. Though what he found still doesn't reach the overall source, I'd wager anything that he came closer than anyone else ever had."

It was more than obvious that was the case. If Sae and Makoto's father hadn't been close to making a discovery of some kind, he'd probably still be alive today.

That part didn't need to be said out loud, though.

"It's astounding, really. As best as I can tell from his personal notes, Akashi Nijima started all of this on a hunch. He'd only noticed this particular graffiti pattern hidden in much the same way a few times, but he believed that because it was obvious someone went to great length to hide it that this was all the more reason to look into it," Naoto thought aloud, her voice holding a clear undertone of respect. "His analytical abilities were excellent, but his instincts are… were truly remarkable."

The silver-haired young man hung his head slightly as the one memory he had of the man made its way to the forefront of his mind.

"…yeah, I got that impression," Yu replied. "But all this makes me even more concerned that these documents were swept under the rug."

Naoto's eyes became steely, "I had the same concern. Given that the case file kept on digital record is about as useful as a hammer made of glass, my inclination is to believe that someone went to great lengths to make sure no one would find anything useful were they to investigate this case."

"Sae did mention she found things in these files that she'd never seen before, too. So things were kept out of eyesight in more ways than one," Yu added.

"That doesn't surprise me, especially considering this."

The blue-haired beauty took a nearby sheet of paper and handed it off towards Yu. He read it over speedily, taking notice that it was a list of the detectives that were assigned to work on

One and only one of the names jumped out to him in particular: Officer Junishiro Ichinose

"I guess he really was in their pocket all those years ago, then," Yu thought aloud.

"It certainly seems that way. There's one thing I want to confirm before we place the blame squarely at his feet," Naoto replied.

"It'll have to wait," Yu stated plainly, receiving an odd look. He held up his phone, flashing the home-screen's clock. "It's almost time for us to meet up at Leblanc."

"Is it that late already…?" Naoto whispered to herself, clearly in disbelief. "W-Well, either way, I can contact Futaba-san and perhaps she can handle it while we're on our way."

"Sounds good. C'mon, let's get going. We've got a lot to discuss with everyone, after all."

Yongen-Jaya: Café Leblanc, Some Time Later…

All the members of the joint team of Persona users had gathered, and all of them were appraised of the current situation—of Ichinose's death in the heart of the SPD, of the tape that made its way to Sae's doorstep, of Yumiko Hebiza's letter, and lastly, of the information that had been discovered from the notebooks of Akashi Nijima.

Actually, there was one member that had been listening in remotely the entire time. Futaba had been hard at work on her computer in order to grant a request made by Naoto. During the thoughtful silence took its grip over the quaint café, she finally made her arrival, and she wasted no time marching directly towards the infamous blue-haired detective.

"You were right," Futaba stated. "I found traces of an incursion in the police servers going back a few years. All the signs point to external interference, and my money's on it being our mystery man."

"And what was your assessment of their level of skill?" Naoto plainly questioned.

"It's tough to say. With how well they were covering their tracks, I'd say beyond most people I've met over the years online," Futaba replied.

Not a pleasant expression could be found in the room after her words sunk in. Praise like that didn't come lightly from Futaba, and they all knew it. It was another piece of grim news for them in what had been already been a long and arduous day.

Naoto in particular took it with a heavy scowl.

"I had a feeling that was the case," she uttered to herself. Her gaze shifted to her partner. "Whomever this individual is, I suspect that their skill with computers has much to do with how they've been able to fly under the radar so easily. It would also explain how they were even able to access the data from the White Masks devices in such a short period of time."

Ryuji perked up in recollection, "Aw, yeah, I remember now. Futaba was sayin' even she was havin' problems decrypting the stuff."

"That was in the Metaverse and not with the use of my desktop," the orange-haired navigator stated defiantly. "Otherwise, you can bet your ass I'd have cracked it. I'd stake my professional pride on it!"

"Though I'm quite certain that's true," began Yusuke, cutting in to the airs of the conversation. "It remains the case that knowledge of such a fact doesn't help us in tracking this individual down. Finer details such as this can be saved for after we come to an agreement on how to proceed from here."

"I agree entirely," Makoto chimed in, her gaze steely. "Which means the only thing relevant for us to discuss right now is whether we're going to take Yumiko Hebiza's letter seriously."

There was a quiet that took over the room for a short time. It was obvious that on some level, everyone assumed it to be a trap. After all, how could it not be?

Kanji was the first to speak up, doing so as bluntly as he could, "Honestly, I don't trust it for shit."

"I'm with ya," nodded Yosuke.

"Me too," Chie said. Her expression wavered as she added, "But the truth is… I don't think we've got much choice. A-Am I wrong?"

"Well, it's either that, or we just wander around randomly searching for clues," Ann mused. Raising her hand, she was the first to put her choice out in the open. "After everything that's happened today, I just don't think sitting around taking our time is a good move. My vote is that we go for it."

"I'm with Ann," Makoto announced firmly.

"As am I," Sae stated.

"Heh," chuckled Kanji. He raised his hand, smirking all the while. "You know what, even if it is a trap, just thinkin' about what else we'd do is givin' me a headache. Screw it, I'm in."

"Same here," Yukiko said.

Everyone soon came to an agreement, and with that, the Persona users turned to the two Wild Cards among their group, each of whom had yet to actually speak their vote into existence.

Both Ren and Yu shared a look, and with coy smirks crossing their lips, they motioned for the others to follow them out the door.

Their answer was so obvious they didn't even need to give it.

Metaverse: South Eastern Shibuya, Some Time Later…

"…are we there yet?" Skull griped.

"Considering that we don't even know exactly where we're going, how is Makoto supposed to answer that?!" Oracle berated.

"I dunno. Anyway, we there yet?"

"Ughh," groaned the navigator. She looked at the seat directly across from her at both of the other Shujin third-years. "I'm holding you two accountable if your pet starts annoying the other passengers."

"Hey!"

"Sorry, he's usually not this bad," Joker said, his voice breathing a sarcastic sense of apology. He turned to Ann, who was barely holding back laughter just at the sight of his expression. "He's probably acting up because we haven't taken him out for a walk in a while."

Skull's jaw dropped. "Oh, wha—dude!"

"I think so too," Panther said, doing her best to mirror the raven-haired teen's tone. "It's not his fault, Futaba. Honest! It's really our fault since we don't play with him enough."

"You two are seriously doin' this? For real?"

"He's making a lot of noise, too," Joker went on, cupping his chin in thought.

"Yeah, he is. It's like he's trying to tell us something…" Panther trialed off.

"Why are you two acting like you can't understand me?" Skull asked, his voice elevating slightly as he glared back at his two closest friends.

Both Ann and Ren stayed silent, staring blankly at the thuggish Persona user as if they truly couldn't make heads or tails of what he was saying. They then looked at one another before their heads shifted back towards him in perfect tandem.

"Bark?" the two asked confusedly.

"Okay, that's it. I'm comin' over there."

Haru and Futaba started to laugh as the bickering intensified, Skull obviously being more riled up by the minute as both Panther and Joker continued to poke fun at his expense. Said amusement was shared by every other passenger on the Mona-bus, or at least mostly. Sae appeared to be an exception to this as she stayed practically statue-esque in the back of the vehicle.

Her expression was so shiftless to the point it drew concern from Yu, who sat at her side occasionally stealing a glance.

She was scarily focused, which of course plagued on his worst fears.

'Maybe I'm overthinking it,' Yu mused, though perhaps it was more wishful thinking than anything else.

"Seriously, Skull, you… Hm? Wait, Queen, take a right up ahead! I'm sensing something nearby."

The orange-haired navigator stepped to the front and guided Queen as best as she could, balancing her directions with the extreme focus it took to pin down the energy signature that was gnawing at her senses almost teasingly.

"Stop right here! We're close!" Oracle exclaimed.

She got her wish as the Mona-bus came to an abrupt stop. Too abrupt. Most flung forward and nearly slammed into the seat in front of them.

A sea of pained groans echoed from the bus, much to Makoto's embarrassment.

"…sorry," Queen apologized.

"Meh, I'm sure we're all good," Skull replied as he stretched his shoulder for safe measure. "Anyway, let's get out there. It ain't like we got time to waste, right?"

His sentiment was more than shared by his teammates. Everyone exited the vehicle as quickly as they could, each eager to take a look at what Futaba had been feeling out. Sadly, they were greeted with the same eerie, desolate, graffiti-ridden cityscape that they'd seen dozens of times prior.

It might have been more of an open area relative to other parts of the city they'd seen, but that was to be expected given that they were practically on the outskirts of Shinjuku by that point.

"Uh, so… what're we supposed to be lookin' at?" Kanji bluntly inquired.

