Chapter Thirty Five: Pioneering Nightmare

As expected, the road towards Nyarlathotep's dwellings was long and disorienting. Akira's ability to discern the Crawling Chaos' reach was now redundant, as the black 'fingers' were solidified into the place's architecture – plain for all to see. Morgana's nose and Lavenza's abilities could hardly pinpoint the true way ahead, but they still managed to detect the many Shadows that lurked about. This was the best advantage they would get, and they seized it fully. The infiltration team never once engaged the Shadows in open combat. One by one, each was quickly eliminated without so much as a cry.

The Demon Artist's work on their Personas certainly paid off, and Lavenza possessed a generously built compendium. Together, they made quick work of the Shadows. And sometimes, all that was needed was a silent axe emerging from the dark, or a confident, furtive knife to clear the way ahead. But such ease implied an unlikely risk: they needed to ensure they paced themselves. There was ever the peril of a surprise at their expense.

"You're doing great, guys!" Futaba's voice reached their Personas.

"Thanks." Akira said quietly. "Everything okay on your end?"

"Yeah, I guess!" The navigator spoke with levity.

"More like boring!" Ryuji interjected.

"Don't be tempting fate, Ryuji!" Ann called with a whisper.

"Okay, damn it! It's true, though. There's no resistance or anything around here." The young man said.

"Let's hope it remains that way." Margaret's voice, mature and soothing, sounded remarkably unfamiliar in the line of communication, but not unwelcome.

"We don't know how far or how close we're from the objective. But we've faced no challenging enemies so far." Morgana said.

"They're given no time to beg or scream." Noir spoke nonchalantly.

"Well, maybe this will be a breeze!" Oracle said, audibly disturbed by Haru's propensity for carnage.

"I do believe Panther said something about 'not tempting fate'" Fox made his input following Oracle's, as was his habit.

There was a definite comforting effect in hearing his friends and comrades bicker and banter, but Joker quickly noticed a lack in the whole. It was the voice he looked forward to hearing the most whenever the channel of communication was open. Hearing nothing from Makoto put him on edge.

"Is Queen okay?" Akira asked transparently.

"Yeah… she's just, uh…" Oracle sounded unsure.

"Really, really focused." Skull emphasised each word like only he could.

"Abundantly so…" Fox underlined the sentiment.

"Your lieutenant seems quite the intimidating young woman." Margaret remarked with undefinable tone.

"Is she ever..." Joker expressed privately, with a smile. "Good. We'll carry on. You stay safe over there."

"Roger…. You too…" Queen finalised.

The channel was then closed, and each team resumed their respective half of the mission.

[ ]

The infiltration team reached the base of the fortress moments after – twelve minutes, by Oracle's monitoring. There was no longer any resemblance to the plain structure first erected by Susumu Kamiyama and his Persona Ozymandias. In its current state, the building was far wider and taller. But it hardly seemed like it had been constructed further, rather having grown like living creatures do. This made for a disturbingly plausible case, judging by its foundations' reach even into the outside world.

Akira shuddered at the thought, but he could not bring himself to think otherwise, let alone put it into words. They were not merely about to climb a building. The walls and paths they would navigate were a physical extension of its master. They were about to climb Nyarlathotep himself in order to reach his vessel, Susumu Kamiyama. The Dark Lord probably already knew of the Phantom Thieves' in his domains. Their skill, therefore would need to trump the home advantage.

After all they have been through, he was confident. The enemy could only have the upper hand for so long. Astounding comebacks were in their expertise. And it was well past time for one.

"We're about to climb." Akira opened communication with the other team. "Everyone, stay close. Lavenza, mind our six."

"Watch those tooshies!" Futaba responded. "All's good here. Do your best guys!"

"We will." Haru smiled. "I promise we won't disappoint."

"It may not be the best time for this, but I could do with some fatty tuna when we get back. I think I've deserved it for a long time now. Can we make that happen?" Morgana blurted out.

