UPDATE: Some dates were changed due to an error in the timeline

Chapter 10: The King of Lust

April 26

"Is it just me, or do you seem gutsier today?" Octavia asked as they arrived at Takemi's clinic once more. They were here to take part in their deal with the back-alley doctor, as well as restock on medicine for the inevitable return to the Palace once they got the calling card ready.

"I dunno. I am feeling pretty Bold today," Ren mused. The two went inside where Takemi was behind the counter as usual. "We're here for the new medicine you mentioned last time."

Takemi nodded. "I have it ready for you. Please head to the examination room." The two did as they were told, with Ren sitting on the bed while Octavia pulled up a chair. Takemi soon walked in, handing a cup with blue liquid in in. "Here you go," she said. "I made various adjustments to the previous drug, based on your trial results. All right, drink it down in one gulp."

Ren did just that, which impressed Octavia. "I can smell it from over here," she gagged. "Hose does it taste?"

"…Overwhelming… Both sour and bitter at the same time…" Ren said. "Kinda getting… hard to… breathe…" He soon passed out on the bed after that.

"Is this going to be a thing? You drugging my cousin into unconsciousness?" Octavia raised an eyebrow as Takemi took notes.

"This is all going to plan," Takemi said. "What I want to know is why you're so worried about him. Is this one of those American things where you're secretly into your cousin?"

That made Octavia flustered. "First of all: gross! And second of all, I'm British, if you didn't notice the accent."

"I was joking," Takemi chuckled. "You didn't seem like the type to be into that stuff… But seriously, what is your deal with him?"

"Ren and I only recently found out about each other, and now our parents have sent us to school together," Octavia said, telling a half-truth. "I don't have any siblings, so having a family member so close to my age is… different."

"I'm not a psychologist, but I'm guessing that your home life isn't the best?" Takemi asked. "You don't have to answer that question. I don't need your family drama dumped on me. My guinea pig here should be lucky that he has someone that is worried for him. Not everyone has that luxury…" Ren eventually woke up from his drug-induced unconsciousness. "…Ah your reaction to it is absolutely perfect."

"Feeling a bit dazed…" Ren got out.

"Yes, I mixed in some special… components," Takemi nodded. "Okay, let's take your temperature and blood pressure. I'm also going to draw some blood. I also want to perform a few motor skill tests. But those might be a bit too much for you right now. Anyway, since we're in the final stages, I should first stabilize the fundamental formula…"

"Oh, so you are here…" said a male voice. The door to the exam room opened and in walked a police officer.

Octavia tensed up, while Takemi just looked annoyed. "…I'm in the middle of an examination," she said tersely. "I've told you before, Officer. If you want to investigate me, you need to show me a warrant."

The officer huffed. "I'm here because we received a report. I'll need to see a detailed statement of medical expenses and full medial records. I bet you didn't have enough time to hide any incriminating documents, huh?"

"…Must be under the orders of the Medical Chief of Staff," Takemi sighed. She pulled out a folder and handed it to the officer. "Here you go." The officer gave a confused noise. "This kid here is my only patient here today, and the girl is his spotter in case of a medical emergency. If you're asking for his medical expenses, I'm guessing I'm under suspicion of improper billing? But without a receipt, I'd say you've been sent on a wild goose chase."

Now the officer seemed flustered. "Wh-What's going on here?"

"You've been manipulated," Octavia spoke up, getting attention on her. "Whatever "report" you got was clearly made up for you to get on my doctor's case. We could always countersue you for harassment charges, and trust me, my father isn't someone you want to mess with."

"What!?" The officer jumped back in shock. He looked between the two teens. "Who are you kids!? What are you doing here!?" He got a closer look at Ren. "You don't seem to be sick… Are you up to something illegal!?"

"I have a bad heart," Ren lied.

"A-A bad heart!?" the officer stammered.

"He's stressed about taking his entrance exams. I have some drugs that help with relaxation," Takemi rolled with Ren's lie.

"If that's so, why not go to a regular hospital?" the officer questioned.

"Because his father wants to keep public appearances off the record," Octavia said, standing up and smirking. "He's got a high-up position and it would look bad if his son was caught constantly going to the hospital. It'd be a shame if you were the one that made that information leak out. Might even cost you your job…" Her eyes flashed a bit as the officer became nervous. Octavia didn't like playing the "rich girl" card, but she learned from watching how her mother behaved that threatening someone's wellbeing with your power was an excellent way to get them to back down.

