Let's cut the chase. I now work two jobs, and school has been asking for documents. Time has been low on writing. I did write another fic but I might put that on the back burner and focus on Fool and Fortune again. I wanted to write again and focused all my spare time on the chapter. I will try to get another chapter out as soon as I can. Hopefully, you guys are still waiting on updates. I plan to make the fic around 150k words so there is still plenty of story to go. By the way, this chapter is enormous. I wanted to make up for lost time so here you go.

Guest: For their own good, I hope neither of them fight. I get that, just wait for the hard part of the story. Yeah, as I've said before, I don't want people feeling like they're just rereading the light novel. It is, but it will always be credited.

KoiFish: Reading this made me laugh out loud man, I needed it. What's more cringe is that you read 60k words of this story and decided to type that. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Blankow: Your reviews on each of my chapters have motivated me so much so I appreciate you reading more stories. I hope you're still sticking around for what is to come. As for Toaru members getting Personas, I'm not sure I want to write that, but I'll leave it up to you guys if you'd like that. Maybe I can do a side-story type chapter or another fic that delves into that.

Masify: Ren and Kakine will have a somewhat special relationship going forward. The new group will definitely have some bad blood but in the end, it will be somewhat bearable. New Light is definitely something I wanted to write about, Bayloupe especially. Her design is so nice and having her around will be a nice pace changer. Kanzaki x Ren… hmm… maybe.

Snowtrue: I did! I'm surprised someone caught that, my friend Healthcare wrote that scene and I felt bad changing anything so I left it in there. Thanks for enjoying the story!

Diamond of soul: My first chapter is easily the worst. Hope you continued to read!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 5 Royal or Toaru Majutsu no Index.

As the bespeckled boy took his eyes off the document, he frantically reached for his phone. His worry was only increased as he noticed an all too familiar app icon sitting in his home menu.

'You've got to be shitting me…' the Persona-user thought.

How was the Metaverse even accessible in this universe if Espers existed? Ren thought he had come up with a solid theory as to why it didn't exist when he first arrived, but it seemed to be disproved by the evidence right in front of him. Was the will of the masses strong enough to overcome Personal Reality? The insane psychology of Espers was one of the reasons he believed that to be true.

'I need to see what this is about.'

The boy did notice a big difference about the app though. It was originally red when he first obtained it and remained that way until December, but turned white when Maruki transformed it to his vision. The app was now a greenish-blue, but the black eye remained the same.

The boy hesitated to open the app as he didn't have a name, place, or distortion to name. He just wanted to know if the interface was the same as before, but something about the app felt even more ominous than it had been previously. The Trickster steeled his nerves and pressed on the app icon.

There was a slight pause that felt like an eternity. Then a voice came out of his phone.

"Now going to the Shadow World."

Looking around, Ren didn't see anything different in the room. What was different though, was that his thief attire had already been summoned without him willing it forward. He only had his mask on beforehand. If his entire thief outfit was summoned, then he was already being viewed as a threat. Who the hell was the ruler of this domain?

'What the fuck is going on?'

How was he sent to the Metaverse without any information? No name, no place, and no distortion was given.

Looking up from his phone, he could sense he was no longer alone. He was instantly on his guard and regained his composure from the uncertainty of the situation.

He pulled out his pistol and cocked it as he raised it to his eye level. It'd been a while since he fought Shadows, but considering how strong he had become since Kamoshida's Palace, he didn't have any worry about being caught off guard or struggling.

Hiding in the shadows, Ren dashed like a phantom and remained concealed. He found it weird that staying in the shadow of an object granted him invisibility, but that was a question that would always go unanswered.

As a Shadow was walking toward his direction, Ren readied himself to dash onto him and rip its mask off. The mask was sort of a mind-control mechanism. If Ren was able to remove it then it would separate the connection between the ruler and the Shadow. As it got closer and closer, Ren dashed and gracefully somersaulted onto the Shadow's shoulders.

"Show me your true form!"

Ren didn't know why he began saying that. The aggression in his voice was something that slowly began to come to him after saying it nearly a thousand times, but at this point, it was his catchphrase when it came to fighting Shadows.

Jumping off of the Shadow, Ren lifted his pistol and waited for it to transform into whatever it truly was. As it started to tremble then seemingly combust, the humanoid Shadow transformed into a large pile of ooze. Ren had seen the Shadow before and had even captured one to use as one of his Personas. Black Ooze was a pretty below-average Persona and served him well whenever he used it, but after reaching Kaneshiro's Palace, he had to get rid of it in order to receive more power.

He summoned Michael from within his soul and imbued Holy energy into his pistol because he knew that it was one of its many weaknesses. Shooting the newly formed Black Ooze, it was easily destroyed and instantly dissipated into nothing.

'Why the hell are these psycho's from FORMULA trying to access the Metaverse? What do they gain from this? Only Persona users can hurt or kill Shadows, not that any of them would know that though.'

Ren had his hand on his chin trying to think of plausible reasons why FORMULA would try to access the Metaverse. He guessed that the scientists' reasoning would be the excitement at the discovery of another dimension, but curiosity did indeed kill the cat. Maybe that was why the Magic and Science sides joined each other? The religious fanatics thought they were some form of higher power and the scientists believe they would have another species to experiment with. Despite the different views, their goals did somewhat align.

As his mind was at work, he pointed his pistol behind him and shot three bullets. A Shadow had tried to sneak up behind him but was easily heard by Ren's superior senses.

As Ren ran, the information he had obtained began to slowly piece a concrete theory as to what FORMULA was doing.

Considering the destroyed state of the lab in the real world, he knew that they hadn't been able to access the Metaverse, but that they were pretty damn close. It was also abandoned which might have meant they could have given up on it, but Ren knew that it would never be that easy. They know the name of the alternate dimension and presumed the reason they wanted to access it was somehow related to the Shadows. In relation to wanting to find the formula to achieve godhood, what did Shadows have to do with that? The answer seemed to be easy to understand after going through everything. At least, Ren hoped that the most simple answer was the correct one.

They wanted to weaponize them for their benefit and ensure that no one would threaten them as they were indestructible through conventional means. Another reason was that maybe they wanted DNA samples to help with formula, but considering they were just cognitions, it just wasn't as plausible as the former. It'd be a smart plan... if only FORMULA themselves knew what they were messing with.

Sensing no more Shadows in the room, Ren pulled out his phone again and clicked on the app.

'You are currently in the Shadow World, do you wish to return to the real world?'

"Yes."

'Now returning to the real world.'

As the scene of the lab began to appear a bit more colorful, which was just a lighter shade of grey, Ren let out a sigh and pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose.

Hearing his phone ring, Ren looked at the number and saw that it wasn't a saved contact.

Pressing the answer button, Ren brought the phone up to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Why haven't you answered!?" Bayloupe shouted, forcing Ren to move his phone away from his ear. "You told me to call this number and you don't even answer! Some nerve you have."

Ren had forgotten that his phone didn't work in the Metaverse and that she must've called a couple of times before he was finally able to answer.

"Sorry, I was in the middle of something. Did you find new information?"

"No, I was just calling to make sure you didn't get yourself killed," Bayloupe said, sincerity in her tone. "If you didn't answer this call I would've had to have put in a lot of effort to find your body."

"Aww, how sweet. We just met and you already don't want me to die. I'm flattered." Ren had a sarcastic tone to let her know he was joking.

"You're a real idiot aren't you? Just get back here. Dinner's getting cold."

Ren let out a smile at her remark. Maybe he was getting interested.

"On my way. I also found some information, so get the whole group ready to listen."

"So it was worth it to have some random person come along."

As the line cut, Ren let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head.

"How the hell am I even going to explain this?"

Returning to the cabin, Ren knocked a specific pattern to let the group know that it was him so that they could open the door. It was a contingency to ensure that no one would infiltrate the building. As he heard the locks on the door begin to unlock, Bayloupe opened the door and gave him an amused smile, and closed the door behind him as he walked in.

"We made some rice and chicken, so I hope you're hungry," Bayloupe said.

"I could eat," Ren said, walking toward the dinner table. "And what do you mean we? Did you make it?"

"I-I did help!" Baylouple stammered.

"All she did was cut the vegetables," Stiyl said. "Even then, they were cut so bad we couldn't even use them."

"That's not important…" Bayloupe said in defeat.

The red-haired boy then walked out of the room and he said his piece. Did he really have to be so dramatic?

Sitting at the table already were Kanzaki and Lessar. Stiyl had just left and Tsuchimikado seemed to be out as Touma was currently in the kitchen perfecting the rice and already had the plates out to serve everyone.

