The death of Shirley's father caught the Black Knights completely by surprise, especially when they learned that he had been murdered by a mental shutdown.

"This is awful…" Milly murmured.

"Why would someone kill her father?" Kallen frowned.

"Who can say?" Lelouch replied. "It could be any number of reasons. Politics, a grudge, keep him from talking about something… We know a number of the early mental shutdown murders were carried out on Clovis' orders, but at the time they seemed like random killings. We simply don't have enough to go on, only that it's another crime this Black Mask has to answer for."

"It seems Shirley was quite close to her father," Milly said solemnly, any of her usual mirth gone. "We need to be there for her as she grieves. She says the funeral has been scheduled for three days from now.

"Don't you think that's unusually fast, given that any death by mental shutdown is considered suspicious?" Lelouch asked. "You'd think they would need more time for an autopsy. Unless someone higher up just wants him buried as soon as possible…. It's a cover-up, mark my words."

"That's not what matters right now, Lelouch," Milly replied.

Lelouch grimaced. "The funeral falls within the ideal window for our next infiltration of the Palace."

"You really are clueless when it comes to girls, aren't you?" Arthur asked.

"That's not what I meant," Lelouch said irritably. "Of course we'll attend the funeral… but we'll have to infiltrate the Palace immediately afterward to remain on schedule. If the hack to the elevator controls is discovered before we return, then the last infiltration will have been for nothing."

xXx

"It was bad enough when they killed the Viceroy," Nina said softly as she accepted the materials Lelouch had brought her from the Metaverse. "But to think the Black Knights would kill someone so close to one of us…?"

"Do you really think the Black Knights did it?" Lelouch asked.

"What do you mean?"

"The rumor is that the Black Knights are students here at Ashford Academy. That's why Rolo came to this school, isn't it?"

"Yes," Nina said, fidgeting uncomfortably.

"If that's true, then the Black Knights likely have friends here at Ashford. We may even know some of them. I can't believe that they would intentionally target Shirley's father."

"That may be so, but…" Nina began.

"There's something else that doesn't sit right with me," Lelouch continued. "Why would they kill Shirley's father with a mental shutdown, when they just changed Coach Nu's heart?"

"Who can understand how terrorists think?" Nina replied uneasily.

Ippon-Datara whispered to Lelouch, telling him that it would be best to change the subject.

"How is that project of yours coming along, Nina?" He asked. "It must be something pretty big, if you still need materials for it."

"Umm…. Would you like to see it?" Nina asked.

She led him to a laboratory space in the basement. There, there was a large object, several times Nina's height, covered by a tarp.

"What exactly have you been building, Nina?" Lelouch asked. Was that what he thought it was?

Nina clambered up a ladder that she had on the side, and pulled away the tarp, revealing something humanoid in shape, a Frankenstein-like creation made of welded together sheets of scrap metal, and thick bundles of silk yarn formed into tendons that would allow it to move at joints well-lubricated with oil, to name just a few of the eclectic materials from the Metaverse that had been incorporated into its design.

It was a Knightmare Frame, or at least, one that was under construction.

"It's not much…" Nina said nervously. "I had to be creative with the materials that I had, but I couldn't have gotten this far without your help…"

"You've been building a Knightmare Frame by yourself? That's incredible!" How had she even managed to keep such a large project hidden?

"My grandfather used to work on building Knightmare Frame," Nina explained, "and I've had the chance to look at the Ganymede. That helped a lot… But my Knightmare is so shoddy by comparison…. It's just the outer frame too, and even that's not finished. I've been able to get some electronics for it, but I really need some sakuradite if I'm ever going to finish this…"

Sakuradite wasn't something that the Black Knights readily had access to. He supposed that the mall in the Black King's Palace might sell some, but Nina would instantly be suspicious of him if he were to bring her some himself, so that wasn't a viable solution. But perhaps…

"I've tried writing to universities to see if I can get some small samples for research." Nina frowned. "But they won't take me seriously. To be honest, the Knightmare is just a side-project of mine," she admitted.

A Knightmare Frame was just a side project?

"Working with my hands helps take my mind off things… especially now," Nina continued as she picked up some tools. "But I've been working on a more theoretical project. I've only been able to do simulations so far… But I think there's a far more efficient way to harness sakuradite."

"What sort of way?" he asked her.

