Persona 5: The Phantom Files

by sithlorde1988

Will cover the events of both Persona 5 Royal AND Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers. What happens when in addition to Ren being sentenced to go live in the care of Sojiro Sakura for a year after being sued for assault, his younger brother is also ordered to go and oversee him? How will this extra character change things? Read to find out! More info in chapter 1! Read and review! Enjoy!

85. Velvet Truths Finale: From God to Madman

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! We're coming along rather slowly but steadily, if I do say so myself. But we're already up to chapter 85, which is pretty impressive, especially since this is the first time I've written a story this long. So there's that. But yeah, unless I manage to find a way to split the next part up, odds are this might be the last chapter, if it's not the second to last, of Arc 8.

Thus, this naturally means that this will very likely be counted as the shortest arc of the story, assuming I don't tack on some of the stuff that happens in-between the end of this 'Palace' and the onset of the third semester as part of this arc as well. I'm undecided on if I'll end the arc strictly with the end of this 'Palace' or not. We'll see what happens, I think. For now, though, let's get to the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I, sithlorde1988, do not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (barring the OCs Kusa/Draconis, Somasi/Slim, Akira, Mimille, Lumine, Kyori, and any other OCs that might appear during the story, all of which are made and thus owned by me unless otherwise stated), and the actual ownership credit for the Persona series belongs to Sega and Atlus, along with Koei Tecmo (at least insofar as it pertains to some of the Persona games), so all ownership credit belongs to them!

That being said, let's get on with the chapter! I'll have more of an A/N after the chapter so stay tuned for it!

Chapter 85: Saving Shibuya! Rallying the People! Velvet Truths part 3

(In Maruki's Palace, inside of one of the guest rooms with Maruki's Shadow and Draconis)

"Very good, Draconis. That's the blood samples obtained. Now you just need to relax somewhat and let the rest handle itself when the time is right. That wasn't so bad, right?" Maruki's Shadow said to Draconis, who nodded and spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Doc. I didn't feel anything from that. But why do you need blood samples in the Metaverse, anyways? I can't fathom what you'd use them for?" Draconis said as Maruki's Shadow blanched at the question and spoke up.

"U-Um, let's just say I have my reasons and leave it at that, yeah? Because, honestly? That information is on a need-to-know basis, and unfortunately, you don't need to know. But I appreciate your cooperation just the same. You're making my research proceed further than you can possibly imagine. As a reward, I'll arrange to have it set up so you can keep an eye on your friends' progress while you're being kept in here, so you can at least see what they're up to." Maruki's Shadow said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Thanks, but how much more do I have to do before I'm free to go, anyways?" Draconis asked as Maruki's Shadow chuckled and spoke up.

"Not much more, I assure you. But for now, I must take my leave so that I can have this properly analyzed. Rest easy, Draconis. You'll need it for the next test I need you for." Maruki's Shadow said before walking out of the room he'd let Draconis use for a temporary holding cell, making sure he had a bed to lay on and some basic necessities. After leaving the room, Maruki's Shadow walked over to a nearby Shadow and handed them the blood samples as he spoke up.

"Get this to the analysis lab, immediately! The sooner we can get this analyzed, the sooner we can make the next preparations on our anti-Phantom Thief defense system. And the sooner we finish that, the better. I have a sense that once the Phantom Thieves topple their current obstacle, I might be the next one on their target list. And I'd hate to have to be left unprepared when they come calling. Hence, my making use of Draconis to prepare said defense system.

After all, even if he doesn't yet realize it, he has the strongest potential of any of the Phantom Thieves, and given he's only awoken to part of his powers, that's really quite impressive. If he were to awaken his full powers, he could be a very real threat to my ambitions. So, by using him to collect the blood and killer instinct samples I need, I can make this defense system nigh-unstoppable! Plus, as I recall, even the Black Mask was ultimately unable to destroy him in the end.

So having the system be based off of him would make it nigh-impossible for the Phantom Thieves to be able to stop me. I regret that the methods involved might well destroy him, but that's the way it is." Maruki's Shadow said as the Shadow nodded and hurried off, being careful with the blood samples. After the Shadow was out of view, Maruki's Shadow adjusted his glasses on his face before he chuckled ominously while he spoke to himself.

"And after all, if I can destroy him now, I can prevent him from being a threat down the line if he fully awakens his powers. But, no matter. If the Phantom Thieves do somehow overcome their current trial, I have ways of slowing them down long enough to hopefully eliminate Draconis. As for Crow, I'll deal with him soon enough, since he could be a problem as well with his views." Maruki's Shadow said as he walked off towards his office to perfect his plans...

(Meanwhile, in the ruined Shibuya, with Queen, Fox, Mona, Skull, Sumi, Joker, Oracle, Panther, and Noir)

After the group took a moment to steel themselves, they approached the beginning of the newly opened path in front of them, as Skull spoke up.

"Mkay, let's get goin'!" Skull said as the group headed onto the path. After a bit, Mona spoke up.

"Can you see that further in? That's the temple." Mona said as Joker looked around, noticing the many trails made of what appeared to be skeletal structures, and some areas cloaked in what appeared to be a thin layer of fog. Skull smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, it's nice knowin' there aren't gonna be any bullshit traps or nothing this time! All right, let's get movin'!" Skull said as the group kept moving. After moving around a bit, the group found a 'Death Axe' for Noir in a chest, making Noir smile as she spoke up.

"My, this is nice! Ooooh, is it a new axe? I'd like to try it right away!" Noir said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Sure thing, Noir. Go for it." Joker said as Noir smiled and spoke up.

"Yes! Yay! I'm going to work harder than ever!" Noir said as she equipped the 'Death Axe'. After moving forward a bit, seizing the 'Shirt of Life' from a chest, Mona spoke up as the group approached the path to the next section.

"Hm, what's this? What the heck?" Mona said as Panther looked at Mona and spoke up.

"What's up?" Panther asked Mona, who frowned as he spoke up.

"We need to be careful. I'm sensing something up ahead of us, and if I'm right, it's going to be a tough foe." Mona said as Skull scoffed and spoke up.

"Tch. I guess we can't just go waltzin' in there, huh guys? Whaddya say, Joker?" Skull asked as Joker spoke up.

"Yeah, let's push onward, Skull. We're not going anywhere if we don't keep pressing onwards." Joker said agreeably as the group proceeded to the next area, where Oracle stopped the group by speaking up.

"Careful! Enemy incoming! It's pretty dangerous!" Oracle said as a golden winged foe flew into view before shifting forms into a brown haired male Shadow with angel wings, and mostly red armor with a mixed orange and white chestplate. The male Shadow spoke up.

"Absconding from your cells is forbidden. Return to your cells posthaste. Those who wish to disturb society shall be slain on the very spot they stand." The male Shadow said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"What!? You're the one disturbing it!" Panther said as the male Shadow spoke up again.

"Dissenters must be destroyed." The male Shadow said as Mona spoke up.

"It's useless trying to reason with this guy! Let's beat him and break through here!" Mona said as a battle began. Joker looked at the others, who nodded as they summoned their Personas and wasted little time in destroying the enemy before them, courtesy of some lucky Criticals from Mona and Mercurius. After finishing the battle with Mona's All-Out Attack, the ensuing EXP gains brought Fox and Noir to level 72, Oracle to level 73, and Joker's 'Arsene' Persona to level 38.

(At the same time, back in Shibuya)

As everyone was panicking, a tired office worker spoke up in surprise.

"What was that!?" A tired office worker asked as a fashionable man spoke up in shock.

"The city is in ruins!" The fashionable man said as the tired office worker from before spoke up.

"Wh-What's going on here!?" The tired office worker asked as the city erupted into pandemonium...

(Back with Joker and the others)

"It seems they finally realize their lives are in danger!" Fox said, his eyes narrowed slightly in disapproval as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"Truth, Fox! It took 'em long enough!" Skull said as Queen scoffed and spoke up.

"Tch. I can't believe they didn't notice until the danger was so close to them. How appalling." Queen said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. The problem is, things are going to get even worse from here on out, you guys. The entire city has stopped functioning. At least they can still panic for now, so that's something." Mona said as Sumi frowned and spoke up.

"True, but what happens if it turns into a mass panic down there? What effect might that have on the area we're in?" Sumi asked as Panther spoke up.

"Good question, Sumi. I'm not sure if even Mona knows the answer to it, though. That said, if people still don't act for themselves after seeing all this chaos and catastrophe? I'm sorry, but they're hopeless!" Panther said as Mona spoke up.

"Fair point. In any case, let's head to the temple." Mona said as the group kept moving. Once in the next section, Joker noticed all the areas looked more menacing and intimidating, with most of the paths seeming to have fangs protruding from them. Noir gasped and spoke up.

"Look, over there!" Noir said as the group noticed the Shadows patrolling the area, making Fox speak up with an unreadable look on his face.

"It seems guards have appeared." Fox said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Precisely. The people in the city recognized us, so it's only natural we'd draw the enemy's attention as well." Mona said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Yeah? Well, they can bring it on! I'm startin' to get fired up!" Skull said as the group kept moving. After beating a strong Shadow, Joker and Noir hit level 72 while Panther hit level 71. Joker spoke up.

"Cool, I leveled up." Joker said casually as his level increased. After the battle, Joker felt a Fusion Alarm go off, so he headed back to the entrance to the Velvet Room, where he saw Lavenza standing outside, and spoke to her.

"Are you out here to watch our progress, Lavenza?" Joker asked conversationally as Lavenza gave Joker an unreadable look before she spoke up.

"You have my sincerest thanks. I wouldn't have regained my true form if not for you. In order to repay that debt, allow me to assist you and your teammates here." Lavenza said before giggling as she kept speaking.

"By that, I mean please come to me if you are injured. I will heal your wounds. Ah, I see you've been working hard. Allow me to relieve you of your exhaustion." Lavenza said as she opened her book, flipped it to a random page and waved her hand, at which point a wave of healing energy washed over the group, making them feel better. Afterwards, Lavenza kept speaking.

"There. Now is the time for all of you to show your true strength to the world." Lavenza said as Joker nodded his understanding. After recruiting several new Personas and defeating some more Shadows, Mona hit level 72. After beating another Shadow, Skull hit level 72. After clearing out the area of Shadows and seizing a 'Bead Chain' from a chest, the group headed to the path leading to the next section, but Oracle stopped them by speaking up.

"Announcement! Wait up! I'm getting another reading from up ahead! Are you ready for this?" Oracle said as Joker spoke up with a nod.

"Yep, I'm good to go. Let's do it." Joker said as the group kept moving, before another winged enemy appeared, taking the form of a blonde-haired male with black and blue armor, a sword, and angel wings. The group also took note of the white and gold sash across the Shadow's chest. The Shadow then spoke up.

"Halt, rebels! I shall not allow you to continue forth!" The 'Cleanser of Heaven', as Oracle's scan identified it, said as Mona spoke up.

"Come on, let's beat this one too! More people should notice the Phantom Thieves if we just make ourselves seen!" Mona said as Noir nodded and spoke up.

"Good! That's exactly what we want!" Noir said as the battle began. The ensuing battle was a tough one, but in the end, an array of Critical hits from both Joker and Skull brought the enemy down and the ensuing EXP gains brought Panther to level 72, both Fox and Noir to level 73, and Oracle to level 74. From the level ups, Fox acquired the Colossal-tier Physical skill 'Brave Blade', making Fox chuckle as he spoke up.

"Heheh! What a skill!" Fox said as Sumi nodded before she blinked in realization and spoke up.

"Correct me if I'm wrong on this, since I'm aware Draconis is usually the one to track these things, but isn't that this group's first Colossal-tier skill? If so, congrats Fox-senpai!" Sumi said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"That's correct, Sumi. That is the first Colossal-tier skill we've gotten, not counting the ones my Personas have." Joker said wisely as Kamu Susano-o acquired 'Brave Blade'. Fox then smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, and not only that, but it seems that was the final skill that my Persona can learn, so I appear to be the first of us to have maxed out their Persona's learnset." Fox said with a smirk as Joker nodded and patted Fox on the shoulder while speaking up.

"That you are, man. That you are. Congrats again." Joker said. Surprisingly, that wasn't all, as Noir acquired the passive skill 'Psy Amp', making her smile as she spoke up.

"Ooh, a new skill! I can work even harder now!" Noir said happily as Mona spoke up.

"Impressive, Noir! You're getting even stronger with each new skill!" Mona said proudly as Milady acquired 'Psy Amp'.

(After the battle, back in Shibuya)

"Wh-What's going on!? Where are the police?" A doubting businesswoman asked as everyone around her was panicking and screaming in fear. At that moment, a nearby person suddenly dissolved into black and red mist, making a nearby timid woman gasp as she spoke up.

"H-Hey! That person over there! They just disappeared! Th-They turned into some kind of black fog and vanished!" The timid woman said as back with the group, the group kept moving after reaching the next section.

After defeating a group of enemies that included a 'Crystal Skull', or the Treasure Demon of the area, the ensuing EXP gain brought Queen to level 73. After defeating more Shadows, Joker hit level 73. Joker smirked as he spoke up.

"Nice, I leveled up!" Joker said as Sumi just shook her head fondly and pressed a finger gently to Joker's lips, ignoring the wide-eyed look of surprise on his face as she spoke up, unaware of the grins on both Skull and Panther's faces as they watched Sumi effortlessly shush the leader of the Phantom Thieves while she giggled.

"Shh. We get it, Joker-senpai. You leveled up. You don't have to announce it every single time, though. But I do find it adorable that you do. Hee hee!" Sumi said, before removing her finger slowly and pecking a red-faced Joker on the cheek as the group kept moving, not seeing Skull fist-bump Joker after she turned away to fall back into place with the backups. After defeating another strong Shadow, both Skull and Mona hit level 73 while Fox hit level 74. After defeating more Shadows, Panther hit level 73, Noir hit level 74, and Oracle hit level 75. The level ups gave Saruman a new skill in the form of the passive skill 'Null Curse', making Oracle chuckle as she spoke up.

"Mwehehe! Nice, a new skill! Woot woot!" Oracle said as Sumi sighed and spoke up.

"And now I know why Joker-senpai's such a show off on his level ups. Granted, I think part of it is also on Draconis, but I can see you're not the best influence on him either, Oracle." Sumi said dryly as Oracle smirked and spoke up.

"Chill, Sumi! Joker's like a brother to me! And he was already a show-off long before I had any part in influencing it." Oracle said as Sumi nodded and spoke up.

"Very well, fair enough. Let's just keep going." Sumi said as Oracle nodded while Saruman acquired 'Null Curse'. After moving ahead and finding the path forward, Noir spoke up as the group reached the path leading to the next section.

"Hm. It seems we're getting closer to the temple, doesn't it?" Noir said as Oracle nodded and spoke up.

"Correct! But not only that. We're getting closer to our goal! And we're getting closer to another strong enemy to fight! I'm getting a strong reading up ahead!" Oracle said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Cool. Let's push on. The sooner we eliminate these strong readings, the sooner we clear the path to our objective, and the sooner we can stop that evil god from realizing his ambitions." Joker said as another golden winged being flew into view, before changing forms into that of another angel-esque shadow, this time a female, who had flowing black hair, solid gold-orange chest armor, a sword in one hand, a triple-headed flower in the other, and wings sprouting from her back, while the nearby wind gusts made her skirt flutter in the wind slightly as she spoke up.

"Hold. I bear you no malice, children of man." The female Shadow said as the group looked at her in alarm as she kept speaking.

"Return from whence you came. Proceeding further shall only serve to shorten your lives. I advise you not as a guardian, but out of the mercy of my heart." The 'Declarer of Anguish', as Oracle's scan identified the female Shadow, said. Oracle scoffed at this and spoke up.

"Hah! Mercy? Don't make me laugh! If you had mercy, you'd never be doing this to the world!" Oracle said as the Declarer of Anguish spoke up in surprise.

"Ah, I see. Even now, thy answer is in weapons drawn against me? What choice have I, in the face of such adversity? My children's misconduct is mine to absolve, and mine to punish." The Declarer of Anguish said as a battle began. After a lengthy fight, where it took most everything in the group's power to defeat the Declarer of Anguish, the ensuing EXP gain brought Queen to level 74.

(After the battle, back in Shibuya)

"D-Does anyone know where my friend is!? He was right next to me not that long ago." A panicking man said as a bunch of people started vanishing as a flustered woman spoke up.

"No! A person disappeared right in front of my eyes!" The flustered woman said as the person next to her vanished, making a nearby middle-aged businessman fall over in fear as he spoke up.

"P-Please save us! Someone! Anyone!" The middle-aged man said as the scene kept being one of pandemonium and panic...

(Back with the group)

"Huh. I'm not surprised there are so many powerful enemies here, to be honest." Queen said as Fox frowned and nodded as he spoke up.

"Indeed. Though they may not be true 'servants of God', they do live up to that moniker with their actions." Fox said as Noir frowned and spoke up.

"That said, I wonder if the people in the city are okay right now." Noir said with a frown. At that moment, Sumi smiled and spoke up.

"I'm sure they'll be all right in the long run, Noir-senpai. For now though, it's probably not a pleasant scene in the city if I had to guess. That's why we have to stop this false god before he can really make people suffer." Sumi said with a firm nod as Joker smiled approvingly at Sumi's words while Queen spoke up.

"Agreed, Sumi. And I hope so, Noir. Given what is happening to this world right now, nobody can be a stranger anymore if you think about it." Queen said as Panther frowned and nodded as she spoke up in a resolute tone.

