So, another email crisis ocurred... Well, if you relied on emails and don't want to sort through the sudden burst that was likely sent to your inbox, I posted chapters 62 and 63 during the crisis. If you already read those, feel free to read on.

Chapter 64: The Desert Town

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Akira•

"RUUUUUN!"

The Phantom Thieves sprinted down the stairway as fast as their legs could carry them, a massive boulder thundering down after them. It felt like it was gaining on them, but he didn't dare look back to check. Just ahead of them was the end of the stairs, with the pit they'd had to jump across.

"To the sides, move it!"

The group split and dove to either side of the room, and Joker shielded his head as rubble rained down on them thanks to the boulder completely smashing two pillars before falling into the sandy pit.

He breathed hard, on his hands and knees. The run itself hadn't been trouble, no, he'd done far harder and more strenuous activities before in the Metaverse. But the panic of being Indiana Jones'd was just a touch frightening.

There was a loud slam, and he looked up to see a massive door wreathed in deep gray metal close off the grand staircase. They weren't getting back up that way… They would have to find another way to the apex of the pyramid.

"We're safe," Queen breathed. "That was close…"

Panther glanced at the massive door. "What're we supposed to do now?"

"Even if we wanted to ask Futaba what's going on, it seems the door won't be opening any time soon."

"I think our best option is to retreat for now," Mona advised. "This won't be as simple as we expected. Why don't we prepare a little more, then come back?"

Joker bit his lip and glared at the door as if it had personally offended him… Honestly, it had, in his opinion. "I don't know… With such a short time limit, we should maximize our efficiency as much as possible. We could spend the rest of today searching for another entrance or a way past the door."

"No, I think Mona has the right idea," Queen said. "We need to stock up on supplies, especially if we'll be fighting outside in that desert heat again. Plus, only you boys have updated weapons after your latest Mementos run, we should all get up to date… We also have to find out if exiting the Metaverse right outside the pyramid drops us off outside her room, or if we have to drive back to our entry point."

He wanted to argue more, but those were all sound reasons. "Alright." Everyone nodded and turned to leave, sans Panther who looked at him confused, and with a touch of concern.

"{You okay?}"

He smiled. "{I'm just worried about how little time we have, like I said. Don't worry.}"

"{Are you sure?}" He blinked at her question, his smile faltering, and she placed her hand on his bicep. "{You can tell me if it's something else, you know.}"

"{I…}" He faltered a moment. "{No, it's fine. I promise.}"

Panther stared at him, and despite himself, he had to avert his gaze. Both from the lie and his heart beating faster as he gazed into her eyes. It had been a long time since someone caught him in a lie so obviously. "{I'll trust you then. But I'll be there to catch you if you trip up.}"

He forced a grin back onto his face and his eyes glinted mischievously. "{I'd rather be the one catching you. You fit pretty comfortably into my arms the last time I did.}"

Panther just smirked back up at him. "{Don't get ahead of yourself. If you're still distracted next time we come back, you'll be the one in my arms.}"

Queen cleared her throat. "Joker, Panther, if we could please leave?"

"Right, right, as you say." He chuckled.

When they reemerged in reality, the embarrassment of flirting hit Ann and him hard, and they both blushed as they looked away from each other. It only got worse when Makoto looked at him in amusement. "You do remember that even if I don't know as much as you two, I do know English?"

"Shut up."

Ω • Ω • Ω

"…The deadline closing in. The Phantom Thieves, whom they singled out, have not made any notable actions at this time. Will Medjed carry out their cyberterroism?"

Makoto frowned at the television, playing the news to the empty Leblanc. "In order to stop them, we need to help Futaba Sakura before the second. Our deadline is about… two days prior to be safe. Futaba would have to recover from the change before she can even do anything about Medjed… So if we get lucky and complete her Palace as soon as possible, we would have to hope that she could hack them on the first at the latest."

"So the thirty-first is our deadline at the very latest." Akira clenched his fists on his lap, hiding them from his fellow thieves with the table. "That's six days starting tomorrow. If we skip one day between each infiltration, that's barely enough for three dives into her Palace."

