Author's notes:

First of all, I'm sorry for taking so much time to release a chapter. Multiple reasons for that, Baldur's Gate 3 devoured my free time like a Persona protagonist does with food, and I fell again in the trap of trying to make a mega big chapter. I finally decided to be reasonable and cut it in multiple parts. So here is the first part, taking the form of an interlude. The good news is, the second part will come quickly in the following days, maybe even this Sunday.

Anyway, I hope you'll like this chapter.

Interlude: Staging Revolution/Betrayal

"It's me, Akechi."

"Enter."

The future prime minister of Japan looked at the two figures entering his office with caution and well-measured paranoia. One of those two was the familiar figure of Akechi. The boy sported a very satisfied smirk, something which immediately raised his guard. Shido was perfectly aware of his puppet's true personality hidden away from the public, but it wasn't something he usually was showing even here. That smirk. Once again, he was comforted in his assumption that the boy was a bastard of his. He had seen that smirk enough time in his own mirror to recognize it, even though it was clear he took more from his whore of a mother in any other physical aspect.

"That's the death certificate of the principal offender, correct? Is there a problem with it?"

Shido's mind briefly wandered to the piece of paper on his desk. He had obtained it mainly for his own satisfaction, the physical proof of the elimination of an annoying pest, but the name upon it had intrigued him. Where has he seen that name before? The answer had eluded him despite his best efforts to think of previously encountered roadblocks.

"No, nothing in particular."

It didn't matter much in the end. After all, the skittering mouses that has been the Phantom Thieve were neutralized, the last obstacle before his election. Those thoughts in mind made him examine the second person that entered the room. A girl, almost a woman, hair in ponytail and dressed even more sharply than Akechi, with an overt no-nonsense air and sporting a scrutinizing, steel like gaze. Had he not been informed in advance of who she was, he would have guessed the girl to be the young secretary or aide of an influential Diet member.

"More importantly, you've done well with regards to the prosecutors."

"The cause of death for the SIU director has been settled as a 'stroke'." Even though Akechi was speaking, Shido's eyes were on the girl, gauging her attitude.

"I had him work quite substantially on forging evidence. His loss should be mourned." He said with biting irony.

"It was thanks to his efforts I could enter the Phantom Thief's interrogation room too." Brought up the boy, another modest contribution to the cause.

"The SIU is in disarray with his death. I'll take my time choosing a successor after the elections…"

No indignation, disapproval, or even surprise was shown by the girl during the entirety of the blatantly criminal discussion. Not a single reaction beyond keen and cold attentiveness.

"At any rate, I'm now praised as a hero, and I owe it all to the Phantom Thieves." Self-congratulated his attack dog. Shido allowed it, it was his ego that made him so manipulable. "As well as the person I wished for you to meet today."

Bowing exaggeratedly and moving aside, Akechi let the girl officially become the center of attention, as if she was not already who he was focusing on.

"Shido-san." She bowed in greeting, both formal and respectful. "I am grateful for this meeting."

Despite presuming her little more than an oddity at first when his bastard asked to divert some of his resource on her, Shido found himself intrigued when an unexpected source came up with a pressed warning: Fujimaru Ritsuka was linked as well to the unseen world, and approaching her past too closely could bring out unforeseen consequences. He was still irritated and angered to discover Akechi had blatantly ignored his order to not keep contact, yet when the boy exposed the results of his investigation, he had to agree the potential gain offered were too great to let slide.

"Fujimaru Ritsuka. I was told you were interested in joining me."

"I am. I can recognize a unique opportunity when I see it."

"Still, I did not expect one of the Phantom Thieves to sell out their friends." Poked Shido.

"I never was a Phantom Thief to begin with. We merely had concurrent paths." Dismissed the girl.

"You disagreed with their goal?"

"Their little crusade held no interest for me."

She didn't say she disagreed, noted the politician, but her disdain was clear. The girl had her own goals and was ready to change allegiance to reach them. Not uncommon among his associates, but dangerous for someone with the power of the Metaverse. It was the very reason Akechi was going to suffer an unfortunate accident once the clean-up was done.

"Then why join them at all?"

"Convenience. I discovered the Metaverse through them, and to my early knowledge were the only ones having access. Though I learned soon another party could do the same, I had no way of contacting them until I unmasked Akechi-kun. From then on, the choice was obvious."

