It was time at last for the clash against the Prince of Nightmares himself, Shadow Ango Natsume. The Overlord transformed into a dragon with golden armor and he flew around the throne room, already making it difficult for the Phantom Thieves to strike him. "Be careful, guys! He might be blowing a bunch of hot air, but he's actually pretty tough!"
"Fitting for the final battle!" Dragon exclaimed.
Shadow Natsume pulled out baton and started to write something in the air. The Phantom Thieves were confused. "Hey, what's he doing!? He's writing something!" Mona pointed out.
"How about we don't let him finish?" Crow said while summoning Hereward. "Fire!" Hereward fired an arrow of curse magic towards Shadow Natsume and it was a direct hit. Eigaon did strike its target, but Natsume ignored the damage dealt to continue writing, which made Crow scowl. So that's how it was, huh?
Natsume finished what he was writing and roared, a purple aura now swirling around his body. "RAAAAH!" The difference in his power was obvious, he used his writing to amplify his strength. "I was born of nightmares blacker and darker than darkness itself! Watch as I unleash hell!" Shadow Natsume flew into the air again, holding his hands above his head, where he was beginning to gather a bunch of energy and quickly at that.
"Whatever that is, it doesn't look good!" Violet gulped.
"Don't let him fire!" Joker said. Everyone pulled out their guns on this cue and began to open fire, all of their bullets colliding against Shadow Natsume's body and golden armor. Thanks to his buff, he was simply tanking the damage. "No good!"
"Incoming!" Dragon yelled before rushing forward. Natsume threw down a powerful orb of ice that sought to explode upon the Phantom Thieves, but Dragon was on the defensive as usual. "Aegis!" The incoming Ice Age attack exploded against Bella's shield, and Dragon felt the chill down to her core. Since she was taking the damage, a part of her body did get frozen over, making it difficult for her to move. "Ngh!"
"Foolish hero! Don't you know how many shields I have shattered!?" Shadow Natsume flew towards Dragon, violently whipping his tail at her for a direct hit. With a cry of pain, Dragon was sent flying into the opposite wall.
"Dragon!" Panther grit her teeth and summoned Celestine, throwing numerous fireballs at Shadow Natsume. But he simply took off into the air again, swiftly evading these fireballs with ease. "Ugh, hold still!"
"How are we gonna hit this guy if he just barrels through or dodges everything we throw at him!?" Skull was annoyed. He summoned William to fire a bolt of lightning at Shadow Natsume, but he was able to tank this attack by blocking with his golden armor.
"He's still taking damage!" Oracle reported. "We have to get rid of his buff somehow!"
"Leave it to me." Fox said while sprinting forward, his mask burning off as Gorokichi was beside him. Both Fox and Gorokichi swung their swords forward, sending sharp icicles in Shadow Natsume's direction. Due to their size and the sheer number of them, even Shadow Natsume had a difficult time evading these! The icicles were continuously pelting him despite his efforts to shoo them away.
"Agh! Damn it!" Shadow Natsume growled.
"Oh, hey!" Noir had a fun idea. She went to one of the many piles of swords sticking into the ground and lifted one up. "These should work too!"
"Yeah, turn him into a pincushion!" Oracle grinned. Noir nodded and hurled a sword with all her might, which stabbed Shadow Natsume's golden armor. Queen, Skull, and Sophie all followed suit, hurling a few swords at Shadow Natsume with precision to strike several points of his armor.
"No! Gah!" Shadow Natsume was unable to sustain himself against this assault and he collapsed to the ground. "D-Damn it…you made me lose my edge!" His buff vanished because of this, leaving him vulnerable.
"There it is! Give 'em the hurt!" Oracle shouted.
"Raoul!" Joker leapt into the air and snapped his fingers. "Eigeon!" This prompted a moderately sized blob of curse to fly forward and explode upon the downed Shadow Natsume. Joker landed and immediately began to slash at the fallen Overlord with his knife, making sure every strike counted. Noir, Mona, and Violet were adding onto this physical pressure, bombarding the Overlord with attacks to ensure he stayed down.
But the Overlord wasn't going to stay down for very long. With a feral growl, he swung his claws forward as he sprang up, knocking away the four that were attacking him. Joker, Mona, Noir, and Violet tumbled along the ground for a few seconds before catching themselves. "Hahaha! Pathetic humans! Gaze upon my magnificence!" Shadow Natsume lurched forward, exhaling a gigantic flame from his mouth. Since he was a dragon, it only made sense that he could breathe fire.
"Incoming!" Joker warned.
"Eeep!" Oracle wasn't fast enough to dodge this kind of attack on her on. Luckily for her, Violet swooped in to grab her and leap out of the way. "Whew…! Thanks!"
