Yu blinked a few times as he stepped out into the red-hued landscape that was now Tokyo. This was his first time seeing it and it was quite a bit to take in. He had heard the others talk about it, despite that he had not been prepared for the level of Hell he now stepped into. The red tint to the atmosphere and the bony protrusions that infested the world were disturbing no doubt, but the lack of reaction of the people around them as they continued on their way through the city was by far the most disturbing aspect.
"Yu, here." Rise handed him a katana. "Since you have Izanagi back, I figured you'd prefer your weapon back as well."
Yu reached out taking the katana. As someone who used a lot of swords, the weight of this katana made it feel like this was a weapon of quality. The glorious silver metal of the blade sparked against the red hues of the world. It was only as Yu unsheathed it did he see the Kirijo group stamp upon the blade just under the hilt. This was one of the Shadow Operative blades, a weapon designed specifically for use against Shadows. Hopefully, it was just as effective against gods.
"Thanks." Yu sheathed the sword.
"I'll return to my role as navigator, but while I had Izanagi I fought on the front line. I always wondered what it was like up there. That tournament doesn't count," Rise shifted on the balls of her heels. "But I'd rather have you back than have all that power."
"I always feel safer when I know you are watching everyone's back." Yu smiled at her, the kind of smile that expressed his affection for his favorite woman.
"Whoa, Mona! Do you realize you're glowing?" Oracle called loudly.
Oracle's comment was quickly drawing his attention back to the group. He had been focused on Rise and didn't hear what the teenagers and the others were saying. Yu glanced towards Mona who was indeed enveloped with a rich white glow. He stood out against the depravity of this current world, like a shining star against an uncertain future.
"It's probably because my memories have returned. I know what my duty is now." Mona informed the group with a small feline smile.
A ring tone cut through the air. Yu recognized it as Naoto's, it had a distinct flat tone that was both obnoxious and attention-grabbing. Yu had commented on it more than once in the past about its obnoxious nature, to which Naoto always informed him that she had no need for flowery ring tones and its obnoxiousness only spurred her to answer it faster. After pulling her phone from her pocket, Naoto quickly answered.
"Shirogane here." Her tone professional, curt, and a bit masculine.
Around them, people began to comment about a bright light shining and about the eccentric outfits of the Phantom Thieves as well as Aigis' unique appearance. Clearly, people were starting to wake up to something strange happening around them, but it was already too late. The world was engulfed in this madness. Yu ignored all that and was focused on his partner's call. Her face suddenly seemed to register a hint of surprise as she pulled the phone from her ear.
"Mitsuru-san I'm putting you on speaker," Naoto announced to draw the attention of the other Shadow Operatives.
"Good. I take it Aigis and Ken are with you." Mitsuru's voice echoed from Naoto's phone. "It took me a while to reach you all."
"Mitsuru-san, am I to assume you see the current state of the world?" Aigis asked as she took a step closer to Naoto.
"Correct. I'm in England at the moment and people are just carrying on as if nothing has happened. Do any of you know what's going on?" Mitsuru asked.
"Ruin. A God that named itself the Holy Grail has cast humanity into its vision of order." Aigis explained clearly. "But do not worry Mitsuru-san, we are planning on ending this false God's reign."
"We won't fail Mitsuru-san!" Ken nodded to Aigis.
"Bark!" Came Koromaru's reply.
"That's some good news. I take it the teenagers are with you?" Mitsuru asked.
"That and a few more from my group as well," Yu responded.
"Ah Monsieur Narukami, I take it you have been rescued?" Mitsuru asked.
"Rescued and ready to work," Yu affirmed.
"Wonderful. I expect a report from all of you explaining what transpired at a later time. For now, I'll leave the fate of the world in everyone's hands. I will not tolerate failure, do you all understand?" Mitsuru's voice left little to be argued with.
"Yes Ma'am!" Came a chorus of responses from all the Shadow Operatives along with one bark.
"Good luck Agents." With that Mitsuru hung up.
Yu turned around and looked at the rest of the group. Mona was halfway up a strange bony protrusion that stretched toward the sky. The rest of the teens seemed to be holding back as they waited for the Shadow Operatives to finish the call with their boss. They all looked ready to venture on and Yu could feel a mixture of apprehension and determination coming from them. Everyone knew the current stakes and while they weren't excited about what they had to do; they were ready to do what needed to be done.
"Joker this is your destiny. We follow you." Yu looked towards Joker.
Joker nodded as he pulled at his red gloves. "Alright Mona, you're up."
Mona nodded and pointed a paw to a large round structure just off in the distance. "That tower is our destination. That should be where that bastard is!"
"Panther, Naoto, Yu, Mona. Front lines. Queen, Ken mid-range. Oracle you're up, as our active navigator. Rise battle support. Everyone else in backlines, prepare for the main battle. I don't know what lies up ahead, but I want everyone ready to be able to give one hundred percent. We will not lose this time." Joker ordered.
"Shouldn't we be using code names with everyone?" Panther asked.
"It really doesn't matter much anymore. The world barely acknowledges we exist so it makes using code names redundant. I imagine after we beat the Holy Grail we'll need to return to them to gain some anonymity." Naoto explained with a shrug. "But for the time being; it's perfectly fine."
"Makes sense." Queen sighed.
Joker motioned everyone to follow him and they started up the bone path. The path seemed pretty straight forward and this time there was little that stood in the way of them ascending to the place the Holy Grail resided. There were no visible enemies, however, as they ventured further Mona suddenly called for everyone to stop.
"There's something big up ahead. I can feel it." Mona instructed, his gaze locking with Joker's.
"Yeah. I see it too, but it ain't that big. Kinda medium if you ask me." Oracle called from her place above them.
Joker cast a look over his current party, before looking down at Mona. "We're fine. Probably more than fine actually." Joker looked directly at Yu as he said that before he motioned his group to press on.
Joker pressed forward as his front line followed close behind, the others lagging behind just a bit to give them plenty of room to fight. It didn't take long for the thing they had been warned about to appear. It flew down from on high, landing right in front of the group where it transformed into an angel. The shadow seemed to declare that they were prisoners that should return to their cells; but having just escaped that hell, the statement kind of left Yu feeling a bit merciless. There would be no testing out his new katana on this enemy. A pure almighty assault from Izanagi-no-Okami was more than enough to silence the shadow's blasphemy. As the shadow faded away Joker glanced at Yu.
