Music: Hifumi's Palace Theme
The next day of school had come and gone, and when it ended, the Team found itself back inside Mitsuyo's Palace, and teleported immediately into the Safe Room in the tower. After stepping out, Kaito waved and greeted them, which they returned. Yu turned to his teammates.
"Alright. So, to review, we need to beat Kaito Togo in a match of shogi in order to reach the Treasure. But before we can do that, we need to find the pieces of the board, which are scattered throughout the complex." Yu started.
"It would appear so. Before we start our infiltration, we'll have to find a map." Akechi stated.
"Right. Let's have a look around."
The search didn't take long. Shiho found a table along a wall that held several scrolls. After unrolling one after another, she eventually found a map, and all of their phones beeped, signaling that the information was absorbed.
"Alright, let's see what we got." Yu said as he pulled out his mobile device and looked.
"Ok, so we have three buildings to go through; the armory, the barracks, and the… princess chambers."
"That must be where we'll find cognitive Hifumi." Morgana said.
"Alright. Kaito said that some of the pieces will be won by brains rather than brawn, so we'll start with the barracks." Yu said.
"We'll follow your lead Seeker." Akechi said.
The group moved out, following their map to the barracks. It was a building carved into the mountainside, and once inside, they found that it descended into several wide floors, and at the bottom floor was where a lone figure dressed in ornate samurai armor colored in red stood on a stone circle in the shape of an arena. However, he was too far down, if the four tried to jump to his position, they'd die from the fall. There were three floors total, not counting the bottom one. First floor had three Shadows, second had five, and third had seven. The team turned to each other to discuss strategy.
"I say we rush them. Gather them all up in one spot, then blow them away." Shiho suggested.
"Bad idea. For one, we don't know what kind of Shadows they are. Two, they can call in reinforcements, so we could get flooded." Akechi pointed out.
"Plus, this is a test. That means it's going to get more and more difficult as we go. It would be wise to take battles in bite-sized chunks, heal, then continue." Yu said, getting up and approaching the Shadows, all of which were dressed in plain samurai armor,
"Have you come to take the Trail of Warriors?"
"We have."
"Then you know the conditions of this trail; Victory. Or death."
The Shadows melted into a black tar substance, then merged together, the substance coming together and then morphing into a towering giant that had several claws, two horns, and appeared to be made almost entirely out of paper.
"Show your power to the soldiers of the Shogun!" It roared.
Yu pulled out his newest Persona; a small lion with green skin.
"Shiisaa! Frei!" Yu ordered, a small green orb exploding right on top of the creature's chest. The other Team members joined the fray, Shiho using her flail to knock one of the legs at the knee join, forcing their opponent to one knee. Akechi summoned Robin Hood and reduced the monster's defense, while Lady Trieu unleashed a burst of wind, forcing it back. Now, it was the Shadow's turn. Raising its hands, sudden columns of fire erupted underneath each of the Team.
"Hua Po!" Yu said, switching Personas just in time to reduce the damage. Akechi didn't have that luxury if his screams were anything to go by, Shiho didn't take much damage on account of her Persona, but Morgana was caught with her pants down; the blast had knocked her on her feet. Using this momentum, the creature punched Yu straight into the floor. Shiho summoned Boudica, and used her healing abilities to patch up the Team, allowing Morgana to get back up. As the monster turned its attention to the other two teenagers Yu summoned another different Persona; and angel in crimson red armor and silver lance.
"Power! Slash!" Yu ordered, and the angel slashed the Shadow's arm, cutting it clean off. As it recoiled in pain, Robin Hood let loose an arrow that forced it onto the ground.
"This is our chance! All-Out Attack!" Yu ordered, he and the others performing the finisher move with grace and style.
The dust had settled, and Yu looked at his friends. A few scrapes and bruises, nothing too serious. They each gave him a thumbs up as if to affirm his assumptions. With that out of the way, they looked to the next floor, which held five guards this time. Walking down the stairs, the guards raised their swords.
"Victory or death. Show your power to the soldiers of the shogun!"