"Yeah, that's why we can't lose this battle! There's only one thing we gotta do!" Panther said as Mona spoke up.

"Well said, Lady Ann. Let's keep going!" Mona said approvingly as Joker just gave Mona a disapproving stare and frowned at him, knowing the not-cat would know what he did. Mona blinked and spoke up.

"Crap, I meant Lady Panther. My bad." Mona said as the group kept moving. While heading back to heal, Joker hit level 74 off of some Shadows the group defeated. Joker then spoke up.

"Power courses through me!" Joker said smugly as Sumi just smiled and let Joker show off a bit as his level went up. While fighting more Shadows to try and get back to heal, both Skull and Mona hit level 74 while Fox and Noir hit level 75. The level ups gave Noir the support skill 'Heat Riser', making Noir smirk as she spoke up.

"A new skill! Now I can work even harder!" Noir said happily as Milady acquired 'Heat Riser'. After a quick detour to the Velvet Room to heal and do some quick Persona management, the group got some level ups off of some Shadows they took out on the way back to where they'd left off, with Panther hitting level 74, Queen hitting level 75, and Oracle hitting level 76. From the level ups, Panther gained the severe-tier Fire move 'Blazing Hell', making her smirk as she spoke up.

"Whoa! A new move!" Panther said as Oracle smirked and spoke up.

"And a very fitting one, too! After all, I recall the saying goes 'Hell hath no fury like a pissed off woman', or something like that. Mwehehe." Oracle said playfully as Hecate acquired 'Blazing Hell'. On top of that, Queen got the severe-tier Nuke skill 'Atomic Flare', making her smirk as she spoke up.

"Perfect! I've awakened to a new skill!" Queen said as Skull spoke up.

"Nice one, babe! Now you have a really strong way to nuke someone! Well done." Skull said with a smirk as Johanna acquired 'Atomic Flare'. After defeating more Shadows following a Fusion Alarm, some more level ups were attained, with Joker's 'Nebiros' Persona hitting level 83, Joker himself along with Mona hitting level 75 and Fox hitting level 76. The level ups granted Mona the high-tier healing skill 'Salvation', making him smirk as he spoke up.

"Now I'm even MORE charming!" Mona said as Sumi frowned at this and spoke up.

"That might be true, but I don't think it did much for your ego, Mona-senpai. Sorry for offending you, but you do have a tiny bit of an ego." Sumi said as Joker and Skull laughed, the latter lightly patting Sumi on the shoulder as he spoke up.

"Nah, you're not wrong, Sumi! Mona knows I have his back, but he could stand to dial the show-off level down a tad. We get he's trying to impress Panther and/or Noir, but there's such a thing as too much showing off. No offense to you, Mona." Skull said as Mona shrugged.

"That's actually fair, Skull." Mona said as Mercurius acquired 'Salvation'. After recruiting a 'Crystal Skull', or the Treasure Demon of the area, the ensuing EXP gain brought Skull and Sumi to level 75 and gave him the colossal-tier Physical skill 'God's Hand', making Skull smirk as he spoke up.

"All right, a new move! So, whaddya think?" Skull asked as Queen smirked and spoke up.

"I think that's your last new skill, and with it, all of everyone's skills have been acquired with the exceptions of Sumi and Joker. So good job, sweetie." Queen said as she lightly pecked Skull on the cheek, giggling at how red Skull's face got afterwards while Seiten Taisei acquired 'God's Hand'. After beating more Shadows, both Noir and Queen hit level 76, while Oracle hit level 77. After beating a strong Shadow, Panther hit level 75. After beating another strong Shadow, Joker hit level 76.

"Not bad. All things considered, I'd call this a step forward. Let's keep moving." Joker said humbly, surprising both Sumi and Mona with his lack of showing off with the current level up. After getting to the spot that the group had left off, Skull spoke up.

"All right! All we gotta do is keep climbin' this structure to the temple. We're almost there!" Skull said as Oracle gasped and spoke up.

"Oh! This isn't good! You might wanna hold that thought, Skull! It's not wrong, but at the same time, it's not gonna be that easy to pull off though. We've got another one of those angel things coming up on us. It's right past this stair-" Oracle said before cutting herself off mid-sentence to gasp as she kept speaking.

"Wait, wha!? What the heck!? This reading is off the charts!" Oracle said as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"That's fair, Oracle. If I had to guess, it must be because this is the final guardian. I expect it will be the most powerful of them all." Fox said as Oracle gasped and spoke up while looking at Joker.

"W-Well, Joker? You really think we can do this as we are now?" Oracle asked as Joker spoke up with a resolute look on his face.

"We have no other choice, Oracle. We didn't come this far just to back down now over a strong reading. If nothing else, we owe it to our missing comrades to see this through for their sake, as well as for the sake of all the people currently panicking in the city. Moreover, we owe it to our allies back in the city to do our best to save the world." Joker said firmly.

At that point a golden winged shadow materialized in front of the group, before forming into another male angel Shadow, this one with short black hair, golden shoulder and chest armor, a white loincloth-like waist wrap, golden anklets and armbands, a long spear, and golden wings that fanned out behind him. When the Shadow spoke, Joker blinked at the sound of the Shadow's voice, as he nearly mistook the voice of the Shadow for that of one of his Confidants. *1*

"O, dire revelation. Never did I expect thee to slay all other archangels set to guard the Holy Grail. Alas, now only I remain." The 'Apocalyptic Guide', as Oracle's scan identified the angel Shadow, said. Panther frowned at this and spoke up.

"Oh? So that means you're the last one who's gonna get in our way!" Panther said with a frown as the 'Apocalyptic Guide' frowned and spoke up.

"Dare thee destroy the very ruler thou wished for? Human arrogance truly knows no bounds." The 'Apocalyptic Guide' said as Fox frowned at it and spoke up.

"Not everyone wants that thing ruling over us!" Fox said as the 'Apocalyptic Guide' spoke up.

"Oh? Dost thou long for freedom? Dost thou revel in diversity? Since the dawn of time, man hath failed to quell the strife born of their own liberty. Now they finally seek the guiding yoke of a master's rule. What empty justice seekest thou in defying their wish!?" The 'Apocalyptic Guide' said as Mona scoffed and spoke up.

"Tch! Like granting that wish is justice either! How can you say people are free when they're chained up in prisons in this broken world!?" Mona asked the 'Apocalyptic Guide', getting a nod of agreement from Noir as she spoke up.

"What Mona said! If someone has lost their way, it's our job to help them come to their senses!" Noir said resolutely as the 'Apocalyptic Guide' scoffed and spoke up.

"So. No sacrilege is beneath thee. For thy ideals, thou wouldst profane all that is holy. Thou art beyond all salvation!" The 'Apocalyptic Guide' said as a battle started! After the battle went on for a while, Noir and Mona looked at each other and nodded as they spoke up in unison.

"IT'S SHOWTIME!" Mona and Noir said as their Showtime started! As Mona prepared to transform, he spoke up.

"This is it! It's do or die, Noir!" Mona said as Noir nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed, Mona-chan! Let's lock and load!" Noir said as Mona transformed into his Mona-bus form and Noir hopped on top, aiming her rocket launcher at the enemy, speaking up as she fired it.

"Have a taste of our fury! FIRE!" Noir said as she fired a rocket at the enemy, which hit and exploded in the enemy's face, making it blink as it took massive damage, but not destroying it, to Mona and Noir's surprise. Noir then gasped as she saw Mona crashed and back to normal, racing to his side in an instant.

"Oh! Mona-chan! Are you all right?" Noir asked Mona, who blinked but nodded as he shook it off to end the Showtime. After a bit, Joker managed to down the enemy with a lucky Critical, starting up a Hold Up, where he looked at the others and spoke up.

"Ready to end this, guys?" Joker asked as Mona, Skull and Panther nodded and spoke up.

"READY!" Mona, Skull, and Panther said in unison as Joker spoke up.

"Then let's give this guy an All-Out Attack!" Joker said as the four charged forward, giving the enemy all they had before the screen shifted to a shot of Joker flipping into view and tightening his left glove as the enemy was constricted inward before slumping over and dissolving into black mist after several wounds opened up on it, at which point Joker smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, we got 'em! Nice one, guys! Show's over!" Joker said as he flexed on-screen while the battle ended. From the ensuing EXP gains, Joker's 'Quetzalcoatl' Persona hit level 73, both Mona and Skull hit level 76, and both Fox and Noir hit level 77. After the battle, Mona spoke up happily.

"Finally! The path to the temple is open!" Mona said as Skull pumped a fist and spoke up.

"Awesome! No more of that Holy Grail shit doing whatever it wants!" Skull said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Well said, Skull! Let's go!" Mona said as Oracle spoke up while looking at Joker.

"Wait. I'm not sensing anymore enemies nearby, Joker. This is probably gonna be our last chance to prep ourselves." Oracle said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. We cannot lose now. Let us ensure we do not have any regrets as we head towards the final battle. If nothing else, we owe it to those who are missing right now to succeed in their honor." Fox said as the group nodded. At that point, the 'Shrine Entrance' was added to Joker's fast-travel list, giving him an easy fast-travel point to return to if he needed to go back and heal. After going back and healing, the group looked at the entrance to the shrine and proceeded forward. As they approached the entrance of the shrine, Mona frowned and spoke up.

"Now then, listen up! That thing is waiting up ahead for us. This will most likely be our final battle, everyone. Let us make sure we do our best! That said, are you ready, Joker?" Mona asked as Joker spoke up.

"Let's go. We're as ready as we're gonna be, I think." Joker said wisely as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Of course you'd say that, Joker. Heh, I guess that was a foolish question to ask. Well, come on!" Mona said as the group ran forward, but about halfway across the bridge, the path fell apart under the group, forcing Joker to whip out his grappling hook to zip the others across into the shrine, where the false Igor awaited them. The false Igor scoffed as he spoke up.

"Rebels who choose to deny the Prison of Regression for whatever reason, why do you mere humans still dare oppose me!?" The false Igor asked as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"Stop acting like you're some kinda god! You're just a Treasure! Shut up and let us destroy you!" Panther said as the false Igor scoffed and spoke up.

"Fools! No, imbeciles! Do you still not understand? Your actions shall not save a single soul." The false Igor said before laughing at the group tauntingly as he floated backwards and shifted into his true form of the 'Holy Grail', who then spoke up in it's booming voice.

"How do you think it is that I became a god to begin with?" The 'Holy Grail' asked as Queen blinked and spoke up after the group all got looks of shock on their faces.

"What is that supposed to mean!?" Queen asked as the 'Holy Grail' spoke up.

"Think about it, fool! It means you're denying freedom! The freedom not to choose for oneself, the freedom not think for oneself, and so on. If every person pushed the burden of their lives upon others, no one would have to act for themselves. And who should be there to receive those burdens?" The 'Holy Grail' said as Noir gasped and spoke up.

"No way! Are you saying what I think you're saying!? Are you saying that the one receiving said burdens, that's you!?" Noir asked as the 'Holy Grail' spoke up.

"Precisely! Finally someone gets it! Humanity itself wished for the Holy Grail to be a god that would rule over them! If you continue to reject that order, there will no longer be a place for you in this world!" The 'Holy Grail' said as Mona spoke up with a smirk.

"Yeah, and?" Mona said with a smirk. The 'Holy Grail' scoffed and spoke up.

"Hmph. So you wish to reject me, do you? Even if it means forgoing praise from those you wish to 'save', even if it is from themselves." The 'Holy Grail' said as Noir spoke up with a frown.

"We're not like that any longer! We don't let what others think hold us down anymore! For the sake of not only those who made great sacrifices to get us this far, but also those rooting for us in the city, we push on to try and save the world, even if it is from itself!" Noir said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"That's right!" Queen said as Sumi spoke up at that point, frowning at the 'Holy Grail' as she spoke.

"You see, what you fail to realize is that, unlike you, we don't fight for fame or recognition! We fight to do what's right, and to protect the weak and needy, even if it is from their own distorted desires! And in this case, we intend to do just that, even if we have to go through the Holy Grail itself to do it! We owe it to not just Draconis and Crow, but to all our other allies and family, to save this world!" Sumi said confidently as the 'Holy Grail' scoffed and spoke up.

"Fools! If you are not going to obey me, then you shall suffer yet again. I shall bring down the hammer of judgement upon you who dare disrupt my world order!" The 'Holy Grail' said as a battle started and he spoke up while the fight started.

"You would dare strike me!? I am the one who grants the desires of the masses, foolish and indolent as they might be. Cower in fear!" The 'Holy Grail' said as the 'Will Of The People' immediately was invoked, giving him an early full heal, making Oracle blink in realization as she spoke up.

"Oh! That's it! If we don't do something about those blood-pumping supply-line things, this'll never end! Our opponent knows that too, though. It'll try and stop us if we go straight for them! We'll need to send someone in to cut the lines. Then, while they're out, everyone else will have to keep attacking to distract the Holy Grail!" Oracle said as Mona spoke up.

"I'll cut those supply lines!" Mona said as Joker blinked, pondering the situation. He then looked at Mona.

"It is true that we need to stop the Holy Grail from healing. Should I send someone to cut the lines?" Joker asked as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, you definitely should. As Oracle said, if we don't cut the lines, this will never end!" Mona said wisely as Joker nodded.

"Very well, then you go, Mona. However, you're not going alone. I want you to take Sumi with you for backup in case the enemy tries to stop you from reaching the target. Meanwhile the rest of us will work together to distract the Holy Grail." Joker said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Heh, smart decision!" Mona said to Joker before turning to Sumi and speaking up.

"C'mon, Sumi! Let's go and cut those supply lines!" Mona said as Sumi nodded and spoke up.

"Got it, Mona-senpai! Let's do it!" Sumi said as the two darted off to attack the supply lines, while the others stepped up to distract the Holy Grail. At that point, Skull and Panther used buffs on themselves while the others helped Joker attack the Holy Grail itself, who scoffed and spoke up as he took the damage.

"FOOLS! The happiness of the populace rests in my regulation, and mine alone! Those who cannot understand must be eliminated." The 'Holy Grail' said as Mona spoke up from where he and Sumi were hiding.

"It hasn't noticed us yet, Sumi. Let's keep going for now. Just a little more!" Mona said as Sumi nodded and the two leapt onto a nearby structure as the battle continued. After a bit, the Holy Grail spoke up once more.

"The masses that praise the Holy Grail are infinite. Their desires in power in turn grant me immortality." The Holy Grail said as Mona scoffed as he spoke up.

"Hmph. Sumi and I will show you the real desires of the masses! We're cutting them! Ready, Sumi?" Mona asked as Sumi nodded and spoke up.

"Ready, Mona-senpai!" Sumi said as she and Mona lunged forward, blades out, and slashed through each of the supply lines, cutting them all and making the power supply cut off with a low hum of confirmation, similar to the sound of something powering down. Afterwards, Oracle smirked and spoke up.

"YES! It worked! How's that!?" Oracle said as the Holy Grail blinked and spoke up.

"Hm? Could it be? I am no longer receiving the strength of the inmates! You repugnant rebels! What did you do!?" The Holy Grail asked as Sumi spoke up.

"We cut off your healing supply! Now it's a fair fight!" Sumi said as Oracle nodded and spoke up.

"Sumi's right! It can't heal itself anymore! This'll be a head-to-head fight from now on! Take it down!" Oracle said as the group nodded as the battle resumed. Joker looked at the others and spoke up.

"Ready, everyone? Let's all do this together!" Joker said as the group nodded and spoke up as one.

"READY!" Skull, Mona, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, and Sumi all said as they spoke up as one with Joker.

"NEBIROS!/SEITEN TAISEI!/HECATE!/MERCURIUS!/KAMU SUSANO-O!/JOHANNA!/SARUMAN!/MILADY!/CENDRILLON! APPEAR!/BRING THE PAIN!/DANCE!/SHOW YOUR MIGHT!/STRIKE!/CHARGE!/SMITE THE ENEMY!/COME!/DANCE!" The group said as they all summoned their Personas in unison before guarding in time to avoid a heavy attack aimed at the whole group. Joker then swapped to Unicorn to heal the group with a quick 'Salvation' before the battle resumed. After a few rounds of applying buffs, Joker and the others nodded as the Personas stepped up and spoke up.

"Now, everyone! Let us combine our strength to defeat our foe!" Saruman said as the others nodded and spoke up.

"RIGHT!" The other Personas said as they spoke up to start their combo attack.

"ME FIRST! MAEIGAON!" Nebiros said as it fired a burst of Curse energy out to start the attack as Seiten Taisei spoke up.

"My turn! ZIODYNE!" Seiten Taisei said, firing a burst of Elec energy into the sphere to enlarge it and make the attack stronger. Mercurius then spoke up.

"Allow me! GARUDYNE!" Mercurius said, adding a burst of Wind energy to the sphere as Hecate spoke up.

"HA! AGIDYNE!" Hecate said, firing a burst of Fire energy into the sphere as Kamu Susano-o spoke up.

"And now for my contribution! BUFUDYNE!" Kamu Susano-o said as he fired a burst of Ice energy into the sphere, making it grow as Johanna spoke up next.

"TIME TO GUN IT! FREIDYNE!" Johanna said as she contributed a burst of Nuke energy to the sphere, making it grow as Saruman spoke up.

"And now it's my time to shine! PSIODYNE!" Saruman said as he fired a burst of Psy energy into the sphere as Milady spoke up.

"Now for my power! ONE-SHOT KILL!" Milady said as she revealed the guns in her dress, firing off a burst of Gun power into the sphere, making it grow as Cendrillion spoke up.