"W-Well, I dunno, but… somthin'," Oracle answered. Her eyes shifted to the only other navigator present. "On the count of three, Rise-san?"

A nod was given, a countdown commenced, and Personas were summoned. The two young women set about analyzing the nearby area with their sight beyond sight, believing they'd need to give their all to find the distortion hidden around them.

In reality it took no effort whatsoever.

Their jaws slacked, and their heads gradually started to tilt upwards, clearly evidence that they'd seen something when using their sight beyond sight.

"Holy crap…" Oracle uttered in disbelief.

Fox was quick to point out the obvious. "A friendly reminder that we can't see what you're seeing."

"Oh, uh, right. Hang on a sec."

A green keyboard terminal appeared Oracle on which she entered a series of commands. Thereafter, a wave of 0's and 1's of the same color as the terminal washed across the face of each of her teammates.

It was at that point that they could see it. Or more specifically, them.

All heads tilted up and all eyes widened at the sight of two massive towers rising out from the earth just a short distance away, downhill of their current position. They were more massive than any other area of the city that they'd seen, and their overall aesthetic was that of a spire from shogunate-era Japan.

"Let's move in to get a closer look," suggested Naoto.

They moved towards a better vantage point just up ahead, coming to the top of an incline that led towards the base of the two massive structures. Doing so at least allowed them to see the base of each tower, though the very sight only made them scowl. It was obvious even from this distance that they were up against a well-guarded fortress.

Countless patrols roamed both the perimeter and the interior, and the front gate itself seemed to be the size of a small army. Turrets and Bulks littered the ground while Eagles rested on the metal frames of the tank-like Shadows, just waiting for an opportunity to dig their claws into anything that was foolish to attack the fortress.

"Looks like the entrance is ridiculously well guarded," Rise observed. "I guess we shouldn't have expected otherwise. Still, they… Hm? W-Wait, hang on, are you feeling this too, Oracle?"

Her fellow navigator nodded, zooming in on the forefront of the left tower. "Yeah, I think so too."

"Feeling what?" Yosuke inquired.

The question was answered a split second later when a legion of Shadows walked down and out of the side entrances of each of the massive structures. From the left, they could hear the loud boom of their synchronized marching even from such a distance, while from the right they could hear the flapping wings of countless Succubae as they soared into the skies.

"It's like they're fresh off an assembly line…" Chie thought aloud.

"You're probably not far off from the truth. If I had to guess, that's probably why those massive eyesores are so damn important," Oracle muttered. Her frown deepened as she focused her vizor. "I can't get a good look inside though. Any luck on your end, Rise-san?"

"Not even a little," replied the idol, releasing a depressed sigh.

"Same as the maze?"

"Looks that way…"

"Lovely."

A good number of the Persona users present had predictably adverse reactions to the mere implication. Even Sae shifted uncomfortably at the memory.

"Ugh, seriously?" groaned Panther. "Can it please at least be less creepy this time around?"

"We can only hope…" Queen muttered under her breath.

"Not sure if it's less creepy, but it's clear that they've each got a massive nexus of energy that's blocking out my sensory abilities," Oracle explained. "Meaning that just like the maze, they've probably both got cores."

"And if I had to guess, the cores are probably all the way at the top," Rise added.

"Regardless, we'll need to get past the wall on the perimeter before we can even think about doing much else," Naoto stated pointedly. She took out a pair of binoculars and went to work scanning the outer area of the practical fortress. "It looks like patrols are lacking on the side of the leftmost wall. Sadly, I don't see a way for us to get over it."

"Going through it is always an option," Kanji offered.

"That should still be our last resort," Yu said. Looking at his fellow wielder of the Fool Arcana, he asked, "Any ideas?"

"None off the top of my head," Joker answered, a rare tinge of disappointment showing in his demeanor. "The wall's too high for us to throw someone over it with a Persona. And scaling it comes with its own risks, too…"

"Actually, I have an idea that should probably work," Oracle stated.

"How 'probably' are we talkin' here?" Kanji asked.

"Like eighty-percent sure," Oracle stated with a devilish grin. "Seventy-five at the lowest!"

"I like those odds," Yu said.

"Me too," agreed Joker. "So, what's the plan?"

"Follow me to the section of the wall Naoto-san was talking about and you'll see!"

Tokyo — Yongen-Jaya: Café Leblanc

Sojiro stood behind the counter leaning against a wall, peacefully reading through the rest of the morning paper as he tended to do whenever things were slow in the cafe. He finished soon enough, placed it down, and looked on at the empty room with boredom written all over his face.

He laughed a bit, knowing that just a few years ago, he'd have packed it up then and there on a slow night like this. Now, however, he actually wanted to stay put if only so that he could see Futaba, Ren and the others return from their mission in one piece.

"Funny how things change," Sojiro chuckled.

To his great surprise, the bell at the front rang. He looked on to see someone he didn't recognize enter in what appeared to be in a hurry, though he didn't seem to be a threat of any kind at a glance.

Of course he wasn't. The man was none other than Detective Tetsuo Jirikishi.

"Can I help you?" Sojiro asked politely.

"Hopefully," he replied. "Any chance you've seen two people by the name of Naoto Shirogane and Yu Narukami tonight?"

"Sorry, but even if I had, I'm not really in the business of giving away customers' information to strangers that just happen to run through my door."

Jirikishi laughed, realizing how the current situation must've looked from his perspective. "Definitely a good policy to have. Still, I wouldn't exactly say I'm a stranger."

The detective pulled out his bade, showing it to Sojiro, who analyzed it accordingly. Even at a glance, he could tell it was the real deal.

"I'm working with those two on an important case in Shinjuku. I tired texting them, but they weren't responding, so I decided to come here since it's the last place I know they were headed," Jirikishi explained.

"…you just missed them by a half hour or so," Sojiro stated as he walked to the forefront of the counter. "But if you came out here all this way, you must've had something important to tell them."

"I'd more say it's just a hunch. Things have just been too quiet tonight so far, that's all. Gives me the feeling something big is about to happen, so I just wanted to make sure that they were on guard."

"You ran all this way just to tell them that?" Sojiro questioned, amusement in his voice.

"I'm a strange guy," he replied jokingly.

"At least your honest about it," Sojiro said with a chuckle. "But since you're already here, can I get you anything?"

"…you know what, a small cup of coffee would be great. Whatever roast you'd recommend will be fine."

"Coming right up."

"Thank, um…" Jirikishi trailed off, looking at the shop owner's apron in search of a name tag and finding that there wasn't one. "Sorry, what's your name?"

"Sakura," he replied with a friendly smile as he placed the order in front of the brown-haired man. "Sojiro Sakura."

Jirikishi nodded and took a sip from his cup, his eyes immediately lighting up as he savored the taste. "Well, Sakura-san, you make one hell of a cup of coffee."

"Thank you, I'm always happy to hear that from a new customer."

"I'm sure you're more than used to it, too," Jirikishi offered good naturedly. He looked around the room, noticing the vast emptiness. "Though honestly I'm surprised your still open at this time of night."

Sojiro shrugged, "I don't always, but tonight just feels like one of those nights, you know?"

"Hm…" muttered the detective. "Well, if I were you, I'd pack up shop early. Maybe go home, grab a nice drink—maybe a glass of wine—and just relax."

"I won't lie, that's plenty tempting," Sojiro admitted, his face lighting up at the thought. "But all the same, I'll stay right here for now."

"…to each his own, I guess," Jirikishi replied.

He finished his coffee and placed a number of bills on the counter. He waved off Sojiro when he tried to give him change, allowing him to keep the extra as he made his way to the door.

Jirikishi turned over his shoulder right as he was about to leave, saying, "Not to sound pushy or anything, but my advice on a dead night like this is to pack it up and relax. At least you should think about it, ya know? Anyway, take care, Sakura-san, and thanks for the coffee."

"You take care of yourself too, detective," replied Sojiro pleasantly.

Seconds later, the man was gone, leaving the shop's owner scratching his head in amused confusion. That may have been the first time he'd ever met someone that so adamant on getting him to relax.

"Do I look stressed out or something?" Sojiro wondered aloud, though he did so with an amused smile tugging at his lips. "Closing up shop for the night is definitely a no-go… but a glass of wine does sound nice."

He grabbed his trademark hat and the keys to the shop he kept behind the counter before taking his leave. Futaba and the others would still be away for quite some time, and there wasn't any reason he couldn't treat himself in the meantime.

And he had a feeling it was going to be a very long night.

Metaverse: Outside the Walls of the Twin Towers

After some time, the group had dealt with a number of pushover Shadows out on patrol and made their way towards the eastern ramparts without any issue. Futaba, for her part, wasted no time once they were in position.

"Alright," said Oracle, taking a breath to calm herself. "Just to confirm, Rise-san… you're not sensing anything on the other side either, are you?"