"All matter is made up of atoms," she began, "and at the center of each atom is the nucelus, composed of protons and neutrons. Normally, these particles are tightly bound together. But if you could split the atom, you would be able to convert a tiny portion of its mass into an enormous amount of energy." Nina continued to grow more animated as she spoke. "It could be possible to make this into a self-sustaining reaction, and the unique properties of sakuradite could vastly increase the effective yield of this process if introduced into…"

The technical details that Nina started to delve into were far beyond his own expertise. Perhaps he should have paid more attention in physics class. He was more than capable of doing the work, and he rarely needed to study for tests, as he could usually anticipate the sorts of questions his teachers would ask, but out of boredom and not wanting to stand out, he had never truly applied himself in school. But the more Nina talked, the more he realized that the theories she was discussing were definitely beyond anything their teachers had ever taught them, much less understood themselves.

Nina generally got high grades, especially in mathematics and science, but if what she was saying was correct….

She was a genius.

How could Nina, whose intellect evidently rivaled, and likely even far surpassed his in her own area of speciality, have remained practically unnoticed to him for so long? Well, the answer to that was obvious. Nina was so shy and unassuming most of the time, content just to blend in, even among the other members of the Student Council that sometimes one might not even notice that she was there. All the while, she had been quietly conducting her research in the background for who knew how long.

But now, she had confided her work in him, and he felt he understood her a bit better.

The power of the Hermit grew within him.

xXx

Lelouch found that he didn't have the energy to head out that night, so he returned to his room in the Clubhouse. To his displeasure, Tsu was there, waiting for him, stretched out on his bed.

"What do you want?" He asked the green-haired warden.

"Someone close to a friend of yours has died, haven't they?" Tsu asked.

"Who told you? Igor?"

Tsu bristled at the suggestion. "I have ways of finding things out on my own without the Nose's help."

"I don't think I've ever heard you refer to your Master in such an insolent manner before." Tsu's eyes narrowed, but he raised a hand slightly before she could speak. "Don't worry. If he doesn't already know, then I won't tell him. I have no love for him either."

"My Master can see almost anything in this world from within the Velvet Room," Tsu explained. "As he told you once, it is designed as a panopticon. But even he cannot keep his attention on everything at once. There are only a handful of humans who are capable of holding his attention for long. He is particularly interested in you, Inmate. You realize that, don't you?"

"A fact I am all too aware of."

"So what will you do now?" Tsu asked him.

"The same as I've always done. There was nothing we could have done to prevent the death of Shirley's father, not when we don't even know who the real culprit is. We never even imagined that he might be a target. There's no reason why our plans should change over such a thing. Whether or not her father died, we still have to change the Black King's heart and find the Black Mask."

"Indeed, you are correct not to let emotions cloud your judgment. But have you at least tried to comfort the poor girl?"

"Shirley barely came out of her room in the dorms today, and she hasn't exactly wanted to speak to me since she saw me with Kallen. What is it to you anyway?"

"Nothing," Tsu said after a moment. Lelouch could tell that she was lying, but he also sensed that it would be unwise to press her further.

"Well, aren't you going to get your rest, Inmate?" Tsu asked, filling in the awkward silence.

"How am I supposed to sleep with you there?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll be back in the Velvet Room before morning."

"That's not the point." He shook his head. "Unbelievable. I'll sleep on the floor."

"Get in the bed, Inmate," Tsu growled.

Arthur was demanding that he go to bed had been just a nightmare, but he couldn't wake up from Tsu demanding that he join her there, and unlike Arthur, she could punish him for refusing.

"Fine. But don't think I'm going to be doing anything other than trying to sleep."

"Did I ask for anything else?" Tsu replied venomously.

Tsu fell asleep before he did. Relieved that he wouldn't have to put up with her attitude any longer, Lelouch finally could start drifting off himself. If he could just ignore the body in the bed next to him…

"No…" he heard Tsu whisper next to him.

Quizzically, he turned to look at her. Tsu's eyes were still closed, but there was an uncharacteristic look of anxiety on her face.

"Just…. Let me die…" She tossed and turned in the bed, her movements becoming more fitful. "…. Torn…. apart…. Sister…. Please…. Help me…. Trickster…."

He had never seen Tsu so vulnerable before, and in that moment she did not seem like the callous and spiteful witch that she so often portrayed herself as, but a frightened girl who tried desperately to cover up the inner demons that tormented her so that she might project an image of strength. And come to think of it, Tsu had always called him "Inmate". But just now, she had called him "Trickster" instead.