The explanation was sound. It corresponded to what Akechi told him and reinforced what he previously established. Shido noted the irritation of the boy when addressed as '-kun' yet no further reaction. Interesting. Was he afraid of interrupting the discussion, or was there another reason? He could dig in that question further down the line.

"And what are you looking for in coming to my side?" Depending on the girl's answer, this meeting would take very different turns.

"I know you possess the research of Wakaba Isshiki. As good of a foundation they may be, it is all they are, mere foundations Akechi-kun played with without real understanding."

Once more Akechi looked about to speak up as he was thrown under the bus, but backed down under the girl's gaze. How interesting. The balance of power between the two might be quite different from what he had guessed from the boy's report.

"Go on." He commanded.

"Psychotic breakdowns, changes of hearts and 'strokes' are the mere surface of the Metaverse's possibilities. What if it allowed to create exploitable resources? Replace a man's heart with another? Impress lasting concepts upon the public's mind? It may not expand beyond Japan for now, but what about when it reaches Korea? China? Shutting down Takuto Maruki's funding and support was a smart decision, but it will not delay public research forever. Before anyone else makes progress, Japan must have mastered this new battlefield. We cannot allow another Kanagawa Treaty to be forced upon us because the people in charge of the country stayed content to be frogs in a well."

The name didn't ring a bell before Shido vaguely remembered the laboratory project he used his influence to stop, but he couldn't care less. His mind was focused on the tirade he did not expect to hear from a kid, a passionate speech that would have been better suited for a government chamber than a private meeting. He had been content using the Metaverse as a convenient way to eliminate his opposition and troubles while staying untouchable. Even that man did little more than strengthening his Palace defences and stay in his own little wizardry. Once Akechi and the Phantom Thieves were eliminated, the plan had been to simply bury cognitive pscience to not let anyone potentially use it against him. But now… perhaps a change of plan was in order.

"How fascinating. Tell me, where would you see yourself in that future?" Asked Shido, keeping his composure despite the raging storm of possibilities flourishing in his mind.

"Unofficial as it is, the Metaverse will need a proper department. As well as someone qualified to supervise this new office." Answered the girl with overt ambition.

"Such hypothetical position may very well be open to a bright and loyal associate of mine."

Not that something like that was going to happen immediately, of course, but it was a good reward to dangle in front of the girl, should she prove herself useful enough. Letting someone name their own desires and focus their attention on them instead of developing more troublesome ambitions was a tried-and-true method to keep such people in line. The barely contained jealousy Shido felt rolling from his bastard was a very satisfying bonus, not that he was going to live long enough to even be a contender. Although… Shido focused back on a most pressing detail. Something he needed to confirm before fully committing to his next course of action.

"Akechi, how about you let us have a private chat for a moment, me and my guest."

"I think…"

"I said get out! Or do you wish to anger me?!" Snapped Shido.

"… Of course not, Shido-san. I'll wait outside." The brat wisely submitted, leaving the room.

The day he would see that disgraceful remain of his past disappear would be a very satisfying one.

"Now that we are in private, I was told you went out of the country for some time. Would you happen to have been studying with the Clock Tower?"

Her expression sharpened and her body tensed, letting the politician know he asked the right thing.

"You have a magus working for you. Assigned to study cognitive psience while Akechi stays on the purely practical side of things, I suppose." Stated the girl.

"Not bad. But I am the one asking questions here. I was told you took part in a project led by a "lord" of that Clock Tower. I want you to tell me what experiment you were selected for."

In truth, not much research was done on cognitive psience beside deciphering Wakaba's research, an error he now had every intention to rectify. The mysterious "Clock Tower" the magus barely told him about, on the other hand, was something he needed to learn more about.

"It was an experiment led by Marisbury Animusphere, Lord of the Astromancy department, to create enhanced soldiers. They would summon the spirit of ancient heroes and fuse them with their subjects, granting them incredible powers and bypassing the troublesome problem of lowly magi attempting to order those ancient spirits."

It all sounded so fantastical, had he not been exploiting the Metaverse for two years and recruited a magus, he would have had her thrown out for lying to his face. Even the magus himself barely convinced him, and he had doubted more than once. The confirmation by another that indeed, magic and the like do exist, and was even more present in the past… it was all but confirming what he suspected. God was truly watching over him.