"Nope, not a thing," replied the idol.

"In that case, here goes nothing…"

The traditionally carefree navigator became so focused-up that it caught several by surprise. Necronomicon appeared in the air above her shortly thereafter, at which point its tentacles descended below. Most had at first expected that it was going to whisk Futaba herself up into its protected walls. However, they instead began to clasp the fortress walls before which they stood.

A terminal then appeared at Oracle's front, and in the moments that followed her motions were so fluid and agile that it was as if she were playing a piano. A bead of sweat even dripped from her brow as she went on, and soon enough, her efforts proved not to be for nothing.

Necronomicon's tentacles began to seep into the stone barrier's surface through series of shimmering green portals that resonated like a pool of water disturbed by the smallest of stones. The sections of the wall itself began to dissipate bit by bit with each passing second, giving way to a mist of digitized 0's and 1's as it did so.

"Phew…!" Oracle uttered in relief, raising her vizor and wiping the sweat from her forehead. She observed the newly created opening with a proud grin. "Yes, it worked! Damn am I good!"

"I can't disagree, but… what exactly did you do?" Queen asked, being as stunned and curious as everyone else.

"I tried hacking into the areas cognition," Oracle replied cheerfully. "I wouldn't be able to do this normally, but I had a thought: If Shinjuku is like this because someone's cognition is gradually taking over the entire city, then it's theoretically doable for me to alter some areas as long as the they're not under strict or direct control."

Yukiko nodded, "I see, that does make sense."

"Glad that makes one of us…" Skull muttered.

"Ditto," said Kanji. "Anyway, let's stop wastin' time, yeah? We should get into position before any patrols show up."

Everyone filed through the opening, subsequently after which the tendrils courtesy of Futaba's Persona receded and with them the wall returned to normal yet again. They then rushed towards the closest cover they could find, though thankfully there wasn't a Shadow or enemy Persona user as far as the eye could see.

"Okay, so what's the plan now?" Yosuke asked. "Bearing in mind that we should probably come up with one fast, cuz' I doubt this area will be a ghost town for very long."

"Agreed," said Naoto. "I suggest we split into two teams and tackle each tower simultaneously."

"What was each tower supposed to be again?" Kanji inquired, scratching his head.

"To the left is a test of strength unlike any other. To the right, beware of trap before door and the beasts that lurk below," Sae recited.

The cold and calm nature of her tone didn't seem to catch anyone's eye save for Yu, who felt his lingering concern grow even deeper. He chose to write it off yet again, thinking himself pessimistic. Admittedly, however, he was far less sure than beforehand.

"Weird cryptic wording aside, these things are freakin' huge. Do you… do you think those are meant to compensate for something?" Yosuke wondered aloud.

"Don't know and don't care," Chie replied.

Skull squinted at the towers' bases. "Speakin' of 'em though… which is right and which is left?"

"The entrance is over that direction, so assuming that's our reference point, it'd make that the left tower, and that the right," Queen replied, pointing to each of the structure as she spoke. "Given that the message comes courtesy of a woman that has tried to kill us on multiple occasions, I would be remiss if I didn't say we should take those descriptions with a grain of salt."

"But let's assume for a second that it was the real deal," Joker cut in. "How do we want to handle the teams?"

"…I think we should split based on generation with us taking the left and you guys taking the right," Yu answered. Turning to his fellow team leader, he added, "We may be just as good as you in a straight up fight, but from what I can gather, you guys have a lot more experience dealing with traps than we do."

"Sadly, that's probably right…" Panther muttered with a scowl.

Skull chimed in, "I'm good with that. But, uh… then where does that leave Avenger?"

All eyes turned to the silver-haired Persona user as they pondered the answer to the question.

"Well, in terms of combat power, she's definitely one of our aces," Oracle mused.

"True, but I'm sure she'd probably want to go with her sister, right?" Yosuke wondered aloud.

"I believe Queen can handle herself just fine," Sae replied evenly. "Besides, I think the left tower would suit me better, and so that's where I'll be going."

"Then that's that," Naoto stated firmly, in no mood to spend any more time on discussion. "Let's hurry and split up. I doubt we can afford to linger here for much longer."

With everyone in agreement, the Phantom Thieves went their separate ways. Joker, however, was stopped in place courtesy of a firm hand placing itself on his shoulder. He peered confusedly over his shoulder, catching a glance of a very serious-looking Yu Narukami.

"Hey, got a sec?" he asked.

"Yeah," Joker replied with a nod. He turned to give his older counterparty his full attention. "What's up? Is something wrong?"

"Sort of," Yu replied. "Though I can't explain why, Yumiko Hebiza seemed to be fixated on me when we fought. I'm sure the fact that she gave me this note to bring us here wasn't a coincidence either. I'm more than sure that everything she wrote was legitimate, but I'm also more than sure that it was bait. She's here, probably at the top of one of these towers, and I'll give you one guess as to which one."

The raven-haired Wild Card didn't even need to think on the answer for more than a few seconds. His eyes drifted to the tower his fellow Phantom Thieves were headed to, his steely gaze locking on its apex.

"Traps and tricks definitely seem right up her alley," Joker mused. His vision shifted back to the gray-eyed young man. "And if I had to guess, a 'test of strength like no other' sounds a lot like someone else we know."

"I couldn't agree more. I just wanted to warn you of what you should expect, and honestly, a part of me thinks I should be going to the top of that tower just to see why it is she's so obsessed with me. But…" Yu trailed off. He peered over at the ever-distanced forms of his teammates, locking on Sae in particular. His gaze lingered even as he spoke on. "I've got a feeling the other tower is where I'll need to be."

"Got it. I'll be off, then," Joker answered. As he started to walk away, he waved back nonchalantly, cheekily stating, "Stay safe on your side, Yu. Otherwise, I'm not gonna be letting you live it down anytime soon."

He smirked. "Pretty sure that's my line."

With that, the Wild Cards went their separate ways to meet up with their respective teams. Neither of them truly knew what was in store, but what they did know was that as long as they were there, they'd make sure everyone made it back just fine.

---

Deep within Shinjuku's redlight district, within a predictably sketchy bar, a hoard of criminals ranging from career offenders to small-time gangsters had gathered to drink, shout, and attempt to hustle one another in bar games.

That last bit was so standard that fights—much like the one about to happen over by one of the dart boards—didn't even make anyone so much as bat an eyelash.

"Bullshit! There ain't no way you were playin' fair!"

"How the hell do you cheat at darts? Tch, just pay up, you sore-fuckin'-loser!"

"Kiss my ass!"

"What was that?!"

About as generic as it got between two young, drunken punks, one shoved the other. Many watching the display could only look on and chuckle, though things became significantly less funny when unlike most times, one of the men lost his balance and fell into a waitress.

The young woman fell to the floor and dropped the drink she had been carrying to a table she'd just nearly reached. As the glass shattered, things got eerily quiet for a few seconds.

"Aw, god dammit!" the man exclaimed. "Look at what you made me do, you shit-heel!"

"Me?! You're the one that can't keep his balance!"

As it was clear the two had no intention of backing down, some considered putting a stop to the fight before they hurt someone else other than themselves. One of them did just that.

"That's enough. Take this any further, and I'll throw you out myself," a calm but stern voice cut in.

Each of the drunkards turned to the booth seat nearby, catching sight of a bald-headed man with tattoos under his eyes. He was calmly sitting back, though his table didn't have a drink—evidently because the one he had ordered was now strewn across the floor surrounded by shards of broken glass.

"Who the hell are you?" one of the young men asked confusedly.

The man heard the question but had other priorities, as evidenced by the fact that instead of answering he chose to get up from his seat and help the waitress to her feet.

As the more impatient of the two young gangsters was about to step forward and grab him in a fit of intoxication-induced anger, a kind patron sitting just one booth over was kind enough to prevent them from doing something stupid.

"His name is Genzo Hagane."

That simple answer was enough to cause both of the young gangsters to freeze in place. Even in their drunken state, neither were stupid enough to press their luck and as a result immediately backed off.

"W-We're sorry to have disturbed you. We won't make any more trouble."

"Yep. What he said."

After their curt responses, the two ran off as fast as they could. Though funny in and of itself, not a soul was laughing. If anything, the other patrons were relieved on account of the fact they wouldn't have to witness a brutal one-sided fight.

"Thanks for helping me up," said the waitress. She glanced sorrowfully down at the floor. "And sorry for dropping your drink. I'll go get you another one right away."

"It's not a problem. I still have some time before I have to leave," Genzo replied, offering a small but kind smile.

