Chapter VII: Siege on Osaka


As soon as they received Makoto's text message, the Thieves alerted Sion, Hifumi, and the gamblers about heading back to the hotel.


RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka/Osaka (大阪市)/7:30 PM (JST)

By the time the group arrived, it was almost nightfall. Upon arriving outside their reserved hotel rooms, they saw Makoto and Morgana already waiting to meet them.

"Makoto, we got your message. What did you and Morgana find?" Ren asked her and the cat.

"You're not going to believe this. I found something strange at…!" Before Makoto could finish her sentence, her face contorted with disbelief when she noticed her friends carrying bags full of souvenirs, most of them purchased from the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan and Universal Studios Japan.

"Hey, sorry we took so long, but we were long ways away from the hotel," Ann openly apologized for everyone.

"Yes, and I had to go look for Sion after he wandered off," Hifumi said.

"We really wished you came with us, Mako-chan," Haru said until she noticed Makoto looking visibly upset. "Mako-chan?"

"Guys, don't tell me you went out and used up valuable time to go sight-seeing instead of…" Morgana then paused as he caught Makoto furrowing her brows.

"What is this? Is this a joke?" Makoto sternly questioned the group, almost gnashing her teeth.

"Yo, Makoto! You missed out on all the fun!" Ryuji hollered, taking off his sunglasses. "Half of us went to Universal Studios and the aquarium! Oh, I even met a really nice girl and got her num-!" As Makoto's fierce gaze met his, he let out a scared whimper.

"You are not helping our situation at all, Ryuji," Yusuke shook his head in disbelief.

Shrugging his shoulders, Ren sighed and confessed. "I guess we get a bit carried away in forgetting about the mission."

Rubbing her temples, Makoto replied with sarcasm. "Oh, sure, sure, a little bit carried away and forgetting our mission just for some cheap thrills. Meanwhile, Morgana and I did all the work finding some strange energies in Osaka Castle!" Her tone quickly changed as she yelled at her teammates. "What the hell happened with you, guys?! We're supposed to be responsible adults here!"

"Excuse me," Yumeko raised her hand. "Sorry, but you see we just couldn't help indulging ourselves in the fun activities Osaka has to offer. We simply couldn't pass up the oppor-!"

"Did I say you could speak?" Makoto snarled at Yumeko's way.

"Please excuse Yumeko, Niijima-san! She doesn't know any better! I tried so hard to tell her we're here strictly for business!" Mary tried reasoning with the policewoman, who made her flinch with the same intense glare she gave Yumeko and Ryuji.

"I don't think that's going to work, Mary," Ryōta gulped.

"Hey, don't you dare take it out on all of us! Some of us actually were investigating!" Mary rebuked toward Makoto, holding her ground with the younger Niijima sibling.

"Forget it, Mary. You're not going to get through with her," Sion calmly chuckled, stepping away from Hifumi.

"Sion, hold on!" Hifumi beckoned him over.

"This will be a second, Hifumi," he reassured her, not taking his eyes off Makoto, who shifted over to face him. "So, you found the source, huh? Wow, for a mere human, I'm impressed." He openly addressed her in a calm and sardonic tone. Forming a calm, collective grin on his face, he irked Makoto with it.

"And the hell is that supposed to mean, Sion?!" Makoto angrily shouted at the vampire. "I don't know what my friends see in you, but I've had my trust issues with you."

"Yeah, as if I didn't notice," remarked the Revenant.

"Shut up! You talk all high and mighty. Listen, I've had my suspicions about you ever since you came here. It can't be a mere coincidence that when you came here, the Lost and Yokai started to show up!"

Hifumi gasped. "Makoto, you can't blame Sion for the Lost and Yokai suddenly appearing in our world!"

"No? Well, I can and I will call him out on it!" Makoto narrowed her gaze toward Sion.

"Hifumi is right! You can't accuse me of luring these monsters into your world!" Sion snapped at Makoto to the point of his eyes turning red.

Seeing his red eyes brought shivers to Makoto's back. However, she didn't let the Revenant scare her entirely.

"Guys, please no fighting. There's people watching," Haru whispered as she and the others caught onlookers observing the heated exchange and others walking away.

"You have no idea of the hell I've had to go through fighting the Lost! I was separated from my friends! When I arrived here, who was the first person to take me in and treat me with unconditional kindness? Hifumi did! Who else accepted me for what I am? Your friends! Amamiya has treated me fairly! Thanks to Takamaki, I've learned how foreigners have to cope with living in a society they've not accustomed to! The others have been nothing but good to me!" Sion briefly paused and pointed toward Makoto. "But you think I'm some kind of scapegoat just because I'm different from a normal human! Just because you're law enforcement! You think I'm going to hurt your friends or something?!"

Makoto gritted, feeling the sting from Sion's scathing words. "No, that's not…"

Sion didn't allow her to finish. "You want to call me 'high and mighty'? Look who's talking! You're the one who calls herself 'Queen'. Queen of what? Queen of Pettiness? The Queen of stealing the show by enforcing justice with your fist? Please, your so-called idealism is a joke, Mako-kins."

Upon hearing this as an insult to her codename and dreams, her mind mentally cracked. Coupled with the built-up frustrations during this past couple of days and her last confrontation with Sion, she finally snapped, unleashing her unbridled anger.

Preparing to lunge at Sion, Ryuji and Hifumi seized her by the arms.

"LET ME THE FUCK GO!" Makoto furiously screamed, struggling to break loose from Hifumi and Ryuji restraining her. "YOU BETTER LET ME FUCKING GO! I'M GOING TO KICK HIS SORRY ASS!" She so desperately wanted to grab and kill Sion with her fists. She could imagine punching Sion's head off.

"Yo, chill out! We can't let you two fight here!" Ryuji shouted, finding it difficult to restrain Makoto, who elbowed his side and nearly punched his face. "Ow, watch it!"

"Please, Makoto! You are not thinking rationally! Sion has done nothing wrong!" Hifumi pleaded to the policewoman.

As the onlookers walked away, security arrived to assess the situation. As the group noticed the guards, they deescalated the conflict. Once Makoto stopped struggling, Ryuji and Hifumi let her go.

"Th-This isn't right," Makoto muttered, eyeing Sion with her friends. She quickly ran down the hall in anguish.

The group saw a few tears fall from Makoto's eyes.

"Makoto, wait!" Ren called out.

"Mako-chan!" Haru cried out deeply concerned.

"Please, come back! We can cool tensions down after a talk!" Morgana shouted.

Realizing what he said was completely out of line, Sion muttered in guilt. "I-I'm sorry." He stammered.

"Please don't blame yourself. It's not your fault," Hifumi reassured the Revenant.

"Geez, that could've turned out worse," Mary sighed in disbelief.

"I know! Did you see Sion's eyes turn red? Pretty spooky." Yumeko realized.

"Yeah, you're one to talk!" Both Ryōta and Mary remarked in unison, remembering Yumeko's glowing red eyes when she's in her frenzied gambling mood.

"What now?" Futaba wondered.

Just then, Nekomata materialized in front of the group. "Hmm, this is troublesome. We cannot afford any infighting right now. Our efforts will be for naught if we don't stay united."

"Nekomata's right. We need to get Makoto back," Yusuke said.

"Don't worry. I'll go get her back." Ann requested, recalling the instances when she and the former student council president talked things over.

"Please try talking sense into her, Ann. I hope she'll feel better," Haru worryingly said.

Nodding, Ann started toward the same direction Makoto went.

"Yeah, we don't wanna leave a teammate out of the action," Futaba concurred.

"Don't worry. Makoto and Morgana were going to provide us vital information." Ren reminded his team. Looking down at Morgana, the Phantom Thief nodded. "Let's hear it from you first while Ann gets Makoto."

Morgana sighed and nodded. "I hoped she'd explain it all, but fine."


Somewhere in the hotel hallways, Makoto walked so fast she wasn't even paying attention to where she was going. Her mind raced with many distressing thoughts. She didn't care where she went, as long as she was away from the dispute.

Stopping for a moment to catch her breath, she wondered if she became a liability to the group. Once having regrets about her 'usefulness' to the adults and the Thieves, her biggest fear was feeling inadequate to those who depended on her.

I'm useless! I'm useless! I'm useless! Makoto's frantic mindset raced, overwhelmed with self negative thoughts.

Makoto fell into deep thought, mulling over her own ineffectiveness.

"Makoto!" Ann's voice rang out to her.