"So, is there anything else?" Takemi asked, turning attention back to her. "As you can see, I'm pretty busy here."

The officer looked to Takemi, then to Ren, back to Octavia, then sighed. "Fine. You're infuriating, you know that? But I'm not about to lose my job over this…" He turned to leave the room. "But I expect nothing less from the "Plague.""

The officer soon left, making everyone breathe easier after doing so. "I'm so over this…" Takemi sighed.

"I agree," Ren nodded.

"I think the three of us are going to get along just fine," Takemi smirked. "That part about your dad's power was very convincing."

"Oh, my dad does have a lot of power… just not in this country, not that he needed to know that," Octavia said. 'That officer would be pissing his pants if he knew that he just talked to the daughter of a Goetia Prince and the song of a Goetia Duke…'

"Either way, I'm not worried about it," Takemi said. "I'm sure it was my former superior who made that false report. You two eavesdropped on our conversation the other day, remember? He's just trying to pressure me… by having the police investigate me and my practice." She stood up from her chair. "Anyway, I need to draw some blood. There'll be some mild anemia, but only temporarily. You'll be fine… it's part of our "deal," remember?"

"Guess you don't have a choice," Octavia chuckled, getting a flat look and sigh from Ren.

Takemi laughed as well. "I like kids who listen to their superiors. Enjoy your medicine. I'm going to draw more blood that usual… since you're healthy and all…" Ren and Octavia looked nervous, only for Takemi to smirk. "Only kidding. Okay, please lie down. You can go home once I'm done."

Once the blood testing was done and more meds were secured, Octavia and Ren went home (Ren was a bit dazed from the blood drawing, though), feeling like their bond with Takemi had deepened.

[***]

April 27

Loona: Are we gonna send the calling card soon? No pressure or anything, just reminding you that everyone except Ann is about to be expelled if we don't do this. Not that I care. Just give us a call when to meet up, or else I'll go into the Palace by myself.

Ren: Let's send the calling card.

Loona: Finally! See you on the roof.

"All right! All that's left now is to send out the calling card and take Kamoshida's heart!" Morgana said to the gang once they all got together at the hideout.

"Couldn't we have just sent one at the beginning of all this…?" Ryuji questioned.

Morgana shook his head. "It's not that simple. A Treasure won't stay materialized forever. Once the impression is gone, the Treasure will disappear. I think it'll last around a day, at most."

"The Hell? That's barely any time," Loona scoffed. "Whatever. Let's send the calling card now and steal that bastard's heart!"

"Yes, let's send the calling card," Ren said.

Ryuji smirked. "I've been waiting to hear you say that! Tomorrow's finally the day."

"So, we send the calling card in the morning and steal the treasure by the end of the day, yes?" Octavia asked.

Morgana nodded. "Correct. The effect won't last that long. Are you worried?"

Ann laughed. "Waited too long."

"Perfect," Morgana said.

"We're going to pull this off, no matter what!" Collin affirmed.

"So, who's going to write the card?" Octavia asked.

"Leave it to me!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Why?" Loona questioned.

"Why? Why wouldn't it be me!?" Ryuji shot back.

"This is important. Are you sure you can handle the pressure?" Ann said.

"I must agree," Morgana said.

"I really wanna get him good! Lemme write it… Come on, please?" Ryuji pleaded.

"Write whatever you want," Ren said.

"Gotcha! I've got a hundred things I wanna hurl at the bastard rattling around in my head!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Just make sure he doesn't know you're the one that wrote it, blondie," Loona said.

"I know, I know!" Ryuji waved her off.

"All right, then! Tomorrow it is!" Morgana said. "You better not slack off on us."

Ryuji: Man, there's so much I wanna write on the calling card. It's kinda tough figuring out what to say.

Ann: Are you sure you're really capable of this!?

Ryuji: Don't worry, I got it. I even made a logo for us.

Collin: … A logo?

Ryuji: Yup. You'll get to see it tomorrow.

Loona: Well that's worrying…

Ryuji: Anyways, you guys should rest up. If we screw up tomorrow, we're totally done for.

Ren: Que sera, sera.

Octavia: I'm sure that we'll conquer this trial ahead of us!

Ryuji: Just remember, we can't trust any shitty adults. That's why we gotta do this ourselves. Anyways, let's pull this off and surprise everyone!

