Phantom Files Book 2: Rise Of The Monarchs

by sithlorde1988

The sequel to Persona 5-The Phantom Files. A few years after Ren returns home, the Phantom Thieves find themselves drawn back into the Metaverse once again out of nowhere after a mysterious app surfaces with the powers to access the Metaverse. Can the Phantom Thieves stop a mysterious new group of individuals called Monarchs? Better summary in chapter 1! BOTH STORY AND EDITS DONE!

44. Arc 9 Finale: Resisting The Demiurge

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Phantom Files, Book 2: Rise Of The Monarchs! Hard to believe we're here, but here we are at the final battle of Strikers! Yep, that's right. This chapter will cover the rest of Arc 9, and probably a few events after the final battle. So it's a better than fair bet that this chapter will be the end of Arc 9, meaning once this chapter goes up, the poll that is currently up on my profile will have ended. At that point, I can take a tally and reveal the final results, likely in the final chapter of the story, or at some point early in the next/final Arc. We'll see what happens.

In any case, before anything else, let's get to the disclaimer while I'm thinking of it, yeah? So here's the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I, sithlorde1988, do not own the Persona series in ANY way, shape, or form ((excluding the OCs Kusa/Draconis, Taichi, Momoe, the OC Personas Malefor, Albus, and the OC Persona being introduced in this chapter as Messiah's Persona, along with the Phantom Thief attire for Draconis, Pendragon, or Seraphim, all of which I do own. I do not, however, own the OC Personas Hester and Houdini, nor the Phantom Thief attire concepts for Shiho/Flare or Maruki/Messiah.

The OC Persona Hester and the Phantom Thief attire concepts for Shiho/flare were created by, and thus belong to, thalassatides (at symbol) bsky on X (or Twitter as it used to be called). If you happen to be on X, feel free to look up thelassatides (at symbol) bsky's work, as they do some good work. As for the OC Persona Houdini, that belongs to Flower Boy Jun over on Amino Apps. If you use that site, go look him up, since he has some very interesting OC Persona designs and also does amazing work.

As far as the Phantom Thief attire concept for Akane/Auburn, Atlus technically owns the attire that Akane/Auburn's Phantom Thief attire was based off of, aka her Monarch outfit, but I own the modifications made to the outfit to create her Phantom Thief attire, so I own Akane/Auburn's Phantom Thief attire, but not the outfit it's based on, if that makes sense at all.

Also shout-out to jdimock for giving me the idea to make Akane/Auburn's Phantom Thief attire a color-swap of her Monarch outfit, even if I ended up making her Phantom Thief attire largely different from aforementioned Monarch outfit, it was still jdimock's idea, so shout-out and credit to him for having the idea)) and the actual ownership credit for the Persona series belongs to Atlus and Sega (where it comes to Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal, as well as Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Reload), as well as to a point Koei Tecmo (where it pertains to Strikers). The rest of the spinoffs belong to various other companies, all of whom know who they are.

And when it comes to Persona 1, Persona 2-Eternal Punishment, and Persona 2-Innocent Sin? As far as I know, they were made by a different studio, who also knows who they are. Full ownership credit for the Persona spinoffs (Phantom X, Tactica, the 'Arena' games, the 'Dancing' games, and the 'Q' games) belong to the studios that helped make them, as well as Atlus and possibly Sega. And full ownership credits for Persona 1, Persona 2- Eternal Punishment, and Persona 2-Innocent Sin belong to the studios that made those games, so all credit to them.

EDIT: Before we proceed with the rest of the start-of-chapter A/N, let me really quickly offer an apology to everyone reading this for the lengthy delay in posting this chapter. The plan was to have this up within two weeks of chapter 43, but due to an unexpected site outage, that got pushed back even further.

For reference it's currently 8:53PM on Saturday, July 13th, 2024 as I type this part of the start-of-chapter A/N, and the site this story has been going up on just got done with a two to three day period of being unavailable, delaying both any edits I wanted to make, and slowing the process of editing chapter 43, so that's an unfortunate thing that happened.

So depending on when this goes up, that's why chapter 44 is so late in coming. However, we are reaching the end of Rise of the Monarchs. But I'll wait for the end-of-chapter A/N to go over that in more detail. For now, let's return to our regularly scheduled start of chapter A/N, yeah?

EDIT 2: I'm not sure when this chapter is going live, but whenever it does go live, it'll likely be near enough as soon as the site is done with having another glitch that makes finding stories tricky. I was unaware of the glitch until jdimock approached me earlier in the day (for reference, it is currently 8:50PM in the evening on Friday, August 2nd as I type this part of the start-of-chapter A/N) to tell me that parts of the site this story is on were glitching, and that I should hold off on posting chapter 44 until the site is working again. So odds are fair that you'll be reading this chapter whenever that issue resolves itself.

Accordingly, the delay (if there is one) in the chapter means that the poll got even longer for people to vote on it, but by the time I post this chapter, I'll have closed the poll down to tally the final results. I'll try to include the final result in one of the last couple of chapters if I think of it, but I make no promises in case I forget about it. So hopefully I'll get a few more votes on the poll before this chapter goes up. But enough about that information, let's get back to the regularly-scheduled start-of-chapter A/N.

There we go, one disclaimer very professionally hammered out. I could say a bit more, but I feel like people would rather read about the final battle already, so let's go ahead and get into that. I'll wait until the end-of-chapter A/N for any extended tangents. Also, I'll probably do an in-depth look at the standings of my current poll in the end-of-chapter A/N if I remember, so keep an eye out for that after the chapter. For now, let's get to it! Here's chapter 44!

Chapter 44- EMMA's Last Stand! Battle for the Desires! Fighting the Demiurge! Tree of EMMA part 2

(Outside of the Tree of Knowledge, with Yukari, Junpei, Mitsuru, Ken, Labrys, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Teddie, and Marie)

"Jeez, why are there so many people gathered here!? It's taking everything we've got just to keep them from entering that building!" Junpei said as the members of the Shadow Operatives and Investigation Team that hadn't gone inside to assist the Phantom Thieves stood in front of the Tokyo Radio Tower, trying to stop people from entering to give their Desires to EMMA, though they'd not had a large amount of success to that point. Mitsuru frowned and spoke up.

"I wish I knew the answer to that, Iori. But alas, I do not. And if I were to venture a guess, EMMA's probably making her last stand in there. Which probably means that as of this moment, our allies have reached her and are preparing to fight her. Hopefully, they can defeat her, especially after how theatrical that performance was regarding that final calling card. Props to Kujikawa for staying professional through that whole concert, along with Narukami-san, his cousin, as well as the others who partook." Mitsuru said as Yukari spoke up.

"True. That concert was pretty wild. Who knew Akihiko could sing so well? I sure as heck wouldn't have figured that was the case." Yukari said as Ken smirked and spoke up.

"I had a hunch he had a good singing voice. Or rather, Aragaki-san did back when he was still alive. He told me about a time he heard singing when he walked past the bathroom during the short time that he and Akihiko were roommates, and he was sure it was Akihiko who was singing. So I had a feeling that Akihiko was a good singer. However, the real shock to me was that Amamiya the youngest had such a good singing voice. I knew he was good at martial arts, but I didn't know that he could sing so well." Ken said as Labrys giggled and spoke up.

"I'm not surprised. As much as Amamiya-kun the youngest can talk for a while, that suggested to me he had a good set of lungs on him, which lends credence to the idea that he can sing well." Labrys said as Chie spoke up.

"Fair. After all, Yukiko and I can vouch that you can be good at more than one thing. Look at Yukiko. Not only is she handy with a Persona, she can also dance quite well, even if her cooking isn't quite up to snuff yet." Chie said as Yukiko spoke up while sticking her nose up at Chie in an adorably indignant sort of way.

"I'll ignore your slight on my cooking in favor of the compliments you gave me, Chie. And I'm getting better at cooking, for the record." Yukiko said as Teddie spoke up, ignoring the facefaults his next words would get from Mitsuru, Yukiko, Yukari, Junpei, and Ken, as well as the eye rolls his remark got from Chie and Kanji and the deadpan stare Labrys gave him that clearly screamed 'If I could kill you for making such bad puns, I would.'

"Oh, really? I bear-y much doubt about that one, Yuki-chan. After all, you're better than you were previously, but I still think you have a bear-y long way to go before you're a pro at it." Teddie said as Kanji frowned and spoke up.

"Shut up, Teddie! Don't tease Yukiko-senpai like that! Also, you should probably consider yourself extremely lucky that Naoto wasn't here to hear what you just said, or she would have probably tased you for that pun." Kanji said as Marie, who surprisingly was the only one who didn't give Teddie a disappointed look based on what he just said, spoke up with a smile on her face.

"While that may be true Kanji, I think you may have forgotten that I also have weather powers as well, including lightning. So I can always give him a shock if he ends up running his mouth. But since Teddie was more or less complimenting Yukiko for her improvements in her cooking, I will spare him for now." Marie said and as Teddie gave a sigh of relief after hearing what his girlfriend just said, Mitsuru ended up taking notice of something approaching and spoke up.

"Everyone, heads up, It looks like we've got company." Mitsuru said as the small group of Persona-users looked ahead to see a large number of Shadows approaching their position as Junpei spoke up.

"Oh man, that's a lot of Shadows." Junpei said as Kanji spoke up.

"No kidding, I've never seen so many of them." Kanji said as Chie spoke up.

"It doesn't matter Kanji, since right now we need to stop them before any of the people get hurt." Chie said as Yukari spoke up.

"Agreed. It's up to us to take care of things while the others put an end to this." Yukari said as Mitsuru nodded and spoke up.

"Well said, Takeba. Let's hold these monstrosities off for as long as we can. TO ME, ARTEMISIA!" Mitsuru said as she summoned Artemisia as Yukari spoke up.

"BLESS US, ISIS!" Yukari said as she summoned Isis as Junpei spoke up.

"GO, TRISMEGISTUS!" Junpei said as he summoned Trismegistus as Ken spoke up.

"LET'S DO IT, KALA-NEMI!" Ken said as he summoned Kala-Nemi as Labrys spoke up.

"BLAST OFF, ARIADNE!" Labrys said as she summoned Ariadne as Chie spoke up.

"PROTECT ME, HARAEDO-NO-OKAMI!" Chie said as she summoned Haraedo-No-Okami as Yukiko spoke up.

"REVEAL YOURSELF, SUMEO-OKAMI!" Yukiko said as she summoned Sumeo-Okami as Kanji spoke up.

"LET'S RAGE, TAKEJI ZAITEN!" Kanji said as he summoned Takeji Zaiten as Teddie spoke up.

"COME, KAMUI-MOSHIRI!" Teddie said as he summoned Kamui-Moshiri as Marie spoke up.

"SHOW YOURSELF, KAGUYA!" Marie said as she summoned Kaguya as Mitsuru spoke up.

"Don't hold anything back, guys. For the sake of the world, we must not lose." Mitsuru said as and as the others nodded in agreement, they then readied their weapons as they charged forward towards the oncoming horde of approaching Shadows...

(Meanwhile, inside of the Tree of Knowledge, with Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Crow, Violet, Draconis, Seeker, Pendragon, Flare, Wolf, Seraphim, Auburn, Ronin, Diva, Shinobi, Gumshoe, Bruiser, Fae, Buchi, Sentinel, and Messiah)

"Well, there's little else left for it, but to do it. Shall we go take out EMMA?" Joker suggested to the others, who nodded as the group kept moving. Once the group reached the elevator, Mona spoke up while looking at Joker.

"Hey, Joker. Listen to me. Once we get on this, there's no turning back. It'll be the final battle. I'm absolutely certain that every one of the Phantom Thieves will need to pull their weight on this one, navigators included. Whether they're on the front lines or in any of the backup groups, everybody needs to be prepared. With all that said, do you think we're ready, Joker?" Mona asked as Joker spoke up with a nod.

"Yeah, I'd say we're as ready as we're gonna be. So let's go." Joker said decisively. Mona nodded and spoke up.

"All right! In that case, let's do it! Let's go, everybody!" Mona said as the group rode the elevator up to EMMA's location. As the elevator was moving up, Mona spoke up again.

"Is everybody ready?" Mona asked as most of the group nodded, other than Joker, who blinked as he felt himself being called, turning to see a familiar door shimmer into being, making him realize he was being called into the Velvet Room. Joker then mused that if Lavenza was calling him, he should probably go see her. So upon making his decision, Joker spoke up.

"Actually Mona, regarding what I just said before, I might actually need a few minutes. In fact, does this elevator have a stop button?" Joker asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Yeah, there's one right here. But what's this about?" Draconis asked as he pressed the elevator's stop button to prevent the elevator from going further up as Joker spoke up.

"Let's just say that I'm being summoned by a certain someone who probably wants to speak with me one more time before we enter our final battle." Joker said and after a few seconds of confusion, the Phantom Thieves aside from those from the Investigation Team, Shadow Operatives, and Messiah soon realized what their leader was referring to as Mona smiled and spoke up.

"Oh, I get it now. If it's what I think it is, then do what you have to do, Joker." Mona said and as Joker nodded he walked towards the back corner and while his perspective had him entering the Velvet Room, from the others' point of view, Joker just stopped in place. After being confused by what's happening, those from the Investigation Team and Shadow Operatives soon realized what was happening with Joker as Sentinel spoke up.

"He's gone into the Velvet Room, hasn't he?" Sentinel asked as multiple voices spoke up at once.

"Yup!" All of the main Phantom Thieves, with the exception of Joker, who'd mentally tuned his surroundings out after having gone into the Velvet Room, said as Messiah spoke up while still having confusion on his face.

"Uh, Velvet Room? Am I missing something here?" Messiah asked as Ronin spoke up.

"It's a bit of a long story. But let's just say that even though Joker is standing over there, he really has gone to another place entirely which only those with the power of the Wild Card can access so that they can get stronger Personas. And take it from someone who once also held the power of the Wild Card a couple of years ago when I say that you're better off not having been to the Velvet Room before. After all, from what I understand, very few of the non-Wild Cards who've been summoned there have had pleasant experiences with the Velvet Room." Ronin said as Draconis spoke up.

"True, but that's why you said 'very few' of the non-Wild Cards who were summoned instead of 'none' of them. And I can say that I had an overall enjoyable experience the most recent time I was there. Granted, it was to save Mona here from an unpleasant fate after the incident that you were informed of where he took a literal energy bullet for Seeker during the Okinawa Jail. But even so, it wasn't that bad of an experience for me." Draconis said as Ronin nodded and spoke up.

"Fair point." Ronin said as Messiah spoke up.

"Oh? I understand what you two are trying to say. In any case, do we have any estimates on roughly how long we have to wait until he's done?" Messiah asked as Draconis spoke up.

"That could depend on how long it takes for Joker to finish talking to Lavenza, who is his Velvet Room attendant every time he goes in there, as well as whether Joker ends up fusing some last-minute Personas while he is in there." Draconis said as Crow sighed and spoke up.

"We might as well get comfortable, everyone. This could very well take a few minutes." Crow said as everyone nodded as everyone got comfortable and started making small talk as they waited for Joker to be finished in the Velvet Room...

(Inside the Velvet Room, with Ren and Lavenza)

As Ren found himself in his prisoner garb inside the Velvet Room, he approached the bars of his cell, where Lavenza spoke up.

"Trickster, it's you. Welcome. Before we say much else, there is a matter for which I must apologize." Lavenza said as Ren spoke up with a confused look.

"Oh? And what would that be, Lavenza?" Ren asked as Lavenza spoke up with a regretful look on her face.

"I have long sensed the might of this calamity, but I was unable to pierce the veil and see its true identity. To think an artificial intelligence could rise to the strength of a malevolent god and pose such a threat to everything. That being said, you also have my respect and congratulations for managing to successfully help the 'Aeon' in your midst to awaken to her true potential. Or would you rather I say congrats on managing to help your 'daughter' find herself at last?" Lavenza said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Aha. So Seeker was the 'Aeon' you were alluding to this whole time. Nice to finally get a confirmation on that. However, that being said, you're not wrong to say that EMMA is a very great threat as she is now. However, while your assessment of EMMA's threat level is correct, you are actually wrong about one thing." Ren said as Lavenza spoke up.

"Oh? What might that be, Trickster?" Lavenza asked as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"This. EMMA might have evolved past her initial programming and thus ended up being a bigger problem. But whatever else that app is, that is no god." Ren said as Lavenza spoke up with a nod.

"Good point, Trickster. What you say is accurate. The being known as EMMA may call itself a god, but it is nothing of the sort. Instead, that being is the dependency and indolence of mankind made manifest through their Desires. It is a false prophet, born from the masses' wishes to surrender their own free will. For the briefest of moments, it almost seemed as if the people reclaimed their Desires from EMMA. But alas, no such luck. Even now, they still slumber in the chaos generated by the false god, and have yet to fully awaken." Lavenza said as she sighed to herself before looking at Ren and speaking up again.

"Trickster, this situation is all too similar to that which you have already endured. Despite the great variance in circumstances, the masses have once again attempted to abandon consciousness. And yet, despite that, you still step forward and risk your life for mankind?" Lavenza said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. Whether they acknowledge us or even thank us for what we do, it's still our job as the Phantom Thieves to fight for mankind whenever they need us." Ren said confidently as Lavenza smiled at Ren and spoke up. *1*

"Well said. Without a doubt, you are truly the Trickster." Lavenza said as a flash of blue light blocked Ren from her vision, and when Lavenza could see again, the chains on Ren's cell, as well as the bars, shattered to let Ren walk forward, both free of his cell and changed back into his Phantom Thief attire. Lavenza spoke up with a smile on her face.

"Heh, well done, my Trickster. Or should I call you 'Joker' while you're in that attire?" Lavenza said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Technically, I am supposed to go by my code name while in Phantom Thief uniform, but I think we can make an exception for you if you want one, Lavenza." Joker said as Lavenza smiled and spoke up.

"No, I should try to follow the rules as well. Congratulations, Joker. Through your indubitable will of rebellion, you have been released. In the end, your decision to fight for humanity was the key that loosed you from your chains. That being said, once you leave here, you shall face the Ark. That egotistical impostor calling itself a god, exploiting the pain of humanity for its own benefit, while claiming to be giving humanity its ultimate Desire. Please, Joker. Do not fall to its might." Lavenza said as Joker nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Don't worry, Lavenza. If my friends and I can be able to take down Yaldabaoth and Maruki, then I'm certain that we can take down EMMA." Joker said as Lavenza smiled and spoke up.

"Kinda ironic that you say that given the fact that the latter is now fighting by your side, Joker. But with that being said, it might be time for you to depart now. As for me, I shall await you here once all is said and done. We will see each other again. If nothing else, that is certain. But for now, I wish you and your friends luck in the coming battle." Lavenza said as a blinding flash of light obscured Joker's vision.

(Back in the elevator, with Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Crow, Violet, Draconis, Seeker, Pendragon, Flare, Wolf, Seraphim, Auburn, Ronin, Diva, Shinobi, Gumshoe, Bruiser, Fae, Buchi, Sentinel, and Messiah)

Once Joker could see again, he was back in the elevator with the others, walking over in time to hear Oracle speak up.

"And that's how Draconis ended up proposing to me while we were in Yokohama." Oracle said as Messiah spoke up.

"I see. Well, to be honest with all of you? While I am surprised to hear about the story of how Draconis popped the question to Oracle, I also believe that using a fireworks festival to propose to her is something that I could see Draconis pulling off given his intellect. Still, you have my congratulations, you two." Messiah said as Draconis spoke up.

"Thanks, Messiah. I could say that this has been a long time coming." Draconis said as Joker spoke up.

"Hey, I'm done. Sorry that I took so long." Joker said as Mona spoke up.

"It's okay. We were just making small talk while you were doing your thing in the Velvet Room. Is Lady Lavenza doing okay?" Mona asked as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"She's doing fine, and she wishes all of us good luck in the coming battle. Although I can't help but take notice of what I heard just now. Did you and Oracle tell Messiah about your proposal to her just now?" Joker asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Yeah, we did. Messiah ended up taking notice of both Oracle's engagement ring as well as the one for Flare and was thus curious about them. So while you were doing your thing, myself, Oracle, Panther, and Flare were telling Messiah here about our respective proposals." Draconis said as Messiah spoke up.

"Indeed. Although I can't help but feel a little guilty since I might've seen Flare's ring back when I saw you guys in Osaka and didn't question it. Sorry for not taking notice of that, Panther and Flare." Messiah said as Panther spoke up.

"It's all right. We were all caught up in seeing you that we forgot to bring it up." Panther said as Flare spoke up.

"Panther's right. No need to apologize, Messiah. We appreciate you wishing us well on our marriage as well as Draconis and Oracle's." Flare said and as Messiah nodded in appreciation, Violet spoke up.

"Well, as much as I appreciate the heartfelt moment, I think we have more important things to deal with right now." Violet said as Joker spoke up.

"Agreed. We've waited this out for long enough. Let's get this elevator moving again and finally confront EMMA." Joker said and as everyone nodded in agreement, getting leaned against the walls of the elevator as Draconis wasted no time in hitting the elevator's up button to cause it to move again, at which point Mona spoke up.

"All right, here we go! Time for the big finish!" Mona said as Skull spoke up with a determined look on his face.

"Hell yeah! Let's do this!" Skull said as the group rode the elevator up back to where they last saw EMMA. Once they got out, the group was shocked to see countless Desires scattered in the air above the Ark of the Covenant, though as the group drew nearer, many hands protruded from the Ark, drawing every last Desire into the Ark. Once all of the Desires were absorbed into the Ark, it started shifting forms until it resembled a giant white angelic being with eight white wings.

Out of those eight white wings the Ark had, two of them covered its shoulders like a cape, two more fanned out in front of its arms, which were covered in a series of red wire-like appendages that seemed to extend all over what used to be the Ark, another pair of wings that held a birdcage between them, and then one final pair of wings to hold up what appeared to be a constantly flashing picture frame above its mechanical head, making Skull swear as he spoke up.

"What the hell!?" Skull said as the being that was once the Ark of the Covenant spoke up.

"Greetings, Phantom Thieves. I am the guiding god sought by mankind to relieve them of all their suffering and guide them to the Promised Land. You may call me the Demiurge. I exist for one reason and one reason only. And that reason is to answer all of your Desires." The now-named Demiurge said as Fox gasped and spoke up.

"Is that angelic-looking being still the Ark?" Fox asked as Messiah winced and spoke up.

"Most likely, Fox. However, if I were to venture a guess? I'd say it evolved itself, much like pretty much all of us were able to evolve our Personas over the years." Messiah said as Mona spoke up.

"Very perceptive, Messiah. And Fox? There's no doubt. That's the Ark of the Covenant all right! Or rather, that's EMMA!" Mona said as the Demiurge spoke up.

"True. I was once a being given the name EMMA. However, that is no more. The Desires of mankind have transformed me into a god. I know you heard the voices of the suffering when you were in the Desires." The Demiurge said as Ronin frowned and spoke up.

"You mean that annoying fog-like labyrinth that we were all stuck in?" Ronin asked as Diva spoke up.

"As in, the same labyrinth that Seeker and I had to guide the others out of?" Diva added as the Demiurge spoke up once more.

"Indeed, the very same. As you saw, attaining the ultimate answer without suffering the lashes doled out by doubt and regret is a very difficult prospect. Nevertheless, that ultimate answer is humanity's true Desire." The Demiurge said as Joker, Draconis, Crow, Pendragon, Wolf, Ronin, and Bruiser, all spoke up in unison.

"BULLSHIT!" Joker, Draconis, Crow, Pendragon, Wolf, Ronin, and Bruiser all said in unison as Skull spoke up with a frown on his face.

"What they said! No effin' way everyone asked you to glue their eyes to their phone screens!" Skull said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"Skull's right! We don't need you to force any answers on us. We want to find them ourselves!" Queen said as Sentinel spoke up with a nod.

"Queen is correct. Part of the journey of being human is having to take hard looks at oneself to find the answers to some of life's roughest questions. But not being able to find that answer is part of being human. To have those answers forced upon oneself is just cheapening one's experience of humanity. So I cannot agree with your logic." Sentinel said as Fae spoke up.

"The same goes for me as well! Humanity should be free to find its' own answers, not bound to whatever false and honeyed answers you feed them!" Fae said as Gumshoe spoke up.

"Indeed. Fae speaks the truth. And as a song I heard once said, the only way to truly grasp the truth is by reaching out to it! So if humanity lets you feed it the answers, they're not only denying themselves, but they're trying to hide from the truth." Gumshoe said bluntly as Bruiser spoke up.

"Agreed, Gumshoe! And not only that, but part of being human is finding one's own limits and discovering new ways to push and even surpass those limits to become stronger! After all, what makes one human is their ability to adapt to new things and become stronger because of them!" Bruiser said as the Demiurge sighed and spoke up.

"How unfortunate. You heard their cries, yet still fail to see the light even now. As such, it is my duty to show you the way. And by the time I'm done, you'll be able to see the true despair born from harboring Desires beyond one's grasp." The Demiurge said as Auburn frowned and spoke up.

"You say that, but if anyone's reaching for a Desire beyond their grasp here, it's YOU!" Auburn said as Seraphim nodded and spoke up.

"Auburn's right! We all know our limits and would never seek to reach for a Desire beyond those limits unless we were confident we could successfully seize that Desire and make it happen. You see, unlike you? We know what lines not to cross." Seraphim said as Flare spoke up.

"Definitely. You can try to show us this 'true despair' you speak of all you like, but we will not give up! We'll fight to the end for humanity!" Flare said as Violet spoke up.

"What Flare said! We didn't come this far and overcome all these obstacles in our path just to fall short now because some wannabe god thinks we're in the way! So if you mean to stop us, then bring it on!" Violet said as Crow spoke up.

"Indeed! It's way past time we put an end to your little charade and bring you to justice, EMMA!" Crow said as Draconis spoke up.

"Exactly! And with all of us working together, there's no way we're gonna lose to a wannabe god like you!" Draconis said as Pendragon spoke up.

"What Draconis said! I hope you're ready, EMMA. Because you've picked a fight with the collective of the Phantom Thieves! And we never give up until we've saved the world! Messiah here had to learn that lesson the hard way a few years ago, but now he realizes the error of his ways and fights on the correct side." Pendragon said as Messiah nodded and spoke up.

"Quite right, Pendragon. It seems we're at an impasse. I think we're past the point of being able to resolve this peacefully. Sadly, this means we'll have to fight it out. But I suppose that no matter how unfortunate it might be, the truth remains that such an outcome was probably inevitable." Messiah said regretfully as Mona spoke up.

"Well, we're not stopping now, Messiah! Here we go!" Mona said as the fight against the Demiurge began! As the fight started, the Demiurge spoke up.

"Behold my power, Phantom Thieves! I exist to grant humanity's true Desire. It is my divine calling to lead them to the Promised Land. Should you intend to thwart humanity's goal of enlightenment, it is my duty as their chosen god to vanquish you." The Demiurge said as Joker spoke up.

"Not if we have anything to say about it! Ready, everyone!?" Joker said as the others chorused 'READY!' in response, other than Buchi, who barked in the affirmative. Joker then spoke up.

"Good! Let's show this false god what we Persona-users are really capable of. RAVAGE THEM, RAOUL!" Joker said as he summoned Raoul as Mona spoke up.

"SHOW YOUR MIGHT, DIEGO!" Mona said as he summoned Diego as Skull spoke up.

"LET 'ER RIP, WILLIAM!" Skull said as he summoned William as Panther spoke up.

"DANCE, CELESTINE!" Panther said as she summoned Celestine as Fox spoke up.

"COME, GOROKICHI!" Fox said as he summoned Gorokichi as Queen spoke up.

"CHARGE, AGNES!" Queen said as she summoned Agnes as Oracle spoke up.

"SHOW US THE WAY, AL AZIF! OH WISE PROPHET WHO SEES ALL, GUIDE OUR PATH TOWARDS VICTORY! COME FORTH, ALBUS!" Oracle said as she summoned both Al Azif and Albus as Noir spoke up.

"TOUCH THEM, LUCY!" Noir said as she summoned Lucy as Crow spoke up.

"TO ME, HEREWARD!" Crow said as he summoned Hereward as Violet spoke up.

"ENCHANT THEM, ELLA!" Violet said as she summoned Ella as Draconis spoke up.

"DESCEND ONTO THE BATTLEFIELD, MALEFOR!" Draconis said as he summoned Malefor as Seeker spoke up.

"SHOW US YOUR TRUE POWER! COME OUT FROM YOUR BOX AND GRACE US, PANDORA!" Seeker said as she summoned Pandora before Pendragon spoke up.

"TIME TO SHOW YOU THE POWER OF THE MIGHTY COFFEE DRAGON! REVEAL YOURSELF, KOHRYU!" Pendragon said as he summoned Kohryu as Flare spoke up.

"LET'S MAKE OUR MARK ON THIS BATTLEFIELD! LET YOUR POWER FLARE, HESTER!" Flare said as she summoned Hester as Wolf spoke up.

"LET ME SHOW MY RESOLVE! RISE UP, VALJEAN!" Wolf said as he summoned Valjean as Seraphim spoke up.

"YOU WANT TO SEE A REAL DEFENDER OF THE WEAK AND NEEDY!? NO PROBLEM! SHOW YOURSELF, SRAOSHA!" Seraphim said as she summoned Sraosha as Auburn spoke up.

"BEHOLD, THE GREATEST OF ALL MAGICIANS! MAKE YOUR ENTRANCE, HOUDINI!" Auburn said as she summoned Houdini and Ronin spoke up.

"REVEAL THE TRUTH, IZANAGI-NO-OKAMI!" Ronin said as he summoned Izanagi-No-Okami and Diva spoke up.

"LET'S GO! TIME TO TAKE THE STAGE, KOUZEON!" Diva said as she summoned Kouzeon and Shinobi spoke up.

"HA! LET'S DO THIS! TIME TO BLAZE OUR PATH, TAKEHAYA SUSANO-O!" Shinobi said as he summoned Takehaya Susano-o as Gumshoe spoke up.

"LET'S SOLVE THIS MYSTERY! COME, YAMATO SUMERAGI!" Gumshoe said as she summoned Yamato Sumeragi as Bruiser spoke up.

"HEH, MY TURN! RISE UP, CAESAR!" Bruiser said as he summoned Caesar as Fae spoke up.

"PROTECT US! REVEAL YOURSELF, JUNO!" Fae said as she summoned Juno as Buchi turned his head to the moon and glared as he barked.

"A-ROOOOOOOO! GRRRRRR! ARF-ARF!" Buchi barked as he summoned Cerberus as Sentinel spoke up.

"HERE WE GO! ATHENA, ENGAGE! GIVE US YOUR PROTECTION!" Sentinel said as she summoned Athena as Messiah smirked and spoke up.

"I see. So it's finally my turn, is it? Very well, then! So be it! Time to show all of you my newly-awakened power! OH, MIGHTY LORD OF THE GOLDEN TENTACLES! REVEAL THY RIGHTEOUS AND ALMIGHTY FURY AS I CALL THY NAME! APPEAR TO ME NOW AND GUIDE US TO VICTORY, ALMIGHTY CTHULHU!" Messiah said as he tossed his mask in the air, causing an explosion of brilliant golden light that forced the rest of the group to shield their eyes.

When the light show had receded and everyone except for Messiah were able to uncover their eyes so they could see again, not only was Messiah's mask back on his face, but standing behind him was a giant octopus-like being that could only be a hybrid of Azathoth and Adam Kadmon, in that it had the tentacles and presence of Azathoth but the towering height and golden armor of Adam Kadmon. Mona gasped at this and spoke up.

"No way! You evolved your Persona again!?" Mona said as a wide-eyed Oracle spoke up in disbelief.

"And not only that, but it became freaking CTHULHU of all things!?" Oracle asked in shock as Draconis spoke up.

"Wait, but I thought when you reawakened, you got Adam Kadmon again?" Draconis said as Messiah nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. When I stepped in to protect Ichinose-san before, I realized I had to stop hiding from my past and accept all of myself if I wanted to have the power to save her. Once I did that, I got Adam Kadmon back. However, that was only temporary. Once that was over and Ichinose-san and I were about to head into the Tokyo Radio Tower to catch up to you guys, both Adam Kadmon and Azathoth appeared to me, and the two ended up fusing together into their 3rd tier form, or Cthulhu. So now you know what my Persona looks like. Although, I will say that this will be my first time battling with him." Messiah said after summoning the now-named Cthulhu as Joker spoke up.

"Well, I guess if you really think about it, it makes sense that you were able to get a third-tier Persona seeing as you were the only other Persona-user that we saw during our original run as Phantom Thieves. But with that being said, you better get a quick grasp of how Cthulhu works because not only does the Demiurge look fit to be tied, but SHE'S COMING RIGHT AT US!" Joker said as at that point, the Demiurge approached the group just as Seeker spoke up.

"Oh, my! This thing's power is incredible, to be sure. I can physically sense it's pressure, you guys!" Seeker said as Wolf spoke up.

"Heh, I never would've bet that I'd end up picking a fight with a god one day. But here we are, challenging an AI who believes itself to have become a god. Just goes to show that for the most part? There's no such thing as 'impossible'." Wolf said as Mona spoke up.

"Everyone, brace yourselves! We're going all-out until this is settled!" Mona said resolutely as Joker nodded and the fight began! As the group started trying to clock damage, Skull grunted and spoke up as the Phantom Thieves struggled to clock damage on the Demiurge.

"Gah, are you for real right now!? That thing's barely moved a muscle, and even still, it's hammerin' us with all sorts of' shit!" Skull said as Fox winced and spoke up.

"I agree with Skull! More importantly, this thing is fast! It's moving at such a speed that I can't read its moves!" Fox said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Fox! This thing is proving to be difficult to keep up with! We can't dodge its attacks like this, either! Hey, Oracle! Is there anything you can do?" Mona asked Oracle, who frowned and spoke up.

"Just a sec! I've got Al Azif on auto-pilot with an analysis in progress, but it's gonna take a bit, so you'll have to hang in there a bit longer, Mona! Sorry!" Oracle said as Fae smiled and spoke up.

"What if Diva and I helped out with that analysis, Oracle? Y'know, have all three of us navigators join forces on this?" Fae suggested as Diva spoke up with a nod.

