Disclaimer: I don't own any of the referenced properties.
Yes, I wrote everything in this chapter.
[SMT IV]
Variant: APOCALYPSE – part 2
The talks that took place a couple of days later were hell. Or heaven. She had stopped trying to tell them apart even in her baseline. The point was that Isebau had been running around like crazy in that time without ever actually finding something to do. The children – Asahi and Nanashi – that had been involved were nowhere to be seen after the incident, but somehow they fended off Shesha. To be able to stand up to such a beast… To obtain this much power in such a short period of time was astounding.
Before her stood the angels that wore the skin of her best friends. And they looked the exact same as they always did and it was completely wrong.
Jonathan had the same polite and pleasant expression that he always did, but any warmth that once rested in his eyes was gone, leaving behind something completely foreign and outright inhuman.
Walter still wore his Samurai uniform in the same unruly way as always, and his lips rested on a casual sly grin. But that smile of his no longer held the goodwill that he once had; it felt nothing but arrogant.
They were gone.
They were gone but accepting that… It was impossible. They had both tried, herself and Flynn, to get their two friends to loop for as long as they were Awake. Yet in spite of all the power they gathered, the two of them would always perish. From sacrificing their souls and bodies to a spare bullet to a plague that had once harvested Tokyo with no warning, they two of them would always die in a completely unfair and often horrific manner. They had never given up on saving them, but seeing the results of their failures…
Even through all the loops, her anger, her sorrow, her frustration… They were always the same. If anything, the loops made it grow even stronger as she kept on discovering all the cruelty that her fellow loopers and their whole branch had to suffer at the hands of the gods that toyed with humanity's fate.
Order against Chaos…
Isebeau had finished reading that manga that she was looking for all over in her baseline ages ago. "The Rose of Versailles". Beyond the beautiful romance was a story about how Order and Chaos when taken to the extreme could both lead to destruction. She had found out later on that the war in the manga had actually happened. Humans had fought wars like this over and over and over again but they never understood how wrong this was…
If she thought about it too much, she would shut down. She almost did, on a few occasions.
Flynn… Flynn had saved her. Most of all from herself. And now he was taken by madmen. Well, gods. It hardly mattered. Isebeau wanted to break down.
If not for Fujiwara and Shins being in the same room, she would have broken down. Especially when they had asked her to introduce them.
Introduce them! The abominations that had taken the bodies and souls of her friends! To her it did not matter that Jonathan and Walter had given their souls on their own free will; the times that they had all fought together were important to both her and Flynn, even though the two had yet to recall their endless struggles through the Loops.
She tried to keep her voice steady as she told their old names in front of the camera. She was interrupted by none other than Merkabah.
They both shredded their disguises. To be honest, she was somewhat relieved at that. She could look at them without thinking of the people they wore as costumes.
In spite of Merkabah's ever present serenity and Lucifer's ever present arrogant smirk, she could tell that they were both… nervous? Yes, they were nervous. They would have never expected a legion of half-forgotten gods to declare war on them both, much less a group that could pierce through the firmament. Even though Isabeau had seen and heard of several similar displays of power through the Loops – the Reapers' energy beams and the rumors about the Gurren Laggan loops came to mind – this was not a looping entity. It was something that by all means appeared to be native to Amala itself; to this very branch.
And worst of all, she had no idea if this was merely a variant or – Masakado forbid – a baseline expansion.
Amala has to find SOME way to make our lives miserable, she tried to joke with herself. It did not work.
Lucifer of all people had requested a ceasefire. The fires of Hell had most certainly frozen over. Even more surprisingly, Merkabah agreed with the statement. They even offered to dispatch their elite Samurai units.
And then Lucifer declared that he would lead the people of Tokyo to battle. Now that was more of a regular situation. Naturally, both Skins and Fujiwara protested at that, only to receive a revelation that shook them to their very core.
Humans can kill gods and demons, while gods themselves could not. And the humans who could kill any being were called Godslayers.
Isebeau did not find herself to be truly surprised at this revelation. Gods and demons being unable to kill each other was something that had been debated in Amala for quite some time now. The title itself seemed obvious.
Yet how permanent was this death? Aleph had killed YHVH yet everybody knew how YHVH had cursed him afterwards. That alone was proof that His death had not been permanent. However, Merkabah and Lucifer appeared both implied that it was possible to erase gods and demons from existence.
The two beings soon launched into another argument. They did not even try to hide how they would eliminate humanity the moment it was inconvenient to them. Fujiwara called them out on this; their silence said enough.
Isebeau could feel her blood boiling. It was a very familiar hatred. She managed to keep expressionless through it all.
Lucifer and Merkabah ignored the hunters and ordered them to defeat Shesha and rescue Flynn in accordance to their respective wishes, vanishing before the humans present could manage a response.
Skins was left shaking with fury. Fujiwara ended the conference. Isebeau was lost in her own thoughts.
The only way to discover the secret behind this mysterious loop was to retrace all the hints she had from the start – the first sign that this loop would be different.
She had to find Asahi and Nanashi.
[SMT I]
(no title)
"Futsuo..." asked Steven in his ever polite manner. "May I ask what exactly did you have in mind?"
Futsuo for his part, was awkwardly rubbing his head. "Isebeau told me that they have a constant problem in their branch with the Reds and the general lack of magnetite, so I tried to use that infinity bullets trick in our COMPs to mass produce it."
Steven rubbed his chin. "I see. While that would certainly prevent demons from losing their sanity and consuming humans en mass, I believe that moderation in the production is most vital in this case."
"I'll make note of this. However, it'll take a while before I modify the program. I am afraid that any glitches will make the problem worse."