"And now for my contribution! KOUGAON!" Cendrillion said as she fired a burst of Bless energy at the sphere, making it grow ever larger, but making the Personas frown as Nebiros spoke up.

"Wait, crap! We're short an Almighty user and a Phys user! We might not be able to finish the attack!" Nebiros said as at that moment, a burst of Phys energy and a burst of Almighty energy hit the sphere and managed to complete the attack, making it glow in the colors of the rainbow as a familiar voice rang through the Personas' minds.

"Allow me to remedy that! Draconis and I might be captive, but that doesn't mean I can't still contribute my power to the cause! Behold! The two-pronged fury that is MEGIDOLA AND AGNEYASTRA!" Thailog's voice echoed from inside of each of the Personas' minds as they saw the bursts of Almighty and Phys energy complete the sphere, allowing the Personas and Thieves to all speak up as one.

"NOW TO END IT! HA! ELEMENTAL BLAST!" All of the Phantom Thieves present, along with their Personas, said as one, as the massive sphere of multi-colored energy shot forward, tearing through the front of the Holy Grail, damaging it sufficiently to make it groan as it was rendered immobilized as a lot of the lights behind it shut off, ending the battle. From the ensuing EXP gain, Panther hit level 76, Queen hit level 77, and Oracle hit level 78. Surprisingly, the level ups gave Saruman a new skill in the form of the support skill 'Heat Riser', making Oracle gasp as she spoke up.

"Wow! A new move! And it's a good one, too! Mwehehe!" Oracle said as Saruman acquired 'Heat Riser'. After the battle, an ominous silence fell over the room as Skull spoke up to break it.

"Hey, it's over, isn't it? We did get him, yeah?" Skull asked as Queen turned to Oracle and spoke up.

"Did we get it, Oracle!?" Queen asked Oracle, who gasped as she spoke up.

"Oh! Umm, I'm not sure? Uhh, it's silent, but to be honest? I dunno if we got it for sure or not yet." Oracle asked. At that moment, as if to answer the question, the room started rumbling as parts of the room lit up blue, revealing that the structure that Sumi and Mona had climbed up before to cut the supply lines was in fact a hand, of which there were two, one on either side of the still-unmoving Holy Grail. At that point, the blue flashes changed to red, as the group watched on in mixed horror, curiosity, and concern. At that point, the gears on the front of the Holy Grail started moving, making Skull gasp as he spoke up.

"Eh? What the eff is goin' on? This looks bad, you guys!" Skull said as suddenly a bright light flooded the room as the walls started receding at the same time that the Holy Grail started breaking apart and seemingly opening up before the eyes of the shocked group. Noir gasped as she spoke up.

"Oh! Could it be evolving, like our Personas can!?" Noir asked as the room's walls started falling away to reveal a gigantic open area reminiscent of Heaven itself, making the group gasp as Fox spoke up.

"What's going on!?" Fox asked in surprise as where the Holy Grail once was, emerged a massive tower with wings spreading out from the sides, as if assuming a new form. The 'tower' then glowed blue as it split into sections with the wings latching to the top like roots, the circle that represented the former base of the Holy Grail becoming a 'halo' of sorts as the tower started splitting apart to reveal a massive metallic structure that slowly took the form of a being, making Noir gasp as she spoke up.

"No! It's the Holy Grail in its entirety, isn't it!?" Noir asked as the hands from before reappeared, seemingly moving towards the being as Panther spoke up.

"Is this real!?" Panther asked as the being's wings spread outwards in all their gold and silver glory, with traces of red and black on the undersides of the wings. Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Guys, pull it together!" Skull said as Oracle gasped, seeing the being in its entirety which made her shudder as she spoke up.

"G-Give me a break!" Oracle said as the camera panned out to reveal the metallic structures, were all in fact one gigantic metallic being. At that point, Thailog's voice echoed in Oracle's mind.

"Caution, Oracle! You've awakened the true God of Control! You and the others will have to proceed carefully! Think of this as your true final battle, for now. If you can overcome this foe, then you'll have likely destroyed the Treasure! Good luck!" Thailog's voice echoed in Oracle's mind before falling silent at that point. Before anything could be said, the now-former Holy Grail spoke up.

"Behold my true form! I am the administrator born of the collective human subconscious. The god of control, Yaldabaoth." The now-named Yaldabaoth said as Oracle gasped and spoke up.

"No way! This is crazy! It's like a building!" Oracle said as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"No kidding! It was already huge back when it was the Holy Grail, but now it's massive!" Panther said as Yaldabaoth spoke up.

"The administrator must guide mankind toward proper development. And now that the foolishness of mankind has been proven, it is the administrator's duty to purge them." Yaldabaoth said as Skull scoffed and spoke up.

"WHAT!? You kiddin'!? This is just some kinda rigged game YOU started!" Skull said angrily. Yaldaboath scoffed and spoke up.

"Silence, fool! The foolish masses merely spread indolent thoughts and force the progress of society backward. If left to humanity, the world would slowly meet its demise. Rehabilitation is impossible now." Yaldabaoth said as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"Even so, that doesn't mean humans are evil though!" Queen said a Yaldabaoth nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. There are many upstanding citizens. However, they merely take the sole path before them. The act of making decisions is accompanied by nothing but pain. Even if a cliff of ruin lay ahead, these lemming would march ahead without a second thought for the danger or the consequences." Yaldabaoth said as Skull scoffed and spoke up.

"Bullshit! You're just forcin' your selfish ideas on people!" Skull said as Oracle frowned and spoke up.

"Since Draconis isn't here to say it, I'll say it for him! For a god, you're pretty damn prejudiced!" Oracle said as Mona and Joker nodded their agreement while Noir spoke up.

"If this is all for the sake of humanity, wouldn't being beaten by humans satisfy you?" Noir asked as Yaldabaoth spoke up.

"You? Beat me? Nonsense! I am the entity which governs this world. Its future depends wholly on my leadership. Those who dare defy this natural order shall be met with punishment raining down from the heavens." Yaldabaoth said as it whipped up a gust of wind that pushed the others backwards, making Queen wince as she spoke up.

"Ngh. Stay strong, everyone! We can't give up now!" Queen said as Sumi nodded and spoke up.

"Right, Queen-senpai! We've come too far to lose here!" Sumi said as Oracle spoke up.

"Be that as it may Sumi, let me remind you, and rgh, that hurts! That thing's on a totally different level!" Oracle said as Fox spoke up.

"Can we defeat something like him?" Fox asked as Mona spoke up.

"Heh, this is the best possible outcome!" Mona said before turning to Joker as he kept speaking.

"We're fighting against a god who's not holding anything back, right? What bigger target could there be for the Phantom Thieves to tackle?" Mona asked as Joker nodded and Queen spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"That is true, Mona. Although, to be honest? It's still way too big for my liking." Queen said as Oracle smiled and spoke up resolutely.

"All right! I'll give the navigation everything I've got!" Oracle said as Noir nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed, Oracle-chan! We can do this if we all work together! I know if he were here right now, Draconis would say the same." Noir said as the others nodded, agreeing with her remark. Panther then gave a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Right! Let's take him down!" Panther said as at that point, a barely-audible voice could just be heard reaching the group's ears on the winds.

"If you guys can hear this, do your best! Believe in yourselves and fight as one, and you've got a pretty damn good shot at beating that thing! After all, if even the would-be prime minister himself couldn't defeat you all working together, what shot does a god have!? And don't worry about me for now, I'm okay. Worry about Yaldabaoth for now. Only after he's gone can you allow yourselves to worry about me. Good luck, everyone." The group heard, making them gasp as they all recognized the voice, making Joker gasp as he spoke up.

"Wait, was that voice...?" Joker asked as Oracle spoke up to finish his thought.

"Draconis!? But he's supposed to be captured, isn't he!?" Oracle asked as Saruman spoke up in her mind.

"He is indeed captured, Oracle. But you forget, when you awakened to mine and Prometheus' powers, you also created a strong bond with Draconis and Thailog as well due to how you awakened. So it's through that very same bond that he was able to speak up. Granted, it took a good bit of his energy to do, so he can't do it often. But at least you know now that he's safe for the time being. Let's focus on defeating Yaldabaoth for now!" Saruman said as Oracle nodded before Fox spoke up.

"Heh! Crowning our glory by defeating a god, false or not? Now that is true art." Fox said as Skull looked at Joker and spoke up.

"No problem. We basically just gotta beat that thing, right!?" Skull said as Mona spoke up with a closed-eye smirk.

"Man, I am impressed! You guys are the best, stupidest group I could ask for. That said, I'm so glad I was able to be a part of your team, Joker." Mona said as Joker spoke up.

"It's not over yet, Mona. First we have to take that false god down! And even then, you're not going anywhere, brother." Joker said decisively. Mona chuckled as he spoke up.

"Heh, good point, Joker. You're right. We'll take it all back, here and now! Our future, our dreams, and this world!" Mona said as the battle began! At the start, Yaldabaoth spoke up.

"FOOLS! I SHALL SHOW YOU NO MERCY! Rebels who dare defy my rule. Hear my words. It is my judgement that you shall all perish." Yaldabaoth said as Oracle spoke up to rally the group.

"Heh, so this guy's behind everything, it seems. But if we work together, we can still win!" Oracle said as the battle started! As the battle started, the group wasted no time in casting buffs on each other and charging their skills up. After a bit, Joker nodded to the others and spoke up.

"Now, guys!" Joker said as the others nodded and spoke up.

"RIGHT!" Skull, Panther, Mona, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, and Sumi said as they all spoke up.

"NEBIROS, COME FORTH!" Joker said while summoning out his 'Nebiros' Persona.

"LET 'ER RIP, SEITEN TAISEI!" Ryuji said as he summoned out Seiten Taisei.

"DANCE, HECATE!" Panther said as she called forth Hecate.

"COME FORTH, MY OTHER SELF! MERCURIUS, SHOW YOUR MIGHT!" Mona said as he summoned out Mercurius.

"KAMU SUSANO-O! STRIKE!" Fox said as he summoned forth Kamu Susano-o.

"CHARGE, JOHANNA!" Queen said as she brought out Johanna.

"PROMETHUS, PROTECT ME! SARUMAN, SMITE THE ENEMY!" Oracle said as she summoned out both Necronomicon and Saruman.

"COME, MILADY!" Noir said as she summoned Milady out.

"TIME TO DANCE, CENDRILLION!" Sumi said as she called forth Cendrillion. Yaldabaoth scoffed and spoke up.

"Is that the best you repugnant rebels can do!? Pitiful! I release upon you the deadly sin of lust. You have no means of escape, humans! The insanity of mankind shall bring forth the demise that awaits it." Yaldabaoth said as a metallic arm sprouted from its body, and to the group's shock, the arm had a gun waving off the end, where what appeared to be a rounded hand was holding it, making Mona gasp as he spoke up.

"What the heck!? It grew an arm!? And it has a gun!?" Mona said as Yaldabaoth chuckled and spoke up.

"Indeed. Now behold! This is your punishment!" Yaldabaoth said as the gun fired, hitting Mona with a burst of pink light, making hearts materialize around him, causing Oracle to gasp as she spoke up.

"What the-!? Oh no! The lust effect might keep Mona from moving! Not good!" Oracle said. After that, the group went about trying to heal Mona, to no avail. As this went on, Yaldabaoth chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, fools! You cannot heal the lust effect I have saddled your friend with! But I digress. Next, I release upon you the deadly sin of vanity. As before, there is no means of escaping this attack. The fradulence of mankind shall bring forth ruin, as I have foretold. Now, DESECRATE!" Yaldabaoth said as another arm materialized on his body, this one holding a bell which rang itself, covering Joker in a black ink. Oracle frowned at this and spoke up.

"Not good! Now you're weak to most everything, Joker!" Oracle said in annoyance. After that, the group started flinging their strongest attacks at Yaldabaoth and the limbs, trying to clock some damage. After a bit, both Mona and Joker naturally recovered from their status ailments and helped renew the buffs that Yaldabaoth had disabled at the time. After a moment, Yaldabaoth spoke up.

"Not bad, for a bunch of rebels. Now, I release upon you the deadly sin of gluttony. As with the other attacks, you have no means of escaping this attack, humans! The selfishness of mankind shall bring forth ruin, the likes of which none of you can prevent." Yaldabaoth said as third arm appeared, this one wielding a sword, to Mona's horror, prompting the not-cat to speak up.

"A sword this time? Getting hit by that would be dangerous for sure, no matter who gets hit." Mona said as Yaldabaoth chuckled and spoke up.

"Indeed. I CONDEMN YOU!" Yaldabaoth said as his sword fired forth and hit a random party member with an ailment, making Mona frown and speak up.

"Another one!? So this is how his body moves. He may keep switching up his moves! Let's be careful!" Mona said as Oracle blinked and spoke up.

"Oh, come on! This time, he hit ALL of you!? And with a surge of gluttony! Not good. Persona summoning might take a lot more effort." Oracle said. After healing up the damage the group had taken, Panther and Joker worked together to use their group hitting moves to destroy one of the limbs, as Yaldabaoth spoke up.

"Not bad. Now, I hereby release upon you the deadly sin of Wrath. Don't bother trying to escape it. The passion of mankind shall bring forth ruin, as I have decreed." Yaldabaoth said as he produced another arm, this one holding a book. Mona gasped and spoke up.

"What!? This one has a book! Don't let your guard down!" Mona said as the group nodded. Yaldabaoth smirked and spoke up.

"Give it up! I sentence you to wrath!" Yaldabaoth said as he waved the arm holding the book, making a beam of red and black energy hit Mona, causing him to fall into a rage. Oracle gasped at this and spoke up.

"What the!? Is that wrath!? Mona, calm down!" Oracle said. After a bit, Joker and Panther worked together to remove the limbs, only for Yaldabaoth to use 'Manifest Gun' to revive the gun limb as he spoke up.

"Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that, rebels! Now, I will release upon you the deadly sin of greed. In case it isn't obvious by now, give up on escaping, as it is impossible! As such, the fixation of mankind shall bring forth ruin, per my command. THIS IS YOUR PUNISHMENT!" Yaldabaoth said as he fired the gun at Panther, who winced as the attack hit her. After a bit, Mona and Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Ready, Mona?" Panther asked as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"For you, Lady Panther? Always!" Mona said as the two nodded and spoke up in unison.

"HA! IT'S SHOWTIME!" Panther and Mona said as their Showtime started!

"Behold, Lady Panther! A gift as beautiful as you are!" Mona said, producing a bouquet of flowers for Panther with a flourish, making Panther smile as she spoke up.

"Wow, thanks! SUCH GREAT TASTE!" Panther said as she pulled her SMGs out of the bouquet and started spraying Yaldabaoth with gunfire, before she and Mona leapt into the air together and both spoke up.

"WOO-HOO!" Panther and Mona said as Panther spoke up.

"With grace..." Panther said as Mona spoke up to finish Panther's sentence.

"And stylish charm! This one's for you!" Mona said before pulling out a bomb as he kept speaking.

"AND HERE'S THE BULLET!" Mona said as he tossed the bomb downwards towards a stunned Yaldabaoth, where it exploded in his face for good damage as the Showtime ended. Afterwards, Yaldabaoth winced and spoke up.

"Urgh, impressive. But still not good enough. And now, I will release upon you the deadly sin of envy. Beware, humans! This attack is inescapable! And with this, the resentment of mankind shall bring forth ruin from within. DEATH SHALL GRACE YOU!" Yaldabaoth said as he waved the remanifested bell which hit Skull with a burst of blue energy, making Oracle speak up.

"Oof, that's a burst of envy! Be careful! He's trying to make you fight one another!" Oracle said. After healing off the damage the envious Skull did, Yaldabaoth used 'Manifest Book' to revive the book arm and spoke up.

"And now we get down to the wire! I commend you for getting this far. But this is where your luck ends! I release upon you the deadly sin of pride. And like all other deadly sins, Pride is inescapable, humans! The ingratitude of mankind shall bring forth ruin by my will. I SENTENCE YOU!" Yaldabaoth said as he used the book to cast a skill on himself, making Oracle gasp and speak up.

"Oh, no! Pride! Don't attack, or you'll get countered instantly!" Oracle said fretfully. After the 'Pride' effect wore off, Joker smirked and spoke up.

"Oh, my. Looks like your little buff wore off, didn't it Yaldy? Now it's our turn! NEBIROS! Hit this fool with your Almighty power!" Joker said as Nebiros smirked and waved its arm, letting loose a mighty 'Megidolaon' that hit the entire enemy formation, destroying the limbs again while severely damaging Yaldabaoth himself. At that point, Skull and Fox looked at each other and nodded as they spoke up.

"Skull, shall we give this false god a taste of our power?" Fox said as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Hell yeah, Fox! Let's do it!" Skull said as the two spoke up as one.

"HA! IT'S SHOWTIME!" Fox and Skull said as their Showtime started. Skull sat in front of Fox at a counter seat, groaning as he spoke up.

"Ugh, I'm runnin' on empty, man!" Skull said as Fox smirked and spoke up as he produced a ramen bowl.

"Not to worry! BEHOLD! A saucy! Zesty! MASTERPIECE!" Fox said as he threw together the bowl before a ravenous Skull's eyes, who cheered and spoke up.

"All right! What a master! Ain't nothin' better than-Eh!?" Skull said, being cut off mid-sentence as he saw the metallic head of Yaldabaoth looking in through a window and groaning as he spoke up.