Slowly turning to the sound of her name, Makoto caught Ann behind her. The policewoman reminisced on their personal interactions in their high school years. Initially, she recalled Ann being hostile toward her for keeping quiet during the Kamoshida incident. She also recalled being bribed by the former Shujin principal with a college recommendation letter if she spied on Ren. After the incidents and Makoto joining the Phantom Thieves, Ann put aside her resentment for Makoto, who apologized for not doing anything to help Shiho.

Once hostile with each other, Ann and Makoto became fast friends.

"Ann?"

"Hey, we are so worried about you! What has gotten into you?!"

Nodding, Makoto bluntly replied. "Look, I just want to be taken seriously. I'm a young adult now just like the rest of you. As someone who prides herself with responsibility, especially now as a law enforcement officer, it bothered me seeing you guys slacking off on the job. It truly hurt me."

"Listen, Makoto. The way you've been acting lately, you're reminding me of your sister," Ann bluntly told Makoto, drawing a parallel between Sae and her. "I understand we're here for important things, but maybe you could loosen up? It's not often we come to Osaka."

Gritting her teeth, Makoto lashed out on the verge of tears. "Loosen up? Loosen up?! "You have NO IDEA how much hell we've been put through with these monsters, and why we're forced to come out of retirement! I thought we would live the rest of our lives peacefully without being called back prematurely! Why? Because of divine intervention?! Everything's falling apart ever since that vampire from another world shows up acting like he owns the place! He meets Hifumi and then they befriend each other?! Just like that?! Now, we have another talking cat as if one isn't enough! And now we have three graduates from a gambling school who know our identities?" She called her hands into fists. "I feel like with these new additions to the group, especially with you guys cozying up with Sion, I feel so burdened… none of you are taking me or our situation seriously. I just wish…" She whimpered pitifully, letting tears fall. "I wish these events never happened! AND I SWEAR TO FUCKING GODI'M... I'M THE WORST SCUMBAG EVER-!"

Suddenly, Makoto was on the receiving end of a loud smack to her face. Feeling the sting from Ann's hard slap, the policewoman was left stunned from a dose of reality. Quickly grabbing Makoto's arms, Ann shook her.

"MAKOTO! STOP!" Ann cried out, snapping her friend out of her distress. "That's not you! Do you remember a few years ago what I told you? 'Real scum wouldn't call themselves that'?! You're still valuable to us. If something bad were to happen to Ren and so help me, you'd be the next in line to lead us, Makoto. No one can replace you! Not even Sion."

Using the crease of her elbow to wipe her tears, Makoto sniffled. "Are you sure?"

The blonde-haired model wholesomely smiled. "Yeah, I do! We're sorry about slacking off the way we did, but please give Sion another chance."

"But…"

Ann tapped Makoto's shoulders. "Give him a chance. Who cares if he's some vampire? He hasn't hurt anyone and Hifumi trusts him. Who knows? He might grow on you." She said with a wink.

As she mulled over her friend's words, Makoto openly sighed. "I'm sorry, Ann. It's just… I guess now being a police officer, I have this incentive to protect you guys from imminent threats. As for Sion, I'll reconsider, but I'm going to need time to adjust with him and those three gamblers."

"I know," Ann hugged Makoto, who remained quiet as she let Ann heal her broken spirit and subdue her unbridled emotions.

"I just wanted life to stay the way it's been, but I understand why we have to stand up and fight again," Makoto let out another emotional response, drying the tears from her eyes.

"I'm glad to hear that," Ann said as she and Makoto exchanged bright smiles.

Suddenly, the women heard what sounded like a horrific screech accompanied by an elephant's roars, which reverberated and became felt inside the hallway.

"What the hell was that?!" Ann cried out.

"It came from outside!" Ren yelled out, quickly catching up and finding them. "We've gotta go now!"

With an intense look on her face, Makoto clenched her fists. "Ok, we're ready!"


RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka (Outside)/Osaka (大阪市)/8:06 PM (JST)

Arriving on the street near the hotel, the Phantom Thieves and their allies amassed already in their super-powered forms. The Thieves were taken aback with the gamblers' superpowered forms.

With their attention toward the sky, the group saw a giant flying entity soaring high in the night skies. The entity let out a terrible screech similar to a demonically-possessed elephant, which Queen and Panther both heard moments ago while inside the hotel.

"Look!" Panther pointed up toward the giant flying beast. It was a four-winged Yokai bird with a body made up of horrific ghastly faces, a yellowish-orange forehead horn, and a cadaver-like face.

"Oh shit! Look at the size of that thing!" Skull yelled out.

"Yeah, that is a huge bird!" Presto exclaimed.

"It's not just any bird, but a Yokai bird! If I recall from the legends, that is the Onmoraki!" Fox identified the Yokai bird.

"Onmoraki?" Noir muttered.

"Guys, we're here!" Panther called out as she, Joker, and Queen reconvened with the Thieves and their allies.

"Hifumi?" Joker noticed Tennyo in her transformed state.

"Yes, it's me. What do you think? Since you and the Thieves use disguise forms, I have one of my own," Tennyo replied. "Though, I'm not a Phantom Thief."

"Her form is derived from the power she drew from Io's amber Blood Bead," Sion revealed to the group.

"And you three? These are your disguise forms?" Panther asked the three gamblers.

"Yep! All thanks to our Guardian Spirits!" Tamamo earnestly replied.

"Let's stay focused, you two," Brave advised Tamamo and Presto.

"Crap! We've got company!" Oracle cried out as numerous portals opened up, releasing unwanted monsters into the streets.

"I remember seeing that bird from the visions I had!" Queen recalled the horrific images of the Siege of Osaka.

"Visions?" Joker turned to Queen with confusion on his face.

"I was going to tell you guys about the visions I had, but as you know things went south after I lectured you all," Queen sighed, regretting not getting to the point about her discovery.

Many civilians fled from the scene, leaving just the Thieves, Sion, Tennyo, and the gamblers to fight the Yokai and Lost monsters. Upon seeing the Lost, Sion's red eyes flared.

"Lost!" Sion snarled, quickly summoning his Queenslayer Blade and Hanemukuro.

"Let's be careful and draw these monsters away from civilians," Tennyo advised Sion.

"Don't worry. These things are only after us for whatever reason," Joker added, brandishing his dagger.

"So, can you recognize any Lost, Sion?" Tennyo queried, summoning her ko-naginata.

"Yeah, there's a few of them," the Revenant faced the Lost, identifying the Lost creatures. The first ones he noticed were several black creatures with long white hair and red spikes coming out of their backs. They resembled spiked Onis, brandishing swords, and bayonets. "Forgotten Devils."

The Revenant turned away, eyeing a group of four black-armored samurai-like knights with menpō masks. "Hunters in Black." Shifting away from the four Hunters in Black, he identified another fleet of four gray-armored knights with ghostly masks and carrying various weapons. One held a sword, another carried a shield, one carried a hammer, and a fourth brandished an ax. "Argent Wolf Soldiers. Those were once members of the provisional governing body, Cerberus, until they frenzied and turned into these Lost."

Hearing this, Tennyo gasped in disbelief. "They used to be Revenant soldiers? Were they anyone you knew?"

Sion nodded dismissively. "No, but they were people at one point." He turned away, noticing two 13-foot tall white-bodied Yeti-like Lost. They have black spikes all over their backs. These behemoths carried heavy swords over their right shoulders. "Boreal Savages." He turned toward a white-furred Yeti-like humanoid with white claws. "A Boreal Brute."

Just then, out of the Lost collective, one stood out from the others. The group faced down an 8'0 foot tall half-naked, blue green-skinned female humanoid, garbed in a revealing black armored attire that covered half of her body. The right side of her doll-like face is covered by the black armor. The creature's left eye has a black iris inside a glowing yellowish red pupil. This Lost's other distinguishing features are its long, slender legs and the greenish blue hair tied into long pigtails. She carried a lance that's as long as her entire body. This is the Invading Executioner.

"An Invading Executioner, too?!" Sion exclaimed.

"Whoa! That thing looks like Hatsune Miku!" Oracle observed, taking note of the Invading Executioner's pig-tailed hairstyle is similar to the aforementioned Vocaloid.

"Well, a cross between Miku and a stripper model," Fox mentioned.

"Guys, let's be less impressed and get ready to take this thing down!" Queen quickly chided Oracle and Fox.

"We've got more coming!" Panther immediately called out.

Of the Yokai present, there consisted of blue-skinned Yoki ninjas wielding kusarigama & cannons, gray-skinned Namahage, Rokurokubi, and two Enki. Accompanying these Yokai, an assembly of new Yokai appeared.