"You said that you had some information to share right, Ren?" Lessar pointed out while moving her tail that was attached to an unknown part of her body. "Bayloupe told us that when she was on the phone with you."

"Yeah I do," the Trickster responded carefully. "I found an underground bunker that had a bunch of technology and linked it to FORMULA. It just leads me to believe that they may be closer than we think."

"So the enemy was this close? In that case, it's rather odd that we didn't notice them at this point. Did you find anything particular?" Kanzaki asked.

"Well… Everything seemed to be destroyed in that base, which is a mystery in itself. But what I know for sure is that they were trying to create a portal to, what could be referred to as, another dimension."

Four pairs of eyes looked at him with a blank expression on each. They all looked like they had some sort of idea, minus Touma.

"Umm, Amamiya," Kanzaki started. "Forgive me if I misheard you, but did you say they were trying to access another dimension? Do you mean something like a phase? A place that holds entities such as angels, demons, or similar?"

"I was going to say the same thing," Lessar added.

"Not necessarily," Ren said. "This dimension is only accessible to people who are bestowed a gift from, umm, I guess you could call him a higher power? More like a helper of humanity. It's hard to explain."

"Are you talking about a God?" Bayloupe whispered.

"No, but I assume he works for one?" Ren said, uncertainty in his voice.

"So you were bestowed this gift I presume? That's why you know about it."

"Uh, yes," Ren said sheepishly.

There was a slight pause in everyone's voice which made Ren believe they were trying to find something to say. He knew they would act like this, which is why he really wanted to spare the 'I'm from another planet' talk from them.

"No offense, but even if we did believe that, how would you even know they were trying to open a gate to that place?" Bayloupe added.

Ren pulled out his phone and pointed at it.

"The gift I mentioned, it's on my phone."

"...Okay it's official," Lessar responded with a somewhat maniacal tone. "He's crazy."

Touma let out a little chuckle at that remark while Ren rolled his eyes.

"I know that it's hard to believe, but you guys have to trust me on this." Ren took a deep breath. "It's an alternate dimension called the Metaverse. Basically, it looks exactly the same as the real world, but if there is distortion in cognition, only then can you see changes."

"I've seen stuff from both the magic and science side. But another dimension? I can't really get my head around it. And from a phone app? That's just something from an anime." Touma finally spoke out. He was currently placing food on every plate so everyone would be able to eat.

"I know that, but it's true. That's why I didn't answer my phone when you first called. My phone is effectively just a piece of metal in that dimension."

"Ok, do you have any actual proof of this though? And can you explain more about this… Metaverse?" Bayloupe asked while grabbing her chin.

"I do. If we go back to where I was then I would be able to show you guys exactly what I'm talking about." Ren said. "As for a more in-depth explanation… just bear with me.

Ren cleared his throat and looked up at everyone at the table.

"The Metaverse is practically a dimension that exists due to the minds and wills of the people of Earth. For example, if many people believe a little myth like cats being able to turn into buses, then cats would actually be able to turn into a bus. Another example would be if Touma was a huge pervert in his mind-"

"What the hell Amamiya! Don't use misleading examples like that." Touma cut in, his face looking as if he was being thrown under a bus.

Ren continued while pretending to not have heard Touma's pleas.

"Then his dimensional counterpart would relish and speak out about his lustful desires as if it were a normal conversation."

The three girls nodded their heads and still had serious expressions on their faces.

"Why the hell are you guys just going along with this?" Touma said, lowering his head in defeat.

"So in essence It's like a phase that's directly influenced by the current beliefs. Instead of only reflecting a specific religion or belief like the Greek Olympus." Kanzaki remarked while looking away with her last remark. "Still, what I can't comprehend though, is what use FORMULA has for it."

The word 'phase' caught Ren's interest as his body perked up at the sound of it. This was the second time Kanzaki had used it, so he knew that it could be useful information.

"What is a phase?" he asked.

Kanzaki looked up for a moment "Oh, right. I almost forgot you aren't exactly a member of the Magic side so you wouldn't know. Phases are in a sense, different layers of the world. This Metaverse that you've mentioned seems to be affected by collective beliefs. Well, our phases are created through collective beliefs. Heaven, hell, the various underworlds or myths. Olympus of the Greeks, the nine realms of Norse mythology. Every 'otherworld' of the myths and legends of humanity are themselves a phase."

"Interesting…" Ren said. "I can definitely see the similarities between both. But the one striking difference is how both come to be. Thank you for explaining Kanzaki."

The Japanese Saint nodded her head and gave a small smile.

Processing the new information with some he already had, Ren began to see a clearer picture of what FORMULA might be up to.

"I think I have a decent idea of what FORMULA wants from the Metaverse now."

"Which is?" Lessar asked.

"Remember when I said you notice significant changes if cognition is distorted right? Well, that also forms Shadows in the Metaverse."

"And what are Shadows?" Touma asked, setting everyone's plate in front of them. His tone sounded like he still hadn't forgiven Ren, but at the end of the day, it was just a joke.

"They are monsters that are born from the will of the masses. They obey a certain distorted ruler and try to kill anything that tries to hurt their ruler."

"Ok, you lost me again," Touma admitted. "So they're basically soldiers for some bad guy?"

"In very simple terms, yes, but that is somewhat of an oversimplification. They have their own will and can communicate effectively if you are to sever the connection between them and the ruler."

"What do you refer to when you use the word 'ruler'?" Bayloupe asked.

"Rulers are people who have distorted desires. That doesn't necessarily make them evil, but most of the time they are very disturbed individuals."

"Ok, it's starting to make a bit more sense now," Kanzaki said. "Would you care to let us see this Metaverse first thing tomorrow morning?"

Ren didn't want to involve them with a problem that came from his world, but after telling them this much, he might as well be completely honest with them.

"I can show you the Metaverse, but you must promise me that you will not attack the Shadows. Even if you feel threatened, you will leave everything to me."

"And why's that?" Touma asked.

"Because only Persona users have the ability to even hurt Shadows," Ren said. "I've seen your right hand do some crazy stuff, but I don't want to even risk the possibility of any of you getting hurt."

Everyone saw the sharpness and seriousness of Ren's eyes and voice. They knew he wasn't joking and was serious about everything he was saying.

Touma shrugged "From what you've explained these shadows are supernatural. They are born of distorted desires? It sounds supernatural, meaning my hand will be able to handle them." At Ren's glare, he sighed "But I'll follow your advice, for now"

"If that's the case, Lessar and I will stay behind," Bayloupe said. "It's probably safer for us here than over there isn't it?"

Ren looked at the white-haired girl and then at the girl with a tail.

"I'll make sure Stiyl and Tsuchimikado also stay back," Touma said. "I want to see for myself just what this Metaverse is."

"Let me guess? So you can go and save the people in there too?" Ren said, raising his eyebrow.

Touma merely gave a light smile at the question. Kanzaki looked at both of them and gave a smile of her own.

"Well then, let's eat and rest up so we're fully prepared for tomorrow."

"Don't mind if I do," Ren said, splitting his chopsticks.

"By the way, I'm only going to stay if you tell me what the hell a "person" user is," Lessar said in a demanding way.

Ren stopped the motion of putting a chunk of rice in his mouth and flashed his newly transformed crimson eyes at the smaller framed girl. He also let out a cocky grin to try and unnerve the tail-bearing girl.

"It's a Persona."

Getting out of bed seemed like an incredibly difficult task with how warm the Trickster felt. It was strange though, he felt unusually warm.

He then realized he was fully clothed and had two blankets on top of him. Kanzaki had insisted on it to prevent anyone from catching a cold, but his words on how he couldn't even feel the cold with his powers fell on deaf ears. So he set a neutral Persona to make sure her sentiment didn't go to waste. To say that the cold was unbearable was an understatement.

As he took the sheets off of himself, Ren rubbed his eyes and put his glasses on, and walked to the restroom to clean himself up a bit. His hair had grown a bit longer but was still as unruly as ever. Although the glasses were fake, they felt like a natural part of him now. He had perfect vision, but he felt somewhat blind when he wasn't wearing them. Like a constant reminder that something was off.

After splashing some water on his face and brushing his teeth, he got dressed and went toward the main room to see if anyone was awake. It felt early, but he hadn't checked any clocks or his phone to see what time it was.

Opening the door to the living room, Ren noticed Touma and Kanzaki were already sitting and were fully dressed up.

"You're awake," Kanzaki said as she looked at the unkempt-haired boy. "We didn't want to wake you, but we usually wake up this early."

"I was honestly struggling to go to sleep, but I'm ready to go if you are," Touma laughed sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.

"It's fine," Ren insisted. "I wouldn't mind waking up to such a beautiful sight."

