For anyone who happened to miss it, chapter 55 was posted yesterday. In any case, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 56: …Swindled
Ω • Ω • Ω
•Kaneshiro•
He clenched his fists as he made his way down the hall, his 'employees' becoming panicked when he passed them. The useless bastards were standing around, trying not to attract his attention. Whatever. He'd focus on the commotion for now.
He got to the end of the hall, saw the busted-up wall, and glared at the men standing there. "So? What the hell happened?"
"Uh, Ka-Kaneshiro, sir… Well, basically."
"Spit it out."
Another man spoke up. "Someone busted in and threw a bunch of cards everywhere, then blew open the wall and jumped out when we caught them."
"Cards?" Someone handed one over, and he glared down at it as he began reading. "'Sir Junya Kaneshiro, the money-devouring sinner of gluttony. You indulge in scamming others with horrendous methods that target minors exclusively. We have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail. From, the Phantom Thieves.' Huh."
"Sir?"
He breathed in and held it as he crumpled the note. Sinner of gluttony? What bullshit. "I-Isn't this bad, sir? If the higher-ups find out about this…"
"Don't waste your time worrying about this useless shit," he growled.
"Sir, it wasn't just here, cards were dropped all around the city, and people are talking about it online…"
His heart thumped. "...All of you, bring me your earnings!" He turned to return to his room, growling in anger. "If you don't surpass your quota, I'll kill you."
"Yessir!"
He ignored the ass-kissers, adjusting his jacket. Confess his crimes with his own mouth? As if he'd ever do that! Those Phantom Thieves… He'd heard of them, something about an artist, and some school teacher. But that didn't matter. He'd never let them take him down. Within the Metaverse, his Shadow scowled as the security level skyrocketed. "Phantom Thieves? Don't make me laugh."
Ω • Ω • Ω
•Akira•
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
He exited the Velvet Room, adjusting his gloves. He now had a Principality added to his roster, fused from Nigi Mitama, with some good healing spells. "Is everyone ready?" He asked.
"We're all good to go, Joker," Queen replied as she pounded her fists together, her brass knuckles clanging loudly.
"Alright then. It's Showtime!"
They followed their usual route into the Palace through the hidden tunnel, sneaking past guards that were patrolling by the elevator. They made their way inside and saw that the Elevator was already on the move, descending into the basement. "Shit! Quick, hop on!" Skull jumped through the maintenance panel and the rest followed, landing on top of the elevator before it went too far.
"The Palace seems like it's in a harried state," Queen noticed.
"Even more than Kamoshida and Madarame's," he agreed.
"Well, Kaneshiro is the biggest target we've gone up against," Panther pointed out. "He has an entire mafia syndicate, right?"
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
"She has a point," Mona spoke. "In response to the calling card, he might be doing something like calling every one of his goons back to his base in case the police try something, or maybe he's having them bring in all the money they've collected right now."
Fox hummed. "While the Shadows might be on guard, it may be to our advantage if they are focused on bringing in their assets."
"Well, no matter what, we've gotta get to that Treasure and kick some ass!"
"We can always count on Skull to keep it simple, hm?" He chuckled and got himself ready as the elevator slowed to a halt. They quickly began sneaking through the halls, using the shortcuts they'd made to descend through the bank as swiftly as possible. When they reached the final elevator that would lead them to the circular vault, they could see through the glass that numerous shadows were patrolling.
"Looks like we'll have to fight our way through," Queen spoke with narrowed eyes.
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
"Very well. My sword will cut us a path," Fox declared. And as soon as the doors opened, and several Shadows turned towards the noise he surged out like lightning, his sword more like a flash of light as each enemy was cut in two.
In the same instant he sheathed the blade, they exploded into fountains of goo and several different Shadows. Onis, Orthrus, High pixies… "Remember, we're just here for the Treasure! Focus on reaching the center of the vault!" Mona's shout was followed by him summoning Zorro. While the Shadows were still disoriented from Fox's attack, a Magaru threw them all aside and the Thieves rushed through.
More Shadows stood in their path, rushing at them. Several were still in their guard forms, waving their batons, while others had transformed into their various forms. Multiple Leanan Sidhe launched Psio orbs at them, while several Yaksini rushed forward with blades bared.
He equipped his own Sidhe and blocked the Psio attacks, while Skull roared and bashed the Yaksini aside. Panther launched fireballs everywhere, keeping Shadows at bay, while Queen hopped onto Johanna and rode forward, clearing them out by running over any Shadow in their way.
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
By continuously moving and not stopping for a second they easily reached the final elevator with only a few injuries here and there. He passed out some medicine and coffee, topping up everyone's health and energy. If the pattern held, Kaneshiro would either be waiting for them by the Treasure or ambush them on their way out.
The elevator dinged to a stop and they stepped off to find a massive safe had somehow appeared in the middle of the vault, with a combination lock constantly spinning. "Is that Kaneshiro?!" Queen's shout drew his eyes down from the rotating lock to see that Kaneshiro was waiting for them as he'd thought, three of his goons standing by his side. He was pretty sure that two of them had been the ones in the room when he'd been beaten up and threatened, while the third was someone he didn't recognize.
"He was waitin' for us!"
"Doesn't matter. We'll kick his ass and make off with his Treasure, no matter what he tries to do to stop us," he calmed them, adjusting his gloves.
"Yeah! Let's do this, Joker!"
"But to think he could change this room so quickly," Mona murmured while still eyeing the safe. "Tch. Guess this Palace isn't a bank for nothing."
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
"Indeed. Welcome to my private city bank." Kaneshiro walked closer, patting his stomach. "I'm surprised you made it here alive. It seems you are quite lucky."
Queen scoffed as Kaneshiro's goons flanked him. "Lucky? Don't be ridiculous."
"We're gonna change your heart and make you confess everything you've done. That'll save all those people who're sufferin' 'cause of your shitty actions." Skull grinned. "Even the police're strugglin' to deal with you, so this'll make the public believe in us too!"
Kaneshiro just glared. "Those in power work the ones below them to the bone for money. Such is the hierarchy of the world. Just accept your fate as a source of my wealth!"
Thump-thump-thump.
Thump-thump-thump.
"We'll never agree to that!"
Panther nodded alongside Fox's words. "And hierarchy? You have to be out of your mind."
The mafia boss snarled at her dismissal. "All of that was forced on me too, you know! I went through shit until I crawled my way out of the dregs! Now it's my turn to profit on everyone else!"
Even with such a despicable person, Panther couldn't help having some form of empathy. "Still! Don't you think you're getting back at the wrong people?"
"What a pitiful man," Queen sighed.
Thump-thump-thump.
Thump-thump-thump.
"It doesn't matter whether you're clean or dirty! Only the clever come out on top! The strong and the smart devour the weak. That is the natural order of things. You damn brats who think you know the world through the shit you read online will make perfect prey."
While he snarled at the phrase 'damn brats,' Queen smirked. "He is utterly hopeless."
