Once they disembarked the Velvet Train, the Phantom Thieves were within Salmael's stronghold. It was a colorless, desolate world with numerous gears scattered about. "This is the final Kingdom, huh?" Joker looked around. "It's pretty...dead and bland."
"It's supposed to represent the tranquility Salmon wants." Viper shrugged her shoulders. "You couldn't come up with a more lifeless world if you tried. It reminds me of Jerri's hideout..."
"Doc's, too..." Skull commented.
"This sort of color is common for what it is they were attempting to accomplish." Fox noted. "A world devoid of strife..."
"I don't particularly care about the artistic view of things here." Crow said bluntly. "The sooner we deal with this, the sooner we can return home."
"I agree." Wolf said. "We've got business to take care of, and one hell of a climb ahead of us."
"Is Ichinose not coming?" Violet asked, glancing back in the direction of the Velvet Train. It got smaller in the distance, while they were ascending the stairs of Salmael's stronghold.
"This place is extremely dangerous." Sophie said while shaking her head. "Unlike the Tree of Knowledge, the Legionnaires would no doubt attack her. It's for her safety that she remains behind."
"Yeah...she's got that rocket, but it's better we don't have to worry about her safety. She's with Lavenza, so she'll be fine." Joker nodded.
"But she did say we have to get a few good hits in for her! And that's what I intend to do." Sophie grinned.
"Speaking of...!" Oracle slid to a halt, along with everyone else. "We've got incoming!" Not just incoming, but a whole army of Legionnaires standing in front of them, barring their progress. They were colored silver, much like Jerri was.
"Looks like the welcoming committee is finally here to greet us." Erina spoke while twirling her spear around.
"And here I was thinking Salmael wanted to talk things out peacefully." Renegade laughed a bit while adjusting his tie. "So much for that."
"It always comes to blows. But that's fine." Dragon twirled her staff around, ready for combat. "I've been eager for a fight since laying eyes on that 'God'. His minions will do nothing but slow us down a little."
"Hell yeah!" Skull pounded his fists together. "Last chance to move outta the way! Otherwise, we'll knockin' you down!"
"I think you already know the answer to that." Mona said while shaking his head, but there was a grin on his face. "It's business as usual!"
"Excellent." Noir had her axe over her shoulder. "It's time we finished this!"
"I'm ready when everyone else is!" Queen clenched a hand into a fist, wearing a confident grin. "They'll regret standing in our way."
Panther cracked her whip, taking a stance. "I'm ready to kick some Legionnaire butt one last time!"
"I got you all covered!" Oracle said with a snicker. With the aid of Al Azif, she cast Matarukaja on the party, making sure their attacks would do as much damage as possible!
"Phantom Thieves..." Joker crouched down a bit, staring at the incoming army of Legionnaires coming their way. "LET'S GET STARTED!" There were multiple Drummers, who cast a spell to boost the speed of the army and give them an edge. The Legionnaires began to attack, and the Phantom Thieves all scattered in separate directions. If they wanted to get to Salmael, they were going to have to get through this wave first. Joker used his grappling hook to latch onto a nearby platform, pulling himself into the air. Once he was sky high, he twisted his body around as Raoul appeared beside him. The two crashed down in the middle of a group of Legionnaires, causing an explosion of curse magic to blast outward. "Phantom Judge!" This impact launched several Legionnaires into the air, and Joker jumped again, turning upside down as he fired multiple bullets from his gun to take them down. Just as he landed, he glanced back over his shoulder, noticing that a bulky Slammer was attempting to crash down on him and flatten him.
"Haaaah!" However, Erina came in swinging, stabbing her spear at the Slammer. Her momentum carried it straight into a wall, killing it instantly. Several basic Legionnaires attempted to shoot at her, but she flipped back to avoid the bullets and hid behind a wall. The Legionnaires that shot at her were quickly dealt with by Skull crashing down on them from above, an explosion of lightning taking them out in a flash. Erina felt a presence behind her, whipped her gun, and shot. Turns out, she shot one of the ninjas, and she didn't realize this until she swapped places with it. She was between a Shielder and a Slammer, both of them ready to strike her. "Wuh-oh-!" And the Slammer punched at Erina, aiming to crush her into the Shielder's umbrella! However...that didn't happen. Erina wasn't at the point of impact, leaving both enemies confused.
Renegade was up above on a platform, donning his Phantom Thief attire while Ernesto was now beside him. "Fire, Ernesto!" Ernesto kicked her legs forward, shooting multiple bullets at the back of the Shielder, striking her exposed weakness. The woman cried out as she quickly turned around to block the bullets. Renegade used this opportunity to flip forward, landing behind and thrusting his spear forward to strike it down. He was slowly getting used to this level of physicality Metaverse attire granted him. The Slammer from before attempted to strike him down, but he separated from Ernesto and brought Erina back into the battle, and she pointed her gun to shoot the Slammer down. "I'm not going to get used to that." Toshiro said with an exasperated smile.
"Aw, c'mon! This just means we make a good team!" Erina said with a grin. "We're not finished yet!"
