It was time for the final battle against Jerri. After a long and hard fought time in The Streets, the Phantom Thieves and Guernica were ready to bring this egomaniacal bird down once and for all. Jerri's true form was something otherworldly and nearly angelic. The only reason they could even tell it was still her, was due to the bird head resting within the arms of her new form. "Such pathetic creatures!" Jerri scoffed. "You have no chance of reaching me! Realize the futility of your actions and wither away to dust!"
Jerri was, unfortunately, not all talk. There was a pool of black paint separating her and the Phantom Thieves. This made Viper grimace. "Get over here and fight us yourself!" She shouted. She was about to step forward, but Dragon pulled her back.
"Don't step on that! I don't know what it'll do, but it seems unwise!" Dragon warned. "Agh, I wish we had the others here at the moment..."
"This paint gives a malicious aura...I do not wish to know what may happen." Fox shook his head.
"Then how are we supposed to reach her!?" Violet asked.
"This may be a bit more of a headache than previously assumed." And coming from Crow, that was saying something.
"Leave that to me!" Guernica said while taking some high ground. "I'm sick of this boring ass monochrome world anyway!" She took her paint gun and pointed it down at the black paint. "I'll paint you a path!" Even if she couldn't fight anymore herself, she could still contribute. A trail of blue paint was covering the black paint, serving as a path for the Phantom Thieves to move forward.
"Thanks!" Joker nodded and everyone began to sprint down the path she was making for them. As they ran along the path, they could see a number of enemies rising up from the black paint. They were Slammer enemies, now rushing towards the Phantom Thieves. "Are you kidding me..."
"I guess it wouldn't be that easy..." Fox said.
"I got this!" Joker said without missing a beat. It was dangerous, but someone had to take the risk. He flung his grappling hook outward, latching it onto the closest Slammer.
"Joker!?" Violet gasped.
"Get the bird! I make a pretty good distraction!" Joker said confidently. There were a few Slammers now after him, and he planned to use them as footholds. He was fast, nimble, and a hard target to hit. Each time a Slammer aimed to punch him, he was able to deftly evade by leaping onto another. He raised his leg, Raoul appearing behind him as his mask burned away, and slammed his heel onto the face of a Slammer. This crushed them into the black paint, and he used this momentum to leap away from an incoming punch. While in the air, Joker twisted around, latching his grappling hook onto another Slammer. He drew closer, and as it swung at him, he spun around to its back, leaping off while pointing his hand forward. "Eigeon!" A blast of curse magic blew them all backwards. Joker landed on the paint and narrowed his eyes. He saw a Slammer charging for him, but it was put down by a bullet of paint from Guernica.
Joker looked back at Guernica, who gave him a smile in turn. "I got your backs!"
As for the group approaching Jerri, she did them a favor by turning into their favorite thing: a big, stationary target. Once they were actually within range, they could let their attacks fly. "Gorokichi!" Fox and his persona both attacked at once, slashing across Jerri's body. There was nearby paint for them to use as footholds, meaning they could attack to their hearts content.
"Your pitiful attempts make me laugh." Jerri said as several golden lights appeared in front of her. "Your rebellion will be squashed, as will the fire of humanity!" These lights turned into arrows and began to rain down on those seeking to attack her. Her stature wasn't just for show, she really did have some power behind her.
Dragon, however, was not going to let this happen so easily. "Aegis!" Bella appeared in front of her, shielding the team from those arrows of light. She sponged the damage, and once it was over, the knight brandished her sword in turn. "And Counter!" The sword cleaved across Jerri's body for a direct hit and Jerri grunted in pain. Shortly after that, Viper leapt on top of Jerri with her claws dripping with venom.
"I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for this!" She then stabbed her claws into Jerri's head, which attempted to shake her off. "Sinking my claws into your vile head has kept me going this whole time, and it feels really good!" Viper spoke with an elated and determined smile, refusing to be shaken off so easily. That changed when a strange orb appeared in front of her and exploded. "BITCH!?" She grunted as she was flung backwards, but Dragon caught her before a bad landing. Crow and Violet attacked with Hereward and Ella respectively a bombardment of curse and light magic raining down on Jerri to inflict even more damage.
"You aren't getting rid of us that easily!" Violet exclaimed.
"We're not leaving until you're dead." Crow spat.