A vein bulged in his forehead. "It's always the fools who get tricked! Fools who have to pay for their foolishness. And if those fools don't learn, well they have to suck it up and stay as plain, stupid fools!"
"Will you just shut it already?!" Skull snapped.
"That was the worst monologue and attempt to justify yourself that I've ever heard," he spat. "No matter what the reasoning, ruining the lives of the innocent and those who can't protect themselves, and even killing the people who worked for you… We're taking those disgusting desires of yours. You can be crushed under the weight of your gluttonous sins for all I care."
Thump-thump-thump.
Thump-thump-thump.
"I guess there's not much point saying anything to you fools! This is where my gracious lecture ends. Now then, I hope you're ready to work as my slaves here for the rest of your lives."
"Try as you wish, but you will not succeed," Fox spoke while placing a hand on the hilt of his blade.
Shadow Kaneshiro just began giggling, then outright laughing. "I'm gonna swarm all over you… and squeeze out every last penny!" At those words, a change occurred. Kaneshiro jerked, then fell limp, almost lifeless.
Thumpthumpthumpthump.
Thumpthumpthumpthump.
Even his henchmen seemed confused, stepping closer to see what was wrong before he twitched violently. Kaneshiro's body spasmed, flashing deep black, as ooze began dripping from his mouth. His hands pressed together in what looked to be an unconscious action, rubbing together violently, odd buzzing noises began coming from him.
"W-What the hell?!"
"Holy shit!"
With another burst of ooze, wings sprouted from Kaneshiro's back, and red compound eyes exploded out of his face. His thugs screamed in fear as they fled past them, and Joker let them go as he continued to eye Kaneshiro's transformation. He was much less monstrous than Kamoshida and Madarame had become, but just as disgusting.
"̶I̷ ̴c̶a̴n̷ ̸h̵a̵n̷d̷l̸e̴ ̸t̵h̵i̵s̵ ̶m̵y̴s̵e̴l̵f̸,̴"̶ The Shadow spoke and pounded a fist against his chest, sounding almost like a gangster in some movie as he threw up gang signs. "̸W̸a̴s̷s̶u̷p̴ ̵y̷o̴?̴!̸ ̵N̷o̴w̸ ̸c̸o̶m̷e̸ ̷g̷e̷t̸ ̵s̸o̸m̵e̸!̴"̸
"You filthy fly on dirty money…" Queen summoned Johanna and revved her engine, rage visible on her face. "Get the hell out of my face!"
"̷G̴y̴a̶h̷a̸h̵a̸h̷a̴h̷a̶!̶ ̷A̸'̵i̷g̵h̸t̴,̷ ̸h̸e̷r̸e̸ ̵w̶e̴ ̵g̶o̸,̴ ̵y̶e̶h̴ ̶p̷i̴e̴c̵e̵s̵ ̴o̵f̶ ̴s̴h̴i̸t̵!̵ ̴B̷e̴g̶ ̸a̴l̵l̸ ̴y̵a̷ ̵w̷a̷n̸t̶,̴ ̸I̵ ̶a̶i̷n̵'̷t̵ ̸g̴o̵n̶n̶a̵ ̷f̴o̴r̸g̵i̶v̸e̵ ̵y̷a̴!̷"̵
"As if I'd want your forgiveness!" He sprinted toward the bug, Queen speeding ahead thanks to her Persona's speed. Kaneshiro's wings began buzzing and he lifted off into the air moments before Queen would have run him over. Instead of letting him get away she leaped off of Johanna and punched him in the gut. "Nice one, but save some for the rest of us!"
Be wary, human, Principality spoke up. We face off against the demon Bael.
"̷G̸a̴h̷c̶k̶!̴"̶ Kaneshiro spat up some ooze, and Queen grabbed him by the leg as gravity took hold of her, dragging them both to the ground. "̵D̵-̵D̵a̷m̶n̷ ̸b̷i̷t̵c̶h̵!̵ ̵L̷e̴t̴ ̶g̷o̸ ̶o̴f̶ ̵m̶e̶,̸ ̸y̴a̸ ̵h̷e̸a̵r̴?̵!̶ ̴A̸h̸—̵!̷"̶ Panther's whip wrapped around his throat and she let out a yell as she snapped them down, Queen twisting them so that she landed on top of him, using her knee to crack the floor with his head.
There was a sudden bang and Queen let out a grunt of pain as she jumped back, holding her shoulder. Kaneshiro got up, holding a gun in one hand with a smoking barrel. "HRAH!" Skull tried swinging at him and knocking the gun from his hand but the Shadow managed to scamper out the way before he could.
"̷H̵a̷h̴,̷ ̸b̶e̴i̵n̶'̶ ̵y̶o̵u̷n̸g̶'̷s̵ ̴s̴u̷c̵h̴ ̸a̴ ̵c̴r̴i̵m̵e̸!̷ ̷T̴h̵e̵y̸'̶r̵e̵ ̸n̴a̵i̷v̵e̶,̸ ̸r̴e̸c̶k̷l̴e̵s̵s̸,̴ ̶a̴n̸d̵ ̵o̷n̷ ̷t̸o̸p̶ ̵o̵f̴ ̵t̵h̷a̶t̵,̵ ̸t̸h̴e̷y̸ ̸d̴o̴n̵'̷t̴ ̸e̴v̴e̵n̵ ̵r̸e̷a̸l̴i̸z̸e̶ ̵h̷o̸w̵ ̴s̷t̶u̵p̸i̵d̷ ̵t̴h̸e̷y̵ ̸a̸r̷e̸!̴"̵ He interspersed his words by taking potshots at them. "̷N̴o̷w̸ ̵I̶ ̸c̷o̶u̷l̷d̵n̵'̵t̷ ̶j̸u̷s̴t̸ ̵s̴i̴t̵ ̶b̵a̴c̸k̸ ̴a̶n̵d̷ ̴n̸o̵t̷ ̶c̵a̸s̵h̵ ̶i̵n̶ ̶o̸n̶ ̵t̷h̸o̸s̸e̵ ̵i̵d̷i̵o̴t̴s̵,̵ ̶r̷i̶g̸h̴t̴?̷ ̵S̶o̶,̵ ̴i̴t̴'̷s̵ ̸t̴i̴m̸e̶ ̸t̸o̸ ̵r̴o̸l̶l̸ ̷o̷u̸t̴!̵ ̶H̷e̶r̶e̵ ̵h̴e̷ ̶i̸s̶,̵ ̶m̶y̶ ̸g̴u̵a̷r̵d̶i̴a̸n̷ ̶r̴o̸b̶o̶t̶!̴"̵
Joker fired back with bullets from his gun, and while a few grazed Kaneshiro, he avoided most by flying into the air. The safe behind him suddenly opened and Kaneshiro's Shadow flew into the dark hole that remained before the rest of the wall opened and revealed his 'guardian robot'.
"Should have expected that with all the golden piggy banks," he muttered as he stashed his gun and eyed the giant pig-shaped mech.