"I was selected, among others, on account of potential compatibility. The project lasted two years, with only a single, middling success. Animusphere was found dead in his office soon after that success, ruled as a 'suicide'." The girl took the same tone Akechi did when speaking of the late SUI director's 'stroke'. "His daughter and heir, as well as the only successful candidate, were assassinated in a later bombing which also killed or gravely wounded most of the candidates. The project was cancelled, and after an investigation from the Clock Tower to catch the culprit, I was sent back to Japan."

It appeared the magus did not lie about the cutthroat politics of this secret society, this sounded exactly like what he did with cognitive pscience. That this organization was mostly if not entirely absent from Japan was a blessing, though he would need to find a way to neutralize them in the long run.

"I see. There is something else I would like to confirm. Is it true this Clock Tower is biased against us?"

"They are. While some of those magi have been alive for more than a century with the prejudices and bigotry of their time, as an institution they see Japan as backwater and unimportant for the world of magic as large. While it's true we don't have a centralized organisation, they are fool to underestimate the power of our history."

The girl's contemptuous tone was quite pleasing to his ears, and a few minutes of silent pondering were enough to finally decide what he was going to do with her.

"Fujimaru Ritsuka, was it? I believe you will be a valuable part of my new Japan."

He knew exactly how to control young people like this one. Ambitious, talented, hungry for acknowledgement and accomplishments. And wise enough to obey their superiors.

"Thank you, sir." She bowed in respectful thanks. "Is there anything I should do?"

"I will have a use for your abilities after the election. You shall also join my side in a more official fashion once you have graduated. Though, do keep an eye on the remnants of the Phantom Thieves." Standing up from his chair, Shido gave her a small card he retrieved from his desk. "Should they do anything suspect, call me on this number to receive my instructions for you and Akechi."

"I will. Thank you, sir."

"Do tell Akechi to come in when you leave, I still have business with him."

Fujimaru bowed once again and left, and a few moments later the bastard came back in the room.

"So, what's your verdict?" As much as he tried to conceal it, the boy was irritated to have been put aside.

"It appears Fujimaru will be a much greater asset than I anticipated. Despite my earlier misgiving at your defiance, you did great by keeping an eye on her."

"… Of course, I did. I was the one who first recognized you were the only one worthy to use my talents, after all."

"Which is why you will receive my orders through her from now on."

"I'm sorry?" The shock on the boy's face was delightful to watch.

"Fujimaru will be the ideal figurehead for my new Japan, but I intent to have her become much more than that. As she will soon become one of my close associates, the quicker she is accustomed to her role, the better. Think of it as a first step for her new responsibilities."

Having his bastard spend the last few days of his life in the shadow of the replacement he brought himself was a cruel irony Shido intended to savor to its fullest. If Akechi's report was correct Fujimaru possessed the same power, but his attitude toward the girl suggested she was not his equal, but his better, and that he left that out of his report to try to keep as much value in his eyes as possible. A childish, amusing ploy he was now having a good time demolishing.

"Of course, you could have been an acceptable substitute. But the detective Akechi cannot be associated with me, otherwise people may notice a link between all those affairs he investigated. Isn't that what you said yourself?"

"… I did. I still believe it is the correct decision."

"Then I'm glad we are on the same page. Now leave, I have work to do."

Having dismissed the sulking boy, the politician took out his phone and typed a number.

"It's me. Do you remember that girl you warned about? No, much better than that. She has come to our side. And she has the same power as him… Yes… No, she is off limit. I have plans for her… Yes. Of course, he is even more expandable now… Oh? You can do that?" Shido chuckled darkly. "Very well. Once I have no more use for him, he is all yours."

"How did you EVEN manage that?"

"You'll have to be more specific." Fujimaru retorted with an innocent smile.

The soft ambiance permeating the jazz club did little to assuage Akechi's foul mood.

"Don't try to play dumb. I've known Shido for years now, even infiltrated his Palace a few times. I can say without fail he's a paranoid freak. So, there's no way you simply spoke a bit and got his trust so quickly."

He should have been satisfied his plan worked better than he anticipated, but the frustration of being essentially demoted under Fujimaru was gnawing at him.

"I'm told I am a very agreeable person." She sipped her drink with an appreciative humming. "Alright, honest answer; he's far from the first megalomaniac with a savior complex I've interacted with. With the info you gave me it was easy to find the right attitude to appeal to his ego."

"I'll admit even I was shocked at how good your acting was. If I didn't know any better, I may have gobbled up all these half-truths myself." Though he was still miffed that she had the gall to push him down like that to prop herself up in front of soon to be jailed Shido.