"Did you just-"

"Did you guys eat anything yet?" Ren quickly asked while cutting off Touma's sentence.

"We'll eat when we get back, we're only going to see right? We'll be right back regardless." Kanzaki had maintained her composure at the complement. Though, her cheeks had a tinge of red on them.

"I guess so," Ren said with a shrug. "Let's just go get this over with. And don't forget my rules. I do want to try something though."

"Lead the way," Touma said, stretching his arms and legs. "At this point, you're kind of like our leader in the field, aren't you?"

"I haven't heard that in a while," Ren whispered to himself.

"Did you say something, Amamiya?" Kanzaki asked while bending over to see the boy with glasses.

"Don't worry about it, It's nothing... let's just get going," Ren answered while avoiding eye contact, which was easy to do because of his glasses.

As the trio walked out of the cabin, they immediately set off for the location Ren had mentioned before. They formed a small defensive triangle under Ren's orders just to make sure no one would successfully ambush them. FORMULA's agents could be incredibly close if Ren's hunch was correct.

As they continued walking through the thick snow, Ren kept muscling his legs through the snow and covered his face with his hands so as to appear weaker than he really was just in case there was a person keeping a view at long range. They walked for a good eight minutes in silence as their focus was on their environment and not on each other.

"How much further away is it, Amamiya?" Kanzaki questioned, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean? We're here."

Kanzaki had a small look of confusion on her face when Ren used an Agi spell to melt the snow that covered the bunker. Touma, who was the closest to the doors, went to open the bunker doors and stayed behind to make sure everyone would go in safely. Ren walked in first, with Kanzaki following. Touma looked around one last time and walked in closing the trapdoors.

"Damn, I can't see anything in here," Touma said while squinting his eyes. "Is there a light switch somewhere?"

"No, but this is the best I can do."

Ren held out a ball of flame in his hand that illuminated some of the room for both Kanzaki and Touma. It didn't light up the whole room, but it was a far cry better than the pitch-black room they were going to stand in.

"Jeez, you were right," Touma said. "All of this mess looks like an afterparty. Doesn't look like it was caused by a malfunction either."

"That's what I was thinking," Ren replied. "They purposely destroyed it. If it was to remove evidence or because they just wanted to relocate with no trace is something that I haven't figured out yet."

"Let's not dwell on that now," Kanzaki interrupted. "Just show us this Metaverse and we'll head back to the cabin."

"Right."

Ren pulled out his phone and clicked on the Metaverse app. The nostalgia that hit him was immense, but he also didn't want to return to it under this circumstance.

"Do you wish to head to the Shadow World?"

"Shadow World?" Touma questioned.

"That's what the Metaverse app calls it, I'm not sure why."

"Will this take us to the Shadow World?" Kanzaki asked.

"Now entering the Shadow World."

The three of them looked around and tried to find any noticeable details to discern the Metaverse from the real world.

"I guess that answered my question… did we even get in?" Kanzaki asked while trying to find a hint of change.

"For sure," Touma responded, staring at his right hand. "It doesn't look any different, but I can feel it from Imagine Breaker. It feels like it's constantly negating something. Also…" Touma looked at Kanzaki and froze up.

"What is it?"

Both Ren and Touma looked starstruck when they turned their attention to Kanzaki.

"What is it?"

It took both boys a couple of seconds to regain their composure, but Ren eventually broke out of the stupor.

"Ahem, umm, Kanzaki, please don't freak out, but just, look at your outfit."

Kanzaki looked down and let out a small squeal as she noticed her entire outfit was different.

"What am I wearing!?" Kanzaki shouted.

She had gained a black and red lace masquerade mask that merged into a crown. The crimson jewels on it looked pristine and with a precise circle formed a crown of thorns. From a distance, it might have looked like the crimson jewels were making her bleed. She now donned an all-black warrior kimono outfit and also had thin black gloves that went along with it. The kimono had a red sash and was extremely vibrant, a very stark contrast in her outfit. One sleeve was still missing like her real-world outfit, but the kimono now covered both of her legs. Her boots were replaced with black stealth periwinkle boots, nearly similar to Ren's own. Her signature nodachi had also changed slightly, with the grip now a vibrant crimson.

Ren instantly knew that it was a Phantom Thief outfit. But how did she manifest one without a Persona?

"Also, what are you wearing!?"

Kanzaki finally noticed that Ren's attire had also changed. All in all, this situation was really unexpected for the whole group.

And for Ren, it was too funny to not laugh at the ridiculous yet amusing situations.

"So you two both changed into cool outfits in an instant… now I kind of feel left out." Touma sheepishly said while scratching his head.

Touma was still in his school uniform while wearing a white hoodie underneath against the cold.

Ren, while pressing his mask forward, knew exactly what to do. He pulled out a Gekota mask from seemingly nowhere and tossed it to Touma.

"Pull up your hood and put this on. It'll be a filler outfit until we can get you a real one. But hey, look at the bright sight. At least you're not left out!"

Touma could only deadpan, which made Ren chuckle.

"Do I even want to know where and why you were keeping this thing?"

"Heh, you definitely don't want to."

Following Ren's words, Touma sighed but still put on the Gekota mask. Ren didn't expect this but he guessed he did it to make this whole situation less uncomfortable for Kanzaki.

"Why has no one explained our outfit changes yet!?" Kanzaki asked, still in her tangent shock.

But it seemed it didn't help too much.

"The outfit is your idea of what you think a thief looks like," Ren explained. "I'm not entirely sure how you manifested one. But if I had to guess, it's due to my powers influencing my surroundings. It would also explain why Touma doesn't have one. His right hand is probably preventing him from getting an outfit."

"I'm actually getting curious about what mine could have looked like… Such misfortune," Touma groaned.

"By the way," Ren started. "A rule of thumb. When we're in this world, we don't use our real names. It could expose our identities in the real world. I don't know about you guys, but I would prefer to remain as discreet as possible. Back when I did this, I went by Joker, so please call me that while we're in the Metaverse."

"Joker…" Kanzaki mumbled. "In that case, should we use an alias as well?"

"Well, if Ren says so it would probably be for the best. He knows the Metaverse after all," Touma chimed in. "Any ideas on what we should call ourselves?"

"That's up for you to decide," Ren responded. "But make sure it sounds cool."

Both Kanzaki and Touma were in a deep state of thought trying to decide what code name to use. Morgana had chosen Ren's name, but it was something that was just extremely fitting that he couldn't say no to it.

"Amami-" Kanzaki immediately stopped and corrected herself. "Joker, do you think you have a name that suits me?"

"Hmmm, let me think," Ren said while holding his chin. "What about Spirit?"

"Spirit?"

"Hmm, I guess it fits! It has something of a protecting yet caring tone to it, like a guardian spirit! (or an older-sister-dorm-manager)" Touma spoke as he whispered that last part. "I think it fits perfectly!"

"Indeed, it fits her attire and her aura of a protector," Ren added.

Kanzaki blushed at both boy's compliments.

"I can't think of anything either Joker," Touma spoke without missing a beat. "Got anything for me?"

"Considering the mask, I'd say Toad."

"...Really?" Touma deadpanned.

"I'm kidding man," Ren laughed. "Considering your personality, I'd say… Breaker. You break illusions, but the irony is that you piece them back together afterward."

"Breaker..." Touma repeated. "Seems kind of obvious, but I like it. Let's go with that!"

Ren couldn't help but smile. Even though they had only just formed a group, It felt like the start of a new Phantom Thieves group. Ren barely couldn't hold in his excitement.

"All right. Spirit, Breaker, you two are with me, watch my back." Ren ordered in his 'Joker' ego.

"Just one more thing," Touma interrupted while holding up his hand. "What about these Shadows you were talking about. What do they look like? Is there anything specific we should watch out for?"

"You'll know when you see them, trust me," Ren replied back as he led the newly formed team.

"Alright, in that case, can you at least give me an idea of how many there are?" Touma asked while he was beginning to get nervous.

"It really depends on what path we walk, but I didn't want to scout ahead due to lack of manpower."

"Heh, even though you are pretty much a one-man army?" Touma joked.

"I've worked hard to get where I am today, and besides, going into the Metaverse alone and blind is the same as committing suicide."

"Right..." Touma responded as a drop of sweat rolled down his face.

Ren began to walk back to the stairs and signed with his left hand for both of his companions to follow him. As they carefully approached the doors, he looked back at them again. The tension was rising with each step they took. They could hear noises outside that sounded like something big was putting weight into each step it took.

"Remember, don't attack them. Stealth is by far the most vital trait to have in the Metaverse." Joker advised. "There is something I want to try... considering Kanzaki's outfit though."