As the appreciative young woman walked off, the tall, stout Yakuza turned his attention to the man that had spoken his name in the booth just next to his own. He could hardly gleam anything from doing so, though. The man's back was currently facing him, and a dark gray fedora that adorned his head made it virtually impossible to identify most of his facial features. His clothing barely gave away anything either, being an overcoat that matched the color of his hat, and a suit of a slightly lighter gray just below it. That he was so well-dressed did feel somewhat out of place there of all places, but even that was still hardly something worth noting.

Though it was strange that the man knew his name and yet he didn't recognize him, Genzo chose not to comment.

He said nothing more and took his seat back down at his booth, coming back-to-back with the man save for the cushioned wall between them. The waitress then arrived once more with his drink, though this time a pair of drunken morons didn't send her flying towards the floor.

"Here you go," said the waitress cheerfully.

"Thank you. Ah, and before you go…" Genzo uttered. He reached into his pocket and produced a good number of five-thousand yen bills. "Here, for the drink. The rest you can keep for yourself."

"A-Are you sure? The drink is only a thousand yen, and—"

"I'm quite sure."

Nodding with a smile, the young woman took her leave. Genzo then set to enjoying his drink, and thoroughly at that.

"You know," spoke the man behind him, his voice holding a smooth but somehow arrogant cheer to it. "I think understand why you like coming to this place so much. The whiskey here is quite amazing, which is saying something coming from me since I usually don't enjoy the taste."

"…if you're trying to get my attention, there are more direct ways to do so," Genzo replied.

The man chuckled subtly. "You're every bit as straight-forward as I imagined you to be. Not a playful bone in your body, is there?"

"Not really, no."

"Then why stop at this bar before heading towards Yodobashi?"

His knowing tone and choice of words immediately put Genzo on alert. First his name, and now his current mission—each being spoken by a man he'd never met before. He finished his drink and placed the empty glass calmly back down on the table before directing his full and undivided attention to the mysterious bar patron.

"It seems you know quite a bit," Genzo began, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "That begs the question: Who are you and why are you here?"

"There's no need to get ready for a fight," the man assured calmly. His voice became eerily serious, and noticeably so. "I'm just here to deliver a kind word of warning. The job your bosses have sent you on—it's a trap. Don't go to the Yodobashi district, because if you do, all that will be waiting for you is an army of police and a set of handcuffs."

"And how exactly would you know that?" Genzo inquired.

"Is it important how I know, or that I know?"

"And why are you telling me?"

"Does my answer really matter?"

"That I think about it, I suppose it doesn't."

With that, the stern-looking Yakuza reached for his coat and grabbed his umbrella, preparing for the rain that was awaiting him when he inevitably walked outside. He didn't bother turning around and looking at the patron in the other booth before he began to walk away.

"I wish I could say I'm surprised," said the gray-suited man as he took another sip of his drink. "Just don't say I never warned you."

Genzo opened the door, peering over his shoulder as he replied, "Don't worry, I won't."

---

"You know," spoke Yosuke, "Breaking into this place was a hell of a lot easier than I thought it'd be."

His remark was made as he and the others entered what seemed like the main room of the left tower's bottom floor. It was completely empty, though some expected the brunette to have jinxed the situation and were mentally prepared for an all-out brawl to start in a flash.

Some time passed, however, and still nothing happened.

"Huh, go figure. Maybe there just aren't any guards here?" Chie mused.

"Somehow I doubt that'll be the case for very long," Naoto thought aloud. Glancing around the room, she added, "This atmosphere feels remarkably similar to the Shadow Maze we encountered some time ago. The resemblance is almost uncanny."

"I can vouch for that," Rise uttered disappointedly. "My sensory abilities are coming up empty. There's less interference than with the maze for some reason, but still too much for me to feel anything out."

"No biggie. After all, you're still more than good to help us out if a fight breaks out," Yukiko said reassuringly.

"Damn straight," Rise answered with confidence.

"Still, we should be careful," cautioned Naoto. "The Shadow Maze was home to any number of oddities that we'd never encountered in the Metaverse before. We should move forwards expecting the unexpected."

"But isn't it kinda continent if it's the same as the maze? It should just mean we gotta find the core, right?" Kanji mused. "We destroy that and we should be all good just like before."

"Speaking of which," began Yu. "It looks like the path up is right over there. Shall we?"

"Yes, let's," Sae answered.

Avenger began to lead the way without hesitation all the while Yu and the others followed her closely behind. They arrived in front of a large sealed door that seemed ordinary enough, though that was the exact reason they were initially so cautious of it.

Chie stared at it skeptically, "There's got to be a catch here. No way this is just some normal big-ass doorway."

"Halt!"

The raspy voice roared throughout the area, though it didn't seem to originate from any point in particular. It was as if the room itself was the speaker.

"Yep, there it is," Yosuke commented.

"You stand as intruders within the Tower of Strength. Should you wish to ascend, you must take up the gauntlet. Touch the door to proceed, if you dare."

"Gauntlet?" Teddie uttered, tilting his head confusedly. "So we have to find a glove?"

"The voice means to say we have to face a trial by combat, or so I assume," Naoto explained.

"I also doubt we have any alternatives available," stated Avenger matter-of-factly. "If we want to advance, then just as in the maze, we'll likely have to play by this tower's rules."

"I'd find it hard to believe otherwise," Yukiko thought aloud.

Yu nodded. "Then on that note…"

He stepped forward and placed his hand on the door, immediately getting a reaction that had everyone on guard. The gate shined a brilliant red light before it split into three separate doors of equal size strewn out as four obviously differing pathways. The room's exit became locked off in tandem, making it so that the Persona users had only one option before them.

"You have chosen to prove your worth. You may proceed in groups of no more than three."

"So it says," Naoto muttered. Turning to the others, she soon added, "Given that there don't seem to be any dependencies on every group finishing whatever challenge awaits them, I believe it best to focus our best fighters in one path to ensure a speedy arrival to the top of the tower."

"Which means Yu and Avenger for sure," Yosuke added as if it were obvious, which of course it was. "Who'd be the third?"

Rise spoke up, "Our best support would be me, so I'll go."

Further discussion seemed to be cast aside as the silver-haired beauty herself calmly walked past the group towards one of the doors.

"That's fine with me. Let's go," Sae replied.

She touched one of the entry point's surfaces without giving it a second though. Her demeanor was cold, and the look in her eyes even more chilling still. It was only natural for the other members of the group to become concerned.

Rise looked worriedly towards Yu as if to ask if they should address it directly before continuing on. He seemed to understand what she was trying to do, but actively chose to step forwards without saying so much as a word.

She followed in turn, leading to a silent departure for the first team of three.

"Okay, so… are we just not gonna talk about how Sae-san was acting just now?" Yosuke wondered aloud.

A sorrowful Yukiko replied, "I doubt it would change anything to be honest…"

The reality of that fact wasn't lost on anyone present. Even Teddie couldn't help but frown when those words were spoken.

"Given the circumstances of this case, it's only natural for her to be affected in some way. However, it's difficult to say specifically why she's acting the way she is," Naoto pointed out. "I also believe Yukiko is right. Talking further amongst ourselves it won't amount to anything, so we should follow their lead and head out."

"True," Kanji replied with a nod. "Besides, I'm sure whatever's buggin' her, Yu can handle it. I'm sure that's why Rise didn't say anything when they walked off just now."

Chie smiled, finding a bit of solace in the truth of the blond's words. "Yeah, you're probably right. That kind of thing is right up his alley."

"And on that note…" Naoto began leadingly.

Without much debate, they set off in two separate groups of three with the first being Chie, Yukiko, and Yosuke and the other being Naoto, Kanji, and Teddie. They waved and wished each other luck one final time before starting on their respective paths.

---

The rain that had been relentlessly pounding the streets of Shinjuku had only recently let up, but the skies were still dark and coated with clouds. To Genzo Hagane, the weather was of little consequence. A little water from the clouds wasn't going to stop him from reaching the rendezvous point that had been given to him by his boss.

After a time, he came to the designated spot, stopping at the forefront of a two-sided alleyway. He took notice of the two large buildings that made up the alley's sides. They were nothing but solid walls—no doors or even windows anywhere near ground level.

The only way out or in was from the streetways.

'An odd choice of venue to meet a contact for a job,' Genzo thought.

His brow furrowed as he remembered the gray-suited man's words. He looked around and saw not a soul present. That was perhaps less odd than the meet-up spot given the nature of his work as a Yakuza enforcer, but nevertheless the silence was all too deafening.

'Perhaps I'm just being paranoid,' Genzo mused.

The form of a man showed itself down the other side of the alley. He tipped his hat, giving Genzo the signal that he was his contact, and with that the two began to walk towards one another from the opposite ends.

When they were finally face to face, Genzo noted that as far as appearances went, the man was what he expected him to be. For just that moment, he allowed himself to relax.