"Of course, Oracle-senpai!" Violet smiled. But the heat from Natsume's flames did make the room swelter noticeably. "Oogh, it got really hot…"
"Hotter than the worst summer day…" Dragon said while fanning herself.
"Hahaha! How was that?! If you thought that was Agidyne just now, then think again! It was AGI!" Shadow Natsume said smugly.
"Ugh…" Oracle didn't have the strength for this. It was so painfully obvious it was actually starting to hurt.
"Wait…so it wasn't as strong as it looked?" Sophie blinked innocently.
"I, the Prince of Nightmares, carry the blood of dragons in my veins!" Shadow Natsume declared. "No mere human could EVER defeat ME! Lay down your weapons and submit! Do so, and your lives will be spared!" He slammed his body down onto the ground, creating a seismic quake that nearly knocked everyone off their feet.
"As if we'd ever join you! Thanks, but no thanks!" Panther said while flinging a sword at Shadow Natsume, which did scrape his armor. Shaking this off, Shadow Natsume began to write with his pen once again.
"Besides, the Evil Overlord's destined to get his ass beat! That's fantasy rule number 1, dude!" Skull added.
Queen rode forward on Agnes, not planning to let Shadow Natsume increase his power again. She leapt from her bike and swung her leg at the pen in his hand, knocking it from his grip, much to his surprise. "I don't think so!" Queen said with a smug grin. If the pen was Shadow Natsume's source of strength, then they just had to ensure he could no longer write!
"What!?" Shadow Natsume gasped.
"Ango Natsume, you are a shameful despot steeped in vanity!" Fox appeared in front of the shocked Shadow Natsume, his blade drawn and ready. "Today, your rule comes to an end!" Fox landed several frigid slashes across Shadow Natsume's frame in quick succession. The final slash shattered part of Shadow Natsume's armor along his tail, exposing him slightly.
"AGH! IMPOSSIBLE!" Shadow Natsume groaned. Before Fox had the chance to step away, Shadow Natsume was at least able to slam his tail into him, knocking him back. But he still had plenty of Phantom Thieves to contend with.
"His armor has broken off. He must be getting weaker!" Sophie pointed out.
"Looks like he doesn't like Ice!" Joker said while calling forth another Persona. "Jack Frost!" With a mighty hee-ho, Jack Frost cast Bufudyne, creating a large tree of ice to briefly ensnare Shadow Natsume within its frigid roots.
"You think you can bind me with this feeble attack!?" Shadow Natsume growled, already breaking free from this. But the intention was merely to hold him for just a few seconds, because he saw Violet and Sophie in front of him. Ella and Pithos fired off a beam of light that merged into a gigantic ray, which collided against the armored chest of the Overlord to deal massive damage. "GAAAH!" In a fit of rage, he lunged towards the two Bless users with his claws ready. Violet and Sophie managed to evade his rage fueled attacks, but Sophie was caught by a tail swipe and she was knocked down.
"Sophie!" Violet gasped and rushed forward as Shadow Natsume prepared to use his sharp claws to violently attack Sophie. Instead, it was Violet who took the hit by grabbing Sophie and leaping away at the last second. But since that attack did hurt, Violet did end up tumbling along the ground with Sophie in her arms.
"Violet…!" Sophie gasped. She…risked her own wellbeing to save her. "Are you okay…?"
"I-I'm fine…" Violet gave a shaky smile. She was very much not fine from a hit like that, but she could solider through it. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, but…" Sophie wasn't sure how to feel. She was thankful and worried at the same time. They weren't going to have much time to relax, as Shadow Natsume attempted to hound them, but Dragon was the one who blocked with Aegis once again. "Oh!"
"Worry not! He will not get the better of me again. This dragon will not yield to a false one! Aegis Counter!" Dragon still had the previous damage she sustained stockpiled. So Bella swung her sword at Shadow Natsume with more power behind it than usual. This struck Shadow Natsume directly and forced him backwards.
"TAKE THIS!" Queen then followed up immediately with a roundhouse kick infused with nuclear magic. Her Freidyne had literal kick to it, a sizeable burst occurring with the impact to Shadow Natsume's chest.
"Gh…! Cursed Heroes! If I had my pen!" Shadow Natsume snarled. But these angered snarls soon turned into pain filled ones, as Skull and Crow were pelting him with swords from opposite ends of the room. "Agh! These swords were once wielded by past heroes! Even in death, they continue to defy me?!"
"Yo, what the hell is he talking about!?" Skull was completely lost.