They were far from finished. They still had to deal with a sea of enemies, but they had more than the power to do it. Noir smirked while extending her axe, spinning around in a clockwise rotation. The speed and intensity of her rotation caused a swirling vortex of Psi magic to appear around her, rapidly drawing in anything unfortunate enough to be caught within its wake. Noir kept this going for a while until she swept up dozens of Legionnaires within the twister. She then came to a sudden halt, hurling the twister off into the distance. The Psiodyne tornado dispersed violently, tossing a number of Legionnaires off into the air.
That's when Wolf came in, Valjean right in front of him. Noir gave him the opportunity for the perfect follow up! "I never miss my mark." He said while pointing both of his pistols forward. Together with Valjean, they released a bullet hail unto the airborne Legionnaires, who could do nothing but take it. Wolf slyly placed one gun back into its holster and blew on the barrel of the other. When he did, one final explosion of almighty eradicated his targets with ease. "Damn, that feels good."
Skull and Queen were right next to one another, facing down a line of Slammers and Shielders. They had no intention of allowing them to break through easily, however the two of them just exchanged a look. "Let's blast right through 'em!" Skull grinned.
"I couldn't say it better myself." Queen said while flipping right onto Anat easily. She revved the bike several times, while William appeared in front of Skull. "LET'S GO!" Queen put the pedal to the metal, going full throttle right off the bat! She barreled straight through the large enemies that attempted to stand in her path. Their defenses weren't capable of handling her momentum, and everything that stood against her was blown back! William went through an extremely similar tirade, crashing through everything that Queen somehow managed to miss, and even more! The two were completely tearing things apart in a wide radius around them.
"We're comin' though!" Skull said while throwing his hand down. William launched a missile straight into the air, only for Queen to leap off Anat, rise above the missile, and kick it down. This caused a massive dome of an explosion to expand outwards. Skull and Queen stood in front of it with confident expressions. They were completely in their element.
"Score one for the Phan-!" Before Skull could even finish that, Queen jabbed him in the rib with her elbow. "Ow...!"
"Save it for later." Queen glared.
"Y-Yes ma'am..." Skull gulped.
Sophie flung her yoyos out to strike a number of Legionnaires taking shots at her. She was easily able to avoid the bullets coming at her, ducking and weaving with little trouble. She rounded a corner, twirling her yoyos around like spinning tops. She crashed into several Legionnaires, knocking them off the high ground they were perched on. For good measure, she summoned Pandora, releasing a bombardment of beams of light to ensure they were finished off. A ninja appeared behind her, attempting to take her by surprise, but before it could even attack her, Violet landed on its head to grab its attention.
"Up here!" Violet said with a slightly taunting smile. She then flipped over it, goading it into chasing her down. It threw a few shuriken at her, but she was able to deflect them with her rapier. She continued to goad the ninja into attacking her, taking several steps and flips backwards. "It's not good enough!"
Right at that moment, Nuwa charged through while knocking down a few Drummers and Slammers onto their back. The Ninja noticed this at the last second and dodged the near collision by leaping onto some high ground. Violet then dove down into the mess of Legionnaires scattered about, and pulled her gun out, shooting it at the Ninja. The direct hit caused them to switch places, which is exactly what Viper was hoping for. With Sophie, Violet, and herself spaced in a triangle formation... "Let's kill 'em." Viper spoke with a venomous grin. On that cue, she, Violet, and Sophie all lunged forward while pulling their guns out. It was a Triple Threat All out Attack on a the mass of Legionnaires all grouped up in the middle! The trio quickly dispatched the group of enemies with no trouble. "That felt good."
"Great job!" Sophie raised her hands to high five Viper and Violet. Violet did it instantly, and after a brief moment...Viper decided to as well. Sophie was one of the few Phantom Thieves aside from Dragon she had a decent opinion about. Violet and Noir were the others.
Mona drove by as a bus, using bursts of wind from Diego to increase his momentum without warning. Crow was crouched on top of Mona with Hereward summoned. As Mona drove through hordes of Legionnaires, Hereward shot down any that attempted to get the jump on them with curse arrows. Mona then hit a jump, causing Crow to leap as well. Mona transformed back to normal and twirled around with his slingshot, releasing multiple pellets to tag a number of Legionnaires. Another spin created a whirlwind that lifted Crow into the air, giving him a bird's eye view of the area.
"Hereward!" Herward took aim and fired off a single arrow of almighty magic. This arrow split off into multiple arrows, shooting off in every direction to strike through the Legionnaires that were tagged by Mona's slingshot. After striking the Legionnaires, the arrows exploded within them, killing them instantly. The whirlwind faded and Crow landed on the ground with a scoff, while Mona was dusting himself off.
"I'm so good." Mona said with a wide smirk. Crow wasn't going to entertain the cat's ego.
"Gorokichi!" Fox slid to a halt in front of a number of Legionnaires, slashing at the area in front of him rapidly along with his Persona. The Legionnaires didn't have a chance to counter before Fox's ice magic completely froze them over. Some of them were starting to break through, but they would never have the chance to do so. Fox slid across the ice, slashing at them as he did. Plenty of them outright fell over, and a few more came in to take their place.