"Genzo, right?" asked the man with a raised brow. "Genzo Hagane?"

"Yes," he replied curtly. "Then you must be Saiten."

"Not quite."

With speed and preparation well beyond what Genzo could or would have expected, nearly a dozen police officers flooded down the alleyway from the far side. Police sirens echoed from the opposite end where Genzo himself had entered, sealing off the only other avenue of escape with another squad of officers.

They approached with their hands on their pistols, though none of them were drawn just yet.

"Come quietly," the disguised officer in charge state calmly. "Trust me, it's in your best interest."

Genzo was in a state of shock to the point it was almost paralyzing in nature. An idiot would have known what was going on by that point, but even still he refused to believe it. His boss, the man he'd pledged his loyalty to, would never—could never—sell him out.

Even when reality said differently, he still couldn't bring himself to believe it.

"…to what do I owe this unpleasant surprise?" Genzo asked.

"You can thank your bosses," the man replied.

His eyes went wide. "That's…"

The disbelief on Genzo's face and the crestfallen nature of his tone were all too apparent. To him the whole world was crashing down around him, but to many of the police around him, his reaction was nothing short of amusing.

"Criminals tend not to have much honor," the man stated plainly, unable to keep a smirk from crossing his lips. "Now, like I said before, come quiet—"

A fist firmly planted itself on the undercover officer's cheek, after which he slammed into the ground with such a loud accompanying thud that most would have confused it with the sound of thunder echoing from the sky.

Genzo began to charge down the alleyway with the strength and fury of a hoard of bulls. Half a dozen officers were knocked down in the process, and he was soon at the edge from which the cops had initially stormed down.

When he'd reached the end, he was greeted by another squad of officers that were nearby closing off the streetway to his right. With only one option in front of him, Genzo then bolted to the left.

"Stop right there!" warned one of the officers.

When no response was given, he and several others fired off their pistols at the retreating Yakuza with each of their shots missing as far as they could tell.

Their comrades came rushing onto the sidewalk from the alley within seconds, looking to the officers on guard for answers.

"He ran off in that direction," one of the men stated. "We tried to shoot him, but none of us managed to tag him. Don't worry though, we've got the area surrounded. There's no way he could escape."

"You sure you missed…?"

"Hm? Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Because that looks a hell of a lot like blood to me."

A surprised group of policemen looked at a spattering of what was clearly blood spread across the wall of a nearby building. The sight was shocking to say the least, and for more reasons than one.

"Jesus… our shots hit him and he didn't even flinch."

"That's just what we're up against. Come on, get squad three on the radio and tell them to get into position."

The junior officer nodded and leaned into his radio, "Squad three, do you copy?"

"Y—e—but—ur—not coming—"

"Radio interference?"

"Looks like it."

"Beautiful," he replied, rolling his eyes. "Move out. Keep trying to contact the third squad, make sure they're in position."

"Yes, sir."

The roar of thunder began to echo in the skies, giving the officer's pause. A drizzle began to descend, which quickly became a heavy downpour.

---

Metaverse: Tower of Strength, Floor 10

The lift carrying the trio of Yu, Rise, and Sae came to a slow stop once they'd reached the first challenge area. The automatic doors parted, revealing a sizeable cube-shaped space lined with tatami flooring. A number of scrolls depicting dragons and phoenixes were strewn throughout the walls, alongside decorative katana displays and suits of samurai armors.

"Interesting choice of décor," Rise idly commented.

"Definitely has the aesthetic of an arena, though," Yu replied, glancing around with heighted focus. "Stay sharp, I'm sure we'll be getting some company soon."

Right on cue, a number of dark, shimmering portals began to open around the room right alongside the decorative suits of samurai armor. A black ooze started to pour out of them, and though at first it seemed as if they were each going to form separate Shadows, the sentient piles of slime instead slithered towards the armor displays.

The twisted substance formed the makings of a torso, its tendrils gathering stray pieces of the armor before ultimately standing tall. Bright red demonic eyes shined through the helmets of each of the Shadows, though strangely they didn't seem to bear a mask as was typical of their kind.

"Graaaa!" one bellowed, drawing its sword and priming it towards its soon-to-be opponents in what could only be described as a feral greeting.

"Charming," Rise uttered. She called forth Kanzeon a second later to see what she could discover about the creatures' weaknesses. Her frown came as a clear indication that she didn't have any good news. "Damn, I can't get a reading on them. If I had some time, then maybe—"

"I doubt they'll be willing to give us any," Avenger remarked. She drew her twinblade, and placed her hand firmly on her mask. "Persona!"

A great burst of force heralded Astrea's arrival on the field of battle. Even the stout, demonic samurai warriors that surrounded them were momentarily shaken by the display—a fact that Sae was quick to take advantage of.

The silver-haired beauty leapt into action, her Persona crashing into two of the animated armor's and immediately pushing them onto the defensive. Sae herself started to lock down another set of the armor by her own power, matching it blow for blow, if not outpacing it with her strikes.

Yu was quick to react and focused on the other half of the room, knowing that a flank was the only way the Shadows would turn the tide on her.

"Persona!" he exclaimed.

He summoned Izanagi, willing the deity to call forth a slew of lightning in a wide area that shot through virtually every one of the Shadows in his line of sight. The effect was minimal, and though it didn't seem to knock any off their feet, it did at least stop them in place for a short time.

Izanagi then delivered a Cross Slash towards three of the clustered Shadows nearest to his wielder, effectively tearing them to pieces given that they'd been standing perfectly still and took the full force of the attack.

"Looks like physical attacks get the job done just fine," Yu said.

It wasn't clear if Sae had actually heard him, but it was very clear that she was already well aware of that fact.

With the focus of a machine and the tenacity of a banshee, Sae stood firmly with her twinblade, warding off three of the Shadows at once without even the use of her Persona. She expertly took them off balance as they charged, knocking them back one by one, and to the poor Shadow closest to her, she pulled out her double-barreled pistol and planted a shot directly between its glowing eyes.

Even as the Shadow's head blew off, she refocused her attention on the others, spinning herself around and slicing up another without even a second of hesitation. Sae evaded the final armor's charge, delivering a powerful spinning kick to its side and launching it across the floor.

The creature quickly rose to its feet, but before it could even pick its head up, a powerful gunshot tore straight through its torso before it could regain its composure. Her gaze was cold as she popped open the barrels for her pistol, allowing the thick shells to fall to the ground as she reloaded it.

All the while this was going on, Astrea was fast at work slicing through Shadow after Shadow with its two swords, dancing across the room's right section with equal amounts of grace and ferocity.

'Guess I didn't need to say anything,' he mused.

"Yu, look out!" Rise exclaimed.

An animated armor sent its sword crashing down on the Wild Card with impunity. He managed to avoid any damage, though others appeared at his side ready to strike in unison from both his sides as if they'd anticipated his movement pattern perfectly.

Their blades glowed brightly with fire and ice respectively, though thankfully Rise was able to create a barrier to negate the incoming damage. As the air in front of him shattered like glass and the ice and flames vanished, Yu felt relief wash over him. Now, with a more than perfect window to do some damage, he wasted no time in forming a tarot card within the palm of his hand.

"Zaou Gongen!" Yu exclaimed.

The blue-skinned Persona clad in chains erupted into existence directly in the middle of the gathered Shadows. His fist gathered a golden aura around it before the deity slammed it into the ground, creating an imposing outline of a fist that echoed around its body. A massive shockwave launched in all directions, tearing apart everything even remotely nearby.

Never one to be ungrateful for an assist, he turned back to the idol.

"Thanks, I appreciate the save," Yu said gratefully.

"I've always got your back," she replied with a warm smile. "Just be more careful, 'kay?"

"Looks like I'll need to be. These things definitely pack a hell of a punch," Yu stated.

"They're called Ronin, by the way," Rise uttered matter-of-factly, glancing back down at one of said Shadow's decaying corpses. "From their combat data, I can safely say they're strong against every type of elemental attack. They have no resistance to physical though, so a good old-fashioned beat down is probably the best way to take care of them."

"Good to know," said Yu.

A gong's abrupt ring could be heard, at which point a door on the far end of the room opened up and revealed yet another lift. Yu and Rise were surprised to see it appear, though that lasted only seconds as they caught a glimpse of Sae pulling her sword out of the last Shadow the room had thrown at them.

The silver-haired Persona user turned to her allies for only a moment, her gaze still cold and her demeanor frighteningly on guard even in spite of the fact that the battle had ended.

"On to the next floor," Sae simply said.

With that, she headed for the lift, once again adding to the already great concern that existed on the part of her teammates.

"Yu…" Rise uttered leadingly.

"I know," he replied with a sigh. "I'm worried about her too. Let's just give it some time for now."