"GAH! I'm tryin to eat, dumbass!" Skull said as he produced his shotgun at the same time that Fox produced his rifle, the two firing lots of bullets at Yaldabaoth, during which time Skull pulled out a grenade, pulled the pin, and spoke up while flinging it at Yaldabaoth.

"HERE YOU GO! MY TREAT!" Skull said as he tossed the grenade towards a stunned Yaldabaoth, where it hit his face right as one of Fox's bullets nicked the grenade, causing to explode square in the face of a horrified Yaldabaoth, who grunted as he took massive damage as the Showtime ended, making him groan as he spoke up.

"GAH! FOOLISH REBELS! URGH, NOT BAD. So, now I've seen your power. And you say this is the power that resists ruin, hm?" Yaldabaoth said as Oracle blinked and spoke up.

"Did we do it, guys? Did we win!? Urgh, no. Not yet!" Oracle said as Yaldabaoth scoffed and spoke up.

"You are powerful, but not powerful enough! No matter what you do, my control shall not bow down to ruin. My control is the ultimate truth of this world." Yaldabaoth said as he generated a huge burst of energy from his chest, which fired itself at the shocked group, bringing all of them to their knees, ending the fight. Afterwards, Skull groaned and spoke up.

"Gah, he's strong, that's for sure." Skull said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"Strong or not, he's wrong!" Mona said before rounding on Yaldabaoth as he kept speaking.

"And YOU! If you're really a god, you should be guiding humans to your ideals! You're destroying them because you can't do that, aren't you? So that you can flaunt your own existence. And that's why you were observing us! You had to because the reaction of the 'masses' worried you!" Mona said as Fox grunted and spoke up.

"Ugh. Hah! That sounds about right." Fox said as Skull groaned and spoke up.

"Truth, Fox! And as for you, Yaldabaoth! I don't know how long you lived, but you're the perfect example of a pain-in-the-ass old man!" Skull said as Panther scoffed and spoke up with a frown.

"Good point, Skull. The thing is, though, you find people like that everywhere." Panther said as Yaldabaoth growled and spoke up.

"What drivel is this!? SILENCE, FOOLS!" Yaldabaoth said as he fired a beam of dark energy at the group, making them gasp as Panther spoke up in worry.

"Ugh! What is this!?" Panther said as the area around the group was immersed in darkness, making Skull groan and speak up.

"Argh, dammit! I can't see anything!" Skull said as Noir frowned and spoke up.

"Do you want to erase us from this world that much!?" Noir asked as Mona looked at the others and spoke up.

"G-Guys!" Mona said as Yaldabaoth scoffed and spoke up.

"FOOLS! Since you've been forsaken by the world, there is nowhere that you can belong." Yaldabaoth said before making a rain of lightning strike the group, bringing them to their knees as they fell to the ground face down. Skull struggled to get up, groaning as he spoke up.

"No. We're not finished yet! And we can't lose now! Not like this!" Skull said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"You're right, sweetie. If we lose now, then the world is doomed." Queen said as Panther groaned and spoke up.

"Ugh, I need to find the strength to get back up onto my feet." Panther said as Yaldabaoth laughed mockingly at the group, striking them with more lightning, enjoying the screams of anguish he got from his actions. Fox groaned and spoke up.

"Ngh, why!? My strength is being drained from me." Fox said as Oracle groaned and spoke up.

"I can't believe it. We need to find the strength to go on, guys." Oracle said as Noir spoke up.

"So, is this it?" Noir said as Yaldabaoth spoke up with a chuckle.

"Learn your place! Not even one sliver of unpredictability can be permitted under my control." Yaldabaoth said as the group heard a few voices speaking up.

"Oh well, guess this is it." One voice said.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted." Another voice said.

"What do you expect, though? It's a bunch of humans against a god!" A third voice said as Yaldabaoth spoke up.

"Do you hear the voices of the masses? They mock you for revolting against a god. Humans are naught but clumps of desire. Logic dictates that a world filled with them will decline. The sin of rebelling against a god is severe. As punishment, you shall taste pain everlasting." Yaldabaoth said as Mona groaned and spoke up.

"Shut up, Yaldabaoth! No matter what, we're not letting that happen!" Mona said defiantly. Yaldabaoth scoffed at Mona and spoke up.

"Oh, right. Forgot about you. The attendant created from the dregs of human hope, hm? It is impossible for a petty existence like you to overrule my precedent." Yaldabaoth said as Mona scoffed at that and spoke up.

"So you say! But don't forget, human hope is a desire too! You better not underestimate it! The Phantom Thieves will yield to no one, no matter who they are! Even if only one of us remains, we'll get back up and fight to the very end. And we'll definitely give it our all! Not only that, but we'll definitely TAKE THE WORLD!" Mona called out, voice filled with defiance and fight.

(Back in Shibuya)

The public was running around screaming everywhere, as people kept disappearing. A tearful woman gasped and spoke up.

"Someone's gone! Someone just disappeared!" The tearful woman said as a pale man gasped and spoke up.

"What the hell!? What's going on!?" The pale man said as nearby, a frightened punk started shaking a cop as he spoke up.

"C'mon, do something, dammit! Aren't you the police!?" The frightened punk said as the young officer spoke up.

"Please, you have to calm down! Sir, what's going on here!?" The young officer said as another person vanished, making the veteran officer gasp in horror.

"What!?" The veteran officer said as a nearby shocked man tried to dial a number but got an error message, making him frown as he spoke up.

"It's no use, isn't it?" The shocked man said as Mona's voice suddenly could be heard by the masses.

"And we'll definitely give it our all! Not only that, but we'll definitely-" Mona's voice could be heard saying as the shocked man spoke up.

"Huh? What was that?" The shocked man said as before the eyes of the stunned masses, who slowly quieted down to look, the logo of the Phantom Thieves appeared on the TVs as Mona's voice could be heard once more.

"NOT ONLY THAT, BUT WE WILL DEFINITELY TAKE THE WORLD!" Mona's voice was heard, making the public turn to face the TVs as an attentive male student spoke up.

"Wait, what was this again?" The attentive male student said as the veteran officer spoke up.

"Isn't that the Phantom Thieves?" The veteran officer said as in the crowd, both Maruki and Akechi, from their hiding spots, gasped and spoke up.

"They're alive!? And fighting back against a god!?" Akechi said in shock, his jaw dropped in disbelief as Maruki spoke up.

"No way, they're still fighting? Incredible." Maruki said. At that point, the young officer spoke up.

"Wait, Weren't the Phantom Thieves those-" The young officer said, being cut off as a timid female student spoke up.

"They haven't given up yet, have they?" The timid female student said as next to her, a young man in a suit spoke up.

"No, but can they even do anything about a situation like this?" The young man in a suit asked. Nearby, an introverted young man spoke up.

"No, it's impossible, even for them. There's no way they can beat a god." The introverted young man said. At that point, another voice could be heard in the crowd, as a certain blue-haired male jumped up with a pumped fist.

"Take it down, Phantom Thieves!" Mishima said, cheering on the Phantom Thieves. He blinked as he saw all the incredulous stares aimed at him, frowning as he spoke up.

"Come on, why do you think they've risked their lives all this time!? Dammit, you guys! Snap out of it! WHEN WILL YOU STOP RUNNING FROM THE TRUTH!?" Mishima said, his hands on his knees as he started panting a bit. To his surprise, he heard voices speak up from nearby.

"The Phantom Thieves?" A man in the crowd said as another man spoke up.

"Yes, the Phantom Thieves can do it!" Another man said as he jumped up and down to root for the Phantom Thieves. Slowly, more and more of the masses started rooting for the Phantom Thieves, to the shock and disbelief of Mishima, as the number in the Phan-Site poll started slowly rising. Mishima smirked and raised his voice to the sky.

"Phantom Thieves, can you hear us!?" Mishima called out, as at that same time, Sojiro walked up to Mishima and smirked before he spoke up.

"Heh, are you someone who's been charmed by the Phantom Thieves too?" Sojiro asked Mishima, who smiled and spoke up.

"Yep, I sure am. Is the same true for you too?" Mishima asked Sojiro, who chuckled and nodded as he spoke up.

"Yeah, pretty much. Looks like it's not just us though." Sojiro said, smirking at the sight of the masses rooting for the Phantom Thieves. At that same time, elsewhere in the crowd, Yoshida crossed his arms and spoke up encouragingly, hoping his voice reached the Phantom Thieves.

"You all are truly causing a revolution right now! Goooooo!" Yoshida said as Hifumi spoke up next.

"Look forward, and keep fighting! You taught me that, after all!" Hifumi said as Lavenza spoke up at that point from next to the Velvet Room.

"You are our last hope, Phantom Thieves. I beg you all, heed my words. Finish this!" Lavenza said as Sojiro frowned and spoke up to add his voice to the cheers.

"Hmph! It's you guys' fault I don't know when to quit either. GET BACK UP! DON'T LOSE TO THAT THING! DEFEAT IT, FOR KUSA!" Sojiro called out. Mishima pumped a fist as he spoke up to add his voice to the cheers.

"No matter what anyone says, I believe in you guys! Go for it, Phantom Thieves!" Mishima said resolutely. At that point, Sae spoke up.

"I'm counting on you, everyone. You can do it! I will believe in you to the very end!" Sae said resolutely...

(At that same time, in a cell in Maruki's Palace, with Draconis)

"Hmph, as if they'll let themselves fall now! They've come too far now to let themselves die here!" Draconis said before speaking up and raising a fist.

"YOU HEAR ME, YOU GUYS!? I MIGHT NOT BE THERE FIGHTING WITH YOU NOW, BUT I'M THERE IN SPIRIT! NOW DON'T LET ME DOWN,DAMMIT! SHOW ME THE STRENGTH I KNOW YOU POSSESS! SHOW THAT FOOLISH GOD THAT NOTHING IS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE BONDS OF FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP, AND BELIEF!" Draconis said, adding his voice to the cheers for the Phantom Thieves, even as he sat on his bed to conserve energy for whatever other test he was needed for...

(Back with Yaldabaoth and the group)

"Hah, you hear that!? Those are the voices of the humans you made fun of! No one wants you to rule over them! Isn't that right, Joker!?" Morgana said as Ren nodded, getting to his feet and glaring at Yaldabaoth as the others also got up, hearing the voices rooting for them. Skull then scoffed and spoke up.

"Tch, why do they gotta word it like they're lookin' down on us?" Skull asked as Noir spoke up while getting to her feet.

"But, they're cheering for us, aren't they?" Noir said as Oracle got to her feet and spoke up.

"Heh, so that's how it feels to be cheered on? This doesn't feel so bad, if you ask me." Oracle said as the voices kept cheering as Fox got to his feet and spoke up.

"Heh, they don't have to tell us twice, do they?" Fox said as Queen got to her feet and spoke up.

"We won't let ourselves be erased!" Queen said as Panther growled and spoke up while getting to her feet.

"We're going all-out, dammit!" Panther said as the voices kept rooting for the Phantom Thieves, making an irate Yaldabaoth speak up.

"SILENCE! God is the one who creates the world!" Yaldabaoth said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"Hmph! I've made up my mind. I will see my justice through for the sake of protecting what I care about." Mona said as Panther gasped and spoke up.

"Mona, you sound so cool right now." Panther said as Mona turned to the others and spoke up.

"And the same goes for you guys too! If you've decided to take the world from him, don't compromise your ideals to the very end!" Mona said as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Heh, right! Let's defeat him together!" Panther said as Mona nodded while the group glared defiantly at Yaldabaoth as Skull spoke up mockingly.

"Hey, 'god'. Foolish humans are prayin' down there. They're prayin' there's no place for someone like you in this world!" Skull said as Mona turned to Joker and spoke up.

"Hmph! Give that evil god his final warning, Joker!" Mona said to Joker, who nodded at Yaldabaoth and spoke up.

"You heard them! We're saving this world, Yaldabaoth! So just accept your defeat!" Joker said defiantly as he pointed at Yaldabaoth. At that point, back in Shibuya, the crowd started chanting 'PHANTOM THIEVES! PHANTOM THIEVES!" over and over as the poll numbers steadily continued to rise, until they actually hit a full '100.0%' rating, at which point the poll started flashing before exploding into a burst of white light. Back with Joker and the others, Joker's mask reappeared on his face as Arsene materialized in front of him, at the same time he heard Crow and Draconis' voices speaking to him.

"Joker, don't let this wannabe god get the best of you! ONLY I GET TO DO THAT, DAMMIT!" Crow said as Joker then heard Draconis' voice in his head.

"Joker, listen to me! I know you don't want to risk losing me, but trust me on this. You have to let go of your fear and release the chains binding you! Only then can you achieve the power to bring an end to Yaldabaoth once and for all! And know that no matter what, I'll always be by your side, now and always! Now go out there and win this for the Phantom Thieves! I believe in you, brother!" Draconis' voice echoed in Joker's head as at that moment, chains appeared around Joker, seeming to protrude from Arsene himself, which Joker seized in one hand before yanking forward with a mighty grunt, making the chains shatter from the effort.

At that point, a brilliant blue flame erupted around Arsene, surrounding him in an iridescent glow which drew the attention of all involved participants as Arsene threw his head back and let out a mighty roar as he gazed up at the sky and then suddenly exploded into a burst of light, which Joker had to shield his eyes from the intensity of the light. When the light died down, all that seemed to remain of Arsene was a rain of orange meteors that rained down on the stunned Thieves, who gasped in shock. Before anyone could do more than gasp in shock at the apparent downfall of Arsene, Yaldabaoth chuckled and spoke up.

"AHAHAHAHA! Pathetic! So you have failed to harness the power. No matter how many prayers of those foolish masses come together, I cannot be stopped!" Yaldabaoth said before being interrupted by the sound of ominous thunderclaps nearby, making him blink and speak up.

"Beg for mercy, you repugnant rebels! Your demise is-HM!?" Yaldabaoth said, cutting himself off as a rainbow materialized nearby, making Panther gasp and speak up as she and the others turned to face it.

"What the heck!?" Panther said as the group saw flashes of thunder in the clouds above Yaldabaoth, who gasped and spoke up.

"HUH!? What the-!?" Yaldabaoth said in shock as at that moment, another being descended from the clouds to stare down Yaldabaoth. This new being had large imposing black bat-like wings, dark blue armor with white shoulder and leg pads, black spiked boots, a circular white mask with eerie looking red eyes, which gazed down mercilessly at Yaldabaoth through a mask rather similar to Joker's own, as Joker himself glared defiantly at Yaldabaoth while the being appeared behind him and opened his arms wide as if to challenge Yaldabaoth. Over the being's head, a halo of black spikes swirled like a crown. At that point, a battle started, at which point Fox gasped and spoke up.

"No way! That's-" Fox said as Sumi gasped and spoke up, her eyes wide in shock.

"IS THAT JOKER-SENPAI'S PERSONA!?" Sumi said in shock as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Heh, whatever it is? Man, it's huge!" Skull said as Mona spoke up.

"No way! What an immense power I'm seeing! No way, could it be? Is it a Persona, of all things!?" Mona said as the voices of the crowd could be heard cheering on the Phantom Thieves, giving power to the group as they prepared to stare down Yaldabaoth, who scoffed and spoke up.

"Fools! Don't you see!? THIS is why mankind is doomed to ruin!" Yaldabaoth said as he fired his 'Rays of Control', which harmlessly washed over the group, making Yaldabaoth gasp as he spoke up.

"WHAT!? Impossible!" Yaldabaoth said as the voice of a member of the crowd could be heard.

"No way, this is insane! They're not just Phantom Thieves anymore! That thing? That's like some sort of ultra-mega demon lord or something!" A person in the crowd could be heard saying as Mona smirked and spoke up.

"Oh, I see what's going on. If a god plays naughty, then it's a demon lord's duty to punish him for his sinful ways! What better way is there for a finale as a Trickster than to destroy a false god!" Mona said before he turned to Joker and spoke up.

"Joker, we're entrusting our strength and the people's hopes to you! Put an end to this!" Mona said as Joker nodded, right as the group heard two more voices speak up.

"Joker, please. Take my strength, if it'll help you survive that thing so that I can be the one to defeat you! I owe you that much after what I've done." Crow's voice echoed as Draconis' voice replaced it.

"And not just his strength, either! Take mine as well! After all, if you and Crow were pitted against one another by Yaldabaoth, what better way to put that gigantic golden bastard in his place than to have the strength of all three of the chosen ones united in one vessel!? Now take mine and Crow's power, along with that of the others, and defeat Yaldabaoth! At this point, only you can do it, Joker!" Draconis' voice could be heard telling Joker, making the group gasp as Noir spoke up.

"No! Was that Crow's voice!?" Noir asked as a wide-eyed Mona spoke up.

"No, not just Crow's voice, Noir." Mona said as Oracle spoke up.

"Draconis' voice, too. JOKER! FINISH HIM!" Oracle called out as all the power of the masses, the other Thieves, and both Crow and Draconis flowed into Joker, who smirked as he spoke up while looking at the being behind him.

"Heh, I feel the power! LET'S DO THIS! PILLAGE HIM! SATANAEL!" Joker called out, invoking the name of his new Persona while aiming his gun at Yaldabaoth, at the same time that the now-named Satanael did the same, pulling out a pistol the size of a ballista and aiming it at Yaldabaoth's face as Joker kept speaking.

"Let's go! Time to end this, Yaldabaoth! In the name of the people, of the Phantom Thieves, and of those who are no longer with us to see this moment! BEGONE!" Joker said as he and Satanael took aim at Yaldabaoth, who scoffed and spoke up.

"Preposterous! What blasphemy is this!? You dare rob the people's wishes!?" Yaldabaoth said as Joker spoke up once more.