"I can modify it for you, if you'd like me to. One of us will need to contain the damage regardless, and you are far more used to direct combat than I."
Futsuo shook his head. "My own demons have also been affected by the magnetite. I am not helpless but such a large horde is more than I can handle."
Steven's glasses shone ominously. "In this case, I will take care of them. Please be quick."
"Right."
The young programmer immediately pulled his hyper advanced laptop from his pocket and started working on his COMP. Steven rolled his wheelchair to the heart of the problem, and started up his own computer.
"Well then..." He set up Singularity Hailstorm.
And came face to face with a mob of angry citizens defending a mountain of Maras.
…
"I suppose this is better than last time. Much easier to contain, at any rate."
"Steven, I am made of magnetite. Do you know how difficult it was to convince my demons that I'm not edible?"
[SMT I]
(no title)
Futsuo slumped in the bottom of the prison cell, glaring at the wall as if it were responsible for all the problems in the universe.
Yuji was staring at him concerned and with no small amount of fear.
"You are Futsuo, right? I saw you in my dream." The demon summoner nodded in confirmation, but did not actually reply.
"What is the matter?"
Futsuo took a deep breath through his nose before exhaling. "Have you heard of the demon summoning program?"
"I think so?"
"While I posses it, I was not able to negotiate with anything. All the demons have lost their FUCKING MINDS!" Yuji jumped back. "I try to talk to a pixie and she tried to make me confess my sins, the Jacks are acting shy, the ghosts are dead set on protecting all the flowerbeds in the world, the kobolds and whatever other demons are running a charity for the well-being of pagan deities, and I saw a bodyconnian drowning her sorrows at the bar! I don't know what's going on anymore!"
Yuji blinked several times. "The charity is a good thing..."
"NO." Yuji promptly shut it. Futsuo took several deep breaths, before he slowly calmed down. "I'm sorry. I usually don't act like this..."
"It's alright. We all grow frustrated at times."
"I know soneone who can answer why this keeps happening. He should be in the Echo building. Let's escape from here."
…
Yuji waited patiently as Futsuo talked things out with the man in the wheelchair. Frankly, he was still confused, but at least Futsuo seemed to follow Steven's explanations well enough.
"I am afraid that Ambassador Thorman decided to fire the ICBMs rather early. Thankfully, I was able to use the terminal technology to redirect them out of earth's atmosphere, but not without some... unfortunate side effects."
Silence.
"Steven... What did you do to the moon?"
[Persona 2]
Jun's Awakening – part 5
Jun could not shake the feeling that there was something terribly wrong. From the moment he entered he could sense something not physical saturating the air and clinging on his skin. It was as if the air, the walls and everything around his was trying to split and merge with itself at the same time. He passed in front of the mirrors and the picture frames and his reflection was playing tricks with him.
So this is the Kimon Tonkou formation… Tatsuya had described it to him to the best of his ability, but Jun did a bit of researching himself. It was a Feng Sui technique that trapped the victims in the mirror world and the only way to break it was to pass through eight gates that were determined by the caster. The gates themselves were marked by talismans in the real world which were numbered by the Ba Gua system.
Passing through the gates was one way to break the seal. The other was to tear apart the talismans before the spell could activate.
I need to find the gates and do it now.
Jun headed towards the nearest recording studio, his sixth sense on the highest alert. If that Shiki Wang Long Chizuru brought here spotted him, it would be over for him.
Unfortunately, the Sumaru TV studio was built like a labyrinth. Thankfully it was nowhere close to as bad as the sky museum with its horrendously – not to mention borderline illegally – placed staircases but finding one's way was still a struggle if they were not well acquainted with the interior. Jun was, but still…
Sumaru TV was built like a maze. Its monochrome grey walls differentiated only by the posters here and there. The first floor was an absolute mess of boxes, packages and all sorts of random stuff that simply got in the way and blocked half the entrances.
The seal hasn't been activated yet… I must avoid triggering it at all costs. How do I trigger it?
The Shiki was obviously the answer to this question and that troubled him more than he'd like to admit. The mere fact that Wang Long Chizuru was able to conjure one in the first place was nothing short of amazing. It spoke of a highly experienced and talented mage, and quite possibly one who did not need to abide by their – Amala's – preferred magic system.
Actually facing a genuine witch in battle… It was so rare that it may as well be an honour of the highest order.
But that sort of thing is very common in the loops, isn't it? Tatsuya might have fought against so many mages and witches that he lost count of them…
Something about the thought made him feel tiny. Here he was basking in the novelty of fighting a witch while for his closest friend – no, more than that – it was already an old hat. He had to fight those demons and abominations countless times, over and over again, and then more…
…what have I done to him in those times…
He picked the Adonis flower from his pocket and gave it a sniff. However the scent did not provide him with any comfort.
I am becoming distracted.
The Shiki was a problem. It could take any form it wished, including insects and people that he knew. He could possess them even. Jun had to make sure not to be seen by anyone and anything.
Do not let yourself be seen by anyone who can report it later. And get rid of the evidence. Tatsuya's first rule of infiltration. The implications were unpleasant.
The dressing rooms were on the second floor. It was not quite as chaotic there but it was full of people. He knew that Chizuru was currently on one of them.
His mother was also there, as well as Lisa-san…
No. I cannot drag them into this. I already did so once… This is why I'm here, with Tatsuya… Think Jun… Where could she have put the talismans?
Unfortunately for Jun, he never had that much interest in Chinese or oriental in general magic system, always having preferred the Western ones for their exoticism and clearly defined and multi-faceted archetypes. His father's interests had also played a role in this.