Though reluctant to do so, Rise nodded in understanding. She didn't quite know his reasoning and couldn't figure it out in the moment, but she'd always trusted his judgment above even her own on most occasions.

The two made their way towards the lift before their teammate became impatient.

---

"He's nearby! Search the entire area!"

"Where the hell is the third unit?!"

"No clue! Comms are still screwed up!"

"Interference from the storm?"

"No idea, and it doesn't matter. Fan out and find him! He's gotta be here somewhere!"

A sea of police officers rushed across the commercial area, their boots pounding into ever-growing puddles of rain on the sidewalks and in the streetway. Their target listened intently from his hidden position off to the side of a coffee shop.

Genzo peered around the corner, though a sudden pain in his shoulder gave him momentary pause. He huffed as he observed blood continue to seep from his fresh wound only to quickly refocus his attention almost immediately.

The hole near his chest was the least of his worries, after all.

He tried his best to map out the sound of the nearby policeman's movements, but his efforts quickly proved to be in vain. The thunder that roared in the skies and the torrential rain that came with it made it almost impossible to hear their footsteps.

'If I could make it to a nearby building under construction, I may be able to outmaneuver them and escape,' Genzo thought. 'If I remember correctly, there should be one a few blocks down the street.'

"Over here! He's over here!"

A trio of officers charged him with batons at the ready, hammering his torso in the few seconds they had the advantage with a surprise attack. Although several of the hits landed on his wounded shoulder, he nevertheless was able to take down the officers rather quickly. Within seconds, he gave them all a physical beatdown with his fists that had them struggling to get back up off the ground.

When a bullet lodged itself into a nearby wall, he ducked for cover, seeing multiple officers approaching from down the street. More began to ricochet around him, though this time they were fired from the opposite direction.

With all other avenues of escape closed off, he began sprinting towards the south side where his sole hope of survival may yet be in place.

Another squad of cops appeared seemingly out of nowhere to bar his way, only for them to subsequently be bulldozed by the immovable object that was Genzo Hagane. One of the grounded officers, clearly struck by the fear of god, fired off their pistol in a frenzy and launched several panicked shots at the Yakuza. The first merely grazed his leg, several others missed, but two of the bullets shot straight through his chest.

He winced in pain but did little else other than continue running away while an army of police trailed him in hot pursuit.

---

Metaverse: Tower of Strength, Floor 20

"Hyaaaa!" Chie exclaimed, her armored greaves crushing the torso of one of the animated samurai armors.

All around the room, Yosuke and Yukiko had finished demolishing the remnants of Shadows that had thus far seemed endless. When all was quiet in the room, they still kept their Personas at the ready as if they refused to believe it was finally over.

When the gong sounded and the door opened revealing the lift to the next floor, they took a deep breath of relief.

"Finally," Yosuke uttered, his shoulders slumping. "Is this seriously going to be what all the floors are like?"

"I get how ya feel," sighed Chie. "This is only our second room, but it feels like the thirtieth."

"I wonder how many floors there are," Yukiko said absentmindedly.

"I wonder what the hell's at the top," Yosuke replied.

"If we don't get a move on, all it'll be is Yu, Rise, and Sae-san."

"Aw damn, I didn't even think of that," Yosuke stated in realization. "Chie's right, we should get a move on, otherwise we'll fall behind. And who knows if they'll end up needing our help."

As they got onto the lift and it began to move on to whatever level of the tower the next challenge was on, the brunette couldn't help but voice a though.

"What floor do you think they're up to by now?" Chie asked. She took notice of a cheeky smirk coming into view on Yosuke's person and scowled heavily. "And if you say 'sixty-nine', be prepared to forfeit your life."

While Yosuke held his hands up defensively as if to placate his friend, Yukiko was already about to burst out in a fit of laughter.

"Pffft, floor sixty-nine… Hahaha!"

"Oh for the love of god…" Chie sighed.

"See? She found it funny," Yosuke replied.

"Don't you start."

"Fine, fine. And btdubs, I have no idea where they're at. Probably… like, I dunno, ten floors ahead of us?"

"Let's hope that's all."

Tower of Strength: Floor 60

Sae ripped her twinblade from a Shadows decaying corpse, all the while Astrea returned to her wielder's soul amidst a sea of ashen darkness that marked the death of dozens of Shadows in the wake of what was clearly a devastating offensive.

The gong rang yet again as she retracted her weapon, and yet again when the doors opened to reveal the next lift, she walked towards it in silence. Her frosty aura had, if anything, gotten worse, as she had been entirely silent for the past three floors they'd cleared out.

Rise's concern was palpable, but per her previous declaration that she would trust Yu's judgment on when to confront her on her behavior, she said nothing and simply headed for the lift just the same as Avenger.

'A part of me wants to stop her here and now, but…' Yu thought.

His expression fell for a moment as he followed in the footsteps of his fellow teammates. He knew what he needed to do, but he knew that if he did, there was no telling exactly what would happen.

Yu merely hoped that they were nearly at the tower's peak so that he could finally confront her without creating a massive risk for Sae in the process.

He just hoped that when he did, his worst fears wouldn't come to pass.

---

Genzo Hagane panted heavily as he entered the second floor of a building under construction. His vision had started to blur, and even he with all his inhuman strength could feel his balance starting to slip away.

He leaned on a nearby pillar for only a few seconds to regain his bearings, taking several deep breaths to calm himself down.

"Hagane! We know you're in there!" boomed an officer's voice on a megaphone from the surrounding ground level. "Come out with your hands up and surrender at once. We know you're injured, and we can assure you that if you give yourself up, you will receive proper care. You have sixty seconds to comply, or we'll be coming in to take you forcibly."

The timed warning made the Yakuza audibly scoff. There wasn't a chance in hell that he'd comply, and he had a feeling that on some level the police were aware of that. In fact, it wouldn't surprise him if they stormed the building within the next ten seconds.

'Escape is impossible,' he admitted to himself. 'But I won't let myself be taken.'

Genzo's eyes drifted over towards several of the support beams that had been set up on the floor thus far. As luck would have it, it seemed as if he'd only need to collapse two, and the entire second floor would collapse.

As five seconds had already passed since the police's warning, he cracked his knuckles and got to work. He came within distance of the first beam, and with one strong swing of his fist, he took out a decent chunk of its rightmost portion, creating a web of cracks that extended through most of the pillar.

The sound of the rubble hitting the floor was thankfully masked by the torrential downpour and the cracking thunder that came with it. One more punch was all it took to take down the first pillar, and with it done, only one more remained.

On the ground, the police were waiting patiently for the orders of their commanding officer, who stood in place, intently looking at his watch.

"Twenty more seconds, boys. Safety's off, take him dead or alive, got it?" he ordered.

He held his hand up with roughly five seconds to go, more than prepared to give his men the order to move out, though with only two left in the countdown, a loud cracking sound grabbed his attention away from his watch.

The commanding officer and all of his men watched as the roof of the building caved in on itself. It started as a slight collapse and then gradually consumed the entirety of the building, forcing every police officer on the perimeter to back off lest they be accidentally crushed by incoming debris.

Thankfully, the end result was akin to an implosion and hence there was virtually no chance of any damage befalling anyone outside of the building.

Inside, on the other hand…

"You've gotta be kiddin' me," he uttered in horrified astonishment. Grabbing his communicator, he addressed all of his men present. "All squads move in and start a sweep of the area. Do not leave your post. I repeat, do not leave your post. I want a body, got it?"

"—ir? Your—bre—up. Co—agai—"

"God damn radio interference," cursed the commanding officer. He immediately addressed a nearby sergeant. "You heard me, right? Get to it. I'll get into contact with the other squads directly."

"Are you sure a search is necessary, sir?" one of the nearby men asked. "I mean, a building just crashed down on him. There's no way anyone could survive that."

"The man was just shot four times and ran two blocks going full speed," he replied, his gaze stern as he turned to face his junior officer. "Search. The. Rubble."

"G-Got it."

---

Tower of Strength: Floor 70

The trio of Sae, Yu, and Rise exited the elevator in silence, walking into a room that seemed identical to all the others they'd encountered so far. However, unlike most prior rooms, the walls were not decorated with dozens of average-sized samurai armor displays. They'd instead been replaced by two much larger sets of armor on the far end of the room.

It came as no surprise that between the sole two sets of armor was a an incredibly reinforced door. It's size and the guards on each side more than gave it a 'final door' vibe even without any confirmation.

"Your strength is admirable," the announcer's voice called out. "You have reached the final test. Defeat the guards, and you will be free to walk the path to the peak of the tower."

The same black ichor that had appeared in all the other rooms started to seep out from the walls and head towards the two sets of armors.

"Straight into it then," Rise thought aloud as the creatures came to life bit by bit. She closed her eyes and focused up. "Kanzeon!"