"That's right. Now, take your punishment for trying to manipulate the masses, Yaldabaoth! SINFUL SHELL!" Joker called out as both he and Satanael fired their guns at the same time, the bullets merging together to form a gigantic bullet that flew forward and tore right through Yaldabaoth's face with a shattering sound, to the shock of all those looking on. Ironically, at that same point, a sunrise came up in the background, fittingly enough being visible through the massive hole in Yaldabaoth's face that had been created from the combined power of Joker and Satanael. Yaldabaoth chuckled weakly as he spoke up.

"Heh, what power that you possess, Trickster. It surpasses mine own, and mine is the power of a god born from the wish of the masses themselves. Hmph. So this, here in front of me, is the true Trickster, is it? Damn that Igor to hell! It seems he wasn't spouting nonsense after all." Yaldabaoth said as he started disintegrating before the stunned eyes of the Phantom Thieves, leaving behind an object that Panther saw as she spoke up while pointing at it.

"Look!" Panther said as the particles of Yaldabaoth rearranged itself to form a cup-like object that landed in front of the group as Skull spoke up.

"Huh? Ain't that a Treasure? Right, Mona?" Skull said as Mona crossed his arms and spoke up.

"Heh, thanks for everything, gang." Mona said as Noir spoke up in horror while looking at Mona.

"MONA-CHAN?" Noir said as Mona walked up to the Treasure as Oracle spoke up in confusion.

"Mona?" Oracle asked as Mona tapped the Treasure and spoke up.

"Heh. Humans have the power to change the world. They just forget about that a bit when they lose themselves." Mona said as Fox spoke up warily.

"Hey, Mona, what are you saying?" Fox said as the others walked up to Mona as he spoke up.

"Thanks to you guys, I was able to complete my duty at long last." Mona said as Queen looked at Mona and spoke up.

"Everything was thanks to you, wasn't it, Mona?" Queen said as Joker looked at Mona and spoke up.

"Mona, you're truly amazing. Thank you, brother. I'm sure I speak for myself and for Draconis, as well as the others, when I say you'll always be one of us no matter what." Joker said as Mona jumped for joy and spoke up.

"Heh, I got to be useful for humans that I admired so much. Nothing could make me happier. This place will soon disappear too, now that Yaldabaoth is gone." Mona said before shaking his head to clear it as he spoke up.

"Well, it's time to go home, everyone." Mona said as Sumi spoke up.

"Go home? What are you saying, Mona-senpai?" Sumi asked, but her question went unanswered as the group was whisked away in a flash of light, and when it receded, they found themselves once more in Shibuya. Skull frowned and spoke up.

"The hell?" Skull said as the group gasped as they saw they were wading in an ominous looking red liquid. Fox frowned and spoke up.

"What is this?" Fox asked as they saw the crowds behind them, all seemingly frozen in place. The group waded through the liquid as they approached the crowd. At that point, they stopped as Skull spoke up.

"Huh, looks like the rain stopped, you guys." Skull said. Queen gasped and pointed at the sky as she spoke up.

"Hey, guys! Look!" Queen said as the others looked, seeing the sunny sky peeking out from behind the previously ominous red backdrop. And as the sun started shining on Shibuya, not only did the skeletal structures all start dissolving before the group's eyes, but the red liquid started cracking and dissipating before ultimately shattering like glass, to the shock of the group. At that point, Noir gasped and spoke up as the group watched Shibuya start to return to normal.

"Wow, it's so beautiful, isn't it?" Noir said as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's gorgeous." Panther said as Sumi spoke up.

"I think that means we did it!" Sumi said excitedly. At that point, Mona smiled as he watched the proceedings while looking at the paws of his current form, idly wondering when he'd get his normal form back now that Yaldabaoth was no more. At that point, a brilliant light started illuminating everything around the group, to their shock. Fox gasped at this and spoke up.

"My word, what's the meaning of this display? It's beautiful, yes, but I don't get it." Fox said. Panther blinked and spoke up.

"Agreed, but why is everything-?" Panther started to ask, only to be cut off as the group heard Mona speak up.

"The whole world is a product of cognition of all sorts. And not just the Metaverse, either. The real world, like the Metaverse, can be freely remade over and over as needed. The same goes for you, and everyone else." Mona said as the group turned to face Mona, who was also glowing with the same light as everything else around the group, prompting a unanimous series of gasps as Skull spoke up.

"Dude, what the!? Mona's glowing!" Skull said as Noir gasped, her hands going over her mouth to hide the horrified look on her face while she spoke up.

"Mona-chan, what's going on!?" Noir asked sadly as Panther spoke up.

"WHAT!? This can't be happening!" Panther said as Sumi spoke up.

"No kidding, Panther-senpai! Not only is it not fair that we'd have to possibly lose Mona-senpai now of all times, but what do we tell Draconis when we get him back? Because you know he's going to notice Mona-senpai's absence." Sumi said as the group went to race to Mona's side, only for a blinding light to create a barrier separating the group from Mona, who kept speaking.

"Don't worry about me, you guys. Soon a new world will come. One where mankind isn't held captive. And the world will shine brightly as long as you hold hope in your hearts." Mona said as he held his arms out to the others as he started floating upwards, to the horror of the group, as Queen spoke up in a mix of anguish and shock.

"Never mind us, Mona! We're fine, but what's going to happen to you!?" Queen asked as Mona smiled at the group as he started floating upwards, speaking up once more.

"Remember, everyone. There's no such thing as the 'real' world. What each person sees and feels-Those are what shape reality. Thank you all for everything. I'll never forget you. And Draconis, if you can hear this, forgive me for not being there when you return, but this was the way things have to be. Never doubt that I appreciate all that you and the others did for me. And know that I love you all, now and forever.

But most of all? Remember this. This world we fought for? And the justice we fought for? This is what gives the world infinite potential. Even if you feel that only darkness lies ahead, do not despair. As long as you hold hands together and believe, and see it through as one unit, all things are possible. But more importantly, as long as you never give up, the world will never end! Remember, the world exists within all of you! Now, I must bid you all farewell, my brothers and sisters. I will always remember our time together." Mona said as he faded from view in a flash of light...

(At that same time, inside of Maruki's Palace, with Draconis)

"Draconis, if you can hear this? Forgive me for not being there when you return to us, brother. But this was the way things had to play out. Never doubt that I appreciate all that you and the others did for me. And know that I love all of you, now and forever!" Draconis heard as he looked on in horror as Mona seemingly ascended towards the heavens, his jaw dropping as he spoke up.

"WHAT!? What are you saying, Mona!? Come back, brother! You hear me? COME BACK TO US, DAMMIT! DON'T LEAVE US! MONA? MONNNNNAAAAAA!" Draconis said, sinking to his knees as he realized that Mona might well be gone, making him shake in a mix of sadness, anger and despair as he threw his head back to let out another strangled yell, even as he felt tears run down his face.

"NOOOOOOO!" Draconis yelled, his eyes briefly flashing a distinct shade of golden yellow, making Maruki's Shadow smirk from where he was watching as he spoke up.

"Perfect. Now's our chance." Maruki said before turning to the nearby Shadows and speaking up.

"You there, get the equipment! This is our chance to get the samples we need for Project Malefactor!" Maruki's Shadow said as the other Shadows nodded and ran to get the equipment, eventually returning with a rather clunky looking device and setting it up on a table before reaching down to extend out some cords, sticking a lightly-sparking but pointy cord into the oblivious Draconis' back.

At that point, Draconis winced at the feeling of the cord being stuck into his back, leaving a spot where a sickly yellow light was drained from his back as some of his cognitive energy was funneled into a nearby vial that was placed on a table. Once the vial was full, Draconis shuddered before slumping over facedown on the ground as Maruki's Shadow spoke up while watching some nearby Shadows carefully remove the cord from the unconscious Draconis.

"Good, we got the samples we needed." Maruki's Shadow said before turning to the closest Shadows and continuing to speak.

"You there! Get those samples back to the analysis room ASAP! And do not drop them! These are the final pieces we need to finish the Malefactor! And once it is complete, all that will remain is to finish creating the pilot for it. Soon, my plans will reach fruition, and only then will I truly be unstoppable, even by the Phantom Thieves." Maruki's Shadow said before turning to two other Shadows and speaking up.

"And as for you! Take Draconis and toss him in that cell you had him in before, chain him back up, and afterwards? Leave him there to rot! Now that I have what I need from him, he is no longer of any use to me. With any luck, we weakened him enough that time will finish him off for us. But even if not, he's in no shape to stop me now. Especially not when his powers are so weak.

Soon, the mighty Draconis will be no more. And at that time, the Phantom Thieves will be unable to stop me. Especially once I finish the final touches on 'Operation: S.I.N.O.C.A.R.D.' and achieve the ultimate anti-Phantom Thief defense system. Once that's finished, there's nothing they can do to stop me. AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Maruki's Shadow said, laughing to himself as the Shadows that remained hurried to carry out his orders, dragging off the unconscious Draconis to toss him into the cell he'd previously been in...

(Back in Shibuya, with Yusuke, Futaba, Makoto, Ren, Kasumi, Haru, Ann, and Ryuji)

"No. It can't be. Morgana's gone!?" Ann said as Futaba gasped in disbelief and spoke up.

"No. Mona, why did you leave us like this?" Futaba said, looking depressed as Haru pulled her phone out and gasped as she spoke up.

"Not just Mona! The Meta-Nav that was on our phones before? It's gone too. Mementos must have disappeared too. Could that mean that any remaining Palaces are gone as well?" Haru asked as Futaba sighed and spoke up.

"That's bad. Not only does that possibly mean we've lost any hope of saving Draconis and Crow, but we also can't see Mona anymore without the Meta-Nav, can we?" Futaba asked as Ren spoke up uncertainly.

"Who knows, little sis? I get the sense that even if Mona might be gone, the Meta-Nav isn't gone for good. So we could end up able to see our lost comrades again one day." Ren said kindly as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Thank you, big bro. But it's fine. I already know the answer." Futaba said sadly as Ryuji spoke up.

"What're you all so gloomy for? Mona would laugh at us for it if he saw us now. And so would both Draconis and Crow, too." Ryuji said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Ah, that reminds me. What about the public? Were we able to change their hearts?" Yusuke asked as a dressed-up woman spoke up nearby.

"I'm gonna be late for my date at this rate." A dressed-up woman said as a poor-looking young man spoke up.

"Heh. All alone on Christmas, huh? Sounds about right." The poor-looking young man said as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"It's kinda hard to tell." Ann said as a middle-aged man in a suit spoke up at that point nearby.

"Aren't we going into the new year without a prime minister? Will this country be all right?" The middle-aged man in a suit asked as a young man in a suit spoke up.

"True. But, there's no way we're getting Shido. There are tons of shady rumors about him, you know?" The young man in a suit said as Haru frowned and spoke up.

"I wonder how things will go with the Shido case. I hope they go well, for the sake of all involved." Haru said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"I understand. But let's believe in the adults. Sis promised us, after all." Makoto said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Good point, babe. From here on out's the prosecutor's job, huh guys?" Ryuji said as Yusuke blinked and spoke up.

"Hold a moment. If we can't enter the Metaverse, that means we've been relieved of being Phantom Thieves." Yusuke said as Haru frowned and spoke up.

"True, but it feels a bit sad to end this way. Yes, we won, but at what cost?" Haru asked as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Hey! What'd I just say? We gotta stop bein' so gloomy! Think about that insane ass we just kicked! I'm sure wherever they are, our fallen comrades are smiling on us, and proud of what we've accomplished." Ryuji said as Yusuke did a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"You're right, Ryuji. We should be celebrating with a victory toast." Yusuke said as the group sweatdropped as Ann spoke up.

"Well, we're still high schoolers, so we can't really drink a real toast, but I get what you mean." Ann said as Haru blinked and spoke up with a smile.

"Oh, what if we tried something else? Like, what do athletes do after a win?" Haru asked as Ryuji and Kasumi both blinked at the question before Makoto spoke up.

"Oh, you mean a huddle? We could all circle up and give a victory shout together." Makoto said as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Sounds good, except for the part where we're in the dead center of Shibuya, surrounded by tons of people." Futaba said as Ryuji blinked and spoke up.

"What!? You wanna do it here an' now!?" Ryuji asked as Kasumi giggled and spoke up.

"And why not, Ryuji-senpai? We don't have to cheer anything specific. We can just revel in the feeling of our victory." Kasumi said with a smile. Futaba nodded as she spoke up.

"Heh, Kasumi's right. C'mon, Ryuji, get with the program." Futaba said as Yusuke frowned at Ryuji and spoke up.

"I, too, am disappointed. After all we've been through together, you've nothing left to lose with this." Yusuke said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Hey, speak for yourself! I've got tons of shit I could lose! Fine, whatever. Let's get this over with. Everyone, put your hands in!" Ryuji said as everyone put their hands into a pile as Makoto winced and spoke up.

"Don't you think this is a little too overt?" Makoto asked as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, uh, can we hurry this up? I don't mind yelling, so long as we make it quick." Ann said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Well, this celebration's going great so far, isn't it? Ugh, whatever. Joker, you lead off with this." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"We're not in the Metaverse anymore, Ryuji! That said, I got it." Ren said as Yusuke spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Mm, it would only feel natural for you to take the charge." Yusuke said as Kasumi spoke up.

"Agreed, Yusuke-senpai. Ren-senpai is a natural leader, so it follows that we'd want to follow his lead." Kasumi said happily as Ryuji spoke up.

"All right, when he gives our victory cry, we all follow with a super-loud, 'Yeah!' Got it? Alright, Ready? One, and two, and three!" Ryuji said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"We've captured your hearts, everyone!" Ren said with a smirk. The others all yelled out 'YEAH!' in unison before breaking apart as Ann spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Ahh. That actually made me feel a bit better. It's like everything's finally over." Ann said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"You may be right there, Ann. The more I think about it, the more pressure I realize we were really under. I hope we can relax at least a little now." Makoto said as Kasumi spoke up.

"Perhaps, but not for long. After all, even if the Meta-Nav is gone, that doesn't mean all's well that ends well. After all, I recall we still have two of our number who are missing in action." Kasumi said wisely. Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Kasumi. But I feel like Kusa and Akechi can handle themselves for a bit. Ooh, brr, it's chilly!" Ann said, as she suddenly registered how cold it was. Futaba blinked as she looked up before speaking up.

"Oh! It's snowing!" Futaba said in a mix of awe, wonder and surprise. Ryuji spoke up with a smirk.

"Ohh! No wonder it's cold." Ryuji said as Ann blinked and spoke up.

"Wait, so is this what they call a white Christmas?" Ann asked as Makoto nodded.

"Probably, Ann. After all, it's still Christmas Eve." Makoto said as several people's eyes widened at this before Haru spoke up.

"Christmas? Oh, that's right! I completely forgot about it until now." Haru said as Makoto spoke up.

"Anyhow, we'll have to see what happens for now. We should probably break for today. Let's meet at Leblanc tomorrow, and have a final meeting on the situation." Makoto said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, let's do that." Yusuke said as Ann spoke up with a closed eye smile.

"I agree with Makoto and Yusuke. Oh, hey! I know! It'll be Christmas, so why don't we have a last celebration party!?" Ann said as Ryuji grinned, rotating his shoulder as he spoke up.

"Heh, I like the sound of that! There better not be anyone that's got plans already!" Ryuji said as both Ren and Kasumi winced, recalling that they had in fact made plans to at least spend Christmas Eve with Kasumi's parents. Ann did another closed eye smile and spoke up.

"Well, it's settled, then!" Ann said as Yusuke turned to Ren and spoke up.

"If you go home, make sure you persuade Boss to let us reserve the store for the party. Or if she goes with you, maybe Kasumi can do it." Yusuke said. Ren spoke up at that point.

"Sure thing. I'll speak to him about it next time I get to do so." Ren said as Yusuke gave Ren a closed-eye smirk and spoke up.

"Perfect. We will be counting on you. Well then, see you all again tomorrow." Yusuke said as Futaba spoke up.

"Honestly? I'm worried about Sojiro, so I'm gonna head home." Futaba said as she turned and walked off as Ann spoke up.

"Brr. We should go home too." Ann said as most of the others left, eventually leaving just Ren and Kasumi alone with one another. After a bit, Kasumi smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"I suppose I should head home and make sure things are still on track for our plans tonight, then?" Kasumi asked Ren, who spoke up.

"If you like. I don't mind going back with you, though, Kasumi." Ren said as Kasumi spoke up.

"Well, I suppose that works too. Shall we?" Kasumi asked, but before Ren could reply, someone else spoke up and caught both Ren and Kasumi's attention.

"Well, well. I should've guessed the world's savior would spend Christmas Eve with his girlfriend." Sae said before looking at Kasumi and speaking up.

"Um, you are his girlfriend, correct?" Sae asked Kasumi, who just nodded and spoke up.

"That's correct, but who are you?" Kasumi asked as Sae chuckled and spoke up.

"My apologies. I forgot we hadn't actually been formally introduced to one another yet since you were out of town when I extended the offer of assistance to the others. I'm Prosecutor Sae Niijima, though you've likely at least heard somewhat of me through my sister Makoto?" Sae said as Kasumi spoke up in realization.

"Ohh, you're Makoto-senpai's older sister? Nice to meet you, Niijima-san. I'm Kasumi Yoshizawa, Ren-senpai's girlfriend." Kasumi said as Sae chuckled and spoke up.

"I see. Nice to meet you, Yoshizawa-san. Um, Ren-kun? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Sae asked Ren, who spoke up.