"Which is?" the Saint asked curiously as she wondered what her outfit had to do with it.

"When we get closer to a Shadow, I'll tell you after you make your sneak attack. It's somewhat kind of hard to explain since they really vary on looks."

'Ren is starting to sound like a tutorial from an RPG.' Touma thought as he made his conclusion about Ren's behavior.

Walking back to the doors, Ren pulled out his pistol and dagger and readied it just in case there were any Shadows the moment they stepped out.

Opening the doors, the trio stepped outside and noticed that the forest looked the same, but there was one major difference.

The sky was a murky greenish-blue. The air felt thicker and almost felt suffocating. There were no other differences other than appearance and the feeling of dread overpowering them.

"Well, that certainly is different," Touma casually stated. "Everything else does seem normal though."

"Breaker is correct," Kanzaki added while still trying to get used to the codenames. "Other than the color of the sky, the forest is exactly the same. Almost feels like a replica of some sort."

"Wait…" Touma spoke as if a lightbulb went on inside his head. "Do you think it's possible they took Index here to try and access this place?"

"That... is actually very likely," said Ren while holding his chin. "But there's no way they can enter here without the Nav. That's also why I wanted to come back here. I was hoping to find some clues as to where she was."

"Alright… then let's start moving," Touma said, starting to walk forward. Determined to find any clue to find the nun.

"Hold on, Breaker," Ren said sharply. "If my theory doesn't work out, then I want you two to go straight to the cabin."

"My right hand should be more than enough." Touma protested. "The Shadows are supernatural obstacles and I'll find whatever I need to so I can get to Index."

"Well then, we should make sure we should always have a plan as a group," Ren said. "Care to brainstorm with me?"

Touma's eyes looked as determined as ever. Something told Ren that he was already calculating everything before they had even arrived at the Metaverse. Touma seemed like a brute on the battlefield, but as Ren watched, he noticed Touma always had some form of a plan before pulling off a risky move. He could predict and adjust to enemy attacks, which is a valuable skill to have in a fight. It impressed Ren as to how much talent the misfortunate boy had, even though he always called himself a 'normal high school boy'.

"What's your plan?" Touma asked. "If I can pair it with my knowledge then we can probably figure something out."

"First I need to know if you guys can harm Shadows. Right now is the perfect opportunity for the both of you to get used to the fights and surroundings in the Metaverse. I'll lure a weaker one and distract it while you two try to land a blow on it. I know it seems more like an order than a strategy, but we can't afford to take chances."

Kanzaki, who had been silent, broke her silence.

"And if we fail to harm it?"

"Then we're going straight back and rethinking our strategy."

Ren then suddenly seemed to notice entering their current area. To his surprise, it also seemed Touma took notice as they both turned their heads at the same time. Ren then turned his body around to hide against a murky-colored tree. He quickly signed to the others to do the same.

"What was that?" Touma questioned while positioning himself behind Ren.

"That's a Shadow. Get ready, the plan is already in motion."

Touma and Kanzaki then walked a couple of steps back and readied themselves for what was to come. Kanzaki had grabbed the hilt of her nodachi, while Touma braced his body and especially, his right arm for a punch. Ren hadn't described what Shadows looked like, so they were preparing themselves for anything. Ren had specifically done this to not give them the wrong expectations and now they were both on full alert.

As time continued to move slowly, they noticed something slowly passing by. It looked like a tall black mist wearing a strange kind of mask. It slowly began to slither its way in Ren's direction. It seemed… lifeless, but it also looked like it had full control over its black mist.

Ren ran out of his hiding spot and shot his gun in the air, the Shadow responded and began to move faster towards Ren. As it was closing in on Ren, both Kanzaki and Touma could only observe as they put their faith in the Trickster.

They both watched as Ren gracefully flipped in the air on top of the black cloud.

"Now!"

As Ren pulled as hard as he could at the edge of the Shadow's mask, it was ripped off of the Shadow and the black cloud began to fall apart. Out of it appeared a small creature with butterfly-like wings.

It was a 'High Pixie'. Two of them in fact.

At Ren's signal, Kanzaki instantly shot forward and used her katana to slice the now-transformed High Pixie and it was lifted into the air.

"Ouch!" the new transfigured fairy screamed.

Kanzaki looked relentless and battle-hardened the way she handled her blade and the enemy. Her eyes seemed cold, but calculating as she was sizing up her opponent. She used some sort of wires and prevented the High Pixie from moving.

Suddenly, she seemingly appeared behind the High Pixie and put her long sword back in the sheath. Multiple wounds appeared on the poor creature. Ren had trouble keeping up with her speed which made him grin at what he was witnessing. Her power was truly something to marvel at.

Kanzaki took her blade out once more and took a stance where the blade was above her shoulders. With all her force she swung the last strike, and the Shadow was split into two while it slowly began to dismantle into nothingness. She took care of her opponent quickly and Ren could see her prowess in the field. He now knew for sure he would hardly have to worry about her.

Turning his attention toward Touma, Ren noticed the spiky-haired boy was struggling to get close.

The High Pixie used a Garula attack which Touma dodged. He stumbled a bit but stood up just as quickly. Touma then followed up charging at the other High Pixie and tried flanking her from the side. He didn't want to risk leaving himself open for an attack, so he feigned a left-handed attack and extended his right hand forward. The High Pixie shot backward which made Touma miss his punch. It looked like the Pixie was too maneuverable for him as it kept its distance from him.

"That won't work sweetie!" the pixie taunted.

"You didn't tell me they were annoying Joker!" Touma shouted with a frustrating tone.

The High Pixie shot another Garula attack, and instead of dodging, Touma stuck his right hand out. The strong wind and lighting had met the same fate as all supernatural attacks before it. The shattering glass sound rang out which surprised the pixie.

"What!?"

Touma stayed silent as he continued to charge the butterfly-like monster. He stretched out his hand once more.

'Please work,' thought Ren. After all this time he still wasn't sure what Imagine Breaker was even capable of. It did seem that the right hand was able to negate the effects of the thief outfit and it also does have those scary beasts inside of it… Ren really didn't want to see those again. If the right hand wouldn't work and Touma would suffer because of it, Ren would forever regret it for the rest of his life and wouldn't think of making a new Phantom Thieves ever again.

The moment Touma came into contact, the familiar sound of shattering glass rang out and the High Pixie instantly disintegrated into thin air.

"...Well damn," Joker nervously laughed. "Color me impressed. Spirit really nailed it with her powers, and Breaker's power seems to work."

"Thank you, but we should head back to the cabin," Cooly spoke, as she glanced at Touma and Ren. "We only wanted to come for proof, but this whole area is too big to explore in one go. Let's head back to rest and come back later, we will find the proof we need sooner or later."

She probably took into account Touma's tiredness, as he started showing signs of being exhausted by the constant pressure of the Metaverse. Kanzaki might be a tough fighter but she certainly is caring.

"...Yeah," Touma voiced while wiping away some sweat from his face. "Let's head back."

"You should be lucky we didn't kill you."

As the trio approached the cabin, Stiyl's voice could be heard from outside the door.

Touma rushed inside the moment he heard those words. When he actually opened the door, he saw that there were currently two unknown men tied up and looked scared for their lives.

"Who are these people?" Touma asked, trying to get a grasp of the situation.

"FORMULA agents," Tsuchimikado replied. "We caught them lurking around the cabin and neutralized them just before they could report back."

"They look kind of silly in those ritual clothing, are you sure those are FORMULA agents?" Touma questioned while observing the two men.

"You're all going to regret this!" one of the men threatened. "God Himself will never forgive the sins you have all committed! He has chosen us as His one true people!"

"Yeah, they definitely belong to FORMULA," Ren remarked. "Anyway, have you questioned them?"

"We have, but we haven't gotten anything yet. Those bastards just keep on going about 'God's punishment', whatever that's supposed to mean..." Tsuchimikado answered.

"It certainly isn't our heavenly father they're referring to," Stiyl added in annoyance.

It wasn't the first time any of them had encountered anyone that was this caliber of crazy. All of them had at least encountered someone who was determined to go through with a crazy plan and wasn't really surprised at what these two goons were saying. Religious fanatics were new to Ren though. That was another enemy to scratch off the bucket list.

"Threat not," Kanzaki said firmly. "They'll talk soon enough."

"That they will," Ren followed. "Listen up, gentlemen." Ren flashed his crimson eyes at the two agents. "We can do this the easy or the hard way. And by the way…" Ren looked to Touma, then back to the agents. "I'm sure you don't want to know what the hard way is. He'll make sure of it."