However, they would not have the glory of seeing a fight. Panther and Dragon stood side by side on some high ground, with Bella and Celestine also back to back. Bella raised her sword, as Celestine cloaked the mighty weapon in flames. "Take this!" Panther and Dragon exclaimed at once. With this blazing sword, Bella dove forward into the horde of Legionnaires. They attempted to avoid and block what came next, but they simply had no chance. An explosion of fire cut through all of them, burning them all to cinders and leaving nothing wake. With that final attack, the Phantom Thieves cleared the army of Legionnaires that tried to stop them.
"They weren't so tough!" Erina said with a wide grin.
"That was likely just the warm up act." Crow said, refusing to get complacent yet. "We're only just beginning."
"I hope Sammy's quakin' in his boots!" Skull smirked as everyone started to get running once again. "I bet his next instinct is gonna be fear!"
"Hehe! We're going to show that natural 'instinct' what we stand for!" Noir smiled. The Phantom Thieves saw a set of stairs, and ran up them, which lead into the next area of Salmael's Stronghold...
.
.
Back in the Velvet Train, Ichinose couldn't help but fidget around a little bit. She was pacing through the train. Lavenza noticed this and tilted her head. "Are you concerned for them?"
"Oh, no. They're fine." Ichinose waved that off. "Me staying behind was for the best. I feel a little left out since I can't actually fight, but I also wish I could just see the action myself!"
"I see..." Lavenza placed her hand on her chin. "There is very little we can do from here. All I can do is move the train accordingly."
"Move the train?" Ichinose looked to Lavenza. "What do you mean?"
"Samael's influence is strong in this place, seeing that it is his base of operations." Lavenza explained, walking to the level to get the train to move. "However, the more the Trickster and his allies ascend, the further we can move the train as well."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Ichinose sat back down immediately. Even if she found it fun how Lavenza could steer the train, she still needed to buckle in.
"Very well. I will keep us moving." Lavenza tugged the lever, and the Velvet Train began moving once again.
.
.
As the Phantom Thieves entered the next area, they took a moment to talk. "I wonder why this place is so devoid of color..." Wolf asked.
"Now that Toshiro has awakened, Salmael can't use the photorealistic projections and colors from the film of his memory. In other words, the enemies just how must have been its pawns, made up of nothing more than artificial, empty matter." Fox figured.
"I suppose that's why Jerri is colorless as well..." Dragon surmised.
"They probably can't revive anymore either." Mona said. "Going by Miss Lavenza's intel, I'm guessing the gears we keep seeing are supposed to represent the 'will of the masses'." He used air quotes for that.
"With Toshiro set to become prime minister, it must think that quashing his will for change will deter the rest of the people, too." Queen said.
"What a petty god!" Panther rolled her eyes.
"Jerri had the same idea with Guernica's art. It appears they desire some sort of domino effect for the most efficient method possible." Dragon said with furrowed brows. "Use one person to bring down many others..."
"Needless to say, I don't intend to let it have its way." Toshiro shook his head. Everyone kept running, but halted when they came to a wide open space.
"...Eesh. The atmosphere just screams ambush." Oracle said. It wasn't subtle at all.
"What do we have hre? Did you all really come waltzing in like schmucks again?" A familiar voice spoke to them
"That voice...!" Toshiro's eyes widened.
"The bitch!" Viper pointed at her before she even appeared.
Marie drove up to the group in her favorite armored tank. Unlike before, she was completely silver, just like Jerri was. "I won't let you get away from me this time, TOSHIRO!"
"I doubt this is the same one." Crow spat. "It's probably an illusion."
"Toshiro, Toshiro, TOSHIROOO!" Marie screamed. "You're just a piece of trash that can't do anything on your own! You think rebelling now will do you any good!? You're nothing but a wind up doll! Give it up already, there's no point!"
"Say what you want, but you're wasting your time. I can walk on my own two legs now." Toshiro said firmly. "So I'm taking this will of mine, and ending my relationship with you!"
"Atta boy." Zenkichi grinned.
"Grrr...! Shut up, shut up, shut uuuuup!" Marie screamed. "You think you can defy me and get away with it!? You piece of crap! Trash! SCUM! You're my marionette, got it! Yes, you are! YOU HAVE TO BEEEE! I'm rich and famous! I'm a master, not a slave! Lowly peasants grovel before me!"
"...She's not even a person anymore." Viper sighed. "Then again, she was barely one to begin with."
"Oooooooohohohoho!"
"...Oh no. That laugh." Violet felt a shiver crawl up her spine.
Appearing next to Marie was Yoshiki. "Do you still intend to try and defy us, Toshiro?" Yoshiki tilted his head. "Struggle all you like - a louse like you isn't capable of changing a thing."
"There he is again!" Panther yelped. Yoshiki freaked her out!
"Yeah, but not totally surprising. Sammy must be desperate!" Oracle huffed.
