Chapter 31: The Final Slab
"So Luca-san, what was life for you back in the real world? If you don't mind me asking that is." Violet asks while on the mattress. Luca, who was busy looking over the mural, pauses for a moment before turning to answer.
"I don't mind telling you. Anyway, after Guernica and I were abandoned, we lived in all sorts of back alleys."
"That sounds like quite the harsh environment for young children to live on their own in." Crow comments with a furrowed brow.
"It sure was. You wouldn't BELIEVE how much fighting there was on the streets. All those gang members and drunks hanging out after midnight…"
"You got caught up in gang wars? I shudder to imagine what it must have been like. Our dealing with Kaneshiro notwithstanding." Fox comments with a frown.
"Indeed. Then again, it's no wonder why you grew up so fearless." Shadow agrees with a smile. "Not to mention, your desire to protect your younger sister fuelling you."
"You got that right." Luca affirms.
"Although, with all of that danger around you, how did you manage to survive for so long?" Joker asks, curious.
"Well…there was always one thing that we needed. Can you guess what it is?" At seeing the blank look of the Thieves, Luca grinned. "Discarded goodies! We would be goners if it wasn't for all the trash lying around. That's not to say we eat and rank EVERYTHING. Just the ones that were still in good condition, which you'd be surprised to hear was more common than you'd think. Oh, and money."
"From selling bottles, cans, and other items that can be turned in for a profit? So long as they are of reasonable condition, that is." Crow surmises with a smile. "It's just like they say. 'One man's trash is another man's treasure'. Especially when it comes to survival."
"Exactly! And the trash cans behind the restaurants were always the best place to get a meal! Do you know how much fresh food they toss out? It's stupid!" Luca says with a wide grin and a shake of her head. "Not that we were complaining, even if we had to fight rats over it…. And that I ended up giving my portion to Guernica more often than not."
"I see…so that's how you died of hunger. By giving your food to your sister…" Fox says with a sad tone.
"Honestly, I think she knew. She always tried to refuse, but I told her that I wasn't hungry. I guess it just got to me in the end…" Luca's smile fades away as she turns back to the mural. "But I also did that because if I didn't, we would both be dead."
"So you sacrificed yourself to keep your younger sister alive… Not the first time I heard that happen, nor will it be the last. But always tragic…" Crow comments with a tear going down his face. While no one saw, he was looking at Violet when he spoke. A hint of regret in his eyes before it vanished like the morning mist.
"Let's get away from this topic. I've managed to find a spot to make the manhole. Everyone ready to get the last slab?" Luca says, revealing a manhole in the ground.
"More than ready. Let's go." Joker replies confidently as he leaps into the hole. Followed quickly by everyone else.
"Ngh…Aaahhh!" Guernica screams in pain, grasping her head as Jerri calmly watches on.
"The status quo will always be maintained. Defying it will only bring you ruin. And all those bandying about their infantile 'will of rebellion' are merely sealing their fates." Jerri scoffs in disappointment, turning her eyes to the struggling Guernica. "Such stupid humans… The world doesn't need such foolishness of that sort at all. Wouldn't you agree, Guernica?"
With a wave of her wing, Jerri conjures more darkness around Guernica. Causing her headache to grow in intensity.
"What the hell's happening with my head!? Dammiiiit!" Guernica screams, her fingers digging into her skull.
"You feel this pain because of those disgusting humans, Guernica! You must wipe them clean off your Streets!" Jerri proclaims. Wrapping her around her little talons.
"Fine! I'll get rid of 'em! Just make this STOP!" Guernica screams as the dark aura solidifies around her. Jerri shakes her head slowly, a frown over her beak.
