Honestly, this is less of a chapter and more of a rewrite. I hope it's not too bad, though. I tried putting more effort into the editing. And, for those who left reviews, thank you. I honestly didn't think I'd receive any. I didn't even expect anyone to actually read this.

Chapter 1

"Alright. We're all here." Makoto started, her head nodding along.

"It's time… Our final battle." And, Haru continued, her voice, firm.

"Maruki came by Leblanc last night, so we gave him the calling card," Morgana stated, his eyes meeting theirs.

"I doubt Maruki is still interested in discussion. You realize there's no backing out now, right?" Akechi confirmed, tugging at his gloves.

"Heh, ain't no way we're gonna run now," Ryuji replied. "We're gonna confront Doc in his Palace, show him what's up, and go back to our own reality- right, Akira?" He looked at their leader, awaiting his answer.

"Let's do this." His back hunched, his chin just above his intertwined fingers.

"Right!" Sumire enthusiastically said.

"It appears we're all ready." Yusuke stood straighter, his eyes lit in determination.

"It's time to take back what belongs to us; our own reality!" Morgana finished and they nod.

They're ready and they're here to steal their future back.

Close. They were so close.

Fighting against Maruki and his Persona, Azathoth, was a battle that lasted long and was hard-fought.

One last push.

They needed just one last push to win against the Blind Idiot God.

The thieves fell one by one, others barely standing, yet one stood taller among them.

His white mask remained unstained despite the battle. His eyes held an intensity that could not be hidden even beneath his unruly hair.

They were fuming in rage and glowing a dangerous red.

"Raoul." His voice, deep and seemingly layered, reverberated around the space. His hands were wrapped around his mask, burning blue. With all his might, he grabbed at the mask and pulled it hard, throwing it to the ground where flames erupted.

As it rose higher and higher, dark metallic and bat-like wings opened to reveal Raoul. Donning a red hat, it hid his avian features, eyes flowing like lava. It wore a crimson jacket above a white shirt. Its shoes, heeled, reached above his thighs.

Covered in azure flames, it flew menacingly above the man clothed in black. His vermillion gloved hands gripped at the chains that bound them and shouted in a voice so full of their desperation.

"Ravage them."

It fell. Slowly, his palace fell and collapsed. Glass shards broke and descended to the ground. Metal beams creaked and bent downwards. It all crumbled down to the ground and amidst all that chaos and destruction, a single, black van navigated its way through the metal surfaces and flew.

Thankfully, it landed safely and the Phantom Thieves did not lose their lives.

"That was close." Fox breathed in relief.

"Dr. Maruki…" Violet gazed at the collapsing Palace, silently calling his name.

"This has gone too far past changing someone's heart… Is he even still alive?" Panther's gaze fell, downcast.

But, not even a moment passed before Crow answered their worries. Looking up, he eyed the man above. "…Looks like that isn't a concern."

They all follow suit and seeing him raised their guard. They kept vigilant and backed away.

"Sorry, but I won't admit defeat just yet." Maruki remained standing above them, his ashen cape swaying through the wind, staff held high.

"Please, stop," Joker asked of him, wanting him to listen.

But of course, he did not.

"I'm sorry." He shook his head. "You know I can't do that. I've been chosen by the world itself. Granting this wish is my responsibility!"

Joker grimaced and his eyes narrowed.

Maruki…

Before he could continue his train of thought, he feels something tugged away from him and he stumbles forward. His grip loosened in his surprise and he saw the Torch, the Treasure, floating, taken away from his grasp.

He didn't have a moment to think nor to react, unable to take it back. He could only stand there and stare at the Treasure that was too far away.

Gasps and surprise sounded behind him but he tuned it out.

'Damn it…' He thought, tinges of regret found their way in the back of his mind.

He closed his eyes and breathed, trying to get control of his emotions.

As he opened his eyes, their usual grey luster lost themselves in a dark abyss, deep and endless.

He stared down at Maruki as he raised his Torch and, once again, summoned his Persona.

Azathoth rose and spun above, glowing in a golden sheen. But, something felt off. Something felt very off and every Thief felt a foreboding aura from the golden masked man.

"Isn't that…" Ann backed away. She felt fear. She felt the same amount of fear her heart carried when they fought against the malicious and malevolent god of Mementos.