"Terrible father strikes back for round two, huh?" Wolf was already itching to have another go at Yoshiki.
"You squandered your father's love and murdered your mother. A disgrace of a son, the embodiment of shamelessness!" Yoshiki's tone was that of the deeply disappointed father he was. "You're not saving anyone. You're not accomplishing anything. Accept this and bow before me. Lucky for you, I am tolerant. Repent now, and I will still forgive you." And since Toshiro just stared at him, his true, ugly face emerged once again. "I said start rubbing that forehead against the floor, you bastard! NOW! IMMEDIATELY! HURRY UP DAMN IT!"
Toshiro clenched his hand into a fist. "Father, you're right about one thing. I used to follow your orders without question. I hid my weakness, and followed the path others laid out for me. That's all I knew how to do. But I made the decision to change. And now, I'm going to prove it to you!"
In response to this, Yoshiki laughed. "Hohoho! An idiot through and through, eh? Very well. I gave you a chance to surrender, but so be it. Now, for the second time, I'll engulf you in my waaaarm love and...BEAT YOU TO A BLOODY PULP! I'll crush you and GRIND YOU TO BITS!"
"How eager you are for a second defeat!" Dragon said while twirling her staff around.
"In this mad comedy wrought by fate's fancy, the curtains fall with this final confrontation!" Yoshiki declared. "MY LOVE GROWS WIIIIIIIINGS!"
And last but not least...
"I know you're here." Toshiro said.
"Ehehehe..." The last of the bunch, Shadow Toshiro appeared next to Yoshiki and and Marie. Silver, just like them. "So, you still intend to continue that callow charade you call a revolution?"
"We literally just dealt with that one!" Viper pointed at Shadow Toshiro.
"Whine all you like, it's not going to get you anywhere! Your words won't reach Toshiro anymore!" Erina stepped forward.
"Shut your mouth, you parasitic vermin of Toshiro's heart!" Shadow Toshiro scowled.
"Oh, but that's an apt description of you, isn't it?" Toshiro shot back.
"Hah!" The doppelganger laughed. "Got your hands on some power and suddenly you're talking like a big shot!? You're nothing more than a miserable puppet, dancing to the tune of Eri Natsuhara's ridiculous ideas. This time around, I'll free you from that miserable woman's chains!"
"I think it's high time we let go of the past." He looked to all three of them; Marie, Yoshiki, and Shadow Toshiro. "Here and now, I'm going to prove our vow. I WILL fulfill the promise I've made!"
"What an IDIOT you are!" Marie shouted. "Do you really think you can stand up to all three of us at the same time!?"
"That's exactly what we think." Joker said while taking a step forward. "This saves us a lot of time."
"We prefer it this way." Dragon wore a sly grin. "All three of you can come at us at once. It will end just as it did previously: with your complete and utter defeat." She tilted her head slightly. "It would save us more time if you conceded right away."
"Yeah!" Panther grinned while extending her whip. "We can take all of you! We're not going to struggle as much as we did before! So give us your worst!" She wasn't the only one prepared to fight; everyone else was as well.
"Why you!?" Marie growled and decided to take them up on that offer. She stomped on her tank and drove it forward wildly to run everyone down. If this is what they wanted, then so be it! Her first target was, predictably, Toshiro! She planned to flatten him and be done with it. However, Erina blended into Toshiro and he turned into Renegade once again, leaping high into the sky to avoid Marie's poor attempt to run him down. "Don't think you're special just because you think you can fight back now!" She turned and pointed her gun at Renegade, only for a bullet to strike her hand, causing her to drop her gun. "Ngh!?"
And then, Noir and Dragon slammed their weapons right into Marie's chest! It was a surprise attack, and she was thrown back. "Just because you have money and power doesn't mean you can abuse it!" Noir spoke with determination. Women like Marie made her so mad!
"How DARE you talk to me that way! I do whatever I want, because I am a master!" Marie snarled and threw a ring at Noir, wrapping the chain around her neck. She planned to toss Noir, but the chain was sliced through by Crow's blade. "What!?"
Crow landed on his feet, Curse magic swirling around his sword and he slammed it down on Marie's tank to deal damage on it. "You're a sad, pathetic woman."
"I won't even get the same enjoyment calling you a bridezilla anymore." Viper dismissively waved Marie off.
"You clearly don't known your places!" Marie lifted her hand up, creating a very familiar pink flower within her palm. The Phantom Thieves recognized this, but it was too late as it exploded and the petals flew towards, this time striking everyone. "This time, you'll all be my slaves and bow to me!" The smoke settled, and...the control Marie sought to have over them was broken instantly. "W-What!?"
"Yeah, that's not gonna work again!" Skull smirked. "You caught us on a bad day!"
"And since Renegade has a lot more willpower than he did at first...your methods of controlling people aren't going to work on us anymore." Queen was cracking her knuckles. In fact, she was the one who lunged ahead, slamming her fist into Marie's tank with such force, it was forced backwards.
"T-THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! MY CONTROL...!" Marie snarled.
