Chapter 16: A Beautiful Betrayal

Ren expected a warm welcome when he returned to Leblanc and was not disappointed. Sojiro, Futaba, and Morgana were waiting for him. "Aloha!" He spoke.

"Oh no." Futaba deadpanned. "They've infected him."

Ren noticed the look in Sojiro's eye. He had something important to tell him but was waiting for a better moment. Ren handed out his gifts. A tiki mask USB drive for Futaba, a bag of very expensive island beans for Sojiro, -Ren thanked God every day for the Kirijo Group's flexible definition of operating expenses- and an IOU for fatty tuna for Morgana.

"Really?" Morgana asked.

"Sorry, any seafood I could've gotten you would've spoiled by the time I got back here." Ren explained.

Morgana shook his head mournfully. "I'll manage. Somehow."

Futaba started to fidget. "Uh, Sojiro? Should we tell him about the thing?"

Sojiro sighed, "Sorry, kid. I know you just got back and probably want to hit the hay, but we need to talk shop first."

Ren sat down on one of the stools. "What happened?"

"Makoto asked me to look into one Masayoshi Shido. According to her, he's the one who framed you." Futaba said. "Currently, he's the director of state special missions."

Sojiro scoffed. "That's just a pretty term for black ops. He's dirty through and through."

Ren and Futaba glanced at each other. "You say that like you know him."

Sojiro finished wiping a coffee mug and gently set it down. "Yeah, we used to be coworkers. He was always the type to do whatever he had to do to get his way. He's use anyone and anything, blindly use resources that would be better used elsewhere, and if you opposed him, he would crush you." Sojiro shook his head, "But this doesn't make any sense. How has he risen so far that he's the frontrunner for Prime Minister when he had the same job as me when we worked together? It's only been a couple of years..."

Inspiration came to Ren like a bolt from the blue. "The mental shutdowns and people going psychotic. He's getting rid of competition."

"That doesn't make any sense, wouldn't he need Wakaba's research to-" Sojiro cut himself off when the pin dropped.

"Wait, so you're saying... he killed my mom? Just so he could steal her research and play God?" Futaba asked. When no one wanted to answer she hung her head. "Yeah, should have seen that coming." She shook her head. "It gets better. Ren, not only did he frame you for assault, but... uh..."

"Tell him, he needs to hear it." Sojiro said.

Futaba didn't need to. "Gave my dad the idea to disown me?"

Sojiro grabbed the TV remote and turned on the news. "Take a look."

Sure enough, the new face of the evening news was Akira Kurusu. "Bastard." Ren said calmly.

Futaba raised an eyebrow. "Your male genetic donor or Shido?"

Ren froze, his train of thought derailed by Futaba's undadification of his father. "Yes."

Amid the kids' laughter. "Come on, get to bed. You need your rest." Ren and Morgana went upstairs.

"You coming, Sojiro?" Futaba asked.

"In a moment." He waited for a count of thirty and walked outside and locked the door. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. He got an answer after the second ring.

"Kurusu here."

"Hi, Akira." Sojiro said. "You mind telling me why you've taken leave of your senses?"

He was expecting him to just hang up. "I was wondering how long it would be until you called. Look, it's simple. Ren's a criminal, if I didn't want to be blacklisted, I had to-"

Sojiro hadn't been angry in a long time. Annoyed? Frustrated? Absolutely. But Akira was testing his self-control. "As a father, your responsibility is to your children. It doesn't matter how hard it gets. Hell, it doesn't matter if it sets the whole damn world against you! You stand by them, no matter what!"

"If I wanted to be preached to, I'd go to church. What do you want? If you want to be rid of him, just tell his probation officer he stole some cigarettes or something."

Sojiro felt his ears get hot as his anger spiked. "Why would I want to be rid of him? Ren's one of the best things to happen to me in the past couple of years." He paused for a moment, then decided to go for the kill. "Would you like to know something, Akira? He considers me more of a father figure than you. A few minutes ago, I thought that was insane. Crazy. But now? The bar is at ground level."

"Sojiro-"

"Shut up. You sold your soul to the devil, all for the low price of abandoning your son."

There was a click on the other end, indicating that Akira had hung up. "Good riddance." Sojiro muttered. He lit a cigarette and took a drag. "Had to be said." He muttered to himself, "What kind of father figure would I be if I didn't stand up for my kids?" He dunked the cigarette in a nearby ashtray, sighed, and went home.

School the next day was uneventful, save for the rumor mill spinning into overdrive, but without the malicious intent that Kamoshida had injected into it at the start of the year, it was rather benign, which Ren was pleasantly surprised by.

Oddly, the rumors were more focused on Ryuji and Haru. It probably had something to do with the giant grin on Ryuji's face and the observation that Walking on Sunshine should be his background music. For her part, Haru was as innocent as ever.

The very noticeable hickey on his neck made it clear that was a farce.

