Phantom Dragon Rising

by pokemonrox7

Society was broken. And Akira's wings were shredded by the shards. After a single night tore all Akira loved from him, he finds himself in Tokyo, living out an unjust probation. Forging new bonds and entering an alternate dimension to change the hearts of the wicked? Well...he was the ward of the Dragon of Dojima; weirder things have happened.

3. In the King's Palm

"What in all the fucks...?"

Akira would be the first to admit that during his orientation yesterday, he wasn't really paying attention to the school. The layout, atmosphere and structure of the building, he had zoned out during nearly all of it.

But however out of it he was, he would have to be blind and deaf not to notice the fact that there was a GODDAMN MEDIEVAL CASTLE where the school was supposed to be, complete with a moat, drawbridge and ominous pink, swirling skies.

If this was the school then he was Feather Hawk!

But the sign out front said 'Shujin Academy...'

This...this was complete nonsense. This place looked like it belonged in a fantasy book, not modern-day Tokyo!

How on earth had this happened? Castles this prominent don't just appear out of thin air...

...

...

Okay, most castles didn't appear out of thin air. There was that one in Osaka that he read up on a few years back. But the concept of a castle suddenly appearing out of nowhere was bullshit then and it was bullshit now.

He spared a glance towards both Ann and Ryuji, who seemed just as stunned at the sight before them as he was.

"You're both... seeing this, right?" He asked the pair, turning to them with eyes wide behind his glasses.

To his relief, both of them nodded. "Uh... yeah, I think so," Ryuji answered slowly, a perplexed look on his face.

"This can't be real..." Ann muttered, her eyes full of confusion. "I've gone this way loads of times! It's supposed to lead right to school...why the hell is a castle here!?" She cried.

"You're...both sure that we didn't go the wrong way?" Akira asked. It was a weak question, but how else could something like this be explained?

"Yeah...I'm positive." Ryuji replied as he dug into his pocket for his phone. "Hold on, lemme just...huh?" The blonde kid looked at his phone screen for a second.

"What's wrong?" Ann asked.

"I was gonna open my Maps app so I could show you guys, but my phone's got no cell service." He told her, turning his phone around to show the pair that he was on zero bars.

Ann took a quick look and then reached for her own phone. It took a second for her to affirm that hers was in the same state. "Mine too."

And Akira...

"What is 'cell service?'"

Ann and Ryuji turned to look at him blankly, as if he had asked if wood floats in water.

"Are you for real, dude?" Ryuji asked.

"Hey, I literally just got this phone yesterday. I don't have all the ins and out of this thing down yet." Akira exclaimed defensively.

"Just...just let me have a look," Ryuji muttered as he came up to Akira and looked at his screen. "Yeah. You don't have any service either." He commented.

"And that's...bad?" Akira asked.

"Means you're off the grid. Can't make or receive calls, use the internet, or anything." Ryuji said. The blonde kid then took a few steps towards the castle and looked up and down the full scope. "Dammit, what the hell's going on here?"

"Ooh, I don't know..." Ann murmured nervously. Akira and Ryuji looked back to see her all antsy. "...but it's giving me the creeps. I-I wanna go back the way we came!" She demanded, pointing towards the alleyway they came from.

"But the sign, it says Shujin Academy, doesn't it? This has to be the school." Ryuji retorted.

"Yeah, and the sky is pink, there's a drawbridge, and there's nobody around when people should be arriving by now. This clearly isn't normal, Sakamoto!" Akira replied.

"Yeah...but..." Ryuji ruffled his short, blond hair and then stomped the ground. "Gah! This is too confusing! Look, I'm just gonna go in and see. You two can go back and take the long way if you want, but this can't be a real castle, I know it." Ryuji said. He then started walking towards the castle's drawbridge with a firm expression on his face.

"Sakamoto!" Ann cried out to him, but Ryuji continued to walk, ignoring her.

"Dude, come on! This could be trespassing for all we know!" Akira added. He had to admit, the guy had major balls to start walking up to a creepy-ass castle, but were his instincts shot? Something was obviously wrong here!

Once it became apparent that Ryuji wasn't turning around, Akira looked at Ann with a serious expression. "I'll go grab him before he gets himself into trouble. Takamaki, you should head back. We'll be right behind you." He told her.

Ann stared at him for a few moments, and then to the alleyway. All she needed to do was leave and get this creepy experience out of her mind...

And yet, something kept her from immediately following Akira's instructions.

"But..." She wrung her hands together. "What if...what if Kamoshida-sensei comes back? If you're not there, then he'll realise that the whole thing was a trick, and he'll be even more insistent." She told him with a worried face. It seemed that she chose to be a little more honest with him. Or maybe she had realised that hiding the truth of the matter was pointless.

Akira looked at her for a few seconds before sighing and nodding his head. "Good point. Do you wanna stay here then? I'll get Sakamoto and we'll be back in no time."

"Y-Yeah. That works." Ann nodded her head. "Please be careful."

"Yeah, got it. You too. If something looks... weird or dangerous, then the alleyway is right there." Akira gestured to it. "Only in an emergency, of course."

"Right."

With that established, Akira turned and ran towards the castle and then over the drawbridge. At the end of it, he arrived at the pair of big wooden doors, one of which were pushed open. So Ryuji had already gone inside.

Akira took a moment to process how surreal it was that he was about to enter a damn castle on his first day of school. Just in and out, no big deal...

Akira stepped through the opening and found himself in what looked to be a lavish main hall, exactly what you'd expect from a regal place. Pillars and torches, chandeliers, standing torches and indoor balconies. It definitely looked like a place of nobility.

And smack dab in the middle of the hall was Ryuji.

Talking to a knight.

Not someone who was dressed up as a knight for a performance or something, but an actual knight wielding a longsword and a massive kite shield. And its face was covered by some kind of green opera mask.

This knight gave Akira all kinds of weird vibes, how could it not? It was actually the same kind of sensation that he had felt last night...with Igor and the twins...

Just what was going on?

"Dayum, that costume's insane. It almost looks like real armour! Whatever club helped put that together really outdid themselves!" Ryuji told the knight with an almost frightening level of casualness.

Was...was he serious?

"Come on, say something. The school's a castle now, right? How long did it take to set up? What's the occasion?"

Oh god. He was...

The sound of clanking alerted Akira to the arrival of more knights identical to the first. They strode up to Ryuji who was looking visibly uncomfortable.

"H-Hey! W-Wait, time out!" He held up his hands. "What's goin' on!? Is this... actually real?" He asked in disbelief. The blonde looked around to try and find a break in the formation to run, but they had him surrounded.

One of them struck him struck in the back with a shield, sending Ryuji to fall to the ground in pain. That was when Akira decided that he had watched long enough.

"Hey!" He shouted, stepping into the room. "Back off from him. Right now." He warned. It achieved his goal of putting all eyes on him, including Ryuji's. "K-Kurusu...?" He grunted in pain.

"ThErE'S AnOtHeR InTrUdEr. CaPtUrE HiM." One of the knights ordered. The voice was unnatural, like it was distorted or something.

One of the knights stepped forward, metal boots clanking while sheathing its sword. It started walking towards Akira.

"I don't know much about the code of chivalry, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't involve ganging on someone who's unarmed. You're just punks in suits of armour." Akira snarled at them, subtly getting into a fighting stance.

"YoU WiLl nOt sPeAk tHaT WaY To tHe kNiGhTs oF ThE GrEaTeSt oRdEr tHaT HaS EvEr aNd wIlL EvEr eXiSt. On yOuR KnEeS, pEaSaNt!" The approaching knight ordered, its hand reaching out for Akira.

Akira waited.

The hand grew closer.

He breathed in and out.

His fist tightened.

"I said...down on your-!"

CRASH!

"G-GAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The knight went flying. Blown several metres back by something too fast to see. It landed right in front of the group of knights and Ryuji, coming to a stop with a shriek of metal, full ass over teakettle. Both the boy and the knights were trying to process what just happened.