"So. You don't need a warm-up." Joker offhandedly commented.
"I'm sorry, I thought we came here to slay a God. That thing wouldn't even count as a warm-up." Yu replied.
Joker smirked. "Then let's press on."
With that, they headed back up towards the citadel in the distance. The path became less straightforward, devolving into a twisting road. Albeit was still far from the mazes he had navigated in the past to reach his goals. The other real difference was that shadows lurked beyond that point. Not that any of them were much of a challenge.
Another strong enemy appeared before them as they moved through the paths of bone. It proclaimed that they halt. The front line group gave the angel no quarter and another fight was an inevitability. This angel managed to withstand Yu's first assault; but after Naoto's, Panther's, and a lucky punch from Mona, it was knocked back giving way to an all-out attack. This opened the path again and a new maze of bony pathways laid before them. Joker was ready to press ahead before the voice of Queen stopped him.
"Wait Joker, pull Naoto, Panther, and Yu from front lines. Move Fox, Noir, and Kanji up. Move Naoto and Yu to back lines and have Panther take my place. Skull can move up to mid-range as well." Queen advised, something about her confidence seemed to suggest she had a plan.
Joker glanced at Queen and there was a trusting look that played across his face. He didn't need to know what Queen was planning; he trusted her enough that the very act of her speaking up was enough to convince him that her words were the right course of action. This is how a well-oiled group worked. Joker may have been the leader, but he trusted those around him to offer input. Joker's gaze swept across his front line before he nodded and motioned for the switch to take place. Yu moved to the back lines as Joker pressed forward with his new front line. Queen watched them take off before she looked over those left in the back lines. Crow, Naoto, Yosuke, Aigis, Koromaru, and herself.
"While they are clearing front, we should focus on the problem further up ahead," Queen recommended.
"Yes, let us discuss what we should do about the Holy Grail." Aigis nodded.
The backline group began to move. It was rare for the backline group to get attacked since the front line mostly cleared everything out. Anything they didn't get was normally a straggler that the mid-range group could mop up if they wanted to. Mid-range though was mostly support for the front line while backlines were mostly to rest exhausted members. As there was currently no exhausted members, this group would be perfect to plan for what lay ahead.
"I don't think we can knock down the Holy Grail so an all-out attack is out of the question," Yosuke informed the group.
"Yes and I do not think a coordinated strike will work either. My Orgia mode was also ineffective." Aigis explained.
"I believe our best chance is to stop it from regenerating in the first place." Naoto folded her arms as they walked.
"We can't stop the masses from giving their energy, but do you think we could cut off their connection from it?" Queen pondered.
"Cut the veins coming from the top seems to be the best option for that, but the person who performed this task would need to be both swift and sharp with a blade. We also don't know the tensile strength of the veins." Crow injected.
Naoto glanced at Yu. "I honestly think getting Yu up there would be our best bet. Yu and Aigis are probably our strongest combatants, but Yu's sword skills would be better for the act of cutting. As the Grail knows Joker is our leader he'll probably keep his focus on him. The rest of the group would have to keep the Grail's attention."
Queen looked towards Yu. "I think you might have an idea Naoto-san. What do you think Yu-san?"
"Shouldn't be a problem. Just have to cut through a few things." Yu shrugged.
As the only member of the party who had not laid eyes on or even fought the Holy Grail, Yu honestly didn't know what to expect. The others had all fought bravely yet none of their might had been sufficient to take down the Grail. Yu couldn't predict how the fight was going to pan out, but he knew that this time they didn't have the option of losing and they seemed to be taking this second chance very seriously. Yu could admire that and he'd do anything in his power to see their plans brought to fruition.
"We need another plan should that not work," Crow advised.
"A plan 'B' does sound like a good idea. Does anyone else have any ideas if we fail to cut the veins?" Queen looked among the group.
"Is there a way we can stop a bunch of people believing in a false God?" Yosuke asked.
"I don't think our words will be able to reach them." Aigis shook her head.
"Actually." Yu started.
As Yu wasn't there for the battle, Yu didn't actually know if what he was thinking would actually work. But Myriad Truths might be the answer the group was looking for. It had the power to banish the world's curses and falsehoods. The problem was it was a one-shot kind of thing. He could only draw on that power once in a blue moon considering it wasn't entirely his power alone. It was the power of everyone who ever believed in him condensed and refined into a powerful attack. A power he had harnessed once and didn't know if he could do it again. But if it would save the world, it was worth a try.
"Myriad Truths… I should be able to banish the False God's lies, don't know for how long." Yu looked at the others.
Yu caught the looks Yosuke and Naoto gave each other. They remembered that last fight at the end of their first adventure. The struggle and the hopelessness that had come with it. They had almost lost but grasped victory from the jaws of defeat at the last second thanks to him. Granted like then, this situation seemed to have a hollow ring of familiarity to it. Was Izanagi-No-Okami's vision for mankind that far off from the Holy Grail's?
"If we banish the Holy Grail's lies, does that mean people can see the state the world has become?" Queen asked.
"Yes." Yu nodded. "But I'll need the support of everyone to use it. It works off the bonds I have with people. I don't know how strong my bonds are with the people I have here, most of my bonds are with the people back in Inaba. So I don't know how strong the attack will be."
"How many people do you think you have a strong enough bond with?" Crow studied Yu.
Yu paused for a minute to think about it. "Well, my people for sure, Joker and probably you Crow. You too Aigis after what we went through at the P-1 tournament."
"I do believe we have a bond Yu-san." Aigis nodded her approval. "I will offer my bond to you for the purpose of your attack."
"Honestly, you are a member of the Phantom Thieves so I'd like to think we all have some kind of bond with you." Queen speculated before looking towards Yu. "Well I can't exactly speak for the others, I trust you."
Yu smiled at that. "Then hopefully we shouldn't have a problem unleashing Myriad Truths."
"It seems like as good of a plan 'B' as we can get." Naoto adjusted her cap as her eyes focused forward. "Because it looks like we don't have much more time to think of a plan 'C'."