Preemptively, the redheaded idol gave her full supporting abilities to both Yu and Sae. It proved a wise choice, too, given that the two animated armors that soon stood up were far more imposing than any they'd previously faced.

The Shadow Ronin stretched nearly half-way towards the ceiling with each having a unique appearance relative to the other. The one towards the door's left side had a distinctly blue color palette with even the steel of its katana being slightly tinged the very same color. On the right, the other Ronin was much the same, though its aesthetic was dominated by red.

Both were different from the generic gray or black that they'd encountered thus far, but given that there were only two of them, an obvious combat strategy presented itself.

Acting on nothing more than instinct, the two Persona users seamlessly went into action with Yu approaching the left while Sae approached the right. They chose to approach from the center, bent on locking the Shadows off from supporting one another in any way while they on the other hand would quite literally have each other's backs.

"Astrea!"

"Yoshitsune!"

The sword-wielding Personas rushed towards the respective Ronin and used every bit of their frightening speed and precision to begin the fight by inflicting some form of serious damage. They succeeded as well, as even in spite of the Shadows' best efforts, they failed to parry the storm of blades that was sent their way.

To their credit, the Ronin managed to stay standing, and it was soon apparent that they were in the midst of mounting a counterattack. Their blades began to glow, one brightly with flames, and the other with a frosty blue.

They grunted as they swung their katanas with all the strength they could muster, "Graaa!"

Both Yoshitsune and Astrea parried the blows well, though each time their blades met with those of the Ronin, their wielders could feel an increasing strain on their bodies.

Without speaking a word but clearly being of one mind, both Sae and Yu ordered their Persona's to pull back. Their opponents, however, were clearly in no mood to allow such a thing to occur without consequence.

"Charged shots incoming!" Rise exclaimed.

The Shadows swung their blades and released a series of arching energy bolts of fire and ice. At first, both of the Personas on the battlefield simply buckled down to tank the seemingly inescapable barrage, but after a few of the shots had landed, Rise had been able to erect a barrier to block out the rest of the attacks.

With the Ronin's katanas no longer exuded elemental power as they did before, Yu took full advantage with his Yoshitsune just as Sae did with her Astrea. In one swift move, they levied yet another barrage of sword strikes at the Shadows faster than they could have hoped to react, effectively dealing the finishing blows.

The swordsman staggered, their obsidian torsos liquifying again and causing the armor to fall straight towards the ground as cold and lifeless as it once was.

"…is it me, or did that feel easier than it should've been?" Rise wondered aloud.

"No, it's not just you," Yu replied. His eyes narrowed and he strengthen his grip on his katana. "Which is exactly why I'm sure this isn't over."

He was proven correct a few short seconds later when instead of dissipating in a puff of black dust, the armors began to seep black sludge. In no time flat, tendrils shot out towards a central point, fusing the two piles of ichor and taking with them pieces of the armor they'd previously occupied.

The two samurai had started to merge, creating an abhorrent creature that was effectively two bodies melded back-to-back, forming a Ronin of fire on one side with a Ronan of ice on the other.

It somehow managed to grow in size, and it soon let loose a bestial battle cry that shook the entire arena.

"Raaaaa!" the Shadow roared.

It primed its blades towards the ground before beginning to spin its upper body around like a ceiling fan, all the while its lower half stayed perfectly stationary. The fused monstrosity then rushed forward, its feet moving like a spider as it barreled towards the two Persona users with deceptive speed.

Yu and Sae both jumped off to either side of the room to evade the high-speed meat grinder, after which they each called forth a Persona to make a stand.

"Yoshitsune!"

"Astrea!"

A loud boom ensued as what was effectively four dual-sword shielding fighters clashing blades all at once. Sparks began to fly as the clash continued, though in a surprising turn of events, the fused Ronin seemed to have an advantage.

Whenever either Yoshitsune or Astrea would gain an advantage on one side, the Shadow would spin its upper body and throw off their movements. It was as if it could change its attack and defensive patterns in an instant, making it almost impossible to breach its defenses.

'It isn't even moving around and I still feel like it has the advantage,' Yu thought with a scowl.

He held out his hand and called forth a Tarot card from a different Arcana, intent on ensuring the towering Ronin didn't get too comfortable with their attack patterns.

"Trumpeter!"

The biblical herald of the apocalypse answered his call, and soon blew its trumpet squarely in the direction of the towering Ronin. A dull aura of red blue and green coated its body for a moment, leaving it slower and more lethargic in its aftermath.

Confused and a bit disoriented, the Shadow was left at the momentary mercy of its faster and stronger opponents. Realizing this, it attempted a retreat, but of course it was nowhere quick enough to successfully do so.

Astrea cocked back both of its swords, levying a massive physical strike that tossed the Ronin across the room. It slammed into the walls on the other side, appearing as if it were little more than a collapsed statue. Though it had clearly taken a beating, it still showed signs of life in the form of its glowing red eyes and twitching limbs.

"Graaaaaaa!" the best roared angrily.

It picked itself up like a possessed ragdoll all the while its four swords began to glow with energy once again. The Shadow began to spin, releasing the power built up in its blades and creating a massive tornado of frost and flame around its body. At first it appeared to be more of a defensive move, but the subsequent bursts of lesser tornados that shot out of the center proved otherwise.

They managed to doge the onslaught masterfully even in spite of the sheer number of twisters launched their way. Although it remained the case that they were forced back a great distance as the Shadow recovered its poise.

"What a nuisance," Sae scoffed.

"In more ways than one," Rise remarked, her expression deathly serious. "We've got more company inbound, and plenty of it. Brace yourselves."

Dozens upon dozens of the characteristic shimmering dark portals began to open in the walls throughout the room. Worse was the fact that the Shadows that sprung from them were by no means pushovers. They recognized them to be the brutish thug-like Shadows known as Bulks they'd encountered the other day.

'Dammit, this isn't looking good,' Yu thought, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple.

He called out Yoshitsune immediately and launched a seemingly endless sequence of sword strikes at the Shadows that had started to swarm them. He cut down nearly two dozen of them in an instant, but still they continued to charge.

Soon the Ronin made its advance, even trampling its own allies to go after its prey yet again. The ensuing chaotic battle quickly began to prove overwhelming for both Sae and Yu, with the relentless aggression of the fused Shadow and its minions giving them less than no room to breathe.

Rise frowned, understanding what Yu and Sae likely already knew but likely wouldn't admit. They were fighting an uphill battle, and even if they were to win it in the end, they'd likely be far too exhausted to continue on.

'I'm not sure any of my support abilities will do much to change the flow of the fight, either,' Rise thought annoyedly. 'There might be one thing I can try, but…'

Though the idol had her doubts, she knew that the rewards of her potential gamble were too great to ignore. Accepting the potential risks involved, she closed her eyes, clasped her hands, and focused to the full extent of her abilities.

Kanzeon began to glow a radiant shade of bright heavenly light, and when her power reached its apex, Rise began to sing. The harmonic melody spread across the room, causing each and every Shadow to freeze in place as if in a trance. Even the Ronin was affected, though it resisted quite a bit more than its lesser allies.

The two silver-haired Persona users glanced back at Rise with surprise written all over their faces. Seeing the strained expression on her face as her melody continued, they soon realized without even the need for words that they were working with a time limit, and as such they saved any questions for later.

"Bless attacks," Sae curtly stated. "These things are weak to bless. Hit them with everything you've got."

"Right," he replied. Gathering his strength, he called forth another Tarot card, crushing it with conviction. "Helel!"

At the room's highest point, a blinding light began to echo. From within the radiance, a bright white angelic figure with six wings descended as if from the very heavens themselves, its feathers coating the battlefield upon its arrival.

Astrea soon took its place at Helel's side, and in unison the two powerful Personas raised their hands towards the sky. An innumerable number of bright white needles began to form, though they stayed still for only seconds before their casters shot them forward. They moved towards the earth below faster than lighting, with countless more forming and firing off in a holy storm that ripped every Shadow in the arena to shreds.

Even the four-sword-wielding Ronin had no defense against the onslaught. With each hit, it staggered, eventually losing its footing altogether and collapsing to the floor. Its fellow Shadows began to dissipate, placing the fight at an apparent end.

"Good… work…!" Rise breathed tiredly.

Her vision blurred for a second and she felt her legs give in. She'd have surely fallen to the ground and slammed into it like a sack of bricks, too, at least had it not been for a timely assist from Yu. She looked up when her eyesight returned, being greeted by his characteristic warm and charming smile.

"Easy there, don't push yourself too hard," said Yu.

"…thanks," she replied, her cheeks slightly flushed.

He tenderly helped her to her feet, ensuring that she was able to stand. "By the way… what exactly was that just now?"