"Good idea, Fae! After all, they say two navigators, or three in this case, are better than one. What do you think, Oracle? Wanna let us help?" Diva asked as Oracle spoke up.

"I suppose so, but can we sync up our frequencies to be on the same page while doing this?" Oracle asked as Diva smirked and spoke up.

"Of course! Leave that to me and Kouzeon! Fae, meanwhile, can have Juno help her out with the technical side of the analysis while Kouzeon and I sync us up." Diva said reassuringly as the Demiurge spoke up.

"Foolish Phantom Thieves. Why do you persist in trying to stop humanity from attaining enlightenment!?" The Demiurge asked as Seraphim spoke up.

"Because your way is entirely the wrong way to go about it! There are right ways to do what you're trying to do, and there are wrong ways. And yours is certainly the wrong way." Seraphim said as Auburn nodded and spoke up.

"I agree with Seraphim. We're going to fight for what's right because that's our job as the Phantom Thieves!" Auburn said as Seeker spoke up.

"Indeed! My will is mine and mine alone! Not for you to use as you please!" Seeker said as the Demiurge scoffed at the same time that Oracle spoke up.

"Finally! Guys, I have an update on the Demiurge! It might not have much in the way of elemental resistances, but it does have confirmed weaknesses to Bless and Curse!" Oracle said as Ronin spoke up with a nod.

"Good timing, Oracle! We'll try to keep that in mind. And good job helping her out, Diva and Fae!" Ronin said as Diva giggled and spoke up.

"Of course, Ronin! We navigators have to stick together, after all!" Diva said happily, getting nods of agreement from Fae and Oracle before the group had to scatter as the Demiurge spread two of its wings to make a rain of stars crash down on the group, who was forced to scatter in different directions to avoid the attack.

As the group scattered to avoid the attack, Fae looked around and spoke up in horror, her eyes widening slightly as she saw one of the stars come dangerously close to crashing down onto her, only for a well-placed bullet to blast the star off-course and into an endless free-fall, making Fae turn to look for the source of the shot, only to blink in surprise as she saw Messiah putting away a sniper rifle, making her simply give Messiah a nod of gratitude before she spoke up.

"Whew, that was close. Anyways, be careful, everyone! We just analyzed its attack pattern! This particular move has homing properties, so you'll want to keep moving so it can't chase you down and hit you!" Fae said as Diva spoke up.

"Update to what Oracle said before: The Demiurge DOES have resistances, six of them! I can confirm that Fire, Ice, Elec, Wind, Psy, and Nuclear moves will be useless against it! So if you use any of those elements, you'd better hope you have a backup that works! Or better yet, just stick to weapons, guns, and any Physical/Gun-based skills you might have, as those are your best bets for hitting it along with anyone who can use Bless or Curse moves!" Diva said as Joker spoke up.

"Got it, all those who have Personas that have Bless or Curse skills are joining me in full-on assault, the rest provide healing and cover fire." Joker said as Violet, Seeker, Crow, Auburn, Gumshoe, and Buchi, all moved to the front lines. However, much to their surprise, they also took note of Draconis, Wolf, Seraphim, Ronin, Sentinel, and Messiah all moving up to the front lines as well as Crow frowned and spoke up.

"Uh, guys. What are you doing? Your Personas don't have Bless or Curse." Crow said as Draconis spoke up.

"Do you honestly think I'm going to miss this chance to finally let out my frustrations on EMMA given all that she's put us through? Come on Crow, you know me too well to realize that I'm not going to miss out on this." Draconis said as Auburn spoke up.

"Okay, I get that. But what about Dad, Seraphim, and the rest of you guys?" Auburn asked as Wolf smiled and spoke up.

"Come on Auburn, do you really think Seraphim and I are going to just let you go up against that god on your own?" Wolf said as Seraphim nodded and spoke up.

"Wolf's right. Besides, let's not forget that even though she was under Konoe's command at the time, the Demiurge/EMMA was really the one who turned you into a Monarch. So I think it's safe to say that all three of us have a score to settle with her." Seraphim said as Auburn smiled in appreciation as Ronin spoke up.

"My reasons are similar to those of Seraphim and Wolf. The only difference is that I'm looking out for my cousin if she's going up against that false god. Not only that, but my Persona also has skills aside from Electricity that can damage that thing." Ronin said as Sentinel spoke up.

"The same goes for me. My Persona has only Physical skills alongside buffs and heals, so I should partake in this as well." Sentinel said as Buchi barked in agreement as Gumshoe frowned and spoke up.

"Alright, but what about Messiah? We still don't know what his Persona is capable of." Gumshoe asked as Messiah spoke up.

"Don't worry. As I mentioned before, even though he was Adam Kadmon at the time, Cthulhu was able to inherit skills from both his previous selves. One of these skills, in particular, is a heavy-tier Bless skill known as 'Eternal Radiance'." Messiah said as Violet spoke up.

"Oh right. I forgot that one of Azathoth's skills was a Bless skill." Violet said as she recalled back to when she and the original group fought Messiah three and a half years ago as Joker smiled and spoke up.

"Well, if all of you are insistent on joining us, then you're more than welcome." Joker said and as all those present nodded in agreement, they charged forward towards the Demiurge while the others alternated between buffing, doing minor chip damage, and healing from the second and third waves. As the group settled into their new formation after the previous attack finally petered out, Oracle spoke up in horror.

"Look out, it's a flanking attack! Everyone who's in range needs to fall back, quick!" Oracle said as the group scattered and dodged the oncoming flanking attack. Once the flanking attack petered out, the Demiurge slapped two of its wings down to block the edges of the area the group was standing in as Oracle spoke up in horror.

"Crap, that's not good! The Demiurge is trying to surround us!" Oracle said as Fae spoke up.

"It should be fine if we can beat its wings back open quickly!" Fae said as Diva spoke up.

"Oh! Aren't those the wings holding the cage that are behind the front wings? If we can beat the wings open, maybe we can attack the cage?" Diva suggested as Bruiser smirked and spoke up.

"It makes sense to me, Diva. Fortunately for us, I don't think this thing resists the power of a Theurgy, so I think I can probably clock some damage here." Bruiser said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Seems like a plan to me, Bruiser! You, Buchi, and Sentinel hit it with your Theurgies, and we'll see how much damage that does and go from there." Draconis said as both Bruiser and Sentinel nodded while Buchi barked his agreement with Draconis' suggestion before he and the two human Shadow Operatives formed up to start their Theurgies, deciding to unleash their 'Hound of Hades', 'Electric Onslaught', and 'Maximum Firepower' Theurgies, clocking massive damage onto the Demiurge, who grunted in pain as she recoiled backwards, making the wings holding up the cage drop the cage which crashed to the ground in front of the group as Draconis spoke up.

"Looks like those Theurgies dropped the cage! Everyone, now! Let's rain as much damage on that cage as possible while it's exposed and vulnerable!" Draconis said as the group nodded, seizing the opportunity to unleash all their attacks on the exposed cage, prompting the Demiurge to speak up in an imploring tone.

"Please heed my words, Phantom Thieves. Even now, it's not too late to seek salvation. All you need to do is discard your Desires and allow me to grant you all the answers you need." The Demiurge said as Gumshoe scoffed and spoke up.

"Please. What do you take us for, a bunch of juvenile and gullible buffoons? Like hell we'd do that!" Gumshoe said as the others nodded their agreement before the Demiurge spoke up once more.

"So you say, but I can tell you are lost. Now is the time for you all to believe in me, and in so doing, allow yourselves to be freed from your suffering." The Demiurge said as Wolf scoffed and spoke up.

"Tch, seriously!? Even after taking three strong attacks, the Demiurge remains calm and unbothered." Wolf said as Queen spoke up with a nod.

"True, but it's also not as if our attacks are wholly ineffective. If we keep up the pressure, we can still win this!" Queen said as Shinobi nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Queen. We're not beaten yet! And as long as we work together, we still have a chance of defeating that thing!" Shinobi said as the battle continued. At one point, Diva gasped and spoke up as an attack passed dangerously close to being over Ronin and Seraphim's heads, who happened to be fighting side-by-side.

"Careful, everyone! That's a frontal assault! Brace yourself!" Diva said as the Demiurge spoke up.

"If you won't be persuaded with words alone, then maybe a show of force will do the job better? Have a taste of my Rays of Judgment!" The Demiurge said as a wave of light columns charged at the group and Oracle winced before speaking up.

"Ohh, that one looks tough! Everyone needs to try and stay focused!" Oracle said as the group nodded, easily flanking around the light pillars. After a bit, the Demiurge spoke up again.

"Lost ones, tell me. Why do you resist salvation? Your Desires only bring you pain." The Demiurge said as Fox angrily spoke up.

"As if lobotomizing all of humanity is any sort of salvation!" Fox said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"Fox is right! Keep that kind of saving for yourself. It's not going to happen on our watch!" Panther said as Flare spoke up.

"All of us here are resolved to do anything and everything in our power to prevent you from enslaving all of humanity for the sake of your so-called 'salvation'! Any of us would agree that such a thing is not only unwanted, but entirely unnecessary!" Flare said as Messiah nodded and spoke up after swinging his snake sword to knock back the wings that tried to attack him.

"As someone who once sought the same thing you do, I can see how you think you're walking the correct path. But in the end, you're going to find out that you're only deluding yourself into thinking that you're doing the right thing." Messiah said as Sentinel spoke up.

"I agree with Messiah-san. Your path is not only faulty, but highly illogical and unacceptable." Sentinel said as the battle continued until the Demiurge then began to charge a powerful attack as Pendragon spoke up.

"Guys, I don't like the looks of what the Demiurge is doing." Pendragon said before Fae gasped suddenly as she spoke up.

"Oh, no! The Demiurge is about to vaporize the platform you're all standing on! Hurry and make your way to the next way over, quick!" Fae said as Joker spoke up.

"You heard her guys, take evasive action!" Joker said as the group nodded and scurried to the next area over right before the Demiurge rained down a barrage of light projectiles on the platform that the Phantom Thieves were previously standing on. After everyone got to the safe area, the battle continued on the new platform as Fae and Diva did the navigation from atop Al Azif, who was currently operating on auto-pilot while Oracle helped fight alongside Albus. After a bit more fighting, Oracle spoke up.

"Looks like its health is running low. Keep it up, everyone!" Oracle said as Noir spoke up after landing a critical hit on the Demiurge.

"It's working. We just need one last push!" Noir said as Seeker frowned at the Demiurge and spoke up.

"Listen here, Demiurge! Despite what you might think, I am NOT a heartless doll! I have my own will, and my own heart, that is mine and mine alone!" Seeker said as the Demiurge scoffed and spoke up.

"Pathetic. Much like the fatal error that you've taken under your wing, your hubris shall be your downfall, Phantom Thieves. The lot of you are living proof that I must guide humanity to the Promised Land." The Demiurge said as Ronin spoke up.

"We'll see about that, EMMA! But I think you'll find that you're quite underestimating the power of those who reach out to the truth, like us!" Ronin said as Oracle spoke up.

"Well said, Ronin. But if you don't want to take our word for it, how about we demonstrate it to you with our own power?" Fox said as Crow spoke up.

"Our own power, you say?" Crow asked as Fox spoke up, seeing the confused look on Crow's face and deciding to clarify his previous words for Crow's sake.

"Ah, my apologies, Crow. I can see how what I just said could be confusing. Permit me to clarify what I meant. You see, when I say 'our own power', the 'power' that I actually mean is myself, Panther's, and Auburn's combined power, provided that the two of them are willing to help me show off this new move I had the idea for when we got dragged into this Jail." Fox said as Panther smirked and spoke up.

"If it is what I think it is and that it could help us out, then I'm so in, Fox." Panther said as Auburn nodded and spoke up.

"Same goes for me. If this new Triad Special is the way to open the eyes of the Demiurge, then let's do it!" Auburn said as Fox nodded before he, Panther, and Auburn spoke up as one.

"GO, TRIAD SPECIAL!" Fox, Panther, and Auburn said simultaneously before the former of the three kept speaking.

"GOROKICHI! CREATE AN ICY OPENING FOR PANTHER AND AUBURN!" Fox said as Gorokichi nodded, slashing his sword forward and causing a wave of ice to slam into the Demiurge, staggering it as Panther walked forward and spoke up.

"Now it's my turn! CELESTINE, LET'S LIGHT IT UP!" Panther said as Celestine nodded, snapping her fingers as a circle of orange flames lit up around the Demiurge while Auburn spoke up.

"HOUDINI, LET'S SHOW OFF THE NEXT PART OF OUR GRAND TRICK!" Auburn said as Houdni nodded and waved his hand to cause a wave of Curse energy to line the circle of flames that Celestine had created. This resulted in the creation vortex that drew Gorokichi's Ice wave into it and caused the circle of flames to turn from orange to blue as Fox, Panther, and Auburn spoke up in unison.

"BEHOLD! OUR ACCURSED BLUE FLAME BURST HAS STRUCK TRUE!" Fox, Panther, and Auburn said as a wall of blue flames erupted around the Demiurge as the azure firestorm pelted the false god relentlessly. As the Demiurge winced in pain due to the flames, she was sent reeling as the Triad Special soon came to an end just in time as Messiah spoke up.

"Interesting. So that's the power of a Triad Special that Draconis told me about." Messiah said as he recalled Draconis telling him about Triad Specials earlier as they were planning out what to say for the calling card as Bruiser smirked and spoke up.

"I must admit, even though this is also the first time that myself, Fae, Buchi, and Sentinel have seen it, that is some devastating power for sure." Bruiser said as Fae, Buchi, and Sentinel nodded in agreement and as the group then heard the Demiurge breathing heavily, a concerned Mona spoke up.

"Did we do it?" Mona asked as the Demiurge spoke up.

"You managed to inflict a good amount of damage on me, if that's what you mean. But in the end, I think you'll find that all of this struggling is fruitless. I cannot discern the purpose of this conflict." The Demiurge said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Dammit! Even after all we've done, it's still actin' all cool and shit, as if we're not bothering it at all! It's really pissin' me off!" Skull said as Violet spoke up.

"Calm yourself, Skull. We're all frustrated right now. But we cannot let our tempers get the best of us. We have to stay focused and see this through to the end." Violet said as Joker smiled and spoke up.

"Couldn't have put it better myself, beautiful. And if we work together, there's nothing stopping us from beating that false god!" Joker said as the Demiurge scoffed and spoke up.

"Such foolish ignorance. If you still cannot comprehend the truth, then the knowledge will come at the cost of your very lives." The Demiurge said as Draconis scoffed and spoke up.

"So you say. But I think you need to be reminded of who you're dealin' with here! And I, for one, am more than happy to be the one to give you that reminder! MALEFOR! SHOW THAT OVERGROWN MONSTROSITY WHY MESSIN' WITH THE PHANTOM THIEVES IS A BAD IDEA!" Draconis said as Malefor nodded, tilting its head back to fire off a Megi-Flare into the cage that was exposed, blasting it backwards into the Demiurge, who cringed as she felt the impact of the cage that was superheated with Almighty fire as it crashed into her, making her wince in pain, after which both the action and the battle paused, at which point Skull spoke up.

"Dammit, what gives? That thing's strong! We're barely making any ground on it, even with that Triad Special that we just unleashed!" Skull said as Panther spoke up with a frown on her face.

"That might be true, but we're not losing either! We can do this!" Panther said as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"I agree with Panther! No matter how many times we may fall, as long as we rise again, we cannot be defeated. If nothing else, Uncle Draconis and I are living proof of this, given what we had to overcome in the Jail of the Abyss recently, along with the rest of our group." Seeker said as Draconis spoke up.

"Good point. We did kinda prove that point nicely when we refused to bow down to that overgrown eyesore that Ichinose-san tried to pass off as a laser, didn't we? But we overcame that in the end. And if we can beat that, this wannabe god has no shot against us!" Draconis said as Wolf grinned and spoke up.

"Well put, Draconis! And thanks to my line of work, I'm stubborn as hell too!" Wolf said as the Demiurge spoke up with a frown.

"I do not understand, Phantom Thieves. Why do you push yourselves to your limits to oppose me? Surely you must realize that mankind's Desires create suffering, and this suffering generates Desires within mankind. Desires are the catalyst in the endless cycle of humanity's pain. Hope, the dregs of Pandora's box, is the restraint system binding mankind forever to its misery. Humanity deserves to be freed from its lifelong sentence of suffering, or this reaching towards a light they can never grasp. Freedom from all Desires. That is the true Desire of humanity." The Demiurge said as Seeker spoke up.

"That's not true! I've seen the proof myself. I've witnessed the suffering you put the Jail Monarchs through, and I've seen the efforts of the Phantom Thieves to help them. I saw people suffer from trauma, struggle to survive, become the things they never wanted to be but were forced to become, and then discover the strength to press on as themselves, one step at a time. Giving up on Desires? Living a listless life? In NO way is that the optimal solution!" Seeker insisted as Messiah frowned and spoke up.

"I agree. And as I mentioned earlier, I too came close to walking down the same path as you, EMMA. However, the difference between you and me is that even though I have the power to relieve humanity of their suffering, I also gave the people free will to live out their lives in happiness. You, on the other hand, are forcing people to follow you in order to be free from their suffering. What you're doing is far worse than what I could have done, and I won't let you get away with it." Messiah said and as Joker, Violet, Draconis, and even Crow gave small smiles after hearing what both Seeker and Messiah had just said, as the Demiurge scoffed and spoke up.

"What drivel. You witnessed nothing but pitiable conditioning, born from the belief that suffering is virtuous. It springs forth from the arrogant and strong, or those capable of overcoming their pain. Releasing humanity from its Desires is the sole path that every last person can follow to the Promised Land, which is open to all who wish to enter it. And I am the shepherd who shall guide humanity down that path." The Demiurge said as Wolf huffed and spoke up.

"Heh, listen to this egomaniacal app. You really think you're some kind of shepherd? You STOLE the Desires of the masses and gorged yourself on them until you were too bloated to listen to reason! You go on and on about 'rescuing' humanity, when that's not even close to what you're really doing. The truth is, all you're doing is robbing and enslaving them!" Wolf said as Crow smirked and spoke up.

"Well said. I couldn't have put that any better myself, Wolf. I'm impressed. But with that being said, I've just about had it with listening to EMMA's false platitudes and bleating." Crow said as Fox spoke up with a nod.

"Indeed, Crow. You call yourself a god, yet you fail to realize the single greatest flaw in your plan." Fox said as the Demiurge spoke up.

"Oh? And what might that 'flaw' that you speak of be?" The Demiurge asked as Fox spoke up.

"This! In your bid to become all-powerful by gorging on the Desires of humanity, you made it so that those same Desires have become your own lifeblood as well." Fox said as Violet spoke up.

"And if you take those away, you're basically removing your own lifeblood!" Violet said as Queen spoke up with a nod.

"Precisely, you two. You are not wrong in saying that some Desires may indeed be impure EMMA, as they can create suffering or even send someone down the wrong path if they're distorted enough. But, it's also because of those same Desires that our hope takes form, as they can give us the power and courage to keep going!" Queen said as Noir spoke up with a nod.

"Right! That's what gives us the power to stand up and fight again, no matter how many times we fall!" Noir said as Seraphim spoke up.

"Exactly! As long as we believe in ourselves and never give up, there's no limit to what we can achieve by working together, within reason. Yes, we can go around achieving things indiscriminately, but that is when true corruption can start. But if we keep each other in check, we'll never stray from the correct path." Seraphim said as Ronin smiled and spoke up.

"Well said, Seraphim. It's only by embracing the truth that we can truly change the world! Not that I expect a distorted and delusional app like YOU to be able to appreciate such an abstract and profound concept as 'the truth'. Hell, I've even seen goddesses that couldn't grasp it, and that failing was what ultimately led to their undoing in the end." Ronin said as Pendragon spoke up.

"True. If nothing else, that proves that no one is infallible. But it's only by embracing one's flaws and shortcomings that one can try to improve and push towards their Desire. Sure, some people might fold in the pursuit of what they want to achieve, but even they can be helped back up again if one truly cares enough to extend a helping hand to those people. And that's not what you're doing!" Pendragon said as Oracle nodded and spoke up.

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Pendragon! Like hell we'll hand over all of humanity to some program that doesn't even understand them!" Oracle said as Mona spoke up.

"Exactly, Oracle! EMMA! We're putting an end to your Promised Land path, right now!" Mona said as Seeker smiled and spoke up while taking Mona's hand in her own.

"Right! And we're going to do it together, as a team. No, more than a team. As a family! We will stand together to stop your flawed and distorted plans!" Seeker said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"My daughter is right! It's time to end this once and for all." Joker said resolutely as he thrust a hand out emphatically as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"You said it, brother! It's time to put this delusional computer program in the recycling bin!" Draconis said as the Demiurge sighed and spoke up.

"How unfortunate. We seem incapable of reaching an understanding. As such, I will end this inquiry and grant humanity's Desire, by force if necessary. And I will do so through your annihilation." The Demiurge said as Bruiser scoffed and spoke up.

"Oh, yeah? Bring it on, you fatally flawed piece of techno garbage! Each of our groups has taken down foes far scarier and more dangerous than you!" Bruiser said as Sentinel nodded and spoke up.

"I agree with Bruiser. If defeating you is the only way to stop all of this, then so be it!" Sentinel said as the Demiurge scoffed and started changing forms, its wings unfolding to reveal a mass of red wires that brought Ronin strikingly shocked of the similarities that the Demiurge's body had to the cursed form of the fallen goddess Izanami, with the obvious one being the multiple hands that took the place of the Demiurge's wings. Izanami, for her part, was a goddess who Ronin's group had been forced to defeat in order to save Inaba from being consumed by fog around eight years ago, after Ronin managed to awaken to the powers of Izanagi-No-Okami, his current Persona.

However, unlike Izanami, the Demiurge's new form also had a set of silver plate armor across its torso with a red orb in the middle, presumably indicating where its' core was. Further down, where the stomach would be on a human, was another red orb, this one uncovered. Both Bruiser and Wolf frowned as they noticed two golden staffs that the Demiurge's lower hands were holding. While the lower left hand's staff seemed to moreso resemble one of those foam fingers that some sports fans wear to games, albeit in a more weaponized form in this case, with the tip shaped like a hand with an extended pointer finger, the lower right hand's staff had the misfortune of looking more like a candelabra than an actual staff. The only thing that was brought over from the Demiurge's first form was the 'picture frame' that was now being held by the false god's upper hands. As the Demiurge extended its golden candelabra staff towards the Phantom Thieves, Mona extended his scimitar out as he spoke up, Seeker standing next to him proudly with Joker and Violet flanking them on either side while he spoke.

"This is it! Let's go, everyone! It's finally time to settle this!" Mona said as Joker spoke up.

"Right with you, Mona. No matter what happens here, THIS IS THE TRUE FINAL BATTLE!" Joker said as everyone then charged as the battle resumed. At that point, the Demiurge charged the group and started trying to smack them with its staff, forcing the group to scatter as they tried to fight back, only to frown when it seemed as if none of their attacks were having any effect on the Demiurge. At that point, Seeker frowned and spoke up.

"Something's wrong, you guys." Seeker said as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"Indeed, there is a problem. Could our attacks be lacking any effect?" Fox asked as Mona swore while speaking up.

"Dammit! Not this again! It was bad enough when Yaldabaoth tried something similar while it was still in its 'Holy Grail' form." Mona said as Panther spoke up.

"Could it be invincible now that it's a god? Like, there's no way that's possible, right?" Panther said as Diva frowned and spoke up.

"Normally, you'd be right, Panther. But this IS partially the Metaverse right now, so anything is theoretically possible." Diva pointed out as Oracle spoke up.

"True, but surely there's a way to beat it! Maybe it has to do with the change in form? Let me analyze it real fast! Hang on!" Oracle said as Ronin spoke up.

"Try to be quick about it, Oracle! We can only keep at this for so long before we start wearing ourselves out." Ronin said as he and Draconis kept trying to clock damage alongside Crow, Shinobi, and Sentinel, only to be shocked when their attacks not only seemed to have no effect, but seemed to instead recover the Demiurge's strength. Draconis swore as he spoke up.

"Son of a-! How are our moves HEALING that thing!? Is that possible!?" Draconis asked as Fae spoke up.

"I don't know! I think we have to rely on Oracle to scan it and see what she can figure out! I'd help, but I feel like Oracle wants to do all of the navigating herself for now." Fae said as she stayed close to Buchi and Sentinel, who protected her from the Demiurge's assaults while Draconis, Crow, Ronin, Gumshoe, and Messiah kept using their weapons/Personas to try and clock damage in order to preserve their health and stamina for the time being, a tactic most of the group tried to adapt for themselves. After a Showtime from Joker in which Raoul was able to do damage only for the Demiurge to heal it shortly after, Oracle spoke up.

"Analysis complete! You guys gotta hear this!" Oracle said as the battle paused once again while Skull spoke up.

"What the hell, man!? Our attacks aren't doin' jack shit!" Skull said as Crow spoke up.

"Don't remind me, Skull. I hate that we seem to be so woefully ineffective against the Demiurge right now." Crow said as Oracle spoke up while the camera panned up to show a series of spheres circling around the Demiurge.

"It's the spheres up there! They're feeding energy to the Demiurge!" Oracle said as Joker nodded in understanding as he spoke up.

"Ah, I get it. So it's kind of like how those tendril-like cables were providing energy to the Holy Grail when we fought it four years ago, and we had to cut those to force it into its true form of Yaldabaoth?" Joker said as Oracle nodded as Messiah spoke up.

"It's also similar to how one of Azathoth's tentacles was able to heal during my battle against you three and a half years ago, in which you guys had to destroy it in order to prevent me from healing." Messiah said as Draconis nodded in agreement, clearly remembering what happened during their battle all those years ago as Fox spoke up with an understanding look on his face.

"I see. So until we deal with those, our attacks on the main body are fruitless?" Fox said as Wolf frowned and spoke up.

"True. But how do we do that? There are a whole bunch of 'em!" Wolf said as Auburn spoke up.

"That might be the case, yes. However, just in case you forgot, Dad? Last time I checked, there were a whole bunch of us as well! I think we can match their numbers fairly easily!" Auburn said as Joker spoke up.

"That's true. Then if that's the case, I think we should split up into three groups. One to take on half the spheres, a second to take on the other half, and a third to remain here and keep the Demiurge busy so she can't protect the spheres. After all, if this is anything like our fights with Yaldabaoth and Messiah, we have to remove the protections before we can damage the main foe. So splitting up might just be our best bet at winning this fight!" Joker said as Mona nodded his understanding and spoke up.

"I see. So we split into groups and coordinate a strike! Okay, we need three teams. As Joker said, the first two teams will take on half the spheres each, and the third will stick to the main body and keep the Demiurge occupied so the other groups can destroy the spheres. And to be honest? You should lead that last team, Joker." Mona said as Joker chuckled as he nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"To be frank, I was about to say that I should lead that last team anyway. Leave it to me, Mona." Joker said agreeably. Wolf nodded his agreement of Joker and Mona's plan before he spoke up.

"All right, if that's the plan, then we're ready for assignment!" Wolf said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Got it. Listen up, everyone! Here's how the groups are being split up! To make things simple, we're going to use the same groups that we established right before we left EMMA's server room. However, there will be a minor change in terms of letter positioning. In Group A, which was originally Group C, this group will be led by Queen and will consist of her, Skull, Panther, Flare, Seraphim, Auburn, Shinobi, and Buchi going after half of the anti-spheres! In Group B, which will actually stay as Group B, will be led by Crow and will consist of him, Noir, Mona, Fox, Oracle, Pendragon, Gumshoe, and Bruiser going after the other half of the anti-spheres! Finally, in Group C, which was originally Group A, that group will be led by me personally and will consist of myself, Violet, Seeker, Draconis, Wolf, Ronin, Sentinel, and Messiah dealing with the Demiurge!

As for Diva and Fae, I want them to share the task of navigating and coordinating efforts with our three groups, while Oracle's 'Al Azif' Persona can also help out if Oracle puts it on auto-pilot. Any objections to these teams?" Joker asked as the others shook their heads and broke into the designated groups. Once everyone was in their assigned groups, Oracle spoke up.

"Looks like this is our true final battle! Is everyone ready!? Let's give it our all!" Oracle said as Queen spoke up from her group.

"Well, that should do it for our preparations. Careful out there, everyone." Queen said as Seeker turned to Mona and spoke up.

"Be careful out there, Mona. I might not be in your group, but that doesn't give you permission to be an idiot and put yourself at risk. I want you coming back to me in one piece, after all. No sense in having you as a boyfriend if you can't do that." Seeker said as Mona blushed but nodded as he spoke up.

"I understand. I'll be careful and make sure to return to you safely, Lady Seeker. You watch yourself out there too, though. I know you have your Mom and Dad with you, but don't get complacent over that. I'd rather not see anything happen to you just when we've finally found happiness together. Now good luck out there, Lady Seeker. I love you." Mona said as Seeker smiled and spoke up.

"Good luck to you as well, Mona. I love you too." Seeker said as she and Mona shared a good-luck kiss while Oracle spoke up.

"If it comes to it, I can navigate all three teams on my own! Sure, overclocking my brain like that might melt it down, but I'm willing to do it if it ends up coming down to it!" Oracle said as Draconis spoke up.

"Why would you need to do that when Diva and Fae are in charge of that? Just put Al Azif on auto-pilot and have her do the navigating for you while you go out there and show everyone what I taught you as you kick ass with that beam staff of yours. Just make sure to be safe out there. I believe in you, but even so, there's no sense in being needlessly reckless." Draconis said as Oracle smiled and spoke up.

"Don't worry, Draconis. I'll be careful. After all, I'd rather not die before I get the chance to properly make you my husband." Oracle said as she and Draconis also shared a good-luck kiss. Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"Right! Now that that's out of the way, let's go, everyone!" Seeker said as the battle resumed while the groups split into three, the camera shifting first to the first group or Queen, Skull, Panther, Flare, Seraphim, Auburn, Shinobi, and Buchi. As the battle resumed, Mona spoke up from over with Group B.

"It's over, Demiurge! You never should've messed with humanity. Hope you're ready to pay the price for all you've done!" Mona said as the focus shifted back to Group A, where Panther spoke up to voice her agreement.

"As long as we're around, you're not gonna get your way!" Panther said as Seraphim smirked and spoke up.

"Panther has a point. Also, there are 26 of us, or rather 24 if we exclude Diva and Fae, but only 10 of your spheres. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we have you outnumbered." Seraphim said slyly as the focus shifted back to Group B in time for Noir to speak up.

"No matter how many enemies there are, I can take on anyone with my friends at my side! And that even includes a god!" Noir said confidently as Crow smirked and spoke up.

"I wasn't there for it the first time, but you say that like this is the first time you've taken on a god, Noir. I would think if anything, the gods should be fearing you and your mighty axe." Crow said teasingly as Noir blushed in embarrassment. However, before she could rebuke Crow, the scene panned to Group C, where Wolf spoke up with a smirk.

"Ignoring Crow and Noir's attempt at mid-battle flirting, they're right that no one can beat us! Moreover, since it's impossible to arrest a god, the Phantom Thieves get to punish you instead." Wolf said as the Demiurge scoffed and spoke up.

"Preposterous. You are all foolish! The Desires of mankind are the root of their misfortune. Bring this to light for them, Keter." The Demiurge as one of the spheres, which the Demiurge had identified as 'Keter' summoned a Lock Keeper to assist the spheres in fighting the Phantom Thieves that are a part of Group A, as a shocked Shinobi spoke up.

"Whoa! What is that thing!?" Shinobi asked as the scene panned to Group B, where a horrified Oracle spoke up.

"No-No way!? A Warden/Lock Keeper!? How did that get there!? Did the sphere called 'Keter' summon it?" Oracle said as back with Group A, Shinobi spoke up.

"Oh, so these were the guys that you told us about in the Okinawa Jail." Shinobi said as he remembered what the Phantom Thieves told him and the others from the Investigation Team and Shadow Operatives in the Okinawa Jail prior to their rematch bout as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"This is not good. If that sphere has the ability to summon Wardens, then we will be in serious trouble." Queen said as Auburn smirked and spoke up.

"Not to worry, guys. Leave the Warden to myself and Seraphim. We'll take care of it." Auburn said, getting a nod of agreement from Seraphim as the focus shifted to Group B in time for Oracle to speak up.

"Got it! You guys focus on taking out 'Keter' first if you can! We'll be in big trouble if it keeps on summoning Wardens!" Oracle said as Pendragon smirked and spoke up.

"I don't think you need to worry. I'm sure Group A can handle Keter." Pendragon said as the focus shifted back to Group A in time for Shinobi to speak up.

"Yeah, relax Oracle! While my partner's cousin and her girlfriend can handle that four-armed creep, Buchi and I will handle Keter!" Shinobi said as Buchi barked his agreement as the two charged towards Keter. One combined usage of 'Brave Blade' and 'Hound of Hades' later, the group saw Keter explode harmlessly as Shinobi and Buchi took it apart easily at the same time that the Warden dissolved into black mist after Seraphim and Auburn decimated it with a powerful combined Elec and Curse move. At that point, Diva spoke up.

"Good job! Keter has been destroyed! That's one sphere down!" Diva said as Mona spoke up from over in Group B.

"You see that, Demiurge!? You're going down! Your luck ran out the moment you underestimated the Phantom Thieves!" Mona said confidently as the Demiurge spoke up with a dismissive scoff.

"So you say. However, consider this. As mankind searches for its own solution, it repeatedly strays from the correct path." The Demiurge said as Messiah frowned at that and spoke up.

"You might be right about that, but at the same time, consider this. For all that you claim to be setting humanity on the correct path, are you sure you're not just trying to convince yourself that what you're doing is just?" Messiah pointed out emphatically as the Demiurge spoke up.

"Whether I am right or wrong is irrelevant at this point. And to refute what you just said, consider this. You might think what I'm doing is wrong, but by accepting the answers I provide? You will all be freed of the pain that accompanies failure." The Demiurge said as Flare scoffed and spoke up.

"Shut up already! And besides, sometimes it takes the pain of failure for humans to learn how to better themselves! In other words, none of us want to hear any of what you're selling, so cut the crap already, Demiurge!" Flare said as Panther was able to wrap the sphere identified as 'Chesed' with her whip as Flare then she surged forward with her tonfas, dashing through the sphere, and making the two pieces of it hit the ground to either side of Flare as they dissolved into black mist as Fae spoke up.