"Spend two years rooming with a stalker crushing on you, that always knew if you lied to her. You become an expert at these sorts of things."

"… Sometimes I'm not sure if I want to know what exactly happened overseas." Drinking his own cocktail, Akechi listened to the singer for a bit. "What happened when I was forced to leave the room, by the way? Don't tell me he tried to make a move on you."

"I would have had to report a suicide to the police if he did." Akechi chuckled; despite wanting the shit stain to suffer more than that, such an end would have been amusing to behold. "He basically offered me your job. He all but said he'll ask me to do the after elections clean-up you were supposed to. That and keep an eye on the Phantom Thieves."

That wasn't good news at all. Either the bald four-eyes was serious about taking Fujimaru into the fold to the point of associating her as quickly as possible to his crimes, or he was starting to see him as a potential liability, maybe both.

"Well, there aren't too many risks on that second front." They did kick him out of their chat room, but Fujimaru was still in. They didn't suspect a thing, and if the messages she has shown him any indication, too demoralized to attempt anything. "Let's focus on our next objective, shall we?"

"Let's."

Akechi took his case and opened it, bringing several papers on the table.

"His name is Inshin Gyoja. There is surprisingly little to go about him, and my own investigation wielded next to no results."

"Because the data doesn't exist, or because it is classified?"

"The first one, actually." The ease by which he had obtained everything prior to the man's employment by megalomaniac in chief was even more irritating than how empty it was. "Independent consultant in management, working from home. No spouse, no children, no close relatives or acquaintances. If I didn't know better, I would suspect the bastard to be a hikikimori. Except he hasn't been at his domicile for three months, and I have no idea where Shido may have hidden him."

"Else you would have just shot him, I assume." The reproach in her voice was clear, but thankfully she didn't insist. "Interesting… What do you know about him personally?"

"He's cold and meticulous, almost scientifically so. Completely devoid of empathy, and that's coming from me." Fujimaru seemed to grow strangely concerned. Was she discerning something he didn't? "The only time he ever showed something resembling human emotion was whenever I took him to the Metaverse."

"How many time did you bring him there? When was the last time it happened?"

"Around half a year ago. And nine times. None of which were in his Palace."

"Despite that, you managed to find the distortion keyword. What is it?"

"Workshop."

She took one last glance at the documents before handing them back.

"I think I know where his Palace is. And it will complicate things."

"Really? Even though I searched all around Tokyo without finding anything, you found in a few minutes?" Akechi was genuinely curious under the mocking tone.

"If he is as knowledgeable in the Metaverse as you think he may be, then I suspect he has the ability to consciously alter his Palace to some extent." She briefly fell silent as the waiter came by and took their empty glasses away. "Especially if he was, as you said, able to improve Shido's own Palace's defences."

"Get on with it. Where is the Palace?"

"Mementos."

Akechi was stunned. Mementos was the Palace of the public. Individual Palaces, to his knowledge, detached themselves from Mementos once they grew enough, and even those with proto-Palaces stood in separated areas. If the Palace of his target was in Mementos, it meant the man found a way to reattach it. Which meant the whole operation would be a lot more dangerous than he initially estimated if the researcher had such a degree of control of his Palace.

"It's fortunate you can transport us. I didn't see myself bring my bike down there."

"I don't think it's going to be that simple. But let's talk about it later, time is flying." Said Fujimaru as she stood up.

Akechi looked at his watched and noted the late hour. He still had a bit of time to prepare for his interview tomorrow, but better be safe than sorry.

"Alright. We'll talk more about it in Mementos." He stood up as well and sent her a warning glare. "You cover your own bill this time. I'm not letting you get away with another 'the kind gentleman offered'."

"Spoilsport." She retorted with a smirk before getting serious. "Tomorrow afternoon, metro entrance."

He nodded in turn, cold anticipation coursing through him. Time to make a first bastard pay.

? - Line secured and encrypted. Password?

? - Curry flavored tears. I gather the Seventy-Two.

? - Five thieves in a pyramid. I am the Treasure.

? - Nice to see you again, Alibaba.

Alibaba – Hi to you too, Devil Buster.

Alibaba – What's up?

Devil Buster – Pancakes suspects nothing. Going together in the Palace tomorrow.

