The Phantom Thieves managed to used the secret tunnels to sneak right into Yoshiki's Castle. Now that they were inside, their goal was to make it straight to the man himself and take him down. "Booyah, we made it inside!" Skull said with a proud grin. His favorite part was coming up next.
'This is where things really ramp up." Oracle warned everyone. "As you probably expected, this place is swarming with enemies."
"That goes without saying. It's not gonna be a leisurely walk to Yoshiki." Wolf said while looking around. "This place sure is some kinda gaudy, though."
"It's awful, just like Marie's." Viper said while gagging at the sight. "None of these Kingdom rulers have a good sense of aesthetic."
"You and I can agree on that front. Unique as it may be, there is no joy to be sparked from such a sight." Fox shook his head.
Meanwhile, Yuki looked a little tense as she looked around. "..."
Noticing this, Erina looked to Yuki. "Is something wrong, Yuki-san?"
"It's odd..." Yuki began, placing a hand on her chest. "The entire layout of the place has changed since I was here last."
"When you were here last...?" Erina blinked. Now that she thought about it, it was pretty strange how Yuki knew about a secret passage that led into the castle...because she knew it led out of the castle too.
However, that conversation was brought to a halt as Aizen Squad members quickly began to confront the Phantom Thieves. "There you are! Intruders!"
"Looks like they found us already." Wolf said while getting his sword ready.
"We knew it would come to blows. All we can do now is push ahead!" Dragon declared, and she was right. The Aizen Squad charged at them, and the Phantom Thieves were able to match their efforts. They just had to be careful not to blow their stamina too quickly against them. Dragon leapt into the air, summoning Bella by her side. "Take this!" Bella swung her sword down, and with the power of the Jack Frost Sub-Persona, she was able to create a wave of ice in the process. This froze a number of Aizen Squad members in place.
"My turn!" Sophie pointed Pandora forward, and her Persona fired off a number of light beams at the frozen Aizen Squad members. This easily finished them off and they didn't have a chance at fighting back. The Phantom Thieves could make quick work of the enemies that came their way, but they still needed to be careful.
Joker slipped under a sword strike, spinning on his heel to aim a kick at the swordsman's head. This succeeded in staggering them and knocking them backwards into a small group of enemies. Raoul appeared above him, blasting them all with a strong Eiga. "Begone!"
"Everyone's going smoothly so far." Toshiro commented.
"Wait..." Oracle paused. She was detecting a new reading. "I think we have a new enemy to deal with, over to the north!" On that call, everyone turned their heads to see what they were dealing with. There was, in fact, a new enemy to deal with. This one was a large sumo-wrestler, much to everyone's surprise. Next to this new enemy were two standard squad members.
"Uhh, what is that? A sumo wrestler?" Skull blinked, unsure to figure out what that enemy's deal was. In the next moment, the sumo-wrestler grabbed both of his allies, and proceeded to hurl them over the walls at the Phantom Thieves. "Huh?!"
"What the hell!?" Viper gasped as the two squad members had a bit of a rough landing, but they were pretty much on top of the Phantom Thieves with no warning. Viper used Nuwa to attack them with a straightforward charge and mow them down before they could attack. "Geez...!"
"Imagine if that guy got his hands on us..." Panther shuddered. Being thrown by that guy did not sound like a fun time!
"Luckily for us, it doesn't look like he's very mobile!" Oracle said with a thumbs up.
"So we just rush him?" Wolf asked.
"Make sure not to get grabbed!" Oracle warned.
The sumo wrestler was across a gap. One that would be slightly difficult even for most of the Phantom Thieves. Luckily, Dragon had a plan. She threw her staff across the way, allowing it to impale against the wall near the sumo-wrestler. The staff then extended across the way, serving as a path for them. "This way!"
"Nice work, Dragon!" Queen quickly ran along the extended staff, aiming to throw a punch at the sumo-wrestler. She was surprised at how quickly her punch was caught, but she wasn't bothered either. "I thought you might do that!"
And came Noir with the followup, smashing her axe into the large sumo's side, causing to release Queen and stagger back only slightly. It's size wasn't just for show! It's weight meant it wasn't pushed around as easily as other enemies. "It didn't budge...!"