Among the new Yokai are massive, dark and red armored Yokai, once slain warriors, that invoked the outward appearances of Asura and Rakshasa. Brandishing a pair of swords, these Yokai warriors came forth ready to skewer their foes. They have long white hair and bangs. Growing out of their backs is an extra pair of grotesque phantom arms also wielding swords. Jutting from their backs and heads are golden yellow stones, empowering them with raw power.

Janomecho quickly materialized on Brave's shoulder and communicated with her.

"According to Janomecho, these things are Magatsu Warriors," Brave identified the armored Yokai.

Then, several giant bipedal black-feathered, golden Khakkhara staff carrying Tengu warriors appeared. Their menacing red eyes complimented their terrifying demonic avian appearances. Covering their face and most of their unfeathered areas is scaly purple skin. Golden armor trimmed the top of their wings and forearms. Black plumages covered most of their waist. Sharp yellow talons, used to skewer their foes, made up their three-toed feet and four-fingered hands. Their purple beaks are seemingly hard enough to crack open a man's head.

"I do recognize those Yokai from the books. They're Karasu Tengus," Fox added, facing the black-feathered Yokai. He also noticed five white-furred Yokai foxes. "There's even Fox Spirits?!"

Two flaming Yokai wheels with giant deranged faces materialized, which Janomecho identified.

"Those are called Wheelmonks?" Brave blinked, turning away as she and her friends saw a group of red-skinned Kappa with dish-shaped head depressions and turtle shells. "And those are Red Kappas? Ugh, gross."

"Eeek, a giant rat! Get it away!" Panther shrieked as a white almost hairless bipedal rat with a notable hunchback emerged. Its sickly outward appearance consists of hairless skin with tufts of black hair on the crown of its head. Its red eyes gleamed with malevolence. The rat's snout resembled a rotund human rose coupled with sharp incisors covered with disgusting saliva. Long, 15-inch claws made up its hands. Seemingly once human, the Yokai rat has on a gray and purple tattered monk's rose and rosary bead necklace.

"That's a Tesso!" Fox exclaimed.

"And what about those freaky snake-looking things, Inari?!" Oracle pointed to two Yokai taking the shape of 13-foot long gray and black reticulated, white-bellied snakes and women's heads. Long, stringy black hair made up their heads and covered most of their faces. Their eyes, snake-like in appearance, cast a petrifying gaze at their foes. Letting out ear-piercing screams and high-pitched hisses, the Yokai half-serpents readily craved to taste human flesh.

"Those are Nure-Onna."

"Yo, look at these big walking studs!" Skull shouted, pointing to a 13-foot tall Yokai with a horse's head. Its skin is sickly gray and malformed. Its limbs are long and slender. Remnants of armor worn by fallen samurai adorned its shoulders and waist. Several arrows are seen covering its shoulder armor. Black claws made up its hands and feet. Jutting from the back of its head are golden spiky horns. Glowing yellow energy lit up some areas of its horns and its ravaged body. The beast's menacing red eyes gazed down at its opponents, bellowing angrily and hefting a massive dark club in its right hand.

"Janomecho says that's a Mezuki! Watch out for its club!" Brave called out. Then, an equally 13-foot tall bull-headed Yokai with malformed dark red skin. Resembling a walking bipedal bull corpse, it has on samurai armor, covering most of its entire body. Tufts of thick black hair went from its head down its back and into a thick tail. A nose ring pierced through its nostrils. Its unarmored areas, the limbs, forearms, and chest have golden blemishes, glowing and pulsating with raw energy. Its horns conspicuously glow with the same golden yellow light. Adorning its neck is a thick yellow and black striped rope. Along with Mezuki, its red eyes locked on the same opponents and roared, swinging a massive dark spiked club over its head. "And that's a Gozuki!"

As the group looked ahead, they saw a 22-foot long green-bodied, white-bellied Yokai serpent materialized, Raising its head, it towered 13-feet high over its foes. On its back are stems and plants that have seemingly grown from its back over the ages. Shifting out from its sides are two smaller black snakes, doubling as extra eyes and heads, giving it a Hydra-like appearance. The main central head has a sharp nose horn and glowing stones atop its head. Its main head's red eyes intently scanned its adversaries.

"Shit, and I thought that bird was big!" Skull shouted.

"That's a Yatsu-no-Kami!" Fox identified the large Yokai serpent.

"There's too many of them!" Presto yelled out.

"Yes, there's more than the ones we destroyed before," Tamamo said, her smile curving into a sadistic grin. As she dropped on all fours, her eyes glowed red as the Nine Tails appeared next to her. "Heheh, you're telling me I should be careful? Oh, but that wouldn't be fun at all."

"You should be careful, idiot! We need to dwindle their numbers as quickly as possible!" Brave chastised her.

"Yeah, don't worry we're gonna be kicking their asses!" Skull boasted, readying his mace to bust a few monster heads.

Looking to the sky, Joker scanned the Onmoraki. "Sion and Queen, would you two like to help me go after that bird? The rest of you take care of the rest of these monsters!" With that, he beckoned the Revenant and Queen.

Realizing she'd have to work together with Sion, Queen glared at him. Sion paid her little mind as he followed Joker.

"Be careful, you three!" Panther encouraged them.

Just when Queen followed Sion, she noticed Brave and Presto heading off to fight the Yatsu-no-Kami.

"Hey, Yumeko! A little help here!" Brave shouted to her friend, who was caught up defending herself from two Fox Spirits and a Wheelmonk. Swinging her spear around, she slashed and defended herself from the Yokai serpent's tail.

"Yumeko!" Presto shouted while swinging his tonfas at Yatsu-no-Kami's smaller snake heads. He then summoned Genbu and Kato to assist him against the Yokai serpent's smaller heads trying to ensnare him.

Suddenly, one shot from Yatsu-no-Kami's tail knocked Brave back. Crashing nearly headfirst to the ground, Brave rolled away, leaving herself at Yatsu-no-Kami's mercy. The serpent quickly swooped in to ensnare her in its mouth.

"Mary!" Presto raced over to save her.

Then, at the last possible second, the serpent's head stopped. Brave blanched in disbelief when Queen stood in her way, struggling to push the serpent's head with her hands.

"Can you still fight?" Queen asked Brave.

"Yeah…" Brave then grabbed her spear. "Hell yeah! Thanks!" Invoking Janomecho's spirit, Brave imbued her Guardian Spirit's wind Ki, granting her access to its power. Admiring the green glow surrounding her spear, she listened to Janomecho whispering. "Wait, this is the Living Weapon technique?" She nodded and turned toward Presto. "Ryōta, you're able to access your Living Weapon from either of your Guardian Spirits! Be quick though!" She watched Queen landing a powerful right hook to Yatsu-no-Kami's middle head.

"Don't cross me!" Queen angrily berated the Yokai serpent. "For now, I'll just pretend your Sion." With that, she summoned Agnes and rode her Persona around the giant snake.

"You can summon a motorcycle?! What the hell?!" Brave gaped in shock.

"Look, I did it, Mary!" Presto invoked Genbu's Ki, producing water elements through his tonfas, which he used to smash one of the smaller snake heads.

"Nice! Now, here's one from me!" Brave cried out, swinging her spear around and sending a tornado blast at the other head.

Driving Agnes into the air, Queen slammed her Persona into Yatsu-no-Kami's main head.

"Don't mess with me!" Queen roared, snarling close and looking the serpent dead in its eyes.

Meanwhile, Tamamo asked Nine Tails to assist her with the two Fox Spirits and the Wheelmonk. After taking out the two Fox Spirits with the Nine Tails' fire Ki, Tamamo learned the hard way when Wheelmonk nullified her Guardian Spirit's attack.

"Hmm, so you absorb fire. That makes sense considering you're made of fire. What should I do then?" Tamamo prowled around Wheelmonk. Just then, Tamamo's fingernails seemingly turned into sharp fox claws. "Then, why don't I tear you to shreds?!" Laughing with maniacal glee, Tamamo threw herself at Wheelmonk, which attacked her with fiery blasts, but she evaded the Yokai's attacks. Following two claw strikes, she cut Wheelmonk in two. "Well, that was rather dull."

Turning over to Brave and Presto, Tamamo headed their way, but then Tennyo came flying in her direction. Narrowly dodging, Tamamo watched Tennyo landing on her feet and brandishing her Kunitokotachi ko-naginata.

"Need some help?" Tamamo offered her.

"Perhaps, see that?" Tennyo pointed toward two Magatsu Warriors.

"Just those two?"

"If you're willing to help?"

Tamamo nodded. "Gladly." With that, she and Tennyo hastily fought the Magatsu Warriors.

As Tamamo assisted Tennyo with the Magatsu Warriors, Oracle immediately summoned Al Azif, utilizing its power to boost her allies' defenses and speed.