"It's as he said!" Dragon picked up one of the swords. "These swords were used by now fallen heroes against the Overlord. Even though this is proof of their defeat, the fact that they are useful to us now proves that even in death, they still continue to fight against the Overlord! It is up to us to carry on their wishes and ensure this demon is dethroned once and for all!" Of course she was the one who could decipher the meaning behind those words.
"We really need to have a talk about this…" Panther let out a sigh. "But that means we should keep using the swords!"
"I won't allow it!" Shadow Natsume flew off to avoid the swords, but he didn't expect Mona and Noir to have predicted this. With Lucy and Diego, they created a twister composed of wind and psychic energy that drew in any sword not plunged into the ground.
"Take this!" Mona and Noir yelled together. This twister slammed into Shadow Natsume and sent him crashing into his own throne. Once again, Shadow Natsume's armor shattered, this time along his wings.
"Gah! How could this be…!? How could the gods favor you over ME!?" He roared angrily. He noticed his pen nearby and he grab it, hastily beginning to write once again. However, just before he could finish, Panther's whip wrapped around his wrist. With Dragon and Skull's help, they were attempting to stop him from writing once again. "This is something that I've always had to worry about! Those with talent are always being dragged down by those without. How could you be so ignorant!?"
"Villain, you have no right to say such a thing." Fox stated.
"W-What!? Are you suggesting I have NO talent!?" Shadow Natsume gasped.
"And what talent do you claim you possess? Stealing others' work for your own selfish interests!? You've cast away both your soul and your pride. You have no right to call yourself a writer!" Fox said.
Those words struck Shadow Natsume to the core. "Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT, DAMMIT!" Despite Panther and the other's efforts, he did finish what he was writing with his pen to increase his strength once again. With this, he flung Panther, Dragon, and Skull towards Fox. They all crashed into one another due to how sudden the yank was. "YOU'RE JUST LIKE THEM! YOU'RE JUST LIKE THOSE BASTARDS WHO DENIED ME! YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAM ME!? I'LL SHOW YOU JUST HOW WRONG YOU ARE!" Shadow Natsume let out a mighty roar and began attacking wildly because of it. His speed and strength being increased meant it was hard for anyone to dodge this. All they could do was defend while he knocked them back.
Sophie and Oracle were sticking to defense, making sure that the wounded Violet was staying out of harm's way. Crow, however, had no intention of playing defense. "I've had enough of this temper tantrum." With a battle cry of his own, he once again activated his power to make himself go psychotic to increase his own strength. He charged at Shadow Natsume recklessly after this.
"You fool! Do you think you can match my power!?" Shadow Natsume swung his claw at Crow, but Crow completely parried this strike with the swing of his jagged blade. "W-What…!?"
"Your power is nothing, Overlord." Crow's blade was covered in Almighty magic and he swung it forward for a powerful hit across Shadow Natsume's body. The Overlord flew back, but he managed to catch himself with a flip and landed on all fours. Even Crow was surprised at how durable Shadow Natsume appeared to truly be…that was until the rest of his armor shattered from that impact. There was nothing but a shameful appearance underneath it all.
"AAAAH! Mya rmor! What the hell are you - !?" The flustered Overlord quickly caught himself. I-I mean, keep your filthy hands off me!"
"So even that golden coat of yours was a sham. You're a fraud to the very core. How pitiful…" Fox couldn't help but shake his head.
"Seems everything's finally been revealed. Time to finish him off!" Queen exclaimed.
"Allow me." Fox said while summoning Gorokichi once more. Gorokichi exhaled, the temperature in the room dropping considerably. This frigid air even temporarily froze Shadow Natsume as well. "It's time for the coup de grace!" Fox ran forward and sliced the Overlord a few times, only to appear behind him. He sheathed his sword and the ice completely shattered, Shadow Natsume slowly collapsing to his knees after.
"Guh…this can't be…the Great Overlord…defeated…" Shadow Natsume fell to the ground and reverted back to normal as well.
"Game over, Mister Overlord!" Skull said with a victorious grin.
"Accept your defeat!" Dragon pointed to Shadow Natsume. "The Chosen Heroes have won this day!"
"W-Wait!" Shadow Natsume was hastily trying to save himself. To think that he would lose. He HAD to do something about this and fast! "We can rule this world together! You can have half…" And then a wooden stand in he was using for armor fell over, revealing him to be…just a guy in his underwear.
"Augh! My magic armor! My mantle! Don't look at me! DON'T LOOK AT ME!" Shadow Natsume cried out in embarrassment and shame. Whatever tension was in the air immediately vanished as his true colors were finally revealed.
"Ugh. Believe me…I'm not." This was the last thing Crow wanted to see from someone.
