Chapter 55: Last Letters
Sunday, October 23rd, 20XX Morning
Groaning, Ren struggled to open his eyes at the sound of incessant knocking. As exhaustion laid heavy on his body, Ren shut his eyes again, hoping it would simply go away.
"Oi, Ren, wake up would you! Futaba said I shouldn't go up there, but you're sleeping in! Your friends are waiting for you!"
"Urgh," Ren blinked awake. The voice was far too loud and annoying to get around. Doing his best to buy every second possible, Ren responded. "What time is it?"
"It's almost eleven."
Eleven!? The word sent a bolt of fear through his body. Awakening fully, Ren became aware of his situation. Laying on his back in his small bed, Ren could keenly feel another person's bare skin pressed to his. Moving only his right hand, Ren traced from the small of Sumire's back up to her neck, encountering no resistance.
Oh, right.
Memories of the long night began flowing back through his mind. They had spent a long time growing comfortable with each other. Doing so after a hard day in the metaverse had clearly been a mistake. Even the hardened athlete hadn't risen, despite Sojiro's knocking.
Moving to slip out of her grasp, Ren paused to admire her sleeping face. Strands of bangs ran over her bare face. Her cheeks still had a fluffy sponginess to them even though she was in incredible condition. Leaning down, Ren kissed her forehead gently before extracting himself.
Having no time to do anything else, Ren pulled a set of new clothes from his shelves and threw them on. Returning to the bed, he pinched Sumire's cheek. "Come on, we need to get up."
"Urrrgh," Moaning, his girlfriend slowly woke up. Without opening her eyes, she sat up and yawned.
Gaping, Ren could not pull his eyes from her bare torso. Transfixed by the goddess that was his girlfriend, Ren did not move as she slowly got her bearings.
"Oh, good morning!" She greeted him brightly. With the morning light filtering through the window behind her, giving her a halo-like effect, with her red hair glowing, Ren knew that he had never before, nor would after, see another sight as beautiful as this.
"G-Good morning," Ren croaked out. "Umm, we have to… It's late."
"Hehe, not a morning person, are you?" Sumire teased, completely misunderstanding Ren's stuttering. "Oh, well. Let's go get some coffee and—Eep!"
Her face went from white to scarlet in half a second. Covering her chest with her hands, Sumire lowered her head. "You're horrible."
"Sorry… Actually, hold on. Isn't it a little late to make that claim?"
"W-Well…" Sumire made a complicated expression. Then, while continuing to avert her eyes, she let her arms fall away. "It's just… being the only one is…"
Gulping, Ren truly considered telling the others to stuff it and locking Sumire in his room with him for the rest of the day. With an otherworldly effort more painful than awakening a persona, Ren turned his back. Grabbing her clothes that she had left in a nice pile, he threw them backwards in her general direction. "Get dressed and come downstairs. It sounds like Futaba and Morgana are already there."
"Umm, S-Sen… I mean Ren. I reek of your smell. I need to use a shower."
I reek of your smell… Ren hadn't known a single sentence could fill him with so many complicated emotions. Before he could get too overwhelmed, Ren stumbled to the top of the stairs. "I'll distract them. Use the back door to… escape."
Was that the right word?
Ren didn't care. His mind was full of memories from both last night and this morning. If there was anything that could drive thoughts of his lovely girlfriend from his mind, it was the grumpy mug of Sojiro that glared at him when he arrived in the LeBlanc dining room.
It was clear that he wanted to say something but couldn't with customers present. Giving his guardian an indifferent nod of the head, he went to sit at the bench that Futaba and Morgana occupied; curry plate long since emptied.
"You're late. Reeeeeally late. I wonder what could be the reason?"
Ren flushed, sitting down across from her. "Yeah, Sumire stayed the night. What of it?"
"Hehehe, aren't you the most devilish of older brothers? Luring young, impressionable girls into your bedroom!"
"It's not—" Like that? It very much was. Sumire had initially tried to leave to stop exactly what had happened.
"Ren," Morgana sighed. "Sometimes…"
"Sometimes what?" Ren complained. "She is my girlfriend."
"You think that brings you above teasing? You truly have gotten a swollen head, leader."
"Grr…" Ren could not refute Futaba's words. "Well, I suppose you're free to do what you want, my NEET of a sister."
"NEET?" Futaba gaped. "Rude! I'm a shut-in! I'd appreciate it if you didn't conflate me with those hopeless idiots."
"Oh? You say that but I can't see a difference."
"Why you…" Futaba growled, put on the back foot.
"You two," Morgana sighed. "Come on, the others are waiting for us. We're supposed to be in the metaverse in ten minutes."
"Sumire isn't here though," Ren reminded him. "She'll probably be uhh… soon."
"Even you don't believe that." Futaba grumbled. "Typical girl, 'I'll be ready in five minutes' bullshit."
"Should you be saying that?" Morgana wondered, speaking Ren's thoughts into being.
Futaba just waved it off. "I'm not basic like that. I break the stale tropes of the superior sex!"
"Uhh, sure."
Ren nodded along with Morgana's words. Futaba was an eccentric one, that was for sure. Standing up with a stretch, Ren barely felt rested. His body had the soreness of a long workout running through all of his muscle groups.