Crow and Wolf leapt over Noir, swinging their swords at the chest of the sumo wrestler. Even with their combined strength, they failed to move it a substanial amount, but it was getting closer to the edge, teetering over it now. "Not enough...one more!" Crow shouted. Violet then leapt from above, planting both feet onto the sumo wrestler, and using her momentum to push it off! She flipped back, landing on her feet as the sumo-wrestler crashed onto the floor below, defeated instantly once it fell.
"Whew." Violet let out a soft exhale. "That was a surprisingly sturdy enemy."
"Looks like Yoshiki's internal defenses are nothing to scoff at." Fox crossed his arms.
"All the more reason to hurry along, don't you think?" Ichinose remarked. "The people outside are dealing with more than we are right now."
"She's right. The more time we take, the worse it gets for them outside." Toshiro nodded in agreement. They needed to be swift with this operation. That said, this would be easier said than done, because even more Aizen Squad members began to appear.
"Are you for real!?" Skull groaned.
"Aizen Squad - intruders are here! Don't let them escape!" A high ranking squad member exclaimed.
"We certainly anticipated this, but not in these numbers...!" Queen said with a sweat drop, but she was able to punch the commanding squad member away easily.
"We're going to be in trouble if they keep coming like this." Mona said with a scowl.
"We should maintain our concealment...there's no need to fight them head on." Toshiro whispered to Oracle. "Oracle, can you determine the layout of the castle from that camera device?"
"I'm trying to right now, but...!" Oracle was already ahead of the game, but she was having trouble. "No luck. They blocked all access to it due to our infiltration!"
"Well, it looks like our only option is to search for it the old fashioned way." Ichinose sighed. Legwork, but it had to be done.
"I'll go ahead and scout our a secure route for us." Toshiro said.
"Sounds dangerous, are you sure?" Erina questioned.
"Of course. Nobody's as good at fleeing conflict as I am!" Toshiro said proudly. Erina, Oracle, and Ichinose just stared at him.
"What a sad thing to be proud of!" Oracle groaned.
"Allow me to go with you! You should have someone watch your back." Yuki insisted.
"You're not going alone either." Ichinose shook her head. "Sophie, can we borrow you for a moment?"
"Of course!" Sophie nodded while approaching Ichinose. Considering they had the numbers to spare. "I'll protect you in case something happens."
"In that case, I guess we'll just go on a lil' tear here!" Skull said excitedly.
"Be mindful not to waste too much energy." Wolf advised.
"Wonderful! We appreciate the distraction!" Toshiro said with a hushed nod, and proceeded to leave with Ichinose, Yuki, and Sophie.
.
.
Toshiro, Yuki, Sophia, and Ichinose ran ahead while the others bought them some time. However, it wasn't very long before Toshiro was gasping and wheezing for air, Predictably so. "E-Everyone...w...we need to hurry...we need to...find somewhere to hide...everyone's...waiting for us..."
"Please, stay calm, Toshiro-san." Yuki said calmly. "You seem to be having a hard time breathing. Perhaps we should stop and rest?"
"Nope, it's alright!" Toshiro had his hands on his knees, doing his best to catch his breath in a timely manner. He really didn't want to slow anyone down.
"If you need the break, it's fine." Ichinose crossed her arms. "We're not going to get anywhere if you collapse out of breath."
"Toshiro does appear to be exhibiting signs of exhaustion. Our run only lasted two minutes." Sophie reported.
"You don't need to report the exact time!" Toshiro said through some heavy pants. Sophie was there to protect them for the most part, but Toshiro's concern was with Yuki. "But, Yuki-san, I promise that I'll...!"
"I promise I'll protect you."
An image flashed in Toshiro's mind for a moment, just as those words came out of his mouth. A familiar image...a woman holding his hand when he was a child. A woman that looked just like... "...!?"
"What's wrong?" Yuki asked with a hint of concern. Toshiro was staring at her...
"I-It's nothing." Toshiro shook his head slowly. "I must be imagining things. A-Anyway, we should keep moving. The others are in danger."
Ichinose wasn't so keen on that response. But Toshiro was right, they needed to keep moving. "Yeah, we should..."