Ren pushed those thoughts from his mind. Now it was time for the pre-infiltration meeting. Sojiro had closed Leblanc early, so they didn't have to all cram up in the attic. He looked at his assembled friends and father figure, then he began to address them. "Gentlemen, ladies... Morgana-"

"Hey!" Morgana interjected.

Ann laughed, "Look on the bright side, he didn't say cat."

Morgana chose to just roll his eyes and assumed a dignified silence.

Ren continued. "This is going to be our most important and most dangerous infiltration yet. As you all know, we suspect Goro Akechi of being the Black Mask Persona user that is the perpetrator of the mental shutdowns. I believe that this is when he will show himself."

"Why do you think that?" Makoto asked.

Ren grinned. "Because I've been running a long con on him. Just before we infiltrated Futaba's Palace, over a game of chess, he posed a hypothetical. He asked me how I would take down the Phantom Thieves."

Makoto's mind spun into overdrive. "And you humored him?"

Ren nodded smugly. "Yes. If everything goes according to plan, he will attempt to assassinate Okumura after we steal his Treasure and change his heart."

Haru was stone-faced. "His crimes aside, I don't recall giving you permission to play games with my father's life."

Ren shook his head. "We won't be doing that, because we're going to stop him. Since the only time when Okumura will be vulnerable enough for Akechi to kill will be right after we work him over, the situation will be time-critical. That means..."

"That Akechi will be just as pressed for time as us." Ryuji realized. "If we can delay him enough, then he'll have to choose between living and killing old man Okumura."

"That means we'll have no margin of error for our escape." Yusuke said. "Are you sure that we can risk that?"

Morgana spoke up. "With my mapping abilities? No. But we have a better navigator now." Ryuji translated for Haru.

Futaba laughed in her characteristic way. "Mwehehe. Don't you guys worry, I'll get us out of there safe." She paused. "After I level up a bit. You want me to be able detect Akechi, right?"

"That would be helpful." Makoto said, "Perhaps when we first enter, we should take a few moments so that Futaba can establish a baseline reading."

"Oh! We should probably raise some hell so that she can get readings at different alertness levels!" Ann said.

"Shouldn't we worry about Haru's Awakening first?" Kasumi asked, "Won't the Palace be... weird until then?"

Ren nodded. "True. We can get the baseline readings after that."

Haru nodded solemnly. "I assume it will be an ordeal, but I am ready."

Sojiro chuckled. "I don't think anyone's really ready for this..."

"Speak for yourself, old man!" Futaba retorted.

Makoto sighed. "Be that as it may, it's time. Are we all ready?" Upon receiving nods from everyone, they left Leblanc and got on the train to Shibuya... and Okumura Foods HQ.

Entry into Okumura's Palace had been simultaneously the easiest and most difficult yet. For the first time, the Palace's location was in a place where it would be irregular for teenagers to congregate, since the entry point was right in front of Okumura Foods HQ. Luckily, Haru provided the keyword immediately. When questioned on how she knew, she just shrugged and said she had a hunch.

If they'd been standing around for much longer, security would've undoubtedly gotten curious, Haru's presence aside.

"What in the world?" Haru asked.

They were standing in a spaceport straight out of a science fiction movie. Implausibly giant windows out into space, metal everything, consoles that displayed line after line of technobabble.

"Pretty sure we're out of the world." Ren quipped.

Makoto playfully smacked Ren upside the head. "Joker, focus. Oracle, Mona, any movement from the Shadows?"

Futaba grunted. "Can it wait? I'm in the middle of some calibrations."

"I beg your pardon?" Yusuke asked. Meanwhile, both Ren and Ryuji were dying while holding in laughter.

"Was that a reference?" Kasumi asked.

Ann shrugged. "Probably some game."

Morgana resigned himself to being the only sane person present. "The Shadows are definitely agitated, but they're holding off for now. Almost like the Palace ruler is lying in wait for us somewhere."

They proceeded through the opening room of the spaceport, while defeating the patrolling Shadows that interrupted them. One notable one seemed to be a living statue of sorts that claimed to be "the one who reflects physical". Sojiro had been annoyed, given that his main thing was wall spells that reflected damage.

Finally, they came to a locked door that led deeper into the complex. "Oracle, you're up." Ren said, all business now that he had gotten the snark out of his system.

Futaba hooked Necronomicon up to the console -when she wasn't in the middle of battle, her Persona took the form of her laptop- and started tapping away. "Ugh, no go. It's locked to biometric readings only."

"I guess I'll give it a try, then?" Haru asked. She stepped up and began to place her hand on the biometric sensor when an alarm began to shriek. "Ahh! I didn't even touch it!"

"Haru? What are you doing with those hooligans?"

Everyone whirled around to see Kunikazu Okumura in a spacesuit reminiscent of some fifties' sci-fi movie. "Father, what-"

"I told you not to associate with vulgar people, Haru! But yet you defy me!"

"Ooh, yeah. You really blew that one, Haru." Ann said. "I'm mean, you're dating Skull..."

"I am not vulgar!" Ryuji protested in vain.

"For real?" Everyone else said in unison.