Reaching over, Ren rubbed his little sister's head. "Come on. I'll grab a coffee to go. Sumire is probably ready by now."
Whether it was luck, or some cosmic connection, Ren's timing was perfect. Sumire was staggering back to Leblanc's front door with a pained expression. Rushing over to her, he held out a stabilizing arm. "What's wrong?"
"M-My legs…" Sumire moaned. "I can barely stand. What did you do to me and why aren't you like this?"
"Well…" Ren felt exhausted. But there wasn't one particular region that felt unusable.
Thump!
Turning with alarm, Ren stared at Futaba who had fallen to her knees, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes. "My brother really is… a main character."
"W-What are you saying!?" Ren protested, growing embarrassed. Looking back at Sumire, he made soothing gestures. "I-I'm sure you just pulled something. Do you want to try walking it off?"
"Walking it off?" Sumire asked, face pale. "I-I'll try… But somehow… I get the feeling… this is all your fault."
"Yeah," Ren sighed, "I'm not so hot either."
"Idiots," Morgana cursed. "How is our leader so stupid that he would render himself and our second strongest member incompetent on our day into the metaverse?"
"I-I… I'm terribly sorry." Bowing to the two, Ren had to admit it. He was doing better than Sumire, but that was a low bar.
"Oh well, let's just get going. Raise your head and message the others, Futaba."
"On it!"
Sunday, October 23rd, 20XX Noon
Tapping her foot, Panther couldn't help but be a tad ticked off. Just the smallest bit, but it was still there. The face that Sumire had made… It simply wasn't fair. And to have Ryuji act like Ren was a god for simply not being a dense idiot was frustrating.
"I understand how you feel, but please focus on our goal, Panther."
"Yeah, yeah," Panther waved away Queen's words. "Like you didn't turn into a tomato when you realized what was happening."
"Ahaha, I honestly can't believe it. For our reliable leader to sabotage our plans to goof around…"
"They weren't goofing around," Panther cut her off. "And they feel horrible about having no energy. They simply want to enjoy their time together."
"…Sorry," Queen whispered. "But even you have to admit… They screwed up."
Panther shook her head. "No, they didn't. We've relied on them too much. It is time for the rest of us to step up and prove our worth."
"Heh, the mother bird is throwing us off the cliff, is she? Well, alright." Stretching out her body, Queen stood up. Smacking her hands together, she gave Panther a smile. "Well, are we ready to start this?"
"Ahh," Panther agreed. "But where is Oracle? We need her to distract the IT president."
"Where she always is, teasing Fox."
"You mean Inari," Panther smirked. Sharing a small smile, things quickly grew more serious. Once they ripped Oracle away from her favorite toy, they were on their way. They had found the IT president's door, but it was impossible to get in that way without fighting through the staff. Doing so would ruin the point of the three of them acting as bait.
Instead, they climbed the rickety emergency exit on the outside of the ship. The higher view enhanced both the beauty and the terror of the world that Shido saw. An aqua surface that sparkled like sapphires in the noonday sun contrasted with the decaying buildings of a failed civilization.
No, it didn't fail! Shido is tearing it down to build this boat!
While the sight rejuvenated Panther's motivation, her comrades were having more problems.
"S-So high…" Oracle muttered, a hand clasped over her mouth, while the other one was pressed firmly against the wall. She was moving slowly into position while Queen followed her looking only a little more comfortable.
"Just don't look down," Queen said, likely talking to herself as she gave a thousand-yard stare straight ahead.
Sighing, Panthers shook her head and jumped ahead of them. Using the rough map that they had conceived; Panther located the window that should belong to the IT president. A quick scan revealed nothing of consequence. There was a sun chair and a towel, that was all. It appeared to have been undisturbed.
Does that mean the door is locked?
Worried, Panther stared at the way in, but there was nothing she could do about it. The curtain was drawn inside preventing any further sleuthing. Turning around and waiting, it was another five minutes or so before the two slowpokes caught up.
"Ready?"
"Hold on… I-I need a minute."
"You got it!" Panther shot Oracle a thumbs-up before turning her attention to the scenery again. The brooding silence and Panther's melancholic mood pushed her into speaking. "Hey, do you two think about what you want from the future?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? We're about to break into someone's room and then try to talk them down," Queen reminded her.
Panther shrugged and explained her random question. "Seeing Ren and Sumi today… It just felt like they're building to something, you know? Even Ryuji is getting back to running and has plans about that. But me? Nothing."
"Are… you… kidding?" Oracle panted. "You have your modelling?"
"Modelling?" Panther wondered. "Where does that even lead? Follow my parents to America? I just… Ugh, never mind. Sorry for the strange questions."
"No, I think I understand," Queen spoke softly, following Panther's gaze out over the drowned city. "We are living so much in the moment that most of the school year has passed by on us. Seeing this landscape where there is no future… I guess it drives home that I want to live. I want to move past all of this."
"Ugh, you two really know how to embarrass a shut-in like me," Oracle growled, sounding embarrassed. Despite that, she got over her fear and looked out with them. "I won't say that I'll turn into a people person, but I want to do more things. I want… I want to go to school with everyone next year!"