Azathoth paused and in turn, a burst of light spread in every direction. It's tentacle-like limbs extended and intertwined with one another, forming arms and legs, green and luminescent, built around the golden skeletal figure that was once Azathoth's body.

'No…' Joker stood. He stood as straight as he could but that pressure. It was endless. It was powerful. It felt limitless as it pushed his body away.

"If it is for everyone's happiness, I don't care what happens to me. Don't resist. Accept it. With my power…No, with mine and Adam Kadamon's together, our reality is nigh!"

For a second, his will almost faltered. It wasn't like him but it had to be understood. After all, he was just a human. But, he was a human who fought a god and defeated it.

"You're wrong!" Surprisingly, Sumire was the first to speak up, taking her place beside their leader. She ran forward and said her words with a voice so full of conviction. She knew what she wanted, what she believed in, and she will take that for herself and all of them.

Glancing at her, Joker felt proud. His eyes flared in a newfound light. "We'll decide our reality."

They threw all that they could on him yet nothing worked. Adam Kadmon stood imposingly above them, fist ready, flared and charged.

For a second, it felt hopeless. They couldn't do anything against him. None of their spells nor attacks hurt them in the same way that his one strike would. They were all at the edge of death's door, a single straw holding their life. They endured but they still could do nothing.

But this was the last one, they all decided. They trusted Futaba and they trusted their resolve.

"Let's settle this once and for all!" No truer words could be said as the Persona, fused with Maruki, pulled back his arm, readying his final attack.

Morgana nods to Joker before running off.

'No!' He wanted to say, reaching out to his companion. This plan was reckless but… he had to trust them. He swallowed back his words and stood firmly, crouching down slight, grappling hook at the ready.

And so, it fell. Like a supernova bursting within itself, it fell and time seemed to stop.

"Nngh." He grunted from where he stood, blocking his eyes from the brightness that covered his entire vision.

"What?!" A surprising remark escaped from Adam Kadmon as he witnesses the unbelievable situation that stopped his attack.

"We've gone this far! We ain't giving up!"

"Yeah! You gotta do way better than this!"

"Don't underestimate our tenacity!"

"It's just another threat. We'll overcome it like we always do!"

"If I run now, I know I'll regret it!"

"We'll decide for ourselves what we want our lives to be."

"I'm a bit occupied here so do your damn JOB!"

"Oracle! How does it look!?"

"Perfect! His head's defense level has dropped down to zero percent! Go for it!"

"Finish this, Joker!"

He didn't need to be told twice.

He smiled. It wasn't his usual snarky smirk nor his sadistic grin. It was a pure smile. It was a smile that said a hundred more words than he could say.

'Thank you.'

He dashed, forward, jumping over floating debris. And he leaped, spinning and gathering momentum as he unraveled the hook and flung it across. He flew, closer and closer to its head. And he landed, right between its eyes.

He took out his gun as it spun along. It stopped and he aimed it.

He drew in a breath, staring at where he knew Maruki would be.

This is it. This was the last and final move towards their victory.

Without another thought, he shot.

"Checkmate."

"No matter how much you try, or work for so long, the smallest injustice can wipe it all out, leaving you with nothing… Don't you of all people understand that!?"

Maruki clung on his scepter to stand yet it was his words that he desperately held out for. His eyes reached out for his behind that mask. He needed him to understand.

"I do. I understand what it feels like to be played, to be toyed with, to be discriminated against by society. I understand what it feels like to have everything taken away from myself. I know what it feels like but so do they. We understand. Even then, we kept going. We faced reality and fought for our justice, for what we believed in. We took on the world all by ourselves."

It was a known fact to all that Joker, no, Akira Kurusu didn't speak much. Often, it would only take a few words for all of them to understand. But seeing their leader speak up for themselves didn't feel odd nor unnatural.

His voice resonated with each of them, even the golden masked man leaning in front of them.

He gasped, clearly moved by what he said. And they stayed like that. No one else spoke but Sumire.

Her eyes were cast down, not quite meeting Maruki's. Her pace was slow but, she kept on. "I don't think what you're saying is wrong either, Dr. Maruki… Some people want to run from their pain and cling on to some other version of reality… Like I used to." Then, her eyes met his, and Maruki saw a fire that burned brighter than his Torch. "But the knowledge I gained through that pain, and my desire to move on… Those are even more precious to me! And I won't let anyone take them from me again!"