"Hey, look at that..." Yuki peered behind Toshiro. Ichinose noticed the same thing. The four turned around, noticing a strange, blue colored door. It was in sharp contrast to the orange the rest of the castle was colored with. "What a strange door. It wasn't there a moment ago."
"Did this door appear in response to Toshiro?" Sophie questioned. She picked up that he was acting strange.
"What did you remember?" Ichinose flat out asked. Toshiro's amnesia took a backseat in their issues for a while, but this whole Metaverse they were in revolved around him. So if something changed with Toshiro, that changed the area around them.
"I'm not...sure...I..." Toshiro responded, his gloved hand resting on his forehead. Once again, his head felt like it was splitting...
"C'mon, this way!"
"What is that voice...!?" Toshiro groaned, mildly irritated about things as well.
"A voice?" Yuki tilted her head. "What do you...?" She stopped. The door rumbled before opening by itself. Before the four of them could react, they were dragged into it. It happened so quickly, they hardly had the chance to recognize that their surroundings changed.
"W-What...is this...!?" Toshiro's eyes were wide. He had no idea what just happened! But this place...he knew this place!
"Is this an amusement park...?" Ichinose placed her hands in her coat pockets. The atmosphere was...foreboding. The rides were abandoned and the sky was purple. "This looks more like a haunted house." It didn't exactly creep her out, though. She found it fascinating...and then she remembered where she was. Her gaze quickly went to Toshiro, who went deathly pale.
"N-No! What is this place doing here!?" Toshiro placed a hand on his chest, his pupils shaking as he took a step back.
"Toshiro-san?! You're deathly pale! Hold yourself together!" Yuki spoke with a calm urgency.
"Toshiro is shaking..." Sophie said quietly. "He must be afraid..."
"I promise!" A child's voice echoed.
"You promised me..." A scathing voice rang out. "Liar! It's your fault! It's all because of you!"
Toshiro's shaking grew more intense. He tightly clutched his chest. "I'm sorry...! Please, forgive me...!"
"It's all your voice!" The woman's voice grew harsher. Deeper. "I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU, TOSHIRO!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!?" Toshiro let out a scream, startling the three women in the process.
"We need to get out of here." Ichinose turned to Yuki and Sophie. "I don't know what this is, but this is exactly what we were worried about!" A mysterious force attempting to break Toshiro's heart one way or another. While she didn't know the details of this situation, she knew that Toshiro needed to leave this area immediately.
"There's nowhere for you to escape!" The woman's voice grew louder. "Liar, liar, liar, ahahahahaha!" The voice broke out into an evil cackle, and soon, a woman holding an umbrella appeared in front of the group of four.
"Sophie!" Ichinose shouted.
"Stand back!" Sophie already knew what to do. Her yo-yos spun and she swung them at the woman that appeared. Much to her surprise, however, the umbrella the woman was holding was used to block and bounce Sophie's yoyo's backwards. "Huh!?"
"She blocked the attack?" Ichinose blinked in surprise.
"Stay back, I'll handle it!" Sophie said while leaping onto the nearby Ferris Wheel, using Pandora to launch beams of light at the Shielder. The umbrella was capable of withstanding Sophie's attacks, which made her narrow her eyes. Nothing was more surprising than the fact the tip of the umbrella began to fire bullets at her! "Huh?" She quickly jumped about to avoid the incoming bullets, returning fire with her own. Sophie quickly realized that this kind of foe needed more than one person to take down.
Not long after that, the others quickly came rushing into this strange room. They followed the sound of Toshiro's scream, but their surprise at the surroundings told the story. "W-What the hell?!" Skull looked around, only to see Sophie locked in a firefight with a new enemy. "What's going on here!?"
"When did we get here?" Wolf was looking around, confused as all hell.
"Everyone!" Yuki called out to the others, who just now noticed Toshiro's frozen disposition.
"Is this an amusement park...?" Noir questioned.
"Forgive me...please forgive me...!" Toshiro repeated over and over.
"What the hell's wrong with him!?" Viper pointed at Toshiro. "And what is that thing over there!?" She then pointed to the enemy that Sophie was fighting.