"Such annoying insects! I should stop wasting time and put you down like the lowly animals you are! I have to continue work for My Lord." Jerri said while her wings flapped, creating a powerful gust of wind that was both damaging and nearly impossible to stand against. This wind blew away the paint and the Phantom Thieves.
"I think not...!" Fox swung his sword backwards, creating a thick rampart of ice behind the Phantom Thieves. This prevented them from being blown away too far back.
"It doesn't matter how many times you knock us away! We'll just keep coming back!" Guernica exclaimed while shooting more paint out, creating another easy path to Jerri.
"Do you think you have a chance against me? Arrogant humans, always attempting to push back against those stronger than them!" As Jerri spoke, she began to ran down numerous explosive orbs of light down towards the Phantom Thieves.
"That's exactly what the Phantom Thieves do!" Joker said while leaping forward, using his grappling hook to latch onto an orb of light and fling it at Jerri. The others dodged accordingly, while the orb exploded in Jerri's face. Joker then charged a bullet and fired, the bullet of curse magic colliding against Jerri to make her recoil.
"You insolent..." Jerri snarled, but as her head recovered from the impact, she looked up, and saw the other Phantom Thieves attacking. They all slammed their weapons into her body at once, inflicting some damage. But Jerri let out an angry caw and they were all violently pushed backwards, towards black paint! Guernica had to work overtime, quickly shooting at the estimated landing points of the Phantom Thieves, giving them some footing with her paint to avoid the black paint.
"You guys alright!?" Guernica exclaimed.
"Yeah..." Violet nodded slowly. She was grimacing. This wasn't the first time they had to fight against a being this powerful, but they did so with much better numbers than they had now. "She's tough..."
"We're not going to get anywhere with her at this rate..." Even Joker could see that. Their firepower was just not strong enough. Jerri really was close to those higher, false beings that they've fought once before.
"Well I'm not leaving until she's dead!" Viper hissed. She was relishing in the hits she was dealing to Jerri, but to say they were doing damage was a different story entirely.
"Such lowly pea-brained idiots." Jerri mocked them. "I am the architect of The Streets! Everything you see here only exist because I willed it so. To think that such lowly beings as yourselves stand any chance against me is absolutely laughable."
"We've beaten smaller odds." Joker said confidently.
"You are not the first hurdle we've had to overcome, and you shall not be the last either!" Dragon added.
"You think you're the boss here?" Guernica was smiling a bit, and laughing. "Don't make me laugh!"
Jerri despised that expression on Guernica's face. "What's so amusing!?"
Guernica had her eyes closed. It was as if she finally understood everything that was happening around here. "Nice try bluffing, Jerri - but if you really controlled everything around here...why didn't you just wipe Luca out yourself? It would've been really easy if you were in charge of this place like you said..."
"Shut your mouth." Jerri replied, despising where Guernica was going with this.
"This is a spiritual world built from the mind. The imagination sets the rules here. The memory of my big sis is the one thing you couldn't ever control. That's why you're afraid of Luca." Guernica's gaze burned into Jerri's soul. Jerri, however, said nothing in response. "I've figured out the truth, Jerri! My imagination is more powerful than you! If you think you're in charge of The Streets, then you just watch me prove you wrong!"
"Cease this tantrum! A lowly human like you has no right to stop me!" Jerri exclaimed.
"Try as you might...but you're not gonna stop me!" Guernica shot at the ground, creating a path for herself, before leaping into the air, high above Jerri. She aimed her paint gun and began to open fire, splattering different colored paint all along Jerri's body. This didn't do any damage, but it also didn't need to. Jerri was a multitude of colors now, as opposed to the monochrome she was before.
"W-What have you done with this place?!" Jerri gasped. "I told you, I'm the architect of this world! How dare you sully my work!? This is worse than insulting! It's downright desecration!"
"And now you know the pain you've been putting Guernica through, you wretched monster." Fox spoke with a smirk, however. He was still mad that Jerri had the audacity to insult art, but karma came in a rather colorful form.
"Desecration!?" Guernica had a hearty laugh to that. "That's just the rules of street art! Anything that looks like SHIT is fair game to cover up!"
"Hey, I think you did the impossible. She looks better now!" Viper laughed, eating this moment up. Seeing Jerri get paint on her face was everything she needed right now.
"Wow...!" Violet said in awe.
"You disgusting, lowly humans! How could this happen...!?" Jerri wailed. This paint made her body feel so heavy...!