Devil Buster – Weird one, it's in Mementos apparently. I know you want to do requests but focus on Boatman's Palace. Can't risk you and us meeting, pretty sure Pancake has some navigator ability.

Alibaba – Gotcha.

Alibaba – You were right about Boatman's Palace, by the way. It's Metal Gear hardcore. Alarm level goes up way too fast and Shadows coordinate like secret service. Still got two of the keys to get to the Treasure."

Devil Buster – Keep it up. Also, met Boatman, think I made too good impression. Don't be surprised if you see a cognitive me in here.

Alibaba – Really? Dam girl, moving up fast.

Alibaba – Joker asks. Sure you wanna help Pancakes?

Devil Buster – I'm going to try and stop before the murder part. Still think a change of heart is needed. Have a bad feeling about that target.

Alibaba – What did it do?

Devil Buster – Minimum tortured Pancakes as guinea pig. Probably used lot of 'suicided' people for experiences on the Metaverse.

Devil Buster – Pancake isn't sure how many, but it doesn't matter.

Alibaba – Yeah, that heart definitely needs changing.

Alibaba – Joker says be careful.

Devil Buster – Will be. You too. Death's hard to cheat twice.

"Another dead end? What the hell is going on here?"

If Akechi was growling in frustration. It was the third time the Navigator sent them right into a false path to the Palace of the head researcher. Each time they found themselves ambushed by many Shadows, fortunately too weak to be a real danger, but strong enough to be pain in the ass.

"Calm down. This time I have his signature completed; we won't be tricked into another decoy path." Said Fujimaru, dismissing the two Personae she conjured to fight.

"You better be right about it."

Why was that bastard so hard to get revenge on? They had to go even deeper than the deepest part he went with the Phantom Thieves before, a whole new Path of Mementos with stronger enemies and even more confusing layout. Did that giant Palace even have a bottom? He was seriously starting to doubt it, even as Fujimaru seemed certain they were close.

"Hidding his 'address' under numerous decoys means he suspected you would go after him one moment or another. We'll have to be careful about it."

"Please. Should I remind you how long I've been cruising through Palaces?"

"Stop playing tough, Akechi. These countermeasures were made with you in mind." Their mount increased its speed tremendously, wind whistling in his ears. "I had to block a signal from going back somewhere each time we triggered one of those traps. He would have known you were coming a mile away. You're strong but Loki tires you fast, and after a few more of those traps you would have been either too weak to conquer the Palace or he would have had the time to rat on Shido in normal reality."

"Alright, I get it." Growled Akechi with even more irritation. "So we better do this in a few days at most, before he can realize his traps were triggered."

He did recruit Fujimaru for this, and bitching about it wouldn't help. Though he had to admit it, he underestimated his target. Not only hiding the Palace like this, but preparing special traps in Mementos. Even Shido's Palace wasn't as protected, and the guy made so many adjustments even Akechi was wary of storming it like he initially considered as a backup plan. And they weren't even in the Palace itself!

"You aren't considering stopping now?"

"Is that even a question?" Asked Akechi, dumbfounded. "When I'm going to kill his Shadow, I'll first make him pay back everything I had to endure at his hand. It'll be a nice little repeat before Shido."

"I thought you wanted to ruin Shido in reality, not in the Metaverse." Pointed out the girl.

"Let's just say I'm keeping my options open."

Especially as he suspected more and more that Shido would be designating him as last target for the clean-up, both to tie up the very last loose ends and to force Fujimaru to prove her loyalty beyond any doubts. If by any chance something like this happened, he would have no choice but to hide in the Metaverse and go at his vengeance the easy, less painful, and less satisfying way.

"You don't seem to consider the possibility of just changing their heart."

"For these pieces of shit? No way I'm doing less. I'm not letting them go with a nice, cushy little change of heart." Spat Akechi. "Also any tribunal would put them in the death row, so really, I'm only speeding up the process."

Really, he didn't expect anything less. Maybe Shido's cronies would try to lessen the crimes and put pressure on the judges and prosecutors, but without him to actively enforces those threats, the justice system should do its work. And if they tried to pressure him to do it anyway? He would laugh at their face and denounce as many as he could.

"It's here."

Akechi peeked up from the side and saw only a blank section of wall, identical to all others around in its chaotic and bland form.

"Are you sure you didn't fell for another decoy?" She simply shook her head as she observed the wall, as if deciphering something unseen.