"Is that…his true form…?" Queen wasn't sure how to feel about this. She felt a little uncomfortable, honestly.
"Looks like it…" Mona shook his head. "So in the end, even his identity was a fabrication."
"Should I be looking at this…?" Violet asked while leaning against Sophie.
"This sword of makes the entire thing a little anticlimactic…" Dragon felt the fun of it all get sucked out of her. How could everything leading up to the final battle including the fight itself, be great, only for this sort of ending? She…felt really bad for the Overlord now, and something told her this was not part of the story either.
Fox stepped forward. "It's over, Ango Natsume."
"You're just a bunch of stupid kids. You don't know how much I've suffered!" Shadow Natsume said while slamming his fists on the ground. "It's not too late for me! I've still got my reputation as a writer! I've won an award! I've sold books! It's not too late…it's never too late!"
"And that's good enough for you?" Fox asked. Shadow Natsume gasped in response. "This fame you've acquired though deception and the brainwashing of others…is that really what you want? What was the real reason you started writing novels?"
"I…I mean I…" Shadow Natsume was struggling. "Dammit! I tried! I really tried, just like everyone else! I read and read, all through the night! I wrote hours on end, like my life depended on it! And for WHAT!?" He began to hit his fist against the ground in frustration. "Nothing I ever wrote was mine! It was just another work from Sogo Natsume's grandson. No one! No ome ever acknowledged my effort! Not MY effort! Not MY work! Not even ME! No matter where I look, all I ever see is a bunch of thoughtless idiots – slabs to appearances and nothing more…acknowledge me, dammit! Acknowledge Ango Natsume's efforts for ONCE! I just want someone to see that I really try!"
"…" Fox fell silent. Everyone did. "I do." He said after a moment.
Shadow Natsume wasn't sure he heard that correctly. "H-Huh…?"
"It's very clear just how much work you've put into writing your novels. A life led by creativity is almost always a lonely one, no matter your profession. You were battling that loneliness. You braced yourself, pouring your very soul into your writing, bringing it to your publisher time and time again." Fox could understand Natsume's anguish. "I will gladly acknowledge such effort and determination. There are many out there who would give up that battle, even those of exceptional skill and creativity. To be able to continuously bring life to new works without giving up, however…That is perhaps the most exceptional talent of all. There was once a time where you kept fighting. That is one part of your career that could never be called a fabrication. So start over, Ango Natsume. Claw your way back up from nothing and move forward. After all, there are some things that simply cannot be painted with a blank slate."
"It's very possible." Dragon gave a slight smile. "When you think you have nothing left, you come to appreciate everything that you do have."
"Indeed. It is because everyone believed in me that I was able to choose the path I walk today." Fox looked to the others. Once again, Crow turned his head at the sentiment, knowing it didn't extend to him. "I stopped lying to myself and was able to begin anew. And so it is now my turn to pay it forward. Even if I am the only one in the world to do so, I will believe in you, because everyone deserves at least one person to be on their side. Everyone standing with me here knows that better than anyone else."
Shadow Natsume let out a small scoff. "Damn kid, talking my ear off. But you're right. This identity of mine was built on nothing but lies." Slowly but surely, he raised his hands up and tore his own horns off. "But I don't need it anymore! I'll do it. I'll climb my way back up! And I'll do it with my own strength. I'll write a novel that'll capture the hearts of countless readers, just like my grandfather before me. I'll write something Ican be proud of! I swear it!"
"Hehe. That's the spirit." Dragon giggled. "Even if Prince of Nightmares was not the best book…I enjoyed reading it all the same. So I cannot wait to read whatever you come up with next."
Shadow Natsume let out a melancholy laugh. "How could I forget? I know now…what it is I really wanted." With that, he vanished and returned to his true self in reality.
"…" Sophie was in awe at what she witnessed. But that awe didn't last for very long, because the castle was beginning to collapse. The Desires were going to be set free and returned to their rightful owners. "Oh!"
"It's time to leave." Crow said. They didn't have the time to dawdle. Back to reality they go…
.
.
With Shadow Natsume defeated, the group returned to reality in Sendai Station. "Whew…looks like it's over for now." Ryuji let out a small sigh.
"Mission complete." Sophie said happily.
"I wonder if everyone's Desires have been returned yet?" Haru wondered.
"Probably. They all went flying out of the cage after all." Futaba said.
"Maybe. But I think we should still check, just in case." Ren suggested. They didn't want to be careless after all.
"I agree. We should check on the people in town." Makoto agreed to that sentiment.
"Yeah, but in the meantime, the Jail didn't disappear this time either. Now I'm sure they aren't the same as Palaces." Morgana could confirm it now.