Yu glanced in the direction Naoto was looking in. The temple they had been heading for was within reach. Joker and his front line team were finishing off one last angel. They weren't struggling, but the battle was lingering. This was by far the toughest of the enemies on the path to the temple. Just up ahead was some sort of final bastion they needed to overcome to gain entry into the place the Grail resided. Yu wanted to move up to help them, but he remained where Joker had placed him. After a few more minutes of battle, the angel was left defeated as Joker's current front line stood victorious. The backline moved up at the defeat until everyone was standing just outside of the main temple.
Mona stood in front of everyone, ears twitching. "It's definitely ahead…" Mona announced before looking back at everyone. "This is it. Our final battle. Are we ready for another fight?"
"If everyone else is… Let's go!" Joker proclaimed in a confident voice to which his confirmation was echoed by everyone else.
Mona nodded. "A bit of a foolish question, but it's now or never. Come on!" Mona turned to head into the temple.
Queen moved up to fall in step with Joker as everyone followed after Mona. Yu could only believe this was to give him the information the backline had been discussing while everyone else had been pressing forward. Yu took a deep breath and crossed into the threshold of the temple with the others, this being his first time here the sight of all the cages lining the walls was a bit of a shock. The group moved with purpose to the middle of the caged area. Right there waiting for them, was the impostor Igor from before, floating as dark energy flickered around him. Was this still an illusion or was this the real entity? Yu's blade longed to find out.
"Rebels who choose to deny the Prison of Regression… Why do you mere humans still dare to oppose me?" The impostor demanded to know as if he had no idea why they all stood against him now.
Yu could think of several reasons, but no doubt they didn't even register on the impostor's radar. He was so bloated in his own power he couldn't even begin to fathom that there was any viewpoint aside from his own. So convinced of his own ideals that he was impossible to reason with. Was this truly the will of the people or just the corrupted view this false god took away from his observations of humans? The fact these gods kept popping up meant there had to be some truth in it… but how much?
"Stop acting like you're some kind of savior. You're just a treasure! Shut up and let us destroy you!" Panther announced.
"Fools… Do you still not understand? Your actions shall not save a single soul!" The Grail proclaimed.
"Not a single soul? Your math is way off. There are 17 of us here." Yosuke spat back.
Again this wasn't something that could be reasoned with… The impostor chuckled as if their whole struggle was nothing more than an amusing show for him. Slowly he floated back until, in a quick flash of light, a golden object stood before them. It was massive, but what caught Yu's attention were the large hands that flanked the Grail's form. Something about them made Yu believe there was more to this fight than there first appeared to be. Call it intuition…
"How do you think it is that I became a God, to begin with?" The voice boomed from everywhere.
"By convincing yourself you needed to exist in the first place. By warping the desires of man to your own will." Yu felt he needed to add.
"Hmph… The freedom not to choose… The freedom not to think… If every person pushed the burdens of their lives upon others, nobody would have to act for themselves. And who should be there to receive those burdens?" The Grail asked bathing in its own hypocrisy.
"You… That's what you're saying, right?" Noir responded.
"Precisely! Humanity itself wished for the Holy Grail to be a God that would rule over them. If you continue to reject that order, there will no longer be a place for you in this world!" The Grail announced.
"So?" Mona answered before anyone else could.
"Hmph. So you wish to reject me… Even if it means forgoing praise from those you want to 'save'. If you are not going to obey… Then you shall suffer yet again. I shall bring down the hammer of judgment upon you who dare disrupt my world order!" The Grail sneered.
It was clear the time for talking had ended. There was no use trying to persuade a self-proclaimed God, this fight was inevitable. Yu unsheathed his sword as the Grail sprang to life. The gears started to spin in a steampunk fashion in a constant flowing motion. Yu hadn't really seen too many treasures, but this thing seemed alien. It didn't seem like a treasure, more like an object given both life and power only to become corrupted.
"I am the one who grants the desires of the masses… I give life to their voices…" The Grail proclaimed as its voice seemed to boom in every corner of the area they all stood.
Instantly the dull red veins that disappeared into the cup of the object lit up as cheers resounded from the caged people all around them. The Grail glowed with power and healed itself. Yu glanced up at the veins, his eyes traveling up to the tangled mess above the cup. Those must have been the veins he needed to sever to sever the Grail from its endless supporters. Yu gripped his sword even tighter before he caught a look from Joker. There was a silent conversation that passed between the two of them. Joker needed Yu to get in position as he directed the forces to attack. Yu nodded the silent command before he darted towards the large hands off to the sides of the grail. Joker threw out his hand towards the Grail.
"Attack!" Joker commanded as the group rushed forward.
The Grail became focused on the fight before it. As the object didn't have a face or anything to indicate that its attention was fully on Joker's group, Yu was forced to throw a bit of caution to the wind. Yu looked up and started his ascent of a large golden hand. It wasn't as hard to climb as he first thought as something about this Metaverse seemed to instill some sort of supernatural jumping powers. As he got to the thumb, Yu got a great view of the battlefield. Just down below Joker seemed to have positioned everyone for a battle of attrition. He put his physical attackers in the front and ranged attackers behind with support and navigators in the backline.
Reaching the top of the hand, the battle seemed pretty well matched. The Grail did a bunch of damage to the front line, but the backline support kept those in the front line operational. Still, the backline didn't have infinite healing power so the sooner Yu cut these veins the sooner they could win this fight. Shifting through his Persona, Yu picked out the original Izanagi and drew upon his oldest Persona power.
"Power charge" Yu kept his voice low as to not attract any attention from the Grail.
Instantly power coursed through Yu as he ducked low. One handheld the sheath of his new katana as the other hand getting ready for the draw. His eyes focused ahead on the task before him. He knew he needed to wait for the perfect moment. Just when the Holy Grail was trying to draw power was when Yu would strike. The sounds of battle echoed below him as attack after attack smashed against the Grail's facade.
Wait… Wait for it... There!
It was then Yu saw it, announced by the cheer of the people to give the Grail strength as it stole their power to use as its own. At that moment Yu struck, jumping forward as he gripped the hilt of his blade. There was the flash of steel as Yu's attack sliced cleanly through every single vein in one smooth motion. Landing on the other side of the Grail, Yu flicked his blade before glancing up at his handiwork.