At the apartment that night, Loona smirked at Octavia. "Think I should tell them that I'm twenty-two?"

"Whith the way you act, you could easily still be a teenager," Octavia said, getting a piece of popcorn tossed in her direction.

"Leave the smartass comments to someone else, princess. Come on, let's watch a movie before bed. I'm not letting this popcorn go to waste," the hellhound said.

[***]

April 28

DAY OF THE CALLING CARD

The next day at school, Collin and Ann arrived to find students gathered around the front bulletin board, red cards stapled all over it. "A calling card?" a student questioned.

"I heard it was already posted by the time everyone got her this morning," another student said.

Ann and Collin got closer, with the cherub pulling off a card to read. "To Surguru Kamoshida, the utter bastard of lust… We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students who can't fight back. That's why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready. From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts."

"…Wow," Ann said flatly.

"His drawing skills can use some work," Collin sighed, staring at the poorly-drawn logo. Looking over, the two saw the rest of the gang nearby, with Ryuji looking especially proud of himself.

"Not bad, eh?" the blonde said. "I looked up a bunch of similar stuff online for reference."

"Um… Yeah…" Octavia scratched the back of her head. "I know what you were going for, but…"

"You sound like an idiot trying to be an adult," Loona said bluntly.

"Your logo's a little lacking, too," Morgana added.

"Okay, you know what? Th-That ain't true!" Ryuji defended.

The students nearby continued to chat about the calling card. "Did Mr. Kamoshida do something wrong?" a female student asked.

"Could this mean the rumors are true!?" her friend gasped.

"Wait a sec… Is someone gonna take something from Mr. Kamoshida?" a male student wondered.

"What's with this weird logo?" another student questioned. "And who are these Phantom Thieves of Hearts people?"

"Well, everyone else is talking about it now, so at least it worked?" Collin shrugged.

It was then that a furious-looking Kamoshida came into the picture. "Who's responsible for this!?" he demanded.

"Look at that. A predictable reaction for someone who knows what we mean by distorted desires," Morgana mused.

"I think it's hitting him pretty hard," Ryuji grinned.

Kamoshida started yelling at the students, dispersing the crowd. "Did you do this!? Or was it you!?" He turned around and spotted the gang. "Was it you five!?"

Ren gained a serious face with the hint of a smirk. "What if it was?" he asked.

"What garbage…" Kamoshida said. "It's not a problem. You'll be expelled soon enough anyway." The world shimmered, and the entire gang looked in shock as Shadow Kamoshida now stood before them. "Come… Steal it, if you can!" the Shadow taunted, before the real Kamoshida stomped off.

'I feel like the Palace just got more dangerous…' Octavia thought.

"Judging from Kamoshida's response… I'm sure we had an effect on his Palace!" Morgana said.

"Does that mean the Treasure's appeared!?" Ann asked. "We'll be able to get it today, right?"

"It's not just "today." We only have this one chance to grab it for ourselves," Octavia reminded them.

"She's right. The impact of seeing a calling card doesn't last long, and it cannot be repeated," Morgana explained.

"One day's more than enough for us!" Loona smirked.

"Then let's go," Ren said, pulling out his phone and loading up the navigation app.

[***]

Castle of Lust- HIGH ALERT

"Out of the way!" Lycan called, instantly obliterating a Shadow with her chain sickle. "Damn this is a rush!"

"The Shadows are in a panic now that security is raised," Mona said, sniping one with his slingshot. "Make way for the Throne Room, gang!"

"Aqua!" Templar shouted, his Persona blasting a stream of water to throw open the doors to the Throne Room. "Huh? No one's here…"

"They must have been assigned elsewhere," Omen guessed. "That just means that Treasure is unguarded. Let's get it!"

Getting back into the Treasure Room, the Phantom Thieves found that the floating blob had transformed into a giant crown! "Aw yeah! The Treasure has appeared!" Mona cheered.

"Man, it's huge!" Skull exclaimed.

"What do you think!? It's just like I said! Now we can steal it!" Mona said, sniffling a bit. "This shine brings tears to my eyes…"

"…It kinds pisses me off," Panther commented. "Why is it so pretty? Isn't this Kamoshida's desires?"

"T-Treasure…" Mona was drooling now.

"The cat is getting too excited for my tastes," Lycan noted.