"No idea. He kept saying he heard a voice, and suddenly we were here, and now he's like this." Ichinose shook her head. "I think he remembered something. Whatever it is, it must be painful, because it's driving him into a mental corner."
"Then we need to get him out of here and fast." Joker said, motioning to Panther to help Sophie.
"On it!" Panther nodded. The Shielder was busy taking fire at Sophie, who was able to use cover to avoid the onslaught of bullets. Since the enemy's attention was on Sophie, this allowed Panther to appear behind it with Celestine. "Take this!" She hurled a fireball at the Shielder, which was a direct hit against the woman's back! She quickly turned around as Panther threw another fireball, only to see that it was blocked. "Eh!?"
"Liar, liar, liar!" The woman exclaimed as her umbrella began to spin. A powerful gust of wind struck Panther and nearly blew her off her feet.
"Waaaaah...?!" Panther was not expecting any of these events. She was hit and thrown into the air. Luckily, Dragon came in an caught her. "Dragon...!"
"It appears we've crossed paths with a rather defensive opponent.." Dragon surmised as she landed on the ground. The Shielder was facing them, but her back was exposed to Sophie. As such, a quick yo-yo strike from Sophia was enough to finally take it down.
"Enemy eliminated!" Sophie reported.
The enemy was eliminated, but Toshiro was still in a state of panic. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry...!"
"Hey! Hold it together." Wolf barked at Toshiro, who couldn't really hear him right now.
"This is exactly what we were worried about. Something is trying to crush him..." Crow grit his teeth.
Viper started to walk forward, rotating her hand. "Let's see if I can't snap him out of it..."
"Um, what are you about to do?" Violet asked with a sweat drop.
"I'm going to smack some sense into him." Viper stated bluntly. Crow shrugged, figuring that might be effective if he wouldn't snap out of it in time.
"Are you sure that's a wise idea?" Fox asked.
"We'll find out." Viper said.
"Wait!" Yuki reached out for Viper's hand, to stop what she was about to do. "Let me try, please."
"..." Viper didn't say anything, but she withdrew. She was almost in mid smack, so Yuki stopped her at a good time.
"Pull yourself together!" Yuki suddenly yelled, which surprised everyone. They didn't expect her voice to raise like that. Even Toshiro briefly snapped out of his state of shock from this. "Don't let yourself be led astray here. That voice tormenting you is just an illusion. If nothing else, the Toshiro that I know is certainly no liar. Right?" Her expression softened, and she smiled at him.
"..." Toshiro calmed down from that. He let out a small sigh and an embarrassed smile. "You're right. I'm sorry you all had to see that. The enemy ambush had me shaken, but I'm fine now."
"Yeah, if by 'shaken' you mean a full-on meltdown..." Panther scratched her cheek. "Anyway, what was with the scenery change? What is this place?"
"Where the hell did they go!? Find them at once!" A few Aizen Squad members followed them into the open room, but they had yet to see them.
"More enemies...they must have followed us." Fox crossed his arms.
"Let's take care of them immediately." Joker said. They could ambush them easily. Fox and Skull decided to take part in this.
"Gorokichi!" Fox ran past the Aizen Squad members a trail of ice following right behind him. By the time they noticed him, they were already starting to freeze over, unable to cry for help. Skull followed this up with a Zionga from William; the blast of lightning destroyed the ice, obliterating the Aizen Squad members in its wake.
"Hell yeah!" Skull rotated his arm. "I'm still feelin' pretty good!"
"Let's keep moving." Joker said. "I think we're getting over the worst of it." Everyone followed him out of the room and back into the familiar orange interior of Yoshiki's castle. But as they walked...
"Stop, stoooop!" Oracle suddenly exclaimed, causing everyone to jump.
"Geez! What's up, Oracle? You nearly scared me half to death!" Wolf said with an exhausted sigh.
"Yeah, you really can't startle the elderly like that. Who knows if his heart will give out or not." Ichinose snickered, while Wolf just gave her a mildly annoyed look.
"Why did you stop us?" Joker decided to ask, trying not to crack a smile at Ichinose's little joke. They were trying to be serious here!
"Don't you guys hear that strange noise?" Oracle asked. There was a moment of silence, but they could hear and feel the sounds of vibrations from nearby.