The knight had been in front of Akira one second and now it was lying motionless on the floor in the next...with a massive dent in the armour.

"Wh-What the fu-!?" Ryuji gasped as he looked up to Akira, who was staring at the remaining knights with his fist raised.

"No way..." He muttered. That random kid...did this?

In unison, the knights broke formation around Ryuji and directed all their attention towards the foe before them. It seemed they already decided who the more dangerous one was between the blond kid and the man who had sent one of them flying with a single punch.

"Coming up to me like that, it was like he was begging to be Tiger Dropped," Akira chuckled. God, it was such an amazing technique, one of his favourites. "Now, what was it your friend said...? Down on my knees?" He asked with a smug expression.

"If you want me to kneel..." He grinned as he tensed all his muscles and a shimmer of yellow coated his body. "Then MAKE ME KNEEL!"

Ryuji didn't know about the knights, but looking at Akira right now, he was getting tingles up and down his spine.

The knights held their swords aloft and charged at Akira, who faced them with his fists clenched tightly at his sides. It was going to feel good to punch something again...

The first knight lunged at Akira with his sword, but Akira spun out of the way, delivering a powerful elbow to the knight's chest plate, causing it to crumple slightly. The knight stumbled backward, but his two companions were quick to close in on Akira.

They swung their swords in unison, but Akira rolled out of the way before popping up behind the knight and kicking its less armoured tendons. With a grunt, the knight fell to its knees, giving Akira the chance to roundhouse kick the sucker in the head. The knight crashed to the ground and didn't get back up.

The second knight advanced on Akira almost immediately after, swinging its sword in a wide arc. But in a stunning display of perception, Akira quickly moved his hands and caught the sword between them. The befuddled knight had all of a second to react before Akira spartan kicked it in the sternum. With a grunt, the knight fell backwards, his sword falling from its grasp, and remaining in Akira's.

Akira flipped the sword in his grip with a hum. It definitely felt real. They were definitely trying to kill him. He found himself slipping into a ko-gasumi stance. It may not have been a perfect stance for a longsword, but it was the only thing that he remembered from his old school's kendo students.

The first knight seemed to get its second wind and held up its own sword, circling Akira, who eyed it warily.

The knight lunged forward, thrusting his sword towards Akira's chest. Akira met the attack with a shower of sparks, his eyes glaring into holes of the soulless green mask.

A reflection on his opponent's armour had Akira quickly disengage as the other knight rejoined the fight.

"ReTuRn mY SwOrD, aNd i'lL MaKe yOuR DeAtH SwIfT!" The second knight warned as he thumped its shield on the ground.

Akira grinned. "Whatever you say..." And tossed the sword above their heads. The knight held out his arm to catch it, only to realise that it was a trap. With crazy speed, Akira rushed into a perfect striking zone!

"Essence of Uppercut Crushing!"

Akira let his fist fly, nailing the stunned knight right in the centre of its mask with such force that it went flying back like the first guy, before lying still.

And Akira wasn't done, as he caught the still airborne sword by the hilt and slashed at the final knight. It tried to bring its sword up in defence, but it was too slow.

With a shriek of metal on metal, the chest plate of the final knight was cut open horizontally, throwing the knight back before it too fell to the ground, unmoving.

Akira sighed. The battle was over.

He slowly came out Beast Style after confirming that none of the knights were getting back up. He still didn't know what the situation was with these knights, so he tried to remain nonlethal.

As he would soon find out, he needn't have bothered.

With a horrid hissing noise, the assaulting knights were engulfed in thick black smoke, almost like they were on fire. And just like fire, they were consumed by it in an instant, as if their armour and whatever lay beneath was made of flash paper. Nothing was left behind

"The hell...?" Akira gasped as he looked between each of the knights. All of them vanished in the exact same manner.

"Huh!? A-Ack! Oh god, I breathed that in...!" Ryuji gasped in disgust as the knight in front of him turned into black smoke before also vanishing.

Decided that the matter of the vanishing knights could be put aside (as difficult as it was to do so.) Akira looked at Ryuji before jogging up to him. "Hey, you alright, man?" He asked. "That guy hit you pretty hard."

Ryuji looked at Akira for a second before he started to push himself up off the ground. "Urgh...yeah, I should be fine." He replied, brushing off his pants. "More importantly though...the hell was that, man?"

"F-Fighting...?" Akira replied, suddenly feeling like he'd been put on the spot.

Ryuji hung his head in disbelief. "Uh yeah, of course it was fighting, but you don't get into a fistfight with four actual, literal knights and win. You put dents in 'em, man. Like, don't your hands hurt?" Ryuji asked, almost frantically.

Akira opened and closed his hands and then shook his head. "Nah, I punched metal stuff for training all the time back home. Eventually, you get to a point where it doesn't hurt anymore." Akira answered.

"Holy shit... You're some kinda badass, aren't you...?" Ryuji replied in amazement. Akira then proceeded to frown and cross his arms.

"What I am is some kind of pissed. Takamaki and I told you to come back, but you didn't. If I wasn't here then god knows what would have happened to you." Akira glared at the now guilty-looking boy."

"U-Umm...sorry, Kurusu." Ryuji replied. "Things were just too weird and I wanted to know what was goin' on. I didn't think I'd run into this kind of trouble..." He added.

"I don't think that anybody would expect this kind of trouble," Akira replied. "Still, it was stupid."

"Yeah, I got it. L-Look, can we get outta here now? I don't know what the 'eff is going on here, but this place definitely ain't Shujin." Ryuji replied.

Akira smirked. "Door's right there."

Ryuji stood up fully and made his way to the entrance with Akira. "But for real though, you fighting those knights has to be the coolest thing that I've ever seen. You were brilliant, man!"

Akira admittedly had to hold back a smile. That lone statement had confirmed in his mind that, as strange as it was to fight against medieval knights, his skills had actually managed to help someone other than himself. If only that night had ended similarly...

"Come to think of it, Sakamoto..."

"Hm?"

"Well, I rescued you from a castle, right?"

"Uh, yeah."

"And people who are rescued from castles are usually princesses, right?"

"Well yeah but...hey, wait a minute...!"

Akira grinned. "All hail Princess Ryuji! May her reign be long and prosperous!"

The squawk of indignation that Ryuji gave would become one of Akira's fondest memories...

As they arrived at the door, Ryuji sputtering to try and retain what little dignity he had left, Akira suddenly heard something coming from outside. It sounded like voices.

"Like, I know I messed up, but calling me princess is a low blow, dude. I mean, I have my-"

"Dude, shut up for a sec, there's something outside." Akira hissed. The blond quickly shut up and then huddled up against the massive doors. It was clear that he was going to be a bit more receptive to Akira's instructions.

The two boys crouched low and focused their ears to the outside.

"H-Hey...you're holding on too tight! It hurts!"

"StOp sQuIrMiNg, PrInCeSs! We'lL GeT YoU BaCk tO HiS MaJeStY'S SiDe iN No tImE!"

"I told you, I'm not a princess! Is this a movie set or something? Am I being pranked!?

"It iS StRaNgE ThOuGh, I CoUlD HaVe sWoRn tHaT We wErE PuRsUiNg aN InTrUdEr..."

"Aahh! I-If you don't let me go right now, I'm calling the cops!"

That feminine voice begging to be let go was unmistakably Ann's, and there were also the distorted voices of the knights.

Akira and Ryuji slowly peeked out from behind the door and surveyed the situation. As the voices indicated, Ann was being dragged towards the entrance to the castle, a knight on both her arms. She was kicking and flailing in sheer panic, yet could not break away.

"Dammit, I told her to run if things got bad..." Akira grunted.

"They probably took her by surprise. Tell me you wouldn't stop and stare if a pair of knights came up to you..." Ryuji whispered back.

"Point taken. Still, we need to save her!" Akira insisted.

"They're coming our way. We could ambush 'em." Ryuji replied. Akira looked at him in surprise. "Wait, you can fight too?" He asked.