"What's wrong, Mona?" Templar asked. "Is something…" Mona suddenly jumped up onto the crown, rubbing his face all over it and meowing like… well, a regular cat.

"You're way too excited," Joker shook his head. Mona continued to meow in joy.

"Okay Mona, that's enough," Omen said, prying the not-cat off of the crown. That seemed to snap him out of it, Mona looking sheepish now.

"Oh, um, yeah… Forgive me for displaying such an insolent sight in front of a lady…" he said.

"You were completely out of character too. What was that about?" Panther asked.

"I couldn't stop it either… To think I'd be drawn to human desires this much…" Mona shook his head. He gasped, "Doesn't that prove that I'm human!?"

"How should we know!?" Skull said.

"A-Anyway, you guys need to carry it!" Mona explained.

"All you do is bark orders…" Lycan said, chuckling a bit at her own joke. "But this was easier that I thought! You'd think it would be booby trapped, but nope! This is all ours to steal!"

"His Palace will disappear if we take this to the real world, right?" Templar asked. "Kamoshida's heart will be changed…"

"That should be the case," Mona nodded.

"Then let's not waste any time," Omen said.

All of them surrounded the Treasure and lifted it up (except for Mona and Templar, being too short to help with the task), the weight making them wobble a bit. "Damn this is heavy!" Lycan grunted.

"To think it'd go so well…" Mona mumbled to himself. "I've even found six Persona-users in the process… My judgement was correct! I made the right choice in making a deal with you!" He gave a heartly laugh.

'I feel like our bond with Morgana is deeper now…' Omen thought.

The gang slowly made their way out of the Treasure Room into the Throne Room, only to be stopped by a cheery, familiar voice. "Go, go! Let's go! Ka-mo-shida!" Shadow Ann cheered.

The Phantom Thieves didn't have time to react as Shadow Kamoshida suddenly appeared, volleyball in hand as he spiked the ball, knocking the Treasure out of the gang's hands. With a leap the Palace Ruler summoned the crown to him, Shadow Ann coming to his side in front of the throne. "I won't let anyone take this!" Shadow Kamoshida said. "This proves that I am the king of this castle- it is the core of this world!"

"That rat bastard…" Panther cursed, glowering at her Shadow double. "That's how he sees me, isn't it!?"

"You, pervert. Were you waiting to ambush us?" Skull taunted.

"I just made it easy to find you," Shadow Kamoshida said. "I'll dispose of you myself. Right here, right now."

"That's our line, you sexually-harassing douchebag!" Lycan said.

"What a selfish misunderstanding…" the Palace Ruler shook his head.

"How is it a misunderstanding!? You were doing things that you kept in secret from others!" Templar accused.

"People around me were the ones who kept it secret. Adults who want a share in my accomplishments, students who have the drive to become winners…" Shadow Kamoshida said. "They willingly protect me so that we all may profit from it."

"Profit!?" Omen questioned.

"There are too many imbeciles who don't understand that! Including naïve brats like you and that girl who tried to kill herself!" Shadow Kamoshida taunted.

"Ture, she's a totally idiot… letting you manipulate her, trying to commit suicide…" Panther said. "And I'm even more of a dumbass for not realizing that! But no matter what kind of fool someone might be… They don't need your permission to live their lives!"

"Drop the attitude, you mediocre peasant!" The Palace Ruler scoffed. "There is no wrong in using my gifts for my gain! I'm a cut above all other humans!"

""Above?" You mean beneath," Templar said. "You're a… a demon, the kind obsessed with your debased and sick desires!"

Shadow Kamoshida started laughing, evil energy gathering around his body. "That's right. I'm not like you… I am a demon who rules this world!" Shadow Kamoshida started transforming, growing and twisting into a new form with multiple limbs and an overly large tongue. As he did that, the room also shifted, taking on the appearance of a strange night club.

"Wh-What the hell!?" Skull exclaimed.

"Is this… Ozzie's…?" Omen wondered to herself. While she'd never been to the Lust ring, this new area was a dead ringer for the club of the Demon of Lust from the photos of the place she'd seen.

"Why are we in a club now?" Panther questioned. "What happened to the castle theming?"

"Focus on what's happening now," Mona shouted.

"I'm allowed to do whatever the hell I want!" Shadow Kamoshida exclaimed.

"Let's finish this," Joker said, everyone drawing their weapons.