"This is what happens when you insult things you know little about. Never underestimate the SOUL of an artist!" Fox said while brandishing his sword once more time.
"Phantom Thieves! Let's kick her ass and put this bird to bed!" Guernica exclaimed.
"Let's go!" Joker exclaimed and the others were going to rally behind him.
"Stay away from me!" Jerri flapped her wings, creating a fierce torrent of wind to try and slow the Phantom Thieves down somehow, but it wasn't enough. Now the situation was reversed; she couldn't tell if she was actually doing any damage to them, even though they were taking the hits!
"We're gonna show you what happens when you mess with humans and their art!" Guernica yelled.
"And you aren't even worthy of being put on any canvas, so feel honored...this will be your final experience in art!" Fox declared.
"Stay back! STAY BACK!" Jerri wailed in fear. But it was too late, because the Phantom Thieves jumped her! It was time for an All Out Attack! While Jerri was covered in paint and unable to move, the Phantom Thieves swarmed her from all angles. All six of them let loose a relentless assault, giving Jerri a taste of her own medicine and a beating long time coming!
"The show's over." Joker said, landing on the ground with everyone else while adjusting his glove.
Jerri's true form faded away as she was unable to sustain any longer. She returned to her parrot self, panting on the ground after suffering an embarrassing defeat from the likes of humans. "This can't be...impossible...bested by humans..."
"Before we finish you off, how about you answer one question for us?" Viper walked over to Jerri, pointing her gun at her. She wanted to relish in the finishing blow so, so bad.
"Like whose orders you've been following...and this Rebellion you speak of." Crow crossed his arms. Jerri's comments didn't go unnoticed. Her Lord? Crushing a flame of rebellion? Of course, none of it made sense, but that was simply because they were lacking the context to understand it.
"I...am..." Jerri's labored breaths made it difficult for her to respond. But she then shook her head. "I do not have the authority to speak the truth..."
"Are you kidding me!?" Viper growled.
"She refuses to talk..." Dragon frowned.
"What a pity...to think I'd fall short of my duty...to something so pointless as art..." Jerri let out a wistful sigh. It was a bitter taste of defeat.
"You talk a lot of shit about art, but you still recognized my ability, didn't you?" Guernica said. Jerri gulped, because Guernica's ability was precisely the reason she targeted her. "You may be a rotten, miserable thing...but even still, you 'got' my art. On that aspect alone...I think we can see eye to eye."
"Tch." Viper wanted to tell Guernica to not give any sympathy to the bird, but this was something only a select few people could understand. Her, Guernica, and...
"If it were not for that, none of us would be standing here right now." Fox stepped forward. "You recognized the power of art. The power it has over the human heart. But you failed to realize one simple thing...you underestimated just how powerful a piece of art can truly be. Guernica's first statement, that you so callously shattered, was the very essence of her soul. You could not erase that, no matter how hard you tried. Every artist has a picture that resonates with their very being, regardless if they made it or not. The Sayuri, for me, is what inspires me to keep going. I do not know if I could ever hope to make something as fantastic as that work of art...but I will strive every day to make my own. You understood the surface of the art...but you failed to grasp it's true meaning. That was your downfall."
"Whoa..." Guernica was shocked at the passion Fox displayed when it came to heart. It even managed to touch her...the Sayuri, was it...?
"..." Viper didn't say anything. She turned her head away. The rift in terms of artistic sense between her and Fox wasn't so far off...but Fox had a far greater appreciation for art than she ever could. It was his very soul.
"Fox...that was beautiful." Violet said with a gentle smile.
"Tch..." Jerri just let out a weak scoff. "Artist are such...unbelievable nitwits. Can't even bring yourself to hate me properly...Guernica...you silly child..." Those were Jerri's final words as she started to fade away once and for all.
That was...rather anticlimactic. "So we'll...never find out who she really was?" Sumire said with a heavy sigh. With the threat of Jerri now gone, the Phantom Thieves could relax a little bit...
"No point thinking about it now." Guernica shrugged.
"Well, I'm glad you're okay now, Guernica-san! Oh, er, I mean, Tao-san!" Sumire quickly corrected herself.
"Guernica's just fine. You're the only ones who know my old name." Guernica said with a fond smile. "I'm both Tao and Guernica...Plus, I've got Luca with me. Big sis is right here in my heart. I know that for a fact."