"Defense up! Speed up! Go, get 'em!" Oracle announced.

Just then, Tennyo and the three gamblers noticed green flashes of energy surrounding them. They sensed their powers boosted due to Oracle's intervention.

"Whoa, what's this?!" Presto exclaimed.

"Eyes on the enemy, Ryōta!" Brave angrily chided him as Presto resumed their battle with the Yokai snake.

Even Sion felt the new power boost from Oracle.

"Thanks, Oracle!" Panther called out, throwing her whip and wiping out a Namahage with Maragi. She then cast Dormina, placing another Namahage to sleep. She quickly summoned Celestine, who quickly disposed of the sleeping Yokai with Agilao.

"Lucy!" Noir summoned her Persona, who gunned down several Rokurokubi with Triple Down. When Yoki came running at her, she doubled down and cast Mapsio, inflicting the Yokai ninja with a mental ailment. She quickly finished them off with Mapsiodyne.

Several Tengu and two Fox Spirits surrounded Fox, who quickly summoned Gorokichi to assist him. Making haste, Gorokichi's icy element, Bufu, froze and cleansed the Fox Spirits. The Tengu quickly swooped down and attacked Fox, who fired back with his assault rifle. After blasting them, Fox slashed them apart with his Usumidori katana.

"Such uncivilized creatures, be gone!" Fox shook the Yokai blood from his katana's blade. The Tengu fell into bloody pieces as their remains dissolved.

Just then, the two Enki came walking toward the group with the Boreal Savages and Boreal Brute. Figuring his Persona's ice attacks would effectively be useless against the Boreal Savages and the Brute, Fox opted to switch places with Skull, who summoned William to fight.

"Y'all are about to get wrecked!" Skull threatened the Yokai and Lost, sending William into battle.

The Boreal Brute rushed Skull and William. The Lost attacked with ferocious blows to Skull, who blasted the Lost with Zionga. Following this, Skull utilized Charge, giving him a little boost as he smacked the Boreal Brute with his mace. After cold clocking and brutally decapitating the Lost, one of the Enki attacked him.

Just then, Panther intervened and used Matarunda, diminishing Enki's attack. Skull then blasted it away with Mazionga.

The other Enki teamed up with the Boreal Savages to attack Skull, Fox, Panther, and Noir. As the Thieves prepared to fight them off, Mona dropped in, firing explosives from his slingshot, which blew apart one Boreal Savage and brutally crippling the other one. The Enki lunged at the Thieves, only for Mona's Persona, Diego, to strike the Enki with a Miracle Punch.

After dazing the Enki, Skull used God's Hand, launching a golden gauntlet and punching a hole through the Enki's belly. Then, the gauntlet kept going hitting the monster until it flew up and beheaded the Enki. Its head went flying off its shoulders and exploded, sending eyes, a tongue, and gray matter splattering on a nearby vehicle. The headless Yokai collapsed face first, as its body and severed head dissolved.

"Nice going, team! Wait, you missed one!" Oracle pointed them toward the injured Boreal Savage, who stood up ready to fight. "Well, what now?"

Panther, Skull, Fox, Noir, and Mona shared smirks, nodding in unison. They quickly turned and gunned down the Lost creature, blowing the creature away as flesh and torn body sections scattered all over the vicinity.

"Nice work, guys! But, that's not the last of them!" Oracle warned as an army of Lost and Yokai marched toward the Thieves.

The Invading Executioner, Mezuki, and Gozuki came with an army consisting of a Tesso, a Wheelmonk, a Spirit Fox, Nure-Onna, Yoki, Namahage, Rokurokubi, Hunters in Black, Forgotten Devils, and two Argent Wolf Soldiers.

Popping his neck, Skull scoffed. "Yeah, so what? We ain't standing down. Throw all ya got at us!"

Fox remarked. "Such elegance in your manner of speech, Ryuji."

"Thanks, I guess."

Mona chimed in. "Here they come!"

As expected, the small fry attacked first. The Spirit Fox, the Wheelmonk, the Rokurokubi, the Namahage, and the Nure-Onna were quickly wiped out in bloody succession, but a few managed to get by the Thieves' barrage of attacks.

A Nure-Onna quickly ensnared Noir with its long tail, attempting to crush her.

"Noir!" Fox shouted as he attempted to save her, but Noir fired Cripple from her gun and shot the Yokai's eyes out.

As the Nure-Onna released Noir and hissed in pain, Noir struck the creature with her ax. Roaring with fury, Nure-Onna rushed in and fired long strands of hair to grab Noir, but the Phantom Thief cut through the stringy hair with her ax and used Psiodyne to psychically damage the Yokai.

"You're through!" Noir yelled, bisecting the creature from head to tail with her ax. Ripping out her ax, blood sprayed from the slain Yokai before it dissolved into dust.

When a Rokurokubi spewed flames from its mouth, Fox froze and destroyed it with Mabufu. After finishing the Yokai, an Argent Wolf Soldier and a Hunter in Black rushed at him.

"You're up, Skull!" Fox turned away, letting Skull and William take their turn.

"Get wrecked, dipshits!" Skull roared with defiance, knocking them down with Charge. Then using William, Skull electrocuted and incinerated them away with Mazionga.

Throwing her whip, Panther seized a Forgotten Devil. As another Forgotten Devil charged at her, she cast Agidyne to burn it. She then finished the ensnared Lost with a Maragidyne. When the Tesso approached her, the red-clad woman shrieked and struck the Yokai rat with her whip.

Mona quickly went head-on with an Argent Wolf Soldier and a Hunter in Black. The cat clashed swords with the Lost. When the Lost went for a counterstrike, Mona evaded and used Miracle Punch to cripple the Argent Wolf Soldier. After wiping out the Hunter in Black with Garudyne, the cat killed it with an explosive shot from his slingshot.

"Not so tough, are ya?!" Mona taunted the Lost until the Invading Executioner stepped in, folding her legs around her lance while spinning herself around like a pole dancer.

"Head's up! The evil Hatsune Miku is going for a rush attack!" Oracle warned, quickly boosting the group's speed as the Invading Executioner performed a sliding attack while riding on her lance.

"Thanks for the heads up, Oracle!" Noir shouted.

"Ok, now I'm mad!" Panther snarled.

Just then, the Yokai duo, Mezuki, and Gozuki, marched toward Fox and Skull.

"Um, the beefy dudes got their eyes set on us," Skull realized.

"We'll draw them away, Skull!" Fox advised.

"Leave the pole dancer with us, you two!" Mona added as he, Panther, Noir, and Oracle engaged the Invading Executioner.

When Skull jumped up, he struck Mezuki with his mace. Lifting its weapon, the bipedal horseman performed three consecutive strikes, all Skull evaded. Trying one of his electric attacks, they barely damaged the horseman. Instead, the attacks merely irked it. Mezuki charged at Skull, who retreated, luring the beast away. Mezuki spewed three evil apparitions from its mouth, which flew toward Skull and exploded with anything they touched.

"Aw shit! Exploding ghosts?! Fox! Meet me at the ramen shop!" Skull called out to the artist.

"Ramen shop…" Fox paused and smirked, knowing exactly what Skull had in mind. "Why didn't you say so?" He dodged Gozuki's dual swing from its weapons. "Hey! Are you famished, my giant friend? Well, why don't you join me for some ramen and tea?!" With that, he turned and bolted off, luring Gozuki toward him.

"Ramen, eh? This should be good," Oracle smirked before shifting back on the Invading Executioner, who splashed Mona, Panther, and Noir with a water attack.

"Hang in there, guys! Keep fighting!" Oracle used Al Azif to restore her friends' defense and speed power.

"Great, here comes that nasty-looking rat and some of those Lost!" Panther pointed to Tesso, two Forgotten Devils, and an Argent Wolf Soldier marching toward them.

"Hey, Noir, you want to do our thing?" Mona turned to the beauty thief. "Let's fight back, Noir!"

Suddenly, two spotlights beamed down on Noir and Mona, who immediately used the battlefield as their own performance stage.

"Mona-chan, we're on!" Noir announced as they bounced into the air. When Mona hopped high into the air, he somersaulted as smoke exploded over him, granting him the ability to turn into a black cat van.

As the van landed, the headlights, shaped like Mona's eyes, cast beams toward the Yokai rat and the Lost creatures. Noir gracefully landed on the roof of the van. Mona headed straight for the monsters

With a rocket launcher in hand, Noir locked and targeted the monsters. "You've been bad!" With that, she fired four consecutive missiles, blowing up the Tesso, the two Forgotten Devils, and the Argent Wolf Soldier into bloodied pieces and even some of their body parts exploded into red mist.