"Hey, don't stress, Aki!" Ryuji clapped him on the shoulder. "We've got this! We haven't failed yet, and even if her Shadow's bein' all stubborn, she still wants us to change her heart, that's gotta make things easier!"

"Right you are, Ruru," he forced a laugh.

"Anyway, meetin' up in Shibuya then comin' here's a pain, right? Let's make this place our hideout for a while."

"What do you think, Akira?"

He nodded at Yusuke. "It's a good idea. Fine by me. Let's make sure it's my room, though. Sakura would probably have an issue with us having Phantom Thief meetings in the middle of Leblanc."

"Is everyone else fine with Akira's room being our new hideout?"

Everyone gave various noises of assent. Once they were all agreed, Morgana jumped onto the table. "There's no telling what may happen inside that pyramid. We all need to be cautious so that place doesn't become our graveyard."

"Man, this is gonna be one crazy summer vacation. We're dealin' with international hackers and lookin' for a Treasure in a pyramid."

"We have barely a week to do this, I don't believe handling Medjed will be our entire vacation…"

Ann ignored Yusuke's ruminations, glaring at Ryuji. "How can you be enjoying this? This is a crisis of whether or not our group continues on, you know?!"

"I know that!"

"That reminds me— While we were in the Mona Car, you were staring at me with a dirty look, you perv."

"Shuddup! It was a great view!" Ryuji's response had been so unexpected that it managed to get him to burst out into laughter despite his anxiety. He fell onto his back on the seat as he held his stomach. "You guys were lookin' too, right?" Ryuji asked, grinning at his reaction.

"Indeed. The pyramid's golden ratio was truly a sight to behold."

"That ain't what I'm talkin' about… Ugh, whatever! Aki was lookin' too, ya know! Yell at him, too! Or are you too lovey-d—?"

"S-Shut up!" Ryuji yelped and ducked away from her as she swung at him. "I was getting to him!"

He finally managed to breathe through his laughter, wiping away a tear. "Oh man… Well, if Ruru's sticking to his guns, I should too huh? I won't apologize for appreciating beautiful art. That four-leaf clover necklace works well with your outfit."

"Man, that ain't what you were starin' at!" Ryuji barked out a laugh and slapped the counter. "Be a man and admit to it!"

"I wasn't staring, Lady Ann. I'm a gentleman, after all."

She turned and put her hands on her hips. "It's not that you 'weren't,' but that you 'couldn't' since you were transformed, am I right?"

Morgana coughed and looked away.

"Be a man and admit to it!" He and Ryuji spoke in sync with grins.

Makoto just groaned. "Will we be all right like this?"

Ω • Ω • Ω

7/26, Tuesday

DEADLINE: JULY 31

DAYS UNTIL THE PURGE: 6

Steal Futaba's heart.

He had spent the night tossing and turning. It was unfortunate that the light-hearted atmosphere his friends created hadn't managed to stay with him as he'd prepared for bed.

The anxiety that filled his body prevented him from sleeping, and the next morning he felt like shit.

But they had no time to waste. The first thing he did upon waking was leave Leblanc, sending texts to his fellow Thieves.

You— Yusuke, meet me at Untouchable, I'll need help carrying Ann and Makoto's weapons, we'll split the load between our bags.

Yusuke— Understood.

He tapped away as he hopped onto the train.

You— Makoto, buy extra soda cans and medical supplies from convenience stores on your way to Leblanc. I sent the same thing to Ann and Ryuji.

Makoto— Alright. What about Yusuke?

You— He won't be able to afford anything. He's helping me carry your new weapons.

Makoto— Ah. Fair.

He reached Untouchable and entered with Yusuke at his back, quickly selected new ranged and melee weapons for Ann and Makoto, and then walked out. He felt Iwai's confused stare at his harried state, but the man just shrugged and went back to his magazine.

"You are in quite the rush."

"We have so little time, Yusuke. Of course I am."

"I understand. Just remember that by rushing, we are more likely to make mistakes. Sometimes, slower is faster in the end."

"Right you are." They returned to Yongen-Jaya and even though he'd asked the others to buy medicine from convenience stores, he still visited Takemi and stocked up.

I know what thou plans, and this is rather foolish. Even with so many supplies, I am not certain whether it will be possible.