"Yeah...what is that?" Dragon asked.
"It sounds like heavy machinery." Ichinose looked around. "The walls are shaking, too. Is it coming from over there?" She pointed to a large set of double doors. Everyone carefully approached the doors and opened it, only to see...something horrible.
It was a Labor of Love, right before their eyes. Many exhausted citizens getting whipped and abused by larger Aizen Squad members. "W-What the...!?" Panther gasped from the horror of it all.
"Sshh, they'll hear you...!" Noir quickly shushed Panther. She wasn't enjoying the sight before them either, but they had to be quiet.
"I know we've seen this already on the television, but now that I see it in person ,this is hell on earth..." Mona looked extremely downtrodden.
"Pick it up, shitstain! you're only good to us alive, so keep working!" A squad member cracked the whip.
"I...I can't move my legs any faster..." The citizen's voice was so broken and defeated. They were working as hard as they could, even though their body was screaming for a break.
"You're DEAD if anything goes wrong with today's broadcast, lovxercising with Lord Yoshiki!"
"You better not let the power go out!"
"If I could get some water...please..." A citizen pleaded, mouth and throat dry from all of the work.
"That's enough out of you! Get back to praising our lord!"
"All- right! Repeat after! Thank you, Lord Yoshiki, for your love! Now go!" A squad member shouted.
"T-Thank you, Lord Yoshiki, for your love! Now go!" A woman said. She was only doing what she was told to out of fear. She had no idea that last bit was the wrong thing to say.
"Oh, getting smart, are we!?" The large squad member raised his whip and proceeded to crack it. The woman flinched in fear, but before the action could follow through, Erina and Dragon slammed their weapons into his body, crushing him into the ground. "Guh...!?"
"You call this love? You make me sick." Dragon's venomous eyes glare daggers into the Aizen Squad's soul.
"We're shutting this down now!" Erina barked.
"Who the hell!?" A squad member glared. "Who are you peo-!?" Before their question could finish, they looked up, only to see Hereward taking aim at them.
"Why would we share our names with dead men?" Crow said with a glare. Before the Aizen Squad could respond, Hereward rained death upon them, firing curse arrow after curse arrow. These arrows had extremely high accuracy, sniping multiple Aizen Squad members. While his arrows weren't enough to finish all of them off, it was enough to weaken them severely.
"You guys were asking for it!" Mona lifted his arm into the air, Diego appearing in front of him. The swordsman drew his fist back, and proceeded to release a flurry of Miracle Punches down on to the weakened Aizen Squad members. Since this attack was very capable of inflicting high damage, this was more than enough to finish them off swiftly. The ambush allowed them a swift dispatch.
"What a bullshit camp this is." Skull sucked his teeth. "Yo, are they all alright?"
"W-We've been rescued? I'm sorry, but who are you all?" A citizen asked.
"Don't worry, you're safe now. This way, quickly!" Yuki motioned for the citizens to hurry to safety.
"S-Sure, but...my back is shot...I can hardly..." Another citizen looked up, only to realize who they were talking to. "L-Lady Yuki!?"
"Wow! Lady Yuki's here! You came all this way to rescue us!?"
"I'll explain later, you must escape first!" Yuki said.
"Wait. Lady?" Dragon blinked a few times. "But...that implies..."
"That's no implication!" Panther looked to Yuki with wide eyes. "Are you married!?"
"Of course a catch like her is married! Are you saying you didn't know that already?" An exhausted citizen said as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.
"...I was...in a formal relationship with Yoshiki. So technically, I am his wife." Yuki admitted with a heavy sigh.
"Holy shit. I'm so sorry for you." That was the first time Viper uttered those words. But Yuki's circumstances warranted that. It was really that bad if she was the one apologizing like that.
"...Yeah, that explains a lot now." Wolf crossed his arms. The dots connected instantly for him.
"So she's like a princess here?" Skull asked.
"Wouldn't that make her queen?" Violet tilted her head.
"No..." Crow let out a sigh through his nose. Why were they so off the mark with this?"
"She'd be more akin to a general's consort." Fox clarified. "I did notice an elegance and adherence to manners, but I never would've expected this."