"Go to hell, all of you!" He retorted with a smile on his face.

Sugimura appeared beside Kunikazu. "Do you really expect me to marry her now? She's been tainted by those ruffians!"

Haru gasped before she remembered what Ryuji had told her. This wasn't the real Sugimura, just her father's cognition of him.

Kunikazu shook his head, "Haru, do you realize how difficult you're being? How much stress you're causing me by running around with that Sakamoto mutt?"

"Excuse you!" Ann snapped, rising to her longtime friend's defense, "He's a golden retriever in human form!"

She went unheeded as Kunikazu's Shadow continued to deliver his indictment of his daughter. "I told you how you could be of use to me as my daughter, Haru! And it is not by running around with delinquents! It is not by bringing your nonsensical ideas for how the company should do business to fruition!"

Haru flinched. She expected this, but she hadn't been prepared for how cutting her father's words were. "So, I'm only a... a bargaining chip?"

Sugimura laughed, "No, not even. With how you've undoubtedly been soiled by your pet mutt, there's no way I can lawfully marry you..." He licked his lips. "Guess that means you'll have to be my plaything..."

Ryuji lunged forward but was stopped by Ren's arm in the way. "Dude, what the hell?"

Ren shook his head, "She's got to do this on her own."

Sojiro sighed. "Am I really the only decent father in all of Japan?" He asked rhetorically.

Kunikazu laughed, "You should know the Okumura motto by now, Haru! Overcome failure at all costs, even if it means betraying others! It's quite simple, this is all the worth you ever had as my daughter. To enable my ascension to the political world!"

"I'll make sure to take good care of her, Okumura-san." Sugimura said as he leered at Haru. "I'll try not to break her too quickly."

Haru's hands balled up into fists. This could not continue. "That's enough!" She sucked in a breath and issued her rebuttal. "I refuse to be reduced to a party favor! Father, I once told you that I would do my best for you. Years ago, I meant what you thought best for me. But now... after everything that has happened this year..." She looked over at Ryuji and took courage, shooting him a reassuring smile. "That isn't my best anymore. Now, my best will be to endeavor to change your heart! I know this isn't the real you!"

Sugimura stepped forward. "Blah blah blah. Why don't you come to my place so I can break you in? It usually takes me a while to tame brats like you!"

Haru's temper flared. "Maybe I wasn't clear enough for your lust-addled mind, Sugimura. Go fornicate with yourself. I'm spoken for, and my man gets very protective when perverts like you FORGET YOUR PLACE!"

"There's that spirit I've been waiting for."

In the next moment, Haru was besieged by a splitting pain in her head. Unaccustomed to this, she sank to her knees. She screamed and gasped for air in irregular intervals.

"You heard your father. Success at all costs, even if it means betrayal of all you know. That is the price of your freedom, or your damnation. Which will you choose, my dear fated princess?"

As she writhed in pain, Haru's eyes fell on Ryuji. Her choice had been made months ago. "FREEDOM! I CHOOSE FREEDOM!"

"Then tell me, who shall you betray?"

The pain abated as a black domino mask appeared on her face. "My heart has been set. You should know." She rose to her feet and began to tear the mask off.

"I am thou, thou art I... Let us adorn your departure into freedom with a beautiful betrayal!"

"MILADY!" A pillar of blue fire surged into being, and in its wake, Haru stood triumphant, clad in her Phantom Thief attire, looking like she had walked right out of The Three Musketeers. Behind her was her Persona, an image of a woman in a Victorian dress. She snapped her fingers and the front of the dress retracted, revealing twin gatling guns and missile launchers.

"Geez!" Ryuji said.

"Farewell, dear father! I am no longer your subservient puppet!"

"So be it." Kunikazu said. "You're worthless."

Sugimura surged with cognitive energy, becoming a giant robot. "You poor thing! I'll toy with you until you break!"

With Haru's awakening complete, Ryuji took his place beside her. "You just don't get it. Y'know, maybe we should've told you this from the start, asshat!"

"We are the Phantom Thieves!" Haru declared with aplomb, "Here to steal your bride!" An axe and a breach-loading grenade launcher materialized in her hands. She smiled that all-too-sweet smile. "Oh, Skull. I have the most delightful idea on how to remove this impediment."

In a flash, the robot Sugimura was subjected to their shared cognition. In an instant, he was in chains in a throne room, and sitting on the throne was Haru. "Your crime is disrespecting the queen." She spoke. "Your punishment is death."

Ryuji caused multiple blasts of lightning to hit their enemy, which caused the chains to become electrified. Haru leapt from the throne and brought her axe down on what passed for the robot's head. The cognition shattered, and the robot was left reeling from the attack.

"HOW DARE YOU." The robot lurched towards Haru and attempted to smash her into nothing.

"Oh, please struggle." She said. Haru slashed upwards with her axe, severing the offending arm. The robot let out what passed for a robotic scream and stumbled backwards. "It will make it all the more fun for me to take you apart." She dashed between the robot's legs and spun severing them at the knees,

"NO. STOP. PLEASE." The robot tried to crawl away, but to no avail.