"You goddamn, no-good, shitty brats! Haven't you been taught not to point at people!? Huh!?" Shadow Kamoshida said.

"Look! The Treasure's over there!" Mona pointed to his head, the Boss Shadow wearing it like the crown it was. "We should catch him off guard and steal it! Let's attack him and wait for that opportunity!"

The battle truly began against Shadow Kamoshida, though Omen noticed that it's named had changed. "Asmodeus… The Embodiment of Lust…" She spoke. "He's taken on the powers of one of the Seven Deadly Sins!?"

"Well then, let's send him right back to Hell!" Lycan shouted, everyone proceeding to jump in to attack.

Asmodeus would attack then with his minions, but before long he pulled out a pair of legs from his cup and ate them up, restoring his health back to full! "That hits the spot!" Asmodeus said. "Come at me, you pieces of shit! I ain't letting you sleep tonight!"

"He healed himself?" Templar gasped. "Is it from eating those… things in the trophy?" The cherub shuttered at the thought.

"Then we should destroy that first!" Mona stated. The gang refocused their attacked on the trophy, which made Asmodeus pissed.

"Hey!" the King of Lust shouted. "You don't know what this is worth, so stop touching it! Don't do it anymore, got it? I've warned you!"

"When someone tells us not to do something, it just makes us want to do it even more!" Lycan grinned. The gang kept up their assault on the cup, eventually breaking it with a few whip strikes from Panther.

Asmodeus screamed in despair. "No way… This was from when I won that national…"

"All right!" Mona cheered, the gang surrounding Asmodeus for a Hold Up.

"You think that you can get away with doing such a thing? DO you realize who I am!?" the King of Lust shouted. "I am Kamoshida! Don't you get it!?"

"So what?" Joker scoffed.

That seemed to confused Asmodeus. "Like I keep saying- I am Kamoshida! I am king!"

"I always saw you as a condescending hotshot, but right now… you're just a pathetic loser," Skull said.

"We came all this way to steal that! Will you just give it up and hand it over?" Panther said.

"Silence! I won't let the likes of you have this!" Asmodeus retorted.

"You still have the energy to say things like that?" Omen scoffed.

"Then we're going to up our game as well!" Lycan finished, the gang performing and All-Out Attack on the King of Lust.

"I am the king! If I'm not, then who is!?" Asmodeus shouted. "How dare you keep defying me… Looks like I gotta bring out the big guns! Slaves! Bring over you-know-what!" His minions ran off to go get something. "Time for my killshot from when I was active and rocking it! Killshot… as in I'll make the kill!" He looked around and slapped the ground with his whip. "What's the holdup? Where's my ball!?"

Suddenly a Shadow version of Mishima appeared, volleyball in hand. "I-I'm so sorry, King Kamoshida! I-I have it right here!" he groveled.

"To slow, Mishima! Worthless chump!" Asmodeus scoffed.

"M-Mishima!?" Templar gasped.

"Why is the wimp here!?" Lycan questioned.

"Calm down. That's only Kamoshida's cognitive version of him! It's not the real Mishima!" Mona explained.

"He could have at least given him a different outfit…" Omen said. Not knowing what was going to happen next, everyone guarded for Asmodeus' next move.

"Good, Mishima- now pass it to me!" The King of Lust ordered. "Don't tell me you can't even do something as simple as that!" Shadow Mishima tossed the ball upwards, with Asmodeus jumping up and spiking it down with such force that it exploded, hitting everyone.

"Damn that hurt!" Lycan cursed.

"I knew it… I can't go all out with Mishima providing the backup. Hey shit-for-brains! Get off my court!" Asmodeus demanded.

"I-I'm sorry, King Kamoshida!" Mishima ran off.

"Next slave, get out here! Hurry up with my damn ball!" Asmodeus called.

Who came next surprised everyone: Shadow Shiho, all dressed up in a sexy bunny girl costume. "King Kamoshida, I've brought you your ball, just like you asked," she said.

"Now there's a good girl, Suzui," Asmodeus said lustfully. "Yeah, all women should obey my world like this- ain't that right, sweetheart?"

"N-No way! What's Shiho doing here!?" Panther gasped.

"T-That's not the real one, Panther!" Templar said, though he also seemed shaken.

"Y-Yeah, you're right… But, this is just…" she shook her head.

"Damnit, even Suzui too! You've gone too far, you piece of shit!" Skull shouted.