"I'll call that super effective!" Oracle announced from her Persona.
"Hm..? I am no longer receiving the strength of the inmates! You repugnant rebels…" The Grail didn't seem to like that.
"Good news. It can't heal itself anymore! Joker, let's take this battle to 11 whaddaya say?" Oracle's words were followed by a knowing chuckle. "Super Move! Ultra Charge!"
"Alright, Everyone… It's SHOWTIME!" Joker called to everyone.
Instantly the formation was broken slightly as everyone unleashed their fury upon the now weakened Grail. Without its healing power, the might of the assembled forces of the Persona users was proving too much for the false god. Yu leveled off his might against it along with everyone else as the Grail vainly tried to counter-attack sending powerful lasers at the group, but honestly, it did little to discourage the rebels.
Suddenly the Grail went silent, but something about the situation seemed off.
"Oracle…" Queen asked as the forces pulled back slightly from the now still Grail.
"I dunno… Something doesn't seem right." Oracle called flicked her hands as her computer appeared in front of her. "…. What the?!"
Instantly a bright light engulfed the battlefield as the grail seemed to come to life once again. Everything seemed to rumble as if the very ground they stood on was being moved. This caused everyone to scatter slightly. Large cracks appeared on the floor and the cages around them broke off falling away. Yu glanced towards the grail as it started to spin up but this time seemed to be different from before.
"What's going on?! This seems bad guys!" Skull called out.
Suddenly the gears around the grail shattered off of it as wings uncoiled from the Grail's structure becoming what appeared to be a halo over a faceless form. The ground split then casting everyone adrift on one of the many platforms. Four sections of platforms held the party and each group was split pretty evenly as 4 people seemed to be on each platform surrounding what was turning out to be the Holy Grail's true from. Oracle as her Persona was a floating ball, hovered above everyone in the void between platforms.
The grail took the shape of a huge mechanical angel. Its size was massive as the platforms shifted back it made huge gaps between each group. It would be close to impossible to strategize with everyone so scattered across the battlefield. Yu looked behind him at his group. Rise, Crow, and Naoto had been closest to him when the platforms had split. The platform closest to his held Panther, Skull, Yosuke, and Kanji. Beyond that Joker, Aigis, Mona, and Queen. On the last platform farthest to the left was Noir, Ken, Koromaru, and Fox.
"Rise we are going to need your communication skills," Yu said taking charge as the grail stood in front of them in full glory.
"On it!" Rise called from behind him, as Kouzeon's shadow fell over Yu.
Naoto and Crow stepped up to Yu's side as he tossed his sheath aside and readied his blade against the true God before them. This is where the real fight started.
Joker stood before the metallic angel that had once been the Holy Grail. The utter size of the massive form was staggering as his brain tried to figure out how best to attack such a monolith. However, now everyone was scattered, possibly by design. Did they stand a chance? Joker quickly brushed that thought to the back of his mind. No, it didn't matter if they stood a chance or not. This wasn't a battle they could afford to lose. Everyone was counting on him… The very world itself was counting on him in this battle in the clouds.
"I am the administrator born of the collective human unconscious. The God of Control, Yaldabaoth!" The fully revealed god informed the scattered mass of Persona users.
"Can I just say this is crazy! That thing is like a building." Oracle cried from her position in Prometheus.
"The administrator must guide mankind towards proper development. And now that the foolishness of man has been proven, it is the administrator's duty to purge them! The foolish masses merely spread indolent thoughts and force the progress of society backward. If left to humanity, the world would slowly meet its demise. Rehabilitation is impossible now." Yaldabaoth proclaimed.
"That doesn't mean humans are evil though!" Queen called from Joker's side, a fury blazing within her.
"Indeed. There are many upstanding citizens. However, they merely take the sole path before them. The act of making a decision is accompanied by nothing but pain. Even if a cliff of ruin lies ahead, these lemmings would march on without a second thought… I am the entity that governs this world. Its future depends wholly on my leadership. Those who dare defy this natural order shall be met with punishment raining down from the heavens." Yaldabaoth dictated.
A powerful burst of wind picked up as the Yaldabaoth showed its supreme power. The words it spoke seeming eerily familiar to the ones Shido had been delusional by only a few days prior. Clearly, this thing was the source of his madness as well as Crows. If they beat this thing, it would all be over right? The masses would return to their senses and raise up against all this injustice. Joker took a step forward staring down their ultimate foe.
"Guys, I'm going to connect all of us. We may be separated but our hearts will be connected." Rise's voice rang in Joker's head.
"This is the best possible outcome..!" Mona declared as his words rang in everyone's head thanks to Rise's power. "We're fighting against a god who's not holding anything back, right? What bigger target could there be for the Phantom Thieves to tackle?"
"Mona got a point, everyone, here. It's time to give it our all." Queen announced.
"Rise and I will give it our all as far as navigation goes." Oracle declared.
"She's absolutely right. We got everyone back." Rise chimed in.
"We can do this if we all work together!" Noir cheered.
"We can't fall here, everyone is depending on us," Ken affirmed.
"Arf!" Koromaru barked.
"Let's take this ugly god down!" Panther rallied.
"Another god, just like old times eh guys?" Yosuke asked.
"How many of these fuckin' things keep thinkin' they can stand in our way?" Kanji growled.
"Crowning our glory by defeating a god… Now that is true art." Fox seemed to embellish.
"The human heart I've learned is far more complicated than this false god claims it is, I can't abide by its ideals." Aigis proclaimed.
"We basically just gotta beat that thing up, right? Shouldn't be a problem." Ryuji called out.
"We can't throw caution to the wind, but we cannot falter either," Naoto advised.
"Our bonds shall be our strength, together this god stands no chance against the power we bring before it," Yu informed them all.
Joker took a deep breath looking up at Yaldabaoth. "Do you hear that? We stand together against you. You see us as nothing before you but we shall show you what the combined resolve of many can do against the evil of one!"
"Very well. If that is your answer then I shall show you how truly feeble your attempts are. You shall all perish" Yaldabaoth answered.
