Guernica stood before the Phantom Thieves once again with renewed vigor and hatred. But she wasn't the only one with a newfound resolve to end this situation. The Phantom Thieves were just as determined to see things through to the end after hearing Luca's story. "The art I create through killing is the only proof of my existence! I don't need anything else!" Guernica exclaimed defiantly, pointing her gun into the air and began to open fire. The globs of paint began to rain down on the Phantom Thieves, causing them to scatter.
"Please, you have to remember!" Violet shouted. "Think about that irreplaceable person in your heart!"
"I don't know a damn thing you're talking about!" Guernica snarled. Everything the Phantom Thieves were saying irritated her for reasons she couldn't explain.
"That's right, Guernica! Don't listen to them. They're nothing more than soon to be splatters on your canvas!" Jerri exclaimed from above with a haughty smile.
"I wanna shoot that bird down so badly..." Viper grumbled. Jerri had long since gotten on her last nerve. A large part of her motivation for helping Guernica, was mostly because she wanted to eliminate Jerri herself.
"We can worry about the bird after we take care of Guernica!" Fox said while sprinting forward, leaping from building to building to reach the one Guernica was on. He drew his sword and slashed at her, but she used her gun to block the hit. A shockwave boomed out from the impact and the two of them slid backwards. "Is this truly the path you wish to tread? An artistic path painted with crimson!?"
"What the hell do you know?!" Guernica grit her teeth, beginning to open fire at Fox.
Fox was using his sword to slash down the bullets of paint coming his way, narrowing his eyes at Guernica. "I am an artist myself. And I've seen many walk down a path of self destruction...their futures robbed, their dreams stolen and discarded for profit. When I gained this mask, I vowed to never let another artistic creator suffer. You are better than this!"
"Shut up! Shut up!" Guernica overcharged her gun, releasing a gigantic bullet of paint that exploded against Fox, throwing him backwards. "You don't know anything...you're just spouting a bunch of bullshit and I won't fall for it!?"
"She's even more belligerent than before...!" Dragon gulped. Guernica was much more violent than when they previous saw her not too long ago!
"What did you do to her, Jerri..?!" Luca growled while looking up at the bird.
"I did nothing. I simply reminded Guernica how close her vision is to fruition." Jerri replied, watching Guernica and Joker clash. "The only thing that stands in her way are you unwelcomed brats. Once you're out of the picture, there won't be anyone left to stop her!"
"Hereward!" Crow summoned his Persona, allowing it to shoot at Guernica with arrows of Curse magic. Guernica dodged them by leaping to the side, much to Crow's annoyance. "These clashes are beginning to grow repetitive. Even if we defeat her now, there isn't a chance the bird will allow us to talk to her."
"We've fought her several times now." Violet slid backwards after a paint explosion. "I want to help her see the light, but it seems like what we're doing is just bouncing off of her mentally..."
"Perhaps we don't have to 'defeat' her to win..." Dragon suggested. "We've fought several times now, but in the end, it always results in a stalemate. Perhaps our victory is in outlasting her instead. She's been growing agitated with each encounter..."
Joker, Viper, and Fox were attacking Guernica at once. The three of them were dancing around her with their swift movements, and she was growing irritated with her inability to hit them. But at the same time, they weren't doing much lasting damage to Guernica either, resulting in the stalemate in question. But something was off. Guernica had some clear rage, but her attacks were...weaker...?
"Of course!" Violet understood what Dragon was saying. "If she can't defeat us..."
Joker slid back, taking a moment to catch his breath. "Man, is it me, or is she even more aggressive than like an hour ago? Really wishing I could use more than just Raoul right now..." He felt so...limited with his Wild Card powers not working as they should. He was making due on his own, and thanks to the team, but this was still a bit of a struggle for him.
"It's fine, all we need to do is last." Dragon told the others.
"Outlast this freak?" Viper looked at Dragon. She thought that would be easier said than done, but a closer look at Guernica told the story.
Guernica was panting heavily, not out of exhaustion, but out of rage. "Dammit...why the hell...won't they die already!? HOW am I not the strongest person in the Streets?! Ugh, shit...what's wrong with me!?"
There was an awkward pause in the air as Guernica began to scream. "...Is this part of the plan...?" Violet said with a sweat drop.
"There's something wrong with her." Crow pointed out the obvious.
"Yes..." Violet nodded. Now that it was being pointed out. "I didn't notice it at first, but when we started fighting, compared to before...her attacks didn't hit as hard."
"Her anger felt like a means to try and make us believe she had more malicious intent than she actually has..." Fox surmised.
Jerri landed next to Guernica, a dissatisfied expression on her face. "Guernica, what's the matter? Why are you pulling your punches?"