While I did marry Yoshiki, after witnessing his wicked doings...I couldn't bear it any longer. So I took the people he imprisoned and fled the castle." As Yuki spoke, Toshiro had a gasp of realization. "But this never affected him - as you already saw, he subjects more victims to his tyranny every day."
"I get it now. That's why you've been hiding the townspeople at your place." Mona surmised.
"Oh...!" Noir had a realization. "If you're Yoshiki's wife, then that means..." The others also realized this as well.
"Can we discuss the finer details later? We really ought to keep moving..." Toshiro said. "Our main problem is the escape route. We have to deal with those cameras."
"Don't you worry about that now." A sweaty citizen spoke with a weary smile. "Our job was to supply power to the system..."
"So, since we halted this room...the cameras are down." Viper nodded. "Sweet, that's some work we don't have to do.
"This means the castle should be in disarray!" Erina grinned. "Now's your chance to escape!"
"I'll lead them out of here! Please be safe." Yuki told the Phantom Thieves.
"Next time we meet, Yoshiki will be taken down." Joker told Yuki confidently.
"We're gonna take him down and overthrow his ass!" Skull grinned.
"His reign of terror ends today!" Dragon added onto Skull's words. The confidence radiating from the Phantom Thieves made Yuki smile.
"I don't know the rest of you...but thank you...all of you...!" A citizen said gratefully.
"Yes...thank you all. I'll tell them all about the Phantom Thieves on the way. Be safe, all of you." Yuki said.
"You too." Toshiro said. He and Yuki exchanged nods before Yuki made her way off. Meanwhile, the Phantom Thieves hurried off to make their way to Yoshiki.
.
.
The rest of the trek through Yoshiki's castle was smooth sailing. They were walking through the castle quietly... "What a bombshell it was that Yuki-san was married to Yoshiki." Panther was still trying to wrap her head around that.
"No kidding." Even Viper was still trying to figure that out.
"Doesn't that mean Yuki-san is..." Noir trailed off.
Toshiro decided to come out and say it. He didn't really want to discuss it while Yuki was in earshot. "Yes, as I'm sure you've all gathered, I am fairly certain she's my mother. Given what we've figured out of how this world works, this is the only conclusion I could come to."
"I had the right assumption." Wolf said while looking at Toshiro. "The way she treated you...kinda reminded me of Aoi and Akane." That motherly approach to Toshiro stuck out to Wolf, and it wasn't something he could ignore. "That's why I told those kids to knock off the romance talk."
"..." An awkward silence filled the air.
"...I. would like to move on from that." Noir cleared her throat. Nobody needed it to be explained why it was awkward.
"So you did remember something." Ichinose tilted her head.
"T-That being said...she's more like an illusion of my mother that my mind created." Toshiro went on "I don't remember what she looked like, and I don't even know if that's her actual personality either."
"An illusion, huh..." Oracle mumbled. She knew about that all too well.
"Based on what we know, I would dare say that is your mother as you can vaguely remember her." Crow spoke. "While Marie and Yoshiki might be exaggerated versions of their real life counterparts, it still comes from the memory of interacting with them."
"A vestige of your mother from the fragments of your memory..." Fox said.
"I'm not sure it's that poetic, especially considering I don't know what my real mother thought of me." Toshiro said with a low tone.
"What do you mean...?" Queen asked.
"It's possible my mother resented me." Toshiro said while glancing off to the side. His mind flashed back to a memory of his childhood. Visiting his sick mother in a hospital bed. "As I've said before, I was raised under the strict discipline of my father. My mother was in and out of the hospital due to her illness, so I wasn't able to see much of her."
"Illness...?" Dragon said softly, placing a hand on her chest.
"But when I did get to see her, it filled me with joy, like nothing else! Those were the moments that saved me. Gradually, her illness grew worse. Watching her grow weaker and weaker by the day was a terrible shock. And my father became even stricter, rarely letting me go visit her." Toshiro said calmly.
"That's too cruel..." Noir looked down at the ground.
Dragon's hand clenched into a fist. She was taking a deep breath to calm herself, but she took this sort of story very personally. "How dare he...!?"