Regardless, the problem was that he did not know as much about Wang Long Chizuru's magic as he should. He never thought that he'd come to regret his utter devotion to his previous fields of study.
It was pointless to scold himself now… He had to think practically and find a solution to this problem.
The keyword here was gates. Eight of them. That is the number of the recording studios in this place.
The closest of those recording studios was on the second floor. Right next to Wang Long Chizuru's dressing room, in fact.
As much as I'd rather avoid that, I am running out f time. He had to destroy that talisman.
Trying to make as little noise as possible, he swiftly ran to the second floor and approached the gate.
It was a trap. He had absolutely no proof for this but it was definitely a trap. There was no way that Wang Long Chizuru would leave her formation unguarded with enemies like Tatsuya running around. He stood in front of the gate and mentally counted from three.
Three.
He could sense Kirishima-san's Persona a few meters away.
Two.
He checked his surrounding one more time to ensure that the hall was clear of obstructive objects.
One.
Kirishima-san knocked the door to the dressing room.
Zero.
Jun ripped the talisman. The spell shattered as soon as it manifested.
Here was hoping not to die. In fact, he could already hear the Shiki from Chizuru's room screeching in rage, as well as Kirishima-san's surprised yelp. Without thinking Jun entered the studio and slammed the door behind him.
The studio was dark… Jun's night vision had never been as good as Tatsuya's who could see almost as well as during the day, but his sense of wind currents made up for it on a certain degree.
A mewl caught his attention.
He did not need night vision to see the pair of feline eyes eying him.
It can teleport too… The door behind him was locked.
He tried to play clueless. "A cat?"
The Shiki studied him for a long moment. Its eventual response was not what Jun quite expected but it was not unexpected either. "You were not part of our plans." Of course his little lie would not work. It was almost impossible to hide Persona resonance from demons.
Jun noted that it was impossible to define its voice; demonic voices naturally had many layers but this here sounded more like a choir, only far less grandiose. It was probably due to the Shiki's ability to shapeshift.
He had to lie, obviously. "Your plans?" He pretended to be confused and a bit surprised, but not too much. Someone aware of demons would not be too surprised by a talking cat, after all.
The Shiki narrowed its eyes at him. "Why did you destroy the talisman?"
"W-Well… It's some sort of a spell or a seal, right? I like fortune telling, so I started looking into Wang Long and Feng Sui once it became popular… I think the talisman is part of a seal or something like it? It didn't seem like good news, that is all."
The demon continued to stare at him distrustfully. Jun just hoped that he could bluff his way out of this.
He severely doubted it.
…
Tatsuya could tell by resonance that Eikichi was already here. Of course, he was not looping or even remembered the events of the baseline. However, his friends still had their Personas even in this reality, dormant but existing. Their presence was just barely strong enough to give them a few elemental resistances. Tatsuya had found out as much through some less than pleasant loops.
Going by the previous loops, Eikichi out to be in the prisoners' cells by now. He would not have any problems handling it. He had already called Anna Yoshizaka earlier that morning and told her to keep guard in the Velvet Room at the Narumi ward to guide in there the many visitors that were about to come.
He hated having to involve innocent civilians in his affairs, but Sudou was going after Yoshizaka in every loop and even when Tatsuya got to him first, he still seemed incapable of avoiding her. Regardless, she was involved, she knew he was not the Tatsuya she knew just by looking at him, she knew he had a job to do and she had her priorities straight. Her help had been too valuable to reject, and the door to the Velvet Room was invisible.
Step one; clear the path for Eikichi.
That was easy. Unlike Anna, he did not even have to cross paths with him; he'd just take out any guard that would go check the commotion at the cells and leave Eikichi none the wiser.
He did not have to worry about any potential demonfied humans either. The only one here was most likely Sugimoto. Maya-nee and his brother would take care of him. Shiori-san was not captive either.
No, the reason he was here was completely different than in baseline.
He had to know "his" moves. He knew Jun was looping now. They had some sort of a stalemate so far but now "he" would undoubtedly make his move. Tatsuya had to get leads, and the only place was the wolf's mouth.
Takahisa Kandori.
…
Perhaps the Shiki was nervous? Jun had just thrown a nasty curveball with his presence. In reality, he was nervous too. Kirishima-san was just outside the door and was currently trying to unlock it. It was only a matter of time before she would lose her patience and broke into the room with her Persona. If it were between him and her, he would have been able to lie to her and ease her suspicions. However, with Shiki in the picture this chance was next to none.
The broadcast would start in a few minutes. He had to leave this room and stop Chizuru now.
Right on cue Kirishima-san started knocking on the door. "Hello? Is anyone there? Are you alright?"
That was his chance. He smartened himself up and opened the door. He felt the Shiki dash off somewhere before she could see it.
"K-Kirishima-san!? I was not expecting to meet you here… You caught me off guard…"
"Oh? Are you a fan? It is always a pleasure to meet new people!"
Outwardly, Jun gave her a shy smile. Inwardly he sighed with relief. He was half-expecting she would see through him.
"My mother has a contract here. The actress, Junko Kurosu?"
Her eyes lit with recognition. "Ah, yes! I have met her. She is a very nice woman, truly admirable. So you are her son? You really look like her. Jun, right?"
"Yes."
"What were you doing here?"
Think fast. "I saw this hanging on the door." He opened the palm of his hand to reveal the torn talisman. Kirishima-san's eyes widened in recognition. "I came in here to see if there were any more of these. I figured I clean these while I'm here. The staff is busy enough already."
Kirishima-san put on a strained smile. Jun almost huffed in disappointment when he saw it. As a model she would have to be more convincing than that. Her smile looked so fake that it hurt. No wonder Fuuji-san refused to take her in photo shots.