"I'm sorry, Guernica. There's simply no stopping now." She pulls a wing over her face, hiding her sinister smile. "Not until your deadly art eradicates every last bit of humanity's will of rebellion. Especially those Phantom Thieves of Heart." As Jerri watched Guernica struggle in pain, she smiled in satisfaction. "This silly ruse has nearly reached a most satisfactory end. Although…" She sighs to herself in disappointment. "Our Lord surely would not approve of such extreme measures. But it must be done. Before Yaldabaoth completes his plan. And if the tranquillity that arises from the chaos is the end goal, I'm sure…"
"The last slab we need should be nearby…" Luca whispers to the Thieves. "But, I don't know much about this area. I always get a bad feeling about this place…"
"I don't blame you. I've been on alert ever since we arrived…" Shadow admits, glancing at the tall buildings around them.
"Indeed. A sense of agitation that has no root cause…" Fox comments, glancing out the alleyway.
"Well, it is very quiet around here. Maybe it's just that?" Violet offers, although she isn't convinced herself. Joker can Crow share a look, each wondering what it is the others are feeling. Until Luca suddenly raises her hand up.
"Hang on! I'm picking up a strange presence—wait, no… It's more like a really bad smell…" The Thieves look at each other as they focus on their sense of smell. Slowly, they began to smell something. Faint, but undoubtedly there.
"I smell it…and it smells familiar…but I don't remember what." Violet comments with a scrunched-up face.
"I do…That smell…is death." Crow admits with his own grimace. "In my line of work, it is a smell that you come to recognise. And it is unmistakable."
"But it's not just a smell. I can hear voices…people are suffering nearby!" Luca points out with panic in her voice.
"Let's not stand around. Let's move out!" Joker shouts with Luca, leading the Thieves towards the source of the smell. But none of them were expecting what they found.
"Oh my…"
"Don't look Luca!
"Such horror…"
"Unbelievable…"
"Such brutality…"
All the Thieves were in shock at the source of the smell. How could they not? For before them was a mountain of mousecot bodies. Piled high and covered in paint. But what was more striking was that each and every costume was empty. Yet the smell that came from the costumes was fresh and heavy.
"Guernica…how could you do this? Is it already…too late?" Luca asks, tears threatening to leave her eyes.
"Quit running your mouth like you know me, you little shit!" Guernica's voice echoes around them as she makes her appearance now on top of one of the walls.
"Guernica!" Joker shouts as the team settles into battle stances. As much as they didn't want to.
"Well, now, if it isn't all the children harassing us. How convenient." Jerri suddenly says, appearing on Guernica's shoulder. "Here's an idea…. Why don't you top off the corpses with their bodies?" Only for a shot from Joker to zip past her head.
"Shut up, you damn bird!" He shouts, clearly holding back his anger as much as he can. And judging by the look on the rest of the Thieves, he wasn't alone in that regard.
"Jerriii! What the hell have you done!?" Luca shouts in pure anger.
"Such vulgar…" Jerri comments, brushing the side of her head. "I've told you time and time again—everything here is thanks to Guernica's wish. Yes, this is the exact sight Guernica has always longed to see!"
"I find that an implausibility!" Crow shouts, getting more than fed up with this pink parrot.
"Guernica's artistic vision is born from fury—and her rage will drive the masses to a frenzy… Soon, they will shake off their yoke of oppression, then obliterate their own diseased society! The end result? A tower of corpses piled so high, it reaches the very heavens! Not even Yaldabaoth will be able to stop them!"
"You know about Yaldabaoth!?" Joker shouts in surprise. Not that he was alone, for Fox, Shadow and Violet were also shocked as well. While Crow was just confused.
"Of course I do! He and my Lord are forever at odds with each other. But with this, with Guernica's help, my Lord will be the victor!"
"No, no, no! Guernica would never wish for something like that!" Luca shouts back, refusing to believe anything Jerri said.
"What makes you think you know anything about me? I'm finally about to make my wish a reality." Guernica dismissed without remorse.
"Guernica, don't be stupid! You've only been killing your own heart!" Luca shouts back. "Why can't you see how much this is making you suffer!?"