"That's fine, but whatever you have to say in front of me, you can say in front of Kasumi. She's one of the group, so she can be trusted with whatever you have to say." Ren said, grinning at the grateful smile Kasumi gave him for standing up for her. Sae nodded and spoke up.

"Very well. First off, thank you all for taking my request. Granted, you're the only one present who was there for said request. But my point still stands. That said, with your actions? I can only hope that public opinion changes for the better. Um, it will change, won't it?" Sae asked Ren, who spoke up.

"Honestly? We're not sure yet. All signs point to it happening though. But I think for now, I'll say that we'll find out soon enough one way or the other." Ren said cautiously. Sae nodded and spoke up.

"That's true. It was social reform on a scale no one has ever imagined before. But I believe that it will. That said, I have some news. Shido has already confessed to a variety of crimes. We can arrest him on those charges. However, the problem lies in proving him guilty. It'd be difficult unless the correlation between the Metaverse and the mental shutdowns is made." Sae said as Ren winced and spoke up.

"I see your point, Niijima-san. But that's gonna be difficult with the Metaverse gone, not to mention with Akechi-kun and Kusa both being missing." Ren said as Sae spoke up.

"Hm, I see. I'll be blunt. I know this is bad timing to ask this, but I want you to turn yourself in to the police." Sae said as Kasumi's jaw dropped before she spoke up.

"I'm sorry, WHAT!? Are you really asking Senpai to turn himself in on Christmas Eve?" Kasumi asked. Ren put a hand on Kasumi's shoulder gently to comfort her as he spoke up.

"I can see the logic in that request. But why now, of all times?" Ren asked. Sae spoke up.

"I don't necessarily mean now, you two. But it will have to probably be sooner, rather than later. The reason for this is simple. Your testimony will be necessary in order to prove Shido guilty on some of the charges he confessed to. However, with only your testimony, it will make it difficult to make people take you seriously. It's unfortunate that your brother went missing when he did.

If he'd been around, the combined weight of both your testimonies would've made it much more of a sure thing that we could prosecute Shido swiftly. Even then, doing so will mean placing you on center stage. You'll be treated as a hero who saved this country from a terrible fate. But there's no way that the police or the public prosecutors will let that slide. That said, if you turn yourself into the police, you'll definitely be arrested." Sae said as Ren blinked at this, only barely hearing Kasumi gasp next to him as Sae spoke up.

"I'll close all the cases surrounding Shido. I intend to expose them all. It's to prevent society from becoming distorted again. That's what you want too, isn't it, Amamiya-kun?" Sae asked Ren, who frowned as he pondered the implications of this. Ren then looked at Kasumi and spoke up.

"What do you make of this, Sumi? It sounds like my testimony is necessary for them to find Shido guilty of his crimes. But if I do it, who knows what the public would do to me. After all, there's no way they'd ever let a phantom thief be the hero of the people. However, if I take the stand and testify about Shido's crimes, everything should be taken care of. But before we can worry about any of that, we have plans tonight, don't we?" Ren said to Kasumi, who spoke up.

"I agree, Ren. But I don't know that I'd want to see you go away to prison for a long time, which could realistically happen if you turn yourself in. But yes, you are correct that we have plans." Kasumi said as Sae spoke up.

"I'm sorry to ruin the mood like this. But I'll ask you once more, Amamiya-kun. I'd like for you to turn yourself into the police, of your own accord." Sae said to Ren.

However, before Ren could reply to Sae's request, he was beaten to answering Sae's question as another voice could be heard speaking up, one that shocked not only Sae, but also both Ren and Kasumi when they heard it.

"There's no need for that." Ren, Sae, and Kasumi heard, all three turning around, their eyes all getting comically huge in shock as none other than Goro Akechi walked into view, though with decidedly less overconfidence and swagger than usual. Sae gasped on recognizing Akechi and spoke up.

"You! You're alive!?" Sae asked Akechi, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Yes, I'm alive. But never mind that now. If they get their hands on the perpetrator, there'll be no need for him to turn himself in, no?" Akechi said as Ren spoke up in shock.

"You're alive, Akechi!? But how is this possible? Last I checked, both you and Kusa were separated from the rest of us? And we all heard the gunshots go off after that. How could you survive that?" Ren asked. Akechi turned to give Ren a closed-eye smirk as he spoke up, cutting off any questions Sae might have had from Ren's question.

"Imagine that. To think I'd get to see you so surprised, Amamiya-kun the elder. Honestly, it's so satisfying." Akechi said as Sae frowned and spoke up.

"Wait, hold on. You said 'there's no need', just now, didn't you Akechi? Just what do you mean by that?" Sae asked as Akechi spoke up.

"Exactly as it sounds. I'll agree to testify against Shido and his crimes." Akechi said to Sae, before turning to Ren and speaking up.

"I assume that works for you, Amamiya-kun the elder?" Akechi asked Ren, who blinked and spoke up.

"Um, yes. It saves me having to put the others through a lot of stress turning myself in. But you're turning yourself in? I must admit, that's not something I'd expected you to do. And honestly, I have a lot of questions now, but I'm not sure I want to ask them in front of Prosecutor Niijima, for the sake of not confusing the issue." Ren said. Akechi nodded and spoke up.

"Very perceptive, Amamiya-kun the elder. I have no hidden agenda at this point. If I had to explain myself, I'd say it's simply personal principle that I repay my debts. Plus, I owe you and the others at least this much, after what I've put you all through. It might not change much, but maybe it will at least convey how sincere I am in wanting to make amends for at least some of the wrongs I've committed." Akechi said as Sae spoke up at that point, ignoring the shocked looks Ren and Kasumi were exchanging as she focused on Akechi while she spoke.

"Very well. For the time being at least, I'll take your word that you'll cooperate with the investigation." Sae said as Akechi nodded and gave Sae a closed-eye smile whle speaking up.

"Very wise. If nothing else, that would save a lot of time." Akechi said as Sae nodded before turning to Ren as she spoke up.

"I'm sorry to have wasted both your time and your girlfriend's. You two can forget everything I just told you. As for Akechi, I'll take him in myself." Sae said as Ren spoke up.

"Very well. But before he goes, I have a question for Akechi." Ren said as Akechi blinked and spoke up.

"Oh? Is it about Amamiya-kun the younger? If so, I'm afraid there's not time to give you a proper explanation at this time, since I have no doubt that Sae-san wants to get this done as soon as possible. All I can say for now is that he is alive, albeit being held prisoner in what I believe to be an abandoned location. I think you and Yoshizawa-san might know of it, since I found it through your Meta-Nav search history.

According to that, you went there at one point with Yoshizawa-san and Morgana? I'm not sure when that was, but if it is the same place, that'll be where he's being held captive. And wiith that, I must bid you farewell for now. I hope we meet again once I've repaid my debt to society." Akechi said before walking off towards Sae's vehicle as Sae turned to Ren and spoke up again.

"I won't try to claim that everything will turn out perfectly for you, Amamiya-kun the elder. But I would bet this case will reach it's natural conclusion eventually. No, in fact, I swear that this will be properly settled." Sae said before turning on her heel and walking off to take Akechi into custody. After she left, Ren looked at Kasumi and spoke up.

"Heh, imagine that. Shido and the masses both seem to have undergone a change of heart, and the case is headed towards its resolution at this rate. Would I be wrong to guess that this must be how things were supposed to happen?" Ren said to Kasumi, who frowned at this and spoke up.

"No, but was it really supposed to happen that we had to lose Morgana, and find out Kusa is being held prisoner in what I assume to be the area I awoke to Cendrillion in? If so, we might have a problem, since my phone isn't the most reliable, and its the only one that has the proper search info needed to get there." Kasumi said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"That's true. But at least we know Kusa's alive, along with Akechi. So that means that the signal Futaba lost the reading of was that cognitive clone of Akechi. This is truly the best-case scenario. Well, minus the whole Kusa being taken as someone's captive angle, anyways." Ren said. He then frowned as his phone went off and he kept speaking.

"And who's this?" Ren asked, before blinking as he saw it was a private chat from Sojiro. He turned to Kasumi and kept speaking.

"Sorry, but can I take this real fast, sweetie?" Ren asked Kasumi, who nodded as Ren opened the private chat.

"What are you up to? I just got a message from Futaba saying she'll be coming over to hang out. Hurry up and come help us out at the store." Sojiro sent as Ren winced and sent a response.

"I'd love to help you out, Sojiro. You know I would, but it's Christmas Eve, and I already made plans to spend the holiday with my girlfriend and her parents. I recall you even signed off on those plans already?" Ren sent. Sojiro sent a response at that point.

"Oh right, you did say that before, didn't you? Very well. But make sure you bring your girlfriend by the shop tomorrow so we can spend time together for Christmas Day. Futaba and I will be waiting for you." Sojiro said as Ren closed his phone and turned to Kasumi before speaking up.

"Sorry about that, Sumi. That was Sojiro asking what my plans were. I had to remind him that he already gave the okay to me spending Christmas Eve with you and your parents. That said, shall we get going?" Ren asked Kasumi, who smiled and nodded as the two took the train to Kasumi's house...

(A short time later, at the Yoshizawa house, with Ren, Kasumi, Shinichi, and Minako)

"Mom, Dad, we're home!" Kasumi called out as she and Ren walked into her house. At that point, her mom called out.

"Oh, is that Kasumi and her boyfriend? We're in the kitchen if so. Come on in." Minako said as Kasumi looked at Ren.

"Well, let's go. They're in the kitchen, Senpai." Kasumi said as Ren nodded and the two went into the kitchen, hand-in-hand, as Kasumi's parents smirked on seeing their daughter walk in holding hands with what they figured to be her boyfriend. Shinichi smirked as he spoke up while giving Ren an appraising look.

"Well, well. I take it this strapping young man must be your boyfriend, Kasumi?" Shinichi said to Kasumi, who nodded and spoke up.

"You're right, Dad. Ren? Meet my parents, Shinichi and Minako Yoshizawa. Mom and Dad, meet my boyfriend, Ren Amamiya." Kasumi said as she introduced Ren to her parents. Ren nodded and shook each of Kasumi's parents' hands as he spoke up.

"I see. It's nice to meet you, Mister and Miss Yoshizawa. As Kasumi said, my name is Ren Amamiya, and I am a second year at Shujin Academy." Ren said politely as Shinichi and Minako chuckled at Ren's introduction as Minako spoke up with a giggle.

"Oh, my. So formal. And so polite. It sounds like our daughter found herself a keeper. Nice to meet you, Amamiya-kun. I do hope our daughter hasn't been too much of a handful for you?" Minako said with a giggle as a red-faced Kasumi pouted and spoke up.

"MOM! That's not funny! And I've been nothing but good for Ren!" Kasumi said before looking at Ren and speaking up.

"Haven't I, Ren? I've been good, not only for you, but also to you, right?" Kasumi asked Ren, who smiled and spoke up.

"Of course you have, Sumi. You could never be any sort of trouble to me. I enjoy every second I get to spend with you. And never doubt that I'm here for you because I love you and want you to be happy." Ren said honestly as Shinichi nodded approvingly to Ren's response and spoke up.

"Heh, well said, Amamiya-kun. You seem like a rather wise young man. If nothing else, you're already perceptive enough to know that it's always easier to agree when your girlfriend asks you something." Shinichi said with a smile as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Well said, Mister Yoshizawa. But then, I'd always agree with anything Kasumi said, even if I don't strictly agree with it internally." Ren said as Kasumi smiled at Ren's response and spoke up.

"How is it you're always so good with words, Ren? I half-expected you to stumble slightly when meeting my parents." Kasumi said as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"Normally, I might have been. But these are your parents. And I know that first impressions are everything. So of course, I'm going to be excited to meet the people that gave life to a wonderful and amazing person like you, Sumi." Ren said smoothly as Kasumi flushed shyly as Minako giggled and spoke up.

"Ooh, sounds like you've got a silver tongue on you, Amamiya-kun. I like that. But enough chatting. I have dinner waiting in the dining room, which is just this way. So let us go and eat before it gets cold, yes?" Minako said as Ren and Kasumi nodded, the four going to take seats at the table...

(At the same time, back at Leblanc, with Sojiro and Futaba)

"Heh. It's the same every year, isn't it Futaba? Heh, well, so much for business." Sojiro said to Futaba, who smirked as she spoke up.

"Why are you so surprised, Sojiro? It's Christmas Eve, after all. Most people spend it with their families. Ergo, nobody's gonna come to this run-down cafe. Dude, who would go to a cafe on Christmas?" Futaba said as Sojiro blinked but nodded as he spoke up.

"Heh, good point. Guess I'll close early then. Heh, not that I have the money to go out anywhere. If you ask me, the kid got lucky, being invited to go have Christmas Eve dinner with his girlfriend and her parents. Er, not to say that we're not lucky to have this time together, Futaba. Because we are. But I will also say it's rather odd not seeing Ren, Kusa, or Morgana around here. It's almost kinda empty without them, if you think about it." Sojiro said with a sigh. Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"True. Oh, I know! If you're not gonna get any customers, then we should have a party here! C'mon, Sojiro! I want a turkey!" Futaba said as Sojiro rubbed the back of his head nervously and spoke up.

"Heh, I see. But didn't you hear me? I don't have the cash. Shido's goddamn henchmen took up most of my spare money in damages to the place. Man, I can't believe this. They really had to come in here and wreck my business, didn't they? Hmph, I should send him a bill." Sojro said before smirking as he spoke up while looking at Futaba.

"Heh, but anyways, if you're here, I take it you're spending this Christmas alone?" Sojiro asked Futaba, who smirked as she spoke up.

"So what if I am? It's not exactly like the guy I'd want to spend the day with is around to do so at the moment. Damn Shido and Akechi to hell for taking him from us anyways." Futaba said. She then smiled and spoke up.

"No, but for real, I'll cut you some slack." Futaba said as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, well aren't you a poor lonely sap, Futaba? But in all honesty, I wish Kusa was here too, if only so that this place felt livelier. I still can't believe he's missing. And come to think of it, I didn't see Morgana with you. Did he go with Ren?" Sojiro asked. Futaba winced at the question and spoke up.

"That's a long story, Sojiro. But hey, Sojiroooooo! Turrrkeyyyyyy!" Futaba said as Sojiro scoffed and spoke up.

"Look, I can't spend what I don't have." Sojiro said bluntly as Futaba sighed and spoke up in disappointment.

"Awwwwww, this sucks. No turkey, no Kusa, and no Morgana. Some Christmas Eve this is shaping up to be. Well, at least I have you, Sojiro." Futaba said. After a bit, she smirked and spoke up.

"However, speaking of Kusa, I do recall he taught me how to save some money before he went missing, so I do have a bit saved up, plus Ren gave me some spending money before he and Kasumi left for their plans. So if nothing else, I'll just have to pitch in." Futaba said. Sojiro scoffed and spoke up.

"Man, I can't believe I've got a kid worrying about my financial situation, even if it is you, Futaba." Sojiro said before smirking as he pulled out some yen.

"Hey, Futaba. Go buy some snacks or something. Even if it's just the two of us, we'll have that party after all." Sojiro said. Futaba smiled as she hopped up to scoop up the yen and cheered.

"Woohoo! I'm gettin' me some turkey!" Futaba said as she ran out of Leblanc at that point.

"Heh, no way that's gonna be enough. Oh well. Heh, man. Futaba's like a totally different person now. It's remarkable. Just a short while ago, she couldn't even step foot outside her room." Sojiro said as he then chuckled to himself.

"Then again, Futaba is a strong girl. I've known this for a while now. That's not the only reason she's able to smile now, though. That's also on a certain someone, or perhaps multiple someones, who aren't here at the moment." Sojiro said to himself. He then looked at the photo of Kusa that Futaba had left on the counter as he spoke up again.

"If nothing else, I have you to thank, Kusa. In addition to Ren and the others, you're the one who gave her the opportunity to change. Hm, I wish you were here right now. And by the way, I hope you're holding up okay. I wish I could be there for you if you needed anything, but you're not here right now. But I have to wonder about something you said to me once. You once told me, 'We are what we let our choices make us into'. I wonder, what do you mean by that?" Sojiro said to himself. He then smirked as he kept speaking the picture of Kusa.

"But I have to say, I'm also proud of you. What with, y'know, what you've done so far, and everything goin' on with you and the Phantom Thieves to this point." Sojiro said before falling silent as the door opened back up as Futaba came back inside.

"I'm baaaack, Sojiro." Futaba said to Sojiro, who smirked at Futaba as he spoke up.

"Hey, welcome home. That was quick. Did you get a turkey?" Sojiro asked Futaba, who huffed and spoke up.

"Tch, like I could buy one with that pocket change you gave me! Cheapo Sojiro!" Futaba grumbled as Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, my bad. Sorry, sorry. I'll guess we'll order out then, in that case." Sojiro said as Futaba chuckled and spoke up.

"Mwehehe! Psych!" Futaba said as she whipped out the bag that was behind her back and spoke up.

"Ta-daaaaah! Look, Sojiro! Isn't it incredible!?" Futaba asked as Sojiro sputtered in surprise and spoke up.

"Wha-? Wait, is that a turkey!? How did you get something like that?" Sojiro asked as Futaba spoke up.

"Mwehehe, I'll reveal my secret later. We gotta get this party started right away! Mweheheheh! Not only did I get a turkey, but I even got a cake, too!" Futaba said. Sojiro blinked and spoke up.

"Wha-? What in the world's going on here?" Sojiro asked in bewilderment as he followed a smirking Futaba to a booth seat to start the party...