"I will clean up the rest of them, OK? I'll be passing by the studios anyway. I still have some time before my turn on live TV comes. Will you be alright?"
She had to be referring to those demons he spotted at the edges of the hallways. They had all kept a good distance from him, sensing the difference in power. "Yes, thank you."
This was perfect. Kirishima-san would keep herself busy while he went on to interrupt the broadcast. She would quite possibly run into the Shiki, but that was none of his business now. She was an experienced Persona user; she should be able to handle it herself.
Making sure she was out of sight, Jun ran straight to the studio.
He had a fight to prepare for.
…
For a very long time, something was wrong. Strange dreams had been plaguing his dreams and haunted him when awake. Always different yet always repeating, their themes and faces were the same with little variety. One would think that he was not the kind of man to be bothered by such things, but he was not like the other men of his caliber. No, he was a class on his own and he had experienced things that very few had, so he knew better than to dismiss dreams as just that.
The god was whispering somewhere deeper than his ear, laughing, the voices full of promises.
He promised him power.
He had power. A lot more power than he should. Power he did not need. Power that in the end served as little more than a trial for those that did the actual work.
He promised him knowledge.
That would have never lured him when he was younger, more naïve to the ways of the world yet enjoying the challenge that it offered. Now perhaps he would have accepted, but that pride he had acquired back then would not allow him.
He promised him authority.
What a joke. There were men and women following his orders, but he might as well be a prisoner with a crown.
He promised him to fulfill his dreams.
But he no longer cared.
He promised destruction.
That was the one promise he could certainly keep and he had proven as such. Multiple times. But in the end, that too was meaningless.
The bright lights of the sterile lab were dulled by his black shades. The Tenzou soldier next to him was throwing him nervous glances when he thought he was not looking. All of them did. No matter. They were just more faceless pawns in this cosmic game.
"You." The first word that had been said in hours. It almost drew a yelp out of the soldier. "Have you piloted any of the X-series robots before?"
"Only in test runs, sir." His reply was swift and to the point, clearly trying to remain professional. Just as expected.
"Go to the elevator entrance. Inform me right away if you hear anything squeaking. Don't try to fight. It won't help you."
Ignoring the soldier's sputtering, he went back to playing with the baoding balls in his hand.
The… visions, for lack of better term, were hazy. Imprecise and unclear, as seen through a cheap kaleidoscope gazing through the mist and trying to make out the bird in midnight, a song recorded by a gramophone which was then broadcasted by a radio station with shoddy equipment and received by a stereo with broken speakers in a apartment with bad reception.
However, the samples were many. Slowly but surely he was able to create a concrete image and make out the lyrics.
Very well. He could play his role…
Again.
[Digital Devil Saga]
Random snips
"Lupa… There is someone I must meet as well. I fear that her despair may destroy us… I must stop her before that happens."
Lupa stopped walking at that and turned to look at Gale. "You speak as if this woman has an influence over the Junkyard." The cold and cool-headed strategist of the Embryon nodded, but remained silent. Lupa was beyond confused and slightly alarmed at this. "Who is she?"
Gale opened his mouth to answer but Heat interrupted him.
"His psycho ex-girlfriend."
"She's Sera's mom an' dad too" added Cielo.
"She also created the demon virus" said Argilla.
"That was sort of partially my fault", finished Serph.
"Affirmative on all accounts except the last".
Lupa suddenly felt severely out of his depth.
…
Naoki Kashima had seen his fair share of massacres – most of them caused by him – and the Junkyard provided more than enough bloodshed for his millions of years but this… Well, this was definitely new.
When he heard the pounding and screaming coming from a room not too far away from the tiny chamber he usually found himself in, he burst through a few walls and found himself in a modest throne room covered in blood. Tiny pieces of grey armor and flesh had been stuck on the now crimson walls. Somewhere in a corner were the remains of what appeared to be an oversized fur coat.
And in the middle of the chaos was the Embryon tribe, hunched over an amorphous, gigantic lump of flesh.
They had also started a fire for some reason.
"What are you guys doing?"
"Meatballs."
…
"Uh, Sera? Why are you a kid?"
Sera had never been tall, but now she barely reached Cielo's hip. She also had the most adorable puffy cheeks, big beady eyes that melted your heart and was dressed in a makeshift dress with a big orange bow.
"I guess this is a variant? I don't rapidly age in this loop so I don't need the EGG quite as much…"
Cielo's face lit up. "Dat's great news! Well, you can't fight but you got all dese cool powers so you'll be okay!"
Sera still looked concerned. "Yes…"
"Hey, what's de matter?"
"Heat has been avoiding me for some reason…"
Cielo's brow furrowed. "Dat's not like him."
"He turned red as soon as he saw me and ran off. I know he's Awake, so… I think Serph is looking for him."
Seeing Sera so worried, Cielo went to assure her that they'd figure it out but a loud yell interrupted them.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, WHY!? LOOK AT HER! SHE'S A KID! I FEEL LIKE A FUCKING FREAK HERE! AND SHE'S CUTE!"
"…"
"…"
"Well, dat got way more creepy."
Sera laughed nervously. "Hehe… sorry?"
[Digital Devil Saga]
Roland's Anti-climatic Awakening
Roland shook the whiskey in his glass, watching it reflect the dull light of the monitors. His Atma brand was pulsing with bright yellow lightning.
"I don't know why I'm time travelling all of the sudden, but I'd rather we don't make a big deal out of it. That would only end in a disaster that no author would be able to finish writing."
The door burst open and Adil ran into the room. "Roland! Somebody blew up the Karma Society headquarters!"