The five guards exploded into black tar again, which also merged into one giant puddle that merged into one single puddle that transformed itself into a humongous, fat, yellow tiger for a body with a monkey for a head It opened its mouth and unleashed a volley of spiked ice balls straight at Yu.
"Jack Frost!" Yu ordered, the adorable doll-like creature appearing right in the nick of time, absorbing the otherwise deathly hail like it was breakfast.
The beast changed strategies, pounding its fist into the floor, the tremors knocking both Shiho and Akechi to the ground. Morgana, however was able to dodge the attack by jumping, and Yu was far enough it didn't affect him severely. Morgana pulled out her scimitar and slashed the beast across the chest, then rolled backwards, got on one knee, turned around with slingshot in hand, and shot it straight in the eye. Yu pulled out his pistol as the creature recoiled, and fired it in the other eye. Akechi, still on the ground, summoned Robin Hood, but the Shadow, despite being effectively blind, used its tail to swat away the Persona. Akechi pulled out his laser sword and with a single strike, chopped the tail off. Shiho called upon her inner self, and Boudicca unleashed several flames, knocking him down. The Team didn't even need the order this time, performing the All-Out Attack automatically.
"Is everyone alright?"
"Yea. We're fine Seeker." Akechi answered.
"Give me a few. Ok. Ready." Shiho answered after taking some deep breaths.
"I'm good to go." Morgana finished.
"Alright. Then let's get to it."
Yu waved at them to follow, and once again, they travelled down the stairs to the final floor, now with seven guards. The Team put themselves on guard, ready for whatever monster they transformed into this time.
"Victory or death. Show your strength to the soldiers of the shogun!"
Just like the ones before, the Shadows all exploded and melted into the black sludge, merging into a turtle with a dragon for a tail.
"Everyone split up!" Yu ordered as both of the heads prepared to attack.
The team ran in different directions, and the dragon tail launched a fire stream at Yu, while the turtle released an explosion of cursed energy, hurting Shiho. Morgana fired slingshot balls to get its attention, and Akechi assaulted it using holy magic. Both of which backfired horribly. All of Morgana's hits were reflected back at her, and the Shadow managed to actually absorb the holy power of Robin Hood. Yu summoned Izanagi, and the thunder god brought down the wrath of the heavens, but to little effect.
"How is this thing so tough?!" Shiho yelled, dodging a blast of ice.
"It's made of seven Shadows put together. It's not that difficult to believe it obtained all of their strengths and powers, which cover its weaknesses." Akechi explained as he dodged several bite attempts from the tail.
"Then we'll have to find something it doesn't resist. It repels guns, absorbs holy, and resists lightning. Everyone hit it with what you can!" Yu ordered, switching Personas.
Shiho and Morgana got back and summoned their Personas, unleashing both wind and fire attacks, which did minor damage. Yu pulled out Succubus, but curse damage was also minor. The turtle threw its tail, and the snake finally succeeded on chomping down on Akechi, and then slammed him into Morgana. Shiho tried to smash its head with her flail, but it simply retreated back into its shell, then counterattacked with its own tail, slamming her into a wall.
That tail has to go.
Yu summoned Izanagi, and the god flew towards the Shadow at breakneck speed. The tail opened its maw and attempted to counterattack, but Yu's plan was already in motion. The Wild Card ran towards the monster, which saw the boy approach, and the tail switched targets as a result. With the tail distracted, the Persona dived and cut the dragon clean off, leaving the turtle borderline defenseless. The Shadow unleashed a barrage of fire, but Yu switched to Hua Po, which blocked it, and the Trickster leapt into the air, plunging his sword down into the Shadow's head, killing it. Yu looked to asses the damage. Most of the Team had endured serious injuries, if how slow they were getting back up were any indication.
"You guys ok?" Yu asked as he helped Shiho up, while Morgana did the same for Akechi.
"Not really. That thing packed a nasy punch." Shiho groaned.
"I can patch us up, but it's gonna take a lot, so I'm not sure how useful I'll be later down the line." Morgana stated.
"What about Shoichi's meds?" Akechi asked as blood oozed from his bite marks.
"No need. Here, everyone take one." Yu said, reaching into his pockets and pulling out three rocks.