"We'd rather die for our cause than to tell you anything!" the other agent spoke up. "You'd be stupid to think if you mere children would be able to make us talk."

The man spit at Ren's face and was surprised to see that the bespeckled boy dodged a point-blank shot. Almost as if he had seen it coming.

"Alright, alright, we get it..." Ren said, falsely relenting. "Stiyl, can you burn these guys' legs off? If they don't talk afterward, then their arms might be a good option."

"Touma."

Everything stopped moving. Time had frozen for both Ren and Touma.

"You know I'm only kidding. I need these guys to be scared first. I really don't want to resort to using my Persona out of nowhere and make everyone ask questions."

"Even though I knew you were bluffing, you honestly still scared me there for a bit… but I see what you try to do. It'll seem less conspicuous if they're scared. By the way, why did you look at me when you said it would be the 'hard way'?"

"Because... Even with all my Personas, it still wouldn't be close compared to the hell you would put them through if they knew anything about Index."

As time began to flow like normal to both of the high school boys, Stiyl approached the two men slowly. Ren was surprised none of the others spoke out against it, but something told him they all picked up on what he was trying to do.

"Y-you guys are bluffing!"

"Th-That's right! Even if we lose our legs, we still won't-"

Stiyl then summoned a bright red-orange flame in his right hand.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Touma jumped in. "Having to live without limbs really screws up your daily life and usefulness to your organization. Not to mention…"

Stiyl closed in and both agents began to feel the heat of the flame.

"Getting your flesh and bones burned... really fucking hurts." Touma finished.

Both agents began to swallow their saliva. They however stayed silent... They just need one more push.

Kanzaki then approached them with the same wires she had used on the High Pixie.

"You're also joining in?" Ren asked, amused. "Poor guys will get double the pain."

"They took someone close to me," Kanzaki said with venom in each word. "It is something I cannot and will not forgive."

This time it was Ren's turn to be a little scared. But he was rather surprised at how intimidating Touma, Stiyl, and Kanzaki could be. It seems FORMULA really screwed up by kidnapping Index.

"WAIT!" both agents shouted at the same time.

'Bingo.' Ren thought while making an evil smile.

"O-our base is located about seven kilometers north! There's an immense underground pentagon and it's only accessible if you have a specialized wristband. It's on our wrists, take it! But even if you get in, there are hundreds of soldiers stationed there, you have no chance! The list of prohibited books is also there!"

"That was easy, they gave us all we needed to hear," Bayloupe walked to them and, with an audible impact to their heads, knocked them both out.

"So, are we heading out?" She then casually asked as if nothing had happened.

"Yup, no time like the present," Tsuchimikado added as he began to grab his gear.

All seven of the young adults walked off in the direction they were informed to go. The amount of snow on the ground was immense, but it wasn't anything none of them couldn't handle.

"Alright, how are we going to approach this?" Lessar asked.

"Yeah, does anyone have a suggestion?" Kanzaki added as she looked at Ren. She probably expected him to have a plan ready.

"I'll stay back for support," Ren started. "My abilities can cover a huge radius and I have clairvoyance that should be able to cover the area. I can guide you guys through the area as long as it isn't incredibly far underground."

"So you won't fight?" Touma asked.

"Casting support spells and making sure all of you know where to go would take a lot out of me," Ren continued. "I'd be more of a liability in the field."

"So I won't see you fight?" Baylouple said with a somewhat downtrodden tone. "Bummer."

"It won't be the last time we see each other," Ren responded, throwing a wink her way. "It'll only make for a better surprise."

"Well," Stiyl interrupted as he coughed in his hand. "We're here."

A boulder that was completely encased in snow and ice was in front of them. Bayloupe waved the bracelet taken from the agents. And sure enough, the ice and snow instantly vanished. It was some kind of holographic technology covering a massive steel entrance, but with how realistic the illusion looked, it was definitely something that came from Academy City.

"I won't let you guys down," Ren spoke while trying to relieve the tension.

"You better not," Stiyl stoically said, walking into the cave.

"Alright cutie, let's hope you aren't just barking," Lessar sarcastically added while sticking out her tongue.

Baylouple just gave him a smile and a wave.

"Alright Amami-yan, I'll trust you to do your magic. Don't let me down!"

Ren gave him a reaffirming nod.

Touma gave him a steeled look. Out of everyone here, he was the most affected by Index's kidnapping. Touma was the first one to enter the cave and began to scout ahead.

"Kanzaki, catch," Ren handed her a Soma bead. "If the situation gets truly dire and I can't reach you guys, use this. All you have to do is crush it."

"Thank you, Amamiya, but what does it do?" Kanzaki said, turning her attention to the cave.

"You'll see, trust me."

Ren's eyes were a blur as he shifted his focus between the six people under his watch. Tsuchimikado, Bayloupe, Lessar, Kanzaki, Stiyl, and of course, Touma. Despite the arduous task of infiltrating the FORMULA compound, the team was still on a timer, and Ren never liked to admit when he was behind. It was this sort of mindset that let him do the things he did, after all. But this was the equivalent of raiding a Metaverse Palace in an afternoon.

There was no planning to be had, just spontaneous movement. He played it cool, but in reality, he was itching to get a move on. The biggest issue was that his Personas were, admittedly, a bit too destructive for his liking. Index could be anywhere, and he couldn't risk knocking a wall over in the wrong spot.

Thus, he could only provide support from the back where he was. He decided that it was for the best either way. Despite how evolved his Third Eye was and the protective properties of many of his Personas, he still couldn't help but feel trapped in his role.

'Is this how Futaba felt?' He thought before clearing his mind of frustration. No use getting riled up. Index's life was in their hands, and their lives were in his.

He had no concern on behalf of Kanzaki, however. If what they claimed was true, then she had already won by virtue of being a Saint. Swordsmanship aside, her physical specs were far above any average goon that FORMULA could throw at them. The other mages, he was a bit apprehensive about. Stiyl was skilled, he knew that, but the members of New Light mainly were enigmas to him. They were professionals, though, Bayloupe assured him, so he had to trust in their abilities. Likewise, Tsuchimikado was an enigma to him. He played his cards so close to his chest; they might as well have been behind him. It was Touma that worried him.

Out of all the supernatural beings that he'd faced, the new allies he found himself fighting alongside. Magicians, Espers, Persona Users, Demons, Angels, everyone and everything. Compared to them, Kamijou Touma was nothing but an ordinary boy. That was just what he was. But how he acted though, there was something within Ren that told him that no matter what, whenever Touma set his mind to something… yeah, it was fine.

'He'll get it done. He always does.'

"This is Ren! You all know what you have to do! Once you find Index, tell me, and I'll direct everyone to your position! You need to find her, then take out as many guards as you can! Don't worry about the combat too much. Just find her! There's too much interference for me to get to her outright, so I'm counting on you! Good hunting!"

Satisfied with the response of affirmatives, Ren sharpened his senses. His mind reached out, and soon enough, he found the outlines of those he was looking for. Six figures moved further away from him, their auras brimming with emotion. His hand on his mask and his eyes looking forward, he steeled himself.

"Time to get to work."

"I'll be heading this way. Stay safe!" Touma yelled, heading down a branching path.

Turning down a separate route, Stiyl gave a non-committal grunt. Still, all Touma needed was a grunt. Stiyl should be fine, but the burning worry he felt was focused entirely on Index. Loathe as he was to admit, this wasn't irregular for him, jumping into a situation well over his head to help someone in need. But he wasn't alone, or at least not this time. He had Ren at his back and his allies scouring every inch of this building to find her.

'Don't worry, Index, I'm going to find you, and I'm gonna bring you home. All of us will.'

His thoughts were cut short as he encountered his first obstacle.

"There! The intru- GAK!" The first guard attempted to get out before Touma's fist plowed through his face. Taking the momentum he'd gathered, having been running the whole time, he wasted no time using all of it in the form of a brutal haymaker, taking down one of the FORMULA operators with ease. This squad had five other members, but Touma wasn't concerned. These were professional soldiers trained to deal with situations of extreme risk. Thus, he decided to undercut their expectations and take this as he would in Academy City. A back-alley street fight.

It made him feel at home.

Turning on his heel, he drove his fist into the gut of another guard before sending them to the floor with a left hook. The sensation of punching kevlar left his knuckles raw, but he had no time to mull on that. Feeling a tingling on the back of his neck, he ducked instinctively as a security baton passed clear over his head. Twisting his body, he rose back up, bringing his knee up to his chest and taking the third guard in the ribs. However, he'd overstayed his welcome. Taking out two by surprise, but the remaining three on his own? He knew that he couldn't fight them like he was. So he employed another one of his tactics. He did not need to take down every guard he came across. He just needed to find Index. Without another wasted second, he took off in the same direction he was moving in initially, at a pace that would rival a professional sprinter. Ignoring the confused sputters of the FORMULA members behind him, he didn't waste so much as another thought as he redoubled his efforts.