And that is when the battle began. 15 active attack Persona users, 2 navigators versus the god of control. As they all stood on platforms away from the main body, the only attacks that seemed to reach the mammoth god were those with some range to them. A rainbow of attacks rained down upon the false god as everyone focus fire upon Yaldabaoth. That first initial volley was definitely something to behold, however, it didn't appear to harm the god of control much at all. It withstood and quickly counter attack sending a beam of light blazing across all platforms and knocking everyone back with a colossal damage attack.
Joker grit his teeth and persevered through Yaldabaoth's attack. This wasn't nearly enough to make him fall but it was enough to make him stagger. As he collected himself, a small object fell from his coat and hit the platform at his feet. A small pillar of black obsidian, with a divine feeling to it, the 'Divine Pillar.' Joker had almost forgotten he had picked it up from the Reaper almost a month ago. It had been keeping him safe this whole time without him even realizing it. Reaching forward he picked the pillar up and put it back into his coat, its divine protection once again shielding him.
"I release upon you the deadly sin of Lust. You have no means to escape, humans! The insanity of mankind shall bring forth the demise…." Yaldabaoth broadcast to the whole group.
Suddenly a mechanical arm appeared from behind Yaldabaoth and pulled forth a gun-like object from its main body. The gun spun around before leveling off its barrel against the farthest left platform. Yaldabaoth fired but the attack was strange. Ken, Koromaru, Fox, and Noir all suddenly seemed dazed as if something was clouding their judgment.
"What was that attack?!" Mona cried out. "One of mankind's deadly sin?!"
"It's a surge of Lust. The fantasies are blocking everything out… They can't think!" Rise informed them. "I can't connect well they are like that."
Suddenly Haru took a step forward and reached out towards Yaldabaoth before Astarte appeared before her. Joker saw Noir say something but her words couldn't reach his ears as the noise of the battle and the distance of the platforms made it impossible. He did however see what happened as Yaldabaoth was surrounded by several buffs. Ken stepped up next to Noir and put an arm around her, his Persona appearing behind him as he sent out a healing spell that definitely healed Yaldabaoth. So this was the effect of lust, their own party members would help Yaldabaoth. Joker did know if there was anything he could do for his friends on the platform, so instead, he focused on what he could do. He could attack Yaldabaoth and continue their assault, so that's exactly what he did summoning forth Seth to light up the battlefield with fire.
"I release upon you the deadly sin of vanity! You have no means of escape humans… The fraudulence of mankind shall bring forth ruin." Yaldabaoth once again declared.
Other mechanical arms appeared from behind Yaldabaoth's back. It pulled forth a bell from its main body and raised it high. With a quick flick of its arm, the bell rang out over the battlefield. Joker fought the urge to cover his ears as the sound was painful to listen to. Something about that sound sent his head into an instant headache and he felt weakened by its tone.
"We need to attack those arms." A voice echoed in Joker's head but through the pain, he couldn't tell who.
"Everyone end that bell!" Joker commanded as he struggled to switch Persona. "Lilith, Mabufudyne…"
Joker felt his spiritual power form into a heavy ice attack as a cold wind blew across the battlefield. The attack managed to hit both arms and for the moment the ringing sound of the bell stopped. Joker looked up to find the bell frozen in place by the ice attack. The gun was fine but as long as that bell was frozen in place, they could continue to the fight. As he shook off any lingering pain from the bell's sonic attack, Joker didn't get a reprieve for very long as arrows of light rained directly down on him. The brunt of that attack forced him to fall to a knee.
"Joker!" Mona called before he gathered his energy. "Come forth, my other self!"
Joker felt his pain quickly ease away as Mona's healing spell fell over him. Finding his strength again, Joker got to his feet summoning his Persona. Throwing out his hand he commanded another ice-based attack. The Persona complied with Joker's command as another icy wind blasted through the battlefield once again, quickly accompanied by several more attacks that targeted both the main body and the arms of Yaldabaoth.
This battle seemed to be going well, but honestly, Joker just couldn't get a good gauge on how well they were doing. They had a bunch of Persona users just constantly pounding this false god and he showed no signs of flinching or even being affected by the damage coming at him. Joker had to wonder if their efforts were indeed working or were they just all wasting their time…
"I release upon you the deadly sin of gluttony! You have no means of escape, humans. The selfishness of mankind shall bring forth ruin!" Yaldabaoth declared for the third time.
A third arm appeared from Yaldabaoth's back. This time as the arm reached into the main body it pulled forth a sword. The blade seemed to coil like a snake in front of them before it suddenly lashed out slashing across all platforms. Joker wasn't able to dodge and took the full brunt of the strike as several of his allies started to fall around him. The attack hurt but with the protection of the divine pillar, he could withstand it. He couldn't let the group just keep attacking like this, there had to be some order to this fight or everyone was going to fall.
"Healer focus healing and fall back slightly, keep everyone up," Joker ordered. "Those in the front keep focusing on the arms."
An echo of confirmations even from Ken and Noir. Joker looked towards them and they seemed to have returned to their senses. A welcoming sight as that meant whatever this 'lust' attack had done it was only a temporary effect. Joker glanced behind him as both Queen and Mona moved back leaving him and Aigis as a barrier between them and the mad god. Both Mona and Queen looked injured but still very much in the game. Same with Aigis as her ice-blue eyes seemed to reflect a certain determination to what she was doing. Joker was glad to have all of them by his side at the moment.
There was a crack that was heard across the battlefield as Joker sent another wave of attacks towards Yaldabaoth. Joker glanced up to his right as the bell became free from the frozen state it had been in. With it came the sickening noise that echoed with it. They needed to end that bell once and for all, luckily Joker didn't need to be the one to do it. Izanagi-no-Okami floated up from behind Yu and launched directly at the bell. The Persona slashed through it cutting the bell from the arm and causing it to fall towards the ground below. The silence that came from the bell's defeat was a welcoming sound, now they just needed to get the sword and the gun.
"I release upon the deadly sin of Wrath… You have no means of escape, humans. The passion of mankind shall bring forth ruin." Yaldabaoth declared for the fourth time.
With Yaldabaoth words, another arm appeared from behind the massive mechanical angel. This time it drew forth a book from its main body. The book opened casting a wave of emotion with it. Joker felt the pull of wrath on his heart and struggled against it. This was the same mental effect as Lust but this one wanted Joker to stop acting rationally... It wanted him to stop depending on his friends. Joker mentally struggled as the sword swept the battlefield again.