"Yeah..." Sumire nodded, placing a hand on her chest. She didn't realize that there were tears going down her cheeks at this moment.
Guernica noticed this and lifted a brow. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you crying?"
"Oh, I...I guess I am." Sumire said with a small laugh. "Please don't mind me...M-More importantly, what are you going to do now?"
"Same thing I always do." Guernica replied. "Keep making art for all the poor saps out there. For people just like me. And for all the bastards who trample us and make sure we're never heard - I'll get right up in their faces. Buuuuut I imagine that won't sit well with certain folk."
"With your talent, I hardly imagine it would be difficult for you to enter the mainstream world." Akechi shrugged, glancing off to the side. "However, something tells me that this goes against your principles." It was a little hard to discern from his tone, but it sounded like...he was taking a small verbal jab at her. Guernica may have noticed, and she cracked a smile.
"Yep, you called it." Guernica said. "I have to keep my promise to Luca. And there are others - people who showed me kindness on the street. I'm walking this step for them until there's not another step left in front of me."
"You've got a few new fans here." Ren spoke up.
"Yes...you're art and the passion you put into it is truly worthwhile." Hifumi said.
"...Yeah, what they said. I'm looking forward to seeing more." Mika crossed her arms.
"Haha! Well, I'm already a fan of the Phantom Thieves!" Guernica smiled, and then glanced towards Yusuke. "...Mind if I see your art sometime? It's been a while since I've met anyone as passionate as art about you."
To that, Yusuke gave a smile. "But of course. I would be more than happy to show you. If you ever wish to see the piece that inspired me...come to a café named Leblanc sometime. The painting you will see unfortunately has no value in the artistic world any longer...but it is important to me all the same."
"I'll be sure to do that." Guernica said with a soft tone. Out of everyone here, Fox's affinity for art did touch Guernica the most. It almost felt like they were kindred spirits... There was a soft glow coming from the painted floor. It was time. "Alright...it's about time I send you guys home."
"Finally!" Mika groaned.
"We'll see each other again." Guernica saw the Phantom Thieves off with a nice smile. "I know it..."
.
.
Jerri's eyes opened...she recognized this cold atmosphere. The gears that surrounded her... "What...how did I...?" She looked up, seeing Her Lord. "Ah, my righteous Lord, Salmael! You grace me with your presence! I apologize...forgive me. I lacked the strength to fulfill my duty."
Salmael remained in front of Jerri, his expression one of disappointment. "Your Duty ran contrary to my Will...using that girl to scorch everything? This is not how we erase the will of rebellion."
Jerri was well aware of what she had done. "Yes. I understand...chaos and destruction are certain contrary to Your will. I simply had no choice but to use such extremes when those Phantom Thieves showed up. However, I will wholly accept my punishment and return to the void. As I return, I shall pray that Your desire for a harmonious world will be brought to fruition. A tranquility going out...to all the earth..." Jerri let out one final breath, before she vanished in a brilliant flash of white light.
"...The Phantom Thieves." Salmael repeated. "Their will of rebellion runs strong. But it is not something I am incapable of dealing with. One by one...the people of this world will know the tranquility they so seek. Soon enough, that man will break as well..."
.
.
"Gah!?" Ren was the first one to wake up. He looked around, only to see that they were in the alley in Yongen.
"We're back..." Hifumi rubbed the back of her head. "What an experience that was..."
"Back home...!" Mika was just glad for that. There was no paint on her person, but she still felt gross. "I'm taking a shower immediately." She was already starting to leave.
"Do you think we'll see Guernica again?" Sumire looked to the others. And then Akechi. "Oh...are you going to say anything?"
"What is there to say?" Akechi shrugged his shoulders and turned around, preparing to walk off. "The artist known as Guernica is elusive. I thought there may have been a trace of her work here in Yongen...but there's nothing."
At that notion, Yusuke turned around, only to see that the mural that brought them there was no longer there. "...It's gone..." When he turned around again, Akechi was already walking off.
"I guess he's letting her off easy." Ren said with a faint smile. Akechi sure came a long way. It was the little actions that counted.
"...Oh gosh, the others!" Hifumi gasped. "We've been gone for who knows how long, we have to tell them what happened..!"
"Oh, right...!" Sumire nodded in agreement. They all rushed back to Leblanc, Mika withstanding. "We're back!"
"Sorry we were gone for so long...!" Ren said.