"Dragon..." Panther placed a hand on Dragon's shoulder. She knew how she was feeling...
"It was around that time in my childhood that I hatched a plan. I would sneak my mother out of her hospital room, and take her to the amusement park." Toshiro recalled this clearly. "She always wanted to go outside with me, so I worked up the courage to carry out my plan. That was the first time I ever rebelled against my father."
"You finally rebelled! That must've made her happy, right?" Skull said with a warm tone.
"By the time we reached the park, my mother was beaming! It was just a place place, on the roof of the department store." Toshiro's voice wavered. The memory sounded happy, he held it close to his chest. But there were so many reasons his voice quivered when he recalled it. "Though our trip was brief, I was grateful I worked up the courage to ask her out after seeing how happy she looked. But, on our way home, she suddenly collapsed. I'm not sure what happened after that. A lot of adults came. I could only remember crying." A tense pause filled the air. "Not long after...my mother passed away."
"B-But that wasn't your fault!" Violet exclaimed. "N-Not directly, anyway..."
"..." Ichinose didn't say a thing.
"Oh, Toshiro...that's so sad..." Sophie frowned. "Losing your mother like that..."
"That's what the doctor's said, but my father still blamed me for it." Toshiro replied. "He said my mother died because I selfishly disobeyed him. That she would resent me for it, even in the grave."
"He did what?!" Dragon's voice rose as a spike of anger took place. "How dare he blame you for it! You were a child! You had no idea!"
"Hey, calm down." Wolf told Dragon. He knew why she reacted this way, they all did. But she needed to calm herself. He was also boiling over in anger. As a parent, he could never imagine doing that to Akane. That would be the same as blaming her for Aoi's death, and he could never let such behavior slide.
"Ngh..." Dragon knew she was acting out of turn. It just hit her on a deeply personal level. "My apologies..."
"...A bastard through and through." Crow's eyes were closed. His tone was a little heavy due to the anger he was holding back.
"Even if nobody will know why, he still placed that blame on me. And that's why I'm still afraid." Toshiro admitted. "I dread my worst fears being confirmed when I ask Yuki 0 no, my mother, the truth! Though I'm ready to fight my father, it would appear my mother is a separate matter. For some reason, I can't stop this wishful thinking that she'd be kind to me." But he shook that off. "I think that's enough of that wishful thinking! We have to press on.
"...Um." Oracle spoke up quietly. "Toshiro...I don't think your mom resents you."
"Huh...?" Toshiro blinked.
"I-I mean...! If your mother resented you, doesn't that mean Yuki-san would resent you too?" When Oracle said that, Toshiro's eyes widened. It was something he hadn't considered. "She didn't give me that impression! A-And besides, that's not the kind of things parents hate their kids for. I don't know how else to say it, but...!"
"...She acted nothing but happy when interacting with you." Crow said quietly. His thoughts drifted to his own mother. If he had yen every time a woman got involved with a scumbag politician...
"I'd like to think I have some understanding of a mother's love." Fox added. "Regardless of how things turn out, I doubt she would bear a grudge for being able to spend time with her son."
"My wife was the same with our daughter." Wolf added. "Being a parent, I can tell you this with certainty. Your mother loved you, no matter what."
Toshiro pondered this for a moment. "I...Well, this is all just conjecture in my mind. But I can't help but hope that you all may be right."
"Take the bull by the horns!" Joker encouraged.
"Yes...! It's the best way I can be true to myself!" Toshiro said firmly. "Thank you all for helping me."
"...I don't have anything to add here." Ichinose said while waving a hand. They were approaching the door that obviously led to Yoshiki's throne room. "Losing my parents is what turned me into a doll in the first place. Or at least...it hurt so badly I didn't even know how to cope with it. But there is one thing I do know. The heart is a lot stronger than it appears. Anyway! I have an idea...Sophie, can you come with me for a bit?"
"What are you planning?" Joker asked.
"Don't worry. It's something that just came to me." Ichinose gave the Thieves a smile.
"We'll be back in time to help!" Sophie reassured. She had no idea what Ichinose was planning, but she was going to trust her.
"He might be on the ground before you get back!" Skull added. With that, Sophia and Ichinose went off.