"W-Well, no...but I could give one of them a good shove, and then you can take them both out. You're uh, good for that, right?" The blond questioned.

Akira grinned as he started to get into position behind the door. "Is grass green? Is water wet?" He told the boy confidently.

Ryuji smirked right back and dug the balls of his feet into the ground, ready to strike.

"Careful, dude."

"You too, Princess Ryuji~"

Before Ryuji could retort, the pair of knights stepped through the doors, with Ann in tow. Both boys stayed silent as they watch the twintailed blonde kick and scream in their grip. They were completely ignored. Good.

He looked to Ryuji and made a gesture to move on the unaware knights. Ryuji nodded back. As a pair, they silently advanced on the group, their targets locked.

And in an instant, they engaged.

"Hrrragh!" Ryuji screamed as he charged into the knight on the right. If there was any doubt that Kurusu was an absolute badass when taking care of these guys, it was assuaged in that moment, because Ryuji felt like he had just shoulder-charged a brick wall. Still, it got the job done as the knight tumbled to the ground and its grip on Ann fell away.

On the other side, Akira once again aimed for the weak point at the back of their knees and kicked them harshly. The knight fell to the ground with a surprised gasp, giving Akira the chance he needed to grip the top of the knight's helmet and smash its face into the ground hard enough to leave cracks on the floor. Obviously, that grip fell from Ann's arm too.

Those both happened in about two seconds.

"Ah! G-Guys!" Ann cried in surprise and relief. As soon as her arms were free, she scurried to the boys' backs, her blue eyes filled with frightened tears.

She was joined by Ryuji once the other knight started to recover. "Kurusu, go for it!" Ryuji bellowed as he looked to the frizzy-haired teen.

"GrR...! YoU TwO! i tHoUgHt a sQuAd wAs aLrEaDy sEnT To dEaL WiTh yOu. WhErE Is iT!?" The knight snarled.

"Oh, those guys? They couldn't catch a bee in an apiary. I crushed them." Akira said with a low voice.

"ImPoSsIbLe, YoU'Re jUsT A..." The knight suddenly noticed the still body of his comrade. "...pEaSaNt...?"

"Am I now? Then you shouldn't have any problem taking me down." Akira challenged with a smug expression. The declaration was permeated with a palpable confidence that caused the knight to falter.

"NgH...D-DoN'T TaKe uS LiGhTlY! yOu aRe nOtHiNg bUt-GaH!" The knight was cut off as Akira sprinted up to it and punted its kite shield out of his grip and into the air.

"Essence of..."

Akira leapt into the air, grabbed the shield and swung it down in too of the stunned knight with tremendous force.

"...Self Destruction!"

The knight didn't even get the chance to fight back...

"Are you okay, Takamaki? You're not hurt, are you?" Akira asked, once the threat had been neutralised and they stood alone in the main hall.

Ann rubbed her arm. "Th-They were pretty rough. B-But I think I'm okay." She muttered. The girl was clearly trying hard to stay calm despite all of the questions that were undoubtedly springing to her mind. The knights that Akira had defeated had vanished as if they were ghosts. What was up with that? And why were they calling her 'Princess'?

And Akira. Watching him was like watching an action movie. He took down those knights in seconds. She did not expect that from someone she had met no more than five minutes ago on the side of the street.

"Alright. So, if we're all in one piece, I vote we leave here, like right now. Not only is it dangerous, but we're probably going to be late if we spend any more time here." Akira commented.

Ryuji shook his head in disbelief. "Dude, we're in a goddamn castle, being attacked by knights that turn into smoke when you beat 'em, and you're worried about getting to school late?"

"If you were in my shoes, you'd be worried too," Akira said, his voice taking on a grim tone that made Ryuji feel slightly uncomfortable for asking.

"U-Um, I'm all for getting the hell out of here. I don't wanna see this place ever again..." Ann piped up. That was something that the two boys could agree on.

"Yeah, I hear ya...we should get outta here before any more knights show up. God, they're so freaking creepy..." Ryuji paused for a second before he looked to Ann. "And, hey. I'm...sorry, Takamaki. If I didn't insist on stayin' then we could've avoided all of this."

Ann looked at Ryuji in surprise for a moment before huffing. "We'll get out of here for now, and then I'll decide to forgive you later. If it wasn't for-"

"-If it wasn't for Kurusu, we'd be screwed, I know..." Ryuji sighed. "Let's just get outta here before something even crazier happens."

Akira looked to the door and waved the two to follow. "Come on, if we head through the alley, we should..."

Akira froze. It was subtle, but he could definitely feel some killing intent being thrown at him.

"Hey...did this room just get colder...?" Ann whispered.

"Something... doesn't feel right..." Ryuji added, his eyes glancing around the room.

Akira's instincts were screaming at him that something was about to happen. Screaming at him to keep his guard raised.

Something was coming, but from where...?

WHOOOOSH!

"DOWN!" Akira screamed as he turned on the spot and entered the Beast stance. Akira's order was so sudden and so powerful that Ann and Ryuji were acting on it out of an almost primal reflex.

Akira spotted a single projectile heading straight for them, wreathed in flames like a miniature meteor. It was fast, almost too fast.

Almost.

He tightened his muscles and focused his mind, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

As the projectile drew closer, Akira's instincts took over, and with a mighty roar, he swung his fist across his chest, channelling all his strength into a single blow. There was a deafening crack as his fist connected with the object, and for a split second, it seemed like time stood still.

Then, with a rush of air that blasted through the room, the projectile was sent hurtling towards the far wall, crashing into it with enough force to leave spiderwebs cracks in its place.

Akira shook his hand a little. That had stung a little bit, almost like he deflected a small cannonball, but it was nothing that he couldn't handle.

Plus, doing that made him feel like a Dracken Orb character.

Fuck yeah!

Ann and Ryuji peeked up from the floor and stared at Akira in awe, their mouths hanging open in disbelief. "Whoa...did you see that?" Ryuji breathed.

"It was kinda hard not to..." Ann whispered right back. God, she could barely move her mouth...!

Akira then glanced at where he sent the projectile packing. Just what the hell had been shot at them? Scanning the realm of reasonable options in his head didn't return any likely candidates. What on earth could it have possibly-?

And then he saw it.

It was a volleyball. A completely normal volleyball that had been shot at them like an oversized bullet. Who in the fuck decided that volleyballs needed to go fast enough to leave cracks in walls!?

"Well, well, well...it's not every day that I come across someone who can deflect my spike. How...infuriating."

Another distorted voice came from above them, but it was obvious that it wasn't the knights from before. It was different, more sinister, and extremely arrogant.

Akira, Ann and Ryuji looked up at the top of the stairs, only to be met with...

"K-Kamoshida!?" Ryuji cried in alarm.

"Kamoshida!?" Ann gasped.

"...dude, where are your pants?" Akira asked.

The man that stood at the top of the stairwell was, to put it mildly, scantily clad. The only thing that he was wearing that covered his body properly was a fur-lined robe adorned with hearts. Other than that, the only other things that we wore were a pair of slippers and pink underwear, as well as a tiny crown atop his messy hair.

But Akira could not mistake him. The man before them was, without question, the same man that had offered them a ride just a little while ago. What was happening?

"You would address your king so disrespectfully? It is King Kamoshida! You intrude upon my castle grounds and don't even bother to address me by my proper title? All of you are in deep shit!"

Kamoshida gave a single wave of his hand, causing the entrance doors to slam shut behind the trio. Ryuji turned on the spot in shock and dashed over to the door. He grabbed the handle and frantically yanked at it, but the door wouldn't open. "Wh-What the hell!? Let us the eff outta here, Kamoshida!" Ryuji demanded, turning to the man, glaring at him with hatred.

"Oh Sakamoto. You just don't seem to learn your lessons. You stand up to me, naively believe that I can't get away with whatever the hell I want and now you speak with such disrespect? I'll have you executed!" Kamoshida snarled.