"You shouldn't have annoyed a girl with an axe!"

The rest of the Phantom Thieves were stunned by this display of sadistic glee. Even Ryuji was slowly backing away. "Uh... is she making a robot... feel fear?" Futaba asked.

Finally, she beheaded the robot with a single swing, then turned around and smiled at her friends. "All done!" She lost her balance due to the initial wave of post-awakening exhaustion.

Ryuji was by her side in an instant. "Easy. This happens to everyone. We just have to break for the day."

She regained her balance. "No, I can keep going." Haru said, "I'm fine now."

"Uh... Haru, we kinda need to talk about..."

"How sadistic I am?" She replied. "I'm a repressed rich girl who has been unleashed into a target rich environment. What else did you expect?"

Ren put his foot down. "We're ending infiltration here for today. We need to take a couple of days so Oracle can get baseline readings on the Palace so we can track Black Mask." He looked at Haru, "As long as your sadism doesn't leak over into the real world or ends up killing someone there through your actions here, you won't hear a word from me."

Makoto shook her head. "Joker?"

"Yeah, Queen?"

"How the hell am I the most emotionally stable out of all of us? I died."

Ren shrugged.

Of all the people waiting for him to return from the Metaverse at Leblanc, Ren did not expect his mother and Yukari. He yawned. "Oh, hey guys." Morgana hopped out of his bag and scurried up the stairs. Isako didn't know about... any of the weirdness her children were involved in, and they wanted to keep it that way. "What's up?"

"You've got me, Ren." Yukari said, "Mom just insisted that she had to talk to both of us."

"Yes, I do." She gestured at one of the booths. "Please sit."

The two siblings exchanged nervous looks but did as requested. "Come on, enough with the cloak and dagger. What's up?" Ren asked. He wasn't in any mood for twenty questions.

Isako took a breath. "Yukari, why have you not been truthful with me about that boy you had a crush on in high school?"

Yukari nearly choked on air. "I've told you everything that matters." She said, "And I don't really want to talk about what went on between us. Better to leave it in the past."

"Why?" Isako asked. "Because you've been lying to me for years?"

Yukari did a double take. "Mom, you're being ridiculous-"

She shook her head. "I decided to look into it, if only for my own curiosity. You never mentioned that Makoto Yuki died."

Ren decided that the less he said the better Yukari had to deal with this one. "So what?" She said, "What does it change?"

"What does it- What do you mean, Yukari? Of course it changes-"

Yukari groaned. She did not want to explain everything that had gone on that year to her. "No, it doesn't. It doesn't change a thing, mom. Yes, I lied about what happened to him. In case you're forgetting the timeline here, I was a seventeen-year-old kid who had fallen head over heels for the smartest, bravest, and kindest man she had ever met, only to have him ripped away in the cruelest way possible! I just wanted to mourn in peace without anyone who didn't understand the situation butting in!"

Ren dared to speak. "Is that why..."

"Why I haven't found anyone yet? Yep. I'm not picky about gender, but..." She had found that out about a week after the struggles that SEES went through in the Abyss of Time. She, Fuuka, and Aigis had a few sleepless nights fueled by grief and longing for connection with someone who understood. "They have to measure up."

"And what was the situation, Yukari?" Isako was relentless. "What else have you lied to me about?" She noticed the look that her daughter shot at Ren. "Do you know what's going on?" She asked him.

Yukari pinched the bridge of her nose. "You don't have to interrogate Ren. I'll tell you, but I need to make something very clear to you, mom. Everything I tell you from this point on is the truth, and I am not crazy."

Isako paused. "Why did that boy die?"

Yukari sighed. "He died to save the world. He used his life force to create a seal that will keep the concept of death separate from mankind's nihilistic desire for oblivion for all time."

Isako blinked. Then she chose to trust her daughter, as she knew that Yukari was not prone to wild stories. "If he hadn't done that, what would've happened?"

Yukari set her jaw. "All life on Earth would have functionally ceased to exist as of January thirty-first five years ago." Her voice caught as she remembered that final battle. That... had not been pleasant. "Every human would've become a mindless husk, unable to speak, move, or take care of themselves."

Isako deflated. "Oh." She shook her head slowly, "I'm sorry, Yukari. I just..." She looked at Ren. "You're not involved in anything like that, are you?"

Both Ren and Yukari froze. "Uh..."

Isako directed the patented power of the Mom Glare at her son. "Ren Amamiya, you tell me what you are involved in. Right now."

Ren withered away under his mother's gaze. "I'm the leader of the Phantom Thieves." He said.

Isako's face twisted with anger, "And risk violating your probation? Ren, are you out of your mind?"

"Well, considering the alternative would have been to let my pedophile gym teacher continue to perv his way through the female population of Shujin Academy, no. I do not think I'm out of my mind." Ren shot back.

"Does Makoto know you're involved in this? Or are you lying to her?" Isako said.