"I'm certain. Hold on and watch my back, I'll need some time."

Sighing, Akechi slid down the massive Persona that served as their common mount and stood in the tunnel, watching for any Shadow that might approach. Playing sentinel for the damsel, what a fucking joke. Especially when the damsel in question was strong enough to twist his arm in the real world and bury him through sheer number in the Metaverse.

"Come, Vassago."

Curious, he looked back to see an angelic figure appear and float beside Fujimaru, bowing as if before a sovereign. Yet another one. He didn't ask her how many Personae she had exactly, but he suspected in time she would likely gather each of the seventy-two demons of the Goetia. After that? He had no clues beyond a little wild theory. Though the fact she had so many of them at her command perhaps gave him an element of answer about her personality; how she was able to adapt and take on many different aspects depending on who she was with. Not unlike what Ren did… Akechi shook his head. No, it was useless to think about him. Agonizing over what could have been was a waste of time. Still. Ren had been a little trickster, putting on air and a facade. When Fujimaru did it, it felt… more authentic, somehow. As if she lived instead of acting as if she did. The way she talked about previous experiences sometimes, he felt as if he stared at an abyss of which he was barely touching the surface…

"It's open. Let's go."

Realizing he lost himself in his thoughts, Akechi gritted his teeth. It wasn't like him. The present alone was important, that and the very close future where his lifelong desire of retribution would be fulfilled. The wall had transformed into an entrance, from which a swirly vortex was visible. The tunnel that usually led to a proto-Palace. Fujimaru dismounted and let her Persona disappear, which surprised him at first before he realized there may be alarms or traps triggering at the approach of a Persona beyond this tunnel. Which maybe meant…

"Wait. If he really prepared for me specifically, let me do a quick change."

Dark flames covered the Black Mask from toes to head. They dissipated shortly, leaving behind the white and red costume of the Detective Prince.

"Good thinking." Whistled Fujimaru. "He has never seen Robin Hood, I take it. Maybe he won't detect you as easily."

Akechi grunted and they both walked ahead, the dizzying sensation enveloped him. It quickly dissipated, and instantly, Akechi realized they were in a Palace. The air was far from the stale and heavy atmosphere of Mementos, the ground less even, and there was even light.

"How the hell does that qualify as a 'workshop'?"

They were on a small island, or rather, a fine band of ground leading from Mementos to the island. Desolate and dark, the sky covered by stormy clouds crowning an abrupt mountain, no vegetation, only sand, rocks, and soil. It was the very picture of a place where nothing and no one would reasonably try to live, a pale moon barely illuminating the closed world. Walking and eyeing their surrounding carefully, the two Persona users reached the island proper without anything impeding them.

"No obvious path. And no Shadows either."

It really didn't feel like a Palace. In every Palace he has seen, there has been a sense of direction, a place to start. The logical direction seemed to be the mountain, yet there was nothing but abrupt heights. Something was amiss.

"There's something wrong here… Fujimaru?" Glancing behind him, he watched in surprise the girl still. "You better not get second thoughts on…"

"Don't move!" The yell froze him on place, the utter panic he couldn't even appreciate as he distinctly felt he was the target of worries. "Not another step. Until I tell you."

He looked around, trying to see what had his accomplice so worked up. Nothing but sand, soil, some rocks irregularly… no, not irregularly. They formed a shape on the ground together, and looking at them more acutely, something was engraved on each one, barely distinguishable. The symbols on the rocks suddenly lighted with baleful light, the pentagram they formed together disappearing as the stones decayed and turned to dust. The barely different grains of sand forming rectangular shapes containing symbols were gently blown away by an invisible wind, shells mixed within emitted a grating screech as something red and black evaporated from them in volutes. A few minutes, the entire entrance to the island had entirely changed, now devoid of the many features that made it less of a desolate, empty surface.

"What was that?"

"The reason you are going to do exactly as I tell you." Retorted Fujimaru, a noticeable strain in her voice as faints silhouettes of Personae disappeared from around her.

"I'm going to need some details here." Snarked Akechi.

"Forget a Palace. This place is a fortress where everything is either a defensive spell or a resource made to fuel those spells. Right there? You almost walked into a Wu Xing pentagram, cursing ofuda in the sand and multiple Shadows hidden in the shells like shikigami."

Admittedly, most of this did not resonate well with him. He had little time for legends and superstitions beyond what was necessary to maintain a cultured image, but he knew enough to realize how he almost stepped into a disastrous situation.