"The hell you talking about, King No-Pants?" Akira asked lowly. There was genuine ire in the man's voice. He meant everything that he said.

"Hm?" Kamoshida broke his attention from Ryuji and fixed his gaze on Akira, staring at him with baleful golden eyes. Akira didn't flinch.

"And you. Assaulting my knights, forgoing the respect I deserve... I'll have you both executed! But, I think I'd like to watch you scream. Perhaps I'll hang you up in the torture chamber for a few months before I take your head..." He said with an evil grin. "There's something about the way you stare that really pisses me off. I should gouge out your eyes... Yes, that will make me feel better." He said.

Then he looked to Ann. "But you, Takamaki... Hmmm, I knew it was only a matter of time before you delivered yourself to me. You clearly can't stay away, can't you?" He told her with a perverted smile.

Ann, who was clearly horrified by being come onto by a somehow even worse version of the teacher, proceeded to hide behind Akira.

"I-I don't want anything to do with you! You're the one who...the one who..." Ann trailed off, looking down at the ground shamefully.

"Oh, you don't have to say anything Takamaki. You may be stubborn, but you'll come around... You won't have a choice. Sooner or later, you'll belong to me. After all, you want her to be able to follow her dreams, right?"

Akira noticed the light slowly dim from her eyes, and she whispered something too quiet for him to hear. He turned back to Kamoshida and moved to block his view of the girl.

"You're blackmailing her with something, aren't you? Trying to force a relationship, with a minor with whatever it is." He grunted, clenching his fists at the fury that started to bubble up within them.

Kamoshida scoffed. "I don't have to answer to you, you pathetic little slime. I can do whatever the hell I want. After all, I'm King."

He then whipped his robe outwards, giving everyone too much visibility of his near nakedness. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to deal with you right now. I'm quite busy, so you'll be going to the dungeons until I'm ready for you..."

Kamoshida snapped his fingers, causing many explosions of black sludge to surround the teens. To their shock, every one of them gave rise to another abnormal knight, until there were about twenty in total.

"Wh-Whoa, shit! Guys, come on, we gotta run!" Ryuji cried. He panicked and looked around for an exit but saw a knight stationed at each one.

"Don't bother. I've had this room completely covered. Nothing goes in or out unless I want it to. And you," Kamoshida pointed at Akira. "You can't possibly defeat all of these knights, so if you want to grovel for forgiveness, now is the time."

Akira glared at him and assumed his Beast Style once again. Truthfully, being able to defeat the knights was irrelevant, he knew that he could do it. What really made things difficult was the fact that he'd have to protect both Ryuji and Ann too.

Still, he'd be damned if he didn't try.

"If one of us is going to be grovelling at the end of this, it's going to be you, King No-Pants!"

Kamoshida gave Akira a cruel grin and then walked away, heading deeper into the castle.

The knights drew their swords and slowly advanced on the trio. With nowhere to run, both Ann and Ryuji huddled up to Akira with terror clear on their faces. "K-Kurusu...you can handle this many, right?" Ann asked, her voice quivering.

"I should...but not while I'm protecting you guys..." Akira admitted. "I'll try to clear a path through them. Once I do, you two make a break for it, at least keep out of their reach. Kamoshida wants us alive, to torture me, to creep on Ann and to execute Ryuji."

Their faces grew grim at the summarization.

"But I promise you two this. No matter what happens, I won't let you die. I'll save you." He told them. The knights grew closer and closer. And Akira grit his teeth.

"COME ON!" He shouted as he jumped into the mass of knights.

Akira's Beast Style was a force to be reckoned with. With each strike, the knights fell one by one, their weapons no match for his strength and agility. But he knew that time was not on his side. He had to defeat them quickly if he wanted any chance of saving Ryuji and Ann and getting the hell out of here.

The room was filled with the sound of crunching metal and fallen swords. Even with a whole gang of knights, he battled them with flawless application and brutal strikes. He broke bones (if these knights even had any,) slashed swords, and slammed their faces into each other. Knights fell one after the other. Yet, for as hard as he fought, he couldn't clear a path for the pair. Not one that stayed open long enough for them both to dash through, anyway

It was when he had a pair of knights' faces smashed into the floor that he saw it - out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Ryuji and Ann being dragged away towards one of the room's exits.

His heart sank as he watched them disappear from view, their screams of terror ringing down the halls.

"Ah! Crap! Get offa me!"

"No! No no no! Kurusu! Please help!"

"Dammit! Hold on!" Akira shouted, standing up, only to be met with more of the knights. The pair's screams were growing fainter by the second...

No, don't panic. They would be kept alive.

He got up from his most recent victims and looked at the remaining knights. Eight in total.

"I'm sorry, knights, this isn't personal or anything, but I've gotta finish this quick..."

Akira took a step back and readied his stance. One that radiated frightening power.

"Who's first? Plenty of Tiger Drops to go around!"

Yeah, Akira had pretty much given up on getting to school on time at this point.

---

"Shit shit shit shit shit shit!" Akira cursed over and over as he sprinted down the halls of this crazy castle. The walls turned to blurs and stairs were taken four steps at a time. Obviously, he didn't have a clue where he was going, but he'd seen the knights take Ryuji and Ann this way. It was either pursue the only lead that he had, or leave the castle, call the authorities, and try and convince them of everything that had happened.

He was already on probation, he didn't need to be thrown into a cell again for drug usage...

No, he'd have to save those two alone.

Akira continued to run, noticing that the gaudy blurs were starting to change into dreary, oppressive blurs.

And...was that the sound of water that he heard?

As Akira continued forward, the sound of rushing water grew louder and louder until he finally emerged into another part of this castle, and what he saw before him was so absurd that it stopped him in his tracks.

It was some kind of large chamber, lined with muddy-red stones illuminated only by flaming torches, with parts of it partitioned off by thick cell doors. The rushing water sound that he heard came from an aqueduct in the floor, running all the way down the length of this place.

Was aqueduct the right word? Maybe it was more appropriate to call it a channel?

From the ceiling, thick chains dangled down above the water. Some were simple chains, others were manacles to hang someone by their arms, and there was even a massive cage, big enough to put a person in... This just kept getting more and more creepy.

Akira scanned the chamber, looking for any signs of the others, but all he saw were other macabre 'decorations' that were strewn all over this area. Rusty trays for carrying food on, chests filled with whips, nails, even barbed wire. Akira felt sick to his stomach just looking at it. This was the perfect example of a torture dungeon.

There were cells lining the walls of this place, but a quick peek in them revealed that they were either empty or the doors were outright open, which meant either they were waiting for prisoners...or the much more horrifying possibility that-

"YEEEAAAAAARRRGH!"

Akira immediately flinched, chills running up and down his body like electricity. What was happening?

He had just sprinted into a horror movie, that's what was happening!

The only thing that kept him from turning tail and sprinting back the way he came was the knowledge that Ryuji and Ann had to be down here somewhere. But the only way to find them was to head deeper in... God he hoped that it would only be more knights that he'd have to deal with.

Akira gathered his courage and took a single step forward, but then heard the sound of heavy clanking.

Speak of the devil.

Akira quickly darted to one of the empty cells and hid himself inside. Until he knew for sure where his schoolmates were, he shouldn't draw attention to himself...

He peeked out from within the call and spotted a group of knights returning from beyond the barred partition. They probably weren't on patrol, but Akira didn't want to be lax and find himself in more trouble.

He pressed himself against the wall and covered his mouth. The clanking steadily got louder...closer, until they were right outside the cell door!

Thankfully, that's all it was, and the squad continued on their route, marching down the same passage that Akira came from.

Akira waited for ten seconds, then thirty, then sixty, before finally emerging from his hiding place. That could have been really dicey.

After taking one more glance, Akira shot out of the cell and ran up to the barred partition. The door was unlocked. Either the guards were lazy or they were confident no one would escape. Whatever, it worked out for him.