"…Ah, I get it! You want to see my killshout again, don't you?" Asmodeus taunted.

"If we keep attacking Kamoshida while he's focusing on the kill shot, we could be able to stop him…" Joker muttered. "Or we take down the cognitive Suzui so he can't get the ball anymore…? Since that's just cognitive Suzui, attacking it shouldn't have an effect on the real one…"

"What do we do?" Mona asked.

Joker and Omen looked at each other, then made their choice. "Focus on the fake Suzui," Joker said.

"Let's stop the kill shot before it can happen!" Omen called. While Panther, Templar, and Skull held back, the rest of the Phantom Thieves focused on Shadow Shiho, taking her down and out of the fight for good.

Asmodeus scoffed. "Even Suzui was useless. Looks like I'll have to give her some specially instruction later… One-on-one!"

"Kamoshida, I'll never forgive you!" Panther shouted.

"Sorry, Shiho… I swear, we'll make him pay for his crimes against you, and everyone else in this school!" Templar exclaimed.

"He's still strong, though. We won't get through this with brute force," Omen analyzed. "What should we do, Joker?"

The leader of the Phantom Thieves looked up at the Treasure on Asmodeus' head. "Let's go for the crown," he suggested.

"I see… In that case, time for Plan B!" Mona nodded. He pointed to a show balcony above them. "Look at that showbox up there! While the others are drawing Kamoshida's attention, let's have someone go there! We'll steal the Treasure without him noticing!"

"What's the matter slaves? Hurry up and bring me more balls! I can't serve up my killshot without more volleyballs!" Asmodeus demanded. He looked around confused. "Huh!? Did I just… am I really out of slaves!?"

"Let's take that Treasure!" Mona said.

"He keeps looking at the girls, so he'll notice if any of you are missing," Joker noted. "He might notice if Skull is gone as well… Mona, Templar, we're counting on you!"

"Leave it up to me to keep our health high enough to push on through with that charm the Will Seeds gave us!" Omen said.

The two nodded. "Keep him distracted by attacking him!" Mona said, before he and Templar ran off to get up to the showbox. The gang started their assault, with Skull using Tarukaja to boost their attacks, Joker and Lycan using physical skills on their Personas, Panther going for magic attacks, and Omen staying on support.

"Now listen up. This school exists because I'm around," Asmodeus stated. "You're the only ones who don't respect me, you know!"

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Lycan shouted.

Mona chuckled. "It's all going as planned. Time to use this opportunity to take the Treasure!" He and Templar dashed up the nearby bar to make their way into the showbox. The gang kept up their distraction in the meantime.

"You're misunderstanding it all! I haven't sexually harassed anyone!" Asmodeus claimed. "They came onto me because they wanted to get on my good side!"

"Says you and every other sexual predator in the world," Omen scoffed.

"He hasn't noticed us yet," Templar whispered.

Mona nodded. "Good. Just a little more to the Treasure!" The two climbed up and were not in position to go for the Treasure. Repeating the cycle of buffs and attacks, the Phantom Thieves were able to give Mona and Templar enough time for their moment to strike.

"Is there two less of you?" Asmodeus asked. "I knew it! They're missing! Where'd they go!?"

"It's already check and mate!" Mona shouted. He and Templar jumped and lunged forward, their combined force knocking the Treasure right off his head!

"No! My… my precious…" Asmodeus despaired.

"Looks like the king has been de-crowned!" Omen taunted.

"He's shaken up alright," Joker nodded.

"I think we can do this!" Panther exclaimed. Without his crown Asmodeus' defense had been weakened, leaving the Phantom Thieves to simply attack with all their might. "What do you guys think? How about an All-Out Attack?"

"Agreed!" Omen called, the gang rushing in for the finishing blow. Omen was the one who landed first, blowing hair of her eyes and giving a scoff, her arm outstretched with magic in her palm as she smirked. "Don't mess with a Goetia!" With the battle one the room turned back into the Palace proper, though Omen had a few things to think about now. 'What was that all about? Did Asmodeus, the real one, give his power to Kamoshida somehow…?'

The Treasure shrank down to a normal-sized crown, but Shadow Kamoshida, also back to normal, rolled forward to grab it. The King of Lust ran to the open doors, only to find it led to a balcony with no way down. "What's wrong? Not running away?" Panther taunted. "Why don't you run? Aren't you a great athlete?"