"You could be in Sumire's class next year!" Panther cheered. "Don't worry, I'll give you a lot of support as your senpai…"
If I'm still here… Panther left that part unsaid.
Queen followed up on it, bringing everyone's mood down again. "Ren… Is going back to his home next year, isn't he?"
"That's not right!" Oracle grumbled. "They cast him away and now they think that they can just…"
"Ahaha, let's not think about that for now, alright?" Panther smiled at them. "We need to get in there and meet this president."
"Ugh, why did you say that?" Oracle whined. "Now I'm sad. Let's go, I need a distraction."
"Yep, yep!" Hopping to her feet, Panther waited as the two girls slid into the room before following. The interior was luxurious, if a little sparse. It was clearly a suite, but still cramped with two double beds and three bodyguards standing nearby as a man lounged on one of them, typing on a laptop.
"H-Hey!" Oracle greeted the man. "Big fan. Just umm… yeah, came to say that…"
Oh dear… Panther cringed.
"H-Huh!? You-you are… a fan of… me?"
No way… he's just as awkward! Panther was beginning to understand that it wasn't for security purposes that the IT president was staying in his room.
"Y-Yes, absolutely! I mean, internet security is very exciting! Thrilling stuff."
"It is! You have a good eye girl however… what's with the other two? They don't seem to share your discerning eye."
"O-Oh, you know." Oracle stuttered as she considered her awkward performance. "I needed help climbing up here. I'm not good with physical stuff."
"Ohh! Me either!" The IT president added excitedly. "Leave them outside though."
Sharing an exasperated look with Queen, Panther went back out onto the balcony, leaving the door open. Leaning on opposite walls, they could only listen as the slightly muted conversation occurred through the curtain.
"Hey, is that the new upgraded RAM version of the Acer laptop?"
"Ohh, I was right about your eye, it is! I can run everything I want on this with no worries! Don't even need a true desktop."
"Is that really true? I never trust store bought products. I build my own systems. The customizability and potential are far higher. Also, there is the price to think about…"
"Price?" The IT president scoffed. "Price is no obstacle for one of the chosen. Any hour of time I would spend building my own machine would be a waste of money."
"Huh? But then… what about for the fun of it?"
"Fun of it…? I think you misunderstood. Information is power. I do not run my company for fun. I do it to exercise power."
"P-Power?"
"Indeed. Take these phantom thieves for example. We had a contingency plan in place where I would use the Medjed name to attack them and put a deadline in place. Of course, they would fail as there would be no heart to steal. I do still wish that we had done it."
"Y-You would have done that?"
"Of course. The power the thieves have is entirely from the public's belief in them. Without it, they are useless. If people turn on them, they are done. Honestly, I still don't understand why it was cancelled. Although, get this, I heard that Shido is going to do through with it if he doesn't hear something by the end of the week."
Ann's heart stopped as she stared horrified at Queen across from her. End of the week. They had planned on changing Shido's heart before that, but it was still such a sudden, terrifying deadline.
Just as Panther was worried about Oracle, her laughter rang out from inside. "You're going to attack them with coding like that? Don't even bother. The thieves will just reverse hack you. If you use the Medjed name, you should at least have a modicum of skill."
"W-Why you!? You think a little girl like you is more skilled than me?"
"I know it." Oracle responded confidently. "Let's do it. A hacker's duel for your letter of recommendation."
"Y-You little… You think this is the first time that someone has tried to play me with emotional manipulation? You kids certainly are naïve. There is no benefit for me to accept this."
"If I lose, I'll improve your code."
"No way, no way," the IT president waved her down, "if I win, it means I'm better anyway."
"Tsk, then what?" Oracle grumbled.
"Hmm, Well I suppose—"
BOOM!
Panther whirled from the door and ran to the railing at the sound. "It's started…"
"We should be there," Queen growled. "Mona, Noir, Fox, and Skull aren't enough to deal with the Cleaner."
"It's too late for that," Panther reminded her. "We have to just trust them and protect Oracle if something goes wrong."
Thump!
Whirling, Panther stared aghast at the now closed balcony door. Rushing over to it, she tried to force it open and found it locked. Heart beating frantically, Panther yelled at the door while she pounded on it. "Open up, Oracle! Oracle!"
"Back away, Panther."
Following Queen's growled instructions, she barely got out of the way before a brass-knuckled fist crashed into the glass. The thud created was no louder than Panther's effort. Queen rebounded back and fell hard to the ground with a baffled expression.
"It's indestructible," Panther cursed. It wasn't everything, but the occasional core structure in the metaverse would be that way. As a location of one five letters, either Shido or the IT president must be imagining it as an unassailable location.
"…No," Queen argued with a shake of her head. "It was small, but the glass gave a little. I doubt anyone has a cognition strong enough to imagine unbreakable glass."
"…Are you sure?" Panther asked desperately. "There is no telling what is happening inside or below. We can't afford to waste time here."
"Positive," Queen nodded. "Please, heat up the glass."
Smirking, Panther jumped back on top of the dividing wall and threw away her mask. "Carmen, burn a hole through this!"
Her persona formed in the limited space and from its hand, a jet of continuous fire emerged. Panther could feel the destructive heat on her face. Its presence building to a crescendo each second that it endured.