'We have to try, we have to finish this Palace in time.'

"Alright." He stepped into his attic room and looked around at his fellow thieves. "Ann, Makoto, here are your new weapons… It's showtime."

Ω • Ω • Ω

They had to drive back through the desert once more, but with the multiple water bottles they'd brought, and some hand-held fans, they were kept cool the whole way and saved their stamina.

Of course, this time, they were all in their thief attire from the moment they had entered the Metaverse, as noted by Ann. Morgana just nodded as they walked up to the front entrance. "That proves she sees us as a threat now. Let's be careful."

"Oh yeah, time to work! Let's do this!"

'What did I just say, Numbskull?!"

He sighed at the brewing argument and stepped up to Justine as she stood outside the Velvet Room. "Wonder if I can spend long enough fusing that they'll finish arguing."

Justine's lips quirked into a smile for a moment, before returning to stoicism. "That would be quite the feat. Now come, Inmate."

"Welcome back to my Velvet Room." He nodded at Igor and took the clipboard from Justine, flipping through the pages.

Right off the bat, Tangoo had to go. While his instant kill skill was powerful, the rest of his spells and stats just wouldn't cut it at this point. A stray blow from a moderately strong Shadow while he had Tangoo equipped could seriously hurt.

Nekomata could go as well. She wasn't as bad as Tangoo, but out of all his other Personas, she was the second weakest.

The guillotines rose and fell and from their essence a new Persona named Anzu was born, a demonic bird-like creature from Mesopotamian mythology. As it floated in front of his cell, he looked at its blue-feathered eagle body and snarling lion head and nodded. The creature that stole the tablets of destiny was perfect for a thief such as himself.

"I'm Anzu. If you have the mask, then let us ascend together to the apex…" It transformed into a copy of his mask and flowed into his mind, taking its place alongside his other Personas. He'd gotten rid of the weakest links, and he didn't need to fuse any others, but…

He went through his compendium, selecting and fusing as he went. The twins wanted a Setanta with Rakukaja, and if they thought that was a strong enough Persona for him to use currently, he might as well fuse it.

It took some time, but eventually, he created the boy who would one day be the hound of Chulainn. He wore bright silver armor with a blue and brown scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face and a brown cape. In his hands was a plain spear, the one he had before getting Gáe Bolg later in his life. He twirled the weapon and slammed the butt into the ground. "I'm Setanta. If anyone dares bring you trouble, I'll gladly choke them to death."

"Gee, thanks." The Emperor Persona entered his mind, and he shook his head before handing the clipboard back to Caroline. "Alright, I've got Setanta."

"Heh… Not bad. That's another one done." He took a seat in his cell as Caroline and Justine took their places in front of his cell, Caroline smirking. "You know, I never thought you'd keep at this even though it's not mandatory. You're pretty interesting, Inmate!"

Justine nodded. "I must say… As Caroline noted before, this list is quite well thought-out. The tasks are designed to push you toward achieving your goals while also measuring your true strength."

"Hm?" Caroline shrugged. "I guess so… Hey, Inmate! What're your thoughts on these tasks?!"

"I'd say they're alright. Not impossible, but not too easy either."

"Just as we suspected, then."

"Yep! Now let's give him the next one. Let's see here… Huh?!" Caroline looked closer at the list while Justine looked at her in confusion. "Wh-What the… It feels like I've seen the writing on this list before…"

"Do you speak of the penmanship?"

"Yeah. Dammit… I can't remember! Do you recognize it, Justine?"

He watched on as Justine flipped through the pages. "'Compliment him after he finishes the next task. Don't spoil him though. Do it just like you practiced, with a piercing glare and angled hips…'" They both looked at Caroline and raised their eyebrows.

The harsher twin blushed bright red and stomped her foot. "W-Wait, not that! Those are my notes! I, uh, no… I mean…"

"It seems you have been rather looking forward to the inmate's visits," Justine smiled teasingly. Akira held his tongue and pushed down his grin, knowing Caroline would immediately turn her baton on him if he said any of the things he was thinking.

"Never mind that! I-I'm talking about the handwriting of the tasks themselves! Stop yanking my chain!"