"Marie, can you do anything right!?" Yoshiki groaned. "Nevertheless, you are my idiot son's fiancé. So in my boundless generosity, I forgive you. I will show you how to do things the proper way!" The eye on his forehead shone brightly as he fired off a beam straight towards Renegade. Obviously, Renegade was about to dodge, but he was taken by surprise as Shadow Toshiro summoned numerous bandages to appear and wrap around him. "There's a son that can do what I ask!"
Unfortunately, their plan wasn't going to work as well as they hoped. Wolf stepped in front of Renegade, using the flat side of his blade to block Yoshiki's beam. After a bit of struggle, he was able to deflect it to the side. "Sorry, but we've already done this before. You're not getting anywhere a second time either." He then turned to slash Renegade free from his bindings, and continued this momentum, turning to shoot Yoshiki in the third eye. That was a direct hit, causing Yoshiki to growl.
"Agh! You bastard! There are some things even I can't forgive!" Yoshiki placed a hand over his eye.
"I feel the exact same way! I'm gonna enjoy putting you away when I get back home." Wolf smirked. He then glanced at Shadow Toshiro throwing a glob of shadows his way. However, the attack was intercepted by Renegade, who thrust his spear at his evil clone to stop the attack.
"Nothing any of you say will work on me anymore. I'm here of my own will, and I'm going to see this through to the end!" Renegade exclaimed. His mask burned off and Ernesto appeared, beginning to fire bullets at Yoshiki while flying all around him. Since Yoshiki was still a stationary target, it was easy for Ernesto to pelt him with bullets. He glanced at Shadow Toshiro attempting to make a move on him, but he was intercepted by diving kicks from Sophie and Violet.
"Guh...!" Shadow Toshiro grunted as he stumbled back. Deciding he didn't want to be pushed around, he started to sink into the ground. He was planning to transform into Eri again to give Toshiro one last fright, but as he did, something attached to his chest. It was Joker's grappling hook. "What in the...!?"
"And just where do you think you're going!?" Joker smirked as he jumped into the air, dragging Shadow Toshiro out from the ground. He spun around, using his momentum to toss Shadow Toshiro skyward. As he was thrown into the air, a joint fireball and an arrow of curse magic exploded against him at once, courtesy of Panther and Crow. The blast was so intense, Shadow Toshiro ended up crashing into Marie.
"UGH! You're just as bad as him, getting in my way while being useless!" Marie snarled. If it wasn't one Toshiro, it was another!
"Eyes up!" Skull smirked as he pointed his finger forward. By the time Marie and Shadow Toshiro noticed it, a powerful Ziodyne collided against them, causing them both to cry out.
"They don't really get along, do they?" Fox chuckled.
"They make a bad team." Sophie pointed out.
"Indeed they do!" Fox said before sprinting towards Yoshiki, who turned his hands into a loving heart. A loving heart that shot out violently towards Fox, but he slashed through it with his sword. That, and all of the other ones that followed suit. He leapt into the air and slashed at Yoshiki, who let out a growl of pain from the attack. "Now, you should all fall"
Yoshiki wasn't out of the woods yet. Mona punched the air, and Diego appeared, releasing a flurry of high speed punches upon Yoshiki's body. The bombardment of Miracle Punch was too much for Yoshiki to endure, so he ended up falling over onto the ground. "Take this, and this!" Mona grinned. It felt so good having the natural advantage he knew they were capable of!
"GAAAH!" Yoshiki snarled as he hit the ground. He tried to punch himself up, but he was flattened by the Mona Bus right after, the weight keeping him pinned down.
"This is how it usually goes!" Sophie grinned as Pandora threw an orb of light at Marie's face. This exploded as a flashbang, blinding the woman as she let out an angry cry.
"How dare you!?" Marie covered her eyes, an din her rage, she started to drive around haphazardly. She would just take everything out! This was still a rather dangerous attack, and everyone did have to drive to avoid being crushed. Marie had no idea where she was going, she just wanted to turn into roadkill. She learned from last time, and didn't throw out any explosive bouquets! That said, she still nearly fell forward when she DID hit something hard. "W-What is that?!" Her vision refocused, and she saw Bella's shield in front of her. Dragon stopped her cold!?
"Hello again." Dragon tilted her head with a smile.
Marie didn't get a chance to comment, because Viper was already in front of her. Nuwa full body tackled Marie straight to the ground with a powerful Vile Rush. Marie was knocked off of her tank and thrown to the ground next to Yoshiki. Viper stood on the tank and flashed her an annoying grin. "I think that's a fitting look for you. On the ground all disheveled, haha!"
"YOU PIECE OF TRASH!" Marie got pissed off by that, and in her rage, ended up flinging a bouquet bomb at her! Viper didn't budge, mostly because she didn't need to. Queen saw this as an opportunity and took it, appearing in front of Viper to kick it in a different direction. Straight at Shadow Toshiro!
Shadow Toshiro saw this coming a mile away. He threw out his hand, creating a Snaking Shadow to caught it to explode in front of him. "Did you think I wouldn't see that coming!? Such a juvenile" Before he could finish, Violet and Skull emerged from the smoke, striking him at the same time. Their combined might was able to push Shadow Toshiro right back into the pile with Marie and Yoshiki. With that...the three Kingdom Rulers were between all of the Phantom Thieves, as they prepared to strike from every angle.
"ALL OUT ATTACK!" Joker shouted. All of them whipped out their guns, beginning to open fire on the trio of Rulers. They had no defense for this full team onslaught. Explosions and gunshots rang out loudly within the void of Samael's stronghold. When it was all over, the Phantom Thieves landed in front of the three rulers, who could only curse their defeat.
"Damn you...Toshiro...Phantom Thieves..." Marie, Yoshiki, and Shadow Toshiro all groaned.
"Curse you to hell...Eri Natsuhara..." That was Shadow Toshiro's final act of spite. With their final words uttered, they all vanished.
"And that's what you get!" Skull shook his fist victoriously. "That's how it woulda gone if you had to fight us fairly from the start!"
"That felt so, so good." Panther stretched her arms above her.
Erina appeared once again, causing Toshiro to return to normal. The first thing she did was turn around. "Are you okay, Toshiro?"
"Just fine." Toshiro replied with a slight nod. "When they berated me and tried to drag me back down to their level, I didn't feel any anger. I'm just determined to finish this."
"You and the rest of us." Wolf said while patting Toshiro on the back. "We're nearly there now."
"Salmael is just up ahead..." Oracle told everyone. There was one more flight of stairs they had to go through...
.
.
Standing before the Phantom Thieves was a large golden gear. The pressure amped up immediately as soon as they got within close proximity of Samael. It had yet to show itself, but... "Ng...do you guys feel that?" Queen looked to the others. "Isn't this...?"
"It would appear we've reached the end: the abyss, where this so called god and his cohort reside." Fox stared ahead.
"Salmael and Jerri are here, aren't they?" Erina asked, although it was a question she already knew the answer to.
"Are you scared?" Joker asked earnestly. It was an understandable feeling.
"O-Oh, haha...you can tell?" Erina chuckled nervously.
"You're so transparent." Viper crossed her arms.
"I guess so..." Erina closed her eye. "After all this time, I think I finally get what it means to be scared. But I also have this feeling that I need to overcome this, in order for me to be me."
"Win, win...winnn!" Is what Toshiro was saying to himself, although that just made everyone give him weird looks.
"Let's win and put an end to this. That's what I'm here for, is what he says." Erina said.
"Yeah, I don't think so." Skull shook his head. He didn't get that vibe at all.
"Pardon me, anxiety had my mouth shut." Toshiro cleared his throat, trying to appear presentable. "No the outcome, this is the last fight. I'm truly grateful to all of you for fighting by my side all the way here."
"I'd like to thank you all, too." Erina said while looking to the Phantom Thieves. "For everything. If it weren't for you all..."
"Hey, it's a little early to be thanking us!" Panther replied with a smile.
"Let's put an end to all of this and have a laugh about it after, alright?" Noir giggled.
"Yeah, we gotta slap that phony busybody of a god with our formal rejection!" Oracle said.
"Uh-huh. I wanna go home already." Viper crossed her arms. As good as hitting things did feel, she wasn't a fan of all this fighting. And at that moment, the area began to tremble violently.
"Looks like our hosts are about to arrive." Wolf turned his attention to the sky.
'They've been rather poor ones." Crow commented.
"Here they come!" Mona exclaimed.
A heavenly light shone down, and Salmael's angelic wings slowly carried them down. Jerri, in her parrot form, was perched on its shoulder, glaring at the Phantom Thieves. "So you have finally come, my lost sheep. I take it your journey here has given you ample time to reflect on your sins? Now then, let me hear it. Confess onto me."
"Screw off." Was Joker's response, and he spoke for everyone. "Return us to the real world already."
"Give it up, Salmael!" Erina shouted. "You can try all the petty tricks you like, but our hearts will never surrender!"
"That's right! So long as our hearts still beat, we will not lose to you!" Dragon proclaimed.
"We've made our decision! We've no interest in your so called protection!" Toshiro said.
"You utter fools! Ungrateful humans!" Jerri angrily squawked. "My Lord shows you kindness, and you spit on it! You were not worthy of having the option to choose to begin with!"
"Ahh, what a woeful folly..." Salmael's tone held nothing but disappointment. "To think you'd reject the path to solace and prosperity of your own volition. You were right, Jerri. There is no hope for those with the seed of rebellion in their hearts..."
"Man, after all the shit you've put people through, you've still got the nerve to talk about peace? Don't make me laugh!" Skull scoffed.
"What you did to Toshiro-san was wrong." Sophie pointed at Salmael and Jerri. "You desire peace, but you intend to hurt people to obtain it. That's not peace! It's control!"
"My pitiful children...do you understand that I offer mankind salvation?" Samael asked.
"You might see it as salvation, but we call it sticking your big fat noses into other people's business!" Noir huffed. "We've seen what other people think salvation really is, and it's nothing more than a reality that robs humanity of what it really is!"
"We've decided a long time ago that WE decide what we want our lives to be!" Violet pointed her rapier forward. "Nothing is going to change that."
"We choose our own path in life." Crow shook his head. "That's all there is to it. And right now, you're in our way."
"What humanity is, is a bunch of lost wayward sheep that need to be guided to tranquility." Salmael replied. "If it is something you have faced before, why do you continue to fight it? It is the will of humanity."
"Do you know how many times we've heard those exact words?" Joker crossed his arms. "It doesn't matter what you are, or what your goals are. You're infringing on our way of life. We've decided our future, and no god is going to stand in our way. The will of the Phantom Thieves...is to resist. Always has been, always will be."
That was an answer Salmael did not enjoy hearing. "You understand nothing. That very mode of thought exemplifies vanity, irreverence, and foolishness. I will acknowledge that you are considered 'strong' among mankind. But you are the exceptions, not the norm. Most humans are frail in mind, and weak of will. You propagate your ideologies among the weak, fanning the flames of conflict while hiding behind shields of righteousness. Look at the result: conflict which embroil a myriad of people, bleeding causalities until eventually all meet their demise. And all the while, these sacrifices are glorified in the names of distorted words. Conviction, honor, ideals."
"That's right. Humans are inherently selfish, weak, foolish, stupid creatures." Jerri said while bringing a wing to her lips.
"..." Toshiro felt the memories flashing in his head. Specific images of Eri, Nakabachi, and the war in the Feudal Kingdom...
"A pathogenic bacterium spreading the contagion of war. Left alone, you will bring about the end of human civilization. This world was created to eradicate such disease. Furthermore, my will is the consensus of humanity. I urge you to submit to their wishes."
"Yes, we know all about how humanity is weak. Life isn't all sunshine and rainbows; it has it's ups and downs, too." Wolf said.
"I understand the point you're trying to make." Toshiro said. "It is true that reckless instigation of conflict can produce countless tragedies. But if one does nothing but run away from pain and suffering, can you really call that living? Even in the most adverse circumstances, there will always be those who desire change. They are those that are willing to fight, even if it leads to suffering. And perhaps their actions are motivated by their own ego, leading them to stray from the consensus of humanity. But I want to extend my hand to them all the same. I want to be the kind of person who fights alongside them. This is what I learned from the Phantom Thieves! This is my will!"
"Here that, Sammy!" Skull smirked. "You ain't needed around here, and we don't wantcha! This is your last chance to get out of our way, before we do to you what we've done to assholes like you in the past. We aren't gonna hold back either."
"Your will is foolish!" Jerri exclaimed. "All it will do is burn the world to cinders! With vision like yours, there will be absolutely nothing left! If people are allowed to fight as they please, the only thing that will remain are the ashes of a world that could've been ever tranquil. You look upon my Lord's gift with disdain all because of your pride and selfishness. The world will benefit from My Lord's power. We aim to protect the weakness of humanity. Do you turn your nose at it because you are the exceptions!?"
"No. You're wrong." Dragon shook her head. "Both of you."
"Wrong?" Salmael questioned. "We are wrong for wishing to protect humanity from the fires of conflict?"
"It is true that humans can be weak...this is something I myself know very well. Just last year, I was in a place where I would easily agree with your point of view. But as I stand now, I can do no such thing." Dragon said while looking towards both Salmael and Jerri. "You say that we are the exception, but that's not true. We are proof that humanity has the potential to become strong! If we let you or any of our previous enemies have their way, there would be no future left for us. You claim that our ideologies fan the flames of conflict...but at the same time, I have witnessed those same ideologies save people. It's saved me countless times, and everyone standing here alongside me!" In her mind, several memories flashed. The moment she met Ann, or how the Phantom Thieves helped her settle things with her mother. How they fought against those who used their power for evil, the defeat of Shido, Yaldabaoth, Maruki, Konoe, The Demiurge...Some of those not even possible without the aid of the masses Salmael claimed wished for protection. "Humanity is not as weak as you claim it to be." She placed a hand on her chest.
"You only say this because you have a cursed power that will drive you to ruin someday." Salmael responded. "You are lost. A wayward sheep who strayed from the path. But it is never too late to return. There are those who cannot ever muster the strength to do the same as you. Allow me to-"
"SILENCE!" Dragon exclaimed, shocking everyone. While she was no meek girl anymore, when she did raise her voice like this, it did surprise everyone. "I was once one who felt that way, a long time ago. But no more. Regardless of what you may say, I will not back down. You are right about one thing, it does come from the ego. I do hope that one day, those people are able to find the strength they need. But right now, I reject your offer, because of my own selfishness. As do the rest of us. It is human instinct to fight just as much as it is to not desire conflict. People are so much stronger than you believe them to be. If they fall, sometimes it takes the helping hand of another to stand on their feet. The human heart...is not weak. But if it ever falters, someone will be there to help."
"She's right." Noir said with a proud smile. "And considering you've just dismissed the majority of us as weak, I'd say you're the one looking down on humanity. We didn't start off strong...we all got there by taking one step at a time! We did it together!"
"Mhm." Panther said with a fond smile towards Dragon. She loved that girl and her convictions. It inspired her to stay strong as well. "You don't have to rule over people like this. They'll find a way to keep moving forward, all on their own. We've seen it time and time again. We're proof of that! It's possible, with or without the help of some god!"
"I know better than anyone that you can't be a shut-in just 'cause you're afraid of getting hurt." Oracle said firmly. "Whether you're supposed to be a god, an instinct, or whatever...I'm not cool with you forcing your beliefs down my throat! I've come so much further than I ever could have on my own, all because of them!"
"Life isn't a cakewalk." Wolf said while pointing at Salmael and Jerri. "Take it from me, someone who's twice as much as these kids ever have. There are always people who want to do good. I turned my back on my beliefs because of the danger, but doing that only hurt my daughter and killed me on the inside. I swore to never run away and face evil and injustice head on, no matter what. This mask I wear is proof of my own conviction, and you're not taking that away from me or anyone."
"I'm not even human...but I have a heart all the same." Sophie nodded slowly. "A heart is a beautiful thing. Even before I had one, it was all I ever wanted. I felt the feelings of those around me and wanted to protect them. Now that I have one of my own, I understand what it means to be weak, and what it means to be strong. I also promised EMMA that I would fulfill humanity's Desire, and it is my directive to be humanity's companion. That's why I can tell you with 100% certainty, that humanity...doesn't need or want you."
"You're in our way." Viper said. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. It doesn't matter what you are, nobody tells me what I can or can't do. I'm sticking true to my own convictions. If a god hates me for it, then tough luck! I might not get along with everyone here, but they're right about one thing. We're not kneeling to the likes of you. I'd sooner die than give you the satisfaction of being right."
"What she said." Crow scoffed. "I don't care what you are. I don't care about humanity's consensus either. There is no life worth living if it's under somebody else's control. This is my life. I caused all the conflicts in my life, and I'm paying for it. But...I'd prefer that, then the wasteland you desire to leave in your wake. Life is full of those unpleasant confrontations, but complaining about them does nothing. And if I had to say one thing about where I am now, after all of it...I'm in a better place. Which is just another reason I have to strike you down." Noir and Oracle gave Crow a slight smile in response.
"You can't change our minds on this!" Violet shook her head. "We've all overcome things in our own way. I will not turn away from life just because it's hard. You're several months too late to change my opinion there. We're standing here because we believe in our own convictions. The things we've all endured...nobody is willing to trade that fire of rebellion for the entire world. Whenever something comes our way, we will always fight! I have a promise to uphold to my sister, and no god is going to stop me from fulfilling it!" A promise to Kasumi...and to Maruki, to continue living her life.
"There were times we were close to giving up in the past, but in the end, we've always stuck to our convictions." Mona said. "So if you think we're gonna fold to your consensus or whatever, you've got another thing coming!"
"You're not going to push us around." Queen said calmly. "I won't allow it."
"This is your last chance, to both of you. The Phantom Thieves will always fight back, no matter what. Even if it's us against the world, and it has been, time and time again. This is nothing new to us." Joker said, glaring at Salmael and Jerri. "We don't need your salvation. Let us through. Now."
Salmael was not happy with their response. "How lamentable. Oh how I hear your screams. How I see your suffering..."
"My Lord...they are truly pitiable creatures..." Jerri sighed. She couldn't even find anger in their rejection anymore. It was truly disappointing that they resisted them so much!
"Sounds like a peaceful resolution is off the table..." Toshiro shook his head. As he expected.
"Twist your words however you want, we won't succumb to your absurdity!" Erina declared. "As the protector of his soul, and as a warrior that fought alongside you all...I will defeat you, and reform this world!"
"Such drivel. Truly, a cry of lunacy." Salmael dismissed Erina's words.
"It pains me to use forcible means, but you leave me no choice. This is for the salvation of all of humanity yearns for." Salmael said firmly. "For the prosperity of mankind, I will now eradicate you into nonexistence."
"Ah, so when things don't go your way, you just ignore it and force your will anyway. How typical of one in power." Crow scoffed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say there was a part of you that was hoping this would happen. Jerri."
"Yes, My Lord!" Jerri flapped her wings and flew to the side of Salmael. In a bright flash of light she transformed, and the similarities between the two of them were noticeable when they were side by side. The two stared down at the Phantom Thieves, their divine radiance attempting to pressure them into yielding. "This time...I will make sure there's nothing left of you!"
"Hmph." Dragon looked to Salmael and Jerri. "This is nothing new to us. We have no intention of conceding either. You have no claim over the Togo Kingdom. Are we all prepared?!" She didn't even need to say anything. Because Joker stepped beside her, taking out his gun, and aiming it straight at Salmael.
"Of course we are." Joker nodded. The others were ready to fight. This was the final battle, and they weren't going to back down. Fighting against the will of the masses? Against a god that wanted to snuff out humanity's flame? They would always resist. They would always fight.
"It's Showtime."