"Consider it done." Makoto's voice on the other side kindled the fires in Akira's spirit, while her words stirred the want in Morgana's stomach.

"Yes, we'll celebrate, because we'll succeed!" Ann said.

"Indeed." Akira looked at his friends and nodded. He could tell that quiet conviction was not enough for them either. They each needed to actively see this saga through, to visualise triumph and to snuff any doubt in their hearts. An outside observer might call it 'tempting fate'. To them, it was one more stretch in their escape from the shadow of days past.

Of a timeline past, by Nameless' words.

"Are you ready?" Lavenza asked.

"Let's go."

[ ]

Silence reigned outside in the vicinity of the door leading back. Although Futaba and Margaret handled surveillance, each of the Phantom Thieves in the Protection Team stood vigilant through their own eyes, with undivided attention. In the minutes since the other team began their climb, Makoto and the rest observed their surroundings, finding only stillness.

"Queen." Yusuke called, briefly interrupting his own watching. "You look tense… exceptionally so."

"I do?" Makoto said awkwardly.

"Yes." The young artist's voice was blank.

"Yes, I guess I'm tense somewhat… but something feels off."

"What do you mean?"

"It's all too quiet. Too tranquil. It's so different from the last time we were here."

"Do you think there may be a reason for that?"

"I can't tell. It's just as if… my gut is telling something."

"I can understand, and sympathise also. I do also tend to feel strange things in my abdomen."

Queen turned to Fox with vaguely amused expression.

"Fox, I swear I'm going to get you to eat at healthier intervals, even if I have to drag you to it."

"It is true, that I do not eat as well or as often as I should. But if the ordeals I impose upon my metabolism have helped you feel less tense, then it cannot be all bad. I worry about what you say, however. I imagined we would be facing some resistance ourselves. Not to speak of…"

"Oracle. Margaret." Makoto called. "Are you entirely sure there is no sign of any enemy nearby?"

"Nope." Futaba shook her head aboard Prometheus.

"Not even 'Joker'?"

"I sense no fiend anywhere. Or anything of comparable strength." The attendant turned to Makoto. "That is most…"

"… Weird as shit." Skull joined the conversation.

"Now that you put it like that, that frickin' monster was too strong to play it quiet." Futaba said. Her voice seethed with disgust over the being that took after the likeness of her big brother. "I'm looking real hard for him, now that you mention it, but I honestly can't find him, or Nyarlathotep either…"

"What?" Makoto turned quickly.

"I mean, I never could actually read that guy. Maybe he's immune or some crap. But I know I could sense his Joker the last time."

"Distant Shadows are all I can sense." Margaret spoke. "But the other one… feels as if he is not in this world."

"But if he's not here…" Ryuji began.

"… then where the fuck is he!?" Futaba began to panic at the sudden realisation.

Makoto's eyes snapped to Nyarlathotep's dwellings. Her fingernails dug through the leather on her white gloves as her fists tightened. She felt a terrible urge to run in that direction, to join Akira and the rest, and pull them back, far away from Nyarlathotep. Her darkest thoughts pointed towards a trap, to which the other team was ripe for its springing.

Yet Futaba's voice pierced through the drumming of her heartbeat.

"Futaba…" Makoto broke protocol, her voice falling motherly in the girl's ears. "Don't worry. They'll be fine, even if something unexpected happens. Just remember, the mission is to talk to Kamiyama. Battle is out of the question. They'll come back to us. I promise you."

And with that, the lieutenant quelled her own fears as well. She could give in to dark misgivings, and jeopardise the mission. Or she could stand strong, like the rest of her friends, and have faith. No matter how many times she reviewed the thought, the answer was clear.

Somewhere, in an enshrined recess of her mind, the face of his father smiled proudly. This face was much unlike the mockery portrayed by Nyarlathotep. This, the memory of Akihiko Niijima, was true and uncontestably mightier. Then, without knowing why, Makoto Niijima felt stronger.

[ ]

The ascent begins with a chill in the spine.