"Damn it how many more arms does this thing have?" Mona growled.
"Probably 7 if the sins are anything to go by," Naoto interjected.
"Guys, I hate to break it to you but some of us here can't take much more of this… We need to finish this up faster!" Panther called.
Joker managed to fend off the wrath attack giving him precious seconds to glance towards his friends on the platform to his right. Panther was struggling to keep up with the healing required but Yosuke was quickly moving back to assist her in the endeavor. Raising his Kunai up he summoned his Persona and instantly a wind swept across the battlefield as a whole, with it brought healing energy that returned the fighting spirit to everyone's souls. Joker wasn't entirely sure what Yosuke had done but he was thankful for it.
Joker glanced towards the foe in front of him. Panther had been right, things like whatever Yosuke had done would keep them in the fight for now. Unfortunately, the sad truth was, they needed to end this faster. Joker's mind reeled as he tried to come up with a plan before the shadow of Prometheus passed over him giving him a bit of inspiration.
"Oracle, can you emergency shift the battlefield for me?" Joker asked.
"I can but it'd use up most of my remaining power. What are you thinkin'?" Oracle responded.
"Move Rise, Yu, and Crow to this platform and switch them out with Mona and Queen. Can you do that?" Joker requested as he switched Persona.
"Sure," Oracle affirmed. "Alright Prometheus, we got orders! Emergency SHIFT!"
Joker glanced behind him as both Mona and Queen disappeared in a haze of green light. If this plan was to work then he needed both Yu and Rise. As Crow was another wildcard, Joker figured having all the wildcards in one place couldn't hurt right? Hopefully, he'd not pay for putting his eggs in one basket. The next second; Yu, Crow, and Rise appeared taking the places of his other allies.
"What's the plan?" Yu asked as he stepped up to the front line next to Joker.
"We need something powerful… Rise. Can you connect me and Yu?" Joker tentatively looked towards his other navigator.
A smile appeared on Rise's face. "Yeah, I think that is something I can do. It'll knock out communication but I think it's worth it."
Rise took a step forward and put her hands on Joker's and Yu's shoulders and quickly the fight faded away replaced by white…
The sound of birds and the smell of nature hit Ren first. His eyes took a second or two to adjust before he found himself in a large open field, with a brook cutting through the middle of it all. It took a second before he was able to recognize but it was the field from the other world in Inaba or at least a recreation of it. The only real difference was there was no fire pit or lanterns around just open nature that seemed to go on forever. Yu stepped forward and rolled his shoulders.
"This thing isn't giving up..." Yu offhandedly commented before he looked towards Ren. "Huh, no Phantom thief attire and no glasses… I take it to mean this is who you truly believe yourself to be?"
Ren instantly reached up; realizing that neither his mask nor his glasses were on his face. Surprisingly it didn't feel as strange as he figured it'd be. He was unmasked before Yu but Yu never really demanded he wears any of his masks around him. Ren could be anyone he wanted to be around Yu and there was an understanding between them at it was perfectly fine. Ren's hand fell away from his face, but not before his finger drug across the small scar just below his eye.
"I hope so… After this is all over, I want to remove my mask permanently." Ren declared.
"When did you decide this?" Yu asked as he moved to sit down upon the grass.
"Just now." Ren settled down in the grass across from his mentor.
Ren didn't know how his friends would feel if he took off all his masks, but so far Makoto didn't seem to care. In fact, she seemed to prefer it, then again the longer he got use to the concept it seemed like Joker and Ren were starting to find common ground. They didn't need to be two distinct people, Ren didn't need to hide. He had a large group of people that he knew would accept him no matter who he chose to be.
"Good, stop hiding it." Yu nodded before he opened his hands and an arcana card came floating down.
With one swift motion, Yu crushed the card as the original Izanagi appeared behind him. The Persona regarded Ren was a stony look before it settled down in the grass next to Yu. Folding his legs under it and resting its sword next to it. The way Izanagi was sitting reminded Ren of an old samurai sitting before their lord. Ren felt his own soul stir as Arsene stepped into existence behind Ren. The Persona gave a slight chuckle and bowed to Yu before it too sat down next to Ren. Arsene seemed to settle down right in front of Izanagi in a far more carefree manner. With that, the two Persona seemed to stare at each other.
Yu glanced towards the two Persona. "Yaldabaoth will be weakened by our attack, but I don't think it will stop him. Ren, do you know why your friend's Persona change when you reach a true bond?"
Ren paused at the question and thought about it. Honestly, he really hadn't thought about it too much since he learned it happened. He was going on the assumption that because he was a wild card it affected his friends somehow too. But was there more than that? Ren thought back to all the conversations they had to achieve a true bond... Each of them realized something about themselves that allowed their hearts to grow but also affirmed their commitment to him.
"They allowed their hearts to grow?" Ren passively answered not knowing if it was the correct answer.
Yu gave a knowing nod. "Correct. Here is the last lesson I feel I can teach you. You can evolve too and so can Arsene."
"How?" Ren leaned forward wanting to know the secret.
Yu gave a light chuckle before he reached out and pressed two fingers to Ren's chest just over the other wild card's heart. "Thmakenot something I can answer for you. That is something you have to discover yourself by letting your heart grow. You are already on the right path. Know this when a wild card evolves that power is enough that makes even gods tremble."
Ren thought about it. "That doesn't sound simple…"
Yu leaned back and nodded. "It's not suppose to be that simple, but I have faith that you will find it." Yu looked towards Izanagi. "What do you think old friend?"
Izanagi glanced at Yu before looking back at Arsene. "Storm of the Eclipse." The Persona said simply.
"That shall be wonderful," Arsene replied. "Call my name and I shall answer with this attack."
Yu got to his feet slowly and looked around. "It's so peaceful here, far from the chaos that Yaldabaoth brings..."
Ren joined Yu in standing up. "Does Rise make this when she connections us?"
"I honestly don't know, but it's refreshing. If only for a few moments I can return to a place that I find peaceful." Yu took a deep breath before looking at Ren. "Are you ready to head back Hero?"
"Hero? I haven't earned that title yet." Ren countered.