"it's always been like this… all those goddamn hyenas forcing their expectations on me!" Shadow Kamoshida exclaimed. "I'm doing this all for them! What's wrong about demanding a reward for that!?"

"Now you're making excuses?" Templar shook his head.

"We'll do something about that distorted heart of yours," Skull said.

Shadow Kamoshida gave a noise of discontent. "Scared?" Panther said, her voice low. "Right ow, you're seeing the same view that Shiho did. I'm sure she was cared too… except she had no choice but to jump. What will you do? Will you jump? Or would you rather die here?" Panther summoned Carmen behind her, fires ranging in the Persona's hands. Templar did the same, Zaphnath-Paaneah charging up a water attack of his own.

"Do you want to do finish him off? It's your call," Mona said.

"No, please wait! I beg you… Just forgive me!" Shadow Kamoshida pleaded.

"Shut up," Templar said darkly.

"I bet everyone told you the same," Panther said. "But you… you took everything from them!" Carmen shot and Agi spell that barely missed Shadow Kamoshida's head.

The King of Lust fell to his knees, all the fight gone from him. "I accept defeat… You want this? Take it." He tossed the crown, which Joker caught in his hands. "Go ahead and finish me off… You do that… and my real self will go down too… You have that right since you've won…"

Rage built in Panther and Templar's faces, both of them charging up spells to attack Shadow Kamoshida with. "Ann/Collin!" the group shouted, watching as the spells just barely missed their target. Both of their Personas disappeared, with the two seeming to calm down.

"Even if I accidentally did it before, I still vow not to take another human's life," Templar said.

"If his mind shuts down, he can't admit to his crimes," Panther stated.

"You're kind, Lady Ann and Templar…" Mona said.

"I've lost. You're thought when you lose…" Shadow Kamoshida said, tears coming to his eyes. "What am I- What am I supposed to do now?"

"Atone for your sins," Joker said.

Shadow Kamoshida nodded. "All right… I will leave now and return to my real self… I'll make certain that I-" He vanished in a flash of light before he could finish. Once that was over with, the Phantom Thieves looked around in confusion as the Palace started to shake.

"Hey, just so you know, we don't have time to waste," Mona warned. "This place is about to collapse!"

"Run!" Skull called, the gang making a break for it.

"We're gonna die! We're all going to die!" Templar screamed.

"Mona, get over here!" Omen shouted, grabbing the not-cat and scooping him up. She gave a confused noise when he transformed into his real-world form. "What the-?"

"Ryuji, I swear to Satan!" Lycan shouted, pulling the blonde up as he tripped.

"Sorry! It's been a while since I've had to do this…" he said, apricating the help as they all made a break for it. The walls were crashing down, rubble falling as everything faded away until…

[***]

They were all back in the alleyway, panting and out of breath. "That sucked…" Ann gasped out.

Loona nodded, pulling out her phone before giving a gasp. "Look at the nav!" Everyone else pulled out their phone to check on it.

"The destination has been deleted," the app said.

"It's true. We can't go back to that castle now," Collin said.

"What about the Treasure!?" Morgana asked.

Joker reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold medal. "What the fuck?" Loona said in shock.

"A medal? What happened to the crown?" Octavia asked. "Morgana, what's going on here?"

"It means that was the source of Kamoshida's desires," Morgana explained. "To him, this crown is worth as much as the crown we saw in the Palace."

"An Olympic medal…" Ryuji mused. "So, that perv kept clinging to his past glory and couldn't let it go…"

"But… this means that Kamoshida's heart might have changed, right?" Collin asked.

"Probably," Morgana shrugged.

"Hey, most of us are getting expelled if this didn't work, remember!? Loona shouted.

"This is the first successful example for me to," Morgana defended. "However, there's no doubt that this has affected Kamoshida's personality quite a lot. The entire Palace disappeared, after all."

Ryuji shook his head and grunted. "I feel all antsy! Ain't there a way to check now?"

"We'll know soon enough," Ren said. "Only a few days away from the board meeting."

"Right…" Octavia nodded, a bit of doubt in her voice.

"Come on, why the gloomy faces?" Morgana questioned. "Be happy! We competed this with great success, you know."

"We just don't know if everything's okay yet…" Ryuji said.