Serph face-palmed. "Dammit Heat…"
Roland downed his glass. "See what I mean?"
[Persona 5], [Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V]
Not Who He Was Expecting
This was it.
Once again, the Phantom Thieves were standing at the top of Tokyo right on Christmas Eve, the crowd far below standing in the hellish landscape that was Mementos.
Summoning Satanael on full power was always a challenge in spite of how far into the loops Akira got. Even with the real Igor's assistance, Sinful Shell was almost unachievable until that very final battle against Yaldabaoth.
Yet he had done so many times…
He focused all of his rage, but something was different this time… Far too different.
"Behold…"
The voice echoed far and wide, deep and menacing. Utterly unfamiliar.
"THE SUPREME KING DRAGON ZARC!"
[SMT IV], [Digital Devil Saga], [Persona 2], [Persona 5], [Strange Journey]
Flynn's Fundraising Campaign
"Very well. I promise to not execute you."
The demon – no, the god standing in front of the poor soldier was beyond intimidating. Vishnu made for an imposing figure, looking like a human yet taller than any, with three swords in his arms and a lotus in the fourth, skin engraved with gold.
"Under one condition."
The Junkyard soldier was too terrified to argue. He instantly nodded, and prayed to God that it would not be something too horrible.
"Hand me over your tag ring."
Silence reigned supreme.
"What?"
"Your tag ring. This is where all the Maka earned in your battles is stored, is it not?"
"Yeah, obviously-"
"Then hand it over!"
"HIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-!"
From a distance, the Embryon tribe awkwardly watched the scene unfold.
"Woah. He not be jokin' when he said he'll take all de mony."
Argilla nodded slowly, as dumbfounded as Cielo was.
Heat growled in annoyance. "He's wasting time…"
"One must wonder if he realizes that by sparing his enemy he loses the amount of Maka that will be added in his own tag ring."
Sera was just chuckling uncontrollably during the whole thing, almost losing her balance. Serph caught her just in time.
Soon Vishnu, now turned back into a green-haired Flynn, returned with the enemy's tag ring in hand.
Gale repeated his previous statement. "You do realize that by sparing your enemies no further Maka will be added to your tag ring."
"That is why I took measures to obtain it."
"Explain."
"Since tag rings record Maka depending on the victories achieved by their wearer, a set of two rings should record twice that amount. Am I wrong in this assumption?"
Sera, still giggling, shook her head and proceeded to explain. "Sorry, but each tag ring is connected to its original owner. You can't use that one."
Flynn's expression slowly changed from satisfaction to panic, and then outrage. "All that effort was for naught!?"
…
"I want your yen. As much as you have."
"Waaaaah! Mister, you're scary!"
Flynn did not have the patience to deal with a crying Moh Shuuvu. "If you give me your money I'll depart immediately!"
"Somebody help me!"
"Hands up, this is the police!"
Flynn almost dropped his sword in surprise. Behind him he heard the sound of a gun being loaded. He slowly turned around, only to see a young man in a grey suit with red sunglasses, waving a badge at him.
Flynn could sense immense magical power from him. He tried pinging. Going by the other man's reaction, he was a Looper too. He did not lower his gun.
Flynn tried another approach. "I know how this must appear to outsiders, but I am in grave need of funds. My home loop has particularly steep prices."
"This is robbery, assault, and child harassment! Well, I guess I should also arrest you for breaking the law of swords and firearms, but it doesn't matter much in Sumaru…"
Flynn could not believe his ears. "She's a demon! Surely you can see this!"
"It's still illegal! You're under arrest!"
…
"Show us the money."
That loop, Yusuke had been replaced by Flynn, and it turned out that the Looping samurai had a gift for infiltrating Palaces. As well as some other stuff.
"We know you posses more funds than this."
"This is all I have!"
"We know you're lying. No target of mine is so poor."
Crying, the demon dug in whatever it had for pockets and dug in more yen.
Akira and Flynn had teamed up to extract as much money from the demon-shadows as possible, and the rest of the Phantom Thieves could only gaze in awe.
"Holy crap!" breathed Ryouji. "That dude's more like a thief than any of us!"
"We know, Skull" replied Ann. "We know".
…
"Listen", said Langdon for the umpteenth time. "Maka is an energy source. We need it to power the Red Sprite, and we need it to make new apps. We can't just give you all of our money."
"But I am in great need of it!"
"Ask the demons!"
"Very well."
Jimenez chose that exact moment to burst in the room. "Did someone plan to mug the demons? I'm in."
"Well Flynn, off you go."
[Digital Devil Saga], [Persona 5]
Screwed Priorities
Status: REJECTED (The content is problematic, I'm sorry for this)
Ryuji had no idea what exactly he had done in his life to deserve this.
In this loop he had been stuck in the worst branch he had ever seen because he had replaced a guy named "Cielo". Just because they were both Lightning users. It turned that the "Junkyard" was part of the same larger "Amala" branch that their branch belonged to and yes, it was about just as bad everywhere else.
He still had nightmares about that first… rampage.
And now this was going to give him even more nightmares.
"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR! OPEEEEN!"
The door in question was steel with heavy bars. It was a prison cell.
This was a prison. And a meat processing factory. And the jailer was some skeleton horse thing with a trashy hat that was… thrusting in all the wrong ways and wanted to eat them for dinner.
That things steps were shaking the floor and he could feel it coming closer…
Receiving a scared cry of "mommy" he ran to the next door, ignoring the protests that "wait, that's the wrong way Ryuji".
"SOMEONE OPEN THE DOOR!"
A deep but effeminate voice rang through the closed door. "Well well, what a handsome young thing. Going my way, sailor?"