"Like...Like I would do that...!" Guernica denied the accusation with a struggling breath.
"Then pull yourself together! You're making a right mess of things here!" Jerri chastised.
"Geez, I know, Sis-!" Guernica responded with an irritated tone. She felt like she was getting scolded by her sister! And when she had that thought. the memories began to flash in her mind, causing her to cry out in agony once more. "GAAAAAAH! My head...it's splitting!"
"Guernica!" Luca's expression fell. She knew what was happening. "She's not gonna make it!"
Jerri just let out a frustrated sigh. Her genius idea of having Guernica take out the intruders was falling apart, all due to this girl's ineptitude. 'Good grief. Can't even put on the finishing touches...Get up right now! Get over there and kill them!" Guernica responded with a wail of agony. Right after Jerri spoke, Viper took a shot at her. It was so quick, it managed to clip her wing. Jerri just barely managed to avoid a full body shot. "Ngh...! You little!"
"Damn it!" Viper cursed. So close, but she couldn't help but revel in the enjoyment of seeing Jerri hurt by her hand.
"Guernica, hold on! I'm coming!" Luca exclaimed, rushing towards her sister.
"Don't let them come any closer!" On Jerri's command, multiple Shadows appeared as a wall before the Phantom Thieves and them. "Now then, Guernica. Let's go home. It's time for your final lesson." Guernica didn't utter a word...she just nodded and slowly limped behind Jerri as she flew off, slightly off center due to her injured wing. The two of them were leaving the scene...
"NO! WAIT!" Luca tried to rush ahead, but Violet was the one to pull her back.
"No, you can't rush into them!" Violet warned.
"Too many to retreat from..." Fox noted.
"Then it looks like we're fighting our way through as quickly as possible." Joker told the others.
"I won't let them waste any of our time!" Dragon said as her mask burned away, Bella appearing above her. She pointed her hand forward at the group of Shadows, refusing to give them a chance to open fire. "Megidoloan!" She was going to lay waste to them in an instant. A dome of almighty magic dropped down from above, the sheer force of the explosion wiping out the enemies just as quickly as they spawned.
"You enjoy that a little too much." Joker pointed out. But it did save the a fight, so it wasn't like he was going to complain about it or anything. He then turned his attention to Luca, who looked more than heartbroken at the turn of events concerning Guernica. "Hey...we're gonna save her."
"It may have been a little ambitious to believe we could have done so at that moment..." Fox admitted. "But I do not think our efforts were without merit."
"That damned bird is really pissing me off." Viper crossed her arms. Jerri and Guernica were already long gone, even in the short time it took Dragon to dispatch those Shadows. "Going after them at this point is pointless I guess."
"We still don't have what we came for." Crow pointed out. "Following them is a waste of time."
"It's okay." Luca tried to recompose herself. "Guernica is fighting it...I know she is. That's why we have to hurry and get the third mural piece. Before something bad happens to her!"
"I think something bad is already happening..." Viper grumbled.
"Don't worry, Luca-san." Violet had a warm smile. "We're going to save her. I promise."
.
.
Even if the encounter against Guernica was a bust, they were able to quickly find the third piece of the mural. It was out in the open as always. "There it is, the last piece!" Luca said excitedly, but also stopped in her tracks just as quickly. "Wait...the second we get near it, those big guys are gonna show up again."
"This is the last one, so I expect tight security." Joker said while peering around a corner. It was only when they got close that it posed an issue...
"I have an idea." Dragon said. Everyone turned to her. "Three of us approach as normal simply to draw the enemy out. As soon as the enemy appears, the rest of us leap upon them!"
"An ambush? I like it." Crow could agree to this plan. "The Streets have been consistent as is the security. We can skip a fight entirely if we play our cards right."
"This is for the best. We don't want to grab any more attention." Joker nodded in agreement with that plan.
"I can ambush real good." Viper said while rubbing her hands together. They had the plan. Joker, Crow, and Violet stepped into view. On that cue, two Slammer enemies appeared to defend the final mural piece.
"Two of them...!?" Violet was not expecting that.
"I guess this was a good plan after all." Joker said with a chuckle. The cue as him pointing his gun forward and taking a shot. The sound was loud and caught the attention of the two Slammer enemies. They both began rushing towards the trio, but that was when Dragon, Viper, and Fox chose to strike. Viper latched onto the back of a Slammer, her claws digging into its back to inject her vemon into them.
As for the second Slammer, Fox slashed the ground at its feet, completely freezing it over. "You'll fall here!"
The two Slammers obviously struggled against this ambush. The one that had Viper on its back was attempting to toss her off, but it was quickly losing strength. These two behemoths were just as strong as the ones before them, but the group completely adapted to how they fought. As such, they were able to dispatch these enemies without much of a fight. "Just go down already!"