As opposed to the transformation of the world outside, little had changed about the structure's inner layout. There were somewhat labyrinthine passages and staircases in sight, but the walls and floor remained crude stone and soil. Even the air carried a peculiar density, like it was pregnant with the aftermath of heavy rain. It smelled of fertility; a pleasant, comforting sensation turned disturbing by their present location.

It was no stretch of the imagination that, at any given turn of a corner, they would encounter some site familiar to them. Each of the Phantom Thieves saw a different place when separated by Nyarlathotep's machinations. The Crawling Chaos gazed upon each with a unique face, tailored to pry open wounds that never quite healed. The only ones not susceptible to this fear were Morgana and Lavenza, but the collective tension was quite palpable.

Waiting for a sight that never came was as heavy a burden as seeing the horror once again.

The Infiltration Team quickly noticed the absolute lack of resistance inside the building. It was a far cry from minutes ago, and even those fleeting encounters felt suspiciously lenient. More than a benefit to the task, this felt like a trap about to spring. Lavenza kept close eye on their surroundings. She confirmed there was a large amount of Shadows in the vicinity of the structure, but none whatsoever inside of it. But more importantly, she could sense one soul somewhere in the fortress. The little attendant acknowledged it as a familiar presence. It was a soul in turmoil, and possessing of great power.

This was all they needed to know they were on the right track. The ascent continues.

"Hey, does it seem to you like we've been here before?" Panther scanned throughout the walls with the light of her flames.

"It definitely feels that way." Noir looked around the floor, which indeed resembled the same setting they had seen ten minutes ago. "We are either going in circles, or every floor follows the same pattern."

"I believe it's the latter." Lavenza said. "I can't tell how far we are from the top, but the bottom is definitely further below than moments ago. I sense the host is somewhere else in here, but I can't tell exactly where."

"Does your nose tell you anything?" Joker asked Mona.

"Nothing new. Still no Shadows. I don't like it, guys."

"Agreed." Panther nodded. "It just doesn't feel right."

"Let's keep going." Joker said. "Five more floors up, we'll take a break to update with the others."

Everyone nodded in agreement. As they continued to climb, the monotone they journeyed through began to sap their momentum quicker than constant battle may have. Regardless, Lavenza continued to closely examine their surroundings on arriving at a new floor. She still sensed the ascent, but Susumu Kamiyama's location still changed; sometimes it felt somewhat near, only to then appear more distant than before. The girl thought of what this constant changed implied. Perhaps he already knew that they were here. But if so, why was he not attacking them?

They took a break as previously agreed five floors later. There was still no further progress on the actual mission. Morgana opened up the communication channel with the Protection Team for an update.

"Joker?" Futaba's voice crackled into communication.

"Oracle. We've climbed a stretch, not sure how long. Nothing to report so far." Akira said.

"Roger. Much pushback?"

"Not at all."

"Huh, really?" Oracle's tone caught everyone's attention.

"Yeah. No adversaries inside the building."

"Not a single one?" The navigator inquired.

"Not a single one." Joker confirmed.

"Oracle, is something wrong?" Noir joined the conversation.

"No… but actually, yeah… No, scratch that. It's just really weird, because it's the same out here. No Shadows anywhere. Margaret can't sense anything near the gate." Futaba said.

"This can't be good." Panther added. "Smells like we're walking into a trap."

"Agreed." Queen spoke. "Nyarlathotep must know we're in his domains. He must be planning something."

"Would it be wise to continue?" Fox thought out loud with slight hesitation.

"I dunno. I still remember how it was the last time." Skull followed in. "If his powers have grown, then he'll do much worse this time around. But then again… it's now or never, right?"

"You're right, Skull." Joker spoke. "It's risky, but our powers have grown too, and we might not get another chance. I think we should continue."

The confirmation followed majority vote, as per the Phantom Thieves' procedure. However, this time it was little more than a formality. Everybody voted to carry on.

"Very well. Please exercise caution." Queen said, her words sounding briefly distorted in the channel.