Hopping off the Mona van, Noir tipped her hat. "And that's that!" When she heard Mona groaning, she saw him lying and back in his normal state. "Mona-chan!" She went over to check on him, causing the cat to sneak a grin.

Panther huffed. "Hey, what are you smiling for, Mona?"

"Guys, we still have that evil Miku to worry about!" Oracle warned them, diverting their attention from Mona and toward the Invading Executioner as the last creature standing.

Upon recovery, Mona stood, readying his scimitar against his larger opponent. He flew at and slashed at the Invading Executioner, who blocked and parried his attacks. The Invading Executioner slashed him with her lance, injuring him. As he fell to the ground, Panther and Noir came to his aid.

Panther and Noir cried in horror. "MONA!"

"No, Mona!" Oracle shouted.

Before any could save him, the Invading Executioner hopped up, preparing to slam the butt end of her staff to crush Mona.

However, as he slowly came to his senses, Mona awoke with a start and barrel-rolled from the crushing attack. Then, the cat fired Garudyne, which delivered partial damage but also stunned the Greater Lost creature.

"I've got you now!" Mona shouted, utilizing a bulk of Diego's power to critically strike the Invading Executioner with Miracle Rush while breaking her lance into pieces. Having stunned the Greater Lost, Mona then ran his scimitar through the Invading Executioner's chest, unleashing strong enough wind to obliterate her defenses.

"Alright, time for a beat down! Beam her up!" Oracle declared as Mona, Panther, and Noir vanished from the Invading Executioner's view.

Then, in the blink of an eye, all the Invading Executioner saw was bright red and black shadows zipping all over the place like ninjas. After getting knocked around by continuous body shots and piercing blows, the Invading Executioner collapsed, falling to its knees. However, the Thieves' onslaught didn't stop there. Seizing the opportunity and with a sneaky grin, Oracle pushed a green button. A slot under Al Alzir opened up, dropping a massive green bomb, the size of a pick-up truck, in front of the Lost. Falling out of her Persona was Oracle, who plopped 2 meters from the bomb. When the lit fuse stopped, she gave a confused look and huddled over to check.

"Hey, what the heck, man?!" She tapped the bomb a few times, panicking Panther, Mona, and Noir as they prepared to bolt away.

The minute the fuse lit again and the bomb exploded, blowing away the Lost into bloody bits and pieces. The explosion sent Oracle flying, who with a starry wink also gave a thumbs up and a cute raspberry.

"Mission complete! Kinda…" Oracle said as she crashed in front of the other Thieves.

"Well, that could've gone totally bad for us," Panther deeply sighed with relief.

"Next time, warn us before you do that, Oracle," Noir said.

After healing himself and the team with Mediarahan, Mona added. "Great work team, but our other friends are spread out. Joker and Sion went after that giant demon bird. Queen's helping Yumeko and her friends against that big snake. Then, there's Hifumi and Yumeko fighting some Yokai. First, we gotta find Skull and Fox."

"Right, I think they went this way!" Panther pointed toward the direction Skull and Fox lured Mezuki and Gozuki away.

"Ok, that's where we'll go! This way, team!" Mona declared, leading the group to find their colleagues.


Meanwhile, Mezuki and Gozuki scoured another section of Osaka. They've come up short finding the two Phantom Thieves. Their presence scared away passersby, although they seemingly ignored any humans and continued their hunt. Just then, their noses picked up on the familiar scent of Skull and Fox, leading them toward a ramen shop.

Inside this particular ramen shop, a famished Skull pulled up a stool and sat at a bar stand.

"I'm running on empty, man," painfully groaned Skull, rubbing his belly and hungry for anything his stomach could take.

Fox whipped around with a fresh hot ramen bowl. "Behold!" With a brilliant smile, Fox poured some sauce into the ramen. "Saucey!" He placed edible contents over the top of the ramen. "Zesty masterpiece!"

"Ain't nothing better than this!"

As Fox and Skull prepared to engulf their ramen, the doors kicked open. Mezuki and Gozuki barged right in uninvited, causing the two Thieves to face them with annoyance. No, more like utter disdain for their mealtime being interrupted.

"Grrr," Skull snarled as he whipped out his shotgun while at the same time Fox readied his rifle. "GET OUT, DUMBASSES!" He and Fox opened fire, pelting the two Yokai with a spray of bullets that blew up sections of their body. To finish things off, Skull pulled out a grenade, pulling off its pin with his teeth and tossing it at the Yokai. "MY TREAT!"

Setting his sights on the grenade, Fox pulled the trigger and blasted the grenade, which exploded and blasted the Yokai away in a bloody heap. Passersby screamed with fright and ran away as the Yokai remains fizzled into red dust.

Skull and Fox elbow bumped each other.

"Yeah!" Skull yelled as he and Fox went back to engulfing their ramen meal.

Just then, Mona, Panther, Noir, and Oracle arrived following the sound of the gunfire and the Yokai's blood-curdling roars.

"Thank goodness we found you two!" Noir said, happily relieved.

"Oh ramen, gimmie!" Oracle reached for a bowl, causing Fox to whisk his out of her reach. "I've already eaten it."

"Besides, we need to get out of here," Mona added. "There's still more of those Yokai and Lost being spread out."

"I think I heard a commotion nearby! This way!" Panther beckoned the team. "I hope Joker and the others are ok."


The Magatsu Warriors continued their assault on Tennyo and Tamamo, forcing the ko-naginata wielder and gambler to go on the defense. Doing their best to evade the Yokai's dual swords and phantom arms, Tennyo and Tamamo moved out of their reach.

"They bring in the Rook with the blades of a knight," Tennyo muttered with chess metaphors.

"And we are both queens ready to throw out the board!" Tamamo said with a fiendish smile, calling Nine Tails to her side.

As the Magatsu Warriors rushed to slash them with their swords, Tennyo and Tamamo dodged their blades and surrounded the Yokai. Drawing Ki from the Nine Tails, Tamamo produced poker cards imbued with spiritual flames. These flaming cards surrounded and burned the Yokai, but the Magatsu Warriors' resistance allowed them to push through the flames. One of these Yokai knocked Tamamo away with a shoulder tackle.

"Ugh, that was not smart of me!" Tamamo yelped as she crashed to the ground.

"Yumeko!" Tennyo summoned three Shogi pieces that forged a barrier to protect Tamamo. With her Shogi Shield, she stopped the Magatsu Warriors' attacks on Tamamo. Then, when she quickly jumped into the air, Tennyo blasted them with Divine Thorn, but the Magatsu Warriors' were just as resistant to the lightning as Tamamo's fire. As she swiftly ran past the Magatsu Warriors, she checked with Tamamo. "They're going to prove troublesome."

"Tell me about it! Our fire and lightning can't seem to hurt them."

"I know."

"What now?" Tamamo queried.

Looking ahead, the Magatsu Warriors consecutively slashed the lightning barrier. The brutality of their strikes had enough raw strength to break her barrier. When one of the Yokai unleashed a spinning blade attack with its front and back swords, Tennyo conjured a power booster, Valor of Shogi, to enhance hers and Tamamo's attack and defense powers.

"Get ready, Yumeko!" Tennyo advised her as she rushed head-on and swung her ko-naginata, blocking the first two sword attacks from the Magatsu Warrior that almost destroyed her barrier. Despite being several feet shorter and with a reach smaller than the Magatsu Warrior, Tennyo managed to block every single one of the Yokai's swords.

Hearing the sounds of metal clashing, Tamamo awoke to the other Magatsu Warriors marching toward her. She and Nine Tails pounced forward, knocking the armored, dual sword-wielding Yokai back.

"Lend me your power, Nine Tails," Tamamo requested as Nine Tail's essence seeped into her body, brimming her with rich and powerful Ki. With nine fox tails materializing from her back and tailbone area, Tamamo crouched on all fours. Facing the Magatsu Warrior, a crazed look formed on Tamamo's face. "Heheh, you ready to checkmate yet?!"

The Magatsu Warrior swung its swords at Tamamo, who jumped away with newfound speed and effortlessly dodged him.

"Ooooh, so close!" Tamamo taunted him with her eyes glowing red like blood. "Here, let me give you a back rub!" Shen instinctively used four fox tails to tear off the Yokai's back phantom arms. Hearing the Magatsu Warrior's pained cries became music to Tamamo's ears. "Mmm, that's such a lovely singing voice you got there! How about I shut you up?" She launched at him.

As Tennyo swiftly beheaded the other Magatsu Warrior, she attentively turned toward Tamamo's battle and watched her brutal fight with the second Magatsu Warrior. Running up from behind, Tennyo shoved her ko-naginata into the Yokai's head and brain.