"They function in a similar way, but their appearance and effect suggests that something else is in play." Akechi stroked his chin. Figuring out where Jails came from was going to be a crucial part of their overall investigation.
"Eh, well, we can worry about that later." Ryuji shrugged off the idea of heavy thinking.
"Indeed. Let's go." Yusuke said.
Akechi quietly grumbled. But it was fair enough, they had been in the Jail all day and the others were probably tired. "Very well."
"I'm tired." That's all Ann could say. Their night wasn't over just yet, but she definitely didn't miss big fights like that while in the Metaverse. Hifumi smiled and walked along with Ann as they all started to walk off.
Ren and Sumire were about to walk off, but Sophia chimed up from Sumire's phone. "Hey…I feel as though I'm restless right now. Do you know what this is?"
"Are you okay?" Sumire asked.
"I should be asking that to you." Sophia looked at Sumire worriedly. She did take a hit for her during that fight, after all.
"I'm okay. Just a little sore, but it'll go away." Sumire gave Sophia a reassuring smile. "I'm just glad you're okay. Even if you don't have a body with us in reality, that didn't stop me from reaching out to protect you. I guess Hifumi-senpai is rubbing off on me…"
"Thank you…" Sophia couldn't understand it, but Sumire's actions made her happy.
"Is something bothering you?" Ren also asked.
"Oh, it's about Natsume. He tried his hardest, but somewhere along the way, he lost sight of himself. He is a strange person." Sophia said.
"This is a new start for him." Ren said with a nod. "He's not entirely blameless in what happened, but I can understand why things turned out the way they did."
"He did say he would climb back up. Yusuke said Natsume was alone. Whenever I think about it, I feel restless inside." Sophia glanced elsewhere. "Even though Natsume hurt a lot of people, and was, for some time, one of our enemies…what is this feeling?"
"You feel the same way Yusuke did. Sadness for someone who lost their way." Ren said.
"The same as Yusuke?" Sophia needed a moment to process this. But she was starting to understand. "I see. So that's why Yusuke wanted to save Natsume. It was because his reason for doing all those terrible things was really sad…I think I understand now. Sadness can hurt people, but it can also save them. It can give humans a reason to support one another."
"Hehe, you're right. Sophia. I couldn't have said it better myself." Sumire beamed. "You're starting to understand the heart really quickly! You really will be humanity's greatest companion at this rate."
"You think so? Praise accepted~." Sophia proceeded to hum that tune again. "We should probably get going now."
"Yeah, the others might get annoyed if we don't hurry." Ren said. With that, he and Sumire hurried to catch up with the others. They were simply standing around and resting, listening to passing conversations.
"So you know how I was all excited for the Tanabata festival that's coming up? My boyfriend says he's already got plans." A dissatisfied woman sighed.
"You know that manga I lent you? Did you ever finish it? I got another person who's interested in it." Another woman said.
There were various conversations happening about numerous things, but the talk of Ango Natsume and Prince of Nightmares dwindled to nonexistence. "It's a little hard to tell, but I think it worked?" Ann wasn't entirely sure.
"Yeah, doesn't look like anyone's talking about Natsume anymore." Morgana said.
"Then, all's as it should be." Yusuke said. "Obtaining fame by deceiving others doesn't fit his image."
"This wouldn't have been possible without you being there to open his eyes. Yusuke." Makoto smiled.
"You really took charge today, Inari." Futaba said. "Praise be to him!"
"Perhaps Yusuke was the true chosen hero all along?" Hifumi tilted her head. "It was his words that truly laid the Overlord to rest."
Yusuke had a soft smile from everyone's kind words. "Thank you, everyone. However, we're not finished just yet. We have to see if the change of heart truly takes effect."
"For now, we'll just have to wait and see how things turn out." Morgana nodded.
"The change of heart..." Akechi grumbled. Something popped into his mind, but...
"Something wrong?" Ren looked to Akechi.
"...No, nothing yet. I can't confirm a single thing with only one example." Akechi shook his head.
"Whew! Well, since we've got some free time, can we unwind at a bath house or something?" Ann asked. "I'm totally beat." And a little sweaty...it was hot out, even at night. She did not like how it felt.
"Good idea. We can relax before we had back to the car." That was an idea that Haru could agree to.
"Alright Sophia, you're up!" Futaba exclaimed.
"Okay. I'll find the best bathhouse in the area." Sophia was ready to navigate them all!
The Overlord was finally dethroned and the tale of Prince of Nightmares came to an end. But what waited in store for the epilogue of Natsume's story? That was the one thing they needed to find out…