Getting his amusement under control, and a bit curious himself, he nodded. "Well, Justine? Is it actually familiar?"

"Hm… Now that you mention it, I do feel as though I've seen that handwriting somewhere before…"

He shrugged. "Sounds like a real mystery."

"Yeah… Ugh, we'll figure this out some other time. I guess we should give you your reward, now!"

"To be honest, the sense of déjà vu I feel when reading this list is certainly concerning to me. Who made this list… and why?"

"Whaddya mean? The goal's pretty obvious. It's to help train the inmate."

Justine shook her head. "Beyond that though, what exactly is the purpose of training him?"

"…Rehabilitation?"

"But that is merely our master's order. Someone other than him wrote this list, correct?"

"…" Caroline crossed her arms. "Then let's just assume there's some purpose we don't know about. If we're right in our assumption, the purpose'll be clear once he finishes the whole list, right?"

"…I suppose you have a point. Hearing something logical from you is like a cool rush of air amidst the sweltering heat of summer."

"You didn't need to say that!"

"Heh." He chuckled seeing the sibling bickering going on in front of him. At least his prison cell wasn't that bad when he had free entertainment from the twin terrors. Plus, it was a small distraction from the ticking clock going on outside the Velvet Room's odd time-warping schtick. Caroline narrowed her eyes at him, and he grinned back.

Justine focused on him. "Now then, let us reward you for successfully completing our task. We will now grant you access to the Special Treatment."

"We hereby permit you to create Personas you wouldn't normally be able to handle! But the catch is, you'll still have to pay the price for it!"

"Make sure you use this to the fullest so your rehabilitation comes to fruition. Do not disappoint us."

"Aye aye," he agreed as the chains in his head crashed.

RANK UP!

Strength Arcana, Twin Wardens: Rank 5

"Now then," Justine continued. "Allow me to give you your next assignment. Please note that the next privilege we provide for you will be quite powerful indeed. Therefore, we will require that you complete three tasks before you can receive it."

Caroline chuckled sadistically, tapping her baton against her shoulder. "All right, here's task number one! We want a Neko Shogun with Dekaja! Get to it!"

Mona and Skull were still going at it when he walked out of the Velvet Room, and Panther nearly instantly caught his eye as he observed the group, an amused smile on her face as she nodded towards the Palace.

He nodded back. "Alright, if you two have so much energy that you're arguing already, you'll be on the advance team. Fox, you too. Panther, Queen, on the bench. And don't waste any more energy than is necessary. We want to go as far as possible, so save it for when you're on the advance team."

"What's the first order of business?"

"We'll reenter the pyramid, and investigate the main room," he responded to Fox. "If we can't find a way past the door, then we're exploring the outside. There has to be another entrance."

"Copy that, Leader!"

As they walked up the stairs, Panther innocently put her hands together behind her back. "So… Joker, what's up with that weapon?"

He raised an eyebrow and twirled The Great Thief Stick. It was less a dagger and more a walking stick with a sharp end that thickened and flared out near the handle. It was colored gold, with a black hilt he could use to hold it like a knife right beneath the spherical knob he held when it was a cane.

When it was lengthened and long enough to use as a real cane it was too thin to use as a weapon for long, as it'd likely break if used to repeatedly whack Shadows. Thankfully, it was able to be shortened into a more compact version that was about as long as his other daggers. "And what's wrong with it?"

"Man, I asked the same thing when he first used it in that Mementos dive," Skull sighed. "Who the hell uses a cane as a weapon…"

"The great Arsène Lupin, of course. And why shouldn't I use my true self's weapon? That just makes sense!"

"I should have realized that even if you can use a multitude of Personas, that you had an 'original'," Queen hummed. "So your Johanna would be Arsène Lupin?"

"That's right. Unfortunately, for some reason, he doesn't learn as many abilities as all of your Personas, so I couldn't keep him."

Even so, I still dislike thou using my desecrated corpse as a weapon, Arsène groaned.

'Listen, when I'm given the ability to itemize Personas, why wouldn't I toss you on that Electric Chair? I need to get some use out of your chatty ass.'

Because any sane person wouldn't want to kill their True Self.

'I think we've established by now that I'm not exactly the sanest.'

The conversation was cut off by the cool air inside the pyramid, which was certainly a blessing, especially to him in his all-black outfit and Fox with his fire weakness. He loved his tailcoat, but it was not fun to wear in hot weather…

Regardless. They examined every nook and cranny, including the huge metal door itself, but it wouldn't budge, and there were no secret doors in the room leading deeper. "So it still won't open… Looks like we need to find another path."

Skull sighed. "Well, no point sittin' around then. But I don't wanna deal with that heat again…"

"No complaining," Queen chastised. "Let's begin the investigation."

They turned and began hopping across the pillars in the sand pit to return to the entrance. The moment he touched down on the far side, however, a familiar Shadow was before him. "Are you leaving?"

"Shit!" He nearly backstepped back into the pit from surprise, but Fox and Mona managed to grab him in time. "Don't do that!"

"Welcome back to my tomb. I had thought I would never see you again."

"Yeah, I wonder why?" Skull snarked. "I can't believe you tried to crush us with an effin' boulder! You want us to steal your goddamn Treasure or not?"

Shadow Futaba tilted her head, her empty gold eyes staring Skull down, before turning to him. "Why don't we make a deal? You wish to proceed further, yes?"

"A deal?"

"There is a town nearby. I would like you to take back that which the bandit there stole from me."

"Oh yeah, I think I do remember seeing a town on the way here…" Panther murmured to herself.

"If you bring what was stolen back to me, I will give you a reward. I'll even tell you how to proceed."

"Can't you tell us any more details?" Queen crossed her arms over her chest. "Anything about this bandit, or what was stolen?"

"You'll learn all the information you need to know once you arrive."

"Well, let's check out that town. It's a lead, at least."

"Right," he nodded at Mona, then at Futaba, before leading everyone back into the scorching desert air. Sure enough, as Panther had said, there was a town off in the distance, easily within driving distance, an obelisk piercing the sky at the center of it. "Hopefully finding whatever item she needs doesn't take all day," he muttered as they began the drive.

Joker observed the city as they arrived and drove through its winding streets, noting that the text on all the buildings and signs was in various Scarabic scripts, both modern and ancient. "Should we get out here?" Queen asked.

"No. Drive further in until we see evidence of Shadows. Whatever we're looking for will be in the area with the largest concentration of Shadows."

"It does look quite desolate," Fox noted. "She said only bandits reside here, but still…"

After traveling through several more streets, Mona hummed. "I'm sensing Shadows up ahead… Let's go by foot, it'll be hard to sneak around while I'm in bus form."

"A sound idea," Fox nodded. Once they all piled out he took the lead, Mona, Fox, and Skull at his back. He crept down the street, hiding behind a corner as he reached it. Peering around it he saw what looked like a badly-wrapped mummy, with an animal-like skull mask on its head. 'So that's what the guard Shadows here look like before they transform…'

He could practically hear Setanta's grin. Let's get ready for battle, Múinteoir!

Through his Third Eye, the Shadow glowed light blue. It would be an easy battle. He burst around the corner and leaped upon the monster as it recoiled in shock, grabbing its mask. "I'll reveal your true form!"

"Everyone, form up!" He ripped the mask off and did a backflip to safety, as the Shadow contorted, dissolved into a puddle of goo, then exploded into three shapes. Each was the same type of Shadow, they looked like small-statured men wearing red bodysuits with bags held over their shoulders, but their heads were shaped like large crescent moons colored silver.

"Use Personas as sparingly as possible! Conserve energy!" Right off the bat he surged forward and swung his weapon. The cane whacked one of the moon men over the head and caused them to stumble back in shock before he spun and thrust it into the Shadow's stomach. The sharpened cane pierced through with ease, and the Shadow dissolved into ash.

One of the monsters tried to whack him with their bag, but Fox was suddenly there and slicing clean through with his new katana, Jagato, before Mona and Skull finished it and the third Shadow off with buckshot and pellets.

"Ha! Losers."

Mona let out his 'mwehehe' laugh at Skull's taunt. "Even without our Personas, they stood no chance!"

"Just make sure to be careful," Queen warned as she crossed her arms over her chest. "The enemies inside the pyramid will probably be stronger than any stragglers out here in the town."

"Come on." They continued deeper into the town, trying to avoid Shadows when they could. Every fight that wasn't strictly necessary wasted time and energy. They continued through streets that were empty of life, besides the Shadows themselves. Even the buildings around them felt cold and lifeless, with no cognitions anywhere to be seen.

They eventually reached a vacant lot, and Mona hopped onto a ledge. "I have to say, the mood of this town is definitely strange. I can't sense anyone around."

Before he could answer, an unknown voice spoke up. "Hey, guys. You lookin' for something?" The Thieves spun, and Joker narrowed his eyes at the new Shadow. This one was dressed in more than just a few tattered bandages, instead wearing full desert garb and spinning a scimitar casually. "Heh, I thought I heard someone rustlin' around out here… And here y'all are. Welcome to the desert, fellow trader."

"Hm?" Yusuke turned to look at him in confusion. "What does he mean by 'trader'?"

"We don't care about your welcomes," Skull spoke before he could clarify. "You're a bandit, right? Just cough up the thing you stole."

"Ha! Well, ain't this interestin'. A group of criminals comin' after a fellow trader…" He couldn't tell, but he assumed the Shadow's eyes narrowed behind its metal mask. "Well, you're gonna have to catch me if you want it."

"Wait! Ugh, you just had to scare him off, Skull!"

Skull gawped at Panther. "Me?!"

"We'll have time to talk later. Let's get after him." At Queen's word, they got to chasing. The bandit laughed as he weaved through the streets, leading them to Shadows they had to battle or risk rising security.

"We're getting nowhere with this. We have to split up and pincer that bandit," he finally spoke after finishing off another group of Shadows. "He's stayed in this general area, so let's get him back into that empty lot in case the confrontation evolves into a fight. I'll go this way. Mona, with me. Skull, Fox, go down that alley then loop around. Panther, Queen, push the bandit further that way."

The group split as he'd ordered, Mona hopping onto his shoulder as he ran down the street. After slipping down several alleys he saw the bandit being chased by Queen and Panther. He narrowed his eyes and turned down the street just as the bandit turned as well. The Shadow skidded to a stop when it spotted him and he smirked as he twirled his cane-dagger. "Hey."

"Clever!" The bandit turned and ran back, jumping and running on a wall to dodge Panther's whip when she tried to use it and grab him. "But it won't be that easy."

Before the Shadow could turn down another alley, Skull and Fox appeared at the end of it. Seeing the Shadow speeding towards them, and how it had jumped over Queen and Panther, they pulled their guns out and pointed them forward. "Not so fast!" Skull grinned.

"Tch!" Taking a final turn straight into the lot they'd started the chase in, the Phantom Thieves sprinted after the Shadow, cutting it off. "Don't even think about comin' one step closer."

Skull just grinned and cocked his gun. "Ha! What's the matter? Not runnin' anymore?"

Joker took a step forward and lazily twirled his Thief Stick. "Come on now, why don't we just talk? We just want what you stole from the Pharaoh's Tomb."

"Heh, don't be ridiculous. You've gotta let me go. I mean, you guys came to raid that tomb too, right? Why don't we work together and share the plunder?"

He opened his mouth to reply before Panther shook her head. "Don't talk to us like we're the same as you! We came to save Futaba-chan!" He ended up face-palming as she ruined his plans for tricking the bandit. "Now give us back what you stole!"

"So you wanna do this no matter what, huh? Well, I'm that case… I guess I don't got a choice!" The Shadow rumbled and then exploded into the form of a massive bird with a wingspan easily more than two meters long. It had light brown feathers and wore golden armor along its chest and head, but its lower half was that of a human with light brown skin, covered by white, blue, and red cloth, and a long wrinkled tail extending from its tailbone.

"Let's go!" Skull started blasting, the buckshot piercing flesh and feathers. Snarling, the raging bird god unleashed a massive tornado of wind toward Skull.

Thinking back to Kaneshiro's vault, he switched Personas to Anzu and jumped in the way. "Not this time!" The tornado slammed into him and then was completely reflected, flying back towards the Shadow. It squawked in surprise at the repelled wind magic and Fox took the opportunity by sprinting forward and slashing through its torso with Jagato.