"̶G̶y̵a̴h̷a̵h̷a̷h̷a̵!̷ ̸Y̴a̷ ̷r̴e̸a̶d̵y̶ ̸t̴o̷ ̷d̶i̷e̸?̵!̵"̴
"A pig?!" Mona exclaimed.
"The thing had to be more than two stories tall, the vault entrance acting as its nose, where its eyes should have been were instead what seemed to be high-velocity machine guns, and for ears it had exhaust ports. "̶G̴o̷i̷n̸'̶ ̴a̶g̴a̵i̷n̶s̵t̴ ̵m̶e̶'̴s̸ ̶a̸ ̷r̵e̴a̵l̵ ̷b̶a̶d̸ ̵c̴r̸i̵m̸e̵,̸ ̵y̵a̴ ̸k̴n̶o̵w̴?̵ ̷I̷t̸'̷s̵ ̶t̴i̷m̵e̵ ̷f̵o̸r̸ ̵y̸a̴ ̸a̴l̷l̶ ̶t̴o̷ ̴g̶o̵ ̴t̵o̵ ̴h̷e̵l̶l̶!̸"̸
"Dude, that thing's a pig!" Skull shouted.
"̵S̸h̵u̵t̴ ̴t̸h̸e̶ ̵h̶e̴l̷l̷ ̵u̶p̸!̴"̴ Its eyes focused on the faux-blond, and bullets rained down.
"Oh shit!" Skull broke into a sprint to avoid the bullets, which tore up the floor right at his heels.
"Damnit, I didn't expect he'd have something like this up his sleeve!"
He shook his head, trying to calm Mona down. "Don't worry, even though it's likely a defensive powerhouse and will probably have some powerful attacks, he can only focus on one of us at a time! It's not like Madarame where each painting or clone could act independently!"
"Joker! Make sure you have us regroup if you think we're at a disadvantage!" Queen watched the robot carefully, but not fearfully. "That thing's still a giant… If it attacks while we're at low stamina, we won't survive!"
"I ain't gonna survive if you don't HELP ME DAMNIT!" Skull dove to the side as more bullets pierced the ground.
"Phoenix!"
"Carmen!"
"Agilao!" Twin bursts of flame exploded against the side of Piggytron, and while it didn't seem to do much, it did grab the mech's attention. Its ocular guns focused on them, so Panther and he had to quickly split up as they fired.
He pulled his gun out and returned fire with bullets of his own, aiming for the Piggytron's eyes. They pinged off the metal, and he clicked his tongue in frustration as he did several flips to avoid being turned into Swiss cheese by the heavy-duty turrets.
"̵T̴r̵y̸ ̴t̵h̸i̶s̸ ̵o̶n̶ ̵f̴o̵r̶ ̴s̶i̶z̵e̸,̸ ̸y̴a̸ ̴l̸i̴t̵t̶l̵e̴ ̴s̴h̸i̵t̶!̷"̷ The ground rumbled, and suddenly several objects launched from Piggytron's back. His eyes widened as he saw them coming and scrambled to get out of the blast radius.
"Oh shit—!" The missiles, because apparently that mech could launch missiles, fell and exploded as they impacted the ground. Shrapnel tore up his clothes and flames washed over him, causing him to hiss in pain, but he'd gotten far enough away from the impact point that he wasn't grievously injured. The rest of the Phantom Thieves similarly managed to avoid the worst of the attack, but Fox was grievously hurt, the fire knocking him down.
Piggytron's eyes focused on him and attacked, bullets tearing into the artist. "Gah!
"FOX!" Mona quickly summoned Zorro while frantically dodging bullets. "Diarama!" As Fox was healed Skull had Captain Kidd launch bolts of electricity out, which dispersed against the robot's armor.
"This thing is tough!" The runner pulled his shotgun out and began blasting it, but just like most of their other attacks, it just bounced off. More fireballs bounced off of its armor courtesy of Panther, leaving only scorch marks.
Seeing that they were keeping its attention on them, Joker sprinted for Fox and helped him back to his feet. "You alright?"
"No, but I'm no longer dying," Fox spoke completely seriously.
"...Right. We need a plan." He eyed the robot, trying to come up with something. It hit like a freight train with all of its attacks, and the only marks left on it by their abilities were black scorches from his and Panther's Agilao's. However, it couldn't move at all, so maybe they could use that to their advantage… Ah. "Fox, we're going to be doing a science experiment here. You know what happens when you heat then immediately freeze metal?"
"No?"
"Then consider me your Sensei for this lesson," he smirked. "Hit the scorched areas with a bufu!"
"Very well! Goemon!"
"Sui-ki!" Their Personas launched their ice attacks at the same time, and the metal that had previously been superheated by their Agilaos was instantly cooled down. Small cracks formed, chinks in what had previously seemed like impenetrable armor.
"̷W̵h̵-̶W̴h̴a̷t̸ ̵t̵h̷e̶ ̸h̸e̸l̶l̴?̷!̴ ̸H̵e̴y̴!̵ ̷W̴h̵a̶t̸ ̵d̷o̷ ̷y̵o̵u̴ ̴t̸h̶i̴n̵k̴ ̶y̷o̵u̶'̷r̴e̵ ̸d̴o̸i̵n̵g̸?̷!̸"̵
"Kicking your ass," he calmly shot back as he switched Sui-ki for False-Phoenix. "Agilao!" Fire splashed against the Piggytron scorching its armor, and the areas that had been frozen manifested stress fractures, more cracks forming.
"Whoa, nice thinking, Joker!" Panther summoned Carmen and began launching more Agilaos, heating up Piggytron's other side.
"̵Y̷o̸u̴ ̴l̷i̶t̷t̷l̶e̴ ̵s̵h̶i̵t̷s̸!̴ ̴T̴r̴y̵ ̴t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̸o̴n̵ ̸f̷o̴r̵ ̵s̷i̶z̶e̴!̵"̷ The giant robot jumped back a surprising distance, turning midair so its backside was aimed towards them. A slot opened up, and purple gas expelled out of it.
"Oh you've got to be shitting me—!" The smoke washed over everyone and he began coughing and hacking, feeling fear begin to prickle at the edge of his mind. Before he could succumb to it he remembered the lessons he'd gone through with Maruki and tried to calm his mind. He breathed out and jumped out of the cloud before it could infect him again, and saw that Queen and Mona had avoided the cloud, Fox had managed to withstand the effects without falling to fear, while Panther and Skull were now freaking out.
"Principality, Energy Drop!" Skull was quickly healed, the fear fleeing his mind, and he turned to use the skill again on Panther. Before he could she screamed and fled, panicking and scrambling to get to the elevator. "Shit! Get back here!" He shot his grappling hook out and it wrapped around her leg, pulling her back. "Energy Drop!"
His Persona formed and used the healing spell again, the droplet of light forming over and falling onto Panther, who had been struggling and screaming and managed to calm her down. She gasped for air, looking at him with wide eyes as sweat dripped down her body. "A-Akira?"