He continued further into the dungeon the sound of his footsteps echoing against the stone walls. He hoped that he was going the right way. The only plan that he had was to follow the water.

And over the sound of that rushing water... he heard something.

"...Hey! Let us the hell outta here, assholes!"

CLANG!

"Ack! Shit...!"

There was no doubt about it. That was Ryuji!

With relief now blossoming in his heart, Akira sprinted after the voice. His feet pounded the ground beneath him as he stared forward resolutely. They'd better be safe...

He eventually came upon a cell to his right, the final cell in this long-ass hallway. Inside, he saw two figures that he was all too happy to recognise.

Ryuji was leaning up against the cell bars with a frustrated expression on his face, while Ann was curled up on the wooden cot in the back of the cell, looking close to a panic attack.

Akira skidded to a stop in front of the cell. "Sakamoto! Takamaki!" he exclaimed. "Thank goodness I found you!"

Both teens bolted upright in surprise. They glanced to the front of the cell, to see their mutual ally.

Ryuji looked up at him with a grin, his frustration bleeding away to show sheer relief etched all over his face. "Dude! Holy crap, I thought they got you too! You alright?" The blonde asked, gripping the bars.

"I should be asking you guys that. I thought that screaming was yours for a second there." Akira replied, causing Ryuji to grimace. "Yeah...man this place is soooo effed up..."

Akira sighed and pressed his forehead against the bars. "Sorry, Sakamoto, I said that I'd keep you guys safe, but..."

"Don't worry about it, man. They had us surrounded. What matters is that you're here no-waah!?"

Ryuji was suddenly pushed aside as Ann got off the cot and rushed up to the bars. "Oh thank God! You came to save us, right Kurusu?" She asked desperately.

Akira couldn't help but smirk. "Of course. After all, I couldn't leave the vulnerable Princess Ryuji in the clutches of such a wicked place~"

"Wha-! Dude!" Ryuji spluttered. "S-She's also locked up! Why ain't she the princess!?" He pointed to Ann, who couldn't help but giggle, despite the grave nature of the situation.

Akira smiled at his attempt at levity before looking at the cell doors, his face falling into a frown. "In all seriousness though, this thing looks pretty thick. It's gonna be difficult to get through it if we don't have the key." Akira muttered to himself.

"Wait, you don't have a key?" Ann asked, her face twisting back into nervousness. "B-But if you don't have a key, how can we get out...?"

"You can just break this door down with a single kick, right, just like with the knights! After all, your strength's the real deal. I tried punching one of those knights when he took us away, and I couldn't make a dent!" Ryuji said, with eyes filled with enthusiasm. "My knuckles still hurt, even."

"I mean...I could break it down, but it'll take more than one kick to do that. A lot more." Akira replied as he thumbed his chin. "If I go that route, there's no guarantee that I can bust that thing open before a guard comes to check out the commotion. I gotta get you guys outta there before any knights show up. If they show up in the same numbers as before, I might never get you out." Akira admitted.

"So...wh-what should we do then?" Ann asked.

Akira sighed. "Just...just give me a second to think." He groaned. He directed his sight behind the duo and into the cell. "No chance of being a secret passage like in the movies?" He said with an awkward chuckle.

Ryuji shook her head. "We already searched this place. Nothing here but barrels, that bed thingy, and those chains on the wall. We thought about hiding in the barrels to make 'em think we escaped, y'know, so they'd let their guard down. But it's too obvious. It's the only place to hide in here... " Ryuji replied.

"That so...?" Akira mumbled as he managed to squeeze his head through the bars and take a closer look at the cell himself. It was just as Ryuji said. There was next to nothing that looked like it could assist in escaping.

No, there had to be a way.

He scanned the room from top to bottom, with Ann and Ryuji looking at him anxiously...

Hm?

Oh, that could work...!

"Sakamoto, Takamaki I have an idea, but I'll need your help," Akira told them, with nothing but seriousness in his voice. Both the blondes stared at him attentively.

"Sakamoto. Those shackles on the wall. They look old. See if you can separate that open one from the chain. Takamaki, set those barrels next to the bed. Get one of their lids off and leave it slightly ajar."

"Huh? What are we doing exactly?" Ryuji asked.

"Oh, yeah, I should probably tell you what I've got..." Akira said as he retracted his head and grinned.

"Alright, here's what we're going to do..."

---

"Pah! You're useless, every single one of you!" A certain king snarled as he stormed through the dungeon with an entourage of knights. "How could you all fail to capture a worthless peasant? There were twenty of you, for shit's sake! Now he's scurrying around my castle like a rat, and it's all your fault. If he isn't found within the hour, I'll be taking YOUR head!"

"F-FoRgIvE OuR InCoMpEtEnCe, KiNg kAmOsHiDa! I AsSuRe yOu tHaT We'lL ApPrEhEnD ThAt sTrEeT TrAsH AnD GiVe hIm hIs dUe pUnIsHmEnT!" One of the knights replied nervously.

"Hmpf...well, on the bright side, I have Sakamoto and Takamaki to play with..." He said, a nefarious grin stretching across his face. He was coming up to their cell now. Maybe he'd break Sakamoto's other leg, maybe he'd give Takamaki a good fondling after tearing off her clothes. Or perhaps both. Yeah. That sounded good. He wanted to leave this cell with both their eyes devoid of hope.

With a flutter of his robe, he stepped in front of the cell...only to find it barren. Takamaki and Sakamoto weren't inside.

"What!? How did they...!?" Kamoshida began to ask, before his brain caught up with him. There was no way that they could have escaped; the door was still locked.

They had to be hiding in the room somewhere. And by somewhere, he meant literally the only place to hide. Those barrels weren't fooling anyone.

One of the knights fiddled with the keys before opening the door, allowing entry to Kamoshida and the knights. Without needing a command, the knights stood in front of the barrels, ready to punish the foolish prisoners. They were as dumb as rocks if they thought that this could fool them. Hell, one of them was even slightly open. Utter amateurs.

Kamoshida decided to have a little fun.

"Gee! I WONDER where they could have gone. They're probably not inside these BARRELS. I guess we'll be on our way now." Kamoshida then obnoxiously stomped his feet in front of the barrels, as if he was walking away. He smirked as he imagined the quivering pair inside the barrels.

He then nodded to his knights, two of them placing their feet on the barrels. And with a wave of his hand, he put an end to their little game.

CRUNCH...!

Or...it should have been. There was the crunch as the barrels shattered, but no fearful screams or timid whimpers.

And more importantly, there was nobody inside them at all.

"W-Wait, what...?"

Creak...

Click...

The door!

Kamoshida and the knights all turned at once to see the cell door had been shut, with them inside. And not only that, a metal clasp was being affixed to the top of the door, securing the edge of it to the static bars. They had been locked in!

And worst of all, on the other side of the bars, there stood Takamaki, Sakamoto and that damned glasses brat that had been screwing up his plans left, right and center!

"Bastards! Release me immediately!" Kamoshida snarled, rushing up to the bars and gripping them tightly. He rattled the door, but the clasp held tight, only allowing a little wiggle room.

He didn't understand! How did they escape? Where had the third teen come from?

"You know, it's funny..." Ryuji said, looking at Kamoshida all cocky. "You'd think a volleyball player would be more used to lookin' up."

Looking up...?

The realisation hit the king like a bolt of lightning.

"The rafters...!?" He gasped, with his gaze drawing to the top of the cell where there were wooden beams lining the walls. They must've climbed up the bars of their cell and waited in the rafters until they opened the door, distracted by the barrels, then they dropped down and escaped, locking them in with a detached manacle.

"Ugh, I feel like I'm gonna throw up, that could have gone sooooo bad." Ann groaned.

"It almost did. If I didn't catch you guys, we probably would have been noticed." Akira added.

"Still feels weird that you did that..." Ryuji added.

"Where the fuck did you come from, you shitstain!?" Kamoshida snarled, practically spitting venom.

"Oh, I was hiding in the canal. Popped up behind you the second you went in." Akira replied with a smug expression.