"Oh, you know, just trying something new," she replied, offering a playful smile. "I got the idea from watching Futaba-chan in a fight a little while ago. I'll admit, I wasn't sure it would work, but given how things were going, I thought I might as well give it a shot."

"Good call," Yu replied with a chuckle.

The somewhat playful back and forth was promptly interrupted by a raspy growl that came from the Ronin's still-present body. Its red eyes shined once more, and though it was by no means a threat, it was clear that it was at least attempting to reach for its swords once more.

Yu placed himself in front of Rise and prepared to give the finishing blow. However, he found it unnecessary as Sae rushed past him towards the near-corpse and slammed her twinblade directly into its neck. She then ripped the end of her weapon up through its head, shattering it completely in the process. The remainder of the Ronin's torso began to crack and fall like shards of glass, a dark, shadowy mist breathing out into the air as a sign of its demise.

Though their enemy was gone, neither Yu nor Rise could find solace in the quiet that followed. The blow Sae had dealt was made with cold, brutal efficiency, and lacked even the slightest shred of mercy or hesitation.

Even by her standards, it was frightening.

"Congratulations," spoke the announcer. The seal on the door was promptly unlocked. "The path to the tower's apex is now open. Proceed to your heart's content."

Predictably, the eldest of the Nijima sisters began to walk forwards.

"Sae, wait a sec," Yu called out.

"What for? The path ahead is right there, isn't it?"

Without even looking backwards, Sae eyed the door with a hardened gaze that put even steel to shame. She continued towards it with razor-focus, only for her advance to be cut short courtesy of a hand latching into her forearm.

At first her natural reaction was rage, and it showed in her expression initially as she turned around. Her anger quickly subsided upon seeing the worry written on Yu's face. She'd rarely seen him like that before, and knowing she herself was the cause only made it more difficult to look at him.

"What?" Sae asked plainly.

"Do you really not know?" Yu replied, his tone as calm as he could manage.

It was clear that the steadfast young woman felt a great deal of discomfort as she gently rid herself of his hand and turned away. Even so, she more than had it in her to be her ordinary stubborn self.

"I'm fine," she stated.

"No, you're not," Yu stated pointedly. "You've barely so much as said a word since we stepped foot into this tower. And the way you're fighting is—"

"Efficient."

"Sae," Yu spoke firmly. "If you're not going to say it outright, that's fine. I already know the way your acting has everything to do with what we both know is waiting for us at the top of this tower. That's the entire reason you chose to come here instead of going with your sister, and that's the entire reason you've been fighting so ruthlessly. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong."

The twinblade-wielding woman stiffened noticeably in response to his words. He was right, of course, and it was clear that Sae couldn't even bring herself to deny it.

"Look, it's not like I don't understand," Yu began sympathetically. He sighed, even now unsure of quite what to say. "This is beyond personal for you, and I know that even if Genzo Hagane isn't the man that ordered your father's death, in all likelihood he knows who it was. I know it's not fair to ask you to have your emotions completely in check, but if you're fighting like this just to get to him… then I can only imagine how you'll be when we actually face him directly. I just… I don't want you to do something you'll regret. Or worse, I don't want you to lose focus and somehow end up hurt."

It was impossible for Sae to say how she truly felt in that moment. On one hand, she was enraged that he was being so persistent when talking was the last thing on earth she wanted to do right then. On the other, she found it comforting that he truly cared that much.

"Yu, please don't worry so much," Sae finally replied. She mustered the closest thing to a smile she'd sported since they'd entered the tower, which undoubtedly came as a great sense of relief on his part. "I won't lie, it's not easy to keep my feelings contained. I'm so close to answers I've wanted for years, and there's certainly a part of me that won't stop at anything to get them. But you have my word I'll do my best to keep myself under control."

Yu nodded, feeling undeniably reassured. In all the years he'd known her, Sae had never once gone back on her word. Once it was given, every fiber of her being would fight to keep it. Whether she'd be able to under the current circumstances was still an open question, but at least now he could trust that she'd give it his all.

And that was perhaps the best that he could hope for.

Yu nodded, "I'll hold you to that."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

---

The muscular Yakuza's eyes shot wide open and he began to breathe heavily in a panic, though a crushing weight on his chest pained him with each he took. His surroundings were mostly dark, but he at least knew his eyes still worked properly on account of the few glimpses of light that shined through the cracks in the stone debris.

Abruptly, one of the large pieces of rubble started to shake. He could tell it was courtesy of someone moving it from the outside, which only made him scowl.

After all, he was fully expecting to see a cop.

When the rock was finally removed, even the dim light amidst a downpour of rain blinded him momentarily. After a short while, he could make out the appearance of a suited man, and much to his surprise, it was the very same one that he'd met at his favorite bar just a short time ago.

The man said nothing and removed a few chunks of the rubble. When enough of it was removed, he more or less grabbed Genzo's hand and forced him to his feet.

"Can you stand?" he asked.

"Barely, but yes," Genzo replied weakly.

"Here, allow me."

He quickly hoisted the Yakuza over his shoulders and under the shield of his umbrella in the midst of the still-occurring downpour. The pair began to walk away, though as they did so, Genzo took notice of the quiet. Outside of their own footsteps clanking down into the thick layer of rain coating the streets, there was nothing.

"If you're wondering about the police, they're nowhere near this area for now. I've been interfering with their communication channels so I could create an opening to search for you, and luckily for me, they'll most likely blame the storm. Funny how that works out…"

Hearing that only made Genzo want to ask a single, obvious question, though he barely had the ability to do so in the moment. The best he could hope for was to weakly mutter but a single word and hope its intent was properly conveyed.

"Why?"

Thankfully, the weak whisper seemed to be perfectly grasped by the suited man. He smiled gently as they rounded the corner before peering over to the Yakuza and looking him in his eyes.

"Because it would be a waste for such an exceptional individual like you to be killed off by such inconsequential people," he replied. "I don't have any ulterior motives, if that's what you were worried about. Should you be able to make a recovery, your life is free to live as you see fit."

Genzo appreciated the sentiment, and even found himself smirking wistfully at the good-natured response. Still, things weren't that simple; there was an iron code that must be followed.

A life debt had been incurred, and now the iron code he adhered to must be followed. If he lived, then that 'life' was no longer truly his. It didn't belong to him, and it likely never would.

As such, he had only one thing to say, which may very well have ended up being his last word.

"…no."

---

The apex of the Tower of Strength had an appearance that suited its name, dwarfing the size of any of the prior floors by a wide margin. The tatami matting and overall dojo-esque aesthetic remained consistent, though.

Its walls stretched only about half-way towards the celling, creating a haunting and twisted view of the Metaverse's red skies and the darkened Shibuya cityscape. Hovering in the air amidst the pyramid-shaped roof was a pitch-black sphere that sparked with life, clearly acting as the structure's core.

Overall, the atmosphere could only be described as chaotic and oppressive, though that didn't seem to affect the sole occupant in the slightest. At the room's center, Genzo Hagane sat perfectly still, managing to mediate silently even as the twisted tower core swirled overhead.

His mind was preoccupied with events of the past for the singular purpose of honing his will, for he knew exactly what was to come. He'd known since the very moment he felt a presence enter the tower's bottom floor.

He could feel three strong individuals climbing the staircase and fast approaching. Two of them he expected from the start: Yu Narukami and Sae Nijima, and the third was in all likelihood a navigator. He knew, after all, that would be their strongest team, and a perfect strategy for advancing through the tower.

When Yu, Sae, and Rise had finally entered the room, Genzo rose from his meditative position. He grabbed the glaive that had been resting at his side and turned to face them, standing resolutely and with immovable conviction that would likely have intimidated lesser foes.

No words needed to be spoken. After all, this seemed to be exactly what all of them had been expecting from the very start.

A/N And there we go. Again, since I decided to split this up, the next chapter will be posted on this coming Friday. So, until then!

Explanations:

Next Chapter: Shifts over to the other tower. I intended them to be one chapter together, but it ended up being like 32k words long or something like that, and I liked the idea of separating them since it is two different towers after all.

Rise's New Power: It's similar to Futaba's but obviously it has a different flavor to it. I haven't come up with a name yet, but I will eventually.

Genzo vs. Sae, Yu & Rise: Yes, that's a bit of a blue-ball, and this fight won't play out for at this point another 2 chapters. Don't worry, I can promise some fireworks.

Akashi Nijima: Just to give the TLDR version here, he found a trail that led to Mystery Persona X and Mystery Person X had him killed for his trouble. The evidence was hidden by a police officer who is now dead since Ichinose overdosed last chapter.

The Case Files: I got a question in a PM from this, but yes, Jirikishi is the one who helped Sae's former coworker find them in the SPD. Just an easter egg I figured I'd throw out there.