"Yoshizawa san… No, Sumire. So, you truly don't want it, huh?" He shook his head and a bemused smile formed on his lips. "Looks like I'm totally finished."

Glancing around, Ryuji realized there was one missing person. "Hey!" He called them out. "Where'd Joker go?"

"Don't worry," Morgana reassured them.

Looking down, he saw a hook tied around the Monacopter. He trailed it and saw crimson red gloves holding on.

Ryuji breathes a sigh of relief and the rest followed. It wasn't surprising to them to see him like that.

"Hmm." With a satisfied hum, Joker looked down and gazed at the city, its lights illuminating the night. It amused him how it didn't seem like there was a fight that reached the scale of the whole world just up until recently.

It looked normal, peaceful even despite all the corruption that ran deep in those streets. For now, though, he settled on enjoying his flight and gazing at the world that they saved, once again.

Of course, even moments like this were short-lived and the Monacopter felt a tug from below, the Thieves stumbling inside.

Something was hooked on them and it wasn't Joker's.

Maruki seemed satisfied with himself from below, his ashen robe now ruffled and dirtied. His mask was no more.

Without any hesitation, Joker let go.

From an outsider's point of view, the fight must have seemed so pathetic. Compared to the large scale battles between gods that had just occurred, their fight seemed pathetic.

But it wasn't a fight nor was it simply an exchange of blows.

It was Maruki's struggle. At that moment, he let every single last bit of his regrets out. He questioned everything that he's done and everything the world did to him. He screamed out his feelings of contempt, his inability to do anything to save Rumi. He mourned the loss of his reality.

He was mad. He was furious. He just couldn't accept it all.

Why? Why? Why did it have to be him?

"Aaah!" It was a cry. It was a cry that did less than conversing with walls but his heart slowly calmed down. And he fell.

Looking up, he reached out for the snow that fell with him.

"I'm done. I get it now." His voice that was once seething in rage and agony sounded so defeated. "All thanks to you." Because he was defeated, his voice expressed his acceptance.

And with those final words of acknowledgment, the Palace, no, this Fake Reality finally cracked.

"Come on… I said I'm done. Please, let go of my hand." Dangling by the edge, it was difficult for him to look at the younger straight in his eye. He felt guilt and it only worsened when he saw the fear in those grey eyes.

"No! I won't let it end like this! We're both going back together!"

Maruki made no effort and didn't say anything back. But, he did finally look back at those struggling eyes. "Your eyes as bright and honest as ever. You keep your head up, no matter what." His tone softened, reminiscing, nostalgic almost, as he looked at his falling palace. "I must have always been afraid. Afraid that you and I wouldn't wish for the same reality…"

It was slipping. Maruki's white-gloved hand was slipping from Akira's crimson grip.

He grunted and leaned forward, putting all his strength on that grip.

'No. What the hell, Maruki? There's no way…' He had a lot on his mind yet he found it hard to say.

Why was it that it was so difficult to say these words? He knew Maruki just as much as he understood him and they shared a bond. He maxed out his Confidant with him, he was more than sure. So, why?

He glanced above, everywhere, anywhere, hoping for help.

And, as he heard the churning of a helicopter from the distance, he grinned at Maruki.

"So bright…"

But, the light never came and the whirring was gone.

In turn, a deafening silenced played in their ears and they were blinded by darkness. The clock stopped ticking and they were in a void, falling, endlessly, farther down a spider web of broken shards and uncertainty. A dark force loomed over every single one of them.

[Note: I deleted the original last part of this chapter. I didn't like it very much so it's gone now. I edited that part quite a lot and moved it to chapter 2. ]

I feel like i abused the "line". Nope. I definitely did. Anyways, as for update schedule... I actually thought I'd be able to update weekly but, clearly, I underestimated just how much schoolwork would be given to us. Thankfully, I already finished up November's set of deadlines right on time. So uhh... updates may come in monthly but im not too sure because school break is coming up. That gives me a lot more time... Anyways, I'll be working harder on this now that I've seen people actually read this. See you in the next update!