Yu let out a short laugh. "You will…"
A white once again enveloped Ren's vision…
Joker blinked a few times as he found himself back upon the battlefield. As he was slowly getting use to Rise using her power on him. This time it wasn't nearly as disorienting as it had been the first time it had happened. Yaldabaoth's massive form blocking out most of Joker's vision. Joker took a deep breath to steady himself, time still seemed a bit dilated. The leader of the Phantom Thieves could see the massive mechanical abomination ready for another attack, an attack Joker wanted to halt.
"Arsene!"
"Izanagi!"
"Storm of the Eclipse!" The two wildcards yelled in unison.
Even Yaldabaoth seemed to pause with hesitation as the attack was sound. His body stilled ever so slightly as the sound of rolling thunder echoed in the distance. Joker hadn't noticed it before but the sky was cast in a bright golden color up here as if the world was suspended in a forever sunset. It was beautiful but that beauty was quickly overtaken as all light was suddenly snuffed out by a dark storm. The sky became pitch black as no light was allowed to pierce the black clouds that rolled in. The battlefield became dark before a lightning bolt of velvet room blue in color ripped down from the sky and directly on Yaldabaoth's divine head.
The False God cried out in pain.
The storm was far from over as each remaining arm was struck several times by the storm casting the battlefield in blue for only a brief moment before everything went dark again. The storm broke as quickly as it had come as rays of light shot through the dark clouds. This illuminated the area again allowing Joker gazed upon a crippled mechanical being. All the arms were now nothing but slightly smoking droopy appendages that no longer held any life. As for the main body, it was blackened and still. Something that didn't last long as Yaldabaoth twitched slightly. Then a golden shine seemed to take over the whole body. Something akin to what happened when the Holy Grail regenerated.
"Fools that dare to resist God!" Yaldabaoth howled. "So… This is it..? The power that resists ruin."
"Did we..?" Oracle sounded hopeful for a split second. "… No! Guys INCOMING!"
"My control shall not bow down to ruin! My control is the ultimate truth of this world!" Yaldabaoth declared the voice sounded angered.
Instantly a flare of power sparked to life at the false god's chest and like a chain reaction, it started to grow bigger and bigger. It was almost like watching a nuclear explosion but this wasn't nuclear damage this was pure almighty damaging slamming into them. Joker threw up an arm to brace himself against this new attack but he was quickly overwhelmed. He wasn't the only one everyone was knocked back by the force of the attack, energy drained from taking such a massive hit. There were only two who remained on their feet. Yu and Crow neither looking so hot but still standing.
"You want truth?!" Yu yelled up at the god, there was a fury to those words.
"What truth could you possibly offer me?" Yaldabaoth asked.
Yu shifted his position before putting his hands out. Instantly Joker felt a small tug at his soul as something seemed to be requesting power from him. Joker accepted the request as a spindly line of green energy seemed to flow from his chest towards Yu. More lines of energy from everyone seemed to join the energy being gathering at Yu. Yaldabaoth however wasn't waiting for the charge to be completed and quickly moved to attack Yu. It was then Crow stepped in front of Yu taking the blow onto himself, the result causing him to be tossed across the platform like a rag doll. Crow struggled to get up more but could only get to a knee.
"I offer you the real truth, devoid of all falsehoods! I shall show it to you, everyone here, and the rest of the world!" Yu yelled out to the false god. Suddenly a golden arcana card floated down into Yu's open hand and he swiftly crushed it. "Myriad Truth!"
Izanagi-no-Okami appeared and held his sword out in front of him. With a flick of his wrist, the sword spun in a circle glowing with a light lilac colored energy. A hum of power ran in the air as the sword seemed to sing under the sudden power seemingly being channeled through it. Yu threw out his hand towards Yaldabaoth and all the barely contained energy seemed to ripple in the air before an explosion of white light blew up upon Yaldabaoth's metal chest. With the explosion, a wave of energy seemed to ripple out from the attack moving in all directions like a sonic boom across the sky. Yu collapsed as the attack seemed to use up all the energy he had put into the attack.
Then just like that...
It was as if the world suddenly woke up to all the falsehoods that Yaldabaoth had been feeding them. Cries of shock and fear echoed from the world below them as shouts of confusion mixed in with these frantic cries. Panic was taking over as Yaldabaoth grip over all of them had weakened. The panic masses needed an icon to hold onto, something to give them hope for the world the false god had brought. That was the only way they'd be able to show this false god how wrong he was.
"We aren't giving up yet." Joker slowly got to his feet. "Listen to those voices down there, they reject your world just as much as we do!"
Aigis slowly got up as well. "We can't lose, this world is a beautiful gift and I'll do everything I can to make sure it stays that way."
Crow rose up as well, clearly still pretty beat up but still struggling to his feet. "You made me to destroy this world. Now, I have chosen to save it!"
That's when the shift occurred, something was happening down below them. Joker could feel it in his very soul. The people panic cries died as a new anthem seemed to rise up from the fear. An anthem of hope… They were trusting something out there was fighting for them, and most of them seemed to realize it was the Phantom Thieves. An unnatural strength came to Joker, spurred on by the hope the world was giving him. Everyone was giving him power and a sudden feeling rose up within Joker.
It was time to shed his mask and be the hope of this world.
Aigis stepped in front of Joker as her whole body seemed to let off steam. She was quickly flowed by Crow as he shifted from his standard attire to his black mask. They both were standing in front of him ready to give it one final push to secure victory. Yaldabaoth only seemed to become enraged at this action as the cheers rose up to meet even his ears. He struck out, but Aigis and the Black Mask held the line, letting nothing hit Joker.
"God is the one who creates the world!" Yaldabaoth yelled out clearly frustrated at this turn of events.
"No you're not, you're just some false idol drunk on power!" Joker yelled back as he felt Arsene stir within him.
Arsene appeared behind Joker as chains rattled around them. Joker reached out grabbing the chain and with a snap freed Arsene from their binding force. Broken chain links swirled around both of them as Arsene seemed to become consumed by a bright blinding power. That power exploded causing the sky to become consumed in a flurry of what looked like shooting stars.