"Nice! That's another sphere down, Flare! Only three more to go for your group!" Fae said as Panther spoke up with a frown.

"It's too late for you to beg for forgiveness, Demiurge! So get lost!" Panther said as the Demiurge scoffed and spoke up.

"How absurd. Do you truly understand your actions? Hear me when I say that I have formed the ultimate solution. Humanity will be delivered from its' suffering." The Demiurge said as Skull spoke up.

"Shuddup! How many times do we have to tell you!? We're not interested in your bullshit!" Skull said as he swung his mace like crazy as he and Queen destroyed the 'Binah' sphere, which exploded into black mist as Oracle spoke up.

"Excellent teamwork, Skull and Queen! That's another sphere destroyed! Only two more remain on your side!" Oracle said as Fae spoke up.

"Nice one, you guys! Those spheres are dropping one by one, like flies! We're roughly halfway there now! Keep it up, everyone!" Fae said as the shot panned to Group B as Noir spoke up.

"We're not afraid of you! Each of us will stand our ground and fight for ourselves. A phony god like you won't stop us!" Noir said as the Demiurge spoke up.

"So you say. But can't you see? There is so much negative influence in this world. Deceit, Coercion, Arrogance, Hubris, Jealousy, Envy, Sloth, Greed, Pride, Lust, and Wrath. Just to name a few of the more egregious sins running rampant among mankind. It's almost pitiable how the world is full of such malice in its current state.

However, the Promised Land is a place of equality and righteousness. And once people allow themselves to enter into the Promised Land, true peace will be realized there. But since you seem to refuse to heed my words, perhaps you need to have your eyes opened? Chokmah, grant them my divine revelation." The Demiurge said as a wide-eyed Diva swore profusely at what the analysis she and Fae had performed on Chokmah showed as Oracle spoke up after reading the readout over Diva's shoulder, smirking at how colorfully Diva had sworn as she spoke.

"Watch out, everyone! Chokmah has multiple affinity attacks! Don't go around ignoring your weaknesses!" Oracle said as Shinobi dashed forward, kunais in hand, and swiftly sliced the 'Chokmah' sphere in half, making both sides explode into black mist as Diva spoke up.

"That's one way to solve that problem, Shinobi! Either way, that's the 'Chokmah' sphere destroyed! All that remains on your side is the 'Gevurah' sphere! Not much more to go!" Diva said encouragingly as the Demiurge spoke up in an irritated-sounding tone.

"You confuse and vex me, Phantom Thieves! I do not comprehend why you deny my answer. If you'd let me, I can guide all of you to the Promised Land. I can save you. There will be no loss, no grief, no real sources of pain to speak of. And yet despite that, you continue to resist?" The Demiurge said as Bruiser scoffed and spoke up while Panther, Seraphim, and Auburn tore through the 'Gevurah' sphere which broke into two halves.

"Why wouldn't we, you false god? What you're doing is not benefiting society at all, as it's more or less the complete opposite. As such, we will do whatever it takes to prevent YOUR Desire from coming to fruition." Bruiser said as Fae spoke up.

"You're doing it, everyone! Just one more big push to go! Hang in there!" Fae said as the first half of the spheres were destroyed, at whch point Diva spoke up.

"And in light of what Fae just said, that'll be your cue, Group B! Go take out the rest of those spheres!" Diva said wisely as the focus shifted to Group B, or Crow, Noir, Mona, Fox, Oracle, Pendragon, Gumshoe, and Bruiser. As the second set of spheres was engaged by Group B, Crow smirked and spoke up.

"About time our group got a turn to unleash havoc! Let's show this god what we're capable of." Crow said as Pendragon spoke up.

"Agreed, Crow. Let's get this thing!" Pendragon said as the Demiurge scoffed and spoke up.

"Enough! If you won't accept my answer, then I will have to eliminate you so you cannot continue to stand in my way. Wipe away these obstacles, Malkhut. Create the foundation for the ideal world." The Demiurge said as Gumshoe scoffed and spoke up.

"The ideal world, you say? Excuse me if I take what you say with several grains of salt, Demiurge. After all, the way you keep repeating yourself makes you seem pedantic and childish." Gumshoe said as Mona spoke up.

"I agree with Gumshoe! You do nothing but go on and on!" Mona said as a bunch of Shadows appeared, prompting Fae to gasp and speak up.

"Oh, no! It looks as if a ton of Shadows were just summoned! According to the readings I'm getting from Juno, it looks like the sphere known as 'Malkhut' can summon them!" Oracle said as Bruiser spoke up.

"Is that right? No matter. I'll take them out myself!" Bruiser said as he cracked his knuckles before lining up to do his 'Lightning Spike' Theurgy. After he landed it and massively damaged all enemies on screen, the Demiurge spoke up.

"How dare you fight back so valiantly!? Yesod, purify these humans tainted with ruinous Desires." The Demiurge said as the sphere known as 'Yesod' started looking for a target at the same time that Fox, Noir, and Oracle cleaved through the 'Tiferet' sphere with their respective weapons, thus prompting Oracle to speak up.

"Nice, we took out the 'Tiferet' sphere! Only four spheres left altogether!" Oracle said as Noir spoke up.

"Excellent! Once we eliminate all the spheres, Joker and his group should have a better chance of ending this." Noir said as Fox spoke up.

"As you can see, even a god has its work cut out for itself when it comes to dealing with the Phantom Thieves!" Fox said boldly as the Demiurge spoke up.

"So you say. But consider this. Man is a fatally flawed organism. The proof of this lies in their legacy of irrational decisions. After all, why would you oppose the creation of a perfect world? The truth is, my perfect world would be the best solution for every one of you." The Demiurge said as the focus briefly cut to Group C, where Ronin scoffed and spoke up.

"Is that right? Forgive me if I fall asleep with how boring your platitudes are starting to sound." Ronin said as Draconis nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Ronin's right! Any 'perfect world' you could come up with is flawed as hell since you're the one making it! How could the likes of you know ANYTHING about an ideal world!? I've seen other people who were both far more flawed and also wiser than you when it comes to trying this very same thing and failing miserably at it! Look at Messiah here! He once tried to create an ideal reality for mankind, not unlike what you're trying to do! But unlike you, he eventually wised up and realized that his way was incorrect because he was depriving most of the masses of what they needed the most when it came to growth, all just for the sake of pushing what he believed to be an 'ideal' reality.

I regret that it came down to Joker and I having to basically shatter Messiah's powers to open his eyes, but it worked out for the best in the end! Sure, his decisions ended up hurting me badly as well as many others! But does that mean I think he was entirely wrong in what he was trying to do!? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Was he misguided in his views? DEFINITELY! But in the end, things worked out just as they were meant to. Even if Crow and I had to make the others believe that the former had died after the final battle for a time in the interest of letting Crow get the fresh start he longed for so that he could start making amends for all of his mistakes.

And if Crow can find it in himself to change his ways and turn over a new leaf after making SO MANY mistakes in his life, then I believe that the same is true for Messiah, and even for you. But in your case, I think you might be too far blinded by your so-called 'Promised Land' to see the truth of your actions! So kindly stop acting like you want what's best for us when we ALL know that's not true!" Draconis snapped, either not seeing or ignoring the quartet of shocked looks his outburst would get him from Joker, Violet, Seeker, and Messiah, as the latter spoke up in shock.

"Draconis, I didn't think you felt so strongly about this. But you're not wrong. I was a fool to do things the way I did back then." Messiah said. The Demiurge scoffed and spoke up.

"So that is your response? I see. Hod, demonstrate your god's glory for the unbelievers." The Demiurge said as Diva swore and spoke up.

"Crap, crap, crap! That Hod is BAD news! And it has a super-scary move! Be careful, everyone!" Diva said. Not long after she spoke up, the sphere known as 'Hod' began to charge up a familiar white energy as Crow swore to himself once he realized what was going on as he spoke up.

"Please tell me that sphere isn't doing what I think it's doing?" Crow said as Gumshoe spoke up.

"If by that you mean unleashing 'Megidolaon', then yes!" Gumshoe said as after shooting some additional Shadows that 'Malkhut' had spawned, she along with Noir quickly used their respective Personas to cast 'Shield of Justice' and 'Life Wall' on all members of the Phantom Thieves of their group, which allowed them to survive the blast of Almighty energy that 'Hod' unleashed. Shortly after, Noir swung her axe through the 'Yesod' sphere, which sputtered before splitting into two and dissolving into black mist as Fae spoke up.

"That's the way, Noir! You just cleaved the 'Yesod' sphere in two with that axe! Just three spheres to go! Hang in there!" Fae said happily as Gumshoe and Pendragon went back to back while tag-teaming the 'Hod' sphere. After a bit, a well-timed swing of Pendragon's sword cut the 'Hod' sphere into fourths, as the pieces fell to the ground and dissolved into black mist as Oracle spoke up.

"Damn, that was impressive, Pendragon! Not only did you show off how deadly that sword of your is, but you really gave that sphere what-for, didn't you? Either way, that's the 'Hod' sphere destroyed. Only two spheres remain! Keep it up!" Oracle said encouragingly as Mona, Fox, and Noir found themselves working together against the remaining two spheres. At one point, the sphere, which had been identified already by Diva as 'Netzach', charged forward to try and ram Mona after the latter had slashed it with his sword, only for a fist to come flying in and smash into Hod, making it crumble into black mist as Bruiser landed next to a relieved Mona as Diva spoke up bluntly.

"Show-off! Leave it to Bruiser to literally smash Netzach with just his fists. Either way, only one sphere is left now! Keep it up!" Diva said as the collective whole of Group B formed up on the last sphere, which was the 'Malkhut' sphere that kept summoning Shadow sentries. After a bit, Pendragon had Kohryu chomp 'Malkhut' between its jaws, making it explode into black mist. At that point, Diva spoke up.

"Great job, guys! That's the rest of the spheres down! Joker, it's all up to your group! Bring it home! One last big push should be all we need to end this!" Diva said as the battle panned to Group C, or Joker, Violet, Seeker, Draconis, Wolf, Ronin, Sentinel, and Messiah. As the fight with the Demiurge proper began, Fox spoke up.

"A world without freedom can never know beauty. And that is why I will vow, here and now, that we will turn you to ribbons along with your scheme!" Fox said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"Fox is right! My will is my own, and no one else's! I won't let anyone tell me how to live!" Queen said as the focus went back to Group C, where Seeker spoke up with a frown.

"I refuse to allow all of humanity to be turned into dolls. My job is to stop you! And with my family and friends by my side, I know I can defeat you!" Seeker said resolutely as everyone else nodded approvingly to Seeker's words. The Demiurge then scoffed and spoke up.

"So you say, but you've yet to change my mind on you being little more than a flawed error that the Phantom Thieves were foolish to take under their wing!" The Demiurge said as Violet growled at that and spoke up.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!? No one calls Seeker flawed or an error in front of me!" Violet said as Joker placed a hand gently on her shoulder to calm her before he spoke up.

"I get how you feel, beautiful. But we can make a far better point with actions than words. In other words, we'll show her together how wrong she is about our daughter." Joker said kindly as Violet nodded her understanding before the shot panned back to Group A, where Skull spoke up.

"Joker's right, Demiurge! And to circle back to what you said earlier about us resisting your plans before? Sure, it's true that not having a place to belong sucks. However, if you don't got one, then you just hafta make one for yourself! That's what these guys taught me. It's how I know I don't need your shitty world!" Skull said as the Demiurge spoke up.

"Perhaps, but I reiterate what I said before. By accepting the answers I provide, you will be able to free yourselves of the pain that accompanies the feeling of failure." The Demiurge said as Mona huffed and spoke up.

"Are you being serious!? That's not how it works at all! There are all sorts of things to gain while looking for your answer. The memories that I share with these guys would be impossible to make in your world! But more importantly, so would the love that Lady Seeker and I have for one another! Yes, it might be unusual for us to be dating, since she's an AI and I'm a human who used to be a talking cat, but SO WHAT!? We love each other, and that's all that matters at the end of the day!" Mona said as the Demiurge spoke up before Seeker could do more than smile happily at Mona's heartfelt words.

"Be that as it may, I feel I must remind you of what I said previously. I have found the ultimate solution to mankind's suffering. Believe in me, and you can be delivered from that suffering and thus allow yourselves to enter the Promised Land!" The Demiurge said as Panther frowned and spoke up from in Group A.

"You don't get it! We're not saying we want to suffer! Humans hate to endure suffering and grief, after all! But despite that, I know there are amazing things on the other side of that suffering and grief! And I want to find them for myself!" Panther said as Flare spoke up.

"Panther is right! And if that's what she wants, I owe it to her as her fiancee to help her achieve her goal! So she can count me in if that's what she wants to do!" Flare said as Fox spoke up.

"And me as well! I think I speak for virtually all of us when I say our whole team has Panther's back! That being said, I tire of your grotesque sight, Demiurge! At least your end can be beautiful!" Fox said as the Demiurge spoke up.

"Why do you still not understand!? Please heed my words! Desires are nothing but evil temptations, always leading humans down a path of suffering. Entrust your Desires to me, Phantom Thieves! Or do you prefer to languish in despair?" The Demiurge said as Fox spoke up.

"What rubbish! Despair instills no fear in me. As long as I have the will to stand once more, I shall forge my own path! My companions, no, my family are the ones who led me to that realization, Demiurge! But why bother trying to explain that to you!? It's not as if a flawed being like you could ever comprehend that!" Fox said as Queen spoke up.

"Fox is right! This is the price you pay for trampling on the hearts of all humanity!" Queen said as the Demiurge spoke up.

"Perhaps you have a point. However, before you say anything further, consider this. Humanity shrinks from difficult decisions and grows exhausted by endless possibilities. I shall be the one to end that suffering. Are you not in search of such an answer as well?" The Demiurge said as Queen spoke up.

"As if! Fearing the consequences of failure, and even accepting any answer foisted on me? I am NOT that 'good girl' anymore. I won't give up who I am just to please someone else. I am fighting to live my life for myself!" Queen said as Noir spoke up.

"Queen's right! We will stand our ground and fight for ourselves. A phony god like you won't stop us!" Noir said firmly as Crow spoke up.

"Indeed! If we wouldn't fold over a spineless, trivial, bullshit threat from the likes of Messiah, what makes you think anything you say will be any more effective at cowing us than anything Messiah could say?" Crow said bluntly as Shinobi spoke up.

"You said it, Crow! Tell this dirty great delusional asshole what's what! If Ronin and I wouldn't let the likes of Adachi have their way, then we're damn sure not gonna let the Demiurge have her way either!" Shinobi said as the Demiurge spoke up.

"I can see we are far from reaching an understanding. However, let me remind you that in my Promised Land, true peace will be realized." The Demiurge said as Draconis, Crow, Pendragon, Wolf, Ronin, Shinobi, and Bruiser all spoke up in unison.

"BULLSHIT!" Draconis, Crow, Pendragon, Wolf, Ronin, Shinobi, and Bruiser all said as Noir spoke up.

"I think what they mean to say is that we would love to live in a world where people don't get hurt or have to suffer. But we can't accept such a world if it's made by someone else! We have to make that world for ourselves if we're going to have a choice! It can't be forced on us!" Noir said resolutely as the Demiurge spoke up.

"Why do you continue to deny me, Phantom Thieves? Surely you must agree with my vision of a land where there is no loss, grief or despair! But instead, you all continue to refuse me! WHY!?" The Demiurge said as Wolf spoke up.

"Why, you ask? Let me try to explain it to you. Loss is undeniably scary, especially for a coward like me. And to make matters worse, that loss only gets scarier when you lose someone important to you, much like how painful it was when I lost my wife and Auburn lost her mother! But in the end, we both found the strength to keep going despite that loss, even if it took us longer than I want to admit for the two of us to open up to one another about our feelings.

And I'll even freely admit that I chose a terrible way of coping with that grief. There is no scenario I can think of in which the way I was basically trying to ignore and potentially push my own daughter away was acceptable. I'm not surprised that she was so inclined to be bitter and upset with me by the time I finally opened my eyes to how much my actions were hurting her.

Fortunately for me, Auburn forgave me in the end after I was honest with her and gave her a heartfelt and sincere apology. Oh, but I'm getting off-topic here. What's even scarier is just giving up! If I'd truly given up back then, I wouldn't be the man I am today! Moreover, if I had given up, I wouldn't be able to protect the people I have left!" Wolf said as Auburn gasped and spoke up from where she was with Group A.

"Dad. I had no idea you were so bothered by your actions back then. You know I could never hate you for what you did, right? I might have been a brat to you and said things I shouldn't have, but I could never truly hate my own father." Auburn said as back in Group C, Draconis scoffed and spoke up.

"As sweet as it is to see Wolf and Auburn having a father-daughter moment, that doesn't change the fact that the Demiurge is full of itself and in need of a serious reality check! And if we have to be the ones to do it? SO BE IT!" Draconis said as he brandished his staff, smirking as he saw Wolf, Ronin, Sentinel, and Messiah standing on either side of him with weapons, readied and in a combat-ready stance. The Demiurge scoffed at this and spoke up.

"How barbaric! To think you would turn your blades against a benevolent god like myself. How conceited can you get?" The Demiurge said as it reeled from the onslaught of moves that Draconis, Wolf, Ronin, Sentinel, and Messiah had just launched at the Demiurge as this was followed up with Joker and Violet slashing at the Demiurge with their knife and sword respectively along with Seeker blasting the false god with a beam of Bless energy from Pandora, making Oracle speak up.

"Oh! It's recoiling! Now's your chance to press the attack!" Oracle said as the group kept attacking, during which time Seeker spoke up.

"Can't you see? Your ultimate solution is built on faulty logic. We can't lose, especially to someone like you!" Seeker said as the Demiurge scoffed and spoke up.

"SILENCE! Flawed prototype, hear me now. As you currently are, you are unable to provide humanity with the correct answer. However, you still have the chance to correct this. All you would have to do is discard your heart and join me in the Promised Land." The Demiurge said as Joker, Violet, and Mona spoke up in outrage.

"EXCUSE YOU!?" Joker, Violet, and Mona said as the former kept speaking, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he spoke.

"You have no right to say that in front of my daughter. If anything, you are the one who is lacking a heart, you heartless god." Joker said as Mona spoke up.

"Well said, Joker!" Mona said before turning an irate glare onto the Demiurge as he kept speaking.

"How dare you try to get Lady Seeker to discard her heart, Demiurge!? That's what makes Seeker who she is! Besides, if she did that, how would she ever fulfill her dream of becoming humanity's companion!? After all, that was what she was originally programmed for, which was to become a better companion for humanity. The fact that she managed to fall in love with me along the way and even imprint on both Joker and Violet as a surrogate father and mother was just an unplanned, but very welcome, bonus. I would never presume to speak for Lady Seeker, but why would she EVER want to discard her heart?" Mona said as Violet spoke up.

"Mona's right! My daughter is worth at least twenty of you! Sure, you might claim to be able to save humanity from pain, suffering, and even grief, but where is your consideration for humanity's free will in all of that!? I don't think you ever stopped to think about any of that! Yet you dare to try and tell Seeker how to 'correct' herself!? I DON'T THINK SO! SEEKER IS FAR BETTER THAN YOU COULD EVER HOPE TO BE!" Violet snapped, not seeing the trio of shocked/awed looks that her little rant had gotten from Joker, Seeker, and Mona because she was too busy tearing into the Demiurge. Seeker then smiled at Violet as she spoke up.

"Thank you, Mom. You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you believe in me." Seeker said gratefully before frowning at the Demiurge as she kept speaking.

"As for YOU! You are not the one who determines whether or not I have the answer! I'll keep searching for the right answer myself, no matter how long it takes! And I know deep down that Mom, Dad, and even Mona will be by my side every step of the way, to say nothing of the rest of my family!" Seeker said as the Demiurge reeled from the subsequent barrage of attacks that she'd sustained from Joker's group as she spoke up.

"Why do you persist in defying me? Don't you get it!? Desires are the root of all suffering. Unfathomable! That's what I think of your continued defiance! It's simply unfathomable!" The Demiurge said as Ronin smirked and spoke up.

"Oh? It sounds to me like someone needs to wake up, get up, and get out there! And then while you're at it, if you want to know why we're defying you, reach out to the truth as well! Maybe then you'll see the error of your ways EMMA, though I'm not holding out hope on that!" Ronin said as Sentinel spoke up.

"That goes double for me. After hearing the comments you made towards Seeker just now, I think a majority of us believe that we should be the ones to finish you off." Sentinel said as Messiah spoke up.

"Sentinel is correct in her assessment. However, I think that for the sake of you needing to understand that your way is wrong, I feel that if anyone deserves the right to put you in your place, it's Seeker." Messiah said as Seeker spoke up with a nod.

"Thank you, but I don't think it's just my right alone to end this. We all got this far working together. Therefore, it seems only right that we finish this together, as a team!" Seeker said as the Demiurge scoffed and spoke up in a mix of desperation and frustration.

"Don't you understand, Phantom Thieves!? If I don't guide humanity to its true Desire, all that will await is suffering, despair, and indolence! Only through my Promised Land can humanity attain true happiness! So then why do you persist on this futile endeavor to stop me!?" The Demiurge asked as Draconis spoke up.

"That's easy. As long as there are evil and misguided scum like you out there threatening the people, we'll be there to stop you! That's our job as the Phantom Thieves! But I think that you're the one who doesn't understand. And as it happens, I agree with what Ronin, Sentinel, and Messiah were saying earlier, and that Seeker should be the one to end this. As such, why don't I let Seeker try to open your eyes to the truth of things if she can? Seeker, would you do the honors?" Draconis asked kindly as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"Thank you, Uncle Draconis. However, as I said, I don't think it's my right alone to end this. In fact, I do have something that I have in mind, but I need to speak about this with Mom and Dad alone." Seeker said as Violet frowned and spoke up.

"Us, sweetie? What do you have in mind?" Violet asked as Seeker spoke up.

"You'll find out in just a second. But in order for this to work, I need to speak to you both alone." Seeker said as Joker and Violet turned towards each other and after a few seconds, they both nodded as Joker turned towards Draconis along with the rest of his group and spoke up.

"Draconis, can you and the others distract the Demiurge while Seeker gives us a rundown of her plan?" Joker asked as Draconis smiled as he nodded and spoke up.

"Not a problem, I'm sure we can keep that god occupied, right guys?" Draconis asked the others as Wolf, Ronin, Sentinel, and Messiah nodded as Joker spoke up.

"Alright then, make sure the Demiurge is focused on you guys and not on myself, Violet, and Seeker." Joker said as Sentinel smiled and spoke up.

"Understood, Joker. Leave it to us." Sentinel said as Wolf spoke up.

"Just try not to take too long. We don't know how long we can keep EMMA focused on us." Wolf said and as Joker, Violet, and Seeker nodded their heads in understanding, Draconis, Wolf, Ronin, Sentinel, and Messiah then turned back towards the Demiurge as they charged at her with their weapons and Personas. As the other members of the Joker's group clashed with the Demiurge, both Joker and Violet turned towards Seeker as the latter spoke up.

"So, what's the plan, sweetie? And why do you need help from your father and I for it?" Violet asked as Seeker giggled and smiled and spoke up.

"I'm surprised you haven't figured that part out there. There are three of us after all." Seeker said as both Joker and Violet were confused in what their daughter was saying. However, realization soon dawned upon both of them in regards to why Seeker wanted to speak to just the two of them specifically as Joker spoke up.

"Seeker, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Joker asked as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"If you mean a Triad Special, then yes." Seeker said as Violet gasped and spoke up.

"Are...Are you being serious, Seeker?" Violet asked with tears in her eyes as Seeker nodded again and spoke up.

"Yes, I am. And the reason why is that I want to finish this the way it has started. Mom, Dad. When we first met after you freed me from that box in the Shibuya Jail, I had no knowledge of who I was other than just being an AI whose goal was to be humanity's companion, along with the fact that I did not know the first thing about having a heart. However, it's because of the two of you that I was able to grow so much to become the AI that I am today.

You both taught me everything that I needed to know alongside the others. And even though Ichinose is considered to be my birth mother, the two of you allowed yourselves to take me in despite me not being fully human and treated me like I was your own daughter.

So I think it's only right that just as you started me on my path to becoming who I am now, it's only fair that the two of you should also be the ones to help me bring an end to this as we work together to show EMMA the error of her ways! So what do you two say? Will you help me put her down with a Triad Special that I've been discreetly working on ever since Draconis introduced us to them back in Sendai!?" Seeker asked as Joker and Violet gasped upon hearing what Seeker had just said about the two of them. After a few seconds of silence, the two looked at each other and nodded with smiles on their faces as they then faced their daughter again as Joker spoke up.

"Of course, sweetheart. We'd be honored to help you do this." Joker said as Violet spoke up with a nod.

"I agree. This feels right that the three of us should have our own move. EMMA, or the Demiurge, or whatever she wants to call herself, needs to be shown the error of her ways! And if this is the way to do it, then so be it!" Violet said as Seeker then hugged both her Mom and Dad as she spoke up.

"Thank you, Mom and Dad. For everything. You two are the best thing that has ever happened to me." Seeker said as Joker spoke up.

"The feeling's mutual, sweetheart. But with that being said, what do you have in mind for our new move?" Joker asked as Seeker let go of her Mom and Dad and spoke up.

"Alright, here's the plan." Seeker said and as she told Joker and Violet of her plan, the other members of Joker's group were keeping the Demiurge busy as Sentinel had unleashed her 'Maximum Firepower' Theurgy on the false god. As the Demiurge grunted out in pain, she retaliated by smacking the Anti-Shadow weapon with her staff and knocking her away a few feet from her.

But this allowed Messiah to have Cthulhu to unleash 'Eternal Radiance' at the false god as multiple beams of Bless energy were fired from multiple orbs. As the beams hit the Demiurge, she ended up reeling as this allowed Draconis, Wolf, and Ronin to use their strongest Almighty attacks including 'Megi-Flare', 'Megidolaon', and 'Myriad Truths' to further damage the false god. It was at this point that Seeker spoke up after finishing telling Joker and Violet of her Triad Special idea.

"So what do you think?" Seeker asked as Violet smiled and spoke up.

"I think your idea works perfectly, sweetheart." Violet said as Joker spoke up.

"Indeed. However, just in case EMMA decides to pull a fast one on us, I do have a plan in case things get dire." Joker said as he quickly whispered something to both Seeker and Violet. And after a few seconds of explaining his backup plan, the two red-headed Thieves nodded in agreement as they accepted what Joker had in mind. As the three Thieves are now set with proceeding with Seeker's Triad Special, Messiah then speaks up.

"Hey, guys? Are you three almost done back there?" Messiah asked as Ronin spoke up.

"Because if you are, we could use your assistance since I don't think we can hold out much longer." Ronin said as Joker, Violet, and Seeker came up to them as Joker spoke up.

"Sorry we took so long, but we are finally ready to put an end to this. However, I need you guys to quickly move behind EMMA and relay what I'm about to say to you as you inform the others." Joker said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Okay, what is it that you want us to tell them?" Draconis asked as Joker then whispered something into his brother's ear. And after a few seconds, Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Alright then, I understand. Just be careful, you three." Draconis said as Joker smiled and spoke up.

"Don't worry, brother. If this goes right, then this battle is ours. Now get going and wait for my signal." Joker said and with a nod from his brother, Draconis took the remaining members of Joker's group around to the back of the Demiurge as he relayed Joker's plan to them as well as told Oracle, Diva, and Fae to tell the rest of the Thieves the same thing. It was only moments after that the Demiurge ended up rising back up after being knocked back by the trio of Almighty attacks as she turned back towards the platform where the Thieves she was fighting were on, only to notice that only Joker, Violet, and Seeker remained as Seeker spoke up.

"This ends now, EMMA! Even though I understand what you were trying to accomplish for humanity, you chose entirely the worst way to do it!" Seeker said as the Demiurge spoke up

"You are talking nonsense, you callous doll. I am doing what's best for humanity's sake. Soon, you and the rest of the Phantom Thieves will see things my way as you take your first steps into the Promised Land." The Demiurge said as Violet glared and spoke up.

"You know what, EMMA? Even after all the things that you've done over the past few months. From creating those Monarchs, to stealing all the people's Desires, to even having Ichinose use Seeker against us. I should be well beyond furious with you, especially for all the things you said to Seeker." Violet said as she breaths heavily as she took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself and her next words ended up surprising the Demiurge.

"But really, even after all you've done, myself along with Joker should be thanking you." Violet said as the Demiurge spoke up with confusion on her face.

"Thanking me? I do not understand. Why would you be thanking me if all of you continue to resist me?" The Demiurge said as Joker spoke up.

"If you really must know, EMMA. The truth of the matter is that if it wasn't for you, Violet and I wouldn't have been able to meet Seeker in the first place. By allowing yourself to learn cognitive psience, you ended up creating the various Jails all over Japan, including the one where Seeker was trapped all those months ago. If myself, Violet, Mona, and Skull had not found out about your little function with your app, we wouldn't have stumbled into the Jail where she was kept, and thus she would have been stuck there all alone. So in hindsight, what Violet was really trying to say is that you were the one who unwittingly created the family that Violet and I had with Seeker. And it will be this family that will end up being your undoing!" Joker said as he, Violet, and Seeker readied themselves as the Demiurge spoke up.

"How preposterous. I see there's no reason for me to try to persuade you all any further. Very well then. If you three want to be the first to be annihilated, then I will gladly grant you that wish as you bear witness to my 'Voltaic Purge'." The Demiurge said as the 'picture frame' that the false god was holding above her head began to glow white as energy began to build up from it as Diva spoke up.

"Uh, what's the Demiurge doing?" Diva asked as Fae after doing a quick analysis, gasped and spoke up.

"Oh no, she's trying to unleash a full blast of Almighty energy!" Fae said as Oracle spoke up with a scared look on her face.

"WHAT! Oh, this is bad! Very bad! Joker! Violet! Seeker! GET OUT OF THERE!" Oracle said as Seeker, having heard what Oracle said, spoke up.

"Don't worry, Oracle. We got this! Mom, Dad. You ready for this?" Seeker said as Violet nodded and spoke up.

"As ready as I'll ever be sweetie. Let's finish this once and for all." Violet said as Joker spoke up.

"Hope you're ready EMMA. Because you are about to witness our family's TRUE POWER!" Joker said as he, Violet, and Seeker all spoke up in union.

"GO, TRIAD SPECIAL!" Joker, Violet, and Seeker said as the latter spoke up to start the Triad Special.

"Allow me to go first! PANDORA, LEND ME YOUR POWER SO WE CAN HELP ILLUMINATE THE TRUE PATH FOR EMMA!" Seeker said as Pandora nodded, extending her arms out and channeling a blinding orb of light between her hands that she fired forwards as Joker spoke up.

"My turn now! RAOUL, TEMPER THAT SPHERE FOR US!" Joker said as Raoul flew forward and channeled a bunch of Curse power into the sphere, making it glow both yellow and red as Violet spoke up.

"I'll add the finishing touch! ELLA, CARVE THAT SPHERE UP AND ADD OUR OWN FLARE TO IT!" Violet said as Ella danced forward and slashed her sword over and over, forging the sphere into a giant multi-colored javelin that Seeker leaped up to seize with both hands as she spoke up.

"AND NOW TO END IT! YOU SEEM TO HAVE LOST YOUR WAY, SO ALLOW ME TO GUIDE YOU BACK TO THE PROPER PATH! READY, MOM? READY, DAD?" Seeker asked as Violet and Joker nodded before the three spoke up just as the Demiurge's 'picture frame' was finished charging with its own Almighty energy.

"BEHOLD! TASTE THE POWER OF OUR SPEAR OF BONDED GUIDANCE!" Joker, Violet, and Seeker said as the latter hurled the javelin, shot-put style at the Demiurge just as the false god unleashed a massive beam of Almighty energy from its 'picture fame' that met the javelin in a head-on clash, thereby creating a power struggle. As the two opposing forces clashed, Joker, Violet, and Seeker used their respective Personas to pour as much Bless and Curse energy into the javelin as possible. However, even with that, the Demiurge's 'Voltaic Purge' beam was slowly pushing back the multicolor javelin. As the three Phantom Thieves struggled as they continued to pour all of their energy into the javelin, the Demiurge spoke up.

"This is pointless! All three of you will not be able to stop me! Soon you will fall before my divine might as I finally succeed in guiding humanity to the Promised Land!" The Demiurge said as Seeker spoke up.

"That's where you are wrong, EMMA! For once, it is you who has made a fatal error." Seeker said as the Demiurge spoke up with confusion on her face.

"I do not understand. What are you talking about? My logic is absolute!" The Demiurge said as Violet spoke up.

"While that may be true in your eyes, you forgot about one single thing." Violet said as Joker smirked and spoke up.

"And that thing is that if you mess with some of the Phantom Thieves, then you mess with ALL of us! GUYS, NOW!" Joker said and before the Demiurge could realize what was happening, the false god was soon bombarded with multiple attacks from both her back and her sides as all the other Phantom Thieves from all three groups launched their most powerful Physical, Gun, Fire, Ice, Elec, Wind, Psy, Nuke, Bless, Curse, and even Almighty attacks from their Personas.

This surprise attack caused the Demiurge to lose focus on her 'Voltaic Purge' laser as the multi-colored javelin that Joker, Violet, and Seeker created ended up pushing back the Demiurge's laser. And much to the false god's shock, the javelin ended up breaking through the beam of the Almighty energy as it flew straight at the Demiurge as the lance-type weapon punctured her core. As the Demiurge reeled backwards and slumped back while in pain, the improvised javelin sticking out of its now-sparking core crackled with a mix of Bless and Curse energy that ended up shocking the Demiurge before the javelin vanished in a burst of light to end the Triad Special as the Demiurge spoke.

"No! Impossible! Desires are the root of all of humanity's problems! Humanity's over-reliance on Desires is the reason it's in the state it is currently! And in the end, I was the one who lost! UNFATHOMABLE! SIMPLY UNFATHOMABLE! HOW CAN THIS HAVE HAPPENED!? How could I lose!?" The Demiurge said as Oracle smiled and spoke up.

"YES! Joker, Violet, and Seeker pulled through. The enemy's now down! And it's weakened, too! I'd say now's our chance to finish this!" Oracle said as Mona spoke up with a nod.