Even as Carmen wanted to fade and end the blast, Panther refreshed it in her mind. Each time mentally calling her back to renew the flamethrower that was gradually turning the whole balcony into a furnace.
"P-Panther…" Queen panted.
"Oh, sorry." Shutting off the blaze, Panther wiped her brow from the heat and waited for the attack.
"RAAAH!" Roaring, Queen coated her fist with power and rushed at the glass. It had turned a white-yellow, but was not slagging off or showing any sign of melting.
For a brief moment, Ann thought that the thunderous punch would crash through. It bent under the impact, but rebounded, sending Queen back hard into the railing. While the balcony door stood impervious, the metal railing bent with a shriek, almost sending Queen plummeting.
"Watch out!" Crying out, Panther leapt down to pull her back on. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah… We're going to have to risk it though."
"Risk it?" Panther inquired, worried at the determined look on Queen's face.
"Ahh. It needs to be hotter and… I'll ride Johanna into it."
"…You are an idiot, president." Panther sighed. "You just hide it better than Ryuji. Oh well. Get as low as you can, it's going to get hot in here. I'll turn it off when you bring forth Johanna. Let's go."
Before the glass could cool further, Panther brought forth Carmen and continued the storm of fire. Concentrating it as much as possible, Panther didn't want to waste a single drop of her power. It was still sweltering in the balcony, a haze in the air that only the hottest days produced. When the fire restarted, so did that oven feeling.
Panther took a pitying look back at Queen. She did not have Panther's fire resistance and was looking pained. Keep holding on! Panther cheered her on mentally.
Each second was torturously long as the fire kept heating the glass. It was a transfixing sight as the once clear glass turned into a molten slab of pure white light. The edges that had once been hardened plastic as a containing gasket were beginning to slough off with a pillar of black smoke.
It's working!
Mentally confirming what Queen's blows had taught her, Panther redoubled her efforts. With a sudden whoosh of flames burning away the air, the ceiling caught fire. The balcony above was not immune to the rising heat and began to burn away. The metal, plastic, and other building materials were beginning to bend and drop in pieces on top of them.
"Queen?" Panther asked desperately, looking over at her comrade.
The biker shook her head however, teeth gritted. Queen's whole face had been burnt red from the heat. Her chest rose rapidly as she struggled to even breath before the blaze that Panther was putting out.
It needs to be more focused! "CARMEN!" Crying out to her persona, Panther did her best to focus on what she wanted. Not just fire, but true heat. She didn't need to burn away the air or the ceiling, just one spot on the glass.
As she concentrated all of her night, the fire condensed and shifted from red and orange to a brilliant white. The tongues of flame vanishing as a single laser of pure energy pierced the door.
As the light flashed, Panther's vision, painted that brilliant white, shifted to black as she fell to the ground. "Queen…"
"JOHANNA!"
Panther struggled with her vision, but Queen was a streak of light was darted across the decaying balcony. With a loud bang, the window shattered in an explosion of molten shards. "Nice…" With shaky movements, Panther struggled to her feet. Beneath her, the entire balcony shifted with a groan. The railing was on the verge of falling off and the floor was starting to pull away from the wall. Above her, the next floor was slumping toward them, completely consumed by her magic.
"Queen! Should I…" Panther had no need to continue as the girls emerged. Oracle held proudly aloft in her right hand the letter. Sighing with relief, Panther jumped over the barricade to the emergency exit. "Come on! The others need us!"
Sunday, October 23rd, 20XX Noon
"How unsightly." Cursing at his opponent, Fox shook out his injured hand. His attack had been countered with such force that the impact had done damage.
Standing on the side deck there was a wall to one side and ocean to the other. It was a narrow path with little room for evasion or subterfuge. Fox knew that he had teammates around, but they were engaged with the cleaner's minions. It had been a risky strategy, and it was backfiring.
"Ehh, that's a cool move, boy," the Cleaner replied. "It was almost artful."
"Almost?" Fox scoffed. "I am an artist, thank you very much."
"Ehh? Really? I've been looking for an artist."
"What?" Fox replied flabbergasted. Standing before the most powerful cognitive shadow that he had ever encountered, the last thing Fox expected was for it to start a dialog. The shadow had blocked his attack with a small dagger, not even breaking its human façade.
"Ahh, that's right. You see, I want a massive phoenix tattooed across my back."
This is important! More to buy time than having any real expectations, Fox provided an offer. "Very well. I have a proposition for you, Mr. Cleaner. I shall provide a suitable sketch, and in exchange, you will offer up a letter of recommendation to see Shido."
"Huh? The hell you think that's worth a letter for? The sneaky bastard has ordered me to slow you guys down. I ain't earning his ire by giving you a letter. But, if you draw something worthwhile, I'll spare your life."
"Tsk," shaking with anger, Fox drew his blade. For months now, he had felt a building sense of discontent. He was a tacked-on addition to the group; completely expendable, forgettable. His story had ended when they changed Madarame's heart. Of the group members, his connection to Ren was the weakest by a long shot.
Now, Fox could not stop his anxiety from coloring his reaction as he drew forth his blade. "Just me, though, correct? You have no intention of sparing my companions."