"So you have failed to harness the power… Not surprising…" Yaldabaoth taunted. "No matter how many prayers of those foolish masses come together…"
Yaldabaoth words were cut short as thunder suddenly boomed again. Possibly remembering the last lightning attack, the false god paused. Another storm seemed to roll in once again, however, this was all Joker doing. Some noise akin to surprise echoed from the Yaldabaoth as Joker felt his new Persona draw near behind him. An unraveling of 6 large black wings shadowed across the battlefield as a Persona as big as the false god himself made an entrance.
Satanael had arrived…
Around Joker he could hear the distant shouts and cheers of his friends. Rise's communication was down so he couldn't really make out more than just their cheers. From around him orbs of light seemed to appear, echoing the sentiment of the crowds below. This was just as much their power as it was his own, the very spirit of rebellion held by the masses channeled through him. No one wanted the world the god of control offered and Satanael was that feeling manifested and given life.
This fight was beginning a new as the cheers from the crowds seemed to heal everyone the way the red veins had done for the Holy Grail originally. Yu rose next to Aigis and Crow, ready to be a third bastion to keep the false god at bay. Rise also got up next to him. Rise offered Joker a knowing smile before she glanced up at that demon lord that now fought on their side.
"Fools… This is why man is doomed." Yaldabaoth sneered as it readied another attack.
Yaldabaoth attack once again tried to scorch the theater of war but its sting had no bite. The attack simply just didn't harm them as if they were completely protected from all danger. Or perhaps the false god was starting to lose all of his power as the now awoken masses rebelled against him.
"Impossible!" Yaldabaoth yelled.
"I see… He's lost his power now that no one believes in him…" Rise explained as her Persona ghosted to life at her side. "Joker, you're the one with the power to end this. Everyone is entrusting you with the future!"
"Right." Joker reached out collecting all the orbs of light that floated around them, he could feel his energy surge. "Pillage him, Satanael!"
Reaching into his coat for his gun, the mighty Persona behind him instantly mirrored his movement as it too seemed to raise a mighty long-barreled gun up towards the Yaldabaoth. This was it, this is how they won. Even Yaldabaoth couldn't withstand an attack from the combined might of everyone.
"Begone!" Joker sneered.
"Preposterous… You dare rob people's wishes?!" Yaldabaoth shouted as it seemed far angrier than afraid of the gun pointed at its face.
Joker put his finger to the trigger and eased it back. The slack of the trigger came up easily as he followed through with the pull. The sound of a gunshot rang in the air as no bullet existed Joker's gun but a shell came from Satanael's weapon. It was a shot that was probably heard around the world… The shot pierced the false god's head as a shattering noise echoed in the bullet wake. The sound of gears grinding quickly followed.
"What power… It surpasses my own. A god born from the wish of the masses… So this is the true power of the Tricksters. Damn that Igor. It seems he wasn't spouting nonsense…" Yaldabaoth's final words rang out.
Slowly the mammoth angel machine started to fade away. Bit by bit. The platform that had surrounded the false god shifted coming back together as Yaldabaoth faded into nothingness. As the platform finally came together a golden shining cup appeared in the location the Holy Grail once stood. It sparkled with ethereal beauty.
"That's the treasure? Right, Mona?" Skull asked as he turned towards their feline companion.
Mona had a sad smile on his face as he stepped up to the treasure. "Yeah, Well gang thanks for everything..."
"Mona-chan?" Noir asked her voice uncertain.
Mona reached out, putting a paw to the treasure. "Humans have the power to change the world. They just forgot about that a bit… Thanks to you guys I was able to complete my duty…"
Suddenly Queen seemed to understand something they all didn't. "Everything was thanks to you, wasn't it Morgana..?"
"Thank you." Joker nodded feeling as if something wasn't quite right.
The original Phantom Thieves seemed to all step forward as both Yu's and Aigis' group took a step back. Apparently, Joker wasn't the only one feeling something wasn't quite right.
"I got to be useful for humans that I admired so much… Nothing could make me happier… This place will soon disappear too." Mona smiled and shook his head. "It's time to go home…"
A bright light originating from the treasure enveloped Joker's vision.
Joker blinked as he stood in the middle of Shibuya. There was a silence that hung in the air was very unshibuya-like. Around them, people seemed frozen in place as if they were just going about their day and time suddenly stopped. Around them was a river of red liquid that ran waist-deep. At least the downpour of this red liquid had seemed to stop. The group made a subconscious decision to move forward. They all moved through the silent city, it became clear something was about the happen. Queen nudged Joker pointing up at the sky. The clouds were starting to disappear as the normal blue hue of the sky returned. Around them, the various monoliths that came when Mementos merged with the real world were starting to fade. Suddenly the red water seemed to break up and started to dissolve into the air.
"So Beautiful…" Noir commented
"Yeah." Panther agreed.
The world around them started to get a surreal glow to it as it all seemed to start to break apart. Had they done something wrong? Joker didn't know but the world around them was starting to disappear. The leader of the Phantom Thieves could feel the sudden tension from his allies around him, however, Mona calm words cut through all of their apprehensions.
"The whole world is a product of cognition…" Mona stated. "… Not Just the Metaverse. It can be freely re-made... The same goes for you, and everyone else."
Joker turned around to look towards Mona and was surprised by what he saw. There sat Mona glowing just like everything else in the world and slowly fading away. Joker moved to reach out to his feline companion as everyone seemed to holler Mona's name. Joker was almost there before a beam of white light separated him from Mona. Joker looked back at the rest of his companions as the world was starting to break apart.
"Soon a new world will come. One where mankind isn't held captive. The world will shine brightly as long as you hold hope in your hearts…" Slowly Mona started to float up as the world started to be reborn.
"What's going to happen to you?!" Queen cried out.
"Remember… There's no such thing as the 'real' world. What each person sees and feels… Those are what shape reality. This is what gives the world infinite potential. Even if you feel that only darkness lies ahead… As long as you hold hands together… See it through as one… The world will never end! The world exists within all of you…!" Mona's voice grew distant.
And with that the world was reborn…
Well after waiting for 3 months for my editor to finish up, I decided to just finish up the last few chapters. There are two left after this, and I already got them 50% edited. Now my editing skills suck, so I'm sure there will be tons of nitpicks. Feel free to point them out. I'll try and revise this chapter if they are too horrible. Hope you enjoy, now to go back and finish up those last two chapters.