Cautiously, Lelouch reached out, and wrapped an arm around Tsu. She rolled closer, clinging to him tightly. Slowly, the anxiety on her face eased, replaced by a peaceful expression as she slept soundly.

"You just wanted help sleeping…" he murmured softly so as not to wake her. He shook his head again. Tsu would never admit to it, lest she appear weak in front of him or her sister. But she didn't need to be alone. They were confidants, accomplices, and he would support her as he would Kallen or any of the other Black Knights.

Death resonated within him, marking another step forward in his relationship with his green-haired wardens.

Days Until Lelouch and Nunnally are Discovered: 9

xXx

As Tsu had promised, she had vanished from his room when morning broke. The only sign that she had been there was disheveled sheets on her side of the bed.

The afternoon was spent catching up on Student Council business that had been neglected and getting ahead on upcoming business so that they would be free to attend the funeral and infiltrate the Palace during the following day. Shirley wasn't in attendance at the meeting, not that anyone blamed her. For the most part, their work was completed in silence. Rolo did not talk much either, apparently sensing that there was no useful information to be gained, and for that he was grateful.

Lelouch once again stayed at the Clubhouse after the meeting had been adjourned.

"I wish there was more I could do to help," Arthur said wistfully after the others had departed. "It feels like I'm hardly good for anything except being a mascot these days."

"That's not true," Lelouch told Arthur.

"Think about it! You can wield multiple Personas. The power of Queen's new Persona is unmatched. Diamond almost always finds a way to lift everyone's spirits. If she can't, you know it's really bad. Bishop has clairvoyance in the Metaverse. Noire can bring people back to life. I'm… I'm just a stray cat that stumbled into the Metaverse and happened to obtain a Persona. I'm not at all special compared to the rest of you."

"That doesn't matter," Lelouch said. "If it were not for you, then I would have never met Kallen in the Metaverse, and we wouldn't know about Mementos either. Besides, you sell yourself short, Tama. It's precisely because you are a cat that you will always have a talent that no one else on the Black Knights can replace. You can fit in spaces where no one else can, which may prove invaluable to infiltrating some targets. Besides, you're one of us. That won't change."

"I guess there's more than one reason why you're our leader," Arthur replied. "You have that charisma that binds everyone together. Thanks, Zero. I needed that."

The power of the Magician grew.

Days Until Lelouch and Nunnally are Discovered: 8

xXx

It was raining at the funeral.

The service itself was closed casket, no doubt because of the gruesome nature of a mental shutdown. Shirley was dressed in a black mourning dress that cut off above her knees, but long gray stockings ensured that she was completely covered, save for her hands and her head, which had a black ribbon tied into her hair. Her mother, slightly shorter than her daughter, had light brown hair, trimmed short, though she had green eyes like Shirley. She too was dressed in mourning, with a gray coat over a long, narrow black dress, with a matching choker and a small hat on her head. Once they moved out of the church for the burial, they held umbrellas to shield themselves from the rain, but it did nothing to make them any less miserable.

"He was a pious soul who is always looked to God in his life and friend to us all," the officiating priest recited. "To his wife he was a devoted husband, to his child a loving father. May he rest in peace, forever cradled in the bosom of our Lord."

Shirley's mother broke down, wailing as her husband's coffin vanished beneath the Earth, begging him not to leave her.

"Please, Mom," Shirley said, clearly holding back her own sorrow as she held her mother, trying to calm her. "He's already gone."

"How are you holding up, Shirley?" Milly asked after the burial was completed. "We've all been worried about you. You don't need to hold it all in. You can cry if you want."

"I'm fine," Shirley said, shaking her head. "I've already cried a lot. It just… none of it seems real… My father… he was so gentle… he never, ever hurt me… he didn't do anything wrong… So why did the Black Knights kill him? None of it makes any sense…"

"You know we're there for you, Shirley," Milly told her, "back in the old Student Council room, same as ever."

"I'm so sorry, Shirley," Kallen began. "We couldn't -" She cut herself off. No doubt she had been about to say that they couldn't catch the killer, or something to that effect, but the sickly Kallen that Shirley knew had no business looking for a serial murderer.

"Why are you apologizing, Kallen?" Shirley asked. "You didn't do anything wrong." But Shirley's voice contained a hint of bitterness in it.