"Who's that guy thinking himself as, Abe no Seimei?"

"More like Ashiya Douman." Retorted Fujimaru as his venting, though he could see clearly how much what she did took a toll.

"Don't tell me you're going to have us go back already." He snarled, fist tightening. "We barely made it to the entrance, and we're on a clock!"

"I get it. But it's that or risking to take a trap we can't survive. Some of these curses were nasty."

"I didn't know you were so knowledgeable in this. Another thing your Personae are giving you insight with?"

"You can transform, I have my own tricks." She simply said. "Let's move on as much as possible and hope the entrance concentrated most of the traps."

They advanced again, but this time at a much slower pace. As much as he hated it, Fujimaru was right and he had no idea how to pass through the tight web of defences without her. His instincts warned him like a siren that this place was not where he was supposed to be, and as they slipped together in the safe path that was slowly formed by her supernatural mine-clearing, Akechi tried to make sense of the scale.

"If I was Shido, I would ask a reimbursement. What that researcher did to his Palace is nowhere near the absurdity we have before us. Even if he managed to get some power in the Metaverse, I can't fathom how or how much time it needed to take shape."

They jumped like shadows from one safe spot to another, blurs of motion as he opened the way and she followed in a much cruder movement. Interesting, was it why she rarely moved by herself in Mementos? She seemed to have a harder time with the acrobatics, much like Futaba Sakura.

"Be sure to tell him from the neighboring cell." Joked Fujimaru, panting a little. "Alright, where do we go now? I'm betting the peak. It's always at the top of peaks that evil sorcerers like to put their castle."

"… I can't even argue with how Palaces seems to run through very cognitive, unrealistic logic. But I'm not sure of that conclusion."

"You've got a gut feeling?"

"More like a detective's intuition." He smiled haughtily, a seasoning forming in his mind. "I reckon there is a clear reason why our target chose to keep his Palace attached to Mementos. I'm thinking, what if he had the same conclusions as you, Fujimaru-san?"

"… The Root." Her insistence on the word she muttered was strange, as she facepalmed into her mask. "Of course. Of course! How could I have forgotten that?"

"Why don't you spell out what you're thinking? I'd say we are past playing mysteries at this point."

"He is going for the root of the mystery. The bottom of Mementos. You're right, we must find a way underground. There must be an opening somewhere."

They meticulously started to make a clockwise turn around the cliffs of the mountain, neutralizing even more defences on the way as Akechi took off from her burden by using the Bless attribute spells of Robin Hood to overload some of the cursed traps. They made a very efficient team, and it made him almost nostalgic… No. That time was a charade and a fantasy, nothing more. His only feelings with the Phantom Thieves had been disdain and patience until they fell for his trap. Focusing again on the path, their efforts were rewarded by what was clearly an entrance sealed by an enormous boulder.

"On the other side of the mountain from the entrance of the Palace. I'm going to kill that guy slowly." Sworn Akechi between gritting teeth.

"Veto for now. I don't think we can go on like this any longer, and right now I'm not sure how to even open this thing beside blasting it. If it can even be destroyed at all." Pointed out his accomplice with a tired and final tone.

"Tch. You aren't wrong." Something told him it wasn't an ordinary obstacle, much like the VIP elevator from Sae-san's Palace it was certainly something that needed a specific method of opening. "Let's go back for today."

Alibaba – We're almost there. Just one more key tomorrow and we'll have access to the Treasure room.

...

Devil Buster – We're close as well. I delayed it by securing a better escape route, but can't anymore. I don't think you'll be able to send the calling card before we finish this.

Alibaba – Queen says worst come to worst, you tie him up and ditch him in a closet.

...

Devil Buster – I just might.

Alibaba – Are you sure you're okay? You take less time to answer usually.

Devil Buster – It's starting to get hard.

...

Devil Buster - I need my demons to get through the defences and traps of the Palace, but it's exhausting.

Alibaba – Can't you just release some of them? Seriously, how many do you have now, thirty something? You gotta do like Ketchum and let some of those go before you can't get up in the morning!

Devil Buster – Forty-one. And can't do that, sorry.

Alibaba – HUH? How many times you went to Mementos without us? Just be careful, okay? You never know when Pancakes will get all murder hobo on you.

Devil Buster – Don't think it will happen, but I'll be. Good luck for the last key.