The junctions all seemed to bleed into one as the monotonous gray concrete passed him by. Taking several turns, he could scantly remember the path he took when everything looked the same. Luckily, he wouldn't be alone in this endeavor.

"Kami-yan! Duck!" Acting on instinct, Touma tucked into a roll as a shadow passed over his head. Unbeknownst to him, Tsuchimikado had just sailed over his head, bouncing off the walls and slamming his foot into the head of one of the guards behind him.

"Tsuchimikado!" Touma ground to a halt. "Are you alright?"

"No time to be worrying, Kami-yan! I left some for you too!" There was a smug edge in the blonde's tone that Touma knew - and loathed. Turning around, he found himself facing a group of frazzled-looking guards, stumbling towards the high schooler sporting a myriad of scuffs and bruises. Tsuchimikado had put them through the wringer, and it was up to Touma to finish the job. The issue? There were at least ten of them, if not more.

"Why the hell are you giving me more work?!" Touma sputtered, backing up into Tsuchimikado. The backstabber looked back with a snarky grin.

"So you can help stop me if it gets outta hand!" Touma's eyes widened as the junction began to fill with an eerie blue light as four little origami constructs flew in from outside Touma's vision and floated in a strange array in the room. They seemed to correspond with the various "corners" of the space as a barrier formed connecting the constructs together. Tsuchimikado's grin grew wider and wider as a sharp presence filled the room, one that made the hairs on the back of Touma's neck stand on end. Trapped within the barrier, the members of FORMULA all identified Tsuchimikado as the most significant threat and attempted to charge him.

"You're not going anywhere!" Touma snapped out of his revelry, shoulder-checked the leading thug, sending him hurtling back. This only bought him a few extra seconds, as his fellows pulled their comrade back to his feet and proceeded to charge again, but that was all the time that Tsuchimikado needed. Blood spilling out of his mouth, he yelled something intelligible as the origami constructs lashed out with lances of cerulean energy that mirrored the quality of the barrier around them. Each of them struck the FORMULA members without mercy as they seized aggressively before hitting the ground.

Tsuchimikado, having keeled over from hucking a blob of bloody mucus, worked his way back up, cracking his neck. Initially concerned about his friend, seeing as he had seen the effects of his magecraft on his body firsthand, Touma was about to ask his usual question when he noticed the floating green particulates floating in wispy patterns around him.

"Woo, that feels pretty alright. Thanks a bunch, Amami-yan!" He spoke into thin air, a cheery tone slathering his honeyed words. Touma could almost feel Ren cringe through the psychic link.

"Wait, wait, if you were counting on Ren to do that, why the hell am I here?" Touma questioned, throwing his arms in the air.

"What can I say? It's just my luck!" With that, Tsuchimikado scampered off cackling.

"Some spy you are, damn bastard!" Touma yelled back before planting his head in his hand. As fun as this slight detour was, he still had to find Index. Reaching out through his psychic connection, he established a link with Ren.

"Hey, Ren? What direction should I be heading in? I feel like this road is forking endlessly," he asked.

"Yeah… gimme a sec… somebody just took a hit, and I'm… trying to manage the situation best I can." Touma frowned. He had never heard Ren sounding this haggard before. Maybe it was the strain of supporting six people at once?

"You know I can hear your thoughts, right? It's a mental link." Touma heard him snicker from the other end of the line.

"Ah. Right."

"Don't worry about it, man. Take a right here. That'll take you to a dark spot on my map. I'm directing the others that way, too, so you should have ample support."

"Copy that. I'm on my way!" With that Touma, promptly spun on his heel and took off in a sprint. The concrete passed by in a blur once again as he continued on the move. However, Touma didn't know how close to home that he'd hit. Cutting his mental link, Ren took the opportunity to take in several deep breathes before refocusing himself. Touma was right; trying to support this many people with high-level abilities at once was taxing. It wasn't like he could get away with having them buff themselves, either, seeing as he was operating with an entirely different team with altogether different abilities. Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth and bore with it.

That was all he could do, and while it pained him to do so, he had to sit back and focus on his job. Opening his link again, he felt a painful "tug" on himself. Yes, the pain was good. It kept him focused on the fight. Taking another look with his Third Eye, he caught sight of Touma's aura again. Though it was strange that his right arm was completely missing from it, he had been getting used to it. His determination was like a lighthouse on a clear night, a beacon that could draw anyone's eyes to him. Just a few junctions away, however, was another familiar aura.

'She's been busy.' Was all Ren could think.

Kanzaki Kaori certainly had been busy. While many other swordswomen would have suffered some troubles, Kanzaki was undoubtedly no ordinary swordswoman. The members of FORMULA could not even hope to touch her, as her natural Saint-given strength was more than enough to subdue even their most skilled security staff. If they couldn't breach the sound barrier, they could never beat Kanzaki.

Each step was like a thunderclap as she raced down the hallways at speeds that could compete with the likes of a sports car. Rounding a corner, her experienced eyes caught sight of the enemy long before they did. One of them called out a warning, but by the time the words rolled off his lips, it was too late. Leaping through the air, Kanzaki twirled, her body a spiral as she pulled Shichiten Shichitou to bear.

In a flash, her sheathed blade slammed into all seven FORMULA goons as she skidded to a stop right after. Yes, she didn't even need to unsheathe her weapon to annihilate those before her completely. Rising to her feet, she took stock of her situation. So far, the only thing that posed a challenge was direction. Try as she might, being a Saint didn't make her omniscient. It was times like these that she sincerely wished she could have nicked Amamiya's Third Eye, but of course, that was why the self-proclaimed 'Phantom Thief' was here for.

"There she is! The Saint!" Kanzaki was roused from her thoughts as a voice sounded down a hallway to her left. A platoon of fresh FORMULA guards rushed down the passage, taking up a phalanx formation that filled the entire space. Clicking her tongue, she was about to turn to face a new threat when the pattering of footsteps landed behind her. Taking a glance at her flank, she caught sight of another dozen or so troops gathering in a similar formation behind her. She couldn't make it out, but it appeared that the two squad leaders were communicating with one another. Despite all this, Kanzaki couldn't help but smirk.

'Finally, competent people.'

As if on cue, their ranks opened up, as three soldiers on each side appeared and brought rifles to bear. These weren't ordinary firearms, as, upon a further glance, Kanzaki could tell from the glowing blue energy crackling around the barrel that these were specialist weapons explicitly made for supernatural combat. The squad leaders both barked orders in unison as they whined and fizzled before discharging a blast of white-hot energy, not unlike a bolt of lightning. Eyes widening, Kanzaki ripped to the side as the energy blasts slammed into the floor where she stood, marring the concrete with a black pockmark. Those weapons clearly weren't meant to be taken lightly as she examined their formations again.

'Amamiya, can you give me a read on their numbers?' She reached out through the link. She received a hum on Ren's end before getting her answer.

"Twelve on either side, clumped up in lines of four and three. The rest appear to be there as a vanguard for the gunners, all in staggered formation," Ren answered, somewhat absentmindedly, as if he was focused on something else. "Sorry, you'll have to deal with this one on your own for a bit; Tsuchimikado's taking up the majority of my attention right now. Just finish up here and meet up with Touma. He's a few junctions to your left."

Kanzaki narrowed her eyes as the link cut, leaving nothing but fuzziness in its wake. She had to admit, the enhancements that Amamiya provided from time to time were more than helpful in the face of the odds she was facing. This was just one of many junctions that she would have to push through.

'What did he call it? Matarukaja? I will have to ask on the origin of that as to learn it myself…'

Nevertheless, she pushed such thoughts aside as she set her sights on the blockading force closest to her, about twenty paces from where she stood in the middle of the junction to her front. Time seemed to slow as her focus sharpened like a pike. Her vision passed right through their formation with a practiced eye as her thumb gently separated Shichiten Shichitou's hilt from its sheath. Her intent focus shifted to the spaces in between the enemy's lines. Her lips barely moved, yet the single word resounded through the corridor.

"Nanasen." Seven flashes expanded into a thousand as a boundary of razor-sharp steel wires slashed their way through the enemy formation. The FORMULA members sputtered and screamed in surprise, weapons discharging haphazardly as bullets and plasma flew through the air at random. The sheer force of the wires appearing was more than enough to rend consciousness, and the ensuing shock from the many lashes would undoubtedly incapacitate any survivors. However, Kanzaki was precise with this technique as all wires were calculated to target the spaces between vital points and organs specifically. The wounds would scar, yes, but would be nonlethal.