"Correct."
"Then I will take you down here and bring back the letter as a sign of my triumph. Prepare yourself, Cleaner! I will strike you down!"
"HAHAHA!" Laughing wildly, the cleaner tossed his shirt away. His body was covered with tattoos that stretched up both arms and ran down his back.
"Yakuza…" Fox whispered. The word briefly sent him to the backfoot. The nearly mythical groups were filled with delinquents and lawbreakers. Operating entirely by their own code, they were also renowned as powerful fighters.
"Ohh, scared are ya? Better buck up, cuz this is nothing yet!"
"Hmpff, very well!" If that is true, then I will make you show me everything! GOEMON!"
One brush, one canvas, one subject. Fox knew that his weakness was his strength. He could grow incredibly single-minded about things. There had been multiple battles in the past where his focus on a single shadow had left him vulnerable. In many ways, he was built for duels. With all of his attention to detail, Fox was confident in his speed and power.
Bursting forward, Goemon's swipe was a deadly blow from below. It tore up the concrete walkway as the energy surged through it.
"GAH!" Staggering in pain, the Cleaner fell to one knee. Wiping the blood from his mouth, he tossed the glasses aside as well, standing up. "Fair point, kid. I'll get serious too."
Taking a deep breath, Fox stabilized from the drain in his energy that Goemon had taken. Blade out in a defensive stance, Fox waited for the Cleaner's response.
The yakuza member did not attack, instead his human skin began sloughing off with the distinctive black energy that the cognitive beings were truly composed of.
"No matter how pretty the worlds created… the essence of the palaces is rotten at the core."
"Issss that your opinion? That I'mmmm rotttten!?"
Rising from the muck was an ominous shadow with glowing red eyes. It had such an aura of power that Fox stumbled instinctively away from it. The shadow was not massive, but the two-meter humanoid was dyed a deep black and wielding a dangerous looking weapon. It was a long staff, with twinned pickaxe blades coming from each end.
The shadow spun the weapon with casual power. "Seeeee thissss!"
Hissing again in its new distorted voice, the Cleaner generated a line of power, copying the technique that Fox had used. Before such overwhelming power, Fox had to dart backwards even further. His original stumble saved his life as the cleaner's power dissipated just before his nose. The cackling red lines burned into Fox's retinas.
Changing methods of fighting, Fox brought forth Goemon once more. Not to attack, but instead enhancing his own speed. Bouncing from foot to foot, Fox felt his abilities increasing exponentially. He didn't think he would survive more than one hit from this shadow and didn't plan on getting hit.
"Ohhh, isss that right?" The cleaner laughed. "Thennnnn, let's do thissss!"
Spinning his weapon, the shadow sent a wave of magic that couldn't be dodged at him. Fox felt his defenses draining away. It was almost unnecessary but made his strategy all the more important.
"Goemon!" Bringing forth a field of ice from the ground, Fox sought to slow the Cleaner down. His delusions about taking it down by himself were quickly fading. At this point, he needed to just survive until the others arrived.
"Thisss can't stop me!" Howling, the Cleaner brought down its weapon, shattering all of the ice with a wide area blow with a physical ability. With his enhanced senses, Fox tracked each instance of energy that came out.
That will be hard to dodge…
"Dieeee!" Charging, the cleaner brought down its weapon on where Fox was standing.
Jumping past the swing, Fox nicked the cleaner with his blade. Despite hitting, Fox could not even tell if he had done damage.
The cleaner was on his tail in an instant. The pickaxe-like blades threatening to cut him apart as he dodged. Even with his enhanced speed, Fox was on the verge of death with each exchange of blows. Ducking under a high blow, he pushed off the wall to gain some distance as the Cleaner tore into the wall.
Darting away at a sprint, Fox skidded to a stop as Goemon formed. Attacking with more ice, it was as effective as last time. "You truly are a formidable foe…"
"Youuu, artist, are not."
"Tsk!" Fox was irked by the disrespect. It was true, however. The few attacks that he landed had taken all of his effort and had barely slowed the monster.
"You shall die in three, two, one…"
What!? The ominous countdown froze Fox on the spot. Knees locking, he stared horrified and confused.
"RAAAH!" Spinning his weapon, the shadow brought forth that blade of crimson light yet again, searching for Fox.
Slow! Wondering if that was everything, he went to jump back and out of range of it and found himself unable. His body was too slow. He didn't move the way that he had been moments earlier.
With a shudder, Fox realized what had happened. The cleaner had known exactly when Fox's speed increase would wear off while the decrease to his defenses was still active.
Crossing his blade in front of him, Fox waited for the attack to hit. I'm sorry… everyone.
"Like hell, I'll let that happen!"
A shadow appeared in front of Fox, blotting out the attack. The crimson light of the magical blade's ascent formed a corona around a boy's silhouette. It was unmistakable.
"Skull!"
"GAH!" Grunting from the collision, Fox's savior fell to one knee panting. "Shit! This guy really packs a punch."
"Indeed," Fox agreed, stepping up beside his ally. "This fight is not one we can win without help."
"Heh, is that right? I didn't realize that you were giving up so soon." Skull rolled his shoulder.
Bravado overflowed from the words, but there was a weakness hidden within. It hadn't been easy for Skull to get here, and that was before he took the Cleaner's attack.
"Be reasonable, Skull. We need to—"
The Cleaner began spinning his weapon again. The sign that it was about to call forth an attack, either magic or a persona-esque attack. However, they were out of range of the shorter-range physical attacks that it had been employing.
That meant… "It's lowering defense again. We need to—"
A wave of dark energy was emitted from the cleaner. It was a powerful, thick substance that filled the hallway. Bearing the brunt of it, Fox winced from the impact, getting driven backwards. When it had passed, he joined Skull on his knees, completely gassed. It felt like his very life had been sucked from him by the whispering darkness. "That was… stronger than even Joker's…"
"Ahh," Skull nodded. He struggled to get up, trying to pull Fox up with him. "You were right. This is bad."
"I would not lie, especially in this situation."
"Always the agreeable one," Skull sighed. His haggard face did not have the energy that Fox associated with the boy. "Well, I don't need to wait around for it to attack again. Blast it, captain kid!"
Bolts of lightning pierced through the cleaner. With its incredible stamina, however, the result was short-lived. Shaking it off as a mere troublesome occurrence, it smirked. "A magicccc duel? I accept!"
"Skull!" Knowing that neither of them could take another attack from its magic, Fox grabbed Skull and sprinted toward the Cleaner. While it twirled its staff, Fox slid on the broken walkway, cutting at the Cleaner's legs.
"Heads up!" Skull cried out as he approached, mace aimed at the shadow's face. It landed with a powerful thud, but that was it. Once again, the cleaner stood undaunted. His form of power and pure destruction unwavering. Black smoke rose from the injuries as they closed. Not regenerating its stamina, but its body. Altogether, the Cleaner created the image on an immortal demon of destruction even if Fox logically knew that they were doing damage.
"Lettttt's end thisssss!" Howling one more time, the shadow waved its weapon above its head, howling an angry hymn. There were no defense drops, or dark magic, or physical attacks. Instead, the cleaner's body began to glow with a pale red light.
So, it's come down to a gamble…
"Skull!" Drawing forth two of the four items that Joker had entrusted to him, Fox pressed one to his chest and threw the other at Skull.
"Got it!"
Pressing the mirror to his chest, Fox felt it shatter in his hand, the protective force surrounding his body. Left helpless beside Skull, they could only wait to see if Fox had been correct.
"AAAAA WOOOO!" Once more, the red blades of death manifested. Enfolding Fox and Skull like a cage, the move was a sure hit.
Knowing that, Fox smiled. The gamble had paid off.
From both him and Skull, the crimson light reflected. Bending impossibly, it disappeared momentarily as it reappeared around the Cleaner.
"W-Whattttt!?" It cried in the few moments it had before its own trap closed around it. With harsh thuds, the charged attacks struck deep blows into the shadow's body, batting it around like a doll. The once unassailable fortress collapsed to its knees, energy leaking out in large billows.
Stumbling back upright, Fox grabbed Skull again and pulled. "Let's go!"
"A-Are you sure!"
"I am not!"
"Why you!"
With or without Skull's blessing, they fled. Together, they escaped into the bowels of the ship by the time that the Cleaner stood back up and roared his defiance.
Sunday, October 23rd, 20XX Noon
"Not going to help your friends?"
"A little hard to do with you here," Joker cursed back. Standing side-by-side with Violet, Ren pointed his knife at the cognitive Akechi. It was no worse for wear despite taking one of its own bullets reflected into its face yesterday.
Expecting this, Ren had prepared a persona that reflected both physical and gun-based attacks. He hoped it would be enough for this. He was operating around fifty percent, but Violet was far lower than that.
Left near the prow of the cruiser, Joker had been about to follow after them when Akechi had stepped from the palace. Now, they were separated by minutes of running. Whether Akechi had planned this all out or not did not matter. They were unable to help each other at this point.
"How about this?" Violet spoke up, taking a step forward. "I'll duel you this time."
"Yes, yes, that's a great idea! We will use the same rules as—"
"No." Taking one more step, Violet drew her blade and pointed it at the fake detective. "I meant with swords. First to draw blood wins."
"…Oh?" The detective that had been drawing his gun let it fall back into its holster. Smirking, he looked down at his right hand. "I remember that version of me that you defeated… I think he used… something like this."
In the gloved hand, the air began to distort as black flecks of energy began to spawn from nothing. Then, the center of the distortion lengthened and began to solidify. What the cognitive Akechi drew forth was an uneven sword with an armlength blade what glowed with an intense red light. From the entire weapon, those specks of black energy flaked off into the air, giving it an ominous air.
"Ahh, so that's it! Yes, yes! Now, we can have our duel!"
"W-What?" Having her ruse defeated, Violet took a wary step back. Although she hid it well with her athlete's resistance to pain, Joker could tell how much she hurt.
"My other self appeared to be proficient at sword fighting. Would you mind teaching me?"
"Teaching you?" Violet replied, her voice aghast. "I'm going to cut you down!"
"Didn't your boyfriend tell you? I can't be cut down. I am Lord Shido's shadow. I take out his problems and cannot be removed."
"…Are you stupid?" Joker forced a laugh. "Didn't you learn from what happened to the other you? He looked pretty killable to me."
"Tsk, do not compare me to a knockoff copy. That version was weak."
"Weak? And here you are copying his weapon and wanting to use it like him."
"Oi, oi, oi," Cognitive Akechi's face twisted into an angry rictus. "Entertain me and maybe I'll let you limp away like the rats you are."
"Do you accept the duel conditions then?" Violet asked once more.
"Yes, but only if best three out of five."
"…Very well." Violet agreed.
Joker assumed it was because there was no real way to decline. Every second they spent arguing with the cognitive detective was another where they could not back up the others. Giving his girlfriend one squeeze of her arm, he backed away. While he physically surrendered the distance, Joker switched personas to one with healing abilities.
The first round started slowly. Violet did not rush into a rush into anything, instead circling slowly. The cognitive Akechi was also in no mood to attack, testing the blade as he took experimental swings.
Joker wanted to say something, to cry out encouragement or… anything. It felt wrong to stand around and wait. Each second that passed, the difference in their abilities would be closing.
"Neh, so are you actually—Ugh!"
Slipping in while Akechi was talking, Violet's blade took him in the shoulder. "That's one."
"You really are a bitch," Akechi growled. "Playing weak and then striking like that? Fine!"
Idiot.
Joker almost laughed as the predictable scene played out. The detective's large overhanded swing met no resistance, leaving him stumbling while Violet slashed into his leg.
"Gah!" Crying out in pain, Akechi flew to the deck. His face contorted further as he regained his footing, leg healing almost instantly. "You really are annoying."
"Annoying? You just suck," Violet told him coldly. "Let's finish this, genius."
"Oh no, we're just getting started." Akechi promised her.
Joker couldn't stop the slight shake of his head. Violet's motions had a stiffness to them still. She wouldn't be able to keep up for five rounds. It would all come down to this last one.
And as expected, Akechi's genius was making itself known. With a strategy halfway between the first two rounds, he managed to take swipes at Violet without leaving a large opening for her to exploit.
Three clings of steel on steel rang out as the combatants clashed. It was far from a fair fight. Akechi was stronger, faster, more agile. Violet had to use all of her skill and grace to hold the shadow at bay.
"Hiyah!" Lunging, the attack was a desperate attempt from Violet to end it.
Akechi dodged out of the way, bringing his own blade back for a counterattack.
"Ah!" With a panicked yell, Violet fell to the ground, the action saving her as Akechi's attack cut off a few strands of her bangs.
"AHAHA! I win!" Laughing at his success in the third round, Akechi's blade darted forward, aiming for Violet's heart.
It struck only air. Akechi fell backwards, his face a mask of confusion.
Having swept his leg, Violet spun to her feet and impaled his leg with her blade. It should have been a paralyzing blow that nearly bisected the hamstring.
The shadow only glared at the blade, however, more angry than pained. "Well, it looks like I lost the duel. You should be proud, girl. I don't lose often."
"So, now what?" Violet sighed, her exhaustion plain.
"Now," Akechi smirked as he stood up. "I repay you both the pain you caused me."
"Violet!" Not being all that surprised by the betrayal, Joker tackled his girlfriend, mentally changing personas all the while.
Two bangs echoed, and Joker smirked as screams rang out behind him. Rising, he turned to face the shadow. "Maybe you are immortal, but you can't touch me."
"Is that… right?" Without a sign, the shadow seemed to shift, its figure blurring from a position four meters away, to right beside Joker. The holes in its torso were slower to close than any of Violet's attacks.
It does more damage than we do… Joker considered calmly as the sword touched his neck, and then stopped. With a brief flash of light, the sword vanished and cut into its own neck.
"GAAAAAAH!" Finally yelling in pain, Akechi stumbled away, leaking large amounts of black energy. "BASTARDS! Get the letters then! I'll kill you next time!"
Sighing in relief as the detective ran away, Joker turned to Violet, helping her up. "You were incredible."
"Hehe, thanks."
Joker shook his head, remembering the duel. Each round had been superb capitalization with limited ability. "Your skill with a sword surpasses all of ours. Do you practice in your spare time or something?"
"Ahaha, it feels like another gymnastics prop to me," Violet confided. "It isn't quite the ribbon or clubs, but there are elements of all of them in the weapon."
"Hmm…" Joker mumbled not really understanding. "How are you feeling?"
"Horrible." Violet winced as she tried to stretch. She shot him a harsh glare. "I can't believe you did this to me."
"I did this to you?" Joker protested. "I couldn't have stopped you if—"
"I know, I know!" Violet huffed. "Geez, I wasn't… never mind. Also… is it bad…. That I don't regret it?"
Joker shared a secret smile with his girlfriend. He had to forcibly restrain himself from taking her into his arms as she looked up at him with those sparkling eyes. "As the leader… I cannot say that. Out loud at least."
Winking, Joker turned away to walk to the palace doors. "Come on. Let's catch up with the others."
Sunday, October 23rd, 20XX Noon
Mona huffed heavily as he wiped his catish brow of sweat. "Is that… the last of them?"