"Uh guys, we should go. I don't want to stick around to see how long that holds them." Ann quickly commented.

"Yeah, sounds good!" Ryuji replied as he set off down the dreary path. "C'mon, we're getting out of here!" He announced.

"Oh, one sec!" Akira replied, before walking up to the bars, Kamoshida glaring at him like a crazed animal. "Hey, King No-Pants?"

"IT'S KING KAMOSHIDA, YOU INSOLENT-!"

Akira reached into the cell, grabbed the man by his robes, and pulled him into the cell bars with a loud clang. Then he did it a second time, and then once more for good measure, the man crying out in pain each time.

"Aaaargh! You l-little..." Kamoshida cursed before Akira shoved him to the floor. "ffffffffffuuuuuuuuuck!"

One of the knights caught the man, but that did nothing to soothe his skull.

"It's "mud" as far as I'm concerned." Akira snarled, before turning around and running after the other two. Part of him hoped that they wouldn't be able to get out, but he knew that they'd probably only have a few minutes head start.

Better skedaddle.

---

Unfortunately, the way that they had come from had been blocked off. The partition had been locked this time, which meant that they needed to find a way around it.

The route that the three teens stumbled upon involved using cages to jump across the aqueduct, and finding a broken cell wall that they could crawl through to reach another area.

"We-We don't actually have to crawl through there...?"

"Takamaki, it's our only way out."

"But my ti-tights might get torn..."

"..."

"..."

"Welp, sorry, Sakamoto, it looks like our road ends here. We'll be apprehended any second now, but Takamaki's tights are worth more than our lives, apparently."

"Sh-Shut up! I realised how stupid it was when I said it... Let's just go...!" Ann blurted, red-faced.

It wasn't long after scurrying through the tunnel that they found themselves before their next obstacle, a raised drawbridge, with a disgusting stone bust of Kamoshida on its side. Talk about pretentious!

"Shit! How're we supposed to lower this thing? I'm not seeing any buttons." Ryuji exclaimed.

Ann stared at it for a second before then looking at Akira. "Could you try punching it?"

Akira gave an incredulous snort. "Takamaki, I can't punch all of our problems away. Only most of them." He snarked. "But take a look." He pointed across the channel. "This is a...ah, I read about this somewhere...well, this bridge has two halves on either side and they both meet in the middle. Even if I could knock down one side, the other is still stuck." He explained.

"So...we've got no choice but to find the mechanism..." Ryuji grumbled. "But there's nothing here!"

"Yes, there is, and I could show it to you if you release me!" A high-pitched, almost childlike voice suddenly rang out.

The trio froze on the spot, and their heads turned to inspect a lone cell at the end of the corridor. Was someone in there?

That's when they noticed something small, black and white grasping at the bars. And that was small with a capital S. This thing barely came up to their kneecaps. And it looked like...

"W-Waaaah! A m-monster cat?!" Ann yelped, immediately backing away from the cage.

"Holy shit!" Ryuji cursed "Why is this place so freaking weird!?"

Indeed, this...creature seemed to be some kind of bipedal feline, but with a bulbous, oval-like head, and even had a tiny utility belt around its waist.

Akira just silently stared at the thing.

"Wh-What!? I'm not- L-Look, the key to the door is right there...!" The feline-like creature pointed to a single key that hung on a hook right next to his cell.

"What?! You can not be serious! You look even weirder than the knights. What if we open the door and you start tryin' to rip out faces off?" Ryuji asked, his brow furrowing in suspicion.

"Or what if you're just trying to trick us by pretending to be a prisoner? You could be the most dangerous thing we've seen so far!" Ann added.

"Rip your faces off!? Pretend to be a prisoner? I'd never do stuff like that. I'm a gentleman...I-I promise." The creature replied. It looked downtrodden for a second before looking up. "Look, believe whatever you want, but I do know the way out of here. You wanna escape? I can bring you to an exit! I know a surefire way to get around the patrols. As long as we keep our heads down, you'll be out of here in no time!"

"A-An exit?" Ann asked.

Ryuji scowled. "I don't trust it," he muttered. "It could lead us into a trap, or, like I said, rip off our faces."

"I woooooon't!"

Ann, on the other hand, was more curious than wary. Mainly because this thing offered a way out. "But it's saying it can help us," she said. "And it seems harmless enough."

"Harmless?" Ryuji scoffed. "Takamaki, literally nothing in this place that we've seen is harmless!"

Jingle

"Look, we don't have time for this," Ann said, stepping forward. "We need to find a way out of here, and this might be our only chance. Plus, even if it doesn't have the best of intentions, have you forgotten who we have with us? He could probably neuter it before it tried anything."

"N-N-Neuter!?" The feline squeaked.

Ryuji crossed his arms. "Dammit, we don't have time to discuss this. Those knights will be on our asses any second!"

Click

"Yeah, so we might as well have someone here who knows where to go!" Ann argued.

"But like I said, he could be lyin' about it. Kurusu, what do you-?"

Creeeeeeeeeak...

A squeak of rusty metal silenced the duo's argument as the cell door swung open. The creature proceeded to trot its way out of the cell. With a relieved grin, it stretched its stubby arms and legs...

"Ah, freedom tastes so-MROW!?"

Only to be engulfed by a surprise embrace from the frizzy-haired kid that released him.

Akira had been silent up until now, but now he was muttering something that sounded like "Holy crap, I can't believe it...!" And "He's even more cuddly than I imagined...!"

"H-Hey! Frizzy Hair! L-Lemme go! This is embarrassing...! Put me-Ah, no! Not between my e-eeearrrss...! M-Mroooow~ Purrrrr~ Meeewww~"

The feline tried to break free from Akira's grip, but it was a futile effort, and when Akira started stroking his head, then it completely devolved into adorable purring and meowing, with its disconcerted expression melting into one of blissful relaxation.

"Uh, dude? The hell!?" Ryuji cried as both he and Ann watched Akira act completely different to how he had done so far. He was... snuggling with this monster cat like it was some kind of plushie! What kind of badass snuggled with plushies?

Ann thought the scene was weird but also kind of cute.

Akira broke attention from his curry captive and looked up at the two blondes. "Guys! Can you believe this!?" He asked, holding Morgana up. "He's a real-life Kitty Kat!" He announced excitedly.

"...Eh?" Came the confused responses of the other two.

The 'Kitty Kat' seemed to snap out of the trance while Akira wasn't petting him. His white, furry cheeks slowly began to pinken and he flailed in Akira's arms.

"I am NOT a cat! I am Morgana! Now quit showing me off and put me DOWN!" He demanded. The...not-cat, or so he claimed, seemed to be genuinely upset, so Akira was brought out of his euphoric state and slowly lowered him to the ground.

"Uh, you do know that cats are...real, right? They're not mythical creatures like unicorns or kappas." Ryuji commented with a deadpan look. "And "Kitty Kat?" Really?"

"Huh? Yeah, I know that." Akira replied, watching as Morgana embarrassedly brushed himself off. "I don't think that Morgana's an actual cat; I was talking about the line of toys that you can only get from UFO Catchers. You know, the Kitty Kats. They come in calico, blue, red, tiger, and American Short Hair, but I've never seen a black and white one..." Akira explained.

"T-Toys?!" Morgana cried in indignation.

"UFO Catcher..." Ryuji muttered. "Now that you mention it..."

"Yeah, he totally looks like one of those Kitty Kats!" Ann announced with a bright smile "Suddenly, he doesn't seem so suspicious!" She added merrily.

"Wa-Wait! Now you think I'm a toy? I'm not! I'm a human, just like you guys!" Morgana retorted with probably the last thing that any of them expected."

"Human?" Akira asked. "But you look just like..."

"I know, I know, I'll explain later! But we don't have time! The shadows'll be on us any minute!" Morgana insisted.

"Shadows...?" Akira whispered to himself. What the hell were shadows?