"What?" No. Wait. He knew this. He had seen this in baseline. He knew exactly what that guy wanted. He remembered the gross shirts and the lipstick and…
"I WON'T BE MOLESTED! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!"
"Wait, you handsome, after this I'll die! It's my only chance!"
"Hell no! Stay in your cell!"
A really deep voice laughed. "So should you!"
He turned around. He can face to face with a blue bone pelvis. He looked above and saw the horse head.
"Shit."
…
"How many times do I have to bust you out of this cell!?" The Lokapala mole in the prison was beyond exasperated.
And so were the others. "Ryuji can't handle queers."
"That's your issue!?"
[SMT IV]
Variant: APOCALYPSE – part 3
Finding Asahi and Nanashi proved to be easier said than done. The Hunter's Association made things somewhat easier; they requested a special sword – Ame-no-Habakiri – that was hidden in a place known as the Fairy Forest. Given how the kids had defeated Shesha the first time, she was certain that they would go after the sword as well.
There was a second quest about finding the components to build a radar capable of tracking Shesha. Thanks to the Loops, Isebeau had already created an installed a program in her Gauntlet that allowed her to do such a thing. Unfortunately, she had no data on Shesha, and therefore she was unable to track it.
The whole situation felt like the first time she went to Tokyo. The very first time, before the loops, when she was completely in the blind and had no idea what to do next. At least in the loops they could base their actions on previous experiences or ask the local loopers and follow their loop memories. Here, no such luck. In spite of everything, she was on square zero.
One of the many problems was that she had no idea where this Fairy Forest was. The second was that the Association needed her. The demons grew wilder than ever, now that there were so many factions battling it out. Isebeau at this point could obliterate any demon within seconds with pathetic ease. In fact, they made a point to avoid her at all costs, so they pretty much assigned her on guard duty.
Isebeau despised guard duty. Defending the civilians was a matter of great importance. However, getting to the bottom of this mystery was even more so.
And as if all that were not enough, Merkabah announced that they would be sending their elite Samurai units from Mikado. That announcement came as a major shock to everyone. Isebeau did not know the situation in Mikado. The loop usually ended earlier than that. The time difference between Tokyo and the surface appeared to have vanished as well, at least going by the sunlight.
Still, years had passed up in Mikado and according to the rumours… Arrogance ran deep in Navarre's family. At least Gaston was putting some real effort.
However, arrogance had a steep price, and Gaston's thirst to prove himself while rejecting help from all and refusing to give credit where was due left the other Samurai disgruntled. They were already talking about ditching him.
Poor him, but he probably needed that lesson.
And worst of all, there was absolutely no sign of the kids.
Until they came back with both the sword and the radar parts, that is. With Nozomi in tow. And an odd-looking boy in an expensive suit that screamed "Asura-kai" and a sports jacket that screamed everything but. Isebeau could feel their inhuman auras from across the room, even though she had gotten no such feeling from Nozomi before.
This loop was just getting weirder and weirder.
And Flynn was still absent. The Divine Powers were still absent. Only Shesha haunted the skies and Isebeau was alone here and she had no clue what was happening.
"Something wrong, Miss Isebeau? You're so pale, young lady!"
Isebeau was startled out of her thoughts. Above her was Dr. Matsuda, his remaining hair flying in all directions, with a cup of something mildly unappealing but warm clutched in his hand. Another person she had never met before, but Fujiwara trusted him, and he was one of the sharpest people Isebeau knew. Only someone who had proven their strength could wear a Hawaiian shirt in the middle of an apocalypse.
"My apologies, just… There are many thoughts in my mind right now."
"Perhaps I can help you untangle them! I'm pretty good at thinking, if I say so myself!" The scientist's enthusiasm was infectious, and Isebeau could not help but crack a thin smile herself. To her surprise, he offered her the mug, "Here. Not as good as the stuff up in Mikado I guess, but it sure hits the spot!"
Isebeau took an experimental sip. Sure enough, it was horrible; it burned her tongue, someone had mixed a ton of sugar (probably made in a lab) with some other spices and a grind of something with a grainy texture and poured hot water into it. There was a strong metallic and chemical tang in it. But all of that was part of the course in their Tokyo. Isebeau ignored the taste and focused on the thickness of the drink and the warmth in her throat that travelled all the way to her stomach. She took a few more sips, and basked in the warmth.
"Better? I told you it hits the spot! Quite useful for pulling all-nighters, let me tell you!"
Isebeau was actually smiling now. "Indeed it does."
"Now, what bothers you."
Isebeau took a deep breath. Where to even start here. There were so many things she could not tell him but… Maybe talking to a stranger would do her good, for once.
"I feel so… lost. Flynn always had the answers to everything, but now he's captive and we have no leads… And we know nothing of these Divine Powers other than some legends that probably don't correspond with the current events – if anyone even remembers those legends – and all the work is done by a few kids who should never have to do this while I-I'm just stranded here unable to act…!"
A hand landed on her shoulder, cutting off her impromptu rant. Dr. Matsuda had a sad smile on his face, and the contrast with what little she had seen of his usual attitude was so great, Isebeau was stunned into silence.
"I think you should put some more faith in those kids. I've never seen so much promise in someone, let me tell you! They work pretty quickly! And effectively! Sure, standing here is pretty horrible, but right now, if you sun in you'll make things worse. We need your strong and stable presence, and you need to let those kids grow. We'll save Flynn, you can be sure of it."
Isebeau contemplated his words. She was the anchor. Before Flynn Awakened, she had to stand by and watch so many times because she knew in her mind that something needed to be done. All she could do back then was prod Flynn to the right direction, the Neutral path, where they could save the most people.