"So long?" Ann tilted her head. "You guys were only gone for like...ten minutes."
"Didn't even notice, really." Ryuji shrugged his shoulders. "What did you guys see?"
"Oh, uh..." Hifumi scratched her cheek. How did they go about explaining this?
"We saw something truly magnificent." Yusuke said with a fond smile. The others weren't really sure what was going on here.
"Why do I have the distinct feeling that we're missing something...?" Haru looked at the others.
"It's a long story." Sumire said with a small sigh.
"Well, we have time!" Futaba was eager to hear this.
"Sure, let me just...get behind the counter and rest for a moment. I could use some coffee..." Ren was going to make some for the others as well.
"Is it just me, or do they seem a bit cheery for some reason?" Morgana looked towards the group.
"I noticed it too." Makoto nodded. "But is it really such a bad thing?"
As Ren, Sumire, Hifumi, and Yusuke got settled again, it wasn't very long before the doors to Leblanc opened once again. It was Guernica, arriving as promised. She looked around, getting a feel for the vibes of the place. "Huh...so this is Leblanc. A lot more retro than I expected."
"Whoa, check her out." Futaba blinked. Since most of them didn't recognize Guernica, they had no idea this was the artist that was taking the country by storm as of late.
"Those tats are badass..." Ryuji said, a bit loudly. He didn't mean to, but...
Guernica took note of this and chuckled. "Not a bad place..." Her eyes then wandered around a bit more, until they caught sight of the Sayuri painting that. She assumed this is what Yusuke was talking about beforehand, and the second she laid eyes open it...she completely understood. Lost its value in the artistic world? Probably for the best. Something this incredible belonged in the hands of the right person.
"What do you think?" Yusuke asked, curious to Guernica's reaction.
Guernica glanced back at Yusuke and gave him a smile. "A beautiful peace of art."
There was breaking news on the TV. There was an image of a government with a graffiti image plastered all over it! "A sight many would have thought impossible: a colossal mural, covering the entire front of a government building!" The reporter exclaimed. "Despite the high security, this work was completed in a single night! Experts have already weighed in: this is unmistakably the work of Guernica! The public work of this scale has not been seen before! Many are already claiming this will propel Guernica to international fame!"
"There they go again!" Futaba said, looking on her phone. As she expected; Guernica was trending online again. "They're really sticking it to those guys."
"Some are calling for the graffiti to be remove immediately, while others are demanding for its preservation. While removing and replacing the whole façade would be impossible, there are alternative solutions flying about." The reporter confirmed.
"Maaaaan! That's kickass. Guernica's at it again, huh?" Ryuji said with a smile.
"I can't exactly say I approve of their methods...but I would be lying if I said their art didn't speak to me as well. I can understand what it is they want to convey. That makes it a little hard for me to be upset about it." Makoto, the cop to be, admitted.
"I agree! There's something about it that just...grabs you." Morgana nodded. Although to the extra guest in the building, it just sounded like a cat meowing.
"Right?" Ann nodded in agreement. "I totally get what they're going for!"
"They're going to be pretty famous at this point." Haru spoke with a faint giggle. Ren, Sumire, Yusuke, and Hifumi didn't need to say anything. They were very aware of how fast Guernica worked.
"Hey, what do you think-?" Ryuji turned to Guernica, only to find that she...left. She vanished! "Huh...where'd that chick go?"
"Perhaps she had something important to take care of?" Hifumi suggested.
"I wouldn't sweat the details too much. I'm sure she'll be back." Ren replied.
"Besides, we have a story to tell you!" Sumire sat down with an eager smile.
"...Heh..." Yusuke let out a faint chuckle. He glanced back to the counter, only to see a piece of paper on it that wasn't there before. He opened it up and saw that it was indeed from Guernica.
"See you around." Is what it said, with a drawing of a familiar blue mouse tucked away in the corner.
Guernica was outside of Leblanc, hands in her pockets. She glanced back at the building once more, before beginning to walk off. "My work isn't done yet...keep on watching, Big Sis. I'll make you proud, I promise." With her heart restored from the madness that nearly overtook it...Guernica was able to continue to do what she loved the most. Making the art that stuck it to the man. Thanks to the Phantom Thieves, she met another group of people that completely understood her as well. When she had fans like that, and a promise to keep...how could she ever stop?
One heart was saved. But there was another in turmoil with the threat of tranquility looming just over the horizon...