Chapter 19: Sapporo's Jail of Gluttony, Part 2
After returning back from real Sapporo, and warming themselves up with plenty of hot drinks, the Thieves return to the Jail with a vengeance. With plenty of coffee and curry in several thermoses to fight through the cold. Returning to the entrance leading to the castle, they found the ice wall still standing before them. Yet, there was a surprise waiting for them on the road to the left.
"Huh? The ice wall is gone?" Edelweiss asks, blinking at the empty space that originally had a wall of ice.
"Does it have anything to do with those heaters we turned on? Or is it tied to that flyer we picked up?" Medic asks Oracle, who was busy looking over her screens.
"Dunno. I wasn't keeping tabs on this area back then." She replies, closing her screens. "But since the path is cleared, why don't we have a look? We might find the other Prisons Keeps this way."
"That might be the case…" Mona suddenly remarks, leaping onto Joker's shoulder. "In Shibuya and Sendai, the key to our progression was the Prison Keeps and their cores. And if this wall vanished because we took the core…"
"Then that means this path will lead to the next Prison Keep." Joker finishes, glancing down the road. "Got to love streamlined paths."
"Meaning we have at most two Prison Keeps left. Just like the last two." Shadow adds, folding her arms.
"So what are we waiting for? Let's go get those cores!" Panther shouts before she and Spring start rushing down the road. The rest of the Thieves chasing after them. But they soon quickly found themselves in a maze of ice walls, the city around them vanishing into the ice as they move down the single path. Real-World wise, they should be at the Arboretum. Yet, it was impossible to tell from the ice around them. But as they continued on, they soon found themselves outside the Prison Keep, overlooked by a bluff.
"We're at the second one already? That was fast." Outlaw remarks as they walk to the edge of the bluff. "This Jail feels way smaller than the one in Sendai." The wall battlements of the Keep levelled with them, with a distance too far for them to jump. If there was a grapple point, they could easily flip on in, yet there was none.
"Doesn't look like we're getting in from this angle." Guernica remarks, looking around. Glancing at the ground under them at the base of the wall, she spots a path leading off to the right to a large snowy hill that towered over the Keep. With a clear path leading from the top all the way down to the Keep. "Think I see a way in, though."
"But you will go no farther than that!" A security shadow shouts at them from behind, before morphing into a giant Lilim. "You will bow to the Snow Queen!" It yells as cops and Principalities spawn around it. Leaving the Thieves stuck on the edge of the bluff.
"Kohryu! Kougaon!" Joker shouts, switching his Persona around and blasting the giant Lilim with bless magic, with Mona backing him up and blasting the Lilim with a Garudyne. While the bless magic did nothing to the Principalities around the Lilim, the shadow cops were scattered by the blast. At the same time, Skull unleashed a God's Hand on the Principalities, smashing through and sending them to the ground in a daze and allowing Medic, Guernica, Spring, and Outlaw to unleash an All-Out Attack on them while the rest of the Thieves dealt with the Shadow Cops.
Leaving the Lilim by itself as it spun forward towards them, tornados of ice surrounding its body as it slams into several of the Thieves. Even managing to freeze Panther in place before unleashing an Evil Smile. Hitting Violet, Mona, and Edelweiss in the blast and installing Fear into them.
"All right, that's enough! Time to teach this one some pain! Right, Queen!?" Skull shouts, jumping to her side as the star in Joker's pocket glows once more.
"Very well then."
"It's Showtime!"
The red curtains descend, changing the area to that of a desert local as Queen and Skull stalk forwards towards the Lilim. A wanted board nearby showing both of their faces with bounties under their names. With the two going back to back as Skull pats his shoulder with his mace.
"It's time for the First of the Phantom—OW!"
"Get serious!" Queen admonishes him with an elbow to the arm before rushing forward and kicking the Lilim in the chest, nuclear fire wrapping around her. Using her forward momentum to leap off the Lilim, punching it in the face as she lands a good deal of distance behind it.
Skull follows up, slamming his electrical-charged mace into the Lilim's head before slamming it into its chest. Sending the Lilim directly at Queen, who, after taking a moment to focus, unleashes a rapid-fire blast of nuclear-infused punches. With one final punch sending her through the Lilim and next to Skull who hands her a can of soda. Which she crushes in her hand, looking away as the Lilim explodes in nuclear fire enveloped in lightning.
"Nice one Queen! That from your favourite manga, right?" Oracle asks as the area reverts back to normal. Queen lets out a chuckle, flicking some hair back as the team return to the bluff.
"I'll let you work that one out." She replies as the team leaps down to the lower path and follows it towards the hill before finding a building made of ice halfway up the climb. It was strange, but it was their only way forward to go, so they entered it. Finding a giant frozen cupcake hanging from above as a lone sentry flies in. Before it disintegrates and turns into a horde of Mothman.
"Awww, it's Mothman." Spring comments with a smile just as two more sentries appear behind them. Themselves turning into more Mothman as well. In fact, there were so many Mothmans that they couldn't fit inside the building, sprawling outside both ends as the Thieves looked around in bewilderment. "That's… a lot of Moths." Spring remarks, looking around at the army around them.
"Um… is it bad to say I really don't want to beat up something that looks so…cute?" Violet asks nervously, looking around at the others.
"Do we have too?" Noir asks, not really waning to beat up so many of them at once.
"Well, they are weak to guns so…" Panther tells her, before brining out her Gungnir SMG. "Might as well get it over with!" She shouts, opening fire as the Thieves join her. Unleashing a storm of rounds, arrows, and explosives at the Mothman around them as they tried to get in close. Unfortunately, their only way of moving was by hopping, leaving them exposed as they charged in. But even with their weakness to guns being exploited, more and more Mothman continued to arrive as the Thieves found themselves soon running dry on ammunition.
"Anyone else got any other ideas?" Crow asks, lashing out with a Riot Gun, yet the numbers seemed never ending.
"I've got one! You ready Edel?!" Oracle shouts, appearing next to Edelweiss as the star in Joker's pocket glows.
"I'm more than ready!"
"It's Showtime!"
Once more the red curtains drape over the battlefield, changing the area to that of a desolate battleground. With Edelweiss facing off against the entire army of Mothman as she changes into her tank form. Firing her main guns and a barrage of missiles at the Mothman as they charge forward, quickly surrounding her as she was about to be swarmed. Until Oracle flies in from above in Al Azif.
"Here's an upgrade!" She shouts, sending down a beam of blue light into Edelweiss as she glows a bright blue. Stunning the Mothman as, before their eyes, Edelweiss's tank body begins to morph and change, going from a tank to a towering robotic humanoid. With her mask covering her face, Edelweiss stomps a foot down on the Mothman, sending out a shockwave as she fires the missiles from her shoulder pods before leaping into the air and aiming her arm canons down at the ground.
"Game over!" Edelweiss shouts, blasting the ground and engulfing the Mothman in a fiery blast. While Edelweiss transforms back to tank mode and drives off, Oracle following behind inside Al Azif.
"Well… That's one way to clear out all the moths." Medic remarks as the area returns back to normal.
"You can turn into a giant?" Sophie asks, tilting her upper body to the side at Edelweiss.
"Nah, only a tank. You saw me do that back in Alice's Jail, remember?" Edelweiss replies, patting Sophie on the head as he lets out a tiny 'oh'.
"Were halfway up the mountain now. Don't lose focus yet guys." Joker tells the others before rushing out the building and scaling the vast ice wall before them. Which had convenient Shadow Step locations for them in the form of forks and knives. Which was sending alarm bells ringing at the back of their minds. Eventually, they reach the top, finding themselves with a clear path leading down the slop towards the Prison Keep.
Yet, the path was filled with shadow cops and free Persona, ready to stop them in their descent.
"Well, we have a path. But how do we reach our target. It does not look like we will be able to walk down it without trouble." Fox comments, glancing at the soft snow.
"Not to mention the foes waiting for us. And they appear unimpeded by the terrain. Quite irritating." Crow adds with concern. Joker glances at the path before turning to his right to find a peculiar box sitting nearby. Its top was open, revealing what looked to be a snowboard coming out of it. Curiosity getting the better of him, Joker walks up to it and takes a look before letting out a wide smile at the find.
"I don't think we'll have to worry about that." Joker calls out to the others, grabbing their attention as he pulls out a red and black snowboard. "I think I've found our way down."
"Snowboards? Oh hell yeah!" Skull shouts, rushing over to grab an electric yellow snowboard while Outlaw grabs a gunmetal brown snowboard.
"First the snowball fight, now this? Are we sure this is a Jail and not a winter resort?" Panther asks with a joking smile, grabbing a flaming red snowboard. Spring picking up a leaf green snowboard alongside her.
"I don't think I can snowboard…" Mona comments, looking at his tiny feet while Fox grabs a ice blue snowboard.
"In that case, Joker can carry you." Queen tells him, picking up a nuclear cyan snowboard for herself while Shadow picks up a purple and black snowboard.
"I've never been snowboarding before. This will be fun." Noir comments, grabbing a psionic pink snowboard as Medic pick up a clear blue snowboard.
"Think you can keep up with me, Edel?" Oracle asks, grabbing a neon green snowboard while Edelweiss nabs a neon blue snowboard.
"I think I can." She replies with a grin while Guernica picks up a snowboard covered in spray paint. Violet follows up, picking up a white and black snowboard while Crow fins himself with a pure black snowboard.
"Will this be safe?" Sophie asks, picking up the last pure white snowboard and walking over to Joker and Queen, with everyone attaching the snowboards to their feet soon after.
"Don't worry. Just follow your instincts." Joker tells her gently as Mona leaps onto his shoulders.
"If you're still worried, then copy us, okay?" Queen tells her gently as everyone pushes themselves to the edge. Looking down at the shadows before them, who were not looking up with some uncertainty in their looks.
"Race you guys to the bottom!" Guernica suddenly shouts, pushing herself forward and down the slope with the Thieves chasing after her soon after. The security shadow look on as the Thieves let out cheers of joy as they board down the slope, before crashing right into them as an aura surrounded the Thieves. Protecting them from danger as they barrelled through the shadows at high speeds. Knocking them down like bowling pins before reaching the end. Leaving nothing behind but fading dark clouds of what used to be an army.
"That. Was. AWESOME!" Oracle shouts as everyone step off their snowboards. Grabbing them and putting them on their backs in case they need them later.
"Again! Again!" Sophie cheers, jumping on the spot as Joker and Queen chuckle at her.
"Maybe later." Joker tells her as the team turns to look at the Prison Keep. The entrance before them, but closed off by a security gate. "Looks like you're up again Oracle."
"When am I never?" Oracle asks, walking up to the terminal. "You guys got my back?"
"Always." Spring calls back, just as the security guards appear to stop them. With Mothman mixed in with their numbers while security dogs charge forward. "Let's make things a bit easier. Divine Judgment!" Materializing a giant judge gavel in thin air, Spring slams it on top of the charging foes before them. Sending out a vast holy wave that stuck into all of them, weakening them severely as the shadow's charge became a crawl.
"Brain Buster!" Shadow shouts, sending Chiyome forward and into the slowed attack dogs, taking out a good portion of them even as more spawn in to replace those that had fallen.
"Maragidyne!" Teach shouts, blasting the cops with fire and managing to burn quite a few of the Mothman, allowing Medic to follow up with a technical with Mafreidyne. Scattering them, even as more Mothman join the fray. Reinforcements soon join the battle, with Lilims appearing with a fresh wave of cops armed with rifles as they zero in on Oracle.
"Raoul! Lullaby!" Joker shouts, summoning his other half and sending the gun armed cops into a stupor before quickly changing Persona yet again. "Yoshitsune! Hissou Tobi!" With the legendary samurai by his side, Joker unleashed the powerful eight-combo attack on the sleeping cops and Lilims. Wiping them out in a flurry of blade strikes. Just as the last of them fell, the barrier stopping them from entering the Keep deactivated.
"And done! Nice work guys!" Oracle calls out as the team regroup. "Time to grab us a second core!"
"Wonder what this one will be." Guernica quips as the team enters. Only for a blizzard to suddenly engulf the team. "AGAIN!?"
"ENOUGH ALL READY!" Violet shouts over the howling winds as shadow appear in the storm. "G-G-GREAT! SHADOWS!"
"There's a heater nearby! Someone get over there and turn it on!" Oracle shouts over the storm, highlighting it with a green outline. Edelweiss, sees it, and activates her thrusters to fly over to the heat and turns it on. Dissipating the snowstorm and removing the cover the shadows had. While the Thieves look at them in annoyance.
"You freaks want to play in the snow? Then how about playing in a desert! Violet!" Outlaw shouts, shouldering his rifle as the star in Joker's pocket glows once more. He had to wonder how much energy it had to keep up with all of this.
"Ready!" Violet calls back, grabbing her own rifle.
"It's Showtime!"
Once more, the red curtains fall and rise upon the battlefield, turning the area into a western town. Complete with dust blowing in the wind with tumbleweed. The army of shadows was hanging around at a saloon, while Outlaw calmly walked to the centre street through the billowing dust storm, his rifle resting on his shoulder. His outline just seeable with Violet facing off against him with her rifle drawn. Staring him down as the storm passes away, revealing him.
"There's room for only one sheriff in this town." She says, pointing the rifle at him, as bless magic swirls around her rifle. The stand-off grabbing the attention of the shadows inside the saloon.
"Oh, I agree." Outlaw replies, aiming his rifle at her. A golden aura manifesting around his own weapon. The two gently pull down on the triggers, waiting for the sound of a bell to go off when one of the shadows, trying to get a better look at the duel, knocks over a small iron can. The clang it sends when it hits the ground draws the attention of the two, who aim their guns at the Salon with smirks.
"DRAW!" The shout as they begin firing wildly at the Salon. Bullets rips through the walls and shadows, slamming and igniting the alcohol stored in the Saloon before it ignites some randomly placed barrels of TNT. The fires detonate the TNT, destroying the Saloon and the shadows inside in the fiery blast of bless magic while bullets fly through the air. The two Thieves walk off into the sunset, weapons rested on their shoulders as a wanted poster of the two blowing past in the wind.
"We ain't got time to play with the small fires." Skull remarks as the team head up the stairs to the core. Joker and Shadow grabbing the thermos full of coffee and passing them around, so everyone could warm up from the blizzard. "Especially if they want to fight us in blizzards."
"For real." Guernica remarks, rolling her arm as Skull looks at her in surprise. "It's bad enough this place is cold. But those blizzards are downright Arctic."
"At this rate, I prefer facing off against a mini boss than the storms." Panther remarks, rubbing her arms. "I hate being weak to the cold."
"Not much can be done about that." Mona comments as they reach the top of the tower. "All we can do is get through this as fast as we can." With the core ready for them to collect, Noir walks up and gently grabs it, its true form revealing itself as a beautiful white rose.
"A flower?" Spring asks, looking it over. "Isn't this the same one was say at the government building?"
"It is…" Noir comments, looking it over. Compared to everything else, having a flower as a core was… interesting. "I wonder… is this related to how she wants Sapporo to be a beautiful destination?"
"It certainly doesn't fit the mould like the other cores." Crow comments, looking it over. "Perhaps… Mariko still has some sight of her true Desires inside? But if that is the case, for her to dive for her end goal at the expense of the very citizens she is to serve…"
"It is against her own principles…" Noir ends, gently putting the flower away. "We need to find the next core and figure out what her trauma is."
"Right. Let's head back to Odori Park. There should be another ice wall gone for us to continue." Joker replies, leaping off the tower and seeing the main gate open before them. With a smirk, Joker leads the team out of the Prison Keep and back to Odori Park. Finding themselves at the bottom of the park, only for them to be ambushed by a giant Mothman.
"You thieves! Return what you have stolen!" The Mothman shouts, hopping over to them as more appear around him. "You have no idea what kind of torture waits for us if the Monarch finds out!"
"Sorry, but we're not stopping!" Skull shouts as the Thieves bring out their guns and open fire at the Mothman. Their rounds tearing through the small ones while sending cracks over the large one's Shield, But before it could break, it unleashed a Mazionga at the Thieves. Forcing them to scatter while catching an unlucky few in the blast. Shocking them in place.
"So that's how you want to play!?" Outlaw shouts as Blondie forms behind him. "Then let's play!" Outlaw leaps into the air before landing on Blondie's shoulders, who aims forward with his twin Desert Eagles and unleashes a storm of rounds at the foes. Tearing through the Mothman and destroying its shield while Outlaw takes aim with his rifle. Charging up energy as he aims at the Giant Mothman.
"I've got you in my sight!" He shouts, blasting the Mothman right in its head and sending it to the ground, with the Thieves unleashing an All Out Attack on the dazed Mothman. With them landing just before her, striking a pose as an explosion rips through the Mothman. With Mona noticing Sophie was copying Queen's pose, even if her visor was showing three lines on both sides of her visor.
"Looks like someone is embarrassed." Mona quips at Sophie, who rubs the back of her head. The lines still on her face as Mona turns to Queen. "She copied your victory pose."
"Oh, did she now?" Queen asks, kneeling to her with a smile. "You're so sweet Sophie." Sophie lets out a giggle as she then tightens her gloves like how Joker does, with the team chuckling at her before they pressed onward. Finding that another ice wall had been melted, and not just the one leading from the Prison Keep.
Keeping forward with the momentum, the Thieves press onward towards Sapporo Tower. Where they found yet another ice wall blocking their path to the Prison Keep. "Of course, it wouldn't be that easy." Medic remarks, shaking her head before looking at the towering ice mountain before them. Seeing it leading another path right around to the back of the Prison Keep. "Looks like we'll have to go around it. So, who's up for more snowboarding?"
"I don't see a way to get up there though." Oracle comments from above in Al Azif. Joker, on the other hand, could, as his Third Eye highlighted a path leading up to the top of the mountain.
"Just follow me guys. I can see a path." Joker tells the group before leaping onto a small piece of ice and shadow stepping his way up the mountain. Oracle watching his every step and highlighting the areas where he landed, allowing the team to follow after Joker as they climbed the mountain. Finding another checkpoint, a gorgeous view of the frozen city, and an easy way into the back of the Prison Keep.
"Such a spectacular view… I feel my mind swirling with ideas…" Fox comments, picturing the place with his hands.
"Gotta admit, it looks damn fine up here. Wish the sun was out so we could see the ice glow. Might get even better ideas." Guernica adds, folding her arms.
"The Prison Keep is just below us." Shadow points out, glancing at the snow slope before them before bringing out her snowboard. "Anyone up for another race?"
"You're on!" Oracle shouts as she and Edelweiss dive down the mountain on their boards, followed closely by Shadows as the rest of the Thieves chase after her. Just like before, shadows and cops appear to try to stop them, but they had just about as much success as the others.
"WHOO!" Spring, Panther, Skull and Outlaw cheer as they jump into the air. Avoiding gunfire from a gun drone while Medic and Shadow smash into it with their snowboards.
"I love the feeling of wind going through my hair!" Noir shouts as she, Fox, Crow, and Violet drive through the shadows. Hitting a few Kaiwans along the way as they tried to stop them. Sophie was showing off what she had learned as she serpentine between the shadows while Joker and Queen barrelled on through.
Another gun drone attempted to stop them, but was smacked out of the air by Guernica and Teach, colliding their boards into it and sending the drone into an out of control spiral into more shadows that tried to ambush them.
At the bottom of the slop, cops bearing shields form a wall. Interlocking their shields while others place them over their heads to form a turtle formation. While Kaiwans hover above them, ready to strike the moment the Thieves fail to break through the formation. But there was a slight problem with their plan.
Nothing could stop them as the Thieves easily broke through the formation. Sending cops flying into the air as they collide with the Kaiwans and send them falling to the ground in a daze. Opening them up to an All-Out attack by the Thieves. A few of the Thieves leap onto some giant Martini glasses and start spinning up a storm. Dragging in cops who managed to avoid the All-Out Attack before kicking them into the air. Helpless as Mona blasts them away with a Garudyne. Leaving the area clear as the Thieves take a moment to calm down.
"That was a rush!" Skull shouts with a giant grin. "Now I want to go snowboarding in real life!"
"It won't be as easy in here, Skull." Teach tells him with a grin. "Although, you never know if skills learned here can translate into real life."
"Well, we certainly do get fit." Panther remarks, letting out a stretch. "No denying that." Joker and Queen glance at each other, mentally wondering if they do get stronger in real life with their actions in the metaverse. They might need to check out the gym sometime to see if they can copy some things, like how they fight.
"Well, we're at the back of the Prison Keep. And no door for us to enter from." Shadow comments, looking at the imposing wall before glancing at a block of ice about three-quarters its size. And easy for them to leap onto. "They won't be expecting us to come from behind."
"Right. Let's head onto the wall and see what we are dealing with first." Queen informs the team as they leap up onto the wall and gaze inside. As expected, shadows were waiting to ambush them when they entered through the front. Yet not a single one of them was paying attention to the wall behind them.
"They are completely open." Medic remarks, shaking her head with a grin.
"So they are." Crow agrees before looking at Joker. "Shall we give them their Last Surprise?"
"We shall… Thieves…" Joker quietly whispers as the Thieves all ready their weapons. Before leaping into the air and diving at the guards, and landing on their shoulders. "IT'S SHOWTIME!"
"Where did you come from!?" The shadow shouts just as Joker rips its mask off. Followed by the others as they, too, rip the masks off the cops. Forcing them to reveal their true forms as Kaiwans and Mothman while more shadow cops appear to stop them.
But the surprise was in the Thieves' favour as they unleashed rapid All-Out attacks on the dazed and confused guards. Once again, some members of the Thieves leap onto the Martini glasses and spin around. Kicking several unlucky cops into the walls and other cops before Joker unleashes his voltage attack on a group of cops. Followed quickly by Skull, unleashing his own against the remaining foes as the Thieves quickly cleaned up around the Keep. Once again showing that, when given the element of surprise, the Thieves could not be stopped.
"Surprise attack successful!" Oracle cheers from within Al Azif. "Now, let's get that last core!"
"I'm just glad we didn't have another snowstorm hit us." Outlaw remarks as they climb the tower.
"Maybe if we entered through the main gate, we would have been hit by one." Violet suggests.
"Well, they were all looking at the gate. It would make sense that they would hit us with one if we came through there." Teach agrees, folding her arms. "And there isn't a heater here either. Meaning we would have been at a big disadvantage coming through the main entrance."
"Since when do Thieves enter through the main door anyway?" Mona asks as the team the top. "That's not classy at all." Teach shakes her head at Mona as Panther grabs the final core. The orb of light turned into a badge in her palm. Golden with purple fur on the top. Framing a golden snowflake.
"A badge?" Panther asks, rolling it around in her palm.
"That's the Sapporo Central mayor's insignia." Queen supplements. "It's a simple, yet effective, symbol of power."
"You know…out of all of these, only two seem to make sense." Oracle comments inside Al Azif. "The flyer and mayor badge represent her power over the office. But those flowers just feel out of place. They don't scream 'POWER' like the others do."
"Oracle has a point… for the last two rulers, all three of their cores had power behind them. Yet here, only the flyer and badge represent that. The flower does not."
"Then… does that mean Mari-san hasn't completely given in like the others? Or does it mean something else?" Noir asks with some hope behind her eyes.
"I cannot say… Everything feels… Contradictory…" Crow comments, rubbing his chin before sighing in frustration. "I can't say anything definitive until we see Mariko's Shadow in person."
"Then let's head back to the Park and check on that ice wall. It should be gone now that we have all three cores." The team nods at Joker as they make their way back to the park, finding the ice wall outside the Prison Keep had melted, much to their joy. But an even greater joy awaited them as they approached the road to the castle. The ice wall blocking their progress had melted. But before they could move forward, a giant shadow cop lands before them. Holding a rocket launcher over its right shoulder as it glared at the Thieves.
"Whoa! Big boy!" Oracle shouts in alarm as the team falls into their combat stances while the shadow stomps towards them.
"You bastards! The Monarch's gonna punish us because of you! You think you can come in here and do whatever you want!?"
"Save the talk, we can tell her your grievances ourselves when we see her. After we kick your ass first!" Guernica shouts, spinning her nunchaku around her. The shadow growls before disintegrating into a giant Mithras. Dagger held in its hand and ready to strike down the Thieves.
"Die!" It shouts, slamming its dagger into the ground and letting out a Tempest Slash at the Thieves. Outlaw was unfortunately hit, his weakness to physical sending him flying into an ice block as Spring leaps into the air and dives down at the Mithras. Who manages to block her strike and send her flying at a street pole, which she grabs and spins around.
"That guy blocks almost everything! Focus on elect, wind and psio attacks!" Oracle tells them as the Mithras leaps into the air before slamming down onto the ground. Sending out a shock wave that forced the Thieves back.
"Pyscho Blast!" Shadow shouts, blasting Psionic energy over the Mithras, who reels from the attack. Its shield flares as cracks form over it.
"Psiodyne!" Noir shouts, adding her own Psionic Energy to Shadow's attack and sending more cracks over the Mithras's shield. But in a fury, it lashes out with a Mafreidyne. Catching Noir in the blast and sending the others back as Guernica lands next to Fox.
"This guy is a pain! Want to show him the artistic side?" She asks, neither of them seeing the glow from Joker's pocket.
"With pleasure!" Fox replies as the two stand up, glaring at the Mithras as it turns to face them.
"It's Showtime!"
The red curtains make their return, changing the snowy cityscape to an art gallery with the Mithras standing on a platform. With Fox standing before an easel with a blank canvas on top.
"Please, no sudden movement." Fox tells the Mithras as he does a speed paint before moving to the side. His work freezes the Mithras in place as Guernica comes in from the side. Spraying pain all over the frozen Mithras before leaping over to Fox. He glances at her pain cans, grabbing them both in his hands before infusing them with ice and throwing them at the frozen Mithras as the ice starts to melt.
Before they hit, Guernica whips out her machine pistol and shoots both canisters. Rupturing them and causing them to explode mid-air. Skewering the Mithras while creating waves made of ice, capturing the Mithras in a still life as Fox frames it, just as the area returns to normal.
"Nice one, you guys! But the Mithras is still up! Oracle warns as the Mithras turn to them. Gravely injured yet still alive. However, its shield was hanging on by a thread.
"Then let's finish this off! Ziodyne!"
"Garudyne!"
Skull and Mona combine their attacks right into the Mithras, who holds its dagger up in a vain attempt to stop the blast. Only to fail as the wave easily washes over the Mithras and shatters its shield, leaving the Mithras shocked and stunned. And helpless as the Thieves unleashed their final All-Out Attack, wiping out the Mithras and leaving the area deathly quiet.
"Sheesh, that guy was stubborn." Skull remarks as the team regroups at the entrance. "Still, we've got the way cleared."
"Indeed. Our path to the castle is open. As well as our chance to discover what drove Mariko to such a state." Fox comments, glancing at Noir, whose eyes never left the castle.
"So, how do we find this trauma of hers?" Medic asks, hand on her hip with Mona turning to her.
"Well, to put it simply, we—" Before he could explain, a chime echoes through the city with all eyes turning upward to the sky. "What the?"
"How do you do everyone?" Mariko's voice echoes over the city, startling the Thieves in surprise. "Are you working hard to keep Sapporo clean? To make it a glistening, filth-free city? Well, it's time for our regular clean-up! Anyone who calls themselves a proud member of my staff must take initiative! That means no slacking off, and not one mote of dust left on the premises. I want this place spotless! Turn Sapporo into a paradise, as pure as snow!"
"What is that all about?" Guernica asks as a second chime echoes, indicating her speech has ended. Until they felt the ground begin to shake. "Huh?"
"An earthquake?" Violet asked as they could feel the shaking increase. Not to the point they couldn't stand but as a noticeable tremor moving through the ground. Mona's ears soon perk up as he turns to look down the path leading to the castle.
"Something is coming! Hide!" With aged practice, the Thieves leapt into cover at the turn into the road as the rumbling continued to get louder.
"Is it an avalanche?" Queen asks worriedly to Mona, who shakes his head.
"No, it's not. It's—" Before Mona could say, an echo began to resound from the street. But it wasn't the sound of a roaring avalanche or destructive quake. It was more like… chanting?
"HEE-HO! HEE-HO! HEE-HO! HEE-HO! HEE-HO! HEE-HO! HEE-HO! HEE-HO! HEE-HO!"
An army of Jack Frosts chants as one as they strim down the city street past the Thieves, who look on in shock, awe, and a slight amount of terror as the unending river of Jack Frosts continues to pour right past them and down the streets. Completely ignoring them even as they step out of cover.
"Clean-up, hee! Clean-up, ho!
Clean-up, hee-ho, Here we go!
Bury them in pure, white snow!
Heeee-HO!"
"What's up with these little freaks?" Skull asks in dumbfoundment as the Jack Frosts storm past them.
"They're everywhere! The Hee-horde from HELL!" Oracle exclaims as she joins them in mock horror while Fox frames them with astonishment in his eyes.
"This is perhaps the MOST free Personas we have ever seen. And they are all Jack Frosts!" Spring comments, looking around with wide eyes as the Jack Frosts chat of 'Hee-Ho' rings around them.
"Are they… all chanting about a clean-up routine? Does this mean something like this is happening in real life?" Medic asks Mona, who shrugs his shoulders.
"Could be. At any rate, it's too dangerous for us to proceed now. Let's head back to reality and plan our next steps. Right, Joker?" Mona looks at Joker who had his eyes on the horde, a certain mischief spark dancing behind his eyes. He glances at Queen, who spots the same mischief in his eyes before giving him a nod. "Joker? Queen?" The two leaders turn to the others and, sporting the widest grins ever, shout at them.
"Hee-Ho!" They cheer, pumping a fist into the air each as the Thieves' eyes widen in surprise. Before Sophie gets that same spark in her own eyes.
"Hee-Ho!" She shouts, joining the two as she throws a fist into the air.
"Hee-Ho?" Oracle, Edelweiss, and Mona question in response, tilting their heads at them.
"Hee-Ho!" Noir, Panther, Spring, and Violet join in with grins while Medic shakes her head.
"Heeee-Haww!" Skull and Outlaw join in, with Outlaw even taking his hat off and spinning it in the air like a cowboy.
"Hee-HO!" Fox, Guernica, and Shadow finish, giving an impressive 'Ho' at the end while everyone has smiles on their faces.
"Are they in-Hee-fected or what, Ho!" Medica asks with a grin while Crow shakes his head at them with his own smile.
"Alright, people, that was a good bit. But now it is time to Hee-go."
"Ho-kay…." The Thieves reply grumpily as they leave the Jail behind. While the army of Jack Frosts continues on with their cleaning, singing their cheery little melody to the stars above.
"Hee-Ho!"