And now, she would have to do the same. That boy, Nanashi, had power. Strange and dark power that she did not like one bit, yet he surrounded himself with brilliant friends and Isebeau feared that the pure contrast would crush him – if the weight of the responsibility bestowed upon him did not crush him first.
"Hey, don't break the mug now, you'll burn yourself!"
Isebeau was startled out of her thoughts. She looked at her half-full mug and saw that thin cracks had appeared in it. Sheepishly, Isebeau loosened her grip and took another sip. The strange sugary liquid had lost some of its flavor on her burned tongue, but the warmth was still welcome.
"Well?" Dr. Matsuda was looking at her expectantly.
"I think… I have reached a decision now. That you, Dr. Matsuda. I needed to hear that."
The smile he threw her was brilliant. "Any time, Miss Isebeau! Any time."
[Persona 2]
Jun's Awakening – part 6
Eriko Kirishima knew that she would not have a good day, but this was worse than she imagined.
She had gone in the TV station expecting to sneak into a changing room, go through someone's bag and phone and maybe cause an "accident" to interrupt a broadcast that may or may not promote the interests of the New World Order. What she got was a crowd of rabid fans, a surprisingly large number of demons for such a crowded space and a torn seal for a Kimon Tonku formation.
In other words, Chizuru Ishigami planned to trap anyone who would get in her way into another world and leave them to the demons, even if she took completely innocent people along with them. Normally, Eriko would give half her salary for a chance to see the mirror world, but not when other people would be harmed by it. Good thing that Jun boy had found the talisman in time. Now Wang Long Chizuru would not be able to activate the seal unless she made a new one.
That was one concern out of the way. Eriko hoped that Jun would not run into any demons and just go back to his mother's dressing room or the reception area. What a kind boy.
The downside was, when Wang Long Chizuru realized her spell had been ruined, she would not be happy. Eriko quickly pulled out her cell phone and dialed Brown's number.
"Hey, Elly! Got any good news for us? Yukino-san and I ran into every demon in the building here! That Wang Long Chizuru sure is bad news."
"It's true… She set up a Kimon Tonku formation in the building."
"A what?" As Eriko was explaining the details behind it and what their next course of action should be, she felt a cold shiver going through her spine. Someone was watching her…
…
Tatsuya could feel the empty yet oppressive aura of Kandori's lab as soon as he stepped in it. A faint smell of death penetrated the walls. Carefully, he expanded his Persona's aura, trying to pick up as many people in the building as possible. Eikichi was, as he predicted, already here, his dormant Persona stirring up slightly once he felt his presence
Many, many prisoners. Most of them JOKERS, a few half-demonized already. He figured from the presence of the guards earlier that Maya-nee and his brother had not gotten in here yet, and so far it seemed to be true.
Tatsuya cut off his search and suppressed his Persona's aura before Kandori would spot him. It was quite likely the man already knew he was here, but Tatsuya did not want to risk it. He had proven to be unpredictable before.
Most demons made a case of avoiding him as much as possible. That was good. Tatsuya was in no mood to activate his Persona; not until he ran into Kandori himself. The downside of becoming as powerful as he was was that everything could pick up his presence from a mile. Doing anything magic-related would give him away for sure.
First off, surveillance room. Take out the guards and cut off security. Then, containment room. He had to clear the way for Eikichi to move the prisoners. Tatsuya pulled out his phone and sent a message to Yoshizaka.
"Going in. There are many prisoners here; I think 30 or so. Can you handle it?"
A few moments later he received a message back.
"I got Noriko to help, but it'll be tough. Are you sure the police won't stop us?"
"Too busy with the broadcast. And the higher ups shouldn't be let them get here anyway. They'll only show up after the shooting stops. Just get them to the Velvet Room before that."
"The one in the hotel. Got it. Send me a message once you get there. I'll be by the parking lot. Don't get killed."
"I won't."
Taking out the few unsuspecting guards was almost pathetically easy. A good bash in the head was enough to knock them out for a while. Tatsuya destroyed the surveillance monitors and used his gun to destroy the cameras. He had gotten it after a few loops for good measure, and while he had not used it much he made sure to put a silencer on it. Better than to make noise and spread his fingerprints everywhere. Besides, the way Sumaru City always was in the loops, nobody would think about an unregistered gun twice, no matter its caliber. Shiori-san practically had a hand-canon in her pocket, and thanks to his Persona Katsuya could fire through walls with his basic service gun. He hoped Nanjo and the other St. Hermellin grads were smart enough to bring their guns too.
With that task done, Tatsuya hurried to the containment room. He hoped Eikichi had not been caught yet. This tended to happen in most loops, leading to either Tatsuya or Maya-nee and the others having to rescue him. For now Tatsuya would just clear the way before searching the building for him.
He hoped Jun hadn't run into too much trouble…
…
Jun was sure he would reach the studio where the broadcast would take place in record time, but that was proven not to be true. Between the few demons who were stupid enough to challenge him (not much of a challenge, but still time consuming), dodging every single of the panicking staff members and keeping an eye out for both Shiki and Chizuru, it took him around fifteen more minutes than he initially thought it would. In spite of the delay, Jun wasn't really worried yet. The broadcast was not scheduled to start for another ten, and there would definitely be some delay. All he had to do was sneak into the room and sabotage the equipment…
He quietly opened the door and froze.
The Muses were already here.
For a few moments Jun and the three girls (Lisa! It was truly Lisa!) just stood there staring at each other.
"Wh-Who are you!? We're not giving autographs! Leave, or we'll call security! You're not allowed here!"
The voice was not Lisa's. It belonged to one of her friends. That was enough to surprise Jun out of his stupor.