"That just leaves Yoshiki." Erina looked to the doors. "Let's go win this thing!"
.
The doors opened. The Phantom Thieves and Toshiro walked through. The room they entered was filled with multiple screens, and eyes that circled the ceiling. There was Yoshiki, waiting for them all calmly. "Well, well, well...have the criminals come to offer their own heads?" Yoshiki asked with a patient smile.
"Father..." Toshiro said quietly.
"Ohohoho! Either way, I'm quite astounded you made it this far." Yoshiki admitted. "Toshiro, his little bad of miscreants...and the stray cat."
"Who're you callin' a stray cat!?" Mona growled.
"Enjoy your high horse while you can, cuz you're on borrowed time, pal!" Skull declared.
"Today is the day your kingdom comes crashing down!" Erina said with a wide smirk.
"We're going to stop you, here and now!" Violet drew her rapier.
"Hoho! As if you have room to speak! You're the criminals here!" Yoshiki laughed. Right after he said that, a bullet struck his iron shoulder. He growled from the recoil, only to see that it was from Crow who shot it.
"There is no criminal bigger than the man standing on that throne built on the broken backs of the common man." Crow spat.
"You think we're the criminals!? Don't make me laugh." Queen said with a glare.
"Just take a look!" Yoshiki's eyes opened, the anger already visible within them. "My nation is in shambles because of you all, and you dare assault the acting sovereign!" On the cameras, the battle between the citizens and the Aizen Squad outside was on display.
"We have intruders! And why aren't the cameras working!?"
"Enough is enough! Let everyone go!"
"What the hell!? Where'd all these rebels come from!?"
"Our eyes have been open! Lord Yoshiki...no, Yoshiki's methods are wrong! Try to cut us down, we're not messing around!"
"What fools they are to defy me. This is what happens when you defy me." Yoshiki sucked his teeth. "You realize my people were living in peace until YOU cast them into the throes of chaos? What do you hope to accomplish, committing these atrocities!?"
"Taking your head." Dragon said with a fierce fire in her eyes.
"And putting an end to this madness." Joker spoke while twirling his knife into his grip.
"Hohohoho!" Yoshiki let out a hearty laugh at that one. "Clearly, your foolishness knows no bounds! You will pay dearly for tempting the souls in my embrace. Now, Toshiro - come to me, my son. Allow my love to guide you to greatness." He then winked, and put his hands into a heart. "With the Eyes of Love, that only I can see through!"
"No, I won't." Toshiro stood his ground. "As your son, I came here to stop you."
Yoshiki laughed again. Surely, his foolish, idiot of a son was pulling his leg. "Huh? Hohohohoho! Just splendid! You've picked up some hilarious jokes during your little exploits, haven't you? You've lived your entire life doing everything I told you - but now, you want to rebel against me? Hohoho! Hohohoho! Toshiro...Patient as I may be, even the Bhudda had his limits!" And then, the mask opened, revealing his true, angry face. "Sinner! You murder your mother, and now you betray your father!?"
"Comparing yourself to the Bhudda!? You're sick in the head." Viper gagged. "You talk about love, but you don't really know what it is, do you? Because there's nobody in this world that would ever love someone like you."
"Although...you might be right that I'm a sinner...that's exactly why, I have to stop you Father!" Despite his shaking legs, Toshiro did not budge on this.
"Hohohoho! How ludicrous!" Yoshiki growled. "You let these dolts cajole you into baring your fangs against your own father, you lowlife!"
"Let's talk about who the real lowlife here is, Yoshiki." Wolf held his greatsword forward. "Because by the time I'm done with you, you're gonna regret every single action you've ever taken." And he wasn't just talking about in the Metaverse. Yoshiki was among the evil in this world that he swore to stand up to. And he would fulfill his duty, his promise to stamp it out however he could.
"I'LL SHUT THAT IMPERTIENET MOUTH OF YOURS, AND TAKE MY TIME TEACHING YOU YOUR LESSON!" Yoshiki shouted angrily, laughing all the while.
"Yoshiki!" Dragon glared daggers at the ruler standing before them. She would never allow his actions to stand, so long as she had anything to do about it. "Your kingdom comes crashing down, today!"