(Back with Kasumi, Ren, Shinichi, and Minako)

"Heh, not bad. Kasumi never mentioned that her parents were good cooks. It was delicious." Ren said conversationally to Shinichi and Minako, the latter of which smiled and spoke up.

"Why, thank you, Amamiya-kun. Glad you enjoyed it. Not to say that Shinichi and Kasumi don't appreciate my cooking, but it feels like they don't compliment it that often. So I appreciate that you can respect my work." Minako said as Shinichi and Kasumi both ducked down to hide their embarrassed expressions at being called out, making Ren chuckle at this as he saw it and spoke up.

"Heh, so like father, like daughter, eh? Who knew Kasumi got her adorable streak from her dad? I'd have guessed that she got it from her mom?" Ren said teasingly, as Minako giggled while Kasumi flushed and spoke up, crossing her arms as she pouted, her cheeks puffed out indignantly in what Ren found to be an adorable manner.

"REN! Not funny! And it's your fault for praising my mom." Kasumi said while pouting as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"You're right, Sumi. I'm sorry for wanting to show appreciation to your parents for their generosity in allowing us to share this meal with them." Ren said with a smirk, making Shinichi chuckle and speak up.

"Heh, I like that you're so humble, Amamiya-kun." Shinichi said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Considering that I have a younger brother who also has that last name, I feel like you two could call me Ren if you wanted to, assuming I'm not being too forward in allowing you two to do so." Ren said as Shinichi smiled and spoke up.

"Very well, we can do that. Provided, that is, you don't object to calling us Shinichi and Minako, in turn. If you're going to allow us to be on a first-name basis with you, it's only fair to return the favor." Shinichi said calmly as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I can certainly do that, Shinichi. But in all seriousness, thank you both for allowing me to enjoy this holiday with not only my amazing girlfriend, but with her equally nice parents. Probably the best invitation I could've hoped for, given that my parents are in another town, and my little brother is currently missing. So it's nice to have people to spend Christmas with." Ren said wisely as Minako and Shinichi blinked and spoke up.

"Oh, right. Kasumi did mention that you were sent out here for a year on probation for a crime you didn't commit. Any chance you feel comfortable sharing the particulars of that with us?" Shinichi asked Ren, who smiled and spoke up.

"Certainly, Shinichi. I will warn you now though, it's a rather long story, so if you've got the time to listen, and don't mind parts of it being a bit depressing, I'm willing to share it with you two." Ren said as Shinichi and Minako exchanged a look before Shinichi spoke up.

"As long as you're willing to be honest with us, I have no problem taking as much time as is needed to hear your story, Ren." Shinichi said fairly as Ren nodded before speaking up.

"Fair enough. But we should probably get comfortable, as it's a rather long story. Plus, I feel like this is a story better told while comfortable." Ren said as he, Kasumi, Shinichi, and Minako went into the living room to get comfortable as Ren prepared to tell them his story...

(Back with Sojiro and Futaba)

"Man, I can't believe you came back with so much. Still, I'm surprised you were able to get your hands on those. I don't remember giving you that much cash, Futaba." Sojiro asked as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Hmm? Oh, you didn't. However, I pulled a lucky draw at the convenience store and won some gift certificates." Futaba said as Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, well, sounds like it's a present from Santa then, so I suppose we should thank him." Sojiro said with a smirk. Futaba smirked before she spoke up.

"Mwehehe! What kinda luck is that? But, gah! No more questioning the details! C'mon, the turkey and the cake are both delicious! And they both pair super-well with your coffee, Sojiro!" Futaba said as Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh. Well, I guess I can't complain. Even if it's just the two of us. It's kinda cliche, but a storybook Christmas like this is nice." Sojiro said as he and Futaba had a nice meal...

(Back with Ren, Kasumi, Minako, and Shinichi)

"...And there you have it. My story, in a nutshell. Any questions?" Ren asked Kasumi's parents after finishing his explanation of his circumstances that led him to where he is now. Shinichi frowned and spoke up.

"I don't have a question, so much as an objection. That being, why would the police be so quick to take the word of a drunken rapist over the word of a brave young man who was trying to do the right thing? That annoys me a lot. From what you've told us Ren, you seem like quite the respectable and morally upright young man who didn't deserve the hardships you've been put through these past few months.

At least if nothing else, I can say that you were able to find some happiness and comfort in Kasumi, even if she's benefited just as much from your presence in her life. It seems like you two are really good for each other. So, I trust you with my daughter's happiness, Ren. But just so you know, I reserve the right to be angry at you if you ever do anything to hurt her. Is that fine with you, Ren?" Shinichi asked Ren, who smiled and nodded as he spoke up.

"That's fine with me, Shinichi. I'd deserve any punishment you decided to inflict upon me if I were to ever hurt Kasumi. Especially since she's so precious and adorable, that I don't think she deserves to ever be hurt by anyone, for any reason. Yet, she's already been hurt a lot in the short time she's been alive." Ren said as he smiled at Kasumi, who was presently leaning into Ren as he spoke. Shinichi smiled and spoke up, noticing that Kasumi was starting to doze off on Ren slightly. He then turned to Minako and spoke up with a smile.

"Minako, I think you need to carry Kasumi to bed so she can rest. Once we speak to Ren here some more, he can go join her if he wishes." Shinichi said to Ren, who nodded his understanding as Minako nodded and gently scooped Kasumi up and carried her to her room, ignoring the mumbled protests of the now-sleeping red-head in question as she did so. After the two were out of earshot, Shinichi looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Ren? If you're going to be serious about my daughter, I think there's a couple of things you need to know so that you can have all the facts about her. Can you handle that?" Shinichi said as Ren frowned, eventually speaking up.

"Oh? Like what? Not that I object to it, since I don't mind hearing what you have to say, Shinichi." Ren said as Minako came back into the room without Kasumi at that point and spoke up, while looking at Shinichi.

"Oh, are you telling him about Kasumi?" Minako asked Shinichi, who nodded as he turned back to Ren and spoke up.

"Very well. First of all, I wasn't trying to say so in front of her, but Kasumi's name isn't actually Kasumi. Her actual name is Sumire. However, we think she's convinced herself that she's her sister, probably as some form of coping mechanism to deal with the fact that Kasumi was suddenly taken from us all earlier this year by an accident. I'm sure that Sumire's told you by now of how her sister had to push her out of the way of an oncoming vehicle after she foolishly ran off following a fight she and Kasumi had had, and how Kasumi ultimately passed away from her injuries, right in front of Sumire's eyes.

I'd imagine she took that rather hard, as one would expect. But oddly enough, once we took her to sessions with a Doctor Maruki, she started to show signs of almost being a different person. It was almost as if she'd been convinced she actually was Kasumi. But because her mother and I were more worried about her well-being than her behavior, we didn't question it and just went along with it. We even noticed that when we'd call her Sumire, she'd act as if we were referring to her as Kasumi, so after a while, we just started referring to her as Kasumi.

In hindsight, we might've done more harm than good doing that, but I want to think we were doing what was best for our daughter's happiness. But if you're going to date our daughter, you have to realize that her true name is Sumire Yoshizawa, even if she believes herself to be Kasumi. For now, I'd advise you just go along with it and not try to confront her about it. Maybe, one day, the day will come where she finally accepts the truth of who she is again, and starts going by her actual name.

But until then, I feel we would just be hurting her further to try and press the issue. So yeah, now you know. And just so you can see for yourself, here's a picture of Sumire and Kasumi I took a couple of months prior to that day." Shinichi said as he reached into his wallet, producing a photo of two cutely smiling red-headed girls, one of whom had a beauty mark on one of her cheeks, wearing a sparkling baby-blue leotard that Ren recognized with a start as the same one the girl that he and Kasumi had seen in the Metaverse when the latter awoke to her Persona had been wearing, worn with her bright red hair up in a ponytail that Ren recognized rather easily.

And the other girl had darker red hair that was worn down so it flowed down her back, going to around her waist, framing her face rather well in Ren's opinion, even if most of her eyes were hidden behind her glasses, which Ren found rather adorable. However, Ren could see that, like his girlfriend, this girl had no beauty mark on her face. Ren blinked at this and turned to Shinichi as he spoke up.

"So, I take it the dark-haired girl is Sumire, and the lighter-haired one is Kasumi?" Ren asked, careful to keep his voice down so only Shinichi and Minako could hear. Minako nodded as she spoke up.

"That's right, Ren. Oddly enough, even though she was mainly into girls for the most part, I swear that Kasumi actually was slightly sweet on you, even if she ultimately never acted on those feelings. Maybe that's why Sumire was so quick to fall for you, because she felt it was another thing she could do in her sister's honor? But in truth, both myself and Shinichi feel that any feelings she has for you now are purely her own.

And we approve of this, since we like seeing her happy and optimistic, like she's been ever since you came into her life. And for that, we truly thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Ren. If you need it, consider our blessings for your relationship with her freely given to you." Minako said as Shinichi nodded and spoke up.

"I agree with Minako. The important thing is that she's happy, and I can see she's truly happy with you, Ren. All I ask is that you be by her side when she needs it. That, and that you're always there to pick her up if she should need it." Shinichi said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I have no problem whatsoever agreeing to that, Shinichi. I would never let Sumire cry if I can help it. Or I guess I should still call her Kasumi for now, so I don't accidentally tip her off that I'm already aware of her true name. Yes, I'm stunned that no one realized her true name, but I understand that she has her own ways of coping. And since I love her so much, I'll let her cope in whatever way she sees fit." Ren said as Minako and Shinichi smiled approvingly as Minako spoke up.

"We're glad to hear that, Ren. As much as I think we could keep talking about her for hours, she's probably missing you right about now. Go and be by her side, Ren. We won't object to you and her sharing a bed, since I feel we can trust you not to take advantage of the situation." Minako said before Shinichi fixed Ren with a stern look as he spoke up.

"BUT! We reserve the right to change our minds if we feel you're trying to take too much advantage of the situation, Ren. But I think we can trust you not to do that, right?" Shinichi asked Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"You can absolutely trust me! I'd sooner put myself in harm's way than EVER do anything to hurt your daughter. I don't know how, or when, she managed it, but your daughter somehow wormed her way into my heart, so much so that she means the world to me at this point. I don't think I could ever live with myself if I knowingly did anything to put any sort of pain into her eyes." Ren said honestly as Shinichi nodded and spoke up.

"Well said, Ren. Now go on, and catch up to Sumire. Enjoy the holiday with her." Shinichi said as Ren nodded, bowed to Shinichi and Minako, and walked down the hall to Kasumi's room after being given directions by Shinichi, wherein he let himself in and gently slid into bed next to his girlfriend, who smiled as she felt Ren lay with her, making her sleepily speak up as she felt Ren's arms go around her waist.

"Mmm, you're actually here, Ren. I'm so happy." Kasumi said to Ren, who smiled as he gently pulled her into his arms as he spoke up.

"Of course I'm here, Sumi. I'll always be here for you. I love you." Ren said, kissing Kasumi on the cheek as he kept speaking.

"And for now, let's enjoy being in each other's arms while we can. Merry Christmas Eve, sweetie." Ren said as Kasumi smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you, Ren. Merry Christmas Eve to you as well. And I love you too." Kasumi said, smiling as she happily snuggled into Ren's hold as the two got comfortable together before eventually dozing off in each other's arms, unaware of Shinichi and Minako smiling as they discreetly snapped a few photos of the happy couple on their phones...

(Back with Futaba and Sojiro)

Afterwards, Futaba mumbled in her sleep, having fallen asleep after eating.

"Zzz, yum. Mmm, so good. Can't eat anymore right now. Sojiro, I'm full." Futaba said as Sojiro chuckled to himself and spoke up.

"Heh. Sheesh, partied her heart out and fell fast asleep after she was done. Did all of today's excitement tucker her out? She's still such a kid at times like these." Sojiro said, before he looked at the photo of Kusa again and sighed as he kept speaking.

"Such a good picture. Look, I know I already mentioned this before, but it's all thanks to you that Futaba's gotten back on her feet. Honestly, I'm grateful for what you've done. I can't do much for you now, but when and if we get you back, if there's ever any way I can help you, don't hesitate to ask. Heh, how sappy. It feels kinda weird actually wanting to act as your guardian.

Well, you don't have to say anything you don't wanna, Kusa. But remember, I'm always on your side, much as you've always been on both my side and Futaba's. That's all I've gotta say." Sojiro said before chuckling as he knew that if he were there right then, Kusa would probably thank him, as would Ren. Sojiro then looked at the photo and kept speaking.

"I know you'd thank me if you were here right now, but listen. I'm gonna trust you, okay? After all, a whole lot's happened this year. But, things are looking up now, so wherever you are, I'm sure you'll be fine. You're a strong man and a fighter. Heh, not only that, but Futaba and I got to eat turkey AND cake." Sojiro said before being interrupted by Futaba cutely mumbling in her sleep.

"Hrrgh, what? Sojiro, noooo, don't be silly. You can't transform in here, and you know it. Zzz..." Futaba said in her sleep as Sojiro chuckled as he kept speaking to Kusa's photo.

"Heh, this girl. What kinda dreams are runnin' through that brain? Futaba's still conked out, so I'd better wrap up the party. I'd better get to cleaning, even though I know you'd help if you were here." Sojiro said as he went about cleaning up the party before carrying Futaba home to sleep off her excitement...

(The following evening, in the lower level of Leblanc, with Ann, Futaba, Yusuke, Ryuji, Sojiro, Ren, Kasumi, Haru, and Makoto)

"Wait, hold up. Akechi did WHAT!?" A wide-eyed Futaba asked as Makoto spoke up with a wan smile.

"He turned himself in to the police. Sis told me yesterday. He's admitted to being the perpetrator behind the recent cases." Makoto said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"And he's doing the right thing with no prompting or thought of reward. I might be presumptuous in thinking this, but I feel like Kusa might well have managed to slightly change Akechi's heart for him to do this." Ren said optimistically. Yusuke did a closed eye smile at this and spoke up.

"That's true. So it would seem that like Kusa, Akechi is truly alive. That means that the signal Futaba lost the reading of had to be that cognitive clone of Akechi that Shido sent after us." Yusuke said as Ann spoke up with a look of shock.

"Unbelievable! Akechi-kun survived, and even owned up to what he did to us." Ann said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Well, as much as I feel bad that Akechi-kun is spending Christmas in prison, I feel it's for the best. If Akechi-kun is alive, and he can atone for his crimes to some extent, then I feel like that's not a bad turn of events." Haru said as Ryuji spoke up with a grin.

"Right. Ain't that all stuff to be happy about?" Ryuji asked as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Mmhm. It's Christmas. We should enjoy the day to our hearts' content." Haru said as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, I approve. Let everyone be merry to the max!" Futaba said as Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh. I'm the one who should be giving permission, you know. Well, as long as you don't go overboard, I guess you can go ahead and cut loose today." Sojiro said as Ryuji grinned before he got to his feet and made Ren, Kasumi, and Futaba all jump a bit in their seats as he loudly set off a party popper while speaking up.

"Hell yeah! Merry Christmas!" Ryuji said excitedly as Sojiro frowned and spoke up.

"And unsurprisingly, he didn't hear a word of that." Sojiro said as the others all laughed at Sojiro's reaction, making him sigh and keep speaking.

"Eh, fine." Sojiro said as the camera panned over the spread of food gathered on the table, ranging from slices of cake, a stack of sugar puffs in the shape of a Christmas tree with a ribbon going down the sides tied in a bow, what appeared to be assorted orange, eggplant and lemon slices, a giant wheel of cheese with one slice cut out, a black and red lunch box, and a slice of pie that sat in front of Makoto, along with what appeared to be a chocolate pie set out on the booth seat behind Ann and Futaba. Yusuke gasped at the spread and spoke up.

"Oh my! This is quite the sight. And I'm going to be entirely honest: I wasn't able to bring a dish. Instead, leave the dishwashing duties to me. I'll make sure they turn out beautifully immaculate." Yusuke said as Haru spoke up.

"Hmm, dishwashing duties, you say? Oh, I know! Why don't we all just clean up together?" Haru suggested as Ryuji spoke up.

"So, who brought what?" Ryuji asked as Makoto spoke up.

"I brought that marinated seafood." Makoto said, pointing to the dish of what Ren had mistaken for assorted orange, eggplant, and lemon slices. Ryuji walked over and helped himself to a shrimp as he stuffed it in his mouth and tried it, smiling as he spoke up afterwards with a grin on his face.

"Mmm! That's super good! You have good taste, babe." Ryuji said kindly to Makoto, who blushed at Ryuji's praise while Haru spoke up.

"Heh, how sweet, Ryuji. Anyways, it may not be to everyone's tastes, but I brought that cheese plate." Haru said, pointing to the cheese wheel, which Ryuji cut a slice off of to try for himself, recoiling at the scent of the cheese as he spoke up.

"Whoa! It smells like dirty socks for some reason." Ryuij said as Kasumi giggled and spoke up.

"Speaking from experience there, Ryuji-senpai?" Kasumi asked teasingly, making Ann, Ren, and Sojiro all laugh at the innocent but well-timed quip. Ryuji scoffed and ignored the dig as he tried a bite, smiling afterwards as he spoke up.

"Ohh! It might not smell the best, but it tastes great!" Ryuji said with a grin as Haru spoke up.

"Oh, thank goodness." Haru said before seeing the puffs stacked like a Christmas tree and speaking up.