"What do the Black Knights hope to gain from this?" Suzaku seethed. "Meaningless killings like this will do nothing to make the world a better place. It's just cowardly!"

"This is terrible," Rolo said, tearing up slightly. "I didn't know your father, Shirley, but to see the pain that has been left behind…. I've been on lots of cases before, but never has one touched so close to me before. I promise you, I will find his killer."

"The Black Knights have to be brought to justice," Suzaku agreed.

"Thank you," Shirley said quietly.

The members of the Student Council turned to leave, but Shirley stayed where she was. "Lulu…" she murmured.

Milly gave Lelouch a nod, and gave him a gentle push toward Shirley, before departing with the others.

"It's been a while since we talked, Lulu," Shirley said, her eyes focused on the ground.

"Yeah," he nodded, unsure of what to say.

"I didn't want the others to worry about me…" she whispered. "But I feel like I'm drowning. I dream of being on a sinking ship, and I'm unable to save my father, no matter how hard I try. I don't know why everything started to go wrong… I don't want this!"

The tears she had been holding back finally burst loose, and Shirley dropped her umbrella, flung her arms around him, and began sobbing into his shoulder.

"Please, Lulu…" she begged. "Help me." Her green eyes, now tinged red with tears, stared up into his violet ones.

Lelouch couldn't help but be reminded of Tsu's nightmare, just two nights before. Reaching around, he wrapped his arms around Shirley, holding her close to comfort her. If that had worked then…

He was taken off guard as Shirley raised herself up slightly to kiss him, closing her eyes as if to block out the cruelties of the world.

What should he do? If he pushed Shirley away now, he would hurt her even more. She had trusted him with he true depth of her pain when she wouldn't show it to anyone else, and it was clear that Shirley was on the verge of collapse. No, it was clear what he had to do. She desperately needed emotional support right now, and if he was the only one who could provide that to her, he would.

He closed his own eyes and returned Shirley's kiss.

Kallen wouldn't be happy if she knew, but he couldn't think of a better way to help Shirley right now. It wasn't as if he found kissing Shirley unpleasant either. Her lips were soft and warm, and in another life, one where he hadn't been born as royalty or where he hadn't become a phantom thief in the Metaverse, then perhaps it could have worked out between them. But he couldn't get Shirley more involved that she had already been. Kallen shared in his secret life in ways that Shirley could not, and however much affection he might feel for both of them, only one of them could follow him to the end. Yet for just this moment, he could allow himself to pretend that things were different.

Suddenly, Shirley broke the kiss and pushed away from him. Rather than being calmed, she looked more distraught than ever, and was drenched as the rain poured down on her. In the distance, lightning flashed and thunder could be heard.

"I… I shouldn't have done that…." Shirley stammered.

"Shirley?"

"Y-you're with K-Kallen, Lulu," Shirley continued, looking as if she wanted to shrink away and disappear. "That- that was wrong of me… I made you…"

"Shirley!"

But she had already turned and run, and he had no hope of catching up to her outside of the Metaverse.

He sighed. He had only made things worse for Shirley. But he had to put her from his mind for now. The other Black Knights were waiting for him to lead them into the Black King's Palace.

xXx

Thankfully, the Black King's guards hadn't noticed that the elevator system had been tampered with, and the ride up to the casino level was uneventful. Lelouch didn't mention the incident with Shirley to his fellow Black Knights. It would not do to distract them during the infiltration.

"We're no longer considered employees of the casino, so the Shadows here will mark us as hostiles," he warned them. "Be on your guard."

The Black Knights slipped through the Casino level, using the rows upon rows of slot machines as cover to hide from or ambush the Shadows patrolling the area. The casino was also populated with plenty of Cognitions, as the mall down below was. They paid the Black Knights little mind, too absorbed with throwing their money away on games that were obviously rigged against them, or spending whatever they did manage to win on alcohol, or for the privilege of participating in "Rabbit Hunts", where they would pursue female Cognitions dressed in bunny outfits, forcing themselves upon and devouring those that they caught.., though many a would-be hunter was instead consumed by the bunny-suited Shadows that moved among their prey.

"Even here…" Euphemia murmured unhappily. "The strong devour and consume the weak…"

"It's the natural result of father's ideology," he told her. "More than anything, that is the cancer at the core of Britannian society that we need to root out."

As they moved through the casino, they came across a large pit, looking down into an arena, where a pair of Cognitions, which appeared to be Japanese men, were fighting each other.