'I'm pretty sure it'll be fine," Morgana assured them. "Remember how Kamoshida's Shadow said that he's returning to his self in reality? We all know Suguru Kamoshida is scum. Still… He did seem to regain his conscience somewhat before he disappeared."

"It seemed so," Ren nodded.

"At the very least, let's hope that we helped more than just ourselves by doing this," Octavia said.

"That's very thoughtful to say, Octavia," Collin noted.

The princess shrugged. "I've seen abuse all my life, even if my dad tries to deny it. It's never sat right with me, so having one less abuser out there is good enough for me.

"Yeah…" Ann nodded in agreement.

"Anyways, I guess we gotta wait," Ryuji crossed his arms. "It all boils down to what's gonna happen to Kamoshida… or it we're getting expelled for real…"

Ren yawned a bit. "Let's go home."

"Yeah, let's go," Octavia nodded. With that the gang split up for the night, heading home and hoping that it all worked out.

[***]

April 30

Collin: Um... Ren? Could you… meet me somewhere…? I want to talk to you about something, especially now that we have time with the Palace gone… Oh, maybe this was a bad idea… You probably don't want to talk to me…

Ren: Where do you want to meet?

Collin: Wait, you do want to meet up!? That's great! I mean… You know the flower shop in the Underground Mall? Meet me there.

At Rafflesia Flower Shop, Collin and Ren looked through the selection of flowers, with the cherub picking out some white tulips form himself. "You know, in my time being banished, I picked up gardening as a small hobby of mine," Collin said. "I have a flower box outside my window, and I know that these tulips will fill it out just nicely. Do you like plants, Ren?"

"I have a houseplant in my room," Ren said, buying some bio-nutrients. "It's nice to have something to come home to and take care of."

"Almost like having a kid, but it doesn't really talk or do much but look nice," Collin chuckled. He then looked at his flowers a with sadness. "Do you know what white tulips mean, Ren?" The teen shook his head. "Well, in Heaven, white tulips are a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and when given to someone they mean forgiveness… Putting them in my flower box is a sign to God that I'm asking for his forgiveness."

"Have you met God before?" Ren asked.

Collin shook his head. "Not personally, no. Unless you're towards the top like the Archangels, His word is mostly passed down through subordinates, like the head of the cherubs, Deerie."

"Let me guess, she looks like a deer?" Ren chuckled.

"Yes. Cherubs come in all shapes, though all of us are fairly small," Collin explained. "Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for taking me in as part of your group, and for helping Ann and I avenge Shiho. I've always had a hard time standing up for myself, but now that I have a Persona, I think… I think I want to try to be better. To prove to God that I'm worthy of basking in His light again." He held up his white tulips and smiled, before his stomach grumbled. "Oh dear, I haven't eaten anything, and now these flowers are making me hungry…"

"How about we get some food then?" Ren suggested.

"That's a great idea!" Collin nodded. "Oh, and Ren? As long as I'm part of the Phantom Thieves, I'll provide you with my angelic skills. Consider me your temporary guardian angel."

"Don't forget about the others as well," Ren said. "I'll help you earn your redemption as well, Collin."

"Thank you," Collin replied, a blush coming to his face as his stomach rumbled again. "Okay, let's get that food now…"

[***]

I am thou, thou art I.

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breakth thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Sirius Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…

New Confidant Forged

Confidant: Collin Pastor

Arcana: Sirius

Profile: A cherub angel that was banished from Heaven. He came to Japan to aid in your quest for "Justice" and redeem himself.

Rank 1 Description: You made a deal with Collin to help him regain entry to Heaven. In return, he will act as your guardian angel.

Rank 1 Ability: Arcana Burst- gain additional EXP when fusing Persona of the Sirius arcana.

Author's Note

The Castle of Lust has been knocked down! For those that didn't know, each of the main bosses in Persona 5 are named after one of the Seven Deadly Sins, and Kamoshida takes on the name Asmodeus, who is someone we're all familiar with in Helluva Boss. In fact, the distortion of the Palace briefly shifted into Ozzie's for the boss fight! I wonder what that all means...?

Collin is the "Sirius" Arcana, which is also know as the Dog Star or Star of the Magi. His Confidant is all about proving himself worthy of Heaven again, and helping to protect Ren and the others with his angelic abilities. Collin's going to unlock some pretty busted abilities, so be on the lookout!

Next Time: The deadline for expulsion arrives, and we check back in Hell to see what Stolas is up to...