Morgana's ears and tail perked up suddenly.

"Everyone!" Lavenza exclaimed. "There's a presence nearby!"

"Is it him!?" Skull's voice boomed in the channel.

"I… I think so! But it's… strange, like it's blurred somehow!" The attendant went on.

"Noir!" Mona yelled, seeing Haru disappear behind down the stairs, back to the floor they had just come up from.

"Damn it. Call you back." Radio silence for the Protection Team followed after their Leader hastily cut the channel. Futaba felt a strong urge to reopen the channel, to know what happened. Makoto's presence helped assuage her panic. Though there were still no enemies in sight, Queen's team remained actively on guard, prepared to act upon whichever words came their way when the channel was open again.

[ ]

Nobody wasted a breath calling after Haru as she ran through the fortress. They caught up only a moment after. With her companions in tow, Noir pursued this elusive presence, with no sense of direction except for the ethereal blur it left behind as it 'glided' over the floors, down and up the stairs. To everyone's confusion, despite it moving away from them, it did not seem as if it truly wished to escape them.

Which meant it could well be leading them to the trap they began to expect.

"Kamiyama-san!" Noir shouted.

"No! No!" A familiar voice emanated from the being, which looked to them like a creature made of white smoke, vaguely shaped as a man. Behind a tone of distress, this was clearly the voice of Susumu Kamiyama.

"Please! Stop!" Joker called as he ran.

"We need your help!" Mona put the whole of his feline capabilities into the pursuit, and yet he still could not reach him.

"Why are you here!? You must escape!" For a moment, the man's factions showed through the veil of smoke.

Lavenza pulled out her compendium and clumsily flipped through the pages in search of a Persona that could help them close the distance. The options were abundant, but in the anxious heat of the moment, they all seemed to escape her memory. Finally, her finger landed on a name she recognised. It was not the ideal option, but it would hopefully prove quick enough to catch up.

"Come forth! Cu Sith!" In a bright flash of light blue, the hound came into being, running swiftly among the Phantom Thieves and Lavenza. Its legs were nimble and powerful, and it was fresh on stamina. However, Cu Sith was proving too quick even more Lavenza to hop on its back and continue the chase.

"No! Come back!" Lavenza started to lag in exhaustion. Her next thought was horror towards the inevitable fall as she tripped, but before her face met the stone ground, she was crudely lifted off her feet by someone hoisting her up by the armpits. And the next thing she knew, she was flying towards the hound. The girl's rough landing on Cu Sith's back did not break its advance on Kamiyama.

"You shouldn't throw children either, damn it!" Mona reprimanded Panther. His voice faded from hearing as the hound with Lavenza on its back outran the group.

"Please, Mister." Lavenza pleaded, clinging to the hound's neck; its long raspy tongue slapping her cheek. "We came here of our own volition… to seek you."

"I cannot help you… nobody can." Despair gushed out of the man's voice.

"You can! He's inside of you! You understand his scheme! We know what he is, what he did. You do also! Mister, I know you do! Please, tell us what he intends to do."

"No… No. He's unstoppable, and unforgiving. And I… I let it all happen."

"He's not all-mighty. You're resisting him. Is this not why you're running from us?"

"He… he could come out and take over at any time… He made me find you! I'm doing all I can to keep him contained since you entered this world! You need to leave now! I cannot hold him back for much longer!"

"We will never. We've grown stronger, and we can still go further! And Nyarlathotep, his power at present must be limited. That is why he needed to use you as a vessel. He's still weak! We can still beat him! But we need your help!"

"What?" The man's voice broke suddenly.

"He appealed to your core instincts. He used the guise of a benefactor to help you accomplish a noble goal. Were he truly unstoppable, he wouldn't have needed to use you!"

The smoke began to fade around the man's body.

"You wished to save the world. It's not too late to save it from him."