"Today, a brutal match between brothers. Which sibling will win? The older one or the younger? Place your bets now, or sign up to compete for fabulous prizes in one-on-one, life-and-death struggles! It's survival of the fittest! Our top prize today is an exclusive pass to the penthouse level, proof that you have the strength to rise to the highest echelons of society!

Kallen scowled and clenched a fist. "I bet he does this in real life too." Her voice rose with boiling fury, kept under a lid only for the sake of their mission. "It's bad enough that he turns young Japanese women who have nowhere else to go into sex slaves and floods the streets with Refrain, but he also has Japanese men kill each other for sport!"

"Still, this is a chance to sneak in and nab the Black King's Treasure!" Arthur piped up.

"Whoever goes into that arena will be all but cut off from support," Leila frowned. "I can advise them telepathically, but that's it."

"I'll go." Kallen said. "I'll show them not to mess with the Japanese people. Guren Jigoku-"

"Is limited to nuclear and physical modes of attack, and has no healing abilities if you get injured in the arena," Lelouch told her, firmly putting a hand on her shoulder. "There's no telling what you might go up against in there. If the enemy is resistant to your attacks, then you'll be in trouble. Tama, Diamond, Bishop, and Noire can heal themselves if need be, but they are similarly limited in their own modes of attacks. Their Personas are also more magically oriented but less durable than yours."

"So what you're saying is that you get to hog all the glory because your ability to use multiple Personas allows you to adapt to whatever opponent you might face," Milly interjected.

"I wouldn't phrase it that way, but yes," Lelouch replied.

"There has to be a better way…" Leila whispered, deep in thought. "Surely there's another way in."

"Yes!" Euphemia agreed.

"We can keep searching for one," Lelouch countered, "but the longer we take the more chance that the alarm will be raised and that they'll lock us out of the system. Some calculated risks have to be taken in any campaign."

"Very well," Leila nodded. "Good luck."

"Don't be too reckless out there, Zero," Kallen warned.

"Please, brother… come back alive… for Nunnally's sake," Euphemia pleaded with him.

"Don't worry," he told her. "The last thing I want is for Nunnally to cry."

Lelouch approached a stand, where one of the Black King's minions was registering entrants for the arena.

"You look scrawny, kid," the minion told him. "You don't stand a chance in the ring."

"Appearances can be deceiving."

"Hmph. What name will you register under?"

"Zero."

"It's your funeral."

The gates leading to the arena opened up, and Lelouch allowed himself to be escorted inside.

"And we have a new challenger!" The announcer roared. "Can it be? The leader of the so-called Black Knights himself? He calls himself Zero, but he's about to learn that his odds of winning are zero! Let us introduce his first opponent, the mighty Battle Fiend!"

Three Shadows with red skin, long, wickedly sharp horns that struck out of their foreheads as long black hair trailed behind them, each armed with a pair of curved swords, materialized in front of him.

Of course the Black King wasn't going to play fair. If he would cheat at chess, what wouldn't he cheat at?

"You're outnumbered, but they should have a weakness you can exploit," Leila said into his mind. "I'll see if I can analyze it."

"A new skill of yours?"

"There's no time for that, Zero! Give me a moment, and try to hold out until then."

The Battle Fiends charged forward, raising their blades high over their heads. Lelouch summoned Matador and cast Sukukaja, increasing his own agility. Waiting until the last moment, he nimbly stepped out of the way, allowing two of the Battle Fiends to crash headlong into each other, stunning them for a moment.

"Wind!" Leila called out into his mind. "The enemy is weak to wind!"

"Perfect." Matador blasted the third Battle Fiend with Garula, and then all of them with Magaru for good measure. The Battle Fiends rose and tried to strike back, but with Matador guiding his steps, Lelouch moved like an expert bullfighter, easily evading their all too obvious attacks, giant blades slicing through the air above him and to his sides, before countering with more bursts of wind.

"I don't believe it!" The announcer shouted. "The Battle Fiends have fallen! No matter! Next, up, we have a mighty warrior looking to avenge past defeats in other arenas, but only one shall leave this match!"

The Shadow that appeared was a horned demon with greenish skin and Japanese clothes. It was missing its arms and was bound in ropes, but Lelouch knew that it would be unwise to underestimate it.

"It's going to cast a spell, Zero!" Leila's voice called out in his mind. "Take cover!"