"Hoo-hum, you're boring me now," coldly muttered Tamamo, who used her tails to grab the Magatsu's neck. Following a loud, audible pop, she crushed the Yokai's throat.

Tennyo then brutally sliced open its head and turned her ko-naginata, slicing down its neck and spinal cord bones before delivering a quick decapitation. The second Magatsu Warrior's neck stump spewed a lot of blood and collapsed, joining his companion in bloody defeat. The Yokai bodies then dissolved into dark red mist as their presence ceased.

Taking a few breaths, Tennyo slammed the base of her ko-naginata. "That was close."

"See, Hifumi? Something you just have to get your hands dirty," Tamamo casually smiled at her, ignoring the fact she brutally tore apart a Yokai with Nine Tails' power.

Slightly disconcerted by Tamamo's casual response, Tennyo feigned a friendly response. "... yes, dirty. Right."

"Guys, nice work over there!" Skull called out as he and the other Thieves approached them in a hurry.

"You two really took down those two monsters? Wow, I'm impressed," Panther smiled.

"It was easy once we got the hang of things," Tamamo replied ever so casually.

"Hey, is something troubling you, Hifumi?" Fox noticed Tennyo's uneasiness. Hearing this, she put on a relaxed face.

"No, but thank you for asking, Yusuke."

"Yo! We've got more hostiles in other areas!" Oracle called out while back inside Al Azir.

"Let's split up and find the others! Be careful!" Mona declared as he, the Thieves, Tennyo, and Tamamo split into smaller units to find the others and reduce the remaining monster numbers.


Tempozan Harbor Village/Minato-ku, Osaka (港区, 大阪市)/8:37 PM (JST)

Guided by their Guardian Spirits, Mina and Kyosuke were met with resistance by Yokai. Innocent bystanders fled once three revolting, bulbous creatures covered with needles and broken blades.

"So, the Ki we felt did come from Yokai!" Mina said as Saoirse appeared next to her. As Saoirse whispered to her, the muscle woman nodded. "Yes, these are Harinobo."

"Over there! A Umi-Bozu!" Kyosuke bellowed as Makami appeared near him. He and his wolf faced the direction where the earth shook as a massive blob of water poured out, growing into a 22-foot high formless blob of water with a rounded head resembling a giant Buddhist monk. The center area of its internal body contains a glowing yellow circular core coupled with large yellow eyes, using them to scan its adversaries. Shifting its formless liquid form around, waves came falling off its body and crashing through the vicinity.

Reaching behind her back, Mina readily drew out a katana. Upon nodding to her Guardian Spirit, Saoirse merged itself with Mina's katana, imbuing the wielder and her weapon with a blue aura. Mina's eyes turned bright blue while Saoirse's essence coursed through her body and katana, activating her Living Weapon technique.

"Ready to slay these Kyosuke?!" Mina roared, running head-on with the three Harinobo first.

Following his companion, Kyosuke ran alongside Makami toward the Harinobo.

Swinging her katana at two Harinobo, the blue light imbuing the blade slashed through, vaporizing the two Yokai. Mina then turned her sights toward the Umi-Bozu and rushed to meet the giant blob.

Kyosuke fiercely attacked the third Harinobo. When the Harinobo fired needles from its body, Kyosuke narrowly dodged the sharp projectiles. Beckoning Makami to him, the Guardian Spirit ran to him.

"Let us skewer these Yokai!" Kyosuke declared as Makami's spiritual essence flowed through him. Enhancing him with great power, the man doubled over as a bright orange aura enveloped the man. Makami vanished and seemingly possessed Kyosuke, invoking a transformation. Everyone witnessed the man grow into a 7'5 foot tall demonic humanoid with red flesh skin. Two tusk-like teeth poked out of the sides of his lips. Orange steam-like energy leaked from his a golden stone glowed in its center chest, which then pulsated with light. His eyes burned bright blue. Tufts of black fur covered his head, wrists and forearms. His hand turned black and nails morphed into sharp black claws. Protruding from the crown of the demonic man's head is a pair of long, curved golden horns and a pair of smaller horns.

While Mina evaded gigantic water blasts from the Umi-Bozu, the muscular woman briefly turned over and witnessed her companion unveil his Yokai-like transformation.

"So, you've decided to go all out and use your Yokai Shift, my friend. That certainly increases our chances now!" Mina called out, swinging her katana as she unleashed a powerful water wave at the giant Yokai, whose massive water body absorbed most of Mina's attack. She meticulously eyed the glowing core inside its body, discerning it as its weak point.

Having transformed into his Yokai Shift form, Kyosuke quickly ran through the Harinobo's needles and savagely ripped it to shreds with its bare hands. After slaying the Yokai underling, Kyosuke quickly headed toward Mina and assisted her.

"Thanks, I'm going to need that Yokai strength of yours, Kyosuke!" Mina said, backing away while powering up her katana. When she and Kyosuke rushed the Umi-Bozu, the latter unleashed a powerful force that repelled the Umi-Bozu's water blasts and tore through its watery body.

Following a few devastating blows, the Shiftling exposed Umi-Bozu's core. After being blasted away, Kyosuke beckoned Mina to finish it. Readying her katana, Mina shattered the Yokai's core with a water blast. With its core removed, the Umi-Bozu's body shuddered and melted into a watery puddle.

Taking a few deep breaths, Mina helped Kyosuke up. The orange aura enveloped the man again as he turned to normal. Standing on his own feet, Kyosuke watched Mina turn away.

"That's only just a few of them, Kyosuke. There's more out there, but thankfully our guests from Tokyo are handling them."

"You think they'll make a difference against these Yokai?"

Mina nodded. "I suppose we'll see if they can overcome this ordeal. Three of them have Guardian Spirits, so perhaps they have a chance."


Shitennō-ji (四天王寺)/Osaka (大阪市)/8:40 PM (JST)

At almost the same time Mina and Kyosuke fought Yokai, another Yokai located and attacked Sumire and Akechi. The two quickly evaded getting caught by what appeared to be a large Yokai owl.

As they looked up, a giant black-feathered Yokai owl, born from coalescing vengeful spirits, appeared, opening up its 13-foot long wings. Its head is made of three massive red eyes, each scanning its two adversaries, and a sharp yellow beak. Yellow talons make up its gray scaly feet.

Preparing for battle, Sumire and Akechi transformed into their Metaverse states.

"So, the Yokai ended up finding us after all," Crow muttered, drawing out his swords.

Having drawn out her rapier, Violet rolled away when the giant Yokai owl swooped down to grab her and Crow.

"Are you ok, Violet?!" He called out to the rapier-wielder, who hopped back on her feet.

"I will after we beat this thing!" Violet set her sights on the giant owl.

Suddenly, Nekomata appeared before Violet and Crow. Both genuinely reacted with surprise by the spirit cat's presence.

"A cat?!" Violet cried out.

"But, you don't appear normal. I'm getting a strange spiritual vibe from you," Crow assessed Nekomata's aura.

"How astute of you to notice. Yes, you're both allies of the Phantom Thieves?" Nekomata queried them, as both were immediately taken aback by this.

"You know Joker-senpai and the others?! And you can also talk like Morgana!" Violet asked her.

"Get down!" Nekomata warned as the giant Yokai owl returned to attack them.

Responding to the Yokai's attack, Violet and Crow summoned their respective Personas. Ella swiftly kicked the giant owl back, granting an opening for Hereward to strike the Yokai bird.

"Your Personas are faring well against the Tatarimokke."

"So, you have met Amamiya and his friends since you know about our Personas," Crow confirmed his suspicions.

"Please, tell us where Ren-senpai and the others are!" Violet pleaded.

Before he could answer, they watched Bella and Hereward being blown back by darkness waves coming from Tatarimokke flapping wings. Resolving to defeat the Yokai owl, Crow and Violet invoked their Personas' special abilities.

While rapidly flapping its wings, Tatarimokke unleashed feathered projectiles toward Crow and Violet. Upon performing its ranged attack, Violet and Ella blasted the giant owl with Kougaon. Crow and Hereward quickly followed up and slashed the owl with Laevateinn. Crow and Violet critically dealt a vicious blow, knocking the Yokai owl away. Quickly turning its head 180 degrees, the three-eyed owl fired a bright red beam from its third eye. Ella quickly took the beam head-on. It then summoned an array of dark apparitions, which flooded the area.

"Do not let it overwhelm you, my friends!" Nekomata openly encouraged them, lifting Crow and Violet's prowess.