Caught off guard by the carnage, the other group had brought the riflemen to bear again. Their aim was true as they let loose another volley of volatile energy.

'I'll really have to bank on this working.'

The instant the energy left the barrel, Kanzaki was already in motion, her blade unsheathed. Her focus sharpened again as her blade seemed to sing as it passed through the air and into the path of the projectiles. In one deft motion, her blade passed cleanly through the bolt of superheated plasma, and to the astonishment of those watching, the lightning split in two. Her blade found the center of mass, the three bolts becoming six as the energy weaved around her like a splitting straw basket.

All it took was one more step, and the fight was over. They were expecting the flashes, but there was no closing the gulf between her and them.

Sheathing the nodachi, she turned back to the junction. "Alright, now to find Kamijou…"

However, Kamijou Touma had encountered his next problem.

"Shit! Shit, shit, shit!" Several junctions farther from when he started, Kamijou ducked around a corner as the concrete around where his head would've been exploded in a shower of stone fragments that stung at his skin. Kamijou Touma could handle many things with his will and his right hand, but automatic weapons were certainly not one of them. The rolling of automatic gunfire sounded off behind him, forcing him to take another turn. He had a rough idea of where he was in accordance to where he had started, but he had no time to think about it.

"Ren! Is there anyone near me- fuck!" A bullet grazed his arm, a splatter of blood flying.

"Yeah, hold on! Somebody's right on top of you!"

"Yes, I am!"

Touma yelled in surprise as the wall next to him exploded. Leaping out of the gaping hole stood a pair of girls in a familiar uniform.

"Lessar!"

"Yep, it's me! Happy to see me, Loverboy? Renny boy?" She said, a snarky edge in her voice, not unlike a fellow magus on the team. In her hand was the signature weapon of New Light, the Steel Claw. At her behest, the claw opened on command and grabbed a large chunk of spent rubble as if it was nothing but a paperweight and quickly righted the block of stone to be used as a makeshift shield.

Rushing out from behind her was another member of New Light, who Touma recognized as Bayloupe. She was definitely more professional than her colleague, and it showed in her work ethic and body movement. Not a motion was wasted, and unlike Lessar and her notable flashy entrance, she wasted no time with jokes, instead leaping into the air above her partner. With brutal precision, she ripped the concrete block from Lessar's claw and hurled it with her own. The force of the concrete was violently palpable as the gunmen were knocked aside like bowling pins, all in the time it took for her to land on the ground again.

Tucking into a roll, she brought the polearm to bear and slammed it across the chest of one of the surviving FORMULA members, red motes of energy wisping around her like sparks from a raging flame. Bolstered by Ren's sudden support, the Matarukaja-enhanced blow knocked her adversary back like a ragdoll. The red was soon replaced with green, however, as she flew back at unprecedented speed to where Lessar and Touma stood as a hail of FMJ rounds sliced through the air where she was.

With another concrete wall set up, the two New Light members quickly set themselves to the counterattack. Their exchange was wordless as Lessar raced up the side of the adjacent wall and bounced off like a coiled spring. Her Steel Claw lashed out, catching another FORMULA member across the chest. On cue, blue sparks sprung up from across her body as another grunt emerged from the chaos to slam a baton into Lessar's head. Or, it would have had the metal nightstick not crumpled across the top of her head.

"Er, will she be okay after that?" Touma posed to Bayloupe. She chuckled a little.

"Don't worry; nothing's getting through that thick skull of hers." Lessar's shout of indignation was more than enough to lighten the mood a little. That said, FORMULA didn't stop for laughs, as more members rushed forward to the point that even an empowered Lessar was being pushed back. Touma took note of the markings on the kevlar that these new, masked members of FORMULA wore. Their retractable nightsticks were replaced with chromed-steel cattle prods, sparking at their front-most end. It seemed that even under enhancement, the attacks seemed to have an effect on Lessar, as she grunted in pain in response to the lash of one of their strikes.

Seeking to give her more room to operate, Touma rushed out from behind the ramshackle barricade and drove Imagine Breaker into the assailant's helmeted head. His knuckles hurt more than ever, but the trauma was enough to knock them off balance. Grabbed Lessar's shoulder, he tossed the mage behind her and into the waiting grasp of Bayloupe, who righted the younger girl. Slipping into his fighting stance, Touma caught the twitch of the Shock Trooper's left foot. His body moved on instinct as he ducked down to the left as a heavy-handed blow swept down and over his right shoulder. The attacks didn't stop, though, as the thump to his two o'clock indicated. Another Shock Trooper emerged from the first's flank, slashing at Touma's back. Twisting his body, he dropped to the ground and rolled like a log as the baton impacted the concrete next to his side. The heat washing over him from the shocking tip was uncomfortable, and not a sensation Touma wished to feel anytime soon.

Luckily for him, Lessar seemed to have recovered fast enough to jump back into action, using what was left of her enhancement to slam into one of the guards. Bayloupe was quick to follow, landing in front of the prone Kamijou and preparing to strike.

"Keep moving! We'll stall them a bit here!" Bayloupe yelled back at him as he worked himself to his feet. "Magnus is around here somewhere. We'll keep them occupied so you can go for Index!"

"Got it! Stay safe, you two!" With that, Touma was on the move again. If those two had been rooting around inside the rooms in this sector, that unfortunately meant that Index wasn't anywhere to be found here either and judging from Ren's silence, it meant that Tsuchimikado and Kanzaki had come up empty as well. 'Just gotta hope that guy's having better luck than we are!'

Pumping his arms and legs faster and harder than before, Touma rushed down the halls with renewed pace while keeping an eye out for a familiar figure. A few more guard teams tried to stop him, but he brushed past them like he had been doing already. He debated asking Ren for help in locating the fiery mage, but decided against it. He probably had his hands full assisting the others, and Touma didn't want to cut into his responsibilities. Luckily for him, for once, somebody else was willing to help him.

"Kamijou!" Rushing in from behind him was Kanzaki Kaori, skidding to a halt next to him. "There you are! I take it you were forced away by the fighting?"

"Yeah, have you happened to see Stiyl? He's around here somewhere, and I need his help to search this last section. Lessar and Bayloupe came up empty, and I haven't heard anything from Ren either. This is our last shot." Kanzaki's lips thinned, and her brow creased. The two of them kept moving forward for a bit, Kanzaki moving at Touma's pace as they moved to clear out this block. But even with Kanzaki's prowess, progress was slow.

"It can't be helped, then." Kanzaki crouched down like an Olympic sprinter before jetting forward like a speeding bullet. Touma was baffled by her speed, taking all his effort to not plop down on his ass like a fool. Sounds of conflict reached his ears from the direction where the Saint had rushed towards, yet against his nature, Touma remained rooted to his position.

It killed him, this whole situation. Standing by and having nothing of note to add to the team, especially since FORMULA was insistent on bringing the things that he was completely useless against. Now, with Index so close, yet so far, he couldn't help but be frustrated by what he could and couldn't do. Still, if there was one word that defined Kamijou Touma, it was perseverance. So he waited. The seconds passed and before long, a familiar blur landed before him.

"I've cleared the path. Stiyl's up ahead. Three junctions and on your right." Touma nodded to Kanzaki appreciatively.

"Thanks. I'll make the most of it!" He started on his run again while Kanzaki stood back. It was admirable, his inner strength. It was true that what he lacked in external power he made up for in overwhelming spirit. To keep running after everything that was thrown at him, if he could have done something, then Kanzaki knew that to him it would have been worth it.

"Hm. No wonder he beat me." She spared nothing more as she turned on her heel and sped off. While he had his part to play, she had her's too. There was still conflict in the compound, and she was determined to ensure that her allies would be victorious.

Touma, following her path, found himself face-to-face with who he was searching for. Stiyl Magnus was certainly less-than elated to see him, but with whatever snarky comment he had, he stayed his tongue. He was parked outside a fortified door, his back to the wall.

"Stiyl! Have you found anything about Index yet?" Touma skidded to a halt in front of the mage. Stiyl shook his head.

"No, but this is the next best thing. Looks to be some kind of security room, judging from the reinforcements. If there's anything that could help us, this will be it." He cracked his knuckles as he placed a slip of paper on the front of the door. On it was a familiar rune, one that Touma was quick to realize was part of the summoning for Innocentius. "Kamijou Touma, I'm going to breach this door. The moment it comes down, you have to get in there and secure it. Keep them occupied while I take care of things."

"Got it. I'm ready when you are."