Lightning struck where he had been just moments before. It was fortunate that he had been able to evade it thanks to Leila's warning, as Matador was highly vulnerable to lightning. He changed his Persona to Leanan Sidhe, a former Shadow of the Lovers Arcana whom he had convinced to join him earlier during the infiltration of the casino, and was resistant to both electric and psychic attacks.

The Defeated Avenger unleashed more powerful arcs of electricity across the arena. Lelouch couldn't dodge them this time, but Leanan Sidhe protected him from the worst of the shock. Painful as it was, the sensation would fade before long.

Seeing that its lightning had failed to produce the desired effect, the Defeated Avenger changed its tactics. It lacked arms, but it was perfectly capable of leaping high into the air and diving down toward Lelouch. Only a timely roll to the side, one he wouldn't be capable of outside of the Metaverse, prevented him from being crushed under its mass.

"I've analyzed its defenses! It's mental barriers are weak!" Leila announced.

What a stroke of luck! Leanan Sidhe was well suited to this opponent indeed.

"Psio!" Lelouch called out, summoning his Persona.

The Defeated Avenger would have grasped its head, if it still had arms, but it could only writhe impotently side to side in agony.

Lelouch put it out of its misery with some well-placed bullets into its skull.

"Impossible! He must be cheating!" The announcer hissed.

Yes, receiving telepathic guidance from Leila was undoubtedly cheating, but the Black King's minions had cheated first, and one never got anywhere by following rules that were rigged against them from the start.

"Well, this last challenger will bring about his final judgement! From a far away land, welcome the Bearer of the Scales!"

A jackal-headed Shadow in Egyptian garb appeared before him, sitting cross-legged as it floated in midair with a set of scales held from its right hand. Lelouch knew enough about Egyptian mythology to recognize it immediately, and clearly Leila did too.

"That's Anubis… the Judge of the Dead…" Leila gasped through her mental link with him. "Be careful, Zero! Anubis is far more powerful than the other Shadows!"

Anubis raised its scales. Lelouch didn't need Leila to tell him that this meant his opponent was about to cast a spell. A tall column of cards glowing with blessed energy appeared around him… the same cards that had briefly killed Milly, only more of them.

This was very bad.

Lelouch didn't waste an instant, diving out of the column an instant before the energy discharged to claim his spirit. He might have Personas with healing abilities, but he couldn't revive himself if he was dead, and even if Euphy were to rush to his side, he would likely be past the point of recovery by the time she got down into the arena.

Anubis made no move to pursue him, simply turning in place as it continued to hover above the ground, tracking him with its beady eyes.

"Another spell incoming! It's going to be a curse!"

"Ippon-Datara!"

"This will hurt!" Anubis taunted as it raised its scales again.

A large swirl of red energy, accompanied by tormented spirits, their forms little more than sheet-like silhouettes, save for their white expressions of terror, rushed around him. There was no avoiding it, and hurt it did. Lelouch felt much of his vitality sapped away in spite of Ippon-Datara's innate resistance to curse spells, yet Leila's precognition had been a lifesaver, for such a powerful curse would have certainly killed him outright had he not been shielded from its full force by his Persona.

Still, he was badly hurt, and Ippon-Datara lacked any healing spells. There were other Personas he could have used to nullify the curse, or now to heal his injuries, but they would leave him fully exposed a deadly reprisal from Anubis' magic.

Distantly, he could hear the announcer howling with glee at his presumed imminent demise. The gathered Shadows and Cognitions in the stands thought he was cornered.

Lelouch smirked.

Who said he needed to use a Persona?

He grabbed a small bottle from him pocket, labeled "Recov-R: 100 mg", one of the medicines he had stolen with his fellow Black Knights back in the Palace's pharmacy. Swallowing its contents, the effects were instantaneous. It was fast-acting indeed, just as advertised. Of course, he couldn't hope to win if he was forced to remain on the defensive. Anubis would quickly outpace his ability to heal himself, or would get lucky and slay him instantly with those exorcising cards.

"I've completed my analysis of the enemy," Leila reported. "Anubis has no overt weaknesses, but-"

"It's entirely reliant on magic," Lelouch grinned, finishing her sentence. "Thank you, Leila," he thought back. "I know how to handle this."