The man's eyes flashed yellow for an instant. His advance stopped abruptly, making him fall and tumble violently against the ground, no different from a man falling from a speeding vehicle to be smeared against the asphalt. A sinister aura wrapped his body, keeping him whole and unharmed. The cruel grin of the Crawling Chaos met Lavenza as soon as she caught up. But the fright lasted little. It was with a painful-looking spasm that Susumu Kamiyama appeared to take control, if only for a moment. One second sufficed.

"OZYMANDIAS!" The man screamed, summoning his Persona. The Fallen King trapped the man's body in shackles of stone, clasping shut in such a manner that the bones on his extremities were now surely fractured. Susumu Kamiyama groaned in pain, though he had a look of relief on his face. Since becoming fully aware of the situation Nyarlathotep bound him to, Kamiyama discovered that concentrating on physical pain kept the loathsome guest in his body quiet for a moment.

The Phantom Thieves were greeted with a perturbing image of Susumu Kamiyama bound in stone upon finally catching up. To them, a mixture of suffering and calm on his face were the only indication that he was still alive. They silently cursed Nyarlathotep, convinced that he had done this to him.

"Kamiyama-san!" A horrified Noir hurried towards the man.

"Stay away!" He broke his panting with a cry of desperation. "There is little time. Young lady, I feel him clawing his way out. Just… just tell me what must be done."

Regardless of the man's words, Haru held his hand in tender, caring fashion.

"Kamiyama-san." Noir spoke sorrowfully, profoundly resenting the present circumstance. "We believe we can stop Nyarlathotep. Brute force alone won't suffice. We can craft a plan, but we need to know exactly what he intends to do…"

"And how he intends to do it." Joker finished, crouching in front of him. The young man removed his mask, fully revealing the look in his eyes, free from malice and distress – both of which he had seen in two different semblances of his face. Susumu Kamiyama believed he was only now seeing the true Akira Kurusu for the first time.

"Young man… What Nyarlathotep pursues is…" Kamiyama struggled. "To bring all human souls into this world, to make his… hegemony the only one… for all time."

"Is that what 'making our world obsolete' means?" Panther asked.

"Yes. To do this, he will corrupt every soul in the world outside, violate them into coming here… out of their own free will."

"Does he truly have the power to do this?" Mona spoke.

"Not by himself… That's why he needed…" A shade of sorrow twisted the man's factions as he turned to Akira. "You… the Wild Card. He fashioned his own enforcer after you… to begin corrupting everybody."

Akira had no words. His eyes were clouded from the avalanche breaking out in his mind.

"Nyarlathotep's power will grow as his Joker accomplishes this. It will take time… but everything he does outside will be reflected here. When Nyarlathotep grows stronger, so will the Joker…"

Susumu Kamiyama's expression changed in the blink of an eye. Gone were the pain and the torment. He was calm now, and entirely not his true self, as confirmed by the colour of his eyes.

"… And you know what that implies. Don't you, young man?"

Akira and his companions backed away instantly.

"Relax." Nyarlathotep chuckled. The stone that imprisoned Kamiyama's body shifted in slow and elaborate manner, transforming into a hefty chair under his arms. The fractures of his body were now healed. There was no telling of what torments he would unleash now. "There's no need to be so stiff. You didn't break into my humble abode for a fight. I won't give you any. You came and you got what you sought after, quite like the Thieves you are! Bravo!" The lord of the fortress clapped.

Despite the plan to avoid all confrontation, the Infiltration Team stood in defiance, driven solely by the contempt they felt towards this being of the dark.

"Well? What are you still doing here? Go home. I'm sure there are people out there waiting for you. Not to mention, the rest of you. Surely they wish to know of all the dirty little secrets you obtained." Nyarlathotep turned to Akira, looking straight at the young man's eyes. "I'm certain that Queen of yours would be relieved to see you return." The cloud in Akira's eyes was dispelled at the mention of she. "Then again, she's probably well occupied by the little 'entertainment' I provided on their end… right about… now."

Lavenza gasped audibly. She sensed it. A strong foe quickly making its way from their location, towards the other team.

"We must go!" The attendant yelled.