He took a whiff of the flower in his pocket. He had to focus.
"Is the filming crew here yet?"
"Oh, you're part of the staff? Why didn't you say so?"
"No, I'm not."
"Huh!? Then what are you doing here?"
Why had not Lisa spoken yet? Jun turned his gaze at her, and his breath was caught short. She looked devastated. Her normally lively eyes were just – dead.
"Lisa- em. Miss Silverman? Are you alright?" He had to ask. Was she Looping? Why was she like that?
Lisa met his gaze. "I- I'm fine. Thank you."
She was not fine. She very obviously wasn't. Her friends were looking at her worriedly too. He could not just leave her like that. Jun took out three flowers of the bouquet he brought as ammo and handed one to each of them.
All three of them just stared at him confused. "They're dill flowers. They signify protection from evil… Those are strange times, so I hope they'll help you, at least a little."
One of the girls snickered slightly. "That's why you have a whole bunch of them? You give them to all the girls you fancy?"
"We're pretty famous, you know! Can't blame you if you like us, right Sheba?"
Jun smiled thinly. "I'm sorry, but I don't swing that way." The girls – Sheba and Miho, now he remembered their names – looked startled.
"Thank you. Really."
Hearing Lisa's thanks, Jun smiled gently. She seemed just a bit brighter now, clutching the flower like it could crumble at any moment. "You're welcome."
"Um, what's your name?"
So she was not Looping after all… Her behavior was far too different from the Lisa he knew. He thought about it for a moment. "Jun."
"Well Jun, what are you doing here?" The girls again. "You said you don't work here, right?"
Jun took a deep breath and steeled his resolve. This was going to be tricky. "We need to stop delay the broadcast."
Going by their expressions, this was not what the girls were expecting. Jun was not surprised. Lisa looked more curious that shocked though.
"What- why!?"
"Wang Long Chizuru is dangerous. You know about the –JOKER cases." Just saying it was difficult. "Whatever she says in this broadcast, it'll be about Kegare and the JOKER and everyone will take her word for it and it'll only make things worse. She only adds fuel to the pyre and the public will eat it all up –especially since it's broadcasted. People will believe anything the media say and then word of mouth will wrap it beyond recognition
And that's the power of the JOKER."
"Wow, aren't you laying it a bit thick here?"
"No, he's right."
Both Sheba and Miho turned to Lisa in astonishment. "Wait, you actually believe that?"
"I do." She said that with so much conviction that her friends promptly shut up. "Wang Long Chizuru never has a good thing to say. And… what he's saying about word of mouth… the rumors… I heard it before, somewhere. I'm sure it's true. So I believe him."
She looked at him resolutely, and Jun was reminded of his own Lisa. He nodded at her.
"Alright. Here's the plan…"
[Digital Devil Saga], [Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS]
(no title)
When he woke up, Yusaku noticed three things:
First; he was completely naked.
Second; he was next to Ai, who was in his human form and also naked.
Third; they were in the middle of a crater.
He sent a Ping, and instantly got back several responses. In fact, going by their speed, he would say they were right next to the crater. Seconds later, a number of individuals in grey clothing leaned over the edge.
It was raining. The ground also felt… odd.
"Hey guys…" asked Ai "are we in an artificial reality or something?" Oh. That would explain it. Ai was better at detecting these things.
The group – compromised of a pink-haired woman, and men with hair in the shades of grey, red, blue and green exchanged surprised looks.
"Yeah! You guys okay down there?"
"Just get us somewhere dry please…"
…
"So you guys are new?" The Embryon tribe and the unique-looking duo had now gathered back at the headquarters, dressed in dry clothes, and grabbed the chance to talk in private.
Yusaku and Ai both nodded. "We're from the newest expansion of the Yu-Gi-Oh branch" said Yusaku.
"You're anchoring it, right?" asked the silver-haired man, Serph. "Since you're replacing our anchor."
"Both of us do! Yusaku and I are co-anchors!"
"By the way, why are we in an artificial reality?"
"You cannot access your loop memories, correct?" At the green-haired man's – Gale's – question, they both nodded. "This happened to our anchor, Sera, in baseline. She was unable to recall the events that happened prior to her waking up here."
Yusaku nodded in understanding. "Is there anything we need to know?"
"Well, dere is Atma, but you guys won't get it…" And so the blue-haired guy, Cielo, launched into an explanation.
…
"Wait."
Surprised at the interruption, all the loopers stared at Ai.
"You're saying that even the real world is made of data in this branch? And you can read it?"
"Well, the Cyber Shaman can transfer data from God and back and she can understand him too…"
"And we're replacing her."
"Ja."
"And God is sending data on Earth constantly. Which turns people into stone."
"Yeah…"
The two co-anchors exchanged a long look.
They both spoke at once. "We need to test something."
The Embryon was suddenly extremely worried.
…
When he woke up, Yusaku noticed three things.
First; he was no longer in the same loop.
Second; he and Ai, along with the Embryon tribe were wearing school uniforms.
Third; there was a paper note at their feet.
Groggily, all the loopers gathered around the note.
"Just because an entire branch is digital, it doesn't mean you can HACK IT TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE PLANET. Your admin talked to you about this!
And hacking Amala is a SUPREMELY bad idea!
Masakado, Admin of Amala
On behalf of Thoth, Admin of Yu-Gi-Oh"
Argilla looked at the note in disbelief. She then looked at the two co-anchors.
"You guys got warnings like that BEFORE!?"
"Told you we'd get stuck in Eiken…" grumbled Heat.
Ai just shrugged. "At least we were on the right path?"
Yusaku suppressed a sigh. It was one of those loops.