Lifting his heads up, Crow beckoned Hereward to resist Tatarimokke's dark apparitions. Hereward cast Debilitate to subdue Tatarimokke, dissolving the apparitions in the process. Then, Ella critically damaged the giant owl with Masquerade.

"Finish it, Hereward!" Crow roared as Hereward blasted Tatarimokke with Riot Gun. The powerful blasts ripped through Tatarimokke's feathered body, causing it to explode into a rain of feathery and bloody chunks. The Yokai owl's grisly remains scattered all over the vicinity, but they quickly dissolved into dark purple light and left no trace behind.

After finishing the Yokai owl, Crow and Violet turned to face Nekomata.

The Yokai cat nodded in approval. "Very impressive. You two will make fine assets for the Thieves, the Revenant, and the current Guardian Spirit wielders."

"The Revenant…?" Crow muttered.

"Since you're acquainted with Ren-senpai and his friends, can you tell us where they are now?" Violet queried.

"They're in the middle of a clash with Yokai and Lost," replied the Yokai cat.

"Then that giant owl was a Yokai. Amamiya and the others are likely fighting them as well," Crow asked Nekomata.

"Fear not. After they deal with the Yokai and Lost, you two will see them soon," reassured Nekomata.

Nodding, Violet placed a hand to her chest and sighed. "I hope so."

Crow smiled. "Don't worry, Sumire. We will run into them."

"The young man is correct. In the meantime, you two should consider seeking refuge until you cross paths with the Thieves and their new allies."

"Tell us who these Guardian Spirit wielders and the Revenant are," Crow carefully asked while privy to these new details.

Nekomata chuckled. "Well, look at the time. I must go and assist the Thieves and the Guardian Spirit wielders! I must go!"

"Wait!" Violet called out, but Nekomata quickly vanished. "I was going to ask if they're ok."

"Let's worry about ourselves for now, Sumire. What I'm wondering is who this Revenant is? Likewise, who are these Guardian Spirit wielders? I suppose we'll meet them as well," Crow deduced about the identities of the Phantom Thieves' new allies.

The red-haired young woman smirked. "If they're allies of Ren-senpai, they must be decent people. I can't wait to meet them."

"Come, let us find a place to rest. An interesting road lies ahead for us toward our reunion with the Thieves," Crow said as he ran off into the corner of the night.

"Yes," Violet replied.


Dōtonbori (道頓堀)/Osaka (大阪市)/8:45 PM (JST)

With Brave and Presto providing support, the queen of justice rushed the giant snake's central head. The main snake head expelled poison toward her. Queen quickly sidestepped one spit and barrel-rolled away from another. She timed each spit after assessing its attack pattern. She then coordinated Brave and Presto to attack the other two snake heads.

When Yatsu-no-Kami prepared to slam its body down, Queen beckoned Agnes to collect her. Riding on her Persona, she immediately swerved around and unleashed Freidyne, critically damaging the three-headed Yokai serpent. Just as the snake recovered, Brave invoked her Living Weapon technique, unleashing a tornado-like attack that ripped apart the left smaller head.

Unleashing a slashing water attack, Presto targeted and removed the right smaller head. He and Brave then gave room for Queen to finish the job.

When Queen drove head-on with the now one-headed serpent, Yatsu-no-Kami swung its tail from the earth and almost knocked Queen off, who jumped off and let Agnes to smash Yatsu-no-Kami with Flash Bomb, dealing another damaging blow.

Springing high into the air, Queen then channeled the power of nuclear energy in her right fist. Quickly dropping onto Yatsu-no-Kami, she roared and landed a one-two punch combo, crushing the snake's head with Vajra Blast. Having crushed its head and skull with two impactful blows, she killed the serpent.

When its giant body collapsed, blood spewed from its head and gaping mouth. Queen, Brave, and Presto watched with disgust, but Queen was more so taken aback finding out the cold truth that these creatures are real.

"Justice is served for you, beast," Queen quietly muttered.

As the Yatsu-no-Kami dissipated, it left no trace of its body.

"Nice work, Ryōta," Brave lightly elbowed Presto.

"Heheh, same to you, Mary."

"Hey, you two! Find your friend Yumeko. I'm sure she'll be with the others somewhere," Queen advised, getting back on Agnes.

"And where are you going?" Brave queried.

Revving her motorcycle, Queen fiercely eyed the road ahead of her. "To find that blood-sucking jackass before he does anything stupid." With that, she drove off, leaving Brave and Presto behind.


Osaka (大阪市)/8:56 PM (JST)

Elsewhere in the city, Sion pressed on with his hasty pursuit of the Onmoraki. Hundreds of windows shattered from the flapping from Onmoraki's wings as it flew high over Osaka.

As shards of windows rained on escaping bystanders, a pale-skinned woman with two horns, one longer than the other, long back-length blonde hair, and dressed in revealing white garments, consisting of a short top and a waist-length dress, blasted the debris with Maziodyne. Upon arriving at the site, Joker watched his Persona, Ishtar, zapping the window debris into harmless dust.

Setting his sights on the Onmoraki, Joker fired his pistol at its direction, but his reach was still too far and did little damage to the Yokai bird.

"Joker!" Queen was heard, prompting the Phantom Thief to see the motorcycle rider stopping near him. "Did Sion go this way?"

"He's chasing that Onmoraki!" Joker pointed to the Revenant preparing to attack the Onmoraki.

"Ugh, that idiot. He can't beat that thing alone!" Queen growled, preparing to drive her bike up the wall of an infrastructure.

"Wait, Queen!" Joker yelled out as Onmoraki launched tornados at the trio, first knocking Sion back and then sending more destructive wind power toward Joker and Queen. Joker beckoned Ishtar to absorb the wind attack with Drain Wind, saving him, Queen, and Sion. Having been saved by Joker's Persona, Sion fell on a rooftop.

However, the Yokai bird didn't cease its assault and cast a ray of light. Out from this light, a portal to another world formed, summoning another Yokai to challenge the two Thieves.

"What the hell now?!" Queen exclaimed.

"Queen, go after Sion! He's not going to stop chasing that Onmoraki!" Joker requested, which Queen agreed.

Driving Agnes forward, Queen scaled up a building wall and chased Sion across a series of rooftops.

As Joker faced the portal, his Yokai opponent emerged, which could be described as a 12-foot tall conjoined Yokai, consisting of two and joined at their backs. Both sides of the conjoined demon have angry visages. One half is a vermillion armored Yokai with a dark gray loincloth. Massive light purple horns adorned its cranium. In its right hand, it wielded a sword imbued with fire; likewise, in its left hand is a fire-imbued ax hammer. The other half is a frost blue Yokai with similar clothing and purple horns, but a different set of weapons. In the frost-armored Yokai's hand, it readied a frost arrow on its yellow bow and fired one at its opponent.

Dropping into a battle stance, Joker flashed a grin at the Yokai. "Show me what you've got."

Nekomata briefly appeared, observing Joker's face-off with the Yokai. "Be careful, young Joker. That is a Ryomen Sukuna. It is one Yokai made up of two. The red demon wields the power of fire and the blue half controls the element of ice. Both halves possess their own temperament."

"Thanks for the heads up, Nekomata, but I think I can take him."

Roaring with fury, Ryomen Sukuna dashed ahead to attack Joker. The red half quickly launched a fiery wave, targeting Joker, who narrowly sidestepped the fiery projectile. The fire blast exploded when hitting the arrow, nearly knocking Joker forward.

In response to the Yokai's first move, Joker summoned another Persona, a mighty golden-maned lion with the head of a gray goat on its back, and a green & purple spectacled serpent's tail from its back. The Chimera roared and charged at Ryomen Sukuna, headbutting the conjoined Yokai. The Yokai performed a powerful whirlwind attack with its arms, clubbing the Chimera's face. After getting pummeled, the Chimera distanced itself from the Yokai and watched the Yokai switch to its blue side. When it fired an ice arrow, the Chimera dodged and blasted the blue side with a fiery Maragidyne.

As the fire attack dealt damage to the blue side, the red side took control and struck the beast with its ax hammer. Sensing his Chimera was in trouble, Joker immediately conjured his third Persona.

Preparing to smash Chimera with its hammer, Ryomen Sukuna turned away and witnessed a greater demon than itself. Appearing in front of Joker is a blue-skinned behemoth with a demonic face, three blue armored wings & three thin membrane clear wings on both sides, two blue-skinned arms on opposite sides, three long tails - two skeletal tails and one green organic tail that resembled a dragon's, three sets of female human breasts fully exposed on its chest, and an elongated head crest covered with fin-like extensions.