"Aw crap, we got distracted!" Ryuji hissed. Now that they listened, there was the distinct sound of metal boots, rushing to their location.

"Morgana, you said you knew the way out, right? Please, take care of us." Ann begged, interlocking her fingers desperately.

Morgana looked to Ann.

He blinked twice.

His heart began to beat rapidly.

His ears and tail perked up, pointing straight at the ceiling.

Ann's beauty instantly entranced him, and her hopeful gaze immediately left him giddy.

It was love at first sight.

"N-No problem, my Lady, just leave it to me!" Morgana squeaked. The sudden formality made Ann chuckle.

"You can call me Ann if you'd like."

"Lady Ann..." Morgana purred, smiling brightly as he repeated that name over and over again in his head. "A wonderful name for a wonderful woman~"

"Monamona! We need to go, now!" Ryuji cried. The knights were almost on them!

The urgency in his voice seemed to snap Morgana out of his trance. "Oh! Right, right! There's a lever in the jaw of that statue over there. If you pull it, the drawbridge will lower. And it's Morgana!" He told them.

"Sakamoto!" Akira quickly called upon Ryuji to confirm Morgana's words. The blond rushed over to the bust and pulled its jaw down. Then there was the chittering of unseen machinery which gently lowered the two bridge halves onto place, allowing them passage.

"Hell yeah! Let's book it!" Ryuji cried as he dashed over the bridge.

Morgana grinned. Surely this gesture of goodwill would win him some points with Ann. Perhaps she'd give him a hug, or maybe even a kiss...!

"Thanks, Morgana!" Ann chirped as she too started to make her way over the bridge.

"Whuh!? W-Wait, Lady Ann...!" Morgana called out, but Ann was already gone. The not-cat seemingly deflated and a depressed aura clung around him.

Yeah, that would probably have been too easy...

"You good, Morgana? You look kinda down..." Akira asked, being the only one to notice the cat's depressed state.

"Yeah...let's...let's just go..." He replied, slinking toward the bridge.

"Well...if you're feeling upset, I could always give you another cuddle?" Akira offered.

"I don't want that kind of attention from you!"

---

"But we can't just leave them here!"

Their grand sprint lasted no more than half a minute before they came across something that made them stop in their tracks.

Other people.

No knights, nothing outrageously perverted like what Kamoshida had going on, no. There were people down here, just like them...students.

"And I said we don't have time! We could be captured at any second. Saving these guys are pointless.

"Pointless?" Akira questioned. Morgana, a guy is hanging upside-down getting repeatedly beaned with a volleyball getting shot out of a cannon while three other guys are running for their lives on a treadmill with rolling spikes on the end. If we left them to suffer..."

"That's just how this place works!" Morgana cried impatiently. "Can't you see that they're different from all of you? Helping them does nothing.

"Different from us...?" Akira muttered, leaning into the bars. He watched the exhausted students sprint on the treadmill, desperately trying to accomplish that Sisyphean task of tasting even a drop of the water at the end. "Now that you mention it..."

These people didn't feel like the others, like Ann, Ryuji or even Morgana. They felt weird. Like, the knights weird.

"They're...like the knights?" Akira asked, causing Ryuji to look at him in confusion. "Like the knights?" He pressed? "The hell are you talking about?

"Yeah, they're like the knights." Morgana quickly replied. "Those people down there, they're not real. Think of them like...I dunno...like props. Props that can move and speak, but aren't actually alive." He explained.

"Wait, are you talking about, like, robots or something?" Ryuji asked.

"Also not too far off. Look, there's not enough time for me to explain it all, so let's-"

"Those are the uniforms of the volleyball team..."

Everybody looked to Ann, who had been quiet up until now.

"Every student down there...they're all members of Shujin's volleyball team. That's Taokaka, there's Daki...something. Yeah, these guys are definitely part of the volleyball team..." Ann's voice sounded quivery, and her face was pale.

"L-Lady Ann?" Morgana asked.

"Hey...yeah, you're right! Looking at 'em now, all these guys are part of the volleyball team!" Ryuji gasped in realisation. "But then, why would there be robot versions of 'em in this backwards ass place?" He asked.

Morgana drew his attention from Ann and focused it towards Ryuji. "I just said that there's no time to explain. We need to leave!" The cat stated firmly. He then dashed away on his tiny legs gesturing for the others to follow.

"Hey! Wait up!" Ryuji cried, sprinting after the feline.

Akira took a glance at Ann. She still seemed to be thinking about something that had to do with the volleyball team. "You gonna be okay?"

"I-I don't know," Ann replied.

"Can you still run?"

"Y-Yeah, I can. Sorry." She apologized. The blonde shook her head as if to distance herself from those thoughts that had plagued her.

"Let's go."

---

"Morgana..."

"Y-Yeah?"

"You said that you had a surefire way to escape, which would take us through minimal knight patrols and be quick as long as we kept our heads low."

"I d-did..."

"So then, why are we currently standing before an entire retinue of goddamn knights in the only room of the castle where they'd feasibly fit!?"

"D-Don't blame me! The original path I had was way too heavily guarded. I had to improvise!"

"Improvising by strolling through the main hall?"

"It was...supposed to be sn-sneaking..."

Akira would liken their situation to being thrown into a lion's den with meat hung around their necks.

Morgana had initially tried to bring them one way, but ten knights had blocked their path, and Morgana had insisted on using another exit. Which just so happened to only be viable to them by crossing the main hall.

They had barely made it halfway across before shit rocketed fanwards, and countless knights inundated the hall in explosions of black sludge. Akira didn't bother counting them all, but he knew that it was somewhere over a hundred.

"Oh god...oh god...!" Ann whimpered. There were so many of them that she had started to totally freak out. She probably saw that cell again, with a plan that wouldn't work a second time.

"No...no effin' way..." Ryuji whispered. There was no disguising the quiver in his voice. The blonde was petrified by the sheer amount of knights.

Even Akira, for all of his strength, wasn't sure if he could take on that many knights at once. He had his hands full dealing with a fifth of them.

"D-Don't panic! I have one more trick up my sleeve." Morgana whispered as he started frantically searching in his utility belt. However honeyed his words were, the trembling on his part made it clear that he was also feeling the pressure.

And then came that horrid laughter. The slapping of slippers off the marble floor. And just where he had stood before, Kamoshida was staring down at them like they were rotting fruit.

"Wh-What!? We left him locked up!" Ryuji gasped. "How did he get free so fast!? How did he get here before us?"

To that, nobody had an answer.

"Hahahahahahaha! Such moronic peasants. Did you really think that you could escape that easily?"

"I'd argue that none of this had been easy-"

"Like the oblivious ants you are..."

"Oh, you're still talking, okay, fuck me, I guess."

"...you paraded through my castle, thinking that you've been staying undetected. Well, I have news for you..."

His grin grew even more malicious.

"Nothing happens in this castle that I don't know about! Including your desperate bid to escape." He flicked his hair up. "Like rats on a sinking ship."

"You know, you're acting awfully cocky for a man who got locked up in his own goddamn dungeon!" Akira retorted.

"Dude! The hell are you doing!?" Ryuji hissed. "You're just gonna piss him off!"

"Well, he's pissing me off." Akira shot back, his glare never breaking from the evil king.

"Oh...? I piss you off, huh?" Kamoshida said with a snarl. "What a bold thing to say to your king."

Akira grit his teeth. "Damn right, you piss me off. I don't know what the hell is going on, where we are, or why it's happening, but what I do know is that you've been giving me and my friends shit ever since we got here, and I'm sick of it!" Akira screamed at the perverted king.

"My, my, my. Look at you, all fired up," Kamoshida chuckled, clearly amused by Akira's outburst. "But do you really think you can do anything about it? You're just a speck of nothing, while I am a king. The ruler of this world. You are no more than a bug to be crushed under my feet."

Akira clenched his fists, trying to control his anger. All of this conceitedness... If it weren't for all of these knights, he'd already be up there, ripping him in half.