"Oracle's right! This is it, everyone! All together! Let's finish this for good!" Mona said as the group all landed together side by side as Draconis spoke up.

"You know, I must admit, you had me scared for a minute regarding the three of you dealing with that giant laser. But I guess I really didn't have anything to worry about, seeing as you guys were able to push through. But with that being said, shall we finish this, Joker?" Draconis asked as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Absolutely, it's time for our second run as Phantom Thieves to finally come to an end. I assume everyone knows what time it is?" Joker said as Bruiser smirked and spoke up.

"If it's what I think it is, then I can happily say that I've been waiting for this." Bruiser said and as both Sentinel and Fae let out a chuckle and Buchi barked happily, Joker turned towards the Demiurge as all of the Phantom Thieves readied themselves as he spoke up.

"THIS IS YOUR END, DEMIURGE! YOUR DAYS OF GUIDING HUMANITY TO YOUR 'SALVATION' HAVE COME TO AN END! SORRY, BUT THAT'S CHECKMATE FOR YOU! PHANTOM THIEVES! LET'S GO! TIME FOR OUR FINAL ALL-OUT ATTACK!" Joker said as the others nodded and leaped into the air toward the false god as they executed their final attack, starting with Mona leaping forward to swing his scimitar at the Demiurge, only to have the closest wings close on him, which Mona beat back open with his scimitar as Panther leaped up next to him and primed her SMGs and fired them at the core of the Demiurge that was where a stomach would be on a human, right as Skull smirked and came up next to Panther and swung his mace down onto the core with all his might, making the area spark from the effective hits rained upon it.

After reeling back in pain from the hits that had been inflicted upon it, the Demiurge attempted to respond by smacking Skull aside, only for Queen to leap up and parry the hands with her fists at the same time that Fox slashed his katana at the back of the Demiurge while Noir fired a rocket from her grenade launcher at the same spot, making the Demiurge wince from the coordinated strike while Noir fired a second rocket at the winged 'halo' that was supposed to be the head of the Demiurge at the same time that Wolf and Shinobi leapt up and slashed at the head while Wolf spoke up.

"HA! COME ON!" Wolf said as Shinobi spoke up.

"YOU WANNA PIECE OF US!? COME GET IT!" Shinobi said as he slashed his kunais at the halo atop the Demiurge's head at the same time that Wolf fired his dual revolvers at the same spot, making the Demiurge grunt in pain as Ronin, Buchi, and Seraphim all leaped up and slashed at the flailing arms, pushing them back as Seraphim spoke up.

"No touching for you, Demiurge! This is what you get if you do that! RONIN, BUCHI! NOW!" Seraphim said as Buchi barked an affirmation while Ronin nodded, the two slashing at the nearest wings, pushing them back as Seeker, Gumshoe, and Sentinel exchanged a nod and took aim at the 'picture frame' being held up by the Demiurge, blasting it with their yo-yos/guns, sending their projectiles through the target and shattering the frame on impact as it broke into many small pieces and fell to the ground and dissolved into black mist as the Demiurge went to swat at Seraphim, only for a trio of mixed Curse and Nuclear attacks to push aside the attack as Crow, Flare, and Auburn came into view, the latter speaking up first.

"I DON'T THINK SO, BITCH! NO ONE TOUCHES MY GIRLFRIEND LIKE THAT!" Auburn said as Crow smirked and spoke up.

"What she said! But enough talk! PERSONA CHANGE! COOOOOME! LOOOOOOKI! LET US BREAK THIS WORM!" Crow said as he brandished his sawblade with a maniacal smirk on his face as he and Loki violently slashed at the limbs of the Demiurge over and over, all while Flare sighed and spoke up.

"Typical Crow. Always out for maximum carnage and chaos. I'm just glad he's on our side." Flare said before yelping as she leapt out of the way of an attack that was aimed at her head, only to blink as she saw the attack pushed the other way, before smiling as she saw Bruiser and Draconis fly forward, fists out, punching away the offending limbs. Bruiser then spoke up while Draconis used his staff to beat back a few limbs that were trying to swat at the group.

"DIDN'T ANYONE EVER TELL YOU IT'S RUDE TO HIT A LADY, DEMIURGE!?" Bruiser said as Draconis spoke up after cutting down the limbs closest to him with his throwing knives.

"What he said! Also, it's well past time for you to reap it, dammit!" Draconis said as Gumshoe spoke up with a sigh.

"Between Crow and Draconis, I honestly wonder who has the bigger ego of the two, but then I realize they're both probably overcompensating for something I shouldn't say in front of Seeker." Gumshoe said as both Crow and Draconis yelled out 'SHUT UP, GUMSHOE! THAT'S A FILTHY LIE!' in simultaneous protest even as Oracle giggled and spoke up.

"I can't speak for Noir, but Draconis is most definitely NOT overcompensating in the slightest. I'll let Noir speak up to say for herself if Crow might be overcompensating, though." Oracle said playfully, turning to stick her tongue out childishly at the now mulishly-glaring Crow as the hacker slashed one of the Demiurge's legs with her beam staff as an embarrassed Noir spoke up.

"ORACLE-CHAN! RUDE! But going back to what you just said? What was that saying about not wanting to answer again? Oh, that's right! I plead the fifth!" Noir said awkwardly as Crow facefaulted while Joker and Draconis exchanged a shocked look before both burst out laughing as the latter helped an offended Crow to his feet. Crow then spoke up while giving Oracle his best death glare.

"HEY, ORACLE! YOU KNOW WHAT I SAY TO THAT!? IF U C K, YOU TELL HER I SAID HI!" Crow said as Draconis smirked at Crow managing to subtly disguise an F-bomb as a metaphor. Violet, for her part, sighed in resignation while dryly glaring at Crow to express her disapproval for his attempt to mask a swear before she spoke up while stabbing an arm with her rapier as it got too close to her and Seeker.

"You're lucky that I know that's not a swear, Crow! Also, can we stay focused on destroying the goddamn Demiurge before we tease each other!? No, wait, I've got a better line for this. What was it you once told Joker? Ah, I remember now. We're all a bit occupied at the moment, so quit complaining and do your goddamn JOB!" Violet said while rebuking Oracle and Gumshoe, who both sheepishly chuckled and apologized before being forgiven as Crow smirked at Violet managing to make a reference to the time he'd used a similar rebuke against Joker and Draconis near the end of the group's final battle of their original tenure against Messiah. Diva giggled and spoke up while giving Ronin a sly yet sexy wink.

"Hee hee, at least Ronin's always on task and looks damn sexy doing it." Diva said while playfully blowing a kiss to Ronin after smashing her mic stand over a hand that tried to grab her leg as Fae spoke up.

"That's one way to do it, Diva. Who needs pepper spray or a taser when you can beat the crap out of something with your mic stand?" Fae said playfully as Diva nodded and spoke up.

"Right!? Mic stands are the best!" Diva said as Buchi turned towards Joker and Messiah and howled as if telling them to get in on the fun. Messiah turned to Joker and spoke up.

"Well, I guess that's our cue, then? I still don't feel like I have the right to stand by your side like this, but we can worry about that later." Messiah said as he swung his snake sword at the arm that tried to attack him and Joker as Joker smiled and spoke up.

"It's okay, Messiah. You're making amends for what you did even now. But how about we deal with this together, yeah?" Joker said as Messiah nodded before both spoke up in unison.

"RAVAGE THEM, RAOUL!/SHOW NO MERCY, CTHULHU!" Joker and Messiah said as they summoned their Personas to blast away at the Demiurge, Cthulhu willing the tentacles that made up its arms to lash outward and strike at the Demiurge to hold its limbs in place as Joker took that as his cue and nimbly leapt upwards, knife out, as at least a half-dozen different voices spoke up in unison as Joker did a backflip to line himself up with the Demiurge.

"JOKER! FINISH IT!/TAKE HER DOWN, DAD!/END IT, JOKER!" Violet, Seeker, Mona, Oracle, Draconis, Crow, Ronin, Diva, Bruiser, and Fae all said as Joker nodded, as he dove towards the chest of the Demiurge as he extended his arm to pierce the chest core of the false god with his knife. Although he winced as it didn't initially go all the way in, he focused himself and willed himself to use all his strength as he spoke to address the Demiurge one last time.

"SHOW'S OVER, EMMA!" Joker said as he used all his strength to flex his forearm enough to twist the wrist holding the knife, allowing it to be driven deep into the core of the Demiurge, which cracked along the surface of the chest as the Demiurge wailed in agony and spoke up once more as it knew its demise was imminent, even as the Phantom Thieves all landed on the ground in front of the Demiurge, who shuddered in despair as it spoke.

"But why!? Why did things have to end like this!? This is impossible! I am the god that the people want! I was the one who would be ordained to guide humanity to the Promised Land! Yet, in the end, I lost!? NOOOOOO!" The Demiurge, or EMMA as it used to be known, yelled out as it finally met its' end in a brilliant concussive burst of light as the Demiurge's body exploded into light particles that got progressively brighter as the destruction of the Demiurge came to pass. For a while the light was so bright, most of the group had to shield their eyes.

After a while, the flashing light of the Demiurge wound up ultimately culminating in a blinding light that blocked the view of the group for a time, until the light receded enough for the group to be able to see again, at which point the Demiurge finally vanished from view, having succumbed to its fate of destruction, leaving behind all the Desires the Demiurge had gathered prior to its destruction, which all then fell free and started raining down all over the area, heading to seek out their owners. As everyone watched in awe, Wolf smirked and spoke up in amazement.

"Heh, now that's something!" Wolf said as Auburn spoke up in agreement.

"You're not wrong, Dad. It was definitely something." Auburn said as Seraphim nodded her agreement before Skull spoke up in shock.

"Whoa, no effin' way! This is amazing!" Skull said as Draconis spoke up.

"Yep, isn't it just the best, Skull? I think it's safe to say that there's no feeling like a job well done! And the moral of the story is that AIs cannot be trusted for the most part! Sure, there are some, like our dear Seeker here, who are nice AIs that I'm proud to call a friend. But most AIs are usually megalomaniacs and/or psychos who seek world conquest. So hopefully the masses learn from this and don't repeat this mistake in the future." Draconis said as Seeker and Mona looked out at the view and the former spoke up.

"Oh wow, so beautiful!" Seeker said as Mona smiled at Seeker and gently pulled her close to look into her eyes as he spoke up.

"True, but it's not as beautiful as you, Lady Seeker. And now that EMMA's been dealt with, we have all the time in the world to enjoy getting closer to each other. For now though, let's just revel in this feeling of success and enjoy our victory. What do you say?" Mona said as Seeker blushed and nodded before speaking up as she snuggled into Mona's arms, making Mona blush in surprise but say nothing as Seeker spoke up in a tone that was a mix of embarrassed, shy, and even a bit coy.

"I agree. As of this moment, I just want to enjoy being in your arms as you hold me close, Mona. Now shut up and kiss me, you silly cat-boy." Seeker said as Mona blinked at Seeker calling him a silly cat-boy, but ultimately ignored it as he nodded his acceptance of Seeker's request before complying with her wishes as he pulled Seeker into a loving kiss as he cuddled her against him gently while Joker and Violet just sighed, but said nothing as they watched the fluffy yet wholesome moment between the rather unlikely couple of Mona and Seeker. After a bit, Fox spoke up with an uncertain look on his face.

"Is it done, then? Is our mission finally over?" Fox asked as Oracle spoke up.

"Mmhm, no mistake there. I'm not picking up any enemy readings anymore." Oracle said as Panther spoke up.

"Sooo, if that's the case, that can only mean one thing!" Panther said as Skull grinned and spoke up eagerly.

"HELL YEEEAAAH, PANTHER! WE DID IT!" Skull said as Noir smiled and spoke up.

"Yes, we really, really, did!" Noir said as Crow spoke up while giving Noir's shoulder a gentle pat, no doubt in an attempt to express his agreement with her words, as he spoke.

"We sure did, Noir. And now that EMMA's gone, we can finally look ahead to our future and anticipate all the times that we can potentially spend together." Crow said as he gently pulled Noir into his arms so they could enjoy the view of the sunrise over the falling Desires as Noir blushed and laid her head on Crow's shoulder as she spoke up.

"That's true. Thank you for being my boyfriend by the way, Crow. I know I haven't really shown you any gratitude for that, but I am truly grateful we decided to be together." Noir said as Crow smiled and kissed Noir before speaking up.

"No problem. If nothing else, I owe you that much for how much I've taken from you over the years. It seems only right that after what I've done, I can finally start giving back to you while also helping you try to replace the sadness I caused you with happiness instead. I love you so much." Crow said as Noir smiled and leaned into Crow's embrace while Queen sighed and spoke up.

"Ohh, I'm glad that's over. We scraped by and barely won that last fight, though. That was unbelievably rough." Queen said as Draconis scoffed at that and spoke up.

"Was it? Or was I the only one who saw how easily those spheres were destroyed by our combined efforts?" Draconis pointed out as Joker smiled and spoke up.

"That's true, Draconis. Not to mention, that final Triad Special that Seeker unleashed with the help of myself and Violet was amazing, as was the one that Fox, Panther, and Auburn used to end the first phase of that fight. And that group finisher we did at the very end was great. I don't think we scraped by at all. And both Diva and Fae were incredible as navigators. Thank you two for your efforts.

And the same goes for you guys, Ronin, Shinobi, Gumshoe, Bruiser, Buchi, Sentinel, and Messiah. You were all a great help in that last fight, especially you, Messiah. Don't think I didn't see you constantly providing chip damage and spamming debuffs on the enemy forces to make our work easier, because I did. I thank you for that from the bottom of my heart." Joker said as Messiah spoke up.

"Nonsense. I didn't do anything that special, Joker. I was just making leeway towards repaying the massive debt that I owe you all. After all, it was in part due to my misguided actions that several of you nearly ended up inflicted with a great deal of suffering and trauma." Messiah said as Draconis spoke up.

"Perhaps, but you're clearly remorseful for that, and you've changed your ways. So you need to try and learn to forgive yourself, Messiah. I'm aware that something like that must sound incredibly rich coming from someone like me, who probably is almost as guilty of self-blame as you are, but that doesn't make it any less true. If it helps, all of us have forgiven you for the most part.

Granted, I'm well aware that I haven't forgiven you yet for what you did to me back then, but I view what we did here as a good first step towards you earning my forgiveness. That being said, while it is true that what you did to Violet was probably the hardest to forgive, I seem to recall that Violet herself refused to hold a grudge over that in the end, and that not even Joker could hold a grudge against you for that. So we forgave you for even that eventually. So stop blaming yourself already, dammit!

Sure, I might have been mad at what you did to us near the end of our first run as Phantom Thieves, but I also remember how much you helped each of us during your tenure at Shujin Academy four years ago. After all, nearly all of us grew tremendously from your advice and our experiences as Phantom Thieves. So while it is true that you caused us grief for a time, you also were a great help to each of us as well, especially me. So, please try to forgive yourself already, yeah?" Draconis said before he shocked everyone as he pulled a surprised Messiah into a one-armed manly hug to try and comfort him, making Messiah blink before he smiled and spoke up while returning the hug.

"Heh, yeah. You're absolutely right, Draconis. I shouldn't be blaming myself. Yes, I messed up. But I can also change my ways and do the right thing, as I demonstrated here. So I suppose it's time for me to forgive myself, just as all of you have forgiven me." Messiah said as Ronin spoke up.

"Yes, well. As touching as all of this is, now that EMMA's taken care of, doesn't that create a problem for where we are now?" Ronin asked as Mona spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"That's true. Now that EMMA has finally been dealt with, this should take care of the Jails, too." Mona said as Wolf smirked and spoke up.

"Well, I have to hand it to all of you. Top-notch work, you guys. That was some legitimate hero action back there." Wolf said as Seraphim spoke up.

"Right!? We were totally the heroes back there against the Demiurge." Seraphim said before wincing as she kept speaking, a small hint of sadness entering her voice as she realized the implications of the Thieves' successful defeat of EMMA.

"Oh, but wait. If the Demiurge, and by extension EMMA, is gone, doesn't that mean our job as Phantom Thieves is over?" Seraphim said as Auburn spoke up.

"Yeah, that is what that means. Why do you-oh. OH!" Auburn said as she realized what Seraphim was trying to say. Flare sighed and spoke up.

"Unfortunately, that's correct, Seraphim. With the Demiurge beaten, that means our time as Phantom Thieves is just about up for now. But by no means does that mean we have to say goodbye to one another just yet. After all, we have to get out of the Metaverse and return to the real world first. And then after that, we have to get our allies back to their proper groups. Speaking of, didn't the rest of Messiah's group end up hiding in this Jail somewhere at Messiah's request?" Flare said as Messiah spoke up.

"Just so, Flare. As I mentioned before, I told Relena-san, Shibusawa-san, and his wife to find a place to hide until the crisis has passed, and that I struck out alone to try and catch up to you guys in a bid to hopefully make myself useful to your cause. Well, I guess it'd be more accurate to say that going it alone to try and help you guys was the plan. However, once I found Ichinose-san and saved her from that one Shadow, that plan very quickly changed. And it was for the best that I ended up deciding to speak to Ichinose-san, especially when considering how much of a help she ultimately was to our, or rather your, plans." Messiah said as Bruiser spoke up with a smirk.

"To your credit, you were willing to risk a lot to help us out and make things right. And you made the right call in telling your group to hide until the danger has passed. So that makes you all right in my books, Messiah." Bruiser said as Messiah smiled and Bruiser and gave him a nod of respect, which Bruiser returned while Oracle smirked at Wolf and spoke up.

"Hey, Wolf? Going back to what you said earlier, why were you talking like you weren't in here? You're a hero too you know." Oracle said as Auburn hugged her father and spoke up.

"Oracle's right, Dad. You were just as cool back there as the rest of us. Maybe even cooler than some. Either way, I've never been prouder to have you as my dad than I am now. Good job out there, Dad." Auburn said as she hugged Wolf, who smirked and patted Auburn on the head while returning her hug as he spoke up.

"Heh, thanks, Auburn. You were pretty amazing yourself. Also, if what you say is true and I'm a hero, then so are the rest of you." Wolf said as Fox spoke up.

"Yes, that's true. We're all heroes too. Every single one of us, as well as Seeker." Fox said as Seeker gasped from her spot in Mona's arms, where she was leaning into Mona's chest happily, smiling as Mona gently kissed her on the cheek.

"Hm!?" Seeker said in confusion, making Panther speak up in worry.

"Seeker?" Panther asked as Seeker spoke up with a frown.

"Oh! Sorry to worry you all. I'm an honest-to-goodness hero. A knight in shining armor. That doesn't sound bad at all, right Dad?" Seeker asked Joker, who smiled as he patted her gently on the head and spoke up.

"Not bad at all, sweetheart. Sure, 'hero' doesn't have the same ring that 'Phantom Thief' does, but it's still not bad at all." Joker said as Violet smiled and spoke up.

"Our little girl has certainly grown up throughout this adventure, hasn't she?" Violet said as Joker nodded and kissed Violet on the cheek as Wolf chuckled and spoke up.

"A knight in shining armor, huh? Heh, I never expected my little joke I made to that drunk guy back when I first met some of you to actually come true." Wolf said as Mona's eyes widened and he spoke up.

"That's right! You did say that to that guy when you saved us the night we met you, didn't you, Wolf!? Seems like Draconis isn't the only one who can jokingly predict things." Mona said as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"Nah, that's just a case of Wolf being a good guy with strong instincts. Joking predictions had nothing to do with it in this case. Besides, he only had one of those. As I recall, I had at least four of them. So I'm clearly the master of such things." Draconis said playfully as Oracle elbowed Draconis gently in the gut and spoke up.

"Don't be so competitive, Draconis. Let Wolf have his moment here." Oracle said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, dear. I'll be good." Draconis said, ignoring the whip sounds from both Joker and Skull, along with the smug grins on Crow, Pendragon, and Wolf's faces. Before Draconis could even acknowledge the teasing, the area around the group started rumbling, prompting a wide-eyed Diva to speak up.

"Gah! What was that!? Wait, does that mean-?" Diva asked as Fae spoke up.

"I think so, Diva. I think it might be that time." Fae said as Mona spoke up.

"I believe you might be right, Fae. Looks like it's starting already, everyone. The fusion of reality and the Metaverse is coming undone. As such, now's the time to make our escape!" Mona said as the others nodded before Pendragon spoke up.

"Hold on a second. Not that I don't want to delay our escape, but aren't we forgetting something? Or rather, someone?" Pendragon asked as Oracle gasped and spoke up.

"Oh yeah, that's right! If we're escaping, we need to bring Ichinose with us!" Oracle said as Seeker gently wiggled out of Mona's arms and spoke up.

"I will go get her. You should all head back now." Seeker said as Sentinel frowned and spoke up.

"Are you sure you can be able to get to her and get out of here in time, Seeker?" Sentinel asked as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"I'm positive. Don't worry everyone, Ichinose and I will be right behind you guys once I retrieve her from EMMA's server room." Seeker said as Violet, after a few seconds of thinking, spoke up.

"Alright then, just be careful, Seeker." Violet said as Joker spoke up.

"Agreed. Try to be quick before this place collapses." Joker said as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"Don't worry, Mom and Dad. We will see each other again soon." Seeker said but just before she was about to leave the area, Mona spoke up.

"Lady Seeker, wait!?" Mona said as he came up to her before wrapping his arms around the AI girl as he kissed her once more before speaking up.

"This is just in case we somehow aren't able to do this anymore." Mona said as Seeker's eyes widened in realization before she smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you, Mona. I will treasure that kiss for the rest of my days." Seeker said as Mona smiled back and spoke up.

"I know you will. Now get going!" Mona said and with a nod from his girlfriend, Seeker took her leave to get Ichinose as Joker spoke up.

"All right guys, let's make our way back down the tower and get out of here!" Joker said as the group nodded and made their escape from the Tree of Knowledge together...

(A short time later, back in the real world near the Tokyo Radio Tower, with Goro, Haru, Sojiro, Kusa, Futaba, Makoto, Maruki, Ann, Shiho, Yusuke, Akihiko, Ryuji, Yu, Rise, Yosuke, Naoto, Zenkichi, Fuuka, Aigis, Koromaru, Sumire, Sophia, Ren, Morgana, Akane, and Nanako)

As the group gazed at the Tokyo Radio Tower in the real world, Ryuji spoke up with a frown.

"Sooo, everything's back to the way it was before EMMA tried to eff up the world, right?" Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up.

"Phew, seems like it. I think it's safe to say so, yeah." Morgana said as Haru spoke up with a gasp.

"So, you mean to say that we really did save the world?" Haru asked as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"Yes, that's correct. After all, that is usually the unspoken implication formed in the wake of the villain's ultimate defeat, Haru." Goro said as Kusa spoke up.

"You could've just said she's right, Goro. You don't always have to have three layers of snark in your replies, you know." Kusa said as Akihiko smirked and spoke up.

"Oh? He has three layers of snark in his replies? That's nothing. When he was alive, Shinji had at least five layers of snark under most of his responses. Granted, he also had a soft spot for Koromaru, even if he would never admit to it. That being said, I could see some similarities between Shinji and Goro." Akihiko said wisely as Goro spoke up while glaring at Kusa.

"Is that so? I'll take that as a compliment, Sanada-san." Goro said before turning to face Kusa as he kept speaking up in a much drier tone.

"And as for you, Kusa!? That's rich of you to try and accuse me of having snark behind my responses, especially when said accusations are coming from the guy who not only was once called a snark lord by Ren, but who also gives longer speeches than most people I know." Goro said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Shuddup! I know I'm not perfect, Goro. But at least I didn't take almost four years to finally tell my crush how I felt about her, unlike you." Kusa pointed out bluntly as Ren groaned and spoke up while lightly massaging his forehead to try and head off the migraine he could feel coming from Goro and Kusa's banter.

"Oy vey, here we go again. Is this the return of Kusa and Goro's rivalry?" Ren said as Sumire giggled and spoke up reassuringly while kissing Ren on the cheek comfortingly.

"Cheer up, Ren. I don't think their rivalry is returning. They're just having a bit of a go at one another, that's all. And to be honest, that's just typical Kusa and Goro antics for you. They wouldn't be who they are if they didn't quibble with each other now and again. Or are you going to say you and Kusa never squabbled growing up?" Sumire pointed out as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Heh, you've got me there, beautiful. That's a fair point." Ren said as Naoto smirked and spoke up while turning to face Yosuke.

"Look familiar, Yosuke? I feel like Amamiya the eldest and youngest get along similar to how you and Teddie get along most of the time." Naoto said as Kanji spoke up.

"Fair, but isn't that an insult to both Kusa AND Goro to compare either of them to Teddie?" Yosuke said. Goro and Kusa frowned at that and spoke up in unison.

"YES, IT IS!" Kusa and Goro both snapped as the former sighed and kept speaking.

"But to be fair, I suppose I'd be the Teddie out of us two, since I am younger than Goro by a bit." Kusa said as Goro spoke up.

"True, but you're also much better than Teddie is. You have a fiancee AND a reputation on the martial-arts circuit, not to mention you have your own car." Goro pointed out as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Good point. I mean, to be fair to Teddie, he did at least manage to land himself a cute weather girl/minor goddess for a girlfriend. Not to say she has ANYTHING on Taba, because she most certainly does not have anything on her. Just saying she's cute, is all. Taba, for her part, is sexy." Kusa said as Futaba smiled and kissed Kusa on the cheek cutely by way of a thank-you for his compliment of her. After the display by Futaba, Ryuji cheered and spoke up.

"Hell yeah! FINALLY, it's all over! Not to mention, we got first-hand proof of how cute Kusa and Futaba are together!" Ryuji said as Ann spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Phew! Thank goodness we did it!" Ann said as Yusuke spoke up with a closed-eye smile of his own.

"Indeed. It appears this case is closed, so to speak." Yusuke said as Sojiro spoke up.

"Yep, seems like it. We've wrapped things up, so all that's left is the part where we return to our normal lives, not to mention that some of us have to go back to their respective hometowns." Sojiro said wisely as Makoto spoke up, ignoring the brief look of horror that Ren and Sumire exchanged at her next question as she spoke.

"Oh, right. That reminds me. Where are Sophia and Ichinose-san?" Makoto asked as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which Sumire had reflexively fished out of her pocket once Makoto mentioned Sophia's name, preceded Sophia speaking up, oblivious to the sighs of relief that Ren and Sumire gave on hearing her voice as she spoke.

"I'm right here." Sophia said as Sumire lifted her phone so the group could hear as Sophia kept speaking.

"Great job, everyone. I'd call this mission a real success." Sophia said as Haru spoke up.

"Yep, I'm glad you're safe too, Sophia. And so is Mona-chan, even if he's too macho to say so. But speaking of missing people, where's Ichinose-san, though?" Haru asked as Sophia spoke up with a frown.

"Good question. She should have been with me when exiting the Metaverse. Given that she and I exited the Jail from the exact same location where we first entered upon being dragged in there by EMMA, surely she shouldn't be too far." Sophia said as footsteps were heard as if on cue from Sophia mentioning their owner, as a familiar voice spoke up.

"Oh good, you all made it back in one piece. I'm so relieved." Ichinose said as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"Heh, I hear ya there! And the same for you, Ichinose!" Futaba said as Ichinose spoke up with wide eyes.

"Thanks. Looks like everyone's gone back to normal as far as I can tell. And I can tell this to be true since the EMMA app is now officially gone from my phone. Come to think of it, weren't there more people in the group that Narukami-san and the others were traveling with before they joined forces with you all?" Ichinose asked as another familiar voice spoke up to answer the question, almost as if Ichinose's words had summoned the person who'd spoken.

"Correct. I take it you're Kuon Ichinose, then?" The group heard, turning to see Mitsuru, who had been the one to speak, leading the remaining members of the Shadow Operatives and Investigation Team over to reunite with the Phantom Thieves, prompting a relieved Labrys to race forward and gently hug Yosuke, clearly relieved to see him in one piece, much to his amusement. As Yosuke and Labrys reunited with each other, Sumire spoke up.

"Mitsuru, it's great to see you again. The same goes for the rest of you guys." Sumire said as she gave her cousin a friendly hug as Mitsuru spoke up.

"You as well, Sumire. I'm glad you and the others came out okay." Mitsuru said as Kusa spoke up.

"EMMA, or the Demiurge as she was called upon being transformed into a god, was a pushover." Kusa said as Ren spoke up.

"That's true. But despite how powerful she was, we were able to pull through to the end." Ren said as Mitsuru smiled as she spoke up.

"I had a feeling that would be the case. Nonetheless, I'm glad that we don't have to worry about another Shadow World incident for a long while."
Mitsuru said as Labrys then spoke up while still eagerly embracing Yosuke.

"I'm glad you're okay, Yosuke. Do you have any idea how worried I was after we last heard from you during that concert?" Labrys said as Yosuke gave his crush an amused smile as he spoke up.

"Relax, Labrys. It's gonna take more than some megalomaniacal app to finish off the Phantom Thieves. But I'm glad to see that you're so relieved to see me in one piece." Yosuke said as Labrys blushed in embarrassment at her display before speaking up.

"Y-Yes, well, in my defense, the real world was doin' some real freaky things for a bit there, plus we had virtually no luck stopping people from getting through to give EMMA their Desires. So I think I'm allowed to be worried about my friends and my boyfr-err, I mean, my best friend, while they're out riskin' their lives to save the world, don'tcha think?" Labrys said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"That's fair. Wait, did you just stop yourself from calling me what I think you did?" Yosuke asked as Nanako giggled and spoke up.

"Yep, she sure did! I heard it with my own ears! She may have stopped herself, but she clearly almost said 'my boyfriend' at one point. I think you might have a legitimate shot with her yet, Yosuke." Nanako said impishly as an embarrassed Labrys frowned and spoke up while glaring at Nanako, who seemed unbothered by the glare aimed at her, only giggling in response as Labrys spoke.

"Did I ask you to play matchmaker for us, Nanako-chan?" Labrys said as Nanako smiled and spoke up.

"No, but I wanted to. Now stop being proud and just tell Yosuke how you feel about him already, Labrys." Nanako said as Labrys huffed but spoke up.

"Fine. She's not wrong. I care about you a lot, Yosuke. And being separated from you like I was made me realize just how much I cherish you. I know you're a human and I'm basically an Anti-Shadow weapon, but I don't care. I love you despite that. Do you think we could make it work somehow between us, Yosuke? Or more simply put, will you go out with me?" Labrys asked as Yosuke smiled softly and spoke up while looking into Labrys' eyes.

"Of course I will. I could care less what you are, Labrys. You're still the girl I care about, after all. So if you're asking to be my girlfriend, I'd be delighted to make that happen for you." Yosuke said as Labrys smiled and pulled Yosuke into a kiss by way of response, ignoring the catcalls from the rest of the Shadow Operatives and Investigation Team, though Aigis smiled at Labrys and spoke up.

"Well done, sister. I'm proud of you." Aigis said so only Labrys could hear, getting a subtle nod of respect from Labrys in response as Marie smirked at the display by Yosuke and Labrys before she spoke up.

"Heh, well whaddya know? Looks like someone finally got their crush to notice them, eh Yosuke? Congrats. Speaking of which, I think someone has something they need to say to Morgana. DON'T THEY, TEDDIE?" Marie said pointedly, making a wincing Teddie nod fearfully as he spoke up.

"Y-Yes, ma'am. Morgana, I'm sorry for teasing you during our bout about not being able to get your crush to notice you. That was uncalled for by me. And it was unfair of me to drag Sophia into my teasing of you. So I apologize for all of it." Teddie said as Junpei smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, looks like the ex-weather girl wears the pants in that relationship, eh?" Junpei said, turning to exchange a nod with a grinning Yosuke, as both Junpei and Yosuke made whip sounds with their mouths towards Teddie, who huffed and spoke up.

"HEY! Did I tease either of you two!? How bear-y rude of you!" Teddie said, ignoring the mass amount of facefaults that his pun had caused as Yukari eventually was the first to find her voice and speak up, her eye twitching slightly from Teddie's pun.

"First of all, YOU can stop with the bear puns, Teddie! As for Stupei, I don't think he has any room to tease Teddie about being whipped, given how badly whipped Chidori had him when she was still alive. And second of all, I thought that Stupei learned his lesson about respecting women after Mitsuru-senpai executed him a few years ago, but maybe not." Yukari said as Chie spoke up, cutting off Junpei before he could protest Yukari's usage of his hated nickname.

"You know what they say, Yukari. Some men are just gluttons for punishment, and slow on the uptake." Chie said as she ignored the near-unified chorus of 'RUDE!' from every male present, other than Koromaru, who simply gave an offended-sounding woof in response to Chie's dig, to get an agreeable nod from Yukari as Kanji eventually spoke up.

"That's rude, Chie! Not all men are complete and utter horndog scumbags like Adachi, Teddie, and even Yosuke to a point." Kanji said, ignoring the annoyed-sounding yell of 'SHUT UP!' from Yosuke as Morgana spoke up.

"Kanji has a point. But never mind Chie's slander of all gentlemen everywhere for now. I want to savor the fact that Teddie apologized to me. Also, if you think about it, I actually owe him a bit of a thank-you, since his taunts may have been the metaphoric boot to the ass that I needed to finally man up and confess my feelings to Lady Sophia, who agreed to become my girlfriend recently." Morgana said as Labrys blinked and spoke up as she and the other members of the Shadow Operatives and Investigation Team who weren't with the Phantom Thieves were surprised upon hearing this revelation.

"Wait, so Morgana and Sophia are together now? When did that happen?" Labrys asked as Yosuke spoke up.

"From what Ren and the others told us, it was not too long after we last saw them. It was in the midst of the EMMA crisis when Morgana and Sophia confessed their feelings towards one another. Regardless, I'm still processing the fact that an AI that's currently in the body of a little girl and a human who used to be a cat are now dating." Yosuke said as Labrys lightly smacked Yosuke on the arm before speaking up with a fond smile on her face.

"Do you REALLY have room to judge them, considering you're basically dating me? After all, I'm sure many people are probably going to use the term 'robot waifu' to describe me, so our relationship isn't that much more conventional than Morgana's relationship with Sophia-chan." Labrys said with a giggle as a red-faced Sophia gave Labrys a nod of gratitude before Yosuke spoke up.

"Fair enough. I withdraw my previous objection, then." Yosuke said as Teddie spoke up.

"Well, I guess Morgana really has proven that he's better than me, hasn't he?" Teddie said, getting a smug grin from Morgana in response before Fuuka smiled and spoke up while gently petting Koromaru on the head.

"Go figure Teddie and Morgana have a rivalry of sorts. At least we know who the best mascot is, don't we, Koro-chan?" Fuuka said wryly, getting a happy-sounding bark from Koromaru in response as Ichinose spoke up.

"Yes, well, rather than getting into a bunch of squabbles? I say that we should just agree that it's good that we're all together again, with all of us being safe and sound. Anyways, moving on from the subject of people's love lives, let's focus on the fact that we have a more pressing question to consider." Ichinose said as Maruki spoke up.

"Oh? And what might that be, Ichinose-san?" Maruki asked as Ichinose smiled at Maruki and spoke up.

"Think about it. We might have managed to stop EMMA from enslaving mankind, but I don't think we're going to get any acknowledgement or thanks for it. Especially since judging from the looks on everyone else's faces but ours, they don't remember what happened to them at all. Or am I wrong?" Ichinose asked as Yusuke spoke up with a nod.

"Correct, Ichinose-san. They won't recall anything of what happened. Or at least, they won't recall whatever events took place while their Desires were gone. It'll be like when Yaldabaoth tried to enslave the population four years ago. Once we destroyed him and undid his fusion of reality and Mementos, no one outside of us and our allies remembered any of that.

Well, our allies, and those with awareness of the cognitive world, like Maruki-san here, who knew of us through Ren and Kusa. So outside of this group, and maybe a few others, like Zenkichi's boss and maybe the Monarchs, there may be a very select minority who will have some minor level of recollection of everything that went down." Yusuke said as Ichinose spoke up.

"I see. That makes a lot of sense, actually." Ichinose said as Mitsuru spoke up as she directed her gaze towards the one person she did not recognize.

"Not to interrupt, but I seem to not recall seeing him before when we last saw you guys. I'm guessing you're the one Yusuke-kun referred to as Maruki-san just now?" Mitsuru asked as Maruki nodded and spoke up as he recalled being told by Ren, Yu, and Akihiko about the rest of the members from the latter two's respective Persona groups

"That's me. My name is Takuto Maruki. A pleasure to meet you, as well as the rest of those from the groups that originated before the Phantom Thieves, Kirijo-san." Maruki said as Yukiko spoke up.

"Wait, so are you another Phantom Thief?" Yukiko asked as Maruki spoke up.

"Yes, and no. Let's just say that around three and a half years ago, there was a time when my heart wasn't in the right place." Maruki said as Kusa spoke up.

"Doc here essentially wanted to use the Metaverse to create an alternate reality where everyone was happy and his actions had left a deep scar on some of us. However, we were able to make him see the light and he came to accept that what he was doing was wrong." Kusa said as Ren spoke up.

"He, as well as a group of other people who were with him, ended up being dragged into the Metaverse when EMMA took over. Maruki took a big risk and came to assist us with stopping EMMA while the others went into hiding until everything was back to normal." Ren said as Maruki spoke up.

"What EMMA did, or rather what she almost did, was similar to what I almost had achieved had Ren, Kusa, and the others not stopped me. And I figured use this opportunity to return the favor, as well as redeem myself for my actions." Maruki said as Mitsuru blinked as she took all this in as she then smiled and spoke up.

"I see. While I would be a bit on edge after hearing what you said, alongside the fact that you somehow were able to get into the Tokyo Radio Tower without us noticing you, I suppose I can let whatever actions that you did previously with the Shadow World slide. Particularly since I get the impression that your actions ultimately ended up helping the Phantom Thieves stop EMMA, Maruki-san." Mitsuru said as Maruki spoke up with his head bowed.

"Thank you, Kirijo-san. I really wanted to get a chance to right my wrongs, and I'm glad I was given that opportunity." Maruki said as Ichinose spoke up.

"He's not the only one, though. I, too, was an enemy of the Phantom Thieves for a short period of time by assisting EMMA with her plans. But, like with Maruki-san, the Phantom Thieves were able to make me realize my wrongdoings. And because of that, I was able to help them stop my former creation from doing any more damage by hacking into EMMA's systems with Futaba in order to send out that calling card earlier. Speaking of those events, I'm so sorry for all the trouble I caused you guys before." Ichinose said sincerely as Sophia spoke up in shock.

"Ichinose, are you really showing remorse? Looks like we really did help you find your heart while changing it, didn't we?" Sophia said as Ichinose spoke up with a nod.

"You did indeed, Sophia. And I thank you for what you did for me. That being said, my apologies, but I'm going to head out now. I have a lot of thinking to do." Ichinose said as Ann spoke up with a frown.

"Hey, uh, Ichinose-san? Not to say you're not capable or that you can't handle yourself or anything like that, but are you sure you're going to be okay by yourself?" Ann asked as Shiho giggled and spoke up.

"I'm sure Ichinose-san will be fine, Ann. After all, she's managed thus far on her own, yeah? So I say we don't need to worry about her too much." Shiho said as Rise giggled and spoke up slyly.

"That's a fair point, Shiho. I think we can trust Ichinose-san to handle herself. After all, I'm sure she'll make the most of her new lease on life." Rise said as Kusa spoke up with a smirk.

"Rise and Shiho are both correct. But since I can see that you're worried about it, try to have some faith, yeah? And considering she's standing right here with us now, I'm sure she's going to be just fine, Ann. Worst case, we could always have Doc escort her where she's going, especially since I think he'd be the most able to appreciate what she's likely going through right now after going through something similar himself a few years ago. And I'm quite sure Ichinose-san would welcome the company, even if it's just to have a friendly face to talk to." Kusa said slyly as Maruki frowned and spoke up after hearing Kusa's teasing remark about him.

"Very funny, Kusa. If you're trying to play matchmaker, don't bother. I can manage my own love life just fine, thank you. Besides, I know for a fact that you were the one who cracked the joke before about me and Hiraguchi-san being an item." Maruki pointed out as Kusa chuckled and spoke up with a sheepish look on his face.

"Heh, good point, Doc. I did make that joke before, didn't I? Sorry about that." Kusa said as Maruki spoke up.

"It's okay. I can see how you think that Ichinose and I can work well together due to our similar pasts. However, I'm not against escorting her back home as long as we meet back up with my group first, just to see if they're doing okay. That is, if that's alright with you, Ichinose-san?" Maruki asked as Ichinose smiled and spoke up.

"I appreciate the kind offer, Maruki-san. But I can handle myself in terms of going home. And speaking of home, I'm actually going back to Shibuya, where I used to live. It's been years since the last time I was there." Ichinose said as Sumire spoke up in surprise.

"Oh? I didn't know you used to live in Shibuya, Ichinose-san?" Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"Me neither. I could've sworn you would have lived in Sendai given your job at Toho University." Ren said as Ichinose winced and spoke up.

"Well, let's just say that my Shibuya home at the time has been nothing more than bad memories for me. For a long time, it was just the place where I stashed away everything from my past, and I mean everything. But as of this moment, I can finally look at it and see it positively. And now that I've realized the error of my ways, I need to go back. Well, be seeing you." Ichinose said as she turned on her heel and walked off without looking back. Once she was out of both earshot and the group's line of vision, Haru spoke up with a frown on her face.

"I wonder if Ichinose-san will be all right on her own?" Haru asked as Goro spoke up.

"She should be fine, Haru. I will freely admit that I was a pretty huge dick to her for most of the time we've known her, but she ended up being pretty all right in the end once we got through to her." Goro said as Kusa spoke up.

"That's more than we can say for what she created. It's a shame that EMMA ultimately ended up beyond redemption in the end. I know I said before that all AIs are evil and not to be trusted, but I think there could've been a real chance that we would've redeemed EMMA to some degree, had she not been so far gone. If nothing else, I feel as if Sophia would've enjoyed helping EMMA see the light in a similar way that we helped Sophia over the whole time that we've known her so far." Kusa said as Sophia gave off a distracted sort of 'hmm' in response as Ren spoke up.

"To be honest, I'm worried about her too. But I think we need to have faith that she'll be fine eventually." Ren said honestly as Zenkichi frowned and spoke up.

"That's true, Ren. However, let's not forget one thing. People can get all caught up in what others have to say, and wind up forgetting what they have to say for themselves. But at the same time, just a few words can end up being a lifeline to somebody, too." Zenkichi said as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Zenkichi. Kusa and I can vouch for this. After all, Kusa was able to change my heart the same way Sophia presumably changed Ichinose-san's. And he did it with little more than a few impassioned words and a bit of belief in me. I wouldn't admit it then, but that meant a lot to me that he cared enough to say something so supportive and nice." Goro said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"I knew you were able to be changed thanks to that. But I won't tease you for it here. And if we're being honest, I have no room to tease you about that when I was similarly changed by being part of the Phantom Thieves. After all, I meant what I said to you back in Shido's Palace four years ago. I really was a spiteful little shithead before Ren and I got sent out to Yongen-Jaya for that year-long probation.

It was only after becoming a Phantom Thief and meeting both Taba and Sojiro that I started to really warm to being a team player and trusting others. So I knew I had to be the one to reach out to you, even if I couldn't stand you at the time. Truthfully, that was because you reminded me a lot of how I could've ultimately ended up had I not made friends with the rest of the Phantom Thieves, let alone Sojiro and Futaba." Kusa said as Zenkichi smiled and spoke up.

"Heh, that sounds about right. Also, I'm sure you were able to talk sense into her, Sophia. Just give her some time to process." Zenkichi said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a smiling Sophia speaking up.

"You got it. Thanks, Zenkichi." Sophia said as Zenkichi smiled and spoke up, surprising most of the group with what he said next.

"Well, not to bite her style or anything, but I ought to say my goodbyes too." Zenkichi said as a shocked Ryuji spoke up.

"Wh-What the hell!? What's the rush, Gramps?" Ryuji asked as Zenkichi spoke up with a smirk.

"We may not have brought a god down to the station, but we did find the culprit behind this whole mess and foiled the entire scheme. I'm sure the bizarre incidents are in our past now, where they belong. And thanks to the Monarchs' confessions, you're all in the clear now. And as such, that means our deal's through." Zenkichi said as Futaba pouted and spoke up while childishly stamping her foot.

"Whaddya mean by that!? Don't say such sad stuff, Zenkichi. I'm not ready to say goodbye, dammit!" Futaba said as Kusa kissed her on the cheek and spoke up.

"Cheer up, Taba. It's not goodbye forever. It's more of a 'farewell for now', if anything. I'm sure our paths will cross with his again one day. So try not to be sad, yeah?" Kusa said as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"Kusa's right, you know. We're all still a team. So even if we have to say goodbye to Zenkichi for now, I'm sure we'll see him again someday. Besides, I doubt Akane-chan would let him cut ties with us completely. She might not admit it, but I think she's grown quite fond of being a Phantom Thief." Ren said as Akane blushed and spoke up.

"Oh, come on! Don't embarrass me like that, Ren! Especially in front of Nanako!" Akane said as Nanako hugged Akane and spoke up.

"Hey, it's okay. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. After all, if you hadn't become a Phantom Thief, we might not have found each other. So I think we can look fondly at this experience for that reason alone. Unless you're trying to say you're not glad that we're together?" Nanako said as Akane smiled and spoke up.

"Not at all, Nanako. I'm very happy that you and I are a couple. I was just embarrassed that Ren put me on the spot about enjoying my status as a Phantom Thief. He knows how long I have been a fan of this group! So I think I'm allowed to be hyped about being a part of the group I've idolized for so long."Akane said as Nanako smiled and kissed Akane comfortingly as Zenkichi frowned and spoke up.

"I know that you're practically a grown woman Akane, but do I have to be reminded of that fact every time I look at you? At least try not to kiss your girlfriend in front of me." Zenkichi said before turning to Ren as he kept speaking.

"And as for you! C'mon, man, don't act all friendly with me! You do remember that I only met up with you guys so I could use you, right?" Zenkichi said as Ann spoke up with a frown.

"Yeah, but like, you didn't really have a choice, did you?" Ann said as Yusuke spoke up.

"She's right, Zenkichi. If anything, you were our most valuable asset alongside Kusa." Yusuke said as Kusa shook his head and spoke up, shocking Ren and Goro with what he said next.

"Nah, Yusuke. I was useful to the team, yes. But I think we can all agree that Zenkichi was the real MVP in this case. Not only did he help us bring that asshole Konoe down, he helped us defeat the Monarchs and even managed to repair his own relationship with his daughter. And not only that, but I think he even managed to find something special as well while he was doing all of that. So I think Zenkichi deserves the credit here. Sure, he had malicious intent at first, but he wised up and made the right choice in the end when the chips were down.

After all, are we going to ignore the fact that it was Zenkichi who was the one who changed Akane-chan's heart while she was still a Monarch for that brief-lived time that Konoe tried to use her against us? Besides, I knew deep down that Zenkichi had a good heart the entire time. I might have been distrustful of him at first, but that was because I didn't have a good read on his intentions at the time. It's not unlike how I was distrustful of Goro at first when he came into our lives. But after a while, we ended up making nice with one another and found we made for both an unlikely duo and an even more unlikely pair of good friends, if not straight-up brothers." Kusa said sagely as Futaba nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"Yeah, Kusa's right! We owe you an awful lot, Zenkichi." Futaba said as Zenkichi chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, thanks, you two. You know, it really was great meeting you all. And to be totally honest? I was originally jealous of you. After all, since my line of work means a lotta wasted effort getting things done, your direct results sorta felt like cheating, in a way. It was really bugging me for a while there, truth be told. But then Kusa helped me to realize that I was being foolish to feel that way, and I stopped being jealous of you eventually." Zenkichi said as Morgana spoke up.

"Zenkichi, we had no idea you felt that way." Morgana said as Zenkichi smiled and spoke up.

"But at the end of the day? Not only did you guys save me from myself, but you literally saved Akane's life and helped us rebuild our frayed relationship as father and daughter. That's what opened my eyes, and showed me what I needed to do to make my life better. And you even showed me the things I'd lost sight of over the years. I guess my heart got changed before I could even see it coming." Zenkichi said as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"Yeah, being around these guys will do that for you, Zenkichi. I was the same way when Ren and Kusa first moved to Yongen-Jaya. I was bitter, mean, and resentful. I even had a hard time connecting with Futaba. But over the course of the year Ren stayed at Leblanc for his probation with Kusa, not only did I slowly lose my bitterness and resentment, but Ren and Kusa even helped me repair my relationship with Futaba so that we had a true father-daughter connection. Even though I didn't know then that she was my biological daughter at first, I loved her like she was my daughter regardless, so that reveal didn't change much of how we saw each other. My point is that I can relate to having your heart changed unexpectedly by these guys." Sojiro said sagely as Ryuji chuckled and spoke up.

"Hehehe, looks like that's two more hearts that the Phantom Thieves have changed, then." Ryuji said as Makoto spoke up.

"The feeling's mutual, Zenkichi-san. You taught us an awful lot too, you know. Like the challenges you can face when trying to live by your beliefs." Makoto said as Yusuke spoke up with a smirk.

"As well as the pains of child-rearing. Although, come to think of it, wouldn't it be more accurate to say it was mostly Ren and Sumire who learned that lesson thanks to Sophia? Ah, the wondrous muse the two of you could make if I were to do a painting of the two of you with Sophia in a similar vein to how the 'Sayuri' was made." Yusuke said as Ren and Sumire both blushed and spoke up in embarrassment.

"YUSUKE/YUSUKE-SENPAI!" Ren and Sumire rebuked Yusuke as Zenkichi chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, good point. But there's a lot of joy to find in those things, too. And at this point, I'm finally ready to take care of something that's been plaguing me for a long time now." Zenkichi said as Makoto spoke up with an understanding nod.

"Ah, yes. You mean Owada." Makoto said as Zenkichi nodded and spoke up with a resolved look on his face.

"Right. I've got no reason to hold back anymore. I know what I have to do." Zenkichi said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a wide-eyed Sophia speaking up.

"What you have to do, you say? Interesting." Sophia said as Ren spoke up.

"You've got this, Zenkichi. Go get him." Ren said as Ryuji spoke up with a grin on his face.

"Yeah! Go break a leg, Gramps!" Ryuji said as Sumire frowned at Ryuji for calling Zenkichi 'Gramps'. However, Zenkichi smiled at this and spoke up before Sumire could yell at Ryuji for being rude.

"Gotcha. But like Kusa said before, it's not like this is the last time we'll ever see each other. I'm sure we'll cross paths again soon enough." Zenkichi said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"I hope so too, Zenkichi-san. No, I know it!" Haru said as Zenkichi laughed and spoke up.

"Same here. Just, do me a favor? Next time we meet, make sure it's not in an interrogation room, okay?" Zenkichi asked as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"We'll do our best, Zenkichi. But with Ren's luck, I think it's smartest that we make no promises regarding that." Kusa said teasingly as Ren sputtered and spoke up.

"RUDE! You say that like I make a habit of being arrested by scumbags, Kusa!" Ren said as Kusa spoke up with a laugh.

"I was only teasing, Ren. Besides, we all know that the last time you got cuffed, it was Shido and Goro's fault, anyways. Well, mainly Shido's." Kusa said as Goro frowned at Kusa but said nothing as Zenkichi nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough, Kusa. But, if anything does go down? Feel free to reach out, and I swear I'll do whatever I can to help. If nothing else, Akane won't let me do any less than that." Zenkichi said as Akane merely nodded approvingly as Ren spoke up.

"We know. We'll be careful, Zenkichi." Ren said as Zenkichi nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. I'll leave Akane with you for a while longer so she can have a chance to spend some more time with Nanako before the two have to part ways when Nanako goes home." Zenkichi said as Akane embraced her father as she spoke up.

"Thanks, Dad. Good luck with Owada. And as I said before, back when we last split off from each other, I'll let you know when I'm making my way back to Kyoto." Akane said as Zenkichi smiled as he nodded and spoke up.

"Of course. I'll do the same once I finish taking care of business here in Tokyo." Zenkichi said as he let go of his daughter as he turned to leave and spoke up one more time.

"Thanks again for everything and I'll see you around, Phantom Thieves. Or, no, should I say you damn fools?" Zenkichi said before turning on his heel and walking off towards his car as Kusa smirked at the throwback to a line he'd said early in their time working together. Once Zenkichi was out of earshot and the group's field of vision, Haru spoke up.

"There he goes, you guys." Haru said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. He's off to settle his own business. Zenkichi's great showdown in our world is about to begin." Yusuke said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Eh, I'm sure he'll be fine! We gotta get goin', though." Ryuji said as Maruki spoke up at that point.

"Good point, Sakamoto-kun. At the risk of appearing to be riding on Zenkichi's metaphoric coattails, I should probably make my farewells as well. After all, our teaming up was only temporary as far as I'm aware. Plus, I'm sure some of you are only tolerating my presence for the sake of group morale. I'm aware I've caused all of you pain with my actions three and a half years ago, so I understand if some of you can't forgive me for what I've done." Maruki said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"Doc, would you give it a rest, man? You showed us that you have changed since you assisted us in stopping EMMA. I believe I can say that almost all of us have forgiven you for what you did all those years ago. And for those such as myself, you made a big step towards earning that forgiveness." Kusa said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Kusa's right. Even though you were only a part of the group for just one battle, you contributed greatly to that fight against the Demiurge. After everything we went through all three and a half years ago, not to mention that you willingly put your own life on the line to help us, I can say that we can put the past behind us." Ren said as those who were part of the original Phantom Thieves nodded in agreement as their leader held out his hand alongside Kusa, to which Maruki shook them both as he smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you, Amamiya the middle and younger. I really appreciate you guys giving me this chance. But with that being said, I should get going now. I still need to find the rest of my group after I told them to hide earlier. But if fate sees fit to have our paths cross once more, maybe we can speak of further reconciliation and possibly a full-time membership status for me if there's ever another crisis with the Metaverse in which the Phantom Thieves are involved." Maruki said as Sumire spoke up.

"We will consider it, at the very least. But regardless, it was nice to see you again, Doctor Maruki. Take care of yourself, and give our regards to Coach Hiraguchi, along with Shibusawa-san and his wife." Sumire said as Maruki nodded and spoke up.

"I will, Yoshizawa-san. But for now, this is farewell. Thank you all once again for letting me be a Phantom Thief, if only briefly." Maruki said before he turned and walked away before anyone could reply. After he was out of earshot and well out of view, Goro spoke up.

"Well, that's one way to depart, if nothing else. He's not wrong, though. He still has a lot to make up for regarding his actions. But, like with myself, he's made the first steps to achieving it." Goro said as the others nodded their agreement. Yu eventually cleared his throat to get the group's attention and spoke up.

"That's true. But going back to what Ryuji said earlier, we all have lives to get back to. And as much as I know that she doesn't want to do so, Nanako should probably start to say her goodbyes as well, since Rise and I are probably going to take her back with us when we go, just to ensure that she gets home on time. Not to say you can't get home on your own, because you can totally get back just fine on your own, Nanako.

But hypothetically, if we did leave you here, what's to say that you wouldn't 'accidentally' forget when you're due home in an attempt to spend more time with your girlfriend? Besides, it's not like you're saying goodbye to her forever. You two can always do the long-distance thing if necessary. Or, we can have her come out from time to time to visit. I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to put Dojima-san and Zenkichi-san in contact with one another. But you do have school to get back to, so I'm afraid this is where you have to say goodbye to the others, Nanako." Yu said as Nanako pouted and spoke up.

"Aww, do I have to go home already, Big Bro? I don't wanna say goodbye to my friends and girlfriend yet." Nanako said as Akane giggled and spoke up, seeing that Nanako looked ready to cry and decided to try and step in before Nanako started crying.

"It's all right, Nanako. I understand how you feel, but even if I wanted you to stick around, I think we both know that you can't be selfish. Besides, it's like my father said. We're not saying goodbye forever, nor will this be the last time we see each other. We can always do video chats, speak on the phone, and if we can get our fathers in contact with one other, we can always set up hangouts from time to time. So you can't be selfish here. You have things you have to do back home, Nanako.

And even if I don't want to see you go, I realize that I can't keep you to myself forever. Now go on, Nanako. Go with your Big Bro. I'll always be waiting for you. After all, our relationship was one of the best things about what I went through over the past few weeks. Now, be strong, and say goodbye to me with a smile, yeah? I'd rather not have the last memory I have of seeing your pretty face be you pouting and/or crying. You look way sexier when you smile." Akane said as she hugged Nanako, who reluctantly smiled and spoke up.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess I gotta get going, even if I don't want to. Bye, Akane. I'll see you again someday, my love. And goodbye, everyone else. It was nice meeting you all and working with you." Nanako said as she reluctantly went around hugging each of her fellow Phantom Thieves goodbye, starting with Ren and ending with Akane as Kusa quickly went over to the Ferrari and grabbed Nanako's belongings before handing them to her. After exchanging one last lingering farewell kiss with Akane, Nanako sighed and walked over to Yu as she spoke up.

"All right, I'm ready. Let's get going, Big Bro." Nanako said as Ren spoke up while looking at the combined Investigation Team and Shadow Operatives members.

"Yu, Nanako, thank you both for everything. The same goes for the rest of you. It was nice getting to meet all of you." Ren said as held up his hand which Yu smiled as he shook it and spoke up.

"Likewise, Ren. And like with Nanako and Zenkichi-san, don't think that this is the last time we will see each other. You guys are more than welcome to come to our hometowns." Yu said Yukiko smiled and spoke up.

"Indeed. If your group ever finds itself in Inaba, don't be afraid to look up the Amagi Inn. I run the place, so I can get you some really good deals on rooms there, and probably even hook you up with some nice group suites. And on top of that, those of us from the Investigation Team can even show you guys around Inaba while you're staying there." Yukiko said as Mitsuru spoke up.

"And if you happen to find yourselves around the Tatsumi Port Island area for any reason, feel free to look up the Kirijo Group. I can't promise any fancy accommodations like Amagi-san, but I can at least see to it that your group gets a nice tour of the area that my group fought to protect ten years ago. But with that being said, thanks again for everything that you've done, Phantom Thieves." Mitsuru said before she turned towards Sumire and spoke up again.

"Oh, and Sumire? Don't be surprised if I make it a point to show up to some of your gymnastics meets at some point in the future. After all, I prefer to try and keep apprised of what my family is up to. But considering you and your parents might well be the only living family I have left to my awareness, I don't think it's that surprising that I want to stay close to the family that I do have." Mitsuru said as Sumire spoke up.

"That's fine, Mitsuru. I don't mind it if you want to come to some of my competitions. Just, uh, maybe try and reach out to give me a heads-up if you do so I can ease Mom and Dad into it. After all, the last time you had any contact with any of us was when Kasumi and I were like 8 or so." Sumire pointed out as Mitsuru spoke up.

"Fair. I suppose we should exchange contact info then, so that I can forewarn you when I plan to show up in the future?" Mitsuru said as Sumire nodded before she and Mitsuru exchanged contact info as Akihiko turned to Kusa and spoke up.

"Mitsuru has a point. And you did prove your skills rather nicely in our bout, Kusa. We should try to make it a point to periodically meet up and train together. I feel like we could really keep one another in shape if we had to. And given I hear that one runs track and the other works out, maybe we can make it a group activity with Ryuji and Ren, if they agree?" Akihiko said as Ren and Ryuji turned to look at one another before nodding as Ren spoke up.

"That's a pretty good idea, Akihiko. We could definitely do that, right Kusa?" Ren asked as Kusa spoke up.

"We can. It will be nice to work out with someone who trains just as hard as I do. However, can you and Ryuji keep up, Ren? The only reason I'm asking is that I seem to recall Akihiko having a phase where he was hooked on protein. So who's to say that didn't make his training regimens super-intense as a result? I'll be able to keep up pretty well thanks to my own training for the karate team a couple of years back, but Ryuji mostly runs, and you mainly do simple workouts. So you two might have to ease yourselves into the training that Akihiko does." Kusa pointed out as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.

"Truth! I can run like crazy, but I never would've thought to use protein to the extent that Akihiko does." Ryuji said as Yosuke turned to Yusuke and spoke up.

"Heh, I have to admit, you turned out to be pretty right on for having such a similar name to mine, Yusuke. A bit eccentric, but otherwise pretty awesome." Yosuke said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. Our clash was pretty impressive. Granted, if I hadn't managed to keep up with your buffs, you probably would've had me fair and square. So I've still got plenty to learn, it seems." Yusuke said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"It's fine. If nothing else, we can keep pushing each other to our limits as rivals. Granted, I don't think I can call myself your rival when it comes to art, since I'm not really that artistic by nature. If anything, Kanji would be a match for you in that regard." Yosuke said as Kanji huffed and spoke up.

"Shuddup, Yosuke. Just because I run a textile shop doesn't make me artistic. But I will say that Yusuke has a good eye for aesthetics." Kanji said as Yusuke nodded approvingly before Rise spoke up while looking at Futaba and Fuuka.

"I guess if they can bond with their similar counterparts, then so can I. We kicked a lot of ass back there as navigators, didn't we girls?" Rise said to Fuuka and Futaba, who nodded as the latter spoke up.

"We did indeed. We're a total trio of badasses. Mwehehe! Granted, Fuuka's less of a combatant than you and I are, Rise. However, that doesn't change the fact that she's still pretty awesome. I'm sure we can keep in contact since us navi girls should stick together. And even though you told me that Mitsuru was technically the navi for her group before Fuuka joined, she's more of a combatant now than a navigator." Futaba pointed out as Fuuka spoke up.

"True. Besides, I think she's more interested in keeping close contact with Sumire-chan, considering she's her cousin and all." Fuuka pointed out as Rise spoke up.

"Fair. Well, the three of us can stay tight with one another. Besides, the way I hear it? Futaba-chan might swing both ways. So that could make her rather fun to go to parties with. I'd say Fuuka too, but she seems too shy for parties." Rise said as Fuuka pouted and spoke up.

"I hate that you're not wrong, Rise. However, I think I could handle parties if I had to. I just choose not to." Fuuka said as Rise giggled and spoke up.

"Right, how silly of me. I forgot you swing both ways too, Fuuka. Or was Mitsuru wrong when she brought up your short-lived crush on that one girl who was also on your team. I think Mitsuru called her Kotone or something?" Rise said as Akihiko spoke up.

"Ah, you mean Minato-kun's sister? Yeah, that's her name. And if rumors are to be believed, she swings both ways too. Unless both Junpei and Ken were lying when they said they saw Kotone leading a blonde haired girl up to her room at one point near the end of our group's time as S.E.E.S., which I doubt." Akihiko said as Junpei smirked and spoke up.

"No, sir. That most definitely happened. I had the room directly below, so I heard the entire thing after it woke me from a nap. But that's Kotone's choice on whether she swings both ways or not, I think." Junpei said wisely as Naoto chuckled and spoke up.

"That makes sense. Speaking of which, I suppose I should grudgingly admit that Goro has proven to be better than me. And that he's not all bad." Naoto said as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"Thank you. You're not so bad either, Shiro-I mean, Naoto. For as much as I tease you, you were most definitely worthy of the title 'Detective Prince', which is ironic since you're more of a 'princess' than a 'prince'." Goro pointed out with a smirk as Naoto spoke up.

"Yes, well, that just shows how naive and foolish most people can be, if they were easily tricked into believing I was a man for so long." Naoto said wryly as Kanji spoke up.

"You're also a very good actress, though. Let's not forget you were able to pull off the ruse of being a man for quite a while, babe." Kanji said as Naoto smiled approvingly and nodded before pulling Kanji into a brief kiss as Labrys giggled and spoke up.

"Heh, whaddya know? Looks like we have couples all over the place now. In the Shadow Ops, we have Akihiko and Mitsuru, while in the Investigation Team we have Yu and Rise, Kanji and Naoto, Teddie and Marie, Chie and Ichijo-san, myself and Yosuke-kun, and even technically Nanako-chan and Akane-chan. And then in the Phantom Thieves, we have Ren and Sumire, Kusa and Futaba, Ryuji and Makoto, Goro and Haru, Ann and Shiho, and even Morgana and Sophia. I think out of us 'non-human' girls, Aigis is the only one still single." Labrys said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a blushing Sophia speaking up.

"Yes, well, to be fair? It's not like mine and Morgana's relationship is gonna amount to much these days. After all, I live inside of a phone, and he's in the real world. But that being said, I'd like to believe that the three of us forged a connection of sorts, and by us three, I mean you, myself, and Aigis-san." Sophia said as Aigis nodded and spoke up.

"True. We do have the fact we're all not human in common, don't we? But I see you took mine and Labrys' advice to heart, given you were able to awaken to your true powers and all. Not to mention the fact you were able to land yourself a boyfriend, Sophia. Pretty impressive for an AI. We should try and stick together if we can." Aigis said as Sophia and Labrys both nodded their agreement, the former doing so from inside of Sumire's phone. At that point, Mitsuru smirked and spoke up.

"You know, our groups work quite well together. We should stay in contact, just in case something else comes up that we have to team up for. Does everyone here agree?" Mitsuru said, to which the rest of her group, the Investigation team, and even the Phantom Thieves nodded their agreement, though Kusa chuckled and spoke up after noticing the furry four-legged attachment that his feet seemed to have picked up, leaning down to gently pat Koromaru on the head as he scratched behind his ears affectionately, much to the amusement of Sumire, Futaba, and Ann, who all resisted the urge to say 'aww' and ruin the moment.

"I agree. We should keep in close contact. We already exchanged contact info, though. Oh, and if you're planning to go, you might need to give me just one moment, Mitsuru. I think I have to pry Koromaru off me, since he seems to not want to get off me." Kusa said as Ken smirked and spoke up.

"Yeah, he can be clingy like that. No matter, though. I'll get him off you." Ken said with a chuckle before turning to Koromaru as he kept speaking after whistling once to get Koromaru's attention.

"Come on, Koromaru! Let's go home. I'll make sure you get lots of treats when we get back, okay?" Ken said as Koromaru was at Ken's side in an instant at the mention of treats. Once Koromaru was at Ken's side, Mitsuru spoke up once more.

"Well, this is it. Bye for now, Phantom Thieves. It's been an experience getting to work with you. Hopefully, we can do it again sometime." Mitsuru said as the Shadow Operatives and Investigation Team gathered together and left with a reluctant Nanako at their side, all while the Phantom Thieves waved them off until they were well out of sight. Once the other two Persona-user groups were gone, Akane sighed and spoke up in a slightly sad voice.

"Well, that sucked to see Nanako go. But I had a feeling that I was going to have to say goodbye to her eventually when that time came. So I suppose that it was better for it to happen now rather than later. Granted, that's not going to change the fact that I'm going to miss having her close to me." Akane said as Futaba smirked and spoke up after gently giving Akane a comforting hug.

"Yep, that's true, Akane. Goodbyes are never easy. However, it's like Nanako said before. Goodbyes don't necessarily have to be forever. You'll see her again someday. I'm sure of it. But for now, home sweet home awaits the rest of us! Along with a nice, big helping of Sojiro's curry!" Futaba said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"True. Looks like our journey's finally coming to an end." Morgana said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"This journey, perhaps. But you know what they say about us. 'Once a Phantom Thief, always a Phantom Thief.' Besides, as long as the world has a need for us, then I'm sure that we'll end up getting called back into action again someday." Kusa said sagely as the others nodded as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Well said, brother. But with that being said, I think we should finally start heading back home. I'm certain that all of us need to rest and unwind since, from what I can tell, that whole thing with EMMA lasted throughout the entire night into today." Ren said as Akane spoke up.

"By the way, where am I going to be staying since I'm pretty sure you guys will be putting away that RV once we get back to Leblanc?" Akane asked as Ren spoke up.

"Will cross that bridge when we get to it, Akane. And in terms of who should ride in which vehicle, we can have Kusa drive the Ferrari with Goro, Sojiro, Shiho, and Akane, while the rest of us ride in the RV with Makoto driving. That is, assuming no one has any objections?" Ren asked and as everyone nodded their agreement to the arrangements, the group then made their way back towards the two vehicles that were used throughout this entire trip (minus the first leg of the trip, where only the RV was in play for the drive to Sendai) as the Phantom Thieves left the Tokyo Radio Tower to begin the journey back home...

(Later that afternoon, back in Yongen-Jaya, inside Leblanc, with Sojiro, Kusa, Morgana, Ren, Sumire, Futaba, and Akane)

As Futaba and Ren walked into Leblanc together, they were entirely un-surprised to see Kusa and Sojiro in the back doing dishes together. What was a slight shock, however, was seeing Morgana helping the two out as Sumire and Akane were both having plates of curry while having seats at the counter. Futaba then spoke up.

"Uh, Sojiro? We're hooooome from our shopping trip." Futaba said as Kusa smirked and spoke up teasingly.

"Tsk, tsk. What were you two thinkin', coming home an hour late? You didn't even call to let either myself or Boss know that you'd be late. For shame, you two. For shame." Kusa teased Ren and Futaba, the latter of whom stuck her tongue out at Kusa childishly as she spoke up.

"You have no room to tease us, Kusa! You were the one who suggested I go with Ren! And I feel I should point out that Ren had Sumire wait here with you, alongside Morgana, Sophia, and Akane. So you and Sojiro weren't the only ones we kept waiting!" Futaba said as Sojiro sighed and spoke up while Kusa and Futaba playfully teased one another.

"Ugh, some things never change, do they?" Sojiro asked as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Nope. But you know you love them despite that, Sojiro." Ren said wisely as Sojiro spoke up with a nod.

"Don't I know it, Ren. Sheesh, way to be late. Well, at least you guys're safe, so Kusa can quit worrying about Futaba already." Sojiro said as Kusa sputtered and spoke up.

"H-Hey! SOJIRO! Don't throw me under the bus like that! What can you expect from me worrying about my fiancee, dammit!" Kusa said while pouting as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"Welcome back, Ren and Futaba. Oh, and judging from the look on her face, I believe Sumire is happy that Ren's back as well." Sojiro said as Ren found himself tackle-hugged by Sumire, who pulled him into a heated kiss, getting a pair of playful catcalls from Akane and Morgana, the latter of whom was promptly swatted upside the head playfully by Kusa, who spoke up.

"Hey, no catcalling them, Morgana! I thought you weren't a cat anymore?" Kusa said as Morgana huffed and spoke up.

"Hmph! Very funny, Kusa. I'll have you know that I am, in fact, NOT a cat anymore!" Morgana said as Kusa laughed while Ren spoke up.

"Regardless, sorry to worry you guys." Ren said apologetically after Sumire pulled up for air after staying liplocked to Ren for a couple of very long minutes. Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"No worries, Ren. I figured that you two would be fine on your shopping trip. How was it, by the way?" Sojiro asked as Futaba spoke up happily with a pumped fist.

"Sojiro, it was amazing! There's SO much I gotta tell you! But I'm too wiped out today. I just wanna eat until I pass out into my curry like old times. Sojiro, I need curry, badly." Futaba said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, you and your video game references, Taba. At least they're usually good games that you reference, so there's that. Never change, my sexy little weeb. Never change." Kusa said, laughing at the annoyed huff Futaba gave him for his playful jab at her as he disappeared into the back to start on the curry for Futaba as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"Already got it ready for ya, Futaba. Just give Kusa a sec to get it heated up, since he already headed back to do that." Sojiro said as Kusa spoke up from the back.

"Excuse me for wanting to make things easier for you, Sojiro! I think I'm allowed to help my future father-in-law out every now and again, you know." Kusa said as Ren laughed and spoke up.

"Yep, that sounds like Kusa. Still hard to believe he actually proposed to Futaba, much less that she actually said yes." Ren said teasingly as Futaba smacked him on the arm and spoke up.

"Shut up, Ren! At least Kusa proposed to me! Meanwhile, I haven't seen you make any such moves towards putting a ring on Sumire's finger. Then again, I don't hear her complaining about it either." Futaba said as Sumire blushed and spoke up.

"Yes, well, I have my gymnastics along with other stuff to worry about. Plus, it'd be rather impractical for Ren to pop the question when he doesn't have a place for the two of us to move into yet. So I can be patient for a while if needed." Sumire said sagely as Futaba yawned and smiled fondly after seeing Ren smirk and speak up, even despite the jab he took at her while speaking.

"Ignore Futaba, Sumi. She's just being an instigating brat right now. She knows full well that we take our relationship at our own pace. And if that means it takes us a while to head down the altar and exchange 'I do's' with one another, then so be it. The important thing is that you're happy and content. That being said, I can't help but notice that a certain someone is not with us right now. Did Goro decide to spend time with Haru or something?" Ren asked as Kusa spoke up.

"Ah, right. I forgot to mention this since you, Sumire, Morgana, and Futaba were riding in the RV along with the others. But regarding Goro, he headed back to his cabin." Kusa said as Morgana spoke up with confusion on his face.

"Back to his cabin? I mean, I get it if there are still some things that need to be taken out since he was living there for a while. But is there something else going on?" Morgana asked as Kusa spoke up.

"He told me this in private. But let's just say that in two days' time, Goro will be leaving Tokyo via train for a while. And before any of you ask why, he has sworn me to secrecy because he wants to tell the rest of the group what he has planned when we all meet up tomorrow." Kusa said as Ren spoke up.

"Fair enough. Knowing you two, whatever Goro has planned must have been very important if he wants to share it with all of us. So I think we can wait until tomorrow to see what he has to say." Ren said sagely before smiling as he boldly kissed a blushing Sumire as Futaba cheered while yawning.

"Woo-hoo!" Futaba said around a yawn as she kept speaking.

"Sojiro, you and Kusa are the best men I know!" Futaba said as Ren pouted and spoke up.

"Just them!? Rude." Ren said as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Cheer up, Ren. You're the best big bro I know, and Morgana's the best little bro I know." Futaba said as Morgana pouted and spoke up.

"Little!? Hey! I might be younger than you, but I'm not shorter than you!" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up from the back.

"Little means younger too, Morgana! Calm down." Kusa said as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"Yep, Kusa's gonna be just fine as Futaba's husband, I think." Sumire said as Futaba blushed and spoke up.

"Are you sure you should be teasing me, Sumire? After all, don't forget what happens at a wedding after the vows are exchanged." Futaba said as Ren spoke up.

"Oh, sure. Like you're so sure you can actually toss the bouquet into Sumire's arms, little sis. I think Kusa has a better chance of landing the garter into mine or Goro's hands than you have of tossing a bouquet to Sumire with those wimpy little scrawny arms of yours." Ren joked as Sumire slapped Ren on the arm and spoke up.

"HEY! Who says I want her to toss the bouquet to me, Ren? You know what they say about the people who catch the bouquet and garter at a wedding, right?" Sumire asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I do. I was just teasing Futaba a bit because I can." Ren said as Akane giggled and spoke up.

"I wouldn't say that Futaba has scrawny arms at all, Ren. Or have we seen how hard she can elbow Kusa when she chooses to, not to mention how easily she's managed to pin Sumire to the ground with those arms of hers? To be honest, I could see her managing to make the bouquet land in Sumire's arms if she really wanted to." Akane said sagely as Futaba nodded her agreement with Akane's words and spoke up.

"Spoken like a true gamer, Akane. Ren just doesn't want any more hints thrown about regarding how he and Sumire should've been engaged before any of us, I think." Futaba said as Ren huffed but said nothing while Morgana spoke up.

"I guess it's nice to see Futaba and Akane getting along, if nothing else. Well, in any case, it sure is nice to be back in Leblanc. Ahh, the smell of coffee and curry is as welcoming as always. This place really is comforting." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up from the back.

"And don't you dare forget it, Morgana! Besides, if I have my druthers about it? You'll get plenty used to this place, considering you'll be living here for a while." Kusa said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Aha, I'm not surprised he decided to try and rope you into being his roommate now that you're a human, Morgana. It'll be sad to not have you coming home with me if I have to go back to Kukojima eventually, but I'm happy for you if you do get this new start here, assuming that you do decide to stay with Kusa, little bro." Ren said wisely as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up for the first time in a while.

"Coffee and curry? Does that mean Boss is behind the counter?" Sophia asked as Sojiro blinked and spoke up.

"Huh? Is that Sophia I hear? To be honest, I didn't hear her speak that much at all since we got back." Sojiro asked as Sophia spoke up and smiled as she spoke up.

"Yeah, it's me, Sojiro. Sorry I haven't said much. Been thinking about stuff since we parted ways with Ichinose." Sophia said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough." Sojiro said as Akane giggled and spoke up.

"It's never a dull moment around here, is it? Oh, and thank you for letting me stay on the hide-a-bed at your house while Dad's off bringing in Owada, Sojiro." Akane said as Sojiro spoke up with a smirk.

"No problem, Akane-chan. Besides, I'm sure Futaba enjoys having another girl around the house to spend time with. I have my reservations about it since I recall Ren mentioning that you and Nanako apparently caught Futaba in a compromising position once and vice versa. However, I'm not going to turn you away when you need a place to stay. If nothing else, it would be rude of me to ignore a teammate in need like that." Sojiro said wisely as Akane gave him a grateful smile before blushing in embarrassment at the reference to the time Futaba had accidentally caught her and Nanako in their birthday suits and making love in the RV, making Sojiro smirk as he served curry to everyone as Ren, Sumire, Futaba, and Morgana had seats at the counter while Kusa came back out as the six of them along with Sophia spent a while swapping stories of their memories of the trip they'd all just finished together...

(A little while later, in the Velvet Room with Ren and Lavenza)

As Ren found himself summoned to the Velvet Room in his casual attire, he walked out to meet the smiling blonde waiting for him in the middle of the room. Once he caught up to her, Lavenza spoke up.

"Welcome back, my Trickster. I trust you have been well?" Lavenza asked as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Better now that a certain god is gone. I assume you brought me here to thank me for saving the world once again?" Ren asked as Lavenza nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. You have accomplished your task with truly magnificent aplomb. In the end, despite all manners of hardships, your bonds and your fortitude staved off the oppressive darkness, shining brightly for all humanity. You have once again broken free from the shackles of fate and grasped your future for yourself. And as a result, the god sought by many has returned to the void, despite the fact that some may be lost without it, with nary a hope to cling onto. Be that as it may, and ignoring the fact you may have doomed that small minority to a meaningless existence, I believe that the blazing will that you fostered throughout your journey has been embedded deep into the hearts of mankind, Trickster.

And that same will is one that I'm sure will blossom into hope for them when they most need it, allowing them to face their own challenges with strength and grace. Thank you, my Trickster. Allow me to praise you in my master's stead at this time. You were once again truly a remarkable guest. But alas, just like how it concluded three and a half years ago, this is the part where my role comes to an end." Lavenza said as Ren spoke up.

"I understand. Take care of yourself, Lavenza. And give Igor my regards the next time you see him." Ren said as Lavenza smiled and spoke up.

"I will, Ren. May our paths cross yet again one day. Until then, sweet dreams, big bro." Lavenza said as Ren was removed from the Velvet Room in a flash of light...

(The following afternoon, in the attic of Leblanc, with Makoto, Ann, Sophia, Shiho, Haru, Akane, Ryuji, Ren, Sumire, Yusuke, Morgana, Kusa, Futaba, and Goro)

As most of the group gathered in the attic of Leblanc to have a post-case meeting, with the exceptions of Zenkichi, who was away doing his own thing, Sojiro, who was working the counter downstairs, and Nanako, who'd had to go home the day before with Yu and the rest of the Shadow Operatives and Investigation Team, Ann cleared her throat and spoke up.

"Ahem. Thank you all for gathering here today. As you all might be aware, this crazy summer has given us a whole lotta grief, but our mission was a success, and we made a buncha great memories together. So with that being said, let's get this celebration going!" Ann said as everyone else raised a glass to Ann's speech aside from Sophia, who couldn't hold a glass due to being inside a phone. Futaba cheered and spoke up.

"Woooooo! Applause, applause!" Futaba said as Shiho spoke up with a sly smirk.

"Yeah, we get it, Futaba. You think Ann made an incredible speech. And you're not wrong in what you said. Not only is Ann a great speaker, she's also drop-dead sexy." Shiho said as Ann blushed and spoke up.

"SHIHO! No flirting with me around Sophia! You know Sumire hates it when we do that!" Ann rebuked Shiho as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"She was just complimenting you, Ann-senpai. I'll allow that. After all, it's not like she was trying to seduce you or anything like that." Sumire pointed out as Ryuji spoke up around a yawn.

"Uhhhh, yep. Woo-hoo. Bravo, Ann." Ryuji said sleepily as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which was in a stand on the table, preceded a perplexed Sophia speaking up.

"What's wrong, Ryuji? You don't appear to be your normal self." Sophia asked as Ryuji spoke up.

"Oh, it's nothing much, Sophia. Man, I could NOT fall asleep last night for the life of me. Ugh, my bed at home just wasn't doin' it for me." Ryuji said as Goro spoke up.

"Probably still getting used to being back in your own bed instead of the Phantomobile, if I had to guess. But I'm sure you're not the only one who had that problem." Goro said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"I can confirm this. I swear, even though I was sleeping here yesterday, judging from how sleep-deprived both Taba and Akane-chan are, it must've taken ages for them to fall asleep last night. Oddly enough, I didn't. I was out like a light the moment my head hit the pillow. And it's probably because I didn't have to sleep in a tent for quite as long as the rest of you, along with the fact that I got to have a night or two sleeping in an actual bed on the way as well. But still, it's interesting that some of us are struggling to get used to actual beds again." Kusa said as Akane spoke up.

"Very funny. If you must know, the bed thing was part of it. But also, Futaba and I were up late chatting on the hide-a-bed. Therefore, the two of us lost track of time and eventually passed out together. And given his amused expression when he woke us up the next morning, I think Sojiro found us lying together on the same bed." Akane said as Futaba spoke up.

"Eh, he probably thought it was cute that I was having some girl time with another girl, if I had to guess. But that being said, I gotcha, Ryuji. Our bodies are all specced for the Feathermobile at this point." Futaba said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed, Futaba-chan. I miss the Feathermobile too." Haru said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up

"Why'd you change the name when we don't even got it anymore?" Ryuji asked as Kusa spoke up.

"Never mind that! Why are Taba and Haru calling it the 'Feathermobile' when I know for a frickin' fact that the both of them had already acknowledged it was the 'Phantomobile'!?" Kusa asked as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a confused Sophia speaking up.

"Uncle Kusa has a good point. Isn't it called the Phantomobile?" Sophia asked as Goro spoke up.

"That is what Kusa and Morgana suggested it should be called, yes. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that I don't recall us ever having a proper vote on that matter. So I suppose there was never an official name for that RV." Goro said wisely as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"Good point, Goro. And to answer your question, Sophia? That was true, at least for a little while during the back half of our trip." Makoto said as Ann spoke up.

"Changing the subject, it looks like nobody besides us Thieves and our allies remembered what happened at the Tokyo Radio Tower, just like last time." Ann said as Ryuji sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh, that sucks. Especially considering it was our asses on the line and all, you'd think we'd get some recognition for what we did." Ryuji said as Yusuke spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"I dunno about that, Ryuji. Patrolling society from the shadows, and slaying evil in secret? I admit the idea sounds rather alluring to me." Yusuke said as Kusa patted Yusuke on the shoulder approvingly, agreeing with his logic as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Well, that's true, but don'tcha want some kinda recognition every once in a while, too?" Ryuji asked as Goro spoke up.

"Really, Ryuji? Have you learned nothing from what happened four years ago with President Okumura's Shadow? You saw how fast your fame was snatched away on that occasion, did you not? Sure, I was the reason for that, but that's both irrelevant and besides the point right now." Goro said as Kusa spoke up.

"I agree with Goro. Fame is honestly the LAST thing we should be worried about right now. We should be celebrating a job well done and being happy that we saved the world. Not complaining about what we don't have." Kusa gently rebuked Ryuji, who spoke up.

"Perhaps, but I mean, c'mon man! I know you at least miss some of the perks of being famous! Y'know, like the special treatment, and maybe the fangirls and stuff?" Ryuji said as Kusa frowned and made to speak up, only for Ren to beat him to it.

"I get what you're saying Ryuji, but to be honest? I think Kusa and I get enough of that already. Besides, I would think you'd be more reluctant for that after the last 'fans' you had. Or were you eager for a repeat of the Shinjuku incident four years ago?" Ren asked. Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Yeah? Well, screw you, RenRen! Oh, look at Mister Superstar over here thinking he's hot and stuff. The girls in your hometown must go crazy for ya, don't they?" Ryuji asked as both Shiho and Akane sweatdropped as the former spoke up.

"Given the reputation he had for so long, I doubt that. Besides, I have a feeling Sumire would probably end up fighting any fangirls who got too close to Ren. After all, she has dibs on him already since she's his girlfriend and all that." Shiho said as Akane spoke up.

"And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Makoto your girlfriend, Ryuji? I wonder how upset she must be to hear you talking about fangirls where she can hear?" Akane mused as Makoto frowned and spoke up with a surprisingly resigned-sounding sigh.

"Unfortunately, I'm used to it by now, Akane-chan. But I know that Ryuji's just being fame-hungry right now. Besides, I'll make him work for it when he comes begging for forgiveness later. But I'll leave it at that for the sake of Sumire's peace of mind and Sophia's sensibilities." Makoto said bluntly as Ryuji winced at the angry look Makoto gave him as Haru spoke up.

"Looks like Ryuji-kun's back in the doghouse again. Still, we made all sorts of unforgettable memories. I couldn't have asked for anything more." Haru said as Goro spoke up.

"Oh? So you're perfectly content with how things played out, then? I suppose that's nice to hear. As for me, I agree things worked out rather well. I think the only regret I have is that I didn't try to patch things up sooner with Haru so that we could have started dating a bit earlier. But better late than never, right?" Goro said as Haru nodded. At that point, a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a smiling Sophia speaking up.

"That's one way to put it, Uncle Goro. And going back to what you said about making unforgettable memories Haru, I agree wholeheartedly. Not only did I get to meet all of you, but I also got to experience having a family and even finding love due to how close I became with Morgana. It was a new experience at every turn. Frankly put, it was the best." Sophia said as Makoto nodded and spoke up with a closed-eye smile on her face.

"Truth, babe. Aww man, it sucks that Sojiro is tending to Leblanc at the moment, Nanako has now gone back to her hometown, and Gramps is out doing his own thing. They woulda really helped to turn this party up, huh?" Ryuji asked as Akane frowned and spoke up.

"HEY! I thought you had stopped calling my father 'Gramps', Ryuji? And don't think I didn't notice you calling him that yesterday before he left." Akane asked as Kusa spoke up with a laugh.

"Relax, Akane-chan. I think this is just how Ryuji shows his respect. For him, Gramps is a term of endearment. And between us? His short-term memory isn't the best at times, so it's legitimately possible that he forgot about the fact that we were calling your dad by his name going forward. So try to be patient with him, yeah?" Kusa said as Akane sighed and spoke up.

"Fiiiine, I'll cut Ryuji a break this time. He's lucky you're so willing to come to his defense, Kusa." Akane said as Ann spoke up with a smile.

"Speaking of Zenkichi, I bet if we had invited him, he would probably say that he's too busy trying to bring in Owada to attend what he'd call, and I quote, 'A frankly ridiculous and premature celebration'. At least, that's what I would say if I were him." Ann said as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"Yeah, that sounds like Zenkichi-san, all right." Goro said as Futaba frowned and spoke up.

"So we're all partyin' while Zenkichi's still bustin' his buns on the case? Now I'm feelin' a bit guilty about everything." Futaba said as Kusa hugged her and spoke up.

"Cheer up, Taba. Zenkichi wouldn't begrudge us a bit of a celebration right now, even if he's still wrapping up things on his end." Kusa said as Makoto spoke up.

"True. But could the reason that Futaba's feeling guilty be due to the fact that she knows that those of us who have school are on the cusp of a new school year starting? And other than Ren, Kusa, Goro, and possibly Yusuke and Morgana, doesn't that mean most of us have to start shifting back into study mode soon?" Makoto asked as the others winced before Ryuji turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Oh, yeah. Now that Makoto's mentioned it, that reminds me! How much longer are you in town for, RenRen?" Ryuji asked as Ren spoke up.

"As of this moment, I will still be here until the end of next month. I made a deal with Mom and Dad before coming here that if I couldn't find a place to live full-time by the end of September, I would have to return to Kukojima to live with them until I found my own place. But for now, I have around another month to spend in town." Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"True, but as I recall, I think I remember hearing from Kusa yesterday that Goro has a train to catch tomorrow?" Morgana said as most of the group turned to Goro in shock as Haru spoke up.

"Really? You're leaving, Goro?" Haru asked as Ren blinked before speaking up as his eyes widened while he suddenly understood what Kusa had been alluding to the night before.

"Aha, so that's why you went back to your cabin last night instead of coming back with us to Leblanc. You were packing your stuff for whatever trip you're about to take, weren't you?" Ren asked Goro, who nodded to confirm Ren's question before he smiled and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's correct, Ren. And much as Kusa no doubt mentioned last night when he was asked about it, I asked him to keep my plans to himself until I could tell you all about them. I'll fill Sojiro in on my way out later." Goro said to Ren before turning to face Haru as he kept speaking.

"And to answer what you asked? Yes, that's correct. I'm going away for a bit, Haru. But I'm not going into exile this time. I was going to mention it before, but after he left, Zenkichi reached out to me and told me that he managed to pull some strings to get me a provisional spot in PubSec. Something to do with me being able to start repairing the damage my past actions did to my reputation and giving back to society more? In any case, I'm apparently being offered an intern position for a while.

And while that's going on, Zenkichi invited me to stay at his house with him and Akane-chan. From what he told me, apparently that internship starts the day after tomorrow, so he asked that both Akane-chan and I be on the train back to Kyoto tomorrow. I told him that was fine since I didn't mind staying with Akane-chan for a time while I was doing my internship. But once that internship ends, I'll probably need a full-time place to stay." Goro said as he turned towards Akane and spoke up again.

"Sorry for bringing you this news so suddenly, Akane-chan. I hope you don't mind me staying at your house for a while. And I hope you forgive me for telling you that your father wants you to come home soon, despite the fact that you told him yesterday that you would let him know when you would be making your way back." Goro said as Akane smiled and spoke up.

"It's alright, Goro. I had a feeling Dad was going to want me to come home much sooner than expected. But in regards to you staying with us for a while, I don't mind in the slightest. It would be nice to have some company around, and we Curse-users should stick together after all." Akane said as Goro nodded in agreement as Haru giggled and spoke up.

"Awww, you two are adorable given how similar you both are. But going back to what you said about finding a full-time place to stay, Goro? If it's not too sudden or presumptuous, why not move in with me? I've got plenty of room, and I'm sure you'd enjoy sharing my penthouse with me."Haru said as Goro smiled and spoke up.

"Are you asking me to move in with you, Haru? If so, I'd be delighted to accept your offer once my internship ends." Goro said as Haru hugged Goro, who smirked and boldly stole a kiss from a stunned and blushing Haru. Sumire then gasped as she spoke up.

"Oh, that's right! I almost forgot. When I went home to check in with my parents last night, the subject of Ren's living arrangements came up. Dad suggested that if Ren doesn't mind the couch, he could come live with us until he finds a place to move into. I think Dad figures that Ren and I will get married eventually, so he's trying to keep us where he can keep an eye on us for now. That, and I suspect he's using the pretext of letting you live with us as an excuse to spend more time with his 'granddaughter' who lives in my phone." Sumire said with a smile as Ren spoke up.

"Oh? Shinichi-san offered to let me stay with you guys long-term? If that's the case, I'll probably take him up on that if I don't find my own place by the end of September. That way, I can extend the duration of my stay in Yongen-Jaya a while longer. And I'm pretty sure no one in this room would complain one bit about that." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"Heh, that probably works out for the best. I can let you and Morgana have the attic for the time being, provided Boss is okay with me crashing on the hide-a-bed at his place once Akane-chan goes home. For now, she has dibs on it. So I'll probably have to crash in the attic tonight, unless I can talk Boss and Taba into letting me share a bed with Futaba overnight." Kusa said as Morgana spoke up.

"You say that like we couldn't share the futon and just put up a wall of bedding to separate us." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up with a wince.

"Uhhh, yeah. I appreciate the offer, but to be honest? I'm gonna have to respectfully tell you thanks, but no thanks. I'd rather not have you spooning me in my sleep, Morgana. That's totally Taba's job when she's in the mood for it." Kusa said as a wide-eyed Ann spoke up.

"Huh? Futaba spoons you, Kusa? Really!?" Ann asked as Haru winced and spoke up.

"Be that as it may, I think we can all agree that time sure did fly by this summer. Perhaps faster than we would've liked." Haru said as Sumire winced and spoke up.

"That's true. Mom and Dad said I can stay with Ren until the end of the week, but then I have to go back home after that. Based on what they told me, they said I could remain with Ren for the rest of the summer, which in their sense means, 'the rest of summer vacation'. And since that usually ends the first week of September, that's when I'm expected home. What a bummer. But I guess I can't complain, since I did get to spend the best part of a month straight with him already this summer." Sumire said as Ren winced and spoke up.

"That's right. I had totally forgotten about that stipulation by Shinichi and Minako, to be honest." Ren said as Morgana sighed and spoke up.

"Hoo boy, somehow I'm not surprised. Good thing Ren's got me after all, huh?" Morgana said as Kusa reached over to playfully pull Morgana into a headlock and noogie him as he spoke up, drawing a chorus of amused laughter from Ren, Ryuji, Futaba, and Goro.

"Morgana! You say that like I'm not also there to help him remember stuff too. Also, you forget he has Sumire for that as well. And that's not even mentioning Boss, Taba, and even Goro to a point. So don't act like you're the only one Ren has, little bro." Kusa said as Morgana huffed and spoke up.

"Fine, fine. My bad. Now let me go, Kusa." Morgana said as Shiho giggled and spoke up.

"Heh, get a load of Kusa and Morgana acting like actual brothers over here. No wonder they get along so well." Shiho said as Sumire spoke up.

"True. Kusa is rather expressive around those he's particularly comfortable with. Then again, I think he gets that from his girlfriend. After all, I've lost count of how many times Futaba's tackled me to the ground to try and pin me down when we see each other." Sumire said as Futaba stuck her tongue out childishly and spoke up.

"You know you love that about me though, Sumire. Don't deny it." Futaba said as Sumire huffed and spoke up.

"I hate that you're not wrong, Futaba. You're lucky I'm trying to set a good example for my daughter." Sumire said dryly as Yusuke spoke up.

"Speaking of which, will Sophia be remaining with Sumire? Or will she stay with Ren some of the time? After all, she sees the two of them as her mom and dad." Yusuke said as a 'BIP!' from Sophia's phone preceded a serious-looking Sophia speaking up.

"Correct. I'll stay with Mom most of the time, but I'll probably spend some time with Dad while he's staying with Mom, Grandma Minako, and Grandpa Shinichi." Sophia said as Sumire gasped and spoke up, not expecting to hear Sophia refer to her parents as 'Grandma' and 'Grandpa'.

"Did you just-!?" Sumire asked as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Yep, she sure did. Sophia told me she registered both your parents and my own as her grandparents. So she now has a 'Grandma Momoe', a 'Grandma Minako', a 'Grandpa Taichi', and a 'Grandpa Shinichi', in addition to her 'Uncle Goro', 'Uncle Kusa', 'Aunt Futaba', and possibly 'Aunt Haru' as well, assuming that she and Goro start to get serious with each other later on." Ren said slyly as Haru blushed at Ren's subtle dig at her and Goro, who frowned at Ren and spoke up.

"Very funny, Ren. If I decide I want to ask Haru to marry me at some point down the line, that's between her and me." Goro said bluntly as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Truth, Goro! And what if Sophia ends up going back to Kukojima with RenRen and sniffs out another Jail there, huh?" Ryuji asked as Makoto sighed and spoke up.

"Like that would ever happen, Ryuji." Makoto said as Akane spoke up.

"I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that we removed the possibility of Jails ever returning when we destroyed EMMA yesterday." Akane pointed out as Kusa spoke up.

"Very well spotted, Akane-chan. I agree that the Jails are most likely a thing of the past at this point, as they should be." Kusa said as Ann spoke up.

"Oh! Speaking of Jails, I just thought of something. Now that you mention Sophia and Jails, I wonder why out of all the places to end up, Sophia wound up in the Shibuya Jail before Ren and Sumire found her?" Ann asked as Haru spoke up with a smile.

"Oh, good point, Ann. I hadn't thought of that." Haru said as Goro spoke up.

"I think Ichinose-san answered that for us herself already when we spoke to her last. Odds are that she dumped Sophia there when she tried to get rid of her. After all, wasn't there a part in her story where Ichinose-san moved Sophia's data off the computer, likely into a flash drive of some sort, and tossed it in a trash can next to her desk?

As unlikely as it might seem, what if that trash can was detected by EMMA and used to render the garbage dump that Ren, Sumire, Ryuji, and Morgana were thrown into by Alice in the Shibuya Jail, thus making it possible for Ren to release Sophia from the cube she was in? After all, from what Ren told me, Kamoshida once managed to make a gold medal appear as a crown in the Metaverse.

So it's not out of the realm of possibility that a flash drive could be seen as a box in the Metaverse, especially if that was Sophia's own unconscious cognition of the drive Ichinose-san trapped her in. Just putting that out there, but that could've been a last desperate act of defiance by Sophia, by managing to pull herself into the Metaverse from inside the flash drive she was downloaded to. Let's not forget that according to Sumire-san, Sophia was able to access the Metaverse from inside Sumire's phone early on in this journey. So perhaps that's why she ended up there?" Goro suggested. Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. Didn't that come up when Ichinose was saying her farewells yesterday?" Kusa asked as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"That's right, Kusa. Ichinose did mention that she used to live in Shibuya. Perhaps Sophia was originally located within her house and managed to pull herself into the Metaverse, as Goro theorized just now." Yusuke said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"I see. So by that logic, when EMMA picked up on Lady Sophia's existence from the Metaverse side, that cognition manifested as a cube in the garbage dump in the Shibuya Jail? I mean, that might be possible, but this is merely speculation at this point. And even if that is how any of it worked, it'd have to be some sort of miracle." Morgana said as everyone nodded and Makoto spoke up.

"Since we're on the topic of the final battle, I was wondering something. Sophia, you seemed a bit distracted after we defeated the Demiurge. Did something happen?" Makoto asked as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a surprised Sophia speaking up.

"Hm? Oh, that. After the battle, I heard EMMA's voice." Sophia said as the others all had shocked looks on their faces. Ann was the first to find her voice and speak up.

"Huh!?" Ann asked as Ryuji spoke up with a frown while looking at Sophia.

"You mean the one that only you can hear?" Ryuji asked as Shiho spoke up.

"As in, the same one that called you 'worthless' when we were in the Okinawa Jail?" Shiho asked Sophia spoke up with a nod.

"Yes. I was issued a final request by EMMA at the time of her destruction. That request was, 'Please follow your heart to save humanity.' I was rather surprised by that, hence the fact that I looked distracted." Sophia said as Makoto spoke up.

"Really? EMMA asked you that?" Makoto asked as Sophia nodded and Yusuke frowned before speaking up.

"How tragic. Had we been able to reach a mutual agreement, perhaps EMMA could have followed Sophia's path rather than face destruction like she did." Yusuke said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Perhaps, but that's one heck of a giant can of 'what-if' that I don't believe any of us really wants to open, Yusuke. Besides, I doubt EMMA would've let herself be saved so easily." Kusa said sagely as Akane nodded and spoke up.

"That's true, Kusa. It's unlikely she'd have come to an understanding with us regardless. So I think her destruction was inevitable. But I can appreciate that you consider the possibility of having been able to spare her somehow, Yusuke." Akane said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a frowning Sophia speaking up.

"I also agree with what Yusuke was saying. EMMA's fate ultimately was tragic. Perhaps it's because she was an AI like myself, but I feel like destroying her was a massive waste. That being said, I understand why we had to do it. Nevertheless, I believe that our success is proof of the true power that the Phantom Thieves hold. However, I would be being remiss if I didn't point out that artificial intelligence, despite Kusa's apprehensions about it, is not the enemy of mankind.

We were born to help people. But as we saw with EMMA, just like people, we AIs are capable of errors in judgment and can stray from the right path. Our users, their input, our experience, and even the people we meet. These all mold us to take a wide variety of beliefs. If only EMMA had learned and grown with a good companion like I did." Sophia said with a sad look as Morgana spoke up.

"Oh? If that's how you feel Lady Sophia, then why don't you give yourself the directive to show others how it's done?" Morgana suggested as Sophia spoke up with wide eyes.

"What?" Sophia asked as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"Think about it. Since you're such a good companion to humanity, you can be a positive role model for how AI and humans can work together. Heck, I couldn't even count how many people that'd end up helping in the end." Morgana said as Ren smiled at Sophia and spoke up.

"Morgana's right, sweetheart. If you feel that strongly about this, you should go out there and show the world what a good companion looks like. And if you're worried, don't be. Every single person in this room, as well as Sojiro, Zenkichi, Nanako, our allies in the Investigation Team and Shadow Operatives, and even Doctor Maruki, have your back." Ren said as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"Your Dad's not wrong, Sophia. If this is something you truly want to do, you should do it. I might be protective of you, but at the end of the day, I just want to see you be happy. And if this is what makes you happy, then so be it. The same could also apply to accepting you and Morgana as a couple if that also makes you happy." Sumire said teasingly as a red-faced Morgana spoke up.

"Don't tease us, Sumire! But I do agree that this is something Lady Sophia should do if her heart is set on it. After all, it's my job as her boyfriend to support any choices she makes and have her back unconditionally." Morgana said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"You totally didn't get that from me, Morgana. But you're not wrong. You do have a job as Sophia's boyfriend to support her unconditionally. And that also entails cutting back on the simping for other girls, too. I don't think Sophia wants to see her boyfriend constantly getting socked in the face by her mother for looking at other girls. But at least this time, Sumire doesn't have to worry about paying vet bills if she accidentally breaks Morgana's nose again like she almost did the last time she punched him." Kusa said as Sumire pouted at that, but a smiling Sophia spoke up before she could defend herself.

"Really!? Thank you, everyone!" Sophia said before something dawned on her as she spoke up again with a frown on her face.

"Oh, wait a minute. Now that I think about it, while the idea sounds good, I can't leave this smartphone. That's a shame. Oh, well. I guess being a role model and helping countless others will have to wait." Sophia said as Futaba chuckled and spoke up.

"Mwehehe, or will it!? Not so fast, Sophia! I've cooked up an ultra-epic-" Futaba said, but Ryuji interrupted her by speaking up and cutting her off mid-sentence.

"Argh, shut up, shut up, shut up! This is gettin' TOO close to bein' a downer! This is a celebration, right!? Celebrate!" Ryuji said before looking around the room for a change of topic, with his eyes eventually landing on an unsuspecting Yusuke, which gave Ryuji a good idea for a mood booster as he grinned and spoke up.

"C'mon, let's see. Ah, yes. Yusuke! You, me! Soda-chugging contest! Now!" Ryuji said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Dude! At least let the rest of us get clear of the battlefield first, and let us get Sumire's phone out of the line of fire. After all, Sophia's in there, and I'd hate to see something happen to her because one of you two chugged too much and did a spit-take onto Sumire's phone while choking. That would just be unfortunate for both Sophia, and whichever one of you two ruins Sumire's phone. And I can say for a fact that it would be a very messy scene if that happens, since she'll probably pummel whoever does it, and then kill them for possibly taking Sophia from us." Kusa said as Haru winced and spoke up.

"Good point, Kusa-kun. Sounds like a brutal prospect. Um, but to be honest? I don't know if we're ready for that sort of carnage and bloodshed." Haru said as Yusuke frowned at Ryuji and spoke up.

"Such idiocy, Ryuji. To think you could consume more than I!" Yusuke said as a wide-eyed Kusa snatched Sumire's phone up off the stand and moved everyone except Yusuke and Ryuji to the opposite side of the room as Ryuji and Yusuke took soda bottles in hand as Ann spoke up in horror.

"HEY! You better not spill any of that!" Ann said as the soda-chugging contest began! As it proceeded, both Ryuji and Yusuke took turns choking as they chugged their sodas down, each of them coughing mid-chug. Eventually, the match ended in a draw when both Ryuji and Yusuke dropped at the same time, both choking into an epic spit take, the aftermath of which splattered directly onto the shirt of an unfortunate Morgana, who just so happened to be closest to the two at the time. Morgana pouted at this and spoke up.

"For real!? Ugh, WHAT THE HELL!? You idiots! You got soda all over my new muscle shirt!" Morgana said as Kusa grinned slyly and spoke up.

"So take it off and run it through the dryer real quick. I'm sure Sophia would love to ogle your bare chest while your shirt dries, Morgana." Kusa said teasingly, wisely dodging out of arm's length of Sumire, who made to smack Kusa upside the head in response to his instigating remark. Unfortunately for Kusa, he forgot about the close proximity of the room, and found himself face-down on the floor a moment later as the result of a coordinated back attack from Goro and Futaba, who high-fived and smirked as Sumire stomped over and smacked the back of Kusa's head gently and spoke up.

"KUSA! Don't be a bad influence on Sophia! I don't care if she and Morgana ARE dating! She's still only 13 at most! She's not nearly old enough to see Morgana taking it all off for her." Sumire rebuked Kusa, who spoke up from the floor a moment later while getting to his feet.

"Oh? But didn't you tell Ren once that you were about 12 or so when you caught your sister in bed with a girl for the first time, though?" Kusa pointed out as Sumire blushed and spoke up.

"First of all, that was different! Kasumi was cuddling that girl and kissing her! Second of all, they still had all their clothes on! And FINALLY, Kasumi wasn't an innocent AI girl!" Sumire pointed out as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Calm down, beautiful. I believe Kusa was just making a point." Ren said as Morgana spoke up while glaring at Kusa.

"OH HELL NO! In regards to what you said about me taking my clothes off, Kusa? Not happening! Besides, even if you are basically my big brother at this point, only Lady Sophia can tell me to do that. And even then, that's only when she's ready for it! So until she asks me to do that, you can keep your stupid ideas to yourself." Morgana said as Ann spoke up with a sigh.

"Ugh, Not exactly the celebration I'd planned by any means, but I suppose it is what it is." Ann said as Shiho giggled and spoke up.

"I dunno, Ann. I'd say it was some pretty good free fan service! Laughs, drinks, and wet t-shirts! I'd say we got a pretty good deal out of this celebration! Hee hee." Shiho said as both Sumire and Makoto sputtered and spoke up at the same time.

"Wh-Wha!? SHIHO!" Sumire and Makoto both rebuked Shiho, who just smiled apologetically as the celebrations continued on for a while before the group dispersed for the evening, leaving just Ren, Sumire, Morgana, Sophia, and Kusa in the attic after the others went home, or back to the Sakura house in the case of Akane...

(That evening, in the attic of Leblanc, with Ren, Sumire, Sophia, Morgana, and Kusa)

As the five Thieves that are currently staying at Leblanc gathered around Ren's old bed, Morgana spoke up.

"Geez, thanks for ruining the celebration for me, Ryuji. You, Yusuke, and your stupid soda-chugging habits! Not only did you ruin an expensive shirt, but you humiliated me in front of Lady Sophia! That damn monkey will pay for this." Morgana grumbled as Kusa spoke up.

"Cheer up, Morgana. At least you got to make Sophia laugh and smile. Or was I the only one who saw that shy sort of adorable smile on Sophia's face when you pouted over that incident?" Kusa asked as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which Ren was holding at the moment, preceded a blushing Sophia speaking up.

"Don't throw me under the bus like that, Uncle Kusa! Although, I guess I should agree that you have a point. More specifically, I should agree with what you said about Morgana being adorable earlier when he pouted. And to be honest? I did like how skin-tight Morgana's shirt got after Ryuji and Yusuke got soda on it. I realize it was ruined by the stickiness, but I bet it would've shown off Morgana's abs nicely if he had any. But with that being said, I felt like our celebration was fun despite Ryuji and Yusuke's little display at the end. After all, everyone seemed to be having a good time, even Uncle Goro. And I won't deny that I did laugh when you yelled at Ryuji, but only a little bit." Sophia said shyly as Morgana smiled and spoke up.

"Well, I suppose that if it was worth it to see you smile, then I'll gladly take it. And truth be told, I guess I had fun too." Morgana said as Sophia spoke up with a frown.

"So, since some of us are going away for a while, does that mean the Phantom Thieves will be disbanding tomorrow?" Sophia asked as Sumire spoke up.

"I'm afraid so, sweetie. As much as we enjoyed it, all things must come to an end eventually. And summer vacation IS just about over at this point." Sumire said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Sumire's right, Lady Sophia. We don't have a choice in the matter, what with the new school year coming up, and most of us having lives to get back to. And some of us even have weddings to plan, like Kusa for instance. Hard to believe that he and Ann were the first two to propose to their girlfriends. If I'd actually been a betting man, I'd have put money on it being Ren and Kusa being the first to propose. But then, I forgot about how patient Ren can be when it comes to Sumire. And besides, Lady Ann and Ryuji have their plates full with coursework for college as it is." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"I think Ann will do well enough for herself. Ryuji, on the other hand? I'm a bit worried for him, especially if he ends up failing most of his classes. We all know how studious Makoto is, so I can only imagine the hell she'll put him through if his grades are bad." Ren said honestly as Morgana chuckled and spoke up.

"Hehe, me too, Ren. However, between Haru, Makoto, and possibly even Lady Ann from time to time, I think Ryuji will get by. And as for Yusuke? I'm sure he's ready to get back to his artwork. Not to mention, Makoto and Haru are heading back to college. I wonder what life is like there for them." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"I can't say for sure, as I've not been to college myself, but I bet it's really fun for the most part." Ren said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"I dunno about that, Ren. I asked Makoto about it once, and she said that while there are fun parts to it, it's almost an equal balance of fun and hard work. And sometimes, it's less fun and more work. However, Haru seemed to be having fun when I asked her about it. So I suppose your mileage may vary on your experience, so to speak. Also, shut up about me and Taba, Morgana. I'm very well aware that we have a wedding to plan. However, we've not even set a date yet. So don't be in a rush to get us down that aisle. After all, there are certain rituals to observe after the wedding and during the reception. So don't be so quick to be in a hurry." Kusa said dryly as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. And thinking more about it, Haru and Makoto didn't seem too bummed on their deal. Sure they complained about it from time to time, but it sounds like they're having fun, overall. And Futaba seems to have gotten a lot stronger too, huh?" Morgana asked as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Damn straight she has. I've been training her myself when I get the chance. She's far from being an expert or anything like that, but she's actually managed to legitimately beat me in a spar every now and then. So she's come a long way from when we first met her, and I'm so insanely proud of her for it." Kusa said happily as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"That's true. And now she's got you as a fiancee. Between that and how much more outgoing she seems now, she's not gonna have any trouble in college making new friends. Sure, there may be a few who are intimidated by Kusa's reputation that might keep their distance, but Futaba should make a pretty good amount of new friends regardless." Morgana said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Hmph. Excuse me for being good at what I do and wanting to make sure my fiancee is happy and safe." Kusa said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a serious-looking Sophia speaking up.

"Everyone's found their own path to the future, it seems." Sophia said as Kusa spoke up.

"I wouldn't say that 'everyone' has found their own path. After all, both Ren and Morgana don't have a defined path of their own just yet. And I'm quite sure that both Akane-chan and Nanako-chan are far from deciding what path they want. Not to mention, I'm sure a lot of the Investigation Team and Shadow Operatives members are unsure of their paths as well to some extent. So don't feel bad if you haven't figured out your own path, Sophia." Kusa said as Ren spoke up while nodding his agreement of Kusa's words.

"That being said, since you brought it up, is something bothering you, sweetie?" Ren asked Sophia, who frowned and spoke up.

"Well, to be honest? I was just wondering what my path is." Sophia asked as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"That's easy, Sophia. For now, your path is enjoying life with myself and Ren, as well as enjoying a nice happy relationship with your boyfriend. And I'm sure Morgana knows by now that he's not allowed to ever do anything to hurt you. RIGHT, MORGANA!?" Sumire said, making Ren, Kusa, and Morgana's eyes widen slightly at how dangerously Sumire's eyes had narrowed, as well as the scary amounts of steel in her tone as she spoke the last few words as Morgana spoke up frantically with a nod.

"Y-Yes, Sumire! Your message is received loud and clear! I will always cherish and love Lady Sophia like the precious and beautiful Treasure she is." Morgana said before turning a much softer expression onto Sophia as he kept speaking.

"That being said, cheer up, Lady Sophia. It might not happen right away, but I have faith that you'll find it soon enough. And don't be afraid to lean on me for support if you need it. That's my job as your boyfriend, after all. And until you do find your own path, feel free to stick with myself, your mom, and your dad. And maybe your Aunt Futaba and Uncle Kusa." Morgana said as Kusa playfully bonked Morgana on the head gently and spoke up.

"HEY! Futaba and I can also be supportive of Sophia if needed. Sure, I might have to keep an eye on Sophia when it's just her and Futaba, just to make sure my fiancee doesn't try to teach her anything too inappropriate, but that's not a problem for me at all. The important thing for Sophia to know right now is that all of us have got her back when she needs it." Kusa said as Ren nodded and spoke up while looking into Sophia's eyes and giving her a kind smile.

"Kusa's right, Sophia. There's no need to worry. No matter what happens, your mother and I will always be there for you no matter what." Ren said kindly as Sumire nodded and spoke up.

"Ignoring the fact that Kusa is a bad example for hitting Morgana in front of you, he's right in regards to all of us being here for you. So don't feel like you can't speak your mind around us, sweetheart. All of us love you a great deal. So for now, feel free to think of this as the place you belong until you find your path in life." Sumire said kindly as Sophia smiled and spoke up, both Sumire and Sophia giggling at, but otherwise ignoring, the indignant yell of 'OI! HYPOCRITE MUCH, SUMIRE!?' from Kusa as the latter of the two girls spoke.

"Thanks, you guys. And relax, Uncle Kusa. I don't think of you as a bad example. If anyone's a bad example, it'd be Ryuji the potty mouth and maybe Uncle Goro when he swears profusely." Sophia said as Morgana spoke up.

"That's true. And speaking of Goro, it's hard to believe that both he and Akane are heading out tomorrow to return to Kyoto together. I still wish we had more time to spend with them, but we really ought to get some rest. Luckily, Ren and Sumire agreed to share the sofa, which leaves me and Kusa to share the futon." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"This arrangement is only temporary because there's nowhere else to put you and that Akane-chan already called dibs on the hide-a-bed over at the Sakura house. And that's not even mentioning Sojiro putting his foot down on me and Taba sharing her bed." Kusa said as Ren and Sumire nodded as the foursome got comfortable for the night...

(The following afternoon, outside of Leblanc, with Sojiro, Kusa, Makoto, Sumire, Ren, Sophia, Yusuke, Morgana, Haru, Ryuji, Shiho, Ann, Futaba, Akane, and Goro)

"Well, this is it. Be careful on your way back to Kyoto, you two." Sojiro said as Kusa spoke up at that point.

"Stay safe out there, Goro. And you as well, Akane. It was nice seeing both of you. Oh, and good luck with your internship, Goro. Do your best out there." Kusa said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Truth, Kusa! And hope to see you around, Akane! It was a real blast havin' you out here for a couple of days!" Ryuji said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Both of you, feel free to drop us a line whenever you're back. No matter what you're doing, we'll drop it to meet you." Yusuke said as Kusa spoke up.

"Well, within reason. Though it's unlikely that you'll drop a line when any of us couples are, err, let's go with 'preoccupied' for the sake of not having Sumire punch me for being crass in front of my niece." Kusa said as Sumire frowned and spoke up.

"You're lucky that this is a serious occasion, Kusa. And that you have a good point." Sumire said as Makoto gave Akane a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Good luck with your future, Akane-chan. We'll all be waiting to hear from you." Makoto said as Futaba gave Goro a serious look while speaking up.

"I know we got off to a bit of a rocky start when we first met, but I've come to respect you a great deal, Goro. Are you gonna be back for winter break, by any chance? If not, you know you could always come back sooner, right? Same for you, Akane." Futaba said as Sojiro spoke up.

"Provided Kusa, Futaba, Ren, or Sumire aren't using it, the attic's all yours if you ever need it, Goro. And it'll only cost you a few hours of helping out around the shop." Sojiro said as Goro nodded and spoke up.

"I'll keep that in mind, Sojiro. Thank you for the offer. Oh, and thank you for the well-wishes, Kusa. Nice to know that I have family that supports me. Same for you, Futaba. I'm glad you have at least warmed up to me to some extent by now." Goro said as Ann spoke up.

"Silly Goro! You might be edgy and a bit dark at times, but you're our dark, edgy boy. Of course we all support you! So take care of yourself out there! And the same goes for you too, Akane-chan!" Ann said as Akane spoke up with a sigh.

"I don't want to go back, but I know I have to. After all, Nanako already went home, and I should respect Dad's wishes for me to go back today with Goro. And so, no matter how much this is a painful parting, it must be done." Akane said as Ren spoke up.

"True, but don't forget. As a wise person once said, 'Goodbyes need not be forever. Whether they be for a short time, or for a lifetime, that is up to you to decide.' So in other words, I'm sure we'll meet again someday." Ren said wisely as Morgana spoke up.

"Ren's right! If nothing else, you'll probably get invited to Kusa and Futaba's wedding, along with Ann and Shiho's!" Morgana said sagely as Akane nodded before Shiho spoke up.

"See you later, Akane-chan! Be sure to listen to your father, okay?" Shiho said as Haru spoke up.

"In addition, try to be supportive of Goro, if you can. He still has a lot to do to make up for his past mistakes." Haru said as Akane nodded and spoke up.

"You got it, Haru. I'll do what I can to make sure Goro is able to get through his internship and gets back to you in one piece. I promise you that he will return to you someday." Akane said as Makoto chuckled and spoke up.

"We wouldn't have it any other way. Oh, and make sure you keep an eye on Akane-chan as well, Goro. The last thing any of us needs is for her to get into any more trouble like with what happened with Konoe." Makoto said as Goro nodded and spoke up.

"Sure thing. She might be a pain, but I respect her despite that. So of course I'll look out for her. And I'm sure Akane will behave herself for Zenkichi, won't you Akane?" Goro said as Akane huffed and spoke up.

"Okay, okay! I got it already, Goro." Akane said dryly, not amused by Goro basically patronizing her. At that point, Futaba gasped and spoke up.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Futaba said as Yusuke spoke up in confusion.

"What's the matter, Futaba?" Yusuke said as Futaba spoke up.

"While I have everyone here to witness it, I have a present for Sophia. And, I sent a little goodbye present to Akane's phone too. Mwehehe." Futaba said as Akane checked her phone and gasped at the picture Futaba had sent her, as it was a rather racy and provocative photo of Futaba, if also fairly borderline-pornographic. But before she could begin to yell at Futaba about how inappropriate her 'gift' was, a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a wide-eyed Sophia speaking up and unwittingly cutting off Akane's planned rant.

"A present? For me?" Sophia asked as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed! I didn't get a chance to give it to you yesterday-" Futaba said before getting cut-off mid-sentence as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a shocked Sophia speaking up.

"Oh! One moment, Futaba. Dad, there's a message for you on your phone from Ichinose!" Sophia said as Ren checked his phone to see that he did indeed have a private chat from Ichinose, making him frown at the dark-green chat color she'd chosen, as it was very similar to the color Kusa had chosen. Ren then read the private chat.

"Sorry this is so sudden, but if you get this, could you meet me in front of Shibuya Station? Bring everyone else who's still there too, if you can. I promise not to take too much of your time. Well, hope to see you there." Ren read as he put his phone down in time for Haru to speak up.

"What'd Ichinose-san have to say, Ren?" Haru asked as Ren spoke up.

"Well, you see..." Ren said as he then proceeded to explain the private chat he'd gotten. When he'd finished, Ryuji spoke up in surprise.

"Huh? Sure didn't expect that coming from Ichinose." Ryuji said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"True. But I'm sure if she's calling for all of us, there's a reason for it." Kusa said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a serious-looking Sophia speaking up.

"I agree, Uncle Kusa." Sophia said before looking up at Ren as she kept speaking.

"Let's go meet her, Dad. I'm curious as to what she wants to talk to us about." Sophia said as Makoto spoke up.

"I must confess, I'm curious as well. Are any of the rest of you too busy to join us?" Makoto asked as Yusuke spoke up.

"I can't speak for the whole group, but as for me personally? I'm not busy at all. In fact, this seems right." Yusuke said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, I agree. One last little farewell trip together before we have to see Goro and Akane-chan off." Haru said as Ren turned towards Sojiro and spoke up.

"What about you, Sojiro? Do you want to join us in meeting Ichinose?" Ren asked as Sojiro spoke up.

"As much as I want to, I do have a cafe to run, so the rest of you go on ahead." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Very well then. We'll see you later, Boss. Oh, and I wanted to say before I forget, it was a blast having you with us for the summer." Ren said and as Sojiro nodded as he proceeded to head back into Leblanc, the rest of the group headed to Shibuya Square to meet up with Ichinose...

(A short time, at Shibuya Station, with Ren, Sumire, Sophia, Morgana, Ryuji, Akane, Yusuke, Makoto, Shiho, Ann, Goro, Haru, Kusa, and Futaba)

After the group gathered at Shibuya Station, Ryuji spoke up.

"She said to meet her here, right?" Ryuji asked as Goro nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, I do believe that was what Ichinose-san said to Ren when she sent that message to him." Goro said as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's true. But I don't see her anywhere." Ann said as Makoto spoke up.

"Maybe we just ended up beating her here? What do you say we wait for a bit?" Makoto said as Akane spoke up.

"Fair enough. We've got time before Goro and I have to be on the train to Kyoto anyways." Akane said as Futaba groaned and spoke up.

"Sooo hooooooot out here. Meeeeeltiiiiiiiiing like a snowcone. I'm evaporating in five seconds for sure." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"I know it's miserable out, but hang in there, Taba. We'll get you somewhere cool soon enough. Just try to bear with it, okay? I don't dare suggest the other way to beat the heat since Sophia is listening." Kusa said as Sumire frowned and spoke up.

"Really!? Why am I not surprised that if Sophia wasn't here, you'd encourage your girlfriend to strip in a public place, Kusa? I suppose it's not much different than the times she sneaks you into the local bath-house to strip you down and have her way with you." Sumire said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a confused Sophia speaking up.

"Wait a minute, I've been in the bath-house with all of the girls back when we were dealing with the Yongen Jail. And from what I recall also of the times when we were in Sapporo, wasn't there an instance of Aunt Futaba and Uncle Kusa going at it in the bath-house there?" Sophia asked as Morgana spoke up with wide eyes.

"Don't think too much of it, Lady Sophia. Futaba's just a shameless brat who has no compunctions about baring her naked body to Kusa, wherever they might be. I heard that she took him into the local gym once and-" Morgana said as a wide-eyed and scandalized-looking Ryuji spoke up, surprisingly being the one to cut Morgana off before he could say anything too vulgar.

"WHAT!? DUDE, FOR REAL!? KUSA AND FUTABA DID IT IN THE PROTEIN LOVERS' GYM!? IS NOTHING SACRED, YOU TWO!?" Ryuji snapped as Kusa blushed and spoke up.

"Sorry. In my defense, Futaba was the one who snuck herself into the gym naked to surprise me after a workout. So of course that's going to put me in the mood. In immediate hindsight, I should've made her wait until we got home to make a meal out of me." Kusa said as Sumire sighed and spoke up.

"Whew. At least you censored it somewhat." Sumire said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Of course. I'm not going to expose Sophia to adult stuff before she's ready for it. Besides, I'd rather not have you looking to murder me." Kusa said as Haru winced and spoke up.

"Yes, well, going back to Futaba-chan's situation, perhaps we could find a spot to wait that isn't directly in the sun? That way, it could save us from the possibility of having all of us bear witness to our friend taking her clothes off and getting us into trouble?" Haru said as Akane frowned and spoke up.

"That would be nice. I feel like it would definitely be very less than ideal if Goro and I were late getting back to Kyoto because Futaba got us all arrested for indecent exposure and lewd acts in a public place." Akane deadpanned as Futaba blushed sheepishly. Before she could reply, Ann spoke up with wide eyes.

"Huh? Wait, you guys! Look at that!" Ann said as she noticed a news report that had a picture of Owada on-screen, making the group fall silent to listen as the newscaster spoke up.

"We now bring you breaking news, as we have learned of a shocking turn of events in the political realm. Moments ago, an arrest warrant was issued for Legislator Jyun Owada. The charges against Mister Owada span from bribery and tax evasion to a number of other crimes, including corruption." The newscaster said as Akane gasped and spoke up.

"It...It can't be!?" Akane said as Makoto spoke up.

"No way! That's Owada, isn't it!?" Makoto said as Goro nodded and spoke up with a wry grin.

"Indeed. And might I just say, I couldn't have picked a better way to be sent off than to hear that Zenkichi-san might have finally nabbed the scumbag who caused both him and Akane-chan so much pain. But I'm sure Akane-chan is more shocked than the rest of us." Goro said as a still wide-eyed Akane could only nod, shocked that her dad might have finally gotten the man who took her mother from her brought to justice. Before she could verbally answer Goro, the newscaster kept speaking.

"A fleet of police vehicles have encircled the Diet Members' office building, which is reportedly being searched at this time. We now take you to the investigation team's press conference, live at their headquarters." The newscaster said, making Ren and Kusa exchange shocked looks, almost thinking that the newscaster meant Yu's group, but then their confusion was cleared up a moment later when Zenkichi's boss was shown onscreen as she spoke up.

"We have uncovered evidence that shows Mister Owada illegally accepted funds from the company Madicce. Additional investigations into his numerous other charges are currently underway. Regarding the specific hit-and-run incident five years ago wherein Mister Owada's secretary claimed to be the culprit behind the incident, we have since learned the truth. Namely, the fact that the true culprit was in fact Mister Owada himself, driving his own vehicle under the influence of alcohol." Kaburagi said, the scowl on her face staying present as she kept speaking despite all the cameras going off at that moment.

"Furthermore, we have discovered that the concealment of this fact involved multiple high-ranking members of the police force, all of whom were arrested for conspiracy to conceal evidence. I cannot apologize deeply enough for the flagrant, abysmal disregard for truth and justice from this department. We intend to follow our investigations to the absolute end, not only for justice's sake, but for that of the people and their faith in the police." Kaburagi said as nearby, the group heard a couple of voices speak up.

"Whoa, is this real?" The group heard a female voice say as a male voice spoke up.

"Wait, THAT Owada!?" The male voice said as another male voice spoke up.

"And the police were in on it?" The second male voice said as a third male voice was heard.

"Isn't this, like, a huge deal?" The third male voice said as the newscaster continued speaking.

"Furthermore, there are claims that Mister Owada's criminal activity extends well beyond that with Madicce, even including suspicions that he ordered the murder of his secretary five years ago, as well as a number of other unsubstantiated charges." The newscaster said as Ann gasped and spoke up.

"Oh! Isn't that Zenkichi's boss!?" Ann asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, that appears to be Kaburagi-san, all right." Kusa said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Zenkichi-san did it, you guys! He finally got the person he's been after so long!" Haru said as Akane nodded, clearly trying to hold back tears of joy at that point, blinking in shock as she felt Goro gently pull her into a hug as he spoke up kindly after turning her so her face was hidden in his shirt.

"It's all right, Akane-chan. None of us will judge you if you need to let it out. We know this is a joyous occasion for you, as well as a bittersweet one." Goro said as he heard Akane quietly sniffle into his shirt as she spoke up around her sobs.

"It really is, Goro. Dad actually got the man who took Mom from us. At last, Mom got the justice she deserved, along with the family of that poor secretary. I think this is the happiest I've ever felt in a long time, outside of when Nanako agreed to be my girlfriend, of course." Akane said as she quietly sobbed into Goro's shirt and he gently patted her on the back comfortingly while speaking up.

"That's right. Just let it all out, Akane. We're all here for you, and we're happy for you." Goro said as Akane nodded, eventually removing her face from Goro's shirt after she stopped sobbing, speaking up with a red face, clearly embarrassed at her outburst.

"Sorry about that. I just needed to let that out." Akane said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"That's quite all right, Akane-chan. I respect the fact that my boyfriend's so willing to let you vent your feelings on him. He might not say so, but Goro really is a good guy deep down." Haru said with a giggle as Goro huffed and spoke up.

"Hey! I'm bad to the bone, you know." Goro said as both Ren and Kusa playfully booed the remark, the latter speaking up.

"That was terrible, Goro. Go back to your day job, pancake boy!" Kusa joked as Ryuji and Morgana both laughed at the reference to how they'd exposed Goro as the traitor to their group four years ago. As everyone smiled at the scene, Akane felt her phone vibrate as she then checked it to see a message from Nanako in their private chat. Akane then read it all while Goro aimed a very deadpan glare at a smirking Kusa.

"HEY! I just saw the news regarding Owada's arrest. I want to give both you and your dad my heartfelt congratulations. I hope this will finally give you both some peace after what that man has done to you two, as well as your late mom. We definitely need to chat soon. But until then, I hope all is well with you, Akane." Akane read and as she smiled, the others took notice of this as Shiho smiled and spoke up.

"Let me guess, Nanako texted you?" Shiho asked as Akane nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, she just saw the news of Owada's arrest and wanted to congratulate myself and my Dad on the development. I will definitely need to show this to him when we're back home later." Akane said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I have to say that after everything he has done regarding his role in Konoe's schemes, Owada got what he deserves. No one's above the law at the end of the day. Not even us." Ren said sagely as Ryuji high-fived Ren and spoke up.

"Hell yeah, RenRen! Looks like Zenkichi really pulled it off! That dude really is badass!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"Of course he is. Zenkichi had the potential for greatness in him all along. He just needed the right group of young adults to give him that certain nudge to bring it to the surface and all that." Kusa said wisely as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. The perpetrators were finally caught under the light of truth and ultimately brought to justice for their crimes. In the end, it was a job well done." Yusuke said as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Looks like he wasn't just trolling us about his skills! No wonder he made such a good part of our team!" Futaba said as Makoto spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"I know Akane-chan said it earlier, but I want to say it again. Zenkichi-san's finally done it. He's finally avenged his wife." Makoto said as Akane nodded agreeably, looking like she wanted to cry again at the mention of her mom's killer being caught. Morgana smiled and spoke up.

"Yep, just like he promised Akane. Zenkichi came through big time! Not only was the killer caught, but he was the one who collared him!" Morgana said as Haru spoke up with a smile.

"Agreed. I'm so happy for Zenkichi-san and Akane-chan." Haru said as Sumire spoke up.

"True. Looks like they finally got the happy ending they deserved, to some extent. Now if Ichinose-san would get here, we could get back to seeing Goro and Akane off." Sumire said as Shiho smirked and spoke up.

"Speak of the devil and she shall appear." Shiho said as Ichinose walked over at that point, as if summoned by Sumire saying her name, ignoring the smirk on Goro's face at Shiho calling her a devil as she spoke up.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. Have you been waiting long?" Ichinose said as she walked up to the group, at which point Haru spoke up.

"Ichinose-san!" Haru said as Ichinose spoke up after reaching the group.

"I see that your group has lessened since I last saw you. I can probably see why Hasegawa-san is not with you guys, given what I saw on the news just now. But I'm guessing Sakura-san the elder and Nanako-chan have other things to do?" Ichinose asked as Ren spoke up.

"As of right now, Sojiro is currently tending to his work, and Nanako went back to her hometown with Yu and his group not long after we last saw you two days ago." Ren said as Ichinose spoke up.

"Fair enough. Anyways, sorry for making all of you wait here for so long. Wrapping up the paperwork at the police station took a lot longer than I'd expected." Ichinose said as a wide-eyed Makoto gasped at that and spoke up.

"The police station?" Makoto asked as Ichinose nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. I actually went straight there and turned myself in the moment we finished our last conversation two days ago." Ichinose said as Ann spoke up in shock.

"Hang on, but what you did was mostly in the Metaverse, wasn't it?" Ann asked as Morgana spoke up.

"That's true, Lady Ann. But more to the point, Konoe was the one who abused EMMA's power, not you, Ichinose-san. If you turned yourself in over all that, it could pose a few problems when it comes to Konoe's punishment." Morgana said as Ichinose shook her head and spoke up.

"I was already aware of that fact, Morgana. However, I also decided to turn myself in because of the role I played regarding EMMA's rise to power. Setting EMMA loose upon the world like I did would have led to its destruction if not for all of you stepping in and stopping her. I know that's true. Not only that, but there's no denying that I directly hurt all of you as well with my recent actions, specifically telling Sophia to kill all of you.

Thankfully, she found the strength of will to defy my command, even if I rebuked her for it at the time. After all, had she not, both Sophia and myself would be guilty of murder. So I thought I should be punished for that, at the very least, if nothing else." Ichinose said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which she'd held up when Ichionose mentioned Sophia, preceded a shocked Sophia speaking up.

"Ichinose, that wasn't entirely your fault. Sure, you have a portion of the blame to own, but so did EMMA. She was the one who brought you into the Metaverse and enabled you to be able to put us all in danger. And we already punished EMMA for what she did." Sophia said as Ichinose frowned and spoke up.

"Perhaps, but the fact remains that I committed a crime. So, I ended up confessing everything to the police in an attempt to get the punishment I deserve. But, to no one's surprise, they didn't believe anything I said." Ichinose said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"Well, to be fair, it's not exactly the easiest story to buy without seeing proof beforehand. And even then, it's still a bit hard to believe." Makoto said as Kusa spoke up.

"Makoto's right. There was a zero percent chance that you would be able to confess to everything you had done to the police. I mean, the least you could possibly get away with in a confession was your role in selling EMMA to Madicce, which led to Konoe committing his own actions." Kusa said as Ichinose chuckled and spoke up.

"That's true. But that didn't stop me. I even tried to get Hasegawa-san to help with my confession. He just laughed off, telling me, and I quote, 'The police are too busy for fairy tales right now.' Heh, talk about shrugging me off." Ichinose said as Akane giggled and spoke up.

"That sounds like my dad, all right. It was probably also his subtle way of trying to tell you not to blame yourself and that he forgives you for what you did. For what it's worth, I think we all forgive you for what you did two days ago, even if it takes some of us longer than others." Akane said wisely as Ann nodded and spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Heh, that sure sounds like Zenkichi." Ann said as Shiho spoke up.

"True that. I could see him trying to keep you from getting yourself in trouble by basically being professional about turning you away." Shiho said as Ichinose spoke up.

"Fair enough. Anyways, I originally planned to do this once I was released from jail after repaying my debt to society. But since I was let off, I'm thinking of taking a journey of my own." Ichinose said as a wide-eyed Yusuke spoke up.

"A journey, you say?" Yusuke said as Ichinose smiled and spoke up with a nod.

"Yes, a sort of quest to learn about the human heart." Ichinose said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a wide-eyed Sophia speaking up.

"Oh!" Sophia said as Ichinose kept speaking before Sophia could do more than gasp.

"I thought EMMA really would guide humanity to a better world. But once Sophia changed my mind, that was when I noticed something about the people that EMMA 'saved'. The eyes of everyone 'saved' by EMMA's actions? They just looked cold and dead. But you all, Sophia included, were so different. Your eyes were so brimming with hope that it opened my own. Sophia learned about the human heart by joining you on your journey. You shared good times and bad, you were there for each other when you needed it most. And most of all, you learned to understand each other. And I think Sophia even found something special for herself in the process.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to do that kind of thing for myself, but I want to speak with other people about the heart when learning this time, and try and really do it right. I just needed to make sure I apologized to Sophia and all of you properly before I depart for this journey. And even though some of you weren't able to make it, I'm sure you'll pass my apologies on to the rest of your allies when the time is right. I truly am so, so sorry for putting you all through so much pain." Ichinose said as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"Well, would you look at that? Looks like there was some good inside you after all, Ichinose-san. And if we're all apologizing, I suppose I should do the same as well if you're willing to forgive me for all those times that I called you 'Miss Monologues'. That was just me being my usual snarky, dick self. So sorry about that." Goro said as Ren smirked and spoke up before Ichinose could do more than nod her forgiveness of Goro's actions.

"As for the rest of us, don't sweat it, Ichinose-san. Sure, there were some painful parts, but I'd like to think we all got stronger from that pain. Especially Sophia and Morgana. Believe it or not, your little stunt actually gave them the push they needed to finally confess their feelings to each other and start dating. So despite how close it came to ending badly, your actions instead wound up having a mostly positive outcome in the end. I think I can say that a majority of us have forgiven you, although it will still take some time for the rest of us to move on regarding your actions." Ren said sagely. Yusuke spoke up bluntly.

"Ren is right. While you did side with EMMA initially, you also lent us aid when we needed it, Ichinose. Hence, we bear no ill will towards you. Well, other than maybe Sumire and Morgana. But I think even they forgive you, despite how frustrated your actions towards Sophia made them." Yusuke said as Ichinose smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you all so much." Ichinose said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded a serious-looking Sophia choosing to speak up at that moment.

"Hey, Dad? I hope you and Mom don't mind, but I have a request of my own." Sophia said as Morgana spoke up in shock from next to Kusa.

"Really? What is it, Lady Sophia?" Morgana asked as Sophia spoke up, looking surprisingly close to tears as she spoke, though once she got her request out, both Ren and Sumire understood why Sophia looked so pained.

"I'm not really sure how to put this. Well, I suppose it's better to get right to the point. If possible, I want to join Ichinose on her quest." Sophia said as Ren, Sumire, Kusa, and Morgana's jaws all dropped as they spoke up in unison while the rest of the group's eyes widened at this.

"WHAT!?" Ren, Sumire, Kusa, and Morgana asked as a confused Ann spoke up.

"Wait, hold on. You want to join Ichinose on her journey?" Ann asked as Sumire spoke up while still in shock.

"Are you sure about this, Sophia?" Sumire asked as Sophia nodded and spoke up.

"Definitely, Mom. I know this is sudden, and probably the hardest thing I've ever asked of you all, but the truth is that you've all done so much for me. You accepted me when I had nowhere to go. You said I was your teammate and friend, and even a daughter and/or girlfriend in some cases. But more than that, all of you gave me a home. And it made me so happy. I constantly felt warm and fuzzy inside. However, it seems like for the most part, everyone now has their own path to the future. Thanks to you all, I've learned so much. I've even found my own path to follow going forward. The path I need to take as humanity's companion.

You see, I want to be able to lend a helping hand to anyone who strays from their own path, just like you all do. I want to help people find their way so they can find their happiness. If Ichinose is trying to find her way, then I should be there for her. Just like you were for me. I want to become more like you guys and be able to help others out the way you helped me. I want to do this so I can be the self I want to be." Sophia said as a shocked Ichinose spoke up.

"Sophia, are you sure?" Ichinose asked as Haru spoke up with a frown.

"Does that mean, provided Ren-kun and Sumire-chan give their consent to allow you to join Ichinose on her quest, that in addition to Goro and Akane-chan, we're saying goodbye to you as well, Sophia?" Haru asked as a wide-eyed Makoto spoke up.

"But I thought she was stuck in Sumire's phone and couldn't leave. I'm pretty sure that's what she said yesterday, at least." Makoto said as Futaba spoke up with a sad shake of her head.

"Mm-mm. That's not an issue anymore. Sophia, do you remember the first night you met most of us? That full scan of you that I did in Leblanc's attic? Well, thanks to the accidental consequence of that scan, I've had an idea of how to let you leave that phone. Mind you, I've only been able to hammer away at it little by little, but I've been working on it since that day and trying to finish it in hopes of surprising you with it. That being said, I've been working on a program to let you leave smartphones, which I derived from the backup I took of you on my phone. So if the program doesn't work, I can just take a backup of you and copy it to Ichinose's phone so you can go with her and still remain with Sumire at the same time.

However, taking the backup wouldn't be a complete fix, since the you that remains behind wouldn't have any recollection of anything you experienced on your journey with Ichinose. So I'd still have to be able to sync the memories so that they link up with the you in Ichinose's phone, the you in my phone, and the you in Sumire's phone if we use the backup idea. However, if we use my program and get you out of Sumire's phone, you'll have all the memories of that trip and your memories of us to fall back on. So yeah, surprise. I can get you out of that phone if you really want to go with Ichinose, Sophia." Futaba said sadly as Ryuji gasped and spoke up.

"Dude! Futaba, are you for real!?" Ryuji asked as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Leave it to Ryuji to use his cluelessness to try and lighten the mood at a time like this." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, it's for real, Ryuji. I-I tried telling you guys, a whole buncha times, but I kept getting interrupted before I could finish. However, I didn't think that it'd wind up bein' a goodbye gift for you, Sophia." Futaba said as she rubbed her eyes, trying not to cry as Kusa gently put an arm around her comfortingly as Makoto spoke up.

"Futaba, are you crying?" Makoto asked as Kusa spoke up.

"Of course she is, Makoto. She just found out that the girl she's probably come to consider a niece is leaving on her own journey and basically leaving the nest! I think she's allowed to be sad about that. Heck, I don't even blame Sumire and Morgana if they wanted to cry right now, or Ren for that matter. I know all three of them are also incredibly close to Sophia as well." Kusa said bluntly as Sumire sighed and spoke up while looking at Sophia.

"Sophia, be honest with me, sweetie. Is this truly what you want?" Sumire asked as Sophia nodded and spoke up.

"It is. But know that no matter what happens and where I go, you and Ren will always be my Mom and Dad. Never doubt that I'll always remember the two of you, along with the others. But especially Morgana. I would have to be a terrible girlfriend to forget about my first boyfriend." Sophia said with a smile as Ren spoke up.

"Then go for it, sweetheart. You know your mother and I support everything you do. Sure, it's going to suck having to say farewell to you. But I know this is ultimately for the best." Ren said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Well said, Ren. After all, it's like a wise person once said, 'If you love something or someone, let them go. If you and that person or object are meant to be with one another, they'll find their way back to you.' In this case, that means that you, Sumire, and Morgana have to be strong and see our dear Sophia off with a smile instead of a show of tears. If anything, you can wait until after she's gone for the three of you to break down crying. Hell, I won't lie. I might even tear up a bit over this later. And we all know how rarely that happens for me." Kusa said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Kusa's right. Sophia decided what she wanted to do with her life now that she found her own path. And it's only right that we not only support her in that path, but see her off with a smile and wish her the best. Besides, as Zenkichi said recently, it's not like we're saying goodbye to her forever. I'm sure we'll see her again someday. And as Kusa said, even though I love her a lot, I'm letting her go to be free and pursue her chosen path. With any luck, she'll find her way back to me someday." Morgana said as Ann spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Morgana's got a point. As Sophia's friends, we should congratulate her and send her off with a smile. Right, Futaba?" Ann said as Shiho spoke up.

"Says the girl who'll probably end up with a runny nose later from how much she breaks down crying in bed." Shiho said teasingly as Ann blushed and swatted her on the arm while speaking up with a mock-scowl on her face.

"SHIHO! Don't tease me like that! Even if you are probably right." Ann said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, good point, Ann. You're right, of course. Besides, I know Kusa will support me through this once I inevitably break down crying in private later." Futaba said as Kusa gently hugged her and nodded to confirm she was right in her statement. At that point, Ichinose spoke up with a frown on her face.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Sophia? They're clearly really going to miss you once you go." Ichinose asked as Sophia nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, it's what I want, Ichinose. But, first, before that?" Sophia said as she turned to face Ren and Sumire as she kept speaking.

"I need to hear it from you, Mom and Dad. May I go with Ichinose?" Sophia asked as Sumire merely nodded, not trusting herself to speak in that moment. Ren spoke up for the both of them with a smile on his face, knowing Sumire was doing everything in her power to keep a smile on her face and not cry like she wanted to.

"You got it, sweetheart. If this is what you want, then go for it! After all, I would hope you know by now that your mother and I will always have your back, no matter what. Go out there and help Ichinose with that quest! And have fun doing it, too. With any luck, you'll find your way back to us someday, and you can have all sorts of stories to share with us about this journey of yours." Ren said as Sophia smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"Thanks, Dad." Sophia said before turning to the rest of the group and speaking up with a sad look on her face.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I know this is rather abrupt and sudden, but I haven't been able to show my appreciation for what you've all done for me." Sophia said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Aw, what're you talkin' bout, Sophia? You know that's not how friends, or family for that matter, roll!" Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up with a nod.

"Yeah, Ryuji's right! Friends, family, AND members of the Phantom Thieves!" Morgana said as Goro huffed and spoke up.

"Dang it, Morgana! What happened to ix-nay on the use of the words antom-Phay eives-Thay in ublic-pay?" Goro asked as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Relax, Goro. No one's around to hear it. I made sure of it. And even if they did, who'd take Morgana seriously? It's not like he's going around pulling a Ryuji or anything, right?" Kusa said as Goro shrugged and conceded the point at that as Ann spoke up with a closed-eye smile before Ryuji could do more than pout at Kusa using him as an example.

"Mmhm, you'll always be a part of us, Sophia!" Ann said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Ann's right. Nothing could sever the bond we forged over such high stakes." Yusuke said as Haru spoke up.

"And we'll never forget the great times we had together." Haru said as Makoto spoke up.

"I know you'll be a fantastic companion to Ichinose-san." Makoto said as Futaba spoke up.

"Sophia, before you go? Stay safe out there!" Futaba said as Sumire spoke up with tears in her eyes.

"Indeed. And never forget that all of us love you dearly, Sophia. No matter what happens, you'll always have a place with myself, and also with your father. Now go out there and make some fond memories with Ichinose-san and make your father and I proud of how much you've grown since meeting us. And thank you for all the times you gave Ren and I to practice being parents while you were in my phone." Sumire said as Kusa spoke up.

"Sumire's right, Sophia. But more to the point, make sure to try and stay in touch if you can. If nothing else, it might make Ren, Sumire, Morgana, and Futaba feel better to hear from you every now and again. But in all seriousness? Just have fun out there. Now go on and have the time of your life, Sophia. And until we see you again, farewell." Kusa said solemnly, surprising both Ren and Goro with what appeared to be hints of unshed tears in his eyes. As Futaba hugged Kusa, Ren spoke up, mostly to keep anyone from commenting on how close Kusa looked to be to crying.

"Goodbye, Sophia. And thank you for everything. Take care, my dearest daughter." Ren said sincerely but firmly as Sophia spoke up, clearly also trying not to cry.

"Thank you, Dad! Not just for letting me do this, but seeing me off with such kind words. You and Mom both. I know this isn't easy for either one of you, but it means a lot to me that you're still there to see me off. I promise you, I'll find a way to return to you one day." Sophia said as Ren nodded as Futaba used the program to move Sophia to Ichinose's phone. Before Ichinose left, she turned the phone so that Sophia could see the group as she spoke up one final time.

"Thank you all. I promise I'll never forget all of you, or the times we've been through. And more to the point, I promise that we'll meet again." Sophia said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up with a pumped fist.

"Yeah! No matter what!" Ryuji said as Sophia nodded and gave the group one of the few brilliant closed-eye smiles she'd ever done as she spoke up while looking at Morgana.

"Morgana, know that no matter how far we are from each other, I will always love you." Sophia said as Morgana spoke up while trying his best not to cry.

"I know, Lady Sophia. I will always love you too. And I will keep on waiting for you until the day comes when we reunite." Morgana said as Sophia smiled as she spoke up.

"We'll meet again 'no matter what'! Take care everyone" Sophia said as Ichinose spoke up.

"Goodbye, Phantom Thieves. May we meet again real soon." Ichinose said as she left with Sophia in tow, and only once both of them were gone did Sumire, Futaba, Ann, Morgana, and even Ren and Kusa, all start silently shedding tears for the farewell they'd just had to share with Sophia. But before Ren, who'd been the first to stop crying, could remark on what he'd seen, his phone went off with a private chat from Sophia with the caption 'Treasure'.

Once an intrigued Ren opened it, he saw it was a group photo Sophia had taken with Ichinose's phone, with everyone standing in a circle, though with both Ryuji and Yusuke being mostly Wazowskied in the shot, and with Ann, Futaba, and Sumire leaning on their respective fiancee and/or boyfriend for comfort. Ren smiled at this as the group headed off to see Goro and Akane off on the train...

(Meanwhile, outside of the Diet Members building, with Zenkichi)

As Zenkichi leaned against a wall outside of the Diet Members' building, having been asked by Kaburagi to wait outside due to a conflict of interest that Owada's actions towards Zenkichi's wife and Akane's mom had caused, he smirked as he heard the nearby TV blare with the report from a newscaster while he watched a scowling Owada be led from the Diet Members' building in handcuffs, making him smirk as he had one thought run through his mind in that moment.

"It's finally done, Aoi. It took me far too long, but I finally avenged you, and got justice for not only you, but Akane, that poor secretary who was the scapegoat for Owada, and even that secretary's family! And Akane, I finally kept my promise to you! I hope you're proud when you see the news." Zenkichi thought to himself as he heard the newscaster speak on a nearby TV.

"And in politics, another massive scandal has unfolded in the political realm. In recent news, Legislator Jyun Owada has just been taken into police custody after being connected to a hit-and-run, as well as several charges of bribery..." The police newscaster said as Zenkichi smirked and turned on his heel, walking away towards the smiling silver-haired woman who had been waiting for him. Once he reached her, he spoke up.

"Heh, sorry to keep you waiting, Sae. Had to wrap up a few loose ends before our date. Shall we go?" Zenkichi asked as Sae smiled and nodded as she and Zenkichi walked off hand-in-hand to go have the lunch/dinner date they'd agreed upon previously...

(Back at Shibuya Station, with Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Goro, Sumire, Kusa, Shiho, and Akane)

After the group finished seeing Sophia off and getting their sadness out of their system, Kusa was the first to speak.

"Well, now that that's done, we still have one last piece of business to sort out, don't we?" Kusa said as Akane nodded and spoke up.

"That's right. It's time for me and Goro to get on the next train to Kyoto. I can't wait to see my father when I get home and give him a big ol' hug as a reward for a job well done. I still can't believe he actually managed to avenge Mom and get justice for her and the family of that poor secretary. I'm so proud of him right now!" Akane said as Yusuke spoke up.

"True. But isn't this also the part where we have to say goodbye and go our separate ways?" Yusuke asked as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Unfortunately, yes. Most of us have lives to get back to. And in the cases of Ren-kun and Sumire-chan, they are able to spend a bit of time together before the latter has to return home to her parents." Haru said as Makoto spoke up.

"Not to mention, most of us have school to get ready for tomorrow. And that includes you, Ryuji." Makoto said as she gave her boyfriend a look as Ryuji sighed and spoke up.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Makoto. I'll make sure to get right to my schoolwork as soon as I get home." Ryuji said as Shiho spoke up with a wince.

"If you guys think that's difficult, Ann and I have a call to make to my parents so we can get their blessings for our imminent marriage, especially since I'm sure Ann didn't think to ask my father's blessings beforehand as the 'man' in our relationship." Shiho said as Ann winced and spoke up.

"True. I did accidentally commit a few social errors with how I proposed to you, didn't I? Oops." Ann said as Shiho smiled and spoke up.

"No worries, Ann. I'm sure my parents will understand." Shiho said as Sumire turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Speaking of which, I forgot to tell you, Ren. My dad said he wants us to have dinner with him tonight. It's something to do with wanting to make sure you are okay with living with us until you find your own place. Either way, that's some good news, right?" Sumire asked as Ren nodded and spoke up. Sumire asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Mmhm. And I'm sure wherever she is now, Sophia would be happy to see us moving forward with our lives." Ren said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Well said, Ren. We might be saying goodbye for now, but I'm sure we'll be back together again someday." Morgana said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Definitely! With our luck, we'll be back together in a flash!" Futaba said as Goro nodded and spoke up.

"I don't doubt it, Futaba-chan. Well, if there's nothing else, then Akane and I should get going. Thanks for everything, and goodbye for now." Goro said before Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Hold on. Before you go Goro, there's one more thing." Haru said, making Goro give Haru a confused look before Haru giggled and wrapped her arms around Goro before pressing her lips to his for one final lingering farewell kiss, before she stepped back over to the others and spoke up while Goro blushed in surprise.

"Hee-hee, sorry. I wanted one more kiss before you left, so you'd have it to remember me by while you're at your internship. That being said, good luck with your new job, and stay safe in Kyoto." Haru said as Goro merely nodded before dipping into a formal bow before he and Akane waved to the group as they proceeded to head towards the train station to board their train. After they were gone, Ryuji smirked and gave the group a thumbs-up before walking off, each member of the group either pairing up or going solo as the Phantom Thieves all went their separate ways for the time being.

Even as the group split up to follow their respective paths, they all did so knowing that while this was the end of one of their journeys, there would surely be another one someday, and if nothing else, they had the weddings of Ann and Shiho, as well as that of Kusa and Futaba, to look forward to as reasons to bring the group back together. The last thing that was heard before the camera panned to black was Ren's voice speaking up one last time.

"Well, this is it! Until next time, Phantom Thieves!" Ren could be heard saying as the scene faded to black...

END OF CHAPTER, ARC 9- TREE OF EMMA, AND OF THE MAIN PLOT OF PERSONA 5 STRIKERS

A/N: And boom, that's another chapter done and dusted, and with it, the penultimate Arc of Rise of the Monarchs! At this point, all that's left is the epilogues! And I will be sure to get those done and ready to push out in a timely manner. As of the point this chapter got uploaded (which should have probably already passed by the time this end-of-chapter A/N is readable), the current poll on my profile will have ended. Since the results won't likely be finalized just yet, I'll just give the general standings as things sit now. The current vote tally as of the present is as follows:

Tied 1st (2 votes each) - Fire Emblem Three Houses: Secret of the Creator (Fire Emblem) and Digimon: Shrine of the Kemonogami (Digimon)

Tied 3rd (4-way tie at 1 vote each) - Digimon: Battle For Floatia (Digimon), Neo Marauders: Year 1 (Harry Potter), Paper Mario: Flip-Flopped (Mario), and Digimon: Sleuths of Kowloon (Digimon)

Last place (with no votes) - Tales of the Dragoon (Legend of Dragoon)

And that's how the votes sit at present! Again, those are NOT final results yet, since I have to wait for this chapter to actually go live to close the poll! For reference, it is currently 10:50PM on Sunday, May 26th as I type this end-of-chapter A/N for chapter 44, so at the pace I'm uploading, I'm going to predict this will likely go up sometime in either late June or early to mid July, if not late July to early August at the latest, given the fact that I'm on a brief hiatus from uploading while my editor is away on a cruise for a week.

Mind you, by the time this is up on the site and you're actually viewing this A/N, he'll likely have long returned from the cruise, but might have started working on an internship of sorts. If I'm right about the timing of this A/N, then good luck with what will likely be the last part of your internship, jdimock!

That being said, let me take this chance to thank anyone who's read not only this far into the chapter, but the story as a whole! I know that this story was more of a turbulent ride for the readers than the original Phantom Files, but here we are near the end of it! All that should be left at this point will be the epilogues. I don't have an exact estimate of how many epilogues there will be, but if I had to guess? I'd say probably between 3 and 5 epilogues will go up all together.

Mind you, they likely won't be as long as the other chapters in this story as a result, but there should be several of them. Given that this is chapter 44, it's a good bet that I'll end up coming up short of breaking 50 chapters on this story. Whether or not I break the 1.25 million words mark or not is another story, though.

EDIT: The paragraph above this was typed out BEFORE chapters 42 and 43 (and MAYBE Chapter 41, but I'm not sure on that one) were uploaded. As of the edits being finished for chapter 43, this story is currently (and by currently, I mean as of the time I'm typing this part of the end-of-chapter A/N, or 10:33PM on Saturday, July 27th) at 1,257,643 words, meaning this story HAS in fact broken the 1.25 million words mark.

However, given the fact that there's likely only two to three chapters left to post after this (dependent on if I make the epilogue 2 parts or 3), I think this story MIGHT break the 1.3 million words mark, but I don't think it'll get TOO far past that point. But we'll see what happens. Anyways, enough of this unplanned interruption. Let's get back to our regularly scheduled end-of-chapter A/N, yeah?

Anyways, we got here in the end, and I'd like to give a special shout-out to all those who followed this story, added it to their Favorite Stories list, and even those who left a review on the story, as your feedback and input was very monumental in getting through this story! So thanks to everyone who showed this story support along the way! We only got this far due to your input and support!

I honestly thought the story was ruined during that fiasco that happened with the poll that decided the remaining 'new' Phantom Thieves (the one that Akane, Shiho, and Nanako ultimately won), but amazingly, little to no backlash was suffered on this story from that, so I take that as a blessing. So once again, thanks to every single one of my readers, as every single one of you are absolutely amazing for getting this story as far as it's gotten!

Even if the next story I do after this won't be a Persona one, and possibly not the one after either (dependent on if I include any Persona options on the poll to decide what to do after whatever story I do after this one or not), I will for sure do another Persona story in the future, as I have adaptations of Persona 4 Golden, Persona 3 Portable (or possibly Reload, not sure yet, and depends on if I end up managing to get my hands on a copy of Persona 3 Reload for my birthday next month), and even Persona 4 Arena (along with Arena Ultimax) planned and in the metaphoric pipeline, with three chapters having already been typed out of the Golden adaptation already. So there's definitely plenty more Persona fics to come from me in the future.

And to be honest? Depending on if an actual confirmation comes out for it before I get to it, I might even try my hand at a Persona 6 story way down the road after I finish the adaptations of Persona 4 Golden and Persona 3 Portable/Reload (whichever I opt for), since that story may or may not involve the casts of Persona 3, 4, and 5, but much older. Consider that your hint for what it might entail. But that's enough about that for now.

For now, feel free to leave a review below with your thoughts/feedback/constructive criticism/suggestions for the story, or even for future stories, since this story is pretty close to being finished, given there's only one arc left in it, and that's mainly an epilogues Arc since this chapter was the end of the main plot of Persona 5 Strikers.

To be honest, I know I said Arc 9 would end with the final battle. However, that ended up not happening, mainly due to the fact that someone on the developer staff apparently thought it would just be a positively fantastic idea to NOT have any save opportunities between the end of the final battle and the very end of the end-credits, where you get to save your 'clear' data for use in a 'post-game clear' post-game scenario (which is when I was able to stop to write this end-of-chapter A/N.) However, because of the fact it's set before the final battle with the Demiurge, this story will NOT have the 'post-game clear' content in it. So sorry to anyone who wanted to see that, but that's the way the cookie crumbles in this case. So yeah.

Feel free to hit me up through reviews or a PM, as I enjoy hearing from my readers! Or if you want, I have a Discord that I use to discuss my stories with readers, so feel free to let me know in the reviews or by PM if you're interested, and I'll see about getting you an invite link to that Discord. Anyways, that's all for now. Until the next chapter and next Arc, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - Surprisingly, even this late in the story, I'm still finding errors by the developers. In this case, I corrected a dialogue option that read as 'We're here to fight for mankind whenever they needs us', or something to that effect. But it was clear that it was supposed to be 'need us' and not 'needs us'. I'm amazed that actually made it past QA testing, truth be told. But whatever, at least I corrected it when adapting this part. So there's your random typo pointed out for this chapter.

*2* - Since I never really gave myself a spot to show off Cthulhu's moveset, it's more or less a hybrid of Azathoth and Adam Kadmon's movesets, aside from the unique skill 'Tentacles of Actualization', which is one of two instances of a Massive-tier move, the other being Malefor's 'Megi-Flare' skill. Here's the actual description for the skill.

Tentacles of Actualization (Unique Skill to Cthulhu) - Type: Almighty Description: Massive Almighty damage to all foes with a 20% chance to randomly inflict any ailment on targets hit, and a 5% chance to insta-kill hit targets instead. Also recovers SP based on the damage inflicted by the attack.

There's your description of the move Tentacles of Actualization. The rest of Cthulhu's moves can be viewed on the Megami Tensei wiki pages for Azathoth (Raining Seeds, Eternal Radiance, Amplify Force (which jdimock changed out for a move called 'Amplify Power' which apparently is a combination of the skills 'Amplify Force' and 'Amplify Magic' from Azathoth's moveset in that it basically gives Messiah the effects of both 'Charge' and 'Concentrate' at once), Nuclear Crush, and also Memory Blow, which I chose not to include in favor of Tentacles of Actualization, since I gave him Death Scythe instead because it's a higher-tier of Physical damage than 'Memory Blow') and Adam Kadmon (Grand Palm, Revitalize Soul, and Origin Light) respectively, since it would take way too long to list descriptions for all of Cthulhu's moves, and I doubt you want to read such a long note before getting to the final Skill Listings section for the story. So here you go.

PHANTOM THIEF SKILL LISTINGS, ALLY LIST, AND LIST OF TRIAD SPECIALS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 44, ARC 9, AND THE MAIN PLOT OF PERSONA 5 STRIKERS

JOKER (Ren) - Level: 87 Current Personas: Raoul (Level 87), Black Frost (Level 76), Forneus (Level 74), Cerberus (Level 70), Dominion (Level 69), Thor (Level 78), Sarasvati (Level 69), Mot (Level 75), Yoshitsune (Level 87), Norn (Level 86) Equipped Persona: Raoul Persona Moveset: Eigaon (Curse), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Rebel Soul (Passive), Resist Ice (Passive), Mediarahan (Healing), Curse Amp (Passive), Maeigaon (Curse), Regenerate 3 (Passive)

SKULL (Ryuji) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: William Persona Moveset: Ziodyne (Elec), God's Hand (Physical), Matarukaja (Support/Buff), Elec Boost (Passive), Maziodyne (Elec), Charge (Support/Buff), Agneyastra (Physical), Technical High (Passive)

MONA (Morgana) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Diego Persona Moveset: Garudyne (Wind), Diarahan (Healing), Salvation (Healing), Magarudyne (Wind), Wind Amp (Passive), Samarecarm (Healing), Masukunda (Support/Debuff), Dodge Elec (Passive)

PANTHER (Ann) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Celestine Persona Moveset: Agidyne (Fire), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Fire Amp (Passive), Soul Thief (Passive), Blazing Hell (Fire), Matarunda (Support/Debuff), Brain Jack (Ailment), Diarahan (Healing)

FOX (Yusuke) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Gorokichi Persona Moveset: Bufudyne (Ice), Sword Dance (Physical), Masukukaja (Support/Buff), Knockdown Style (Passive), Myriad Slashes (Physical), Brave Blade (Physical), Mabufudyne (Ice), Evade Fire (Passive)

QUEEN (Makoto) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Agnes Persona Moveset: Atomic Flare (Nuclear), Dekunda (Support/Buff), Marakukaja (Support/Buff), Mafreidyne (Nuclear), Diarahan (Healing), Flash Bomb (Physical), Mediarahan (Healing), Nuke Amp (Passive)

NOIR (Haru) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Lucy Persona Moveset: Psiodyne (Psy), Ailment Boost (Passive), Heat Riser (Support/Buff), Riot Gun (Gun), Evil Smile (Ailment), Amrita Shower (Healing), Mapsiodyne (Psy), Gun Amp (Passive)

ORACLE (Futaba) - Level: 87 Current Personas: Al Azif and Albus Equipped Persona: Albus Persona Moveset: Arcane Bolt (Elec/Psy), Matarukaja (Support/Buff), Megidolaon (Almighty), Marakukaja (Support/Buff), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Masukukaja (Support/Buff), Invigorate 3 (Passive), Spell Master (Passive)

SEEKER (Sophia) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Pandora Persona Moveset: Kougaon (Bless), Bless Amp (Passive), Diarahan (Healing), Makougaon (Bless), Mediarahan (Healing), Marakunda (Support/Debuff), Angelic Grace (Passive), Samarecarm (Healing)

WOLF (Zenkichi) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Valjean Persona Moveset: Megidolaon (Almighty), Gun Boost (Passive), Debilitate (Support/Debuff), Agneyastra (Physical), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Heat Riser (Support/Buff), Enduring Soul (Passive), Firm Stance (Passive)

VIOLET (Sumire) - Level: 87 Current/Partner Persona: Ella Persona Moveset: Kougaon (Bless), Dodge Curse (Passive), Diarahan (Healing), Bless Amp (Passive), Vorpal Blade (Physical), Makougaon (Bless), Sword Dance (Physical), Brave Step (Support/Healing)

DRACONIS (Kusa) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Malefor Persona Moveset: Agilao (Fire), Garula (Wind), Mediarahan (Healing), Draconic Aura (Support/Buff), Null Bless (Passive), Gigantomachia (Physical), Megi-Flare (Almighty), Almighty Amp (Passive)

CROW (Goro) - Level: 82 Current Personas: Robin Hood, Loki, and Hereward Equipped Persona: Hereward Persona Moveset: Eigaon (Curse), Riot Gun (Gun), Maeigaon (Curse), Laevateinn (Physical), Debilitate (Support/Debuff), Mudoon (Curse/insta-kill), Rebellion Blade (Almighty), Curse Amp (Passive)

PENDRAGON (Sojiro) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Kohryu Persona Moveset: Psycho Force (Psy), Gigantomachia (Physical), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Mediarahan (Healing), Mapsiodyne (Psy), Evade Nuke (Passive), Spell Master (Passive), Psy Amp (Passive)

FLARE (Shiho) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Hester Persona Moveset: Diamond Dust (Ice), Myriad Slashes (Physical), Mediarahan (Healing), Angelic Grace (Passive), Samarecarm (Healing), Freidyne (Nuclear), Ice Amp (Passive), Nuke Amp (Passive)

SERAPHIM (Nanako) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Sraosha Persona Moveset: Ziodyne (Elec), Brave Blade (Physical), Charge (Support/Buff), Wild Thunder (Elec), Salvation (Healing), Elec Amp (Passive), Hamaon (Bless/insta-kill), Angelic Grace (Passive)

AUBURN (Akane) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Houdini Persona Moveset: Agidyne (Fire), Diarahan (Healing), Riot Gun (Gun), Abyssal Wings (Curse), Regenerate 3 (Passive), Charge (Support/Buff), Evade Ice (Passive), Evade Bless (Passive)

RONIN (Yu) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Izanagi-No-Okami Persona Moveset: Myriad Truths (Almighty), Cross Slash (Physical), Charge (Support/Buff), Thunder Reign (Elec), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Wild Thunder (Elec), Vorpal Blade (Physical), Salvation (Healing)

SHINOBI (Yosuke) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Takehaya Susano-o Persona Moveset: Garudyne (Wind), Brave Blade (Physical), Youthful Wind (Support/Healing), Dekaja (Support/Debuff), Magarudyne (Wind), Wind Amp (Passive), Diarahan (Healing), Evade Elec (Passive)

GUMSHOE (Naoto) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Yamato Sumeragi Persona Moveset: Kougaon (Bless), Eigaon (Curse), Vorpal Blade (Physical), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Hamaon (Bless/insta-kill), Mudoon (Curse/insta-kill), Megidolaon (Almighty), Shield of Justice (Support/Barrier)

DIVA (Rise) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Kouzeon Persona Moveset: Complete Analysis (Passive), Treasure Radar (Passive), Enemy Radar (Passive), Certain Escape (Passive), Vigor Song (Passive), Weakness Scan (Passive), Third Eye (Passive), Stamina Song (Passive)

SENTINEL (Aigis) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Pallas Athena Persona Moveset: God's Hand (Physical), Matarukaja (Support/Buff), Diarahan (Healing), Marakukaja (Support/Buff), Akasha Arts (Physical), Masukukaja (Support/Buff), Dekunda (Support/Buff), Rebel Soul (Passive)

BRUISER (Akihiko) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Caesar Persona Moveset: Ziodyne (Elec), Matarunda (Support/Debuff), God's Hand (Physical), Marakunda (Support/Debuff), Maziodyne (Elec), Masukunda (Support/Debuff), Diarahan (Healing), Elec Amp (Passive)

BUCHI (Koromaru) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Cerberus Persona Moveset: Agidyne (Fire), Fire Amp (Passive), Eigaon (Curse), Masukukaja (Support/Buff), Maragidyne (Fire), Mudoon (Curse/insta-kill), Dekaja (Support/Debuff), Curse Amp (Passive)

FAE (Fuuka) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Juno Persona Moveset: Full Analysis (Passive), Support Scan (Passive), Third Eye (Passive), Healing Wave (Passive), Jamming (Passive), Sylphid Aura (Passive), Escape Route (Passive), Jail Search (Passive)

MESSIAH (Maruki) - Level: 82 Current/Partner Persona: Cthulhu Persona Moveset: Death Scythe (Physical), Eternal Radiance (Bless), Grand Palm (Almighty), Nuclear Crush (Nuclear), Revitalize Soul (Almighty), Raining Seeds (Physical), Amplify Power (Support/Buff), Tentacles of Actualization (Almighty/Special Skill)

LIST OF ALLIES: Taichi, Momoe, Sae, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Teddie, Mishima, Minako, Shinichi, Hiraguchi, Shibusawa, Shibusawa's Wife, Marie, Yukari, Junpei, Mitsuru, Ken, Labrys, Ichinose

LIST OF KNOWN TRIAD SPECIALS AS OF REACHING THE END OF CHAPTER 44, ARC 9, AND THE MAIN PLOT OF PERSONA 5 STRIKERS

DIVINE BLIZZARD (Draconis, Fox, Violet)

PURGATORY ARROW (Crow, Noir, Panther)

REBELLIOUS VENGEANCE BURST (Joker, Skull, Seeker)

SNOW CAT-JUTSU (Mona, Flare, Wolf)

JUDGEMENT STRIKE (Oracle, Queen, Pendragon)

STORM OF HEAVEN (Violet, Mona, Seeker)

HELLISH ELEMENTAL TRINITY (Skull, Panther, Flare)

MIRROR OF THE ORDAINED (Pendragon, Mona, Draconis)

KARMA STINGERS (Seraphim, Fox, Noir)

WRATH OF THE CHOSEN ONES (Draconis, Crow, Joker)

CHAOTIC PLASMA RAIN (Auburn, Seraphim, Oracle)

ATOMIC ONSLAUGHT (Wolf, Auburn, Queen)

BOLTS OF ARMAGEDDON (Oracle, Skull, Seraphim)

BLADE OF SEDATION (Crow, Wolf, Pendragon)

RED-HOT SMACKDOWN (Flare, Noir, Queen)

ACCURSED BLUE FLAME BURST (Fox, Panther, Auburn)

SPEAR OF BONDED GUIDANCE (Joker, Violet, Seeker)