"Life Stones? Not sure how effective they'll be, but it's better than nothing." Morgana said as she, Akechi, and Shiho each took one.
"How do we use these?" Shiho asked.
"Just crush them." Morgana answered, crushing the rock like it was candy, resulting in a green energy washing over her. Akechi and Shiho repeated the action, with the same results. Shiho let out a breath of relief.
"Oh, that felt goooood."
"Come on. We've still got that figure to worry about." Yu said, waving his hand as he opened a door to the stone circle that the red samurai was on. As they approached, the figure turned around, revealing a feminine face.
"I am Suki. And you, have done well."
"Um… thank you?"
"But one last part of the trail remains; me. Select your champion, and the two of us will do battle in one-on-one combat." Suki declared.
"Alright then. I'll be the champion." Yu stated.
"Seeker, you're our strongest member and leader. Are you sure it's wise to fight one on one with her?" Shiho asked, worry in her voice.
"You're right Pariah, I am the strongest member. I was also in kendo club back home, so I'm the only one with any experience in swordplay. Plus, I have a good few Personas if things get bad. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Yu assured as he stepped into the circle, water splashing against the rock. Once he did, Suki pushed something on the ground, and a giant white energy wall surrounded the stone circle. Akechi hit it a few times to confirm his suspicions; the wall was meant to keep them out, and Yu in.
"Are you ready?" Suki asked, earning a nod from Yu.
"Good."
Suki pulled out her sword, as did Yu, but before the Wild Card could move, she raised it to the sky, summoning the three Shadows the Team had fought before; the white paper giant, the yellow tiger with the monkey head, and the turtle with the dragon tail. The other Tricksters began pounding away at the wall almost immediately, while Suki smirked sadistically.
"You cheater!" Morgana yelled.
"VICTORY OR DEATH! Show your strength to the soldiers of the Shogun!" Suki cried as she and the others charged.
Yu simply rolled his eyes and pulled out his gun, landing a headshot on Suki, resulting in her now lifeless body falling face-first to the ground. The other Shadows continued, undeterred. Yu summoned Izanagi and sent the god straight for the turtle, while he focused on dodging the attacks of the others. The god of Japan, now more prepared for the tail, simply waited to be attacked, dodged once the blow came, then cut off the tail. With the turtle's main method of offence down, Izanagi plunged his blade into the turtle's head, causing the Shadow to change to ash. With two opponents defeated, Yu ordered Izanagi to call down the thunder. The god spun his weapon around, and several lightning bolts came crashing down on the remaining two Shadows. The tiger Shadow was especially caught off guard, as it seemed to be locked in place with electricity sweeping through its fur. Yu could now focus on the paper giant, which had been throwing fire at him, and getting closer at hitting him. Izanagi flew over, electrifying his blade and chopping the Shadow's head clean off, turning the monster to ash. Now, only the tiger Shadow remained, and it was still suffering from the electricity. Yu moved and attacked with his blade three times before rolling back and shooting it in the head. It let out a cry of agony before also turning to ash.
With all of his opponents dead, the white wall disappeared, and his allies ran to his side, Shiho in particular was happy to see him alright, judging by how tight her hug was.
"Oh my God, I was so scared! But you sure showed them who's boss!"
"And to think, when we started out, you didn't believe you were cut out for this job." Morgana reminded with a smirk.
"That was nothing short of amazing Seeker!" Akechi praised.
All the compliments caused Yu to look at the ground and blush furiously. When he did, he noticed a few Shogi pieces lying on the stone. He picked them up and counted. It was about three, but since Yu didn't play any Shogi, he had no idea what they were. When he touched them, they glowed, then vanished. Shortly after, they heard Kaito chuckle.
"Well done. You have obtained three of the Shogi pieces. Continue your quests, infiltrators. I hope you prove worthy opponents.
"How's everyone doing? Can we keep moving?" Yu asked.
"Still good!"
"I can keep going."
"Ready when you are."
Yu nodded, and the Team made their way back up from the barracks and into the courtyard, with the armory as their destination, and knowing full well they'd be tested there too.