"Yeah," Noir agreed with a nod. She stepped on the body of a fallen shadow as she yanked her axe from its body. The gaping wound left behind leaked the final bit of vitality as it began to dissolve.
"We've spent way too long here," Mona said worried. "We need to find where those others idiots—"
"Keep running!" A voice came down the hall.
"That's Fox and Skull!" Noir gasped.
"Huh!?" Jumping up on her shoulder, Mona confirmed that the two boys were running—or rather staggering—towards them. It was clear with his first glance that the two were on their last legs. "Hurry it up!"
"Idiot… cat!" Skull panted. "Run."
"Umm," Noir tilted her head. "Do you think…"
She cut off as Mona gasped. A figure all in black, giving off a menacing aura was blocking the far exit. "Is that… the Cleaner?"
"We need help," Noir said, voice surprisingly calm. "That thing is beyond us."
"But can we—" Mona did not have time to finish. The black demon pursuing them unleashed a black wave of energy with a deafening howl. In the moments before it could overtake Skull and Fox, Mona called forth his persona. "Zorro!"
Healing light consumed all four of them. It's gentle aura a poor shield against the life-sucking power of the dark attack. Shivering from the impact, Mona looked over the others. It appeared that his healing had done just enough to keep the other two on their feet.
I have to take the frontline with Noir. Mona realized. Drawing his curved sword, Mona jumped off of Noir. "Come on, let's—"
"No." Noir stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "You're a healer, aren't you?"
"Noir is right," Fox panted. "You could get taken out in one hit by this thing. Leave it to us."
Receiving a thumbs-up from Skull, Mona stared in confusion. This stupid… Shaking his head once to remove the bad thoughts, Mona smiled. "You three got it! Go crazy, I'll heal everything!"
With nothing left to do, Mona jumped backwards, calling forth Zorro again. His mind was starting o get low, but he still had more than enough for this. With another round of healing, the three were close to tiptop shape.
In the close hallway, there was no room to maneuver, and the cleaner erased all of Mona's hard work with a single attack. Even hiding behind the others, Mona felt the power wash over him.
Swallowing, he applied another round. "Zorro!"
"Thanks man!"
"Much appreciated, Mona!"
"Let's keep this up!" Noir cheered them on. "Milady!"
The assault of physic damage chipped at the imposing shadow and Fox added to it with a wave of ice. Skull did nothing, making no offensive maneuver, only buckling down to take the brunt of the blows.
"Dieeee!" Screaming at them, the Cleaner attacked with another wave of darkness. The assault could not be avoided, and Mona shivered from the impact. Not to be outdone, he responded with his own heal. The vitality drained and the amount restored were perfectly balanced.
Again that attack washed over them and again Mona fought it off with his own healing. Each wave draining him further and bringing him closer to the edge.
"T-Thanks a lot Mona!" Noir panted back.
"I am indebted to you," Fox added on.
"Way to go, cat!" Skull finished. "Let's finish this bastard!"
"I… am not… a cat…" Mona panted heavily. The last of his mind was starting to run out. He wasn't even sure if her would be able to past another full party heal without collapsing. However, his feat had allowed his party to chip away at the Cleaner with magic. The once menacing figure was now leaking vitality from a dozen wounds; struggling to stand straight.
"RAAAA!" Howling with rage, the Cleaner changed strategies, instead of firing more magic, it used a powerful single-target physical attack. Reliable Skull stood straight in front of it, absorbing the crimson light with barely a grunt.
"Last one!" Mona yelled out, healing Skull. "Let's finish this!"
Darting forward, Mona ran straight past the three vanguards, Mona focused his remaining energy into his one next attack. "Zorro!"
Attacking low with his blade, Mona wasn't surprised when the Cleaner knocked him to the side with ease. All that mattered was the follow-up. Zorro's punching ability was weak, but it landed right as Mona had hoped. Catching the cleaner in the chin, it sent the large shadow to one knee, staggered.
"Now everyone!" Mona called out triumphantly. I may be a healer, but it's not all I can do!
Without Joker here it was impossible to coordinate a guaranteed kill, but the three physical members tore into the downed shadow with devastating blows. Using large chunks of their vitality in the process for the persona enhanced blows left all four of them unable to move.
Did we… do it?
"Impressiveeee, but far from enough!" With an evil laugh, the Cleaner regained its feet. It appeared to be held together by tatters. Large parts of its body were indistinct chunks of smoke. Either it was immortal or on the verge of death. At this point, Mona had no idea which.
Mona's ears flicked up as the Cleaner began to spin his weapon. Why did it sound like a motorbike was nearby?
Clearly he wasn't the only one who heard it as the Cleaner lowered his weapon and turned around. Rushing down the hallway at them was a dark blot that made Mona laugh out loud. Their insurance had finally arrived.
"Whaaat is thiii—"
A splat ended the Cleaner's words as Johanna came to a stop on the dark blob that used to be the Cleaner's shadow form. Atop the persona were three people, crammed on together.
"Wohooo!" Oracle cheered, getting off. "Well done Queen!"
"Just in time too," Panther noted, shooting Mona a smile. "It looks like everyone fought well."
"Ahh," Mona sighed, resting for just a minute. "It was a hard fight."
Author's note:
Is this the first Mona POV in the story? Weird.