"Go down!' Joker commanded Satan to attack Ryomen Sukuna. As the Yokai swung its fiery hammer over Satan, the fallen angel froze Ryomen's red side with Diamond Dust. Then, leaving the blue side alone to fight, Satan unleashed Black Viper, quickly obliterating the Yokai. Having slain the Yokai, Joker recalled his three Persona and headed to follow Queen and Sion's direction.


Catching up to the Onmoraki, Sion hopped a great distance over parts of a tall building. He reached out grabbing the back of its tail feathers and hopped on the Onmoraki's back. The Yokai bird screeched and shook its whole body to pry the Revenant off. Flying high into the air, it went through some clouds, but Sion firmly held onto the Yokai bird.

Piercing and slashing it with his Queenslayer Blade, Sion ravaged the Onmoraki's back a few times. As a result, the Onmoraki tried shaking him off as it dove into the city. Seeing a chance to rid itself of the Revenant pest, the Yokai bird crashed through part of some infrastructure before crashing down.

Sion recovered from his fall, but the Onmoraki didn't give him time to react. Seizing Sion's left arm with its beak, it tossed Sion around while tearing off his arm and furiously throwing him off. While he did feel immense pain from having his arm ripped off, he didn't scream. As far as Sion was concerned, this related injury has happened to him before.

Landing safely on the ground, Sion eyed the blood pouring from his wound. He waited a moment and willfully regenerated a new left arm, which was the result of the BOR Parasite's influence inside his body. He then invoked his Cleansing Light Gift, absorbing the damage he took to heal himself.

As he picked up his Queenslayer Blade, the Revenant saw a chunk of debris from a damaged building about to fall on top of a few civilians and children. Quickly heading over, he managed to obliterate the debris with a Frenzied Fire, saving the innocent people.

"Go! Now!" Sion ordered the civilians away, who complied with the Revenant and fled from the area.

Then, upon arriving, Queen witnessed with her own eyes Sion's selfless act saving civilians. She meditated over Sion's recent actions, assuming he was as dangerous as the Yokai and Lost, but hearing Hifumi's good words about him and now this heroic act, she had second thoughts about the Revenant.

A smile formed on Queen's face. "You're really no different from us, Phantom Thieves, aren't you?"

Suddenly, Onmoraki landed on the ground with a thunderous crash. As it raised its body, it roared a horrific elephant-like screech.

"Queen, Sion!" Joker called out as he arrived to see the Onmoraki rising over them.

"I'm glad you're here, Joker," Queen said, watching Sion reconvene with them. Getting off Agnes, she got into a battle stance. "What now?"

"You think you're ready for this?" Sion asked the two Thieves, charging up his Queenslayer Blade and Hanemukuro with blue electricity.

"You'd dare ask me that?" Calmly answered Queen, refusing to let Sion get under her skin.

"Ok, enough of the lover's quarrel between you two," sarcastically remarked Joker, readying his dagger and standing between his two teammates.

Charging directly, the Onmoraki slammed into its three opponents. As they evaded the Yokai bird, it attacked Queen with a peck. Queen pushed its beak before delivering a few punches to the Onmoraki's face. The Onmoraki responded by spewing poison breath at Queen, blinding and poisoning her before smacking her down with its wing. Coming to the defense of his harshest detractor, Sion activated his Ogre-Type Blood Veil, shoving his armored claw into the Yokai bird and slashing it.

Rising to her feet, Queen coughed from the poisons circulating inside her body. If she didn't act fast, she'd keel over and die. She used Amrita Shower to cure herself of the poisons.

Joker slid under the Onmoraki and fired multiple rounds into its belly, causing it to cry in pain. Attempting to fly away, Joker summoned Satan again, utilizing its Black Viper to constrict the Yokai bird's neck, squeezing it hard. The Yokai bird struggled to break loose from Satan's grip.

"It's over," Sion scowled, charging red energy through his Ogre claw. As he amassed enough power in his claw, the Revenant launched a large crimson sphere that collided with the Yokai bird.

As it screeched loudly, the greater energy enveloped the Onmoraki, disintegrating it down from its sinew muscles, veins, and right down to its bones, including exposing its eye sockets. When it was said and done, there was nothing but ashes.

When the smoke cleared, there was no trace left of the Onmoraki. The three heroes stared at the remains as even the ashes vanished.

"We did it," Joker muttered.

Queen frowned and faced Sion. "Sion, listen…"

Sion sighed. "What now, Mako-kins?"

Queen scoffed. "Please, do not call me that! Look, I'm sorry. All those horrible things I said and my behavior… it was inexcusable."

The Revenant turned and nodded. "Maybe now we can start off fresh."

"Yeah, maybe."

"Sion!" Tennyo's voice called out, quickly garnering the Revenant's attention from Queen.

"Hifumi?!" Sion saw Tennyo, the other Thieves, and the gamblers running over to meet them. Before he can say anything else, Tennyo tackled him into a hug. "Hey, watch it! I just recovered from a fight."

"I'm glad you're ok, Sion."

Smiling and patting the back of Tennyo's head, Sion genuinely replied. "Likewise."

"Hey, we better get out of here! The police are going to be here any minute! Let's all meet somewhere together!" Mona warned the group, causing everyone to split up and meet at their next designated location.


9:45 PM (JST)

Following the aftermath of the Yokai & Lost skirmish, Mina and Kyosuke keenly assessed the Thieves and their allies from a distance. Needless to say, they were immensely awestruck with their victory against the Onmoraki.

"Thoughts, Kyosuke? Are you impressed?" Mina turned to her Yokai Shifter colleague.

With a straight-faced look, Kyosuke answered. "These new Guardian Spirit wielders are ripe with potential. They may in fact surpass their predecessors."

"They're good, but it's absolutely wild to see the Phantom Thieves again. However, that one man with the demon hand is a wild card," the muscle woman assessed Sion's Blood Veils and use of Gifts. Chewing and spitting out a piece of straw, she sneakily grinned. "Now, I'm excited to meet our new allies!"

Just then, Nekomata appeared in front of Mina and Kyosuke.

"Then, shall we arrange a meeting with them?" The Yokai cat suggested.

Kyosuke turned to Mina. "It's your call. Where do you want to meet them?"

After giving some thought, Mina considered. "How about Sankō Shrine?"

Nodding, Nekomata replied. "That can be arranged."

Lifting her right hand, Mina clenched and pumped her fist up. "I can't wait!"


Chapter Soundtrack

澤野弘之 - Anxiety - Hiroyuki Sawano - Makoto's anger at Sion. Makoto feeling useless again until after Ann talks with her.
Nioh OST - Twilight - Encountering and fighting the Yokai and Lost.
Code Vein OST - Return of the Knight -Danse Macabre - vs. the Invading Executioner, the Umi-bozu, the Tatarimokke, Lost and Yokai.
Nioh 2 OST - Mezuki - vs. Mezuki and Gozuki.
Persona 5 Royal OST - Take Over - The funny moment of Skull and Fox's Showtime attack on Mezuki and Gozuki.
Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams OST / 02 - Blue Oni Prologue ~ Blue Oni Theme- Joker vs. and slays the Ryomen Sukuna. Queen, Brave, and Presto vs. and slays the Yatsu-no-Kami.
VAMPS - In This Hell - Fighting and obliterating the Onmoraki.


A/N: Now this chapter is packed with action and drama. We had a near falling out with Makoto lashing out on Sion and wanting to strangle the Revenant. Could anyone just hear Makoto screaming and cursing as you're reading her heated dialogue? Well, I did. I imagined it while writing her dialogue.

Yes, thankfully Ann got Makoto out of her funk because the Yokai and Lost invade Osaka. Besides the fighting this chapter delivered, we have the debut of the Showtime attacks. Yeah, it was really fun to write Skull and Fox's Showtime against Mezuki and Gozuki. And unlike the Shadows that simply dissolve into mist, these poor Yokai get blown to bloody bits as they're melting into mist. This is just to exemplify this story's M rating. We also have Noir and Mona's funny Showtime, and Oracle's All-out Attack finisher.

Speaking of Sion and 'Mako-kins', the two do put aside their differences, which is nice. Beyond this, any antagonistic thing they say to each other is just playful banter and roasting. One thing is for sure, they work very well together when they're not at each other's throats. As demonstrated in the battle against the Onmoraki.

For side battles, we get some Crow & Violet and Mina & Kyosuke (the latter going full-out Yokai since he's the Nioh 2 Shiftling Protagonist in this story's continuity) action against the monsters. I know some are counting down to Akechi and Sumire interacting with the Thieves again. Be patient a little while longer.

With this battle out of the way, our team's going to need some food and R&R before they head out to meet with the Japanese historical spirits.

That said, please leave a comment and review!