"Joker," he corrected with a chuckle. "Come on, we're still in a fight." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, ignoring the sweat that was now dripping down her— No, he was supposed to be ignoring that. Arsène chuckled, and he forced himself to look back at Piggytron. Fox was throwing out more Bufus and cooling the heated parts of the mech, while Skull was shooting lightning into the cracks that had formed.
It didn't seem like the electric attacks were doing too much, even with the openings, but who knew how thick that robot's armor was? Clearly, thick enough that even the large sunders in it weren't enough for the lightning to do anything.
"̴L̸e̶a̶r̴n̸ ̵y̴e̶r̸ ̴p̴l̶a̸c̸e̶ ̴y̸o̷u̶ ̸l̸i̴t̶t̵l̵e̵ ̴s̶h̴i̶t̵s̸!̴"̵ More missiles rained down, while bullets peppered the ground around them. He dodged acrobatically and attempted to block a few with his dagger, but the force behind them was too much, and it hurt his arm.
'I suppose that as cool as it may look, I can't deflect bullets just yet,' he chuckled to himself. He managed to put enough distance between where the missiles were coming down that none of the shrapnel or the flames reached him.
"Agilao!"
"Dance, Carmen!"
They kept the pressure up, putting more stress on the robot. "Joker, Panther, Fox! Aim at the limbs! The main body's armor is too thick!"
"Good idea! C'mon, Joker!"
"Don't just supersede my command like that, Queen," he smirked as he dodged bullets and sent out balls of flame and ice. "But it is a smart idea."
The legs of Piggytron were nowhere near as durable as its main body, and when they began breaking down, the entire robot shuddered. "̵W̴h̴-̷W̷h̷a̴t̷ ̴t̸h̸e̴ ̶h̷e̸l̶l̵?̵!̷ ̴P̷i̶g̸g̸y̸t̴r̸o̴n̵!̷ ̶A̴w̸,̷ ̵y̸o̷u̸ ̶l̷i̷t̵t̶l̴e̶ ̵s̵h̸i̶t̸s̷ ̴a̸r̶e̶ ̴i̷n̸ ̴f̶o̴r̶ ̶a̴ ̶w̸o̶r̶l̶d̴ ̸o̶f̴ ̸h̶u̴r̶t̷ ̵n̸o̸w̶!̵"̷ ̴
Kaneshiro flew out of a slot in the top of the robot, and Joker didn't waste the opportunity, firing his entire magazine at the fly. Most hit their target and the mob boss let out a cry of pain, but the sight of Piggytron suddenly bouncing high into the air drew his attention.
The damaged limbs retracted into its body, alongside its nose, eyes, and ears, creating as perfect a sphere as it could. "What the hell?!"
Kaneshiro laughed at Skull's reaction, landing on top of the robot. "̵Y̶a̷ ̸p̷u̷n̷k̷s̷'̵r̴e̵ ̴r̷e̴a̸l̸l̵y̵ ̸p̸i̶s̶s̵i̸n̵'̴ ̷m̴e̶ ̶o̴f̶f̷!̶ ̴Y̸a̴ ̸c̶a̸l̵l̴e̸d̴ ̵m̴y̶ ̵P̶i̷g̴g̸y̸t̵r̴o̵n̴ ̷a̷ ̸p̸i̶g̷,̸ ̵y̸e̴a̷h̴?̵!̶ ̸W̴e̸r̶e̸ ̸y̷a̸ ̷t̴a̸l̷k̷i̶n̵'̷ ̵a̶b̴o̴u̶t̸ ̷m̵e̵ ̴t̴o̸o̴ ̶w̴h̵e̷n̵ ̵y̸o̷u̵ ̷s̵a̴i̸d̶ ̶t̵h̶a̴t̶?̴ ̴I̷f̷ ̸y̴o̶u̶ ̷w̵e̵r̵e̵…̴ ̴I̷m̷m̴a̴ ̵t̴e̴a̶r̵ ̴y̸a̷ ̷a̴l̸l̸ ̴t̸o̵ ̵s̷h̷r̶e̸d̸s̶!̸ ̴T̶h̵e̵n̵ ̴w̶h̷y̶ ̸d̷o̸n̷'̸t̶ ̵y̸o̵u̸ ̵c̵h̸e̷c̶k̵ ̴t̸h̵i̷s̴ ̵o̶u̵t̷—̵!̶ ̶P̷i̸g̵g̸y̵t̵r̷o̸n̷'̸s̴ ̷s̴u̵p̷e̸r̴ ̶v̷i̸p̷ ̶f̴o̸o̴o̶o̶o̷r̶m̶!̶"̴ ̷
"What the—?! It transformed?!" Mona was gaping as Kaneshiro began walking backward on top while the robot began spinning in place. "Don't tell me it's going to roll into us! Everyone, if you can't get out of the way, then brace!" The spherical mech spun faster and faster, then suddenly burst forward.
Panther and Fox were far enough out of the way that they didn't have to worry, and Queen managed to ride Johanna away. Mona, Skull, and Joker were too slow, so they all grit their teeth and readied themselves. Like a boulder rolling down a hill Piggytron crashed into them, throwing them back and crushing them as they cried out in pain. It was only thanks to their Personas strengthening their bodies that let them survive the attack.
"Agh!" He groaned as he bounced along the ground, before forcing himself to his feet as quickly as he could. Kaneshiro wasn't going to wait for them to be ready, and he cast a Diarama on himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mona cast the same spell on himself, and Queen did the same for Skull.
Piggytron stopped rolling before it could slam into a wall, and transformed back into pig form. "̷H̸e̸h̸e̸h̴,̸ ̵y̷a̸ ̷l̵i̵t̴t̷l̶e̷ ̸s̸h̶i̴t̶s̸ ̷c̸a̵n̵'̸t̶ ̴d̸o̷ ̷n̸o̵t̸h̴i̴n̶g̸ ̸t̶o̶ ̷m̶y̷ ̴P̵i̶g̸g̵y̸t̸r̸o̷n̸!̸"̸
"Yeah, that March of the Piggy was really impressive," he snarked.
"̶W̴h̵y̴ ̸y̵o̵u̸ ̴l̵i̸t̵t̵l̷e̶—̵!̷"̷
"Whip 'em, Captain Kidd!" The pirate surfed forward and slammed into one of Piggytron's damaged legs, making it groan dangerously. "That's for tryin' to flatten us, you bastard!"
"̴P̸i̸g̵g̴y̵t̸r̶o̷n̵!̸ ̶O̷h̸,̴ ̶y̶o̵u̷'̵r̸e̵ ̴i̵n̶ ̸f̷o̷r̴ ̵i̸t̷ ̷n̶o̷w̴!̶ ̴H̸o̸w̸ ̷a̸b̷o̶u̶t̷ ̴a̶n̴o̴t̵h̸e̷r̸ ̶r̵o̸u̴n̵d̶ ̶w̴i̶t̸h̴ ̶t̷h̴e̸ ̶V̶I̶P̶ ̷f̵o̸r̴m̵?̷!̵"̶ The giant pig transformed into a sphere again, preparing to roll over them.