"She's the team's only brain cell."

Yukari burst out laughing. "What is it with teams of Persona users and having only one person who uses their brain?"

Ren joined her, doubling over in laughter. "Who was yours? Mitsuru?"

"No! She was too busy making bedroom eyes at Akihiko every time she thought we weren't looking! It was Koromaru!"

Ren paused. "The dog was your team's braincell?"

"He was a very smart dog."

Isako facepalmed. "Just promise me you'll be safe, Ren."

Ren stilled. He knew that was impossible. But did he really want to tell his mother what went on in the Metaverse? Or how often he flirted with death's razor edge on a daily basis?

Deep in his heart, he knew that this was going to eat at him if he got hurt. But he needed Isako to be marginally okay with everything. "I promise, Mom. There won't be a scratch on me."

"Okay, now that we're all on the same page, is there anything else?" Yukari asked, "I have to run the press gauntlet tomorrow for the new Featherman movie so I would like a good night's rest followed by a strong cup of coffee in the morning."

"Uh, yeah." Ren said. "I have some questions about your Makoto's Personas. And the nature of the Great Seal."

Yukari flinched. "Thanatos and Messiah? Why? And what about the seal?"

Isako said her goodbyes and left; she had no doubt that the ensuing conversation would go far above her head.

"I had a dream. Where I briefly spoke with Makoto Yuki, and he granted me those Personas. As for the seal, every Nyx Avatar we've fought in the Metaverse goes on about how the seal is flawed and that the Messiah's sacrifice will be in vain."

"Shit!" Yukari swore. "Shit, shit, shit! Elizabeth, you dumbass!" Seeing Ren's confusion, she explained further. "Elizabeth was Makoto's Velvet Room Attendant. After all was said and done, she left the Velvet Room to try to untangle his soul from the Great Seal."

"You think she's being... reckless?" Ren asked.

"How else could these Nyx Avatars be showing up in the Metaverse?" Yukari shot back. "Damn, I need to report this to Mitsuru. Ugh, as if I didn't have enough on my plate already." She shrugged. "Such is life as a Persona user, I guess."

Ren hummed noncommittally. "Wait, Makoto only had one attendant?"

"Yeah, that's normal. Why?"

Ren's mind began to race. Was something screwy going on in the Velvet Room? "I have two."

Yukari's eyes narrowed. From what she knew of the Velvet Room from Makoto Yuki and Aigis that didn't sound right. "Igor's still there, right?"

"Yeah, he's a dick. Always interrupting my sleep for cryptic nonsense about impending ruin, going on about how he's the master of the Velvet Room or whatever." Ren said.

Yukari had a theory, but she needed confirmation. "His voice, what's it like?"

Ren tilted his head in confusion. "Deep, almost natural bass. Why?"

"Ren, that isn't Igor. I met him at the tail end of my team's adventures. He doesn't force you into anything, he doesn't interrupt your sleep, and he doesn't have a deep voice."

For a moment, Ren stared out into space. "It does seem like Justine and Caroline are two halves of one whole, now that I think about it. But what kind of power would it take to subjugate a being like Igor and split a Velvet Room attendant in two like that?" He answered his own question a moment later. "A god? Is that too wild?"

Yukari's brow furrowed as she recalled details of the Investigation Team's exploits. "There's precedent."

"How the hell are we supposed to fight a god, Yukari?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Very carefully."

As Haru prepared to give the calling card to her father, she reflected over the past several days. She had awakened to her Persona -and she did not think the identity of her Persona being from her favorite childhood novel, The Three Musketeers, was a coincidence- and had ran roughshod over her father's Palace with the other Phantom Thieves.

While at first the other Phantom Thieves were alarmed at how sadistic she was in the Metaverse, this led to introspection. After some soul searching, they realized that some aspects of each of them were heightened while they were over there. Ann was the next most drastic, what with the recent rediscovery of her childhood pyromania.

After a full two days of swearing at the objectively asinine airlock system in the final stages of the Palace, they had finally secured their infiltration route. Haru had written the calling card herself, now there was just one thing left to do.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door to her father's office. To make this work and to avoid suspicion, she would need to gain his favor. Right now, the best way to do that would be a certain lie.

Inwardly, she was mildly alarmed how easily she took to the craft of lies and subterfuge.

Kunikazu looked up from his work. "Haru? I didn't send for you."

She approached her father. "I know. There's just something you need to know. I've stopped living in a fantasy world and accepted the inevitable." She averted her eyes, hoping that would help sell the lie, "I broke up with Ryu- Sakamoto."

A smile blossomed on Kunikazu's face. "Very good, Haru. I'm sure that Sugimura will be pleased to hear that you've gotten rid of that mutt."

Due to the years of training she had in public appearances as a corporate heiress, she was able to keep the anger that blazed within her at that statement off her face. "Yes, father." She said automatically. "Um... there's something else."

"What is it?"

Haru produced the calling card. "This was on the front door when I came home from school."