He made a feint toward Anubis, prompting it to launch a barrage of blessed energy at him, lances of light striking where he had been just moments before. Without stopping, he changed his Persona to High Pixie. It was a risk, as this Persona lacked any particular resistance to bless or curse magic, but a calculated one, which would hopefully end the fight decisively in his favor.

"Makajama!"

It was a spell that High Pixie had inherited from Makami when he executed it with Incubus. Against most Shadows, which could be dispatched fairly quickly, it was practically useless, but against a foe like Anubis.

The spell struck Anubis. It caused no damage, but as Anubis raised its scales once more, an absentminded look crossed its face.

"Huh? What was I doing? How do I…?" It murmured.

Anubis' mighty spells were worthless if it couldn't remember how to cast them.

"This is your chance, Zero!" Leila called in encouragement.

It took a while to wear Anubis down, but it was at a complete loss as to how to defend itself, so his victory was assured.

"I… I can't believe it!" sputtered the announcer. "That scrawny thief even defeated the Bearer of Scales? There's no way I can just hand over the VIP pass to someone like you!"

"What does your Black King always say?" Lelouch smirked confidently. "The weak are devoured by the strong. If you won't hand over my prize, I'll have no issue devouring you in turn and taking it by force. I am a thief after all."

"Fine!" The announcer spat. "You are indeed the winner, Zero. In fact, I hope you get to meet the Black King up in his penthouse. He'll put you and your little friends in their place!"

The VIP Pass materialized before Lelouch, and he seized his hard-fought prize.

"You did well, Bishop," he told Leila as he rejoined the other Black Knights outside the arena.

"Thank you," she smiled gently.

"You really had me worried there," Euphemia frowned.

"That last one might have given me some trouble," Kallen admitted.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Milly asked. "The Black King's Treasure awaits!"

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Diamond!" Arthur agreed.

xXx

The Black King's penthouse occupied the uppermost floors of the Palace, accessed from a private elevator from the casino area. The floors were sheathed in tiles of white and black marble in a checkerboard pattern, and no expense had been spared on fine furniture, rugs, chandeliers, and even some paintings and sculptures that looked as if they had been designed by the late Prince Clovis, but less tasteful works were among them as well, with a far more prurient view of their subject matter. At a glance, the penthouse may have seemed palatial, but the more they saw, the more garish and off-putting it became. Some of the Black King's possessions seemed to be abandoned, quietly gathering dust in the corners, while others were unmistakably stained with blood, and there more than a few skulls and random bits of bone lying on the floor.

Finally, they found what they had been searching for. There the Black King's Treasure was, shimmering in the air. Of course, it lacked a proper physical form, so they couldn't steal it quite yet.

"So… that's a Treasure?" Euphemia asked quietly. "If we take that… the Black King's heart will really change?"

"That's right, Noire," Lelouch told her. "But it won't just be the Black King's heart that changes. Clovis, twisted as he was, only directly touched the lives of a handful of Brittanians, with most of his tyranny focused on the Japanese. But the Black King happily preyed upon Japanese and Britannians alike. When we take him down, life will change for countless people throughout the Tokyo Settlement, and it will change for the better. That's the sort of world that Nunnally deserves, one where the weak are protected from the strong. Don't you agree?"

She nodded.

Lelouch's grin grew wider. "Then all of the necessary conditions have been cleared. All we have to do is send a certain Mr. King a calling card."

Days Until Lelouch and Nunnally are Discovered: 7

A/N:

In canon, Shirley kissed Lelouch in the rain shortly after the death of her father, which is reflected here, though the circumstances are different, and the kiss takes place after his funeral instead. Of course, given Lelouch's relationship with Kallen in this story, which had not remotely developed to such an extent in canon by that point, Shirley becomes even more conflicted by the kiss than in canon.

The arena is inspired both on an arena briefly observed in Babel Tower in the first episode of R2, where two Japanese brothers were fighting each other for the amusement of Brittanians, and the Battle Arena in the sixth palace of Persona 5, though the enemies that appear are different. Anubis was originally an extremely powerful Shadow (for the time) patrolling the fourth palace in Persona 5. Anubis' role in this story, featuring as the final challenge of the arena in the third palace, should be a clue to the astute reader that the visual theme of the fourth palace in this story will be very different than in Persona 5.

Edit: Revised the ending of the fight with Anubis, since it was correctly pointed out to me that Makajama is a Physiological Status ailment in P5, not a mental status ailment, and thus does not qualify from Technical Damage from Psio.