"We can't take too many hits from that," Queen spoke.
"Yeah, it might not kill us, but we're gonna run out of energy quickly if we have to keep healing," Panther added.
"Maybe we can distract Kaneshiro… He's a money monger after all! Joker, do you think throwing an expensive item could draw his attention?"
He nodded at Mona's suggestion. "Good idea! Everyone, empty your pockets, choose something that seems like it'd cost a lot!" As Piggytron began spinning faster, he searched through his belongings. He spread Metaverse items to everyone in the group whenever they entered a Palace or Mementos so that everyone was capable of healing or tossing something out if necessary.
"Life stones, Molotovs, dirty armor…"
"This doesn't look very expensive…"
"Ah, Joker, I believe I have something." Fox held out a Bead, a massively powerful item that could heal someone to perfect health. It also had a faint kaleidoscopic aura to it, rainbow light shining dimly.
"Great! Throw it, Fox!"
"Very well! Take this!" The healing item bounced close to Piggytron's spinning body and Kaneshiro nearly tripped and fell when he spotted it.
"̷H̴m̵?̸ ̵W̸h̶a̷t̷ ̶i̵s̸ ̸t̷h̷a̶t̶?̶!̶ ̵I̵t̸'̷s̸ ̵g̶o̸t̶ ̶t̴h̵e̸ ̸s̴h̶i̵n̶e̵ ̷o̸f̸ ̶s̸o̵m̴e̴t̸h̶i̶n̴'̵ ̵p̴r̸i̶c̵e̴y̴!̵ ̷G̷o̵ ̸c̴o̴l̴l̶e̶c̸t̵ ̴i̸t̵ ̶P̴i̵g̵g̷y̸t̴r̸o̵n̸!̶ ̵R̶-̶R̵i̶g̸h̸t̷ ̸a̸w̷a̵y̷!̴"̵ Reverting to pig form, the vault door in the giant robot's nose opened and a vacuum force sucked in the Bead, while Kaneshiro dove back down inside it. The door slammed shut afterward, and he could hear Kaneshiro's gasp. "̴W̴h̸-̴W̷h̴o̵o̸o̵o̸o̸o̴a̸a̸a̶!̷ ̸T̶h̸-̸T̸h̷i̷s̷'̸l̵l̶ ̸m̶a̷k̷e̸ ̸u̶s̸ ̴a̶ ̴f̸o̸r̵t̷u̷n̷e̴!̴ ̷D̵a̶m̴n̵ ̵g̸o̵o̵d̴ ̴f̵i̶n̵d̸,̵ ̸y̷o̵!̸"̷
"It worked! We don't have to worry about getting rushed and crushed!"
"Everyone, go, go, go! Ravage them, Phoenix! Agilao!"
"Dance, Carmen!"
"Goemon, Strike!"
"Whip 'em, Captain Kidd!"
"Show your might, Zorro!"
"Charge, Johanna!"
Everyone's attacks struck hard, flames from his and Panther's Personas superheating the metal of the robot, while Mona's winds whipped the flames into a firestorm. Fox's plummeted the temperature, and following that, Queen and Skull's physical attacks shattered the weakened steel.
Kaneshiro barely reacted to their attacks, or the fact that Piggytron was getting closer to a scrap heap than a mech. "̷O̷h̷h̸,̶ ̸t̴h̷i̸s̸ ̷a̷i̴n̶'̶t̵ ̴h̴a̴l̷f̴-̴b̸a̸d̶,̶ ̸y̶o̴!̵ ̴M̴a̴y̴b̸e̷ ̸I̷ ̷c̵a̷n̴ ̵p̷i̵c̷k̵ ̶u̷p̴ ̷a̴ ̶g̷i̶r̸l̸ ̸o̷r̶ ̴t̶w̶o̶ ̸o̸n̸c̶e̶ ̶I̶ ̷p̶a̶w̸n̷ ̸t̷h̶i̴s̶ ̵t̷h̴i̴n̵g̵ ̴o̸f̷f̶…̴"̶
"Ha! He's completely engrossed!" Mona let out a half-purr, half-laugh. "Serves him right that the money monger is taken down by money!"
He smirked at Mona's words but knew Kaneshiro would likely notice that Piggytron was getting wrecked soon. He needed to finish it off, and fast… That's where we step in, Yaksini snarled with a dark grin in his mind. He paused, then realized what she meant as he felt Yakshasa 'move' through his mind to the forefront.
He gripped his mask and began tugging, feeling it tear at his flesh as it once more refused to leave his face as it had with Angel and Succubus' fusion spell. But eventually, with a shower of blood, it came off.
Instead of silver, his eyes glowed bright red and he hunched over, more animalistic than human for a brief moment. Yaksini and Rakshasa appeared before him, and he roared like a feral creature as he sent them forward. "SAVAGE BLOOD!"
The two Personas tore into Piggytron, and the sound of screeching metal rang loudly throughout the room. It even knocked Kaneshiro out of his delusions, finally noticing what was going on. Unfortunately for him, it was much too late. The entire front of the mech was ripped to shreds, the two Personas unleashing one final strike in perfect synchronicity, their swords slashing through Piggytron's left front leg.
"Ha… Ha…" He breathed out, blood dripping from the mask imprint on his face, the fusion spell having drained his energy. There was a moment where nothing happened and the Personas vanished, silence filling the room. Joker's mask reappeared and a moment later the leg fell off, the mecha fallling over, crashing to the ground off balance with the sound of several explosions going off inside the main body.
The vault door creaked open and Kaneshiro tumbled out onto the floor. "̴W̶h̷a̶—̴ ̵M̷y̶ ̸P̸i̸g̶g̵g̴y̴t̵r̸o̶n̷!̸"̸ He got back up and growled in anger. "̴T̸h̶a̴t̶'̵s̶ ̶i̵t̸!̸ ̴I̸'̶l̶l̷ ̶j̵u̷s̷t̸ ̴d̶e̴a̵l̴ ̸w̴i̶t̸h̵ ̸y̴o̸u̶ ̷b̷u̷s̶t̸e̸r̴s̶ ̶m̶y̶s̵e̵l̷f̸—̶t̷h̵r̷o̷u̵g̸h̷ ̷t̵h̸e̶ ̵p̸o̴w̴e̶r̵ ̷o̷f̷ ̴c̷a̶s̶h̸!̴"̴
He clapped his hands, and golden doors fell from the heavens, slamming down in front of him. "What the hell?!" When they opened up, they revealed that two new enemies were at Kaneshiro's side. One was a tiny flea that looked to be about two or three feet tall, hovering in the air and holding a baton with two of its four arms. The second fly stood at nine or ten feet in height, its first set of arms each holding a massive riot shield, while the second set of arms were raised and clenched.