"Oh, is this a croquembouche? It's so cute!" Haru said as Ann gave a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"I made that all by myself! All I did was buy some cream puffs and stack them up, though." Ann said as Yusuke did a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"It's arranged so artistically that I hesitate to sample it. When it comes to sweets, Ann truly has us beat." Yusuke said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"But then, if Ann brought the cream puffs, Haru brought the cheese, and I brought the seafood, who brought this box over here?" Makoto said as Futaba spoke up.

"Ooh, this looks like more sweets. Not mine, by the way." Futaba said, as at that moment, Ryuji rubbed the back of his embarrassment as he spoke up.

"Uhhh, how to put this? That was me, er, kinda?" Ryuji said uncertainly as Ann blinked at this and spoke up.

"Ryuji, that was you? You brought sweets? I didn't think I'd see the day." Ann said as Yusuke blinked and spoke up.

"Ryuji and sweets? What an unlikely pair." Yusuke said as Futaba frowned before speaking up.

"Sweets, how unlike Ryuji, But how like Kusa." Futaba said with a sigh. Ryuji frowned at Ann and Yusuke before speaking up, ignoring Futaba's remark.

"Hey! What're you guys gettin' at?" Ryuji asked as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Nothing at all, Ryuji! It was just a bit unexpected, is all. I had expected something along the lines of meat, truthfully. In particular, for some reason, chicken comes to mind when I think of you." Haru said, making Ren, Kasumi, Sojiro, and Futaba all have to stifle laughter at this, the latter also sighing as she knew that sounded very close to a roast that Kusa would have given. Futaba then started giggling in spite of herself as she spoke up.

"Ryuji, hee hee! Chicken! Mwehehehe!" Futaba said as a flustered Haru spoke up.

"Oh! U-Um, I'm sorry! I didn't mean that in any sort of comparative way." Haru said as Ryuji sighed and spoke up.

"Please, don't keep going, Haru. It just hurts even more when you do." Ryuji said as Ren smiled at Ryuji and spoke up.

"Cheer up, bro. You're among friends. And if it makes you feel any better, Haru's remark makes it feel a little like Kusa's here with us in spirit, since I think we both know that's the sort of roast he'd have probably both given and laughed at. But you and I both know that you're not chicken, Ryuji." Ren said in an attempt to cheer up Ryuji, who frowned as he spoke up.

"Ugh, did you hear what I just said?" Ryuji said as Ann spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"C'mon, don't get all depressed. Everyone's here to party!" Ann said as Futaba winced and spoke up.

"Everyone, you say? I don't think I agree with that, Ann. I can think of at least two people who should be here with us right now that aren't, maybe even three or four." Futaba said as Ann winced at her faux pas and spoke up.

"Oh, right. You're right, Futaba." Ann said as a suitably somber Haru spoke up.

"Oh, poor Mona-chan." Haru said as Kasumi spoke up next.

"And poor Kusa-kun as well." Kasumi said with a sigh. Ren gently patted each of them on the shoulder comfortingly as Makoto spoke up.

"To be honest, I was trying my best not to mention it, but it's hard to avoid." Makoto said as Sojiro discreetly slipped off unseen while Futaba spoke up.

"If only Mona could be here with us right now, along with Kusa." Futaba said as at that moment, the door to Leblanc opened up and Sojiro walked back in, but rather than Sojiro, a certain blue-eyed, black-furred feline spoke up from his place in Sojiro's arms, shocking everyone present except Sojiro when he spoke up.

"Heh, did someone call for me?" Morgana asked with a smirk as Ryuji turned to face Sojiro and Morgana, speaking up without looking.

"Yeah, we were just talkin' about-eh? HUH!?" Ryuji said, his eyes going wide with everyone else as he registered the not-cat in Sojiro's arms. Ann gasped and spoke up.

"Wait, Morgana!? You're alive!? WHAT!? I thought you disappeared!" Ann said as Morgana spoke up.

"Nope. Looks like the only me that disappeared was the one in the Metaverse." Morgana said as Makoto spoke up in shock.

"So, what? You stayed in reality as a cat?" Makoto asked as Morgana spoke up.

"Not sure, to be honest. All I know is that when I woke up, I was out in Shibuya looking like this. I headed back here right away, but it took a surprising amount of time." Morgana said as a teary-eyed Futaba frowned at Morgana and spoke up.

"Still! If you were coming back here, you should've told us, moron!" Futaba said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"She's right! We were so worried, Mona-chan!" Haru said as Sojiro set the not-cat down and spoke up.

"Sheesh, some welcome back he got. Well, I've brought my own surprise back, too. I brought some fried chicken. This doesn't have anything to do with your conversation earlier, though. Any room left on the table?" Sojiro asked as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Put it in the table behind Ann and Futaba, next to the chocolate cream pie that Kasumi and I brought, compliments of Kasumi's parents." Ren said with a smirk as Morgana grinned and spoke up.

"Oooh! Now there's our chief for ya!" Morgana said as Yusuke smiled and spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Talk about everything falling into place. Now all that's missing is Kusa, and all's well that ends well." Yusuke said, taking care to phrase his words as tactfully as possible. After a bit, Morgana sat in a counter seat between Yusuke and Ryuji while he spoke up.

"C'mon, let's get started! We're gonna party to celebrate our hard work and my grand return!" Morgana said smugly as Futaba growled at him and spoke up.

"Gah! Don't you or Inari push your luck!" Futaba said in an annoyed voice, before walking over to gently pinch and prod Morgana's cheeks, making the not-cat in question groan at the treatment he was getting from Futaba as he indignantly huffed what sounded like 'Oh, come on! Cut it out!', while Futaba giggled as she played with Morgana's cheeks as Haru spoke up.

"Things are finally back to normal for the most part." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"Yeah, to an extent. But I think we can all agree that there's still something missing, or rather someone. But I don't think he'd want us ruining the mood over him." Ren said as Kasumi spoke up.

"You say that like it'd be a mood-killer to say he's alive, albeit presumably held captive, Ren." Kasumi pointed out with a coy smile, smirking at the dropped jaws her remark got from most of the others, excluding Sojiro and Morgana. Everyone laughed at Ren's remark, even as Futaba frowned at the implications that Kusa might be in trouble as the party kept going for a while...

(A short time later, in the attic of Leblanc with Ren and Morgana)

As Ren sat on his bed with Morgana, sighing as Kasumi had had to go home, his phone went off with a group chat from Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, and Kasumi, with Ann sending the first response.

"Greatest Christmas ever!" Ann sent as she sent a photo of Haru and Makoto putting Santa hats on each other while Futaba could be seen giggling behind them, a fluffy hat in the shape of a reindeer on the top of her head as she did a closed-eye smile. If you looked, you could see part of Ann's croquembrouche in the background. Ann then sent another response.

"And best of all, Morgana's back, too. I'm so glad! Gosh, I think I'm tearing up again, to be honest." Ann sent as Morgana spoke up at that point.

"Hey! Lady Ann, you're so sweet! I'm glad to be back too!" Morgana said as Ren chuckled and sent a response.

"Thank you, Ann. Morgana's happy as well." Ren sent as Futaba sent a response next.

"Mwehehe! Here's a pic for you, Mona! A nice little post-party snapshot!" Futaba sent as she posted a photo of Ren smirking as he sat at a booth seat, Morgana trying to raise a paw up in what appeared to be either a high-five or fist-bump motion, prompting a series of 'Awww' responses from Makoto, Haru, Ann, and Kasumi. Yusuke then sent a response.

"Aha, how marvelous. A splendid picture." Yusuke sent as Haru sent a response.

"Yes. Somehow, seeing them together puts me at ease." Haru sent as Kasumi sent a response.

"Agreed. Even if some of us can't always stand him, everything's better with Morgana-senpai around. Now if only Kusa-kun were here, then we'd all be back together." Kasumi sent as Ann sent a response.

"That's true, Kasumi. Changing the subject slightly, you and him are pretty close by now, huh, Ren?" Ann sent as Ren sent a response.

"Naturally. I'm sure Morgana knows this by now, but he's practically family to not just myself, but to Kusa as well. And I daresay at least some of you feel the same about him too." Ren sent as Morgana spoke up.

"Nice! Family, huh? So I'm basically your older brother, right?" Morgana asked as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Are you older than me, though? You never have said your age, Mona. And you said you were created in the Velvet Room. I feel like you could in fact be my younger brother, as well as Kusa's." Ren said with a grin. Futaba then sent a response at that point.

"Anyways, don't go disappearing again, got it? I don't wanna worry about you like that anymore. It's bad enough I have to worry about Kusa!" Futaba sent as Kasumi sent a response.

"Don't feel bad, Futaba-chan. We all worry about him. And we all miss him." Kasumi sent as Ren put his phone away while Morgana spoke up.

"Futaba. So you do care. Oh, that's right. Tonight's supposed to be a celebration, isn't it? I'm glad I could be a part of it. Also, I know I already said it, but I'll say it again. Thanks, everyone. I'm glad I got to come back to you." Morgana said as Ren nodded, happy to have Morgana back in his life...

(Meanwhile, at that same time inside of Maruki's Palace with Maruki's Shadow)

"Good, it's working! Just a bit more. Soon, my creation will be ready!" Maruki's Shadow said excitedly before turning to the closest Shadow and speaking up.

"You there! Throw the lever! Give my creation life! Life, I tell you! LIFE!" Maruki's Shadow said as the nearest Shadow nodded, throwing a lever as bolts of lightning rained down, striking the bundle underneath a sheet on the table, zapping it over and over again until Maruki's Shadow threw a hand out and kept speaking. *2*

"Enough! Kill the power! It should be ready now!" Maruki's Shadow said as the Shadow pulled the lever again, killing the electricity. A short time later, as Maruki's Shadows watched, the sheet-wrapped bundle slowly sat up, threw the sheet off of itself, and groaned as it blinked its eyes, revealing a pair of bright yellow eyes that were on an eerily familiar face which was on an equally familiar body. Maruki's Shadow grinned at the being and spoke up.

"Yes, it's alive! Can you hear me, Sinocard?" Maruki's Shadow asked as the now-named Sinocard looked over at Maruki's Shadow and spoke up.

"Y-Yes, my lord. I hear you." Sinocard said in surprisingly good English. Maruki smirked and spoke up.

"Excellent! Once you've gotten used to your body, I'm going to have a very special assignment for you, so take all the time you need, within reason, to get acclimated to things. Soon, you'll be my trump card in the battle against those accursed Phantom Thieves! No one can stop me from making the world into its ideal state now. NO ONE! Especially not with Draconis currently chained up in the detention level, little more than a weakened shell of his former self.

Regardless, I doubt that he'd have the power to stop me even if he was still alive somehow. All that remains now is to invoke the actualizations on them, and soon, Draconis will be nothing more than a memory known only to a select few. My plans cannot be stopped now. I've won! AHAHAHAHAHA!" Maruki's Shadow said triumphantly to himself, unaware of the steps that Draconis and Crow had previously taken to undermine his plans. As far as Maruki's Shadow was concerned, he was truly unstoppable...

END OF CHAPTER AND OF ARC 8: VELVET TRUTHS

A/N: And boom, chapter done! Yep, that's right. Arc 8 only lasted for three parts. Kinda surprising. But if you think about it, it's not all THAT surprising. After all, the whole 'Palace', if the Mementos Depths can even be called a legitimate Palace, the claims of it being 'the Palace of the people' notwithstanding, only lasted for a singular day, starting the morning of Christmas Eve, and wrapping up that evening.

And yeah, this chapter probably had a few bitter-sweet parts in it, but as you can see, the game has a funny way of punking people when they least expect it. Between the shocking return of Akechi, and the quick return of Morgana, people who seem to die in Royal don't actually die, do they? Well, other than Yaldabaoth. He's defo dead. But back on topic, Royal has a funny habit of doing that. Also, YES, the cliffhanger at the end of the chapter was very necessary to set up Arc 9, especially a certain extra bit I'm adding into it. So yeah, take that as you will.

And yes, I added in a Christmas Eve scene of sorts with Ren and Kasumi, since like with Hawaii, Kasumi got gypped out of a Christmas Eve scene with Ren due to how the devs handled her link, since you can only get her to Rank 5 until close to the end of the game. As a result, she's not eligible to get a Hawaii date or a Christmas Eve date with Ren, which sucks IMO since I think hers had the potential, if written well, to be one of the most adorable and wholesome dates of the lot, especially if the dates she DID get are any indication. So of course, I took it upon myself to do a realistic write-up of one.

Also, before I get a bunch of complaints that I didn't re-use the whole 'goes to get cake, has one left, takes it, girl licks frosting off Ren's nose, has romantic moment that leads to Ren 'spending a romantic evening' with said girl' formula, I felt like it was more realistic for Kasumi to have hers be more focused on her family, since not only would it make sense that Kasumi's parents would want to meet Ren if he was dating Kasumi by Christmas Eve, but I feel like she'd be the type to have hers be more family-centric.

Additionally, it made for a good pre-text to subtly 'tease' a certain plot point that gets revealed in the third semester. NO, this won't affect Ren's reaction to that specific reveal, BUT, it will likely change up how he handles it afterwards. Suffice it to say, things have to get bad for Ren and Yoshizawa before they get better. So yeah, it is what it is there.

Furthermore, while we're on the topic of Christmas Eve, that sequence that happened with Sojiro and Futaba alongside the Ren/Kasumi Christmas Eve scene? That was, in fact, the Christmas Eve cutscene you get if you don't have Ren romanced with anyone before Christmas Eve, a cutscene famously referred to by many Persona 5 Royal/Persona 5 fans as 'Friend-Zoned Christmas Eve'.

Obviously, I changed some parts to allow for the fact that Ren had to duck out on Sojiro and Futaba to spend Christmas Eve with Kasumi and her parents. I hope I did a good job keeping the scene believable despite the fact it was basically just Sojiro and Futaba in it, and a sort of cameo by Kusa, even if it was just a photograph of him.

That said, we're finally down to the final 2 arcs of this story! Hard to believe the next arc will be tackling the final Palace of Persona 5 Royal, along with the third semester that is exclusive to Royal. I'm both excited to write it up, and to see how people enjoy my adaptation of the third semester. Also, for those eagle-eyed enough to spot them, I left quite a few teasers in this chapter to things that will happen in the third semester. Kudos to anyone who can spot them. But I think that's enough prattling from me.

Thanks to everyone who's supported this story thus far, whether that support merely be in the form of following/favoriting the story, merely viewing it, or even those who left reviews on it so far with their thoughts/feedback/opinions/constructive criticism, and even those who sent their feedback through PMs, along with those who answered the occasional questions I posed in my previous A/Ns.

Thank you all so much! Your support and feedback is greatly appreciated! Feel free to keep showing this story support, ideally through reviews and/or PMs, since I enjoy hearing from my readers. And until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - I wasn't kidding when I said this. From what I've gathered, at least two of the four archangels you fight in the run up to Yaldabaoth's temple share VAs with Ren's Confidants. Gabriel (the female angel) seems to share a VA with Ohya, who in turn shares a VA with Yukiko from Persona 4 Golden. Michael (the last angel you fight), meanwhile, shares a VA with none other than Yoshida, or Broshida as I've seen him called online. I think Uriel and Raphael (the first two angels you fight), might also share VAs with other Persona characters, but I don't think so. But someone can correct me in reviews on that if I'm wrong.

*2* - Yes, I know I have Maruki's Shadow coming off as a bit of a mad scientist here, but if you think about it, most of his Palace seems to give off that 'gentle madman' vibe if you think about it, at least from what I remember of the one other time I played through it previously. I'll probably revise this opinion once I play through it again. Ironically, I believe there's an OST that plays in Maruki's Palace titled 'Gentle Madman', so that's a neat bit of irony, along with some unintentional clever wordplay on my part. Also, kudos to anyone who spots the reference I made to the first Power Rangers movie in this part.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 85 AND OF ARC 8

FOOL (Prison Master/God of Control) - Rank MAX (10)

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank MAX (10)

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 9

EMPRESS (Haru/Noir) - Rank 8

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank MAX (10)

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro/Boss/Coffee Daddy) - Rank MAX (10)

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) - Rank MAX (10)

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) - Rank MAX (10)

JUSTICE (Akechi/Crow/Black Mask) - Rank MAX (10)

HERMIT (Futaba/Taba/Oracle) - Rank MAX (10)

FORTUNE (Chihaya/Fortune Teller) - Rank 7

STRENGTH (Caroline and Justine/Twin Wardens/Lavenza) - Rank MAX (10)

HANGED-MAN (Iwai/Weapons Dealer) - Rank 7.5

DEATH (Takemi/Back-Alley Doctor) - Rank 8

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami/Becky) - Rank 8

DEVIL (Ohya) - Rank 6

TOWER (Shinya/The King/Skilled Gamer) - Rank 4

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank MAX (10)

MOON (Mishima) - Rank MAX (10)

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The People) - Rank MAX (10)

JUDGEMENT (Sae/Prosecutor) - Rank MAX (10)

FAITH (Kasumi/Sumi/*REDACTED*) - Rank 5 **MAX**

COUNCILLOR (Maruki/Doc) - Rank MAX (10)

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) - Rank MAX (10)

MAXED-OUT LINKS: FOOL, MAGICIAN, EMPEROR, HIEROPHANT, LOVERS, CHARIOT, JUSTICE, HERMIT, STRENGTH, STAR, MOON, SUN, JUDGEMENT, COUNCILLOR, WORLD

LINKS YET TO BE MAXED OUT: PRIESTESS, EMPRESS, FORTUNE, HANGED-MAN, DEATH, TEMPERANCE, DEVIL, TOWER, FAITH