Kunikazu took it from her. "This... The Phantom Thieves? They're after me? Bah, I'm not scared of some urban myth." He proceeded to read the card. "Sir Kunikazu Okumura, the tyrant of greed. You treat your employees like they're robots, and the success of your company is built upon their bodies. Prepare yourself, for we will steal your distorted desires without fail. For every dream and future you have crushed under your heel, we will make you confess your crimes with your own mouth. From, The Phantom Thieves."

In a flash of cognition, Haru saw her father's Shadow. "You think you can stop me? No! No one will stop me from ascending to Utopia!"

Kunikazu pulled out his phone and called the police and began to report the calling card. Haru barely kept herself from sighing with relief. The plan to stop Akechi relied on knowing that he was coming. With the police alerted, he would no doubt make an attempt on her father's life.

As she left her father's office, she pulled out her phone and sent a text to the group chat, something that Ren had told her to say. After all, they had a sacred responsibility to uphold their catchphrases.

"It's showtime."

As was typical for the average Phantom Thieves heist, everything went off the rails in the first five minutes. The Treasure had been revealed to be the power core for a spaceship that would take Okumura to Utopia.

Okumura had taunted them, told them they would be left behind and destroyed along with the Palace as he ascended to the political world, given a time limit of ten minutes. That had been six minutes ago. Now they faced a seemingly endless supply of Okumura worker drones.

"Johanna!" Makoto cried while brandishing the Last Word.

"MILADY!" Haru yelled.

"Ravage them, Arsene!" Ren called out.

"TRIPLE DOWN!" They all shouted together.

The hail of Persona powered gunfire punched a hole through the hordes of worker bots. "Let's move!" Ren said, "This is our last shot!"

The wall panels opened up, and more bots flooded out. "ENOUGH!" Kasumi ripped off her mask and crimson fire surged around her. "BILLOW FORTH, SACRED TEMPEST!" A deluge of holy magic darts flew out and impaled the bots, pinning them to the walls and clogging up their deployment chutes.

"Nice work, Violet!" Futaba said. "Go, Thieves, go!"

"Are things always this chaotic?" Haru asked.

"Yes!" Everyone else yelled.

With two minutes to spare, they burst out onto the landing pad. "Father, stop!"

Okumura stopped and turned to look at the assembled Phantom Thieves. "You persistent little- how'd you get past the security drones?"

"It's simple, you miserable miser!" Ryuji said. "We kicked their asses!"

Okumura sneered at him. "My personal armies are far more advanced, as you are about to find out." He looked at a device attached to the forearm portion of his spacesuit. "There's more than enough time before launch! I will crush you all beneath my heel!"

Alarms started to go off, and capsules dropped from the ceiling that released the giant robots that Sugimura had become. From panels in the floor more of the rank and file emerged, encircling the Phantom Thieves.

"Hahaha!" Okumura laughed, "How will you beat me when you can't even save yourselves?"

There was no room for half-measures here. Ren reached for his mask and deep inside his soul, for the power bequeathed to him by Makoto Yuki. "DESCEND, MESSIAH!"

"Whoa!" Futaba said, "Joker, what Persona is that? Its power is off the charts!"

Ren didn't waste any time, instead choosing to call down supreme devastation. "MEGIDOLAON!" For a single moment, nothing happened. Then a magical explosion cleansed the battlefield with thunder and fury.

When the smoke cleared, all of the robots had been wiped out, leaving nothing between The Phantom Thieves and Okumura. He pointed a trembling finger at Ren. "YOU! IMPOSSIBLE! YOU ARE NOT THE WIELDER OF THAT POWER!"

"Noir, I have a question." Makoto said as she pointedly ignored the dread coiling in her gut. "Did your father ever mention some sort of religious group that he supports?"

Haru frowned. "There was a scandal a few years ago that quietly went away for no apparent reason. He was allegedly donating money to that shady death cult, but nothing was proven."

"God damn it all!" Ryuji said, "It's about to be proven!"

Okumura continued his insane rant. "No, the true wielder of that power was a Fool! A fool to stand against death! Soon, death will come for all once again, the Great Seal will fail, humanity's hope will flee, and-"

Morgana felt a sharp pain in his chest and fell over. "Mona, what's wrong?" Kasumi asked.

The pain passed as soon as it came. "I... I don't know!"

Cognitive energy began to coalesce around Okumura. "-The Promised Day will come at last! All life will be purged, and the world will be remade in Nyx's perfect image!" The gathered power exploded, leaving a Nyx Avatar.

"Damn it!" Ren said. "Oracle, how long until launch?"

"Twenty minutes!" Necronomicon beeped a warning at her. "Oh crap crap crap! Not now!"

"What is it?" Makoto asked.

"It's Akechi! He's in the Palace and headed this way! At his current rate of speed, he'll be here in five minutes!"

"Enough of this." Yusuke said. "Our objective is no different than usual, defeat the Ruler, change their heart, take the Treasure. We can deal with Akechi when we cross that bridge." He flung his mask away with aplomb. "Susano-o! Tempest Slash!" His attack bounced off and was turned against him. He screamed in pain as he fell to the ground.