"̸H̴a̶,̵ ̴w̶a̷s̵s̷u̷p̶!̷ ̴I̷ ̴p̷a̸i̵d̵ ̵t̴h̵e̸s̸e̸ ̶g̶u̸y̷s̶ ̷o̸f̴f̸,̵ ̷a̷n̴d̶ ̶n̵o̴w̸ ̵t̴h̶e̸y̷'̸r̶e̶ ̵g̵o̷n̴n̵a̵ ̴c̷l̷e̶a̸n̶ ̴y̴o̷u̵ ̵u̴p̸!̸ ̷Y̸a̵ ̶l̵i̶k̶e̴ ̶t̴h̷a̶t̷?̴ ̴T̵h̵e̵y̷'̴r̸e̵ ̶s̵u̴p̵e̷r̴ ̴d̸u̴p̷e̷r̵ ̵p̶o̸w̷e̷r̵f̷u̷l̷,̸ ̸a̵n̶d̸ ̶s̴u̶p̶e̶r̸ ̵d̵u̴p̶e̷r̶ ̴f̴l̵y̴!̷ ̵H̷e̷h̵e̴h̵e̸…̶ ̴A̶ ̷t̴o̶t̴a̶l̴l̸y̸ ̵i̶n̷v̵i̷n̵c̸i̵b̷l̸e̴ ̷w̴a̵l̶l̵!̵"̸
"How is this dealing with us yourself?" Mona cried out.
"We outnumber them six to three, don't we? Let's just kick his ass!"
"Skull's got a point…" Panther grinned and readied her whip. "Come on!"
"Very well!" Fox suddenly shot forward, hand on his sword hilt. He unsheathed as he appeared in front of Kaneshiro, but the riot shield fly was suddenly there, blocking the hit. "Impossible!" He jumped back as the baton-wielder tried to bash him, Kaneshiro laughing the whole time.
"̷C̴'̴m̶o̷o̵o̴o̶o̶n̵!̶ ̵I̷ ̶t̵o̸l̷d̴ ̴y̶o̵u̷ ̸t̴h̴e̶y̵'̴r̷e̵ ̷a̶n̴ ̴i̴n̵v̴i̷n̵c̴i̵b̶l̴e̵ ̷w̷a̵l̷l̵,̸ ̷r̵i̸g̴h̷t̵?̴ ̵W̸e̸l̴c̷o̵m̴e̵ ̷t̶o̶ ̴t̵h̵e̸ ̷p̴o̸w̶e̶r̴ ̴o̶f̴ ̷c̵a̷s̵h̴,̷ ̴b̵a̷b̶y̷!̴ ̷B̴o̴o̴y̵a̴h̴!̵"̴
Bullets flew forward as Panther tried to empty her magazine, but once again the shields blocked the attack. Queen exploded out of the rubble beneath Piggytron, letting out a roar as she pulled her fist back and tried to clock Kaneshiro in the back of the head. Once more the shielding fly appeared in her way, then slammed the wall into her face.
"That shield's a hassle," Mona muttered as Kaneshiro pulled out a gun and began shooting at them. "No matter what, it seems to just block whatever attack comes its way… Maybe we should try ailments?"
"Already on it." He smirked and summoned Tangoo, having regained some energy, who played his flute and let loose a Dormina. Once again the Shielder tried to block the attack, but this time the giant fly drooped, immediately falling asleep.
"My turn!" Skull roared and ignored the bullets Kaneshiro sent his way, powering through them. "EAT THIS!" Skull swung his weapon as hard as he could, and without the ability to block, the enemy was sent soaring back. Before it could hit the ground he sent out Captain Kidd and had the pirate surf forward, crashing through the Cognition.
The baton-wielder tried to whack Skull over the head, but a Dormina from Panther sent it falling to the ground. Instead of crashing down, Fox suddenly intercepted it, sword arcing like a flash of light and slashing into the creature. It tumbled back, and he grinned as he summoned Nekomata. "Evil Touch!" The cat Yokai's eyes flashed menacingly, and the cognition was stuck in place, paralyzed by fear and so unable to help.
"̷W̶h̵a̶t̵ ̸t̶h̶e̶ ̸h̶e̸l̵l̸?̶!̷"̷ Seeing that Kaneshiro's goons were now incapacitated for at least a moment, Mona summoned Zorro and whipped up a violent tornado beneath the gangster. "̸W̶h̶o̶a̸-̶w̶h̵o̸a̵-̴w̷h̷o̴a̷-̷W̸H̸O̵A̵!̶"̶
"PSI Mimic ɑ!" He sprinted to the side, preparing his grappling hook as the Shadow tried to catch himself by buzzing his wings, wobbling midair almost drunkenly, and firing his gun down at them. The thieves had to dodge out of the path of the bullets, except for himself as his Mimic was struck several times. Kaneshiro was confused when it did not react to being shot by a gun, and after a moment the illusion dispersed like mist, causing the gangster to panic as he realized he'd lost track of one of them.
Knock his ass to the earth! Sui-ki and Oni roared together.
"Surprise!" He grinned as he sprinted towards the edge of Piggytron, having used his hook to fly up on top of the damaged mech. Kaneshiro spun around in shock but wasn't fast enough to stop him as he grabbed the mobster by the collar with one hand, and placed the palm of his other on his face. "PSI Rebellion α!"
The psychedelic light show ended with Kaneshiro screaming and falling to the floor. Joker smirked as he kept hold of his collar, spinning and launching him down even faster. The Shadow hit the ground with a sickening crunch and he made sure to land on Kaneshiro's back to both cushion his fall and do some more damage.
The baton-wielder had recovered by that point, so he did a backflip away while pulling out his gun to riddle the cognition with bullets. The shielder, having also recovered, bum-rushed him with its shields raised. Before it could reach him it slowed down, then stopped, wobbling in place. He raised an eyebrow, before realizing Queen had hit it with Makajama and caused it to forget what it was supposed to be doing.
"̵H̶e̵y̴!̵ ̶P̵r̸o̶t̶e̶c̴t̶ ̴m̵e̸,̵ ̶i̷d̶i̵o̵t̴!̵ ̶W̵h̵a̸t̴ ̸d̵o̸ ̶y̴a̶ ̴t̸h̵i̸n̷k̵ ̶I̸'̶m̴ ̷p̴a̷y̸i̷n̶g̵ ̸y̴a̷ ̵f̶o̷r̴?̵!̸"̴
"Tangoo, Dormina!"
"Now, fall!" The baton-wielder was sent to sleep and Fox fell from above, his sword arcing out and slashing the Cognition in two. "Your time has come, Kaneshiro!"