Recoiling in pain, the monster tried to retaliate by pecking at Fox with its beak. Before it could, Mona had formed a small Garu windstorm beneath the ice user to launch him away to safety, leaving the Shadow overextended and open for Skull to bash on the head. The pained noise coming from the shadow sounded like a mix between a bird's cry and a man's scream, but it was cut off as he switched Personas to Setanta for the strength boost, dashed forward, and pierced its throat with his Thief Stick, the sharpened end of the cane-dagger easily cutting through the flesh.

Black blood spurted from the wound, and he pulled his weapon free before rolling under a slash from its legs. He spun to his feet and slashed through the Shadow's knees, dismembering the monster. It stalled in the air, wavering, and he ripped his mask off to summon the spear-wielding Persona. "Giant Slice!" Setanta roared and slashed with his spear, cutting a deep gouge into the bird's back.

Spinning and flapping its wings, the Shadow attempted to launch another gale before he could switch back to Anzu but Fox solved that issue by completely slicing off one of its wings. The monster dipped to one side screaming, before Mona helped make it symmetrical by using his Shamshir to slice off the other wing.

The raging bird god fell to the ground, bleeding from several severed stumps. Skull took the opportunity to finish it off, lifting his Spike Hammer high over his head before smashing it down. The Shadow's head was turned to mush before it dissolved into ash on the wind. "We won!" Skull cheered. He then looked down and noticed a piece of parchment that had fallen from the dying Shadow. "Oh, he dropped something."

Mona hopped onto Skull's shoulder and tilted his head. "Is this… some kind of papyrus parchment? It looks like there's something written on it…"

"Hey!" Ann marched over and took it from them, rolling it up and tapping them lightly on the head with it. "No peeking at a girl's belongings without her permission!"

Skull rolled his eyes. "Y'know, just what the hell's happenin' in her heart? There's this bandit, those weird voices sayin' 'you killed her,' and who knows what else… it's a total freakin' mess."

"Maybe it represents just how much of a mess her heart is currently," he theorized.

"So does this mean that even though she's the Palace ruler, she can't control what happens in here?"

"I don't know, Lady Ann… I've never seen a case like this…"

Fox looked deep in thought before closing his eyes. "Regardless, we have no more business in this city. Shall we head back, Joker?"

"Yes, let's get back to the pyramid." With the parchment in hand, they walked through the streets until they were far enough from the Shadow-infested part of the town that Mona could transform and drive them safely out without being hounded by hordes of Shadows.

Returning to the sanctity of the air-conditioned pyramid, he saw Shadow Futaba waiting for them at the base of the entrance. "Yo, we're back! This the thing you said they stole?"

Futaba looked at the papyrus held in Panther's hands and nodded. "Well done. It is yours now."

"Wait, what?" Panther blinked in surprise. "Didn't you want us to get it back because it's important?"

"That is a map of the tomb, stolen by the bandit to aid in his ransacking of this place."

He took the map from Panther and looked it over, confirming that it was indeed a map. "Great, now we can use it to ransack this place," he muttered to himself.

"Why are you letting them just do whatever they want?" Queen questioned. "This is your Palace, isn't it?"

"All that matters is that the map is now yours, just come further in and… Oh." A rumble ran through the pyramid.

Fox frowned. "What in the—?"

Futaba suddenly floated into the air and vanished, Panther taking a step forward and reaching out for her. "Futaba-chan disap—!"

The ground beneath them gave out, separating into two halves as the trap dropped them into darkness. Everyone screamed in terror, Skull being the only one who shouted anything coherent. "GODDAMMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"

Alright, cutting the chapter there. It's probably pretty easy to guess exactly what Akira is planning when Arsène is saying stuff like 'I don't know if this is even possible,' so settle in for a Palace Speedrun, we're going for the one-day clear!

After so many chapters in a row without much Metaverse mischief, we're going to be having a few chapters in a row of Palace perusal. That certainly isn't going to be tiring for the Phantom Thieves at all.

Other than that, another Strength rank and we have Setanta now. So let me know what you think of the chapter, or just leave a 'nice,' both are always great to read. See y'all next time!