Ren's eyes narrowed. It reflected Physical. Just like that one Shadow from earlier in the Palace! "Queen, Noir, lay into it with your magic!"

Makoto and Haru stepped forward and did just that, conjuring the strongest magic attacks they could muster. The Nyx Avatar howled in pain and recoiled. Ren grinned. He had been right on the money. "My turn. TITANIA! FREIDYNE!" Another explosion went off in the Avatar's face...

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed."

Futaba got a lucky hit. "It's weak to Gun!" She put on her best twenties mobster accent. "Rattle 'em boys!"

Sojiro rolled his eyes. "Fox, Panther, with me!" They unloaded their respective guns into the Nyx Avatar. The Avatar countered with a sword swing, but Sojiro was ready. "TETRAKARN!" The attack was turned back on their enemy, and it had no choice but to fall back on what made Nyx Avatars so threatening.

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed."

"Kougaon!" Kasumi's voice rang out and a pillar of divine energy shook the Nyx Avatar to its core. She dashed at it and called out to Ann. "Panther! Our enemy requires some discipline!"

Ann grinned. "Careful, Violet, we might make the boys blush..."

In a flash, their cognition transported them to a gymnastics arena, like any other in the world. Both Kasumi and Ann snapped their fingers, and a multitude of gymnastics ribbons shot out from a rack behind them and began tying the Nyx Avatar up, leaving it bound in midair, suspended by an intricate web of ropes.

Ann cracked her whip, imbuing it with fire. "You've been naughty!" She stomped her foot and began to rain down blows. "It's time for your punishment!" After a final blow that let off a blast of fire as the whip recoiled, she tagged the partner of her heart in. "Your turn, Violet!"

"Merci, mon amour." Kasumi stepped forward. "How dare you besmirch these hallowed halls!" She readied her rapier and unleashed a ferocious barrage of strikes, each one cutting through a single rope. As the Nyx Avatar fell, finally free of its bondage, she stepped back and ran her finger along her blade, charging it with holy energy. Ann pulled out her sub-machine gun and spat a stream of white-hot lead, keeping the Nyx Avatar at bay. Finally, Kasumi shot forward and impaled their enemy through the heart before pulling out her rifle and placing the barrel under the Nyx avatar's chin. "Such ugliness does not belong in this world." She pulled the trigger and the cognition shattered.

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed."

"Black Mask is two minutes away!" Futaba cried.

"Can you tell how many more times the Avatar will use Arcana Shift?" Makoto asked.

"No!" Futaba yelled. "It's all I can do to analyze the weaknesses and keep track of-"

There was only one option. "Messiah."

"Joker, what are you do-"

"MEGIDOLAON!"

"The Arcana is the means by which all-"

"MEGIDOLAON!"

"The Arcana is the means-"

"MEGIDOLAON!"

"The Ar-"

"MEGIDOLAON!"

The Nyx Avatar dissolved, leaving Okumura on no his hands and knees in its place. "H-haru! Stop them!" A robotic version of Haru materialized. It barely opened its mouth before the real Haru sliced it in half with her axe, a rapturous expression on her face

Okumura cowered. "Don't kill me! Please!"

Haru nodded at Ren, and he began to give orders to the others to prepare for Akechi while chugging a thermos's worth of Leblanc coffee. It was left to her to change her father's heart. "Why would I do that? How can you move forward from this if I kill you here?" She glared at him. "Giving money to death cults. All of the death at the factories. Working customer-facing employees to the bone. All of the underhanded tactics, just to expand much too quickly... like a cancer. It ends. All of it. You will confess everything, father. You will confess everything and move forward, find a new way! One that doesn't require treating your employees like slaves!"

"It won't work..." He whined. "The stock price will tank, the shareholders will be furious, I can't..."

"YOU CAN!" Haru shouted. "STAND UP, KUNIKAZU OKUMURA! STAND UP AND SHOW THE WORLD THE MAN YOU WERE BEFORE YOU BECAME A GREEDY BASTARD! SHOW THE WORLD THE FATHER I USED TO HAVE!"

"Haru... when did you grow a backbone?" He shook his head. "No, don't tell me. It was the Sakamoto boy, wasn't it? I'll... call off the marriage contract. There's nothing in writing anyways..."

"Wait, what?" Ryuji said, "Did he just-"

Ryuji was cut off by the Palace starting to shake. Okumura began to slowly fade, signifying his return to his real body. It was only a matter of time until...

"INCOMING!" Futaba screamed, "JOKER'S ELEVEN 'O CLOCK HIGH!"

In a flash, Ren's gun was out. He quickly sighted in on a man dressed in black, with a full face mask that sported glowing red eyes. Really, Akechi? You aren't being subtle. The man raised his gun at Okumura and fired.

Sojiro came in clutch once more. "TETRAKARN!" The bullet was reflected, but the assailant didn't care. Instead he just kept firing, deadset on killing Okumura.