"̵D̸a̶m̶n̶i̷t̵…̴ ̶W̷h̴y̴ ̸w̸o̷n̴'̷t̵ ̵y̷o̵u̸ ̵j̷u̵s̸t̷ ̴g̵o̵ ̸d̴o̷w̷n̶,̴ ̵y̴o̵?̴!̸" Kaneshiro buzzed back and tried to make some space, scowling. "̴F̷-̴F̸i̸n̵e̸…̴ ̵I̶t̸'̵s̸ ̶t̸i̸m̴e̵ ̸f̴o̶r̴ ̵m̴y̶ ̷l̴a̷s̶t̷ ̷t̸r̷u̴m̵p̷ ̴c̵a̶r̸d̴!̵ ̸I̸'̵m̵ ̶g̵o̶n̸n̶a̸ ̸m̶a̴k̸e̷ ̴i̵t̴ ̴r̷a̶i̸n̶ ̸a̶n̴d̴ ̴p̷a̸r̵t̷y̴ ̶d̵o̷w̵n̸,̵ ̴y̷a̴ ̴d̶i̸g̵?̶!̷"̶
He didn't know what that meant, but his instincts were screaming at him that something dangerous was coming. His mask flashed as he switched Personas. "Rakshasa! Tarunda!"
"Yes, Commander!" Kaneshiro was debuffed, and not a moment too soon.
Out of nowhere, thousands of coins fell from the ceiling. They were massive, larger than their bodies, and each time he was struck it felt like his bones were going to break. The shower ended with a golden piggy bank crashing down and sending out a shockwave that knocked them all onto their backsides, the pig shattering into golden dust from the impact.
For a moment, he was in too much pain to pay attention to anything going on around him. "Agh…" He struggled back to his feet, his entire body throbbing and his ears ringing. He could see the other thieves all struggling back up as well, and he thought that his Personas were saying something in his head, but he was too stunned to understand them.
"̵G̷a̸h̶a̶h̸a̵h̶a̷!̶ ̵A̴l̸r̷i̸g̶h̸t̶,̸ ̷h̴o̸w̸ ̶a̶b̸o̵u̷t̷ ̷o̴n̷e̶ ̵m̷o̸r̴e̴?̷!̸ ̶L̴e̶t̶'̴s̶ ̵m̵a̷k̵e̷ ̷i̶t̵ ̸r̵a̶i̷n̸!̴"̸
That snapped him out of his stupor, and he grunted as he stood up fully. "Principality, Mediarama!" Divine Grace made sure the already strong healing spell recovered everyone's stamina, but his energy was limited. How many times could he do that, compared to how many times they would be buried by coins? He'd have to find some way to prevent the attack!
The bodyguard was aware again so he wouldn't be able to attack Kaneshiro to stop the rain of money. Instead, he pointed his hands upward and gathered as much energy as he could. If the explosion he was about to cause was big enough, maybe it would divert some of the coins and prevent them from being crushed, and in that brief opening, allow the others to strike down Kamsohida and that Shielder!
"PSI REBELLION β!" His tri-colored attack shot into the air… and kept going. And kept going. And kept going. He, and everyone else in the room, silently watched the attack rise higher and higher, no coins to get in its way, before it eventually hit the ceiling and exploded. Eventually, a single gold coin fell and hit the ground, rolling around them, and stopped in front of him. "Uh…"
"̶G̶a̶h̵!̵ ̴I̵ ̷r̴a̵n̵ ̸o̶u̷t̷ ̷o̵f̷ ̶c̷a̷s̵h̶!̶"̵ Kaneshiro began panicking, and the shielder shook its head before walking away, its contract voided due to a lack of funds.
"…Let's kick this bastard's ass," Skull growled.
"̵G̸o̴d̴d̵a̴m̸n̵i̶t̵!̶ ̶I̵-̵I̷ ̶c̴a̸n̴ ̸d̶e̷a̶l̴ ̴w̵i̵t̴h̵ ̶y̸o̸u̴ ̴c̴l̷o̷w̷n̴s̶ ̸m̴y̴s̶e̷l̶f̸!̴"̶ Kaneshiro tried to point his gun at Skull, but Queen suddenly punched him across the face. He stumbled, and Skull ran up to uppercut him with his weapon. Black blood spurted from the Shadow's mouth as he was sent tumbling back while Queen and Skull chased after him.
He and the rest of the Thieves moved to assist, but then the Palace warped. Just as when Mona and Panther had used their Showtime, the entire scenery of the bank vault shifted into something wholly different. A vast desert stretched around them, like one you'd see in the middle of Eagleland, with cacti and rocky outcrops all around them, a dead tree with an empty noose hanging from it, and a signboard showing two wanted posters of both Queen and Skull with the words 'dead or alive' written on them.
"Oh boy, here we go," he muttered.
Out of the sunset walked the two thieves, Queen's scarf fluttering in the wind, and Skull grinning with his hammer against his shoulder. "Let's rock, Fist of the Phantom Sta— ow!" Queen elbowed him before he could finish, glaring at him.
"That's not my name."
"Sorry!" Skull recovered and they began their attack, Queen sprinting forward and unleashing a leaping kick on Kaneshiro, who was still shocked by the change in their surroundings. The gangster stumbled, leaving him open as Skull descended from above with a roar, slamming his hammer down at full force, before winding up and blasting him off his feet. "Blast off!"
The fly was sent sailing back towards Queen, who charged up and unleashed a flurry of blows. "Taaaaake… THIS!" Dozens of punches were launched in just a few short moments, and with one final blow, she punched straight through him. Kaneshiro wobbled on his feet, holding his chest, while Skull hurried over to hand Queen a soda can and bow to her.
She huffed and crushed it, all while Kaneshiro screamed and blood spurted from his wounds. He dropped his gun and fell to his knees, his entire front covered in the black ooze. Around them, the scenery shifted back into the Palace, Skull stretching himself out and Queen cracking her knuckles.
"N-No… I've got to… I can't… If I don't have any money, then I…" Kaneshiro fell forward, his wings buzzing weakly. "Oh, I know— there's still money inside Piggytron… Gotta… Get back in there!"
Kaneshiro tried to turn and fly inside the mech once more, but Joker just narrowed his eyes and shot his grappling hook out. It stabbed into Kaneshiro's back, and he pulled hard, slamming him back into the floor. "You're not going anywhere."
At the same moment, the giant pig robot exploded and huge gold bars fell out of the vault snout. He ignored that in favor of placing his foot on Kaneshiro's back to keep him down, watching as his fly wings dissipated, and presumably the compound eyes on his face did the same. As everyone gathered around him he pulled his gun out and flipped it around so the handle was facing Queen.
"Everyone's had the choice, so I'll give you the same. Though, I'm confident in what you'll choose."
"Thank you, but there's no need." She grabbed Kaneshiro by the collar and threw him against the pile of gold, shaking her head in disgust. "Death is a mercy, compared to what he deserves for ruining the lives of so many people. He'll be punished under the law, after he admits to his crimes himself," Queen spat.
"Yeah, that's exactly right!" Skull grinned and crossed his arms. "'Sides, losing all his money is basically death to a loser like him, yeah?"
"No… I'm not gonna let anyone have it… This is my money…"
"And you stole it all from innocent people!"
"Fine! I'll call off the debt…"
"Fine? You're still soundin' pretty condescendin'."
"You're right… I'm a poor, ugly… Idiot… How am I supposed to live a normal life like this? It's all because of society! Weak people can't lead a happy life, no matter what they do! I'm a victim too, you know?! Yeah, none of this is my fault!"