"Just stay out of the way. I don't know if you knew, but three thousand degrees celsius is hotter than you'd think." Touma scoffed a little but refused to respond. Stiyl, having made the necessary preparations, snapped his fingers. Instead of a monstrous manifestation of hellfire appearing as it normally would have, what instead ensued was a loud bang as the rune erupted in a burning fountain. The door was blown back off its hinges in an instant as if it were made of popsicle sticks. Touma took that as his cue and ducked around the smoldering doorframe and into the room itself.

Something felt off, however, and the air in front of him shifted as the smoke cleared. Ducking, he wasn't a moment too soon as a 9mm bullet passed cleanly over his head. He heard Stiyl grunt in pain, but he had no time to register as he spurned himself into motion once more.

"Come here!" Despite not having much experience dealing with gunmen up close, Touma had seen enough action movies to know what to do. Grabbing the gunner's outstretched arm with his left, he pulled the weapon up and over his shoulder while simultaneously bringing his right fist to bear. With a bone-shattering crunch, his fist made intense impact with the guard's chin as the Glock was sent tumbling out of his hands. Not finished, Touma slung the guard's limp arm over and spun around, tossing him to the floor. Sure that he could no longer pose a threat, Touma was about to relax when a sharp pain erupted across the back of his head.

Stars splashed across his vision as if somebody had dumped them over his eyes with a bucket. He stumbled forward, hands landing on a console for support. The glaring glow of a multitude of monitors seemed to dissipate the nauseous obstructions as his head stopped swimming. The sensation abating, Touma came about just in time to move his head to the side. This time, instead of the blow striking him in the head a second time, it sank deep into his right shoulder.

Letting out a yell, he pushed through the blow and drove his uninjured left shoulder into the man's chest. Pushing him back, the two slammed into the far wall, with both collapsing opposite the other. Clutching the growing welt on his right side, Touma pushed himself against the wall for support, eventually wobbling back onto his own two feet. Unfortunately for him, the guard seemed to do the same. His face was contorted in pain, but the guard didn't seem willing to back down. One of his arms was hanging limply to his side, most likely a result of the initial blast that took the door down, the other grasping onto the baton with a white-knuckled grip.

Touma spat blood from the inside of his cheek, feeling his body right itself as he raised his fists again. Not willing to give his opponent a chance to recover further, he jumped into action. Covering the space between them with a few paces, Touma stepped into his guard. The FORMULA member, seemingly ready, attempted to take Touma out once and for all with a nasty uppercut. The baton would have cleaved through his chin and the resulting whiplash would have most likely killed him.

Back from his vantage point, Ren was panicking. Touma needed help here, or he was dead. Gritting his teeth, he mustered the strength in his weary spirit for one last enhancement.

"Garuda! Masukukaja!" The half-bird-half-man Persona manifested itself with the doffing of the domino mask, as it screeched in a show of its glory. Ren felt the energy leave him, and as he looked toward Touma's outline in the distance.

Nothing changed. Ren's eyes widened. Imagine Breaker. Of all the times for him to slip, it was now. Of course, Imagine Breaker would have nullified any support he tried to give him. He attempted to refocus, to try and enhance a specific part of Touma so that it wouldn't be affected by his right hand, but it was too late. All Ren could do was sit back and watch as the baton slammed into Touma's head.

But it didn't.

At the last second, his entire body contorted, leaping to the side and going flush like a starfish as the baton passed in front of his face, which itself held an expression of steely concentration. Bouncing back into the wall, Touma wasted no time swinging back around with newfound momentum, his right hand ready for one last blow. The guard wasn't ready at all.

Bang!

Touma's fist was like a gunshot, cocked back and armed before racing forward with terrifying velocity, finding its mark in the FORMULA guard's face. He slid on the floor on his back, before coming to a halt in front of a heavily-breathing Stiyl Magnus.

"Stiyl… you ok?" Touma asked, balancing himself on the wall. Stiyl gave a grunt, moving his hand from off his left shoulder.

"Yeah. Luckily for me, the bullet missed the bone. It passed clean through me," he muttered just enough so that Touma could hear him as he tore a strip of gauze and wrapped it around the flesh wound. "Amakusa healing can deal with it. For now, we have to keep moving."

Suddenly, a spiral of green energy engulfed Stiyl. His face lost its edge of pain as he seemed to relax and sink in place. From the other end of the link, Ren's labored voice sounded out.

"No time for that, just focus on finding Index. I'll catch my breath and head towards you."

Wasting no extra time, Touma turned again to the monitors. Many of them showed the same sights that he had been running through during the whole ordeal. To his relief, he saw Kanzaki, Bayloupe, and Lessar standing amidst a scene of carnage and downed FORMULA members, while on another, he saw a still-running Tsuchimikado. He saw more wrecked corridors and rooms before his eyes settled on an eerily blank monitor. There were no switches that seemed to allow him to turn the screen on, or at least, none that he could see. He must have flicked something when he had braced himself on the console, but what was there was a laminated note stuck to the rim of the screen, that read "Room C-78-2."

"That one looks important, and I don't think we've checked it yet. Ren, gather the others and meet us in Room C-78-2. It looks important enough, though the screen's switched off."

"No time to get the others, just meet me there! I think I know where it is too!" Ren responded through the link as he raced towards the room. A sickening feeling was emanating from the room for all the wrong reasons. Nothing like fear, pain, or hate, but rather something deeply unsettling for him. Maybe he was just running off the high of shock from the close call with Touma, but he was still shaken to an extent. Something was just… off about that room, and no amount of suavity or debonair could mask it.

Rounding a corner, he was relieved to find himself running alongside Stiyl and Touma as they approached the target junction. Both were looking a little worse for wear, but Ren was proud of the work they had done. While running alone was one thing, it was something else to work in a team again. To rely on others and have them rely on him. To feel excitement, to feel worry, all the emotions that came from his connections. Yes, those definitely made him stronger.

Before long, the three came to a stop before a non-descript door. The pit in his stomach might as well have been a sinkhole at this point, but he hid his discomfort well. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked, as revealed by his Third Eye. Nevertheless, he was prepared as he gripped his pistol in a loose, yet comfortable hold.

His hand rested on his signature mask, ready to call upon one of his many Personas should the need arise. Next to him, Touma cracked his neck, releasing the tension from his tired body while Stiyl did the same. In his hands were a trio of runic cards, all of which Ren was sure could do some damage. With a sweaty palm under his glove, he took the plunge and reached out.

He grabbed the handle hard, so hard that he swore the little piece of metal would crumple and bend upon itself in his grasp. Taking in a deep breath, he turned and pushed in the same motion. He ducked into the room, rolling into a tactical firing position, pistol raised. Touma and Stiyl followed wordlessly, moving as fast as he did. The room was completely dark, but surprisingly, even his trained thief's eye couldn't cut through the darkness. The mental exhaustion was more severe than he had thought. It was a strange sort of miasmic sensation, one that Ren was not keen on experiencing for long.

Fortunately for him, the feeling abated as a single lightbulb sparked to life, illuminating a small section of the middle of the room. Sitting, tied to the chair, was a bound and gagged Index. She appeared to be conscious, yet not fully lucid, as she didn't react to the stimuli. Touma quickly ran to the girl, not saying anything, but his face betrayed his worry. He worked quickly and wordlessly, attempting to untie the girl from her restraints. But as he worked his fingers through the first knot, he leaped back as an unfamiliar voice sounded out in the dark.

"Stay away from her!"

Ren's eyes widened and his body stiffened at those words. After all this time, and here of all places, it couldn't be him. There was no way it could be him.

The boy walked forward slowly trying to get a view of everyone who had entered the room. Everyone else noticed the shock Ren and the stranger shared when they saw each other. From what the stranger said, it felt like he was trying to protect Index from strangers.

"You're dead…" Ren said consterned.

"Amamiya… what the hell are you doing here?"

As the unknown boy continued to walk closer to the lightbulb, the others loosened up and continued to watch as Ren slowly walked to him. The familiar brown hair and the extreme amount of sass in the words only further confirmed the truth.

"How the hell are you alive Akechi?"

Feel free to leave a review, comments, suggestions, or any ideas you guys have. Don't hesitate to tell me off if you don't like something.

I will do my best to update as much as I can. Please bear with me if I take the time to upload a new chapter.

Thank you to HelixPenn, craytherlay, Maverick, and Healthcare! They're good friends and I appreciate them for reading my shitty fic.

Extra thanks to Healthcare. You guys know why.

HelixPenn: I've tried to do my best with the logic and dialogue so that hopefully Wishez writing is less… cringe. (jk, I like your work Wishez)