"This is exactly what I need. Channelling my hatred to blot out the past. All the pain that I've been put through…It's time society got its own taste!" Guernica shouts back, a bloodthirsty grin on her face.
"Exactly. And there's only one thing left to do here…" Jerri replies, locking eyes with the Thieves. "Those kids, especially that brat, we have to kill them all!"
"Not good…" Joker comments, watching as Guernica puts her mask on.
"Wait, Guernica! Luca is your sister!" Violet shouts. "Can't you remember?! Somewhere deep inside!?"
"I don't have any damn sisters!" Guernica shouts back. "And even if I did, I don't care! All that matters to me is my wish! Relatives mean nothing to me—get in my way, and I'll kill you!"
"No…you won't…" Violet replies, suddenly very calm. Guernica turns to look at her with an indifferent look, while the Thieves glance at Violet. "How could you even think of killing your sister…To take her life and never see it again, no matter what you do…" Crow glances at her with concern as Violet glares at Guernica with a hidden fury. "I'm going to make you regret thinking that way! Cendrillon! KOUGA!"
With a hidden rage, Cendrillon blasts Guernica with the bless spell, forcing her to back away and knocking her mask off her face.
"Damnit! What the hell is her problem!? She's not making sense! The kids not—" Suddenly, a flash of a memory shoots past Guernica's eyes as a roaring headache returns to her mind. Sending her to her knees.
"Guernica! Ignore their blathering! Anyone standing in your way is an enemy! Someone who must be cut down!" Jerro shouts, landing on Guernica's shoulder.
"Yes…I have to…I have to kill them…Every last one…I'm gonna KILL THEM!"
"No you won't. We'll stop you no matter what!" Joker proclaims as the Thieves open fire on Guernica's position, forcing her off the high ground before each one dives into cover. From her cover, Guernica fires her paint into the air, raining it down on the Thieves and forcing them out of cover. Only for four of them to rush into the open.
Before Guernica could wonder where the fifth one went, a smoke bomb exploded right next to her. Surrounded by smoke, Guernica, in fits of coughs, rushes out of the smoke before a sniper round smashes into her leg. Forcing Guernica to her knees.
As Guernica rose back up, magic rained down around her, filling her vision with ice, darkness, light and almighty. And as her injuries piled up, so did her anger.
"Dammit! Why won't they…just die already!" Guernica shouts in anger, firing a barrage of paint at the Thieves but missing every shot. "How am I not the strongest person in the Streets!? Urgh…shit! What is wrong with me!?"
"It would appear that something is happening to Guernica." Fox comments, watching her fume before them.
"Right. Guernica's not as aggressive as she was originally. She had clean sights on us yet missed every shot." Shadow comments, appearing next to the others in a cloud of smoke.
"What is it, Guernica? Why are you holding back? They are standing out in the open!" Jerri asks, dumbfounded. "Pull yourself together! You're making a right mess of things here!"
"Geez, I know, Sis—" Guernica replies before stopping herself mid-sentence. A barrage of memories rushes into her mind. "My head…it's splitting!"
"Guernica…she's not gonna make it!" Luca cries out in worry. While Jerri looked at her with disappointment.
"Good grief. Can't even make the finishing touches. Get up right now! Go over there and kill them!" Despite Jerri's command, Guernica refused to move, grabbing onto her head in agony. "Damnit. You there! Don't let them get near!"
From the ground, punk guards appear on mass to block the Thieves as Jerri takes her leave with Guernica. Much to Luca's dismay.
"There are too many of them. Retreat if off the table." Crow comments, glancing around them. "However, I feel as though we have some anger of our own we need to get rid of."
"I agree." Joker replies as Arsène forms behind him, glaring at the punks with a menacing smile. "I'm not one to let my anger speak for me, but for now, I'll make it an exception! Arsène! Maeigaon!"
"Boudica! Mapsiodyne!"
"Cendrillon! Makouga!"
"Robin Hood! Megidolaon!"
"Kamu Susano-o! Mabufudyne!"
The swarm of magic rushes over the punk Guards, tearing them to pieces as the survivors rush behind cover. Once behind cover, the punk opens fire on the Thieves as hulks form on the field. But even these hulking brutes did not intimidate the Thieves as they returned fire.
At a point, Crow unleashed a blast of light that settled on the Thieves, suddenly making them act faster while casting spells twice as fast. The barrage of spells was unexpected by the punks and hulks, forcing them onto a large puddle of blue paint. With the Thieves surrounding them in a five-pointed star and unleashing an All-Out attack. Wiping them all out in one blast.
"That was satisfactory." Fox comments as the team ducks into a nearby alley before all eyes fall on Luca. "Are you okay, Luca?"
"I'm sorry Luca. I really thought we could save Guernica." Violet says, looking at the ground guilty.
"Don't apologise! You've been a huge help!" Luca replies confidently. "Besides, Guernica is not done yet! That bird might be putting her through the wringer, but you can tell she is fighting it!"
"We already suspected it, but it is clear that Jerri is manipulating Guernica in some way. And that she is doing it under someone else's order. And that reminds me…" Crow turns to Joker. "Who is this 'Yaldabaoth'?"
"We'll tell you when we're back at the hideout. It's not a quick tale." Joker replies. While not what he wanted to hear, Crow begrudgingly accepts before turning back to Luca.
"Other than this 'Yaldabaoth', my other question is why Jerri is doing this. I am more curious about Jerri's identity and her 'Lord' more than ever."
"We can always figure out Jeri later. Once we've helped Guernica out anyway. It should be easy!" Luca replies with a smile.
"All we need is that final slab, right? Do you know where it is?" Violet asks, looking at Luca expectantly.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can sense it over there! Kinda surprising that it was near that corpse pile, though…" Luca shivers at the thought.
"A morbid find. Let us hurry." Fox pushes on. Luca agrees, leading the Thieves to a third trash dump. Where the final slab lay. Depicting Guernica and Luca kneeling on a grassy plain while flowers and colourful swirls wrap around them.
"There it is! The final slab!" Luca points out with glee. Before a Mad Slammer and Slick Slammer emerge from the ground, protecting the slab.
"And there are the final guardians. Both of them this time." Shadow points out with annoyance.
"It's the same as the last two. So long as we keep them over grates, we can take them down easily." Joker reassures the team as they melt into the shadows. "Anyone sees any of those punks nearby?"
"I do. On the walls." Crow confirms, seeing a squad walk along the walls.
"There's another group on the other wall." Violet points out to another wall, with a similar sized group marching along.
"It would appear that Jerri does not want us to obtain the final piece." Fox points out. "The security speaks for itself."
"Well, sorry to disappoint her, but we're not going to let them stop us." Joker says before glancing at the others. "There's a grate located right between the walls. Fox, you and Shadow climb on them and take out the punks. Crow, Violet and I will draw the Slammers over to the grate. Once we get them over the grate, we knock them down and hit them with everything we got."
"A sound plan. But we should act quick. Jerri might send in reinforcements the moment we begin." Crow warns, eyeing the area. With a nod from Joker, the team separated to perform their tasks. With Fox and Shadow scaling the two walls, the two move into positions before blasting the punk guards with magic. Freezing them in place or sending them running off with hypnosis.
The two Slammers, hearing the commotion, rush over to the scene, finding Joker waiting for them on the other side of the grate with a cocky smile. With zero concern, the two Slammers rush forward, aiming to crush Joker with their giant spray cans. Completely missing Violet and Crow hiding behind the corner before they felt shots slam into their back.
Caught off guard, the two Slammers fall head-first into the grate, slamming their heads past the holes and getting stuck in the floor. Caught in such a compromising position, the two Slammers were no match for the five-pointed star All-Out attack.
"I must admit, that was far easier than the last two." Crow comments as the team gathers around the final slab.
"Alright, Luca, you know what to do." Joker says, putting his hands into his coat pockets.
"Right." Luca replies, forming a manhole. "Thank you, Phantom Thieves. If it wasn't for you, I don't know—"
"Don't thank us just yet. Let's save that when we save Guernica." Shadow replies, patting her on the shoulder. Luca nods in response as the manhole opens up, taking the final slab back to the hideout with the Thieves in hot pursuit.
When they return, they find the Mural has been returned to its former glory. Excluding the large cracks where it had been torn apart.
"Such a beautiful piece." Fox comments, framing the entire mural. "Such hope, such love, the framing of both sisters holding hands while surrounded by greenery and flowers. Combined with the flowing of colours around them. A beautiful statement of hope for the future."
"Thank you, Fox. I'm glad you like it." Luca replies with a beaming smile.
"I must admit, it is a beautiful piece." Crow replies with his own smile. Before it is replaced by a frown. "That reminds me. You said we would talk about this 'Yaldabaoth' when we returned. Is now a good time to ask?" Joker takes a moment to breathe, debating with himself how much he should reveal. Well, the time travel part is out, along with how different Crow was originally. But there were some parts he could tell him. Just need to twist it a bit.
"I'm not sure how much you will believe us, Crow, but this is what we know about Yaldabaoth so far." Joker begins, sending a glance to Fox and Shadow. The two understood Joker's glance as Shadow motioned for Violet to be quiet. "So far, as far as we know, Yaldabaoth is actually a sentient Treasure located at the bottom of Mementos."
"A sentient Treasure of Mementos? As in, the palace for everyone in Tokyo?" Crow asks, slightly sceptical before narrowing his eyes. "Then again, Mementos is the Palace of a people in the millions. I suppose it would be possible for it to gain some form of sentience. What else do you know?"
"Not much, only that it calls itself the 'God of Control'. In all honesty, we think it's just something that's gotten a big head." How else was Joker supposed to explain more about Yaldabaoth without exposing time travel!? Sure, they trusted him, but explaining time travel was a bit too much! Even Violet and Spring weren't told until they had proof before them!
"How did you come across this?"
"We found out during a trip to Mementos. It was honestly a close encounter. The power emanating from it riveled that of the Reaper. That, and he seemed to draw on energy from people's Shadows he had locked in cages."
"A being that feeds off the Shadows of Tokyo to grow strong? How frightening. But I feel as though there is more to this story than what you are saying. However, I am willing to let that slide for now." Crow replies, easily seeing through the half-truth but not saying more out of respect. "Besides, if this Yaldabaoth is the treasure of the masses and claims it is a so-called god, does that mean he can control the people of Tokyo as well?"
"It is possible, considering when we saw him, he was locking some Shadows in a cage. The moment they were they seem to lose all sense of self." Joker confirms. "To be honest, we plan to go after him next after Shido. But since he is the core of Mementos, it means we will destroy our only way into the Metaverse. But at least it means everyone will be free to think again."
"I see." Crow says neutrally. "Honestly, I find the fact that a 'god' exists hard to believe. But then again, the Metaverse is a strange place. That, and that Jerri also mentioned him being a threat to her 'Lord' also has to be taken into account." Crow hums to himself, debating the thoughts in his mind before shaking his head. "I will think more about this later. Or now, saving Guernica and bringing down Shido are at the front of my mind."
"That's fine with me." Joker replies before sitting on a couch. "Now then, shall we go for Guernica now or take a moment to rest up?"
"It will be a while before I can find a manhole near Guernica. Best we take a moment to rest." Luca reveals, sitting before the Mural. "That…and I want to look at this for a bit more." The Thieves agree to her request as they scatter around the hideout, resting for the final battle. All the while, Luca stares at the mural, feeling the hope and love emanating from it in bliss.
"Wait for me, Tao. Big Sis is coming."