Panther shook her head, while Fox scoffed. "The more you talk, the more pathetic you sound."
"I just wanted a place where I could belong! You get that, don't you?!"
"Bullshit!" Panther snapped, her vast well of empathy having run dry after hearing the pity party Kaneshiro was trying to throw himself. "All you did was surround yourself with people you could use, solely for some easy money!"
"And you think you're the only one who's gotta deal with bein' labeled? Me… And all these other guys… We're all fightin' against that!"
"We're the worst group you could have used that logic on," he chuckled. "All of us certainly wanted a place we could belong… So we forged it ourselves, without having to destroy people who were 'weaker' than us, without having to ruin the innocent."
"But don't worry," Queen spoke softly. "You'll finally have a place you belong. Somewhere you can make amends, for the rest of your life."
"We're gonna do somethin' about that distorted heart of yours. And don't worry 'bout payment. It's free of charge."
Hearing his words, Kaneshiro paused, then turned to face them. "I'm glad you understand," Fox nodded. "Now hurry up and return to the real Kaneshiro."
Instead of looking defeated, even with the vast amount of blood staining his body, Kaneshiro just narrowed his eyes at them. "Seriously? You guys don't have any tact. Especially with that incredible power… These Palaces could net you loads of cash! You could do whatever you wanted to people's hearts!"
"We won't, 'cause we ain't like you!"
"Where do you find meaning in that naïve sense of justice? You know, there's already someone out there taking full advantage of what Palaces have to offer…"
"What?" Everyone exchanged glances as Kaneshiro smirked, leaning forward and crossing his arms as he sat upon one of the large gold bars.
"I'll let you in on a little something… There's a criminal using other people's Palaces to accomplish whatever they damn well please. They don't care about consequences. Psychotic breakdowns, mental shutdowns… Anything goes."
He narrowed his eyes at Kaneshiro, as he heard Fox mutter from behind him. "Is that… The same person Madarame's Shadow spoke of?"
Skull grabbed Kaneshiro by the collar. "Spill it! Who're you talkin' about?!"
"Don't even bother," Kaneshiro snickered. "You are nothing compared to them… Better be careful… A chance encounter with them could prove fatal…" As he spoke his body slowly became transparent, before vanishing with a flare of light.
"Damnit!" Skull scowled, and he frowned at Kaneshiro's words. This was—
The entire Bank rumbled, interrupting his train of thought. "We can think about that later! Grab the Treasure, there's no time!"
"There's so many gold bars… Even if we loaded them into Mona, he doesn't have the room for all of them!"
"In that case, we should take that large one… Uh… What's Mona doing?"
"Mrrrrrooooooow! T-Treasure!"
Skull groaned at the sight of Mona rubbing his face on the bars, while Queen looked between them in confusion. "What's gotten into him?!"
"This is soooo cooooooool! Wowwweeee, being a human is great!" He hopped around, eyes practically sparkling. "It's… It's… It's… Shiny shiny gold!"
"Yeah, he does this when he sees Treasures," he sighed.
"R-Really?"
Mona suddenly jumped at Panther, still riding the Treasure high. "Hrgh?! L-Leff ho off meee!" She pulled him off and threw him away, and he transformed into his bus mode midair.
"You shouldn't throw animals, damnit!"
"I thought you weren't a cat?" He questioned.
"Enough already! Let's get it in, everyone! Hurry!" With the Palace coming closer to collapsing with every second, they quickly opened the trunk door and shoved the largest bars of gold they could inside, as many as they reasonably could. Queen got into the driver's seat with Panther riding shotgun, as he and Ryuji dumped the final bar in, sitting in the back with Fox.
"Alright, all set!"
Queen hit the gas and they sped into the elevator, where it was a torturous wait as it ascended back up. "Damnit, if only Goho-m's worked while the Palace was collapsing…"
"Nothing we can do about that now," Mona spoke around them. "We'll be cutting it close, but we should be able to make it out in time!"
"What about the main elevator?!" Panther asked in a panic.
"I've already thought of that," he assured her. "That elevator was made for transporting large amounts of money, it needs to be able to carry heavy loads, so its counterweight is going to be heavy as well. If we tie the cables around Mona's body and then cut the parts attached to the elevator, it should be enough to pull all of us to the top! Those bars are surprisingly light, after all, probably some facet of Kaneshiro's cognition!"
Reaching the circular vault they began speeding out before another explosion rocked the bank. Everyone screamed as they tumbled around, and Fox's eyes widened as he saw the floor of the vault begin to crack and shatter. "Look out!"
Queen spun the wheel and they navigated through as best she could before the floor suddenly gave out beneath them. They went into free fall, panicking the whole way down. As Joker tumbled, he could see out the window that the streets of Shibuya were beginning to collapse like they had underneath Kamoshida's castle and Madarame's museum, into a dark endless abyss.
"I'm using the nav! There's no way in hell I'm going to find out what happens if we fall into that!"
"But—!"
Queen interrupted Mona's exclamation, with a yell of her own. "Do it, Joker!"
He pulled his phone out, and after saying a quick prayer, slammed his finger on the Metaverse Navigator's button. The world warped, and he squeezed his eyes closed… before he felt himself impact with the hard concrete.
"Ooohhh…" He lay there for a moment, before slowly opening his eyes to see a group of random civilians looking down at him in confusion as he and his friends lay on the sidewalk.
They were back in reality.
They had stolen Madarame's Desires.
Third Palace down. I wasn't sure at first how to handle Piggytron, but then leveraged the fact that it's a cognitive world, so the idea that 'rapidly heating then cooling metal will damage it' would work especially well. Even more so considering the strength behind their flames and ice.
New Fusion Spell, involving Rakshasa and Yaksini. It's fun coming up with these, as well as coming up with what Personas can use the ones suggested by readers. There was also Mad Moxie, Ryuji and Queen's Showtime. I still find it funny that all the Showtimes are named after movies, especially Joker and Crow's.
Kaneshiro's ramblings always get a laugh from me because he's just way too pathetic. He even tries the whole 'You also don't have a place to belong, why can't you understand me' schtick, and yeah, maybe they don't, but that doesn't mean they're going to start a mafia, begin stealing from innocent people, and think they're in the right because the people they're 'stealing' from are stupid.
It's understandable why people think he's the worst Persona 5 villain. I also get why people think the Burger CEO is the worse, but for him, I mostly just see people angry over his battle in Royal and the time limit+mechanics, which… Yeah, fair enough lmao.
So, Akira did have a plan on how to get out… It's just too bad that the floor of the Palace collapsed before the Thieves could put it into motion. It's funny that in the game it just shows them shoving the Treasure into the car, and a moment after they start driving they're flying off the side of the Bank. So did they really just sit in the multiple elevator rides to the top calmly while the Palace was collapsing? It's probably something you're not supposed to think about.
But yeah, the Treasure's been stolen with just a couple of days to spare. Hope everyone's looking forward to the next arc. Let me know what you think of the chapter, or just leave a 'nice,' both are always great to read. See y'all next time!