"Haaaah!" Dragon slammed her staff on the head of the Slammer trapped in ice, crushing it to the ground. On that cue, Crow and Violet joined her on the attack. For the other one that was weakened by Viper and her claws, Joker and Fox joined her there. With their swift coordination, they were able to eliminated the two enemies with no issue.
"And done." Joker said with a confident grin. Their tenure in The Streets hasn't been long, but he felt like they've adapted nicely to their surroundings.
"Nice work, you guys!" With the path cleared, Luca hurried her way to the third and final piece of the mural, She looked at it with an anxious expression. It felt like forever since the last time she was able to lie eyes on it. "Thank you, Phantom Thieves! If it wasn't for you guys, I don't know-!"
"Don't thank us yet." Crow cut Luca short with a wave of his hand. "Our job has only just begun."
"Oh, good point!" Luca opened a manhole cover, and the group went back to their base of operations.
.
.
With all three pieces of the mural collected, they could finally gaze upon its true form. An artistic structure of two sisters, holding hands together. They were the only thing in the world they had...so they were cherishing the other with all their heart and soul. Luca stood in front with tears in her eyes. "We finally have all three pieces..." Sumire had her hands behind her back, smiling.
"It's beautiful..." Yusuke was admiring the art. From the composition down to what it was depicting...it touched his very soul, much like the Sayuri did. The feeling he got from that mural was the exact same. It only increased his resolve to see this through. He could not allow Guernica to throw this away.
"..." Mika was silent. Just looking at the mural made her feel something strange. She said she was good at reading art, and she got the message of this one loud and clear.
"It's been a long time coming...the first mural Tao and I ever made." Luca said fondly.
"Tao?" Sumire tilted her head. When she thought about it, Luca said that earlier...
"That's Guernica's real name." Luca explained. "I made a promise that I would always be there for her, but...I left her behind. I can't even describe how impressive Tao is! She had to have suffered so much when I was gone. She has every right to be furious. But Tao always stayed strong. She never broke her promise to me..."
Sumire placed a hand over her chest. "Luca-san. You really believe in your sister, don't you?"
To that, Luca responded with a simple smile. "Of course I do! She's way stronger than I am! And now that we've reassembled our mural..." Luca reached out, her hand placed upon the mural. The three pieces gave off a soft, gentle glow before vanishing into spheres of light. This light was then absorbed into Luca's body. "I'm going to go find Guernica. It's time for big sis to teach her a lesson."
For a moment, Sumire tensed. But she then relaxed and gave a smile. "We should go too. Guernica asked for our help."
"So...the time draws near that we end this once and for all." Akechi had his arms crossed. "I suspect we'll have to fight Guernica again."
"This time will be the last time." Hifumi said, determined. "After that, we must deal with Jerri too. Preferably, we deal with Jerri beforehand, but I doubt it will be that easy."
"It doesn't matter." Mika shook her head. "We're going to finish this one way or another. If Luca can't make Guernica see things the way they should be, I'll make sure she does myself if I have to. I'm still feeling pretty good about clipping that stupid parrot's wings. And then we can finally go home! I need a shower. There's so much dried paint on me, I'm going to lose my mind." While Mika wasn't the only one who wanted to get back home, she was the only one voicing it so loudly.
"I'm prepared to end this as well." Yusuke placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. His gaze was fixated on where the mural once was. "Guernica must not be allowed to forget the meaning of that mural you two painted. I will do everything in my power to make sure this doesn't happen."
"I don't know what sort of tricks Jerri has up her sleeve. Our numbers may not be as great as they usually are, but we will handle it." Akechi said firmly. Would he even prefer the others being here right now? It would most certainly help, but they were able to get this far even with six of them.
"Hah..." Ren couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. Everyone was prepared to bring the battle in The Streets to an end. "Glad to see everyone's still in high spirits. You know, Luca? There's a thing we say when it's time to bring an operation to a close."
"Oh yeah? What is it?" Luca looked to Joker, curiously.
"It's Showtime!" Joker exclaimed with gusto. Mika and Akechi rolled their eyes, while Yusuke, Hifumi, and Sumire all chuckled. "Why don't you try saying it? You're the one leading the charge in this operation, after all?"
"Me?" Luca pointed at herself. She thought about it for a second, but then nodded. "Okay! I'm about to open a manhole right under their base! We're going into the belly of the beast and not giving them a chance to recover. Get good and ready, everyone! It's Showtime...!" And at long last, it was finally time for the final act of The Streets. The Phantom Thieves would not be leaving until they saved Guernica and stopped Jerri once and for all. The final masterpiece was nearing completion.