"Yes! You must! I'll even make it easier for you! The Moon Howler is one of my old forms. A little dusty, but it does have a bite still." The Crawling Chaos snapped his fingers, and everything to the structure behind them transformed into a clear path, straight and wide enough for the Monamobile to travel without a problem. "Come back… anytime."

There was no time wasted on a reply. There was only the screeching of tires against stone, and a thick cloud of fear accumulating inside of Akira's head.

[ ]

True to Nyarlathotep's words, the way back to the gate was made easier and quicker. Joker felt his heart almost bursting through his chest as he saw Makoto and the rest gathered nearby – they stood before the gargantuan figure of the 'little entertainment' the Dark Lord sent their way. The Moon Howler, once a facet of Nyarlathotep years ago, was a hideous creature – a gigantic, black mollusc vaguely shaped in anthropomorphic design, with deadly appendages.

The creature moved too quickly for its size. It charged ahead with the combined ferociousness of every Shadow they may have faced. There was no safe ground, no place to hide. The Phantom Thieves and the two Attendants had no choice but to fight it.

The two halves of the team reunited, primed for battle.

The Moon Howler's size, speed, and murderous intent were daunting, but every lung and slash proved futile. The Phantom Thieves were still much too agile and organised to prove an easy target, and the Sisters in blue were quickly catching up with their tactics. The battle was not an easy or a short one, and it demanded a lot from all, in might and creativity. But the magic from the reinvigorated Personas, and the combined might of the two Wild Cards proved too much for the creature to withstand.

Finally, the Moon Howler was defeated. It lay inert on the soil, like the great bounty of a hunt. And with it, the way back was unobstructed.

During the way back, several of the Phantom Thieves secretly smiled at a colourful idea. Defeating this old avatar of Nyarlathotep was a most encouraging way of sealing the mission's success. And indeed, every phase of the plan met with success; even the evacuation phase they had learned to dread. The return was a safe one. The new power of their Personas proved efficient. And they had the required intel to start crafting a definite plan to rescue Susumu Kamiyama, and stop Nyarlathotep, once and for all.

All across the board, a successful mission.

But for all that, Joker was still troubled. He wondered if it truly had not dawned on his companions yet. Or if they merely suppressed the thought in order to keep their spirits high. Perhaps seeing the way Susumu Kamiyama struggled with Nyarlathotep was bad enough. It did not matter, either way. They did not need to hear it said. If he could help it, they would not need to even feel the slightest worry about it. As far as Akira was concerned, Nyarlathotep's words were for him only.

The 'Joker' was the key to defeating Nyarlathotep.

No matter what plan they came up with, they would inevitably need to face the Dark Lord's knight. Though they defeated the Moon Howler, the beast was not the strongest weapon in Nyarlathotep's arsenal. Could they hope to stand a chance against his best card?

All of a sudden, Makoto pulled Akira straight out of his thoughts. Relieved, the young woman afforded a moment of closeness as she held tightly to his arm, her head against his shoulder - just like she would during a stroll in the park. He never could resist her whenever she did this, and this time was no different. Akira then allowed himself to reminisce. And he specifically remembered the same gesture from a date in Destiny Land during his first year in Tokyo. That day, she said something to him that stayed in his heart and mind, which would never fade from the core of his being.

Please stay with me forever, Akira.

"I'm happy we managed this." Queen smiled at her boyfriend.

"Me too." He smiled back, summoning everything that was good inside of him into the now. Valour. Patience. Diligence. Commitment.

Love.

Akira needed all of it, as a way to prepare himself. He disguised the true sentiment behind his sigh as simple exhaustion. Makoto and his friends would likely believe that easily; while the unholy bond with Nyarlathotep and his servant remained, Akira's power and endurance would still be limited.

Whichever form their plan took mattered little to him. Akira Kurusu already knew what had to be done. This mission only confirmed the inescapability of his role. When the time came, and it surely would, he only hoped that he proved strong enough.

And that Makoto would forgive him. He was tired of breaking his promises.