"Thieves, take the Treasure and go!" Ren called out. "I'll handle this!" He leapt into the line of fire and deflected each shot with lightning-fast blade work. His trusty knife hadn't failed him yet!

"We'll see you on the other side, Leader!" Ryuji called out as they all piled on the Mona-bus and sped off.

The figure began to laugh maniacally. "You think you can stop me? What a hoot! If you won't let me kill him, then I'll just make him suffer until he wastes away! DEMONIC DECREE!"

Just before Okumura vanished, he was caught in a web of dark magic that drained his life energy into a hungry abyss. Midway through the attack, he finally went back to his self in the real world.

Ren rounded on Akechi, only to find that he had already vanished, his maniacal laughter haunting him. He gritted his teeth and made a mad dash for the exit, the Palace now collapsing in earnest around him. Technically this was a complete success. They stole the Treasure, changed Okumura's heart, and stopped Akechi from killing Okumura.

However, the spell that Akechi used at the last minute worried him. What effect would it have on Okumura in the real world?

He went to put his weapons away, when they fell apart. He blinked. Had he not been maintaining them? Did deflecting Akechi's bullets take more of a toll than he expected? Or was it a sign that Messiah was too powerful for him to overuse?

He didn't have time to ponder those questions now, a fact that he was quickly reminded of by the collapsing ceiling. With one final leap, he burst through the exit point and back into the real world.

Makoto burst out into a smile as he appeared. "Alright, let's get out of here! Okumura Foods' security's bound to be on our tails before long!"

They ran for the relative safety of the street, not stopping once they were out of sight. Sojiro and Futaba were bent over, hands on their knees and breathing heavily. "No fair... making me do exercise..." Futaba complained. "Totally failed my constitution check back there."

"You do remember that I'm an old man outside of the Metaverse, right? Sojiro groused.

Ren shrugged. "But did you die?"

Everyone groaned and went their separate ways, content in a job well done.

Kobayakawa was panicking. He had failed, completely failed to expose the Phantom Thieves, and is superiors knew about it. He was a dead man, so he might as well take them all down with him.

He loosened his tie as he began to cross the street. He just needed to make it to the police station. Then he could save himself by exposing them all...

He felt a pain in his chest.

He couldn't think.

He should walk into traffic.

He turned and walked into the street.

He heard the semi-truck honking at him.

He stopped.

Finally, he would do what his superiors told him to-

Kunikaze Okumura was in his office when it happened.

He pitched forward as the guilt hit him like he had been in a car ramming into a brick wall at speed.

Lesser men would have devolved into a sobbing wreck, for him there was only grim acceptance and resolve to right the wrongs.

He reached for his phone.

"Sugimura here."

"The marriage contract is off." Okumura said. "Don't bother trying to get your lawyers to write up a fake one, my lawyers are second only to the Kirijo Group. They will bury you."

"What? You can't do this!" Sugimura protested. "Haru was supposed to be mine!"

Kunikazu felt a spike of revulsion. He had been about to sell off his daughter to the likes of this scoundrel? "I have decided to honor my daughter's wishes on the matter. After all, I'm sure she has her... gentleman caller trained enough by now."

Change of heart or no, his opinion of Ryuji Sakamoto was still low. However, he knew his daughter and had confidence that she would make sure that he wouldn't embarrass himself.

"What? You're letting her date that mutt?"

"Goodbye. Scream into the void. Contact me again and you will be having some very interesting discussions with the police regarding your fixation with teenage brides."

He hung up. One mistake corrected.

Only about a million to go.

He felt a twinge of pain in his chest.

It was probably nothing.

He made another call. "Haru, I've called off your marriage to Sugimura. I would like to meet... Ryuji as soon as is convenient."

"Tomorrow after school would work for both of us. Thank you, father. Thank you for being you."

Haru hung up, leaving Kunikazu to stare at his phone awkwardly. Where had that come from?

He put that aside for now and continued. "Hello, this is Kunikazu Okumura. I need to host a press conference as soon as possible."

Time to drag everything out into the light.

A/N: Sorry for the delay! I got hit with Vampire AU brainrot! On to the rest of the notes!

The gang now knows about Shido. Ren is eagerly awaiting getting political, by which I mean kicking Shido's ass seven ways to Sunday.

I did say way back in chapter one that Sojiro and Akira know each other. Sojiro rightfully takes him down a peg. No one messes with his kids.

Finally, the truth comes out, and Isako knows what weirdness Yukari and Ren are involved in. But uh... Ren will find out later that he blatantly lied to his mother here. That guilt will haunt him a little, as a treat.

Haru's awakening happens properly, and she gets to say the line she should have from the beginning.

Now, I know my decision to make Okumura a Nyx Avatar fight might be... a bit of a hot take. The alternative would've been writing out about ten different ways that the Phantom Thieves take down waves of robots.

Well... at least Okumura isn't dead? He'll be hurting shortly, though. Count on that.

Oh, yeah the principal bites it, as expected.

Until next time.