Surrounded by nothing but pure whiteness, every one of Akechi's senses were overwhelmed like nothing he'd ever felt before. It was like his brain were skewered by hundreds of needles all at once. He shouted in pain, yet heard nothing but silence. As he wondered if this agonizing sensation would ever end, the pain slowly began to dull.

"...i."

Still indistinguishable, color slowly began to return to his world. The silence in his ears was replaced by a sharp ringing.

"...chi!"

Was that a voice? His mind clung to the faint sound, desperate for any semblance of familiarity. Feeling returned to his limbs as the world around him began to take shape-

"HEY, AKECHI!"

"AH!" Finally snapping back to reality, Akechi realized he was kneeling on the floor, his body covered in a cold sweat. Trying his best to catch his breath, he looked around, recognizing a familiar face. "Sakura...?

"Thank god! You really freaked me out! What the heck was that about!?" While her tone was initially accusatory, it quickly softened as it was clear she was incredibly worried about his state. "Are you, um... are you alright now? Do you want me to ask Ren to call his doctor friend to check on you?"

Even after regaining his faculties, Akechi's head still felt like a jumbled mess. "Just now, I was... looking into that request... Right? Ugh... No... No! What I was just doing was...!" At that moment, Suzuha Amane's face burst into his mind, providing a solemn reminder of everything that had just occurred, or rather, had yet to occur. Immediately checking the date and time on his phone, he confirmed that the time leap was a success.

Still feeling a bit weak, he managed to rise to his feet and looked to Futaba. "Sakura, listen! The request's subject is named Rintaro Okabe, he has a Palace in Akihabara! I need you to tell the others to meet there near the crashed satellite after school!" He implored, quickly making his way to the Sakura residence's front door in a hurry.

"Wait, what!? I don't understand, what's going on!?" Naturally baffled, Futaba asked for clarification.

"I'm sorry, there's no time! I promise I'll explain once everyone has gathered! Please!" With no time to waste, Akechi put his faith in her to gather the others and dashed out the door.

On his way, Akechi used the MetaNav to ascertain the status of Rintaro Okabe's Palace. As he had hoped, it was confirmed immediately. Out of breath from his rush, Akechi looked ahead and saw his destination just before him, the Braun Tube Workshop. As he nervously stepped forward and opened the door-

"Wow, a customer?" A familiar voice stopped him in his tracks. "Sup! Oh, I mean, uh... welcome?"

Stepping around a large pile of CRT televisions, he saw the source of the voice and the very girl he had come to see.

"Sorry, but the owner just stepped out. If you've got a question or something you'll have to wait until he gets back." She said, scratching her head awkwardly.

"Actually, I'm here because I need to talk to you, Suzuha Amane. Or rather, John Titor." His voice was low, but his words were clear and concise. The moment she heard them, the jovial expression she had been wearing until now vanished in an instant, replaced with a deathly piercing glare.

"Who sent you?" She asked. Akechi couldn't help but find her question a bit morbidly amusing, and answered it honestly.

"You did." He replied, met with a look of concealed surprise. Regardless, he continued. "Two days from now, I used the device upstairs to come back here, with your assistance. The plan was to give you another chance to reach Rintaro Okabe before he is lost for good."

"What? You... used the Time Leap Machine?" She asked incredulously. "Wait, another chance? Are you saying..."

"That's right. I'm sorry, but... Your mission was a failure." While he felt bad telling her this so bluntly, he felt it necessary to make clear the sheer gravity of his presence here.

"No... That can't be true..." Her gaze fell to the floor for a moment before looking up at Akechi once more with a sharp glare. "How... How do I know you're telling the truth!?"

Her denial, clearly born out of fear and desperation rather than genuine distrust, was predicted by Akechi nonetheless. More specifically, it was predicted by the Suzuha who had helped him come back here. With a deep breath, Akechi recited the words she had shared with him for this eventuality.

"The wings of the Valkyrie are borne of the hearts of those who fight for a brighter future. A future of true freedom."

As he expected, Suzuha's eyes widened in shock upon hearing these words. He was told that these were the words spoken by her comrades upon her departure from 2036, words she had told to no one in this era. In her surprise, she stumbled backwards into a tall stack of TVs. Just as they began to lose balance and topple, an enormous, muscular arm quickly reached out to stabilize them.

"The hell're ya doin', part-timer!? I swear I can't leave ya alone for a damn minute!" Wondering if this was the owner Suzuha had mentioned, Akechi looked back over to her, to see if she was alright. To his surprise, she was now looking up, wearing the same jovial expression she had been when he first arrived.

"Sorry about that, Boss! I kinda missed breakfast today, I guess it's catching up to me..." She said, giving an awkward chuckle as she climbed back to her feet. "Oh yeah! Some real important business came up, so I'm gonna need to take the rest of the day off, pretty please?" She said, clasping her hands together in a begging motion.

"Where the hell's that comin' from!? What, ya got a date or somethin'?" The large man shouted aggressively, glancing over suspiciously at Akechi.

"No way, nothing like that! I'm telling you, it's serious!" She replied, indignantly putting her hands on her hips.

Continuing to glare for what felt like an eternity, he eventually brought his arm up to his bald head and gave an enormous sigh. "Tch, fine. But I'm dockin' yer pay big time. Consider yourself lucky I ain't kicking yer ass to the damn curb!"

"Thanks Boss! You're the best!" Suzuha proclaimed with an enormous grin. Pumping her fist in the air, she turned and began to walk to the door. As she passed Akechi, her face once again dropped it's cheerful façade and she lowered her voice so only he could hear. "Let's go."

As they walked through the city, Akechi explained everything that had occurred before his leap to Suzuha, including several relevant details regarding the Phantom Thieves and Metaverse. He felt guilty sharing these things without first consulting the others, but given how slim his timeframe was, he wanted to get as far ahead of the information curve as he possibly could. Suzuha listened with a serious expression, asking many questions regarding this other world he spoke of. Upon finishing his explanation, he decided to ask a question of his own.

"You, or rather, the Amane I met before my leap mentioned that Shiina's death was likely a point of convergence within this attractor field, thus preventing Okabe from saving her even with repeated attempts via time leap. There wasn't time to ask before, but I would like to know more about these attractor fields and convergence, if you don't mind." He inquired.

"Well, I mentioned online as Titor that the many-worlds interpretation holds true, but that isn't entirely correct. In truth, there are an infinite number of theoretical "worldlines", but only one can exist at any given time. If history is changed, the current worldline diverges to one that is consistent with the altered event." She explained. "However, similar worldlines are clustered within their respective "attractor fields". Attempting to change certain events within this attractor field results in convergence, wherein even if the event itself is changed, the result ultimately remains the same. In effect, this phenomenon can seem like concepts such as "fate" or "destiny"."

"I see. So in the case of Shiina, even were the specific event that led to her death to be changed, convergence would result in her dying by some other means, correct? How cruel..." He briefly considered how painful it must feel to be faced with such an eventuality. As he pondered this, he realized a potential issue with this explanation. "Wait, if it's as you say, then any convergent results simply cannot be changed. So how exactly can Rintaro Okabe prevent SERN's dystopia if that's also a matter of convergence?"

Suzuha was silent for a moment before answering. "...Dad's notes didn't mention the specific mechanism by which he could do so, just that he's the only one capable of escaping this particular attractor field. Although, it almost certainly has to do with his unique ability."

"Ability?" That wasn't something Akechi expected to hear.

"Normally in the event of any worldline shift, memories are rewritten to be consistent with the new history. This is universal, or rather, it should be. Rintaro Okabe, however, can somehow clearly retain the memories of previous worldlines. Furthermore, before it was capable of sending memory data through time, his device could send email data up to 36 bytes, with no limit to range. He called them D-Mails, and it seems they're capable of causing worldline divergence, though to what extent I'm still not sure."

"Hold on, I've heard the term "D-Mail" before." Akechi said, pulling out his phone to show Suzuha the message he had received.

"This formatting... Yeah, this definitely looks like it. Do you recognize the sender?" She asked, met with a shake of the head in response. "I see. Well, considering it's the reason you're here now, I guess I should be grateful to whoever sent it."

"That's true, I suppose. As for Okabe's memory retention between worldlines, you called it a "unique" ability. I take it such a thing is impossible for others?"

"Well, supposedly memories of prior worldlines can vaguely exist within anyone, and can manifest as phenomena such as deja vu or even something as simple as dreams, but never anything to the extent that Rintaro Okabe displays."

"Interesting... that would certainly explain his importance to your mission." Akechi gave a nod as the duo approached their destination. Still, her last statement concerned him greatly.

"Dreams, huh...?" He muttered under his breath. Just as he began to get lost in that thought, he and Suzuha were approached by the group that had gathered nearby.

"Ah, there you are, Akechi- wait, who's that?" Makoto was the first to speak up from the assembled Phantom Thieves.

"Sorry, but I think it would be easier to explain inside. Amane, do you mind?" Akechi looked to Suzuha, who for some reason seemed to be taken aback by the group that had appeared before her, but quickly regained her composure. With a beckoning gesture, she guided everyone inside the building using a route that wouldn't draw unwanted attention. Upon entering the devastated conference room on the 8th floor, there was a collective gasp of surprise. Finally, Akechi divulged everything he knew to his fellow Phantom Thieves.

The silence was palpable as he finished his story, and Akechi's heart caught in his throat as he worried if the others would even believe what he had told them. The first to speak was Ren, who had a surprisingly grounded tone.

"So, our deadline is less than two days from now? That's definitely the shortest one yet..." His response caught Akechi off guard, which was hardly a first, but Ren wasn't the only one to speak up.

"If that's the case, it truly is quite concerning." Yusuke interjected. "Aside from the deadline itself, such a miniscule timeframe presents a very serious issue even in the possibility of our success... After all, a change of heart can take time to fully manifest."

"Very true, I'll admit that period of time is something that worries me as well." Akechi responded, relieved by his allies faith in his words. "That said, Amane mentioned something before my own leap that may pertain to this issue."

"Oh, what's that?" Suzuha asked.

""Rintaro Okabe's fall was the trigger.", referring to his mental collapse upon time leaping." He explained. "If we can steal his Treasure before then, even just the immediate effects may be enough to prevent that particular leap and subsequent collapse. This may, in turn, at the very least delay the Rounder's operation."

"That's... a lot of "may"s." Ann pointed out. "Does that mean that even if we pull this off perfectly, there's still only a chance it'll do any good?"

"...That's correct. And given this is all speculation on my part, I couldn't even honestly tell you it's a likely chance." Akechi replied solemnly.

"But if we do nothin', we're screwed no matter what, right!?" Ryuji shouted. "If we got nothin' to lose, then I say we give it everything we got!"

"I agree! If we simply stand idle out of the possibility of failure, we would bring shame to the Phantom Thieves name!" Haru added, nodding emphatically.

Suzuha, despite the gravity of the situation, gave a small chuckle as she listened to the others' banter.

"Hm? Miss... Amane, correct? What's up?" Makoto asked, noticing her change in attitude.

Suzuha glanced over at her with a faint smile. "It's nothing. I'm just... surprised how similar you are."

"Similar, you say? Apologies, but have we met before?" Yusuke asked politely.

"I've certainly met most of you, though "before" is probably a poor choice of words." She answered with a somewhat nostalgic smile. "We actually fought together in my time as part of the resistance group my father started. Although, based on what Goro Akechi has told me about you all, it doesn't seem all that surprising. You've been fighting for a better future this whole time in your own way, after all. Still, it's... a bit of a trip to be honest." She seemed to reminisce for a moment before slapping her cheeks to regain her focus. "Right! Anyways, from what I understand this "distortion keyword" is all you need to break through to Rintaro Okabe's heart, correct?"

"Precisely! Since you're the only one here who's communicated with him directly, do you have any suggestions?" Morgana asked.

Suzuha's face took a quizzical expression as she glanced over to him. "You're... Ren Amamiya, correct? Is there a reason you have a cat with you?"

"I'M NOT A- Ugh, right... The conversation was flowing so naturally, I forgot she can't understand me..." Morgana uttered frustratedly.

"Don't worry about the kitty for now. More importantly, do you have any ideas about what his distortion could be?" Futaba asked in Morgana's place.

Clearly unsatisfied with this answer, Suzuha gave a small sigh before speaking. "Unfortunately, my recent interactions with Rintaro Okabe thus far have been nothing less than infuriating. That being said, I did manage to learn that before becoming completely despondent, he did speak to one person other than Mayuri Shiina."

"Who was that?" Akechi asked.

"Kurisu Makise." She replied coldly. "It seems she managed to corner him and demand an explanation. As for what was said, another lab member Itaru Hashida overheard them talking around the time he likely would have arrived from his own time leap. Apparently it was something along the lines of "I can't make any more sacrifices. I won't. No matter how cursed this wasteland of a worldline may be, I just can't do it..."."

"Destination confirmed. Beginning navigation."

Surprising everyone, an artificial voice sounded from Ren's phone, which he had open to the MetaNav app since arriving. The world around them began to warp and twist as reality faded away, being replaced by the world of Rintaro Okabe's cognition.

Suzuha's eyes widened as she looked around her, the faces of her new comrades now concealed by bizarrely unique masks, coupled with equally bizarre attire. However, the most shocking thing before her was-

"Judging by your reaction, I take it he didn't have time to explain this aspect of the Metaverse." Mona said, now in his bipedal Phantom Thief form. He turned to Crow and continued. "I mean, you could have at least told her about me, right!?"

"Forgive me, Mona. I admit my explanation was a bit rushed, so some details did end up being omitted for brevity." He responded apologetically. "Amane, I'm sure this is quite a lot, are you alright?"

Before she could answer, Noir spoke up. "Hold on, doesn't something feel... off?" She asked. "Like it's... quieter somehow."

Despite having clearly entered the Metaverse as indicated by their Phantom Thief attire, the room they stood in was surprisingly undistorted. The others listened carefully to confirm the silence she spoke of. It was true, the usual chatter and bustling of Akihabara from below was completely absent. They moved closer to the collapsed wall nearby to get a look outside.

"Woah..." While Suzuha was the only one to vocalize her surprise, it was clearly shared by the others as they stared out over the city. The sight before them truly was that of a "wasteland". Many buildings were fully collapsed, with those still standing only just barely. Vehicles haphazardly abandoned by the wayside and, perhaps most jarring of all, there wasn't a single soul in sight.

With the Metaverse now staring her in the face, Suzuha took a deep breath and turned to Crow, answering his previous question. "I'll admit, even after I decided to trust you I was skeptical about this other world you mentioned. Yet... here it is, right before my very eyes." She closed her eyes and shook her head before looking back up with resolve to the rest of the Phantom Thieves. "I can't afford any more doubts. No matter how unbelievable this all may seem to me, if you can help me see my mission completed, you have my full support."

"Perfect! With that settled, I can sense the Treasure from that way!" Mona exclaimed, drawing the others' attention. "Come on, didn't you say that we don't have time to waste Crow!?"

"Right. Let's go, everyone." Crow replied.

While the others were initially apprehensive about Suzuha accompanying them within the Metaverse despite her lack of a Persona, she had made it clear that she refused to stay behind. In the end, it was decided that her interactions with Rintaro Okabe may prove useful within his Palace, and so they made their way in the direction of the Treasure together. As they drove through the shattered ruins of Okabe's cognitive Akihabara, Panther spoke up.

"Oh yeah, even if she's not a member of the Phantom Thieves, we're still gonna be going through a Palace together, right? Don't you guys think she should have one?"

"Ah, a fair point." Fox responded. "It would certainly be a bit awkward were she the only one without."

"Wait, one what?" Suzuha asked.

"A code name, of course!" Noir answered excitedly.

"Code name...? Hm, now that you mention it, you were called "Crow" earlier, right?" She said, looking over to him.

Everyone then took turns introducing themselves by code name. The task now was to find one suitable for Suzuha.

"Hmmm, well for most of us it's just based on the outfit... So for you, I guess somethin' like "Jersey", or maybe "Braids"?" Skull suggested earnestly.

"Are you serious? That's so lame I don't even know where to start..." Panther replied disapprovingly.

"Gimme a break! It ain't like we got a lot to work with. Besides, I don't see you comin' up with any ideas!"

"Valkyrie." Suzuha said plainly, interrupting the bickering pair.

"Hm? As in the warriors from Norse mythology?" Queen asked.

She nodded. "It was... the name of the resistance group my father founded. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that it was the defining factor in making me who I am today."

The others looked at each other approvingly upon hearing her reasoning.

"Then it's settled! From here on out, you'll be Valkyrie!" Noir confirmed with a big smile.

With that, Oracle brought up a new topic. "Oh yeah, speaking of that group, you said earlier that most of us were part of it, but not all of us?"

"That's right. In truth, Goro Ak- er, Crow, Joker and you as well Oracle, were completely unfamiliar faces to me until today."

"Wait, me too? But why would we...?" Her question trailed off as she seemed to realize a grim possibility. Silence fell over the crowded car as the others seemed to come to the same answer.

"W-well hey, it looks like this place being so empty worked out for us, right? I mean, we haven't seen a single enemy yet!" Panther's poorly veiled attempt to change the subject seemed to do the trick regardless.

"That's a good point. Hey Oracle, are you picking up ANY Shadows at all?" Mona asked.

"Not really. The only readings I'm getting are the Treasure and what looks like the Palace Ruler near it." She replied, tapping away at her laptop keyboard. "Wait a second... what the heck is-"

*BANG*

"AAAGH!" Oracle was interrupted by the sound of a gunshot, followed by a cry of pain from Mona.

Everyone immediately looked out the window in the direction of the sound, only to see a single individual pursuing on motorcycle. While their face was concealed by the pitch black helmet they wore, their form fitting bodysuit betrayed an incredibly feminine figure. They raised their gun once more and began to open fire. The ear splitting sound of metal striking metal filled the air, coupled by Mona's pained voice.

"I... I c-can't take much more of this...!" He said weakly.

"There! I see a garage up ahead, we need to take cover!" Valkyrie shouted, pointing ahead through Mona's windshield.

Trying desperately to avoid any further damage, Queen steered toward the aforementioned garage just as Mona's strength seemed to give out, transforming back to his previous form and sending everyone flying toward the open door. As they crashed against the far wall inside, Valkyrie wasted no time jumping to her feet, running to the garage shutter and slamming it shut with their pursuer still at a distance.

"Ugh... Oh! Mona, are you alright!?" Getting up from the impact, Noir rushed over to the now motionless Mona's side, quickly followed by the others.

"He's breathing, and there don't seem to be any external injuries. Well, not in this form at least." Crow said, inspecting the unconscious Mona. "I'd say he likely passed out from the pain."

"Understandable... We'll have to thank him for protecting us when he wakes up." Queen said. "Although, we're not exactly safe yet, are we? Oracle, what is that thing, a Shadow?"

"No, this isn't a Shadow reading, it seems like it's a cognition of... somebody." Oracle answered. "In any case, it doesn't look like it's trying to get in here, it's just... waiting. It probably realizes that we're cornered, and wants us to make the first move."

"The hell!? You're saying this guy actually sees somebody as that psycho assassin chick!?" Skull cried incredulously.

"Either way, we just need to beat it and keep going, right? Let's do it!" Panther responded.

"I don't think it'll be that simple, guys." Oracle interjected. "It may be a cognition, but the reading is... weird. It's like the connection between this particular cognition and the world itself is insanely strong. That's probably why I didn't pick it up sooner."

"What exactly does that mean for us?" Crow asked.

"It means that whoever that's supposed to be, they're a constant in Okabe's cognition. So even if we do manage to beat it, it'll just keep getting back up."

"You're saying it's effectively invincible? That's... not good at all." Noir said worriedly.

As they began to discuss their next move, they heard the roar of an engine from deeper within. Looking over in surprise they saw Valkyrie, who had found an abandoned motorcycle deeper in the ruins of this garage and managed to start it up. The loud sound had stirred Mona as well, who was quickly caught up on the situation. Finally, Valkyrie laid out her plan.

"I'll draw the enemy's attention away from here, allowing the rest of you to make your way to the destination. Once I lose them, I'll rendezvous with the rest of you." Her recklessly straightforward idea was unexpected, to say the least.

"You're planning to go alone? That's suicide!" Fox objected.

"I'm open to other ideas, but right now this is our best chance to complete our mission! That's... all that matters." She replied with a piercing gaze.

"Unfortunately, I think Valkyrie is right." Queen admitted. "Oracle, will you be able to guide us to everyone once all of you arrive?"

"O-of course I can, but this is- wait, "us"? She responded in confusion.

"Then it's settled." Queen continued without hesitation. "Valkyrie and I will act as a diversion. Splitting the enemy's attention between the two of us should greatly improve our chances of survival."

Everyone, including Valkyrie herself, was at a loss for words at Queen's sudden revision. However, despite much pushback, this new plan was eventually agreed upon. Valkyrie mounted her newly discovered vehicle and prepared herself, eyes burning with focus. Following suit, Queen reached for her mask and with a resolved "Persona!" summoned Johanna, ready to ride.

"NOW!"

On their signal, Joker quickly pulled open the large shutter, and the pair of bikes roared as they delivered their passengers through the opening directly toward the overwhelmingly hostile presence. Just as planned, they were now the sole focus of this mysterious cognition. Trying their best to keep their movements as unpredictable as possible to avoid the incoming fire, they continued moving away from the others as fast as they could. After a while evading the enemy's assault, Oracle's voice sounded in their minds.

"Alright, we made it to the source of the Treasure's signal, now hurry up and ditch that thing!" She said in an authoritative tone, with a clear hint of worry.

"Easier said than done!" Queen responded. "This thing isn't giving us an inch! Just like you said, trying to attack it is pointless!"

"I have an idea!" Valkyrie suddenly jumped in. "Queen, I need you to take point and, on my signal, hit your brakes for just a moment!"

"The brakes!? What're you-"

"There, take that corner!" Valkyrie quickly shouted, indicating a narrow alley between two very unstable looking buildings. Despite her question remaining unanswered, Queen decided to trust her new comrade and obliged, taking the sharp right turn followed by Valkyrie and their pursuer. It was a straight shot, and the distance between them and their foe remained constant. Despite this-

"Queen, NOW!"

Fighting against every single one of her instincts, Queen slammed on her brakes, bracing herself as the inertia sent her lurching forward. At that same moment, Valkyrie did the same. She, however, didn't resist her continued momentum, and instead used it to launch herself forward. She sailed through the air, landing just behind Queen atop the back of Johanna, much to her surprise. Without a single wasted movement, Valkyrie drew her weapon, aiming it at her own discarded vehicle, and pulled the trigger.

*BOOM*

The bullet pierced the fuel tank, causing the bike to explode. Naturally, the cognition was completely unscathed by the blast, only losing a small amount of ground. However, the same could not be said about the structural integrity of the surrounding buildings. As they began to collapse, the wanton destruction from both sides eventually managed to swallow their cognitive foe. With one threat replaced by another, Queen put Johanna to full throttle desperately trying to stay ahead of the quickly approaching avalanche of steel and concrete. Finally, with no time to spare, they emerged from the other end of the now destroyed alleyway.

With the two of them now relatively safe, Queen and Valkyrie looked to each other in disbelief of their continued survival. Instead of exchanging words, the pair simply began to laugh out of sheer relief. Before long, the sound of wind whipping past their faces was replaced by a familiar voice.

"THAT WAS INSANE!" Cried Oracle, directly into their minds. "ARE YOU CRAZY!?"

"Well, invincible or not, it can't exactly follow us now, right?" Valkyrie responded breathlessly, still yet to fully regain her composure. She looked to Queen who, still trying to catch her own breath, returned a reassuring glance.

"YOU- I- Ugh... I didn't expect you to be even more reckless than Joker, Valkyrie..." Oracle replied with an exasperated tone.

"Should I try harder?" Joker's voice asked innocently.

"That wasn't a challenge!"

With an exhausted sigh, Oracle guided the pair to the rest of the group who were now gathered in front of what should have been the Ohiyama building. However, much to Valkyrie's surprise, what stood before them was instead a gateway leading to what looked to be an enormous tunnel. Before she could ask any questions, a loud voice began to speak from seemingly nowhere, startling everyone present.

"Heh, I see you've all gathered then. I take it you seek the Treasure that awaits beyond the Gates of Sacrifice. If so, then come and claim it. Claim it, along with that oh-so feared history." With a sinister chuckle, the voice faded leaving everyone utterly baffled. Seemingly in response to the voice's words, Crow staggered for a moment and clutched his head.

"Crow! Are you alright?" Valkyrie asked, looking to him in concern along with the others.

"Ngh... I-I'm fine. It's nothing." He responded, shaking his head. "We're losing time. Come on, let's move."

Crow began walking forward without waiting for a response. The others, naturally still worried about their ally, cautiously followed suit, making their way toward the so called "Gates of Sacrifice".