"A king with a paper crown, no doubt. We've seen what's in the dungeons, what you do to your subjects or whatever the hell they are. I've seen how you look at Takamaki and Sakamoto; with arrogance and lust." Akira said, his voice low and steady. "You're no king. You're just a tyrant and a bully, with, might I add, the worst fashion sense I've ever seen."

"Careful what you say now. Every single word makes me want to increase your torture tenfold." Kamoshida warned, his hands gripping the banister.

The king's eyes trailed over to Ann and Ryuji, who were standing behind Akira timidly. A grin returned to his face.

"And you have the audacity to speak of my actions when you've thrown your lot in with those two? Have you any idea of the things that they're responsible for? How much pain they've caused?"

Ryuji and Ann froze in place, petrified by what Kamoshida just said. It was clear that they both knew what he was talking about.

"H-He can't mean..." Ryuji whispered.

"But I was...!" Ann squeaked anxiously.

Akira looked behind him to see that the pair was noticeably shaken by what the king said. "Everything alright?" He asked them.

Ryuji suddenly pushed past Akira and pointed this finger at Kamoshida in accusation. "Don't you effin' dare call what happened my fault. You were the one responsible for that!'

"But it was your fault, Sakamoto. So many dreams thrown to the wind, all because you couldn't control yourself..." Kamoshida shook his head as if he were pitying the blonde.

"You...you...!"

"You know I'm right..." Kamoshida said.

"No...no! You were the one who put us through all of those exercises with no breaks! You didn't give a shit about running, so you abused us until we broke. You got our old coach fired! You purposely provoked me so I-!" Ryuji stopped himself and took shuddery breaths. His emotions were getting the better of him.

And no one else was put through that? Even now, you're acting as if you're the lone victim. Shameful!

Akira frowned as he was forced to listen. It was obvious in retrospect, but Ryuji seemed to have a reason to be so hateful towards Kamoshida. He leaned back to Ann.

"Takamaki, what happened between Ryuji and Kamoshida?" He asked.

"H-Huh? Oh, um, well...the official story is that Ka-Kamoshida was the coach for the running team at one point, the one that Sakamoto was on. But then one day, Sakamoto attempted to assault him, and in self-defence...Kamoshida...he..." The girl trailed off.

"What did Kamoshida do to him?" Akira asked seriously.

"He..."

"...broke his leg."

Akira swore that he felt his heart stop. He broke his leg? In self-defence? In what universe would going that far constitute as self-defence?

A fully grown man; an athlete, had broken a teenager's leg. On a team of runners. That would be crippling.

"Blame me all you like, Sakamoto. Doesn't make it any less true that because of your selfishness, so many of your peers whose dreams it was to run have been crushed!"

Ryuji's eyes lost their accusatory fire, and the boy fell to his knees. Kamoshida may have been a son of a bitch, but none of what he said was incorrect. He had allowed himself to be goaded. Allowed himself to fall into Kamoshida's trap. He'd been stupid.

"That useless running team was Shujin's pride and joy. Without it, the school may have just faded away into athletic obscurity. Enter Suguru Kamoshida, the hero of Shujin Academy. Without my volleyball team, the school may have lost its athletic draw altogether. I took them to nationals! I won prestige! While you, Sakamoto, you just pissed it all away. Now, you'd be lucky to even graduate!" Kamoshida spoke with an insufferable sneer.

With the blond boy verbally beaten down, Kamoshida looked back at Akira with cruel eyes.

"Now, answer me honestly. Is a selfish, moronic, insignificant shitstain of a person like him even worth trying to save?" Kamoshida asked.

Now, it was worth noting that Akira hadn't known Ryuji for more than a couple of hours. The boy was next to a complete stranger to him. So was Shujin Academy. He had no idea of the influence of the volleyball team, nor the prior influence of the running team. He didn't know a lot of things. Did Ryuji's problems really have to be his own? They weren't even on a first-name basis.

To be frank, beyond getting everyone back, he had no obligation to this entire situation. This whole thing about teachers with king complexes, Ryuji's acts of violence, and medieval castles in modern-day Tokyo were matters that he should have nothing to do with. He was on probation, and here he was, picking fights with weird monarchs, and running incredibly late for his first day of school.

There had to be more to the situation, but the bottom line was that if he wanted to stay out of trouble and not bring any attention to both himself or Morning Glory, he needed to keep his head down. He needed to be the kind of person who looked away from people in need.

A bystander.

A coward.

But...

There was an undeniable distraught on Ryuji's face that Akira would never be able to ignore.

That Kazuma Kiryu would never ignore.

"If I may summarise, your Majesty..." Akira began in as mocking a tone as he could. "You coached the running team beyond harshly, you provoked Sakamoto into attacking you in order to claim self-defense and dish out an injury that no one reasonably should, you got the old coach fired, and had the pride of Shujin at the time abolished, all so you could prance around with your own favoured sport. You murdered the lead actor of the play so you could get the role!" Akira accused. "If I'm feeling any animosity towards anyone, it's not Sakamoto it's you!"

Kamoshida scowled in response while Ryuji looked at Akira in shock.

"And the most disgusting thing about it is how goddamn proud you are. You're making it out like you're a hero, but you're just a prick who thinks that crippling children, torturing them, makes you hot shit." Akira shuffled over to a nearby floor candelabra. "It just makes you a normal piece of shit."

He hefted the bulky thing in his hands, playing with the weight. "So, sorry if this whole idea of causing infighting between us didn't work out..."

Like fire, golden cinders of power started to roll off Akira's body.

"In fact, it's only assured me that you deserve this!"

With that cry, Akira heaved the golden candelabra at Kamoshida with all of the technique and ferocity of a hammer throw.

"Wh-What the-!?" Kamoshida gasped.

There was a clank, and a distorted groan as a lone knight took position in front of the king just before the strike. It didn't get its shield up in time though, so it was met with a painful impact that left a dent in its breastplate. Both it and the candelabra fell to the ground.

Akira clicked his tongue. Damn knight legion.

"Wh-What the hell!? What was that?!" Morgana looked up from his...pile of scrap that he was playing with and stared at Akira incredulously. Normal humans weren't supposed to have that kind of strength!

"I could tell you, but I'd prefer you to keep working on whatever's supposed to be saving our lives right now," Akira replied, not breaking eye contact with Kamoshida at all.

"Oh, right!" Morgana squeaked as he quickly returned to what he was doing.

He didn't understand though, the only thing that warranted that kind of power within somebody was a Persona. But he couldn't sense one inside of him, not a presence like his own. So...did this guy just get lucky?

"So...you'll defy me to the very end, will you? That's a poor decision you shitty little insect."

"I've been defying you all day, why stop now?" Akira retorted.

Kamoshida turned up his head and began to pace back and forth. "Hmpf, I hate to admit it, but you've been a massive thorn in my side ever since you got here. You've made a fool of me, brought my knights to their knees...and that look in your eyes. I hate it. I hate it!"

He held out his hand and growled in a low voice. "My ball."

Immediately, one of the knights procured a nondescript volleyball and placed it into Kamoshida's hands.

"It's clear that I can't afford to be lenient with you anymore. I'm done giving you chances to wriggle free. I'm going to end you all with one shot! You, Sakamoto, Takamaki, and that cat!"

There was a massive surge of power around Kamoshida, and Akira could immediately tell that this would be unlike anything that they had yet seen.

The man suddenly jumped high in the air, and let the ball drift from his hand. "Be thankful that the majesty of this technique will be the last thing that you ever see!"

There was a whoosh, followed by what sounded like a loud rubbery snap as Kamoshida spiked the ball with terrifying might. Akira readied himself to deflect it once again.

And then...

It split.

There were no other ways to put it. The ball fucking cloned itself and what was once a single meteoric projectile turned into a hundred-strong barrage!

Akira was certainly not prepared for this!

No, don't panic...! The balls were powerful, but they were easy to read. Keep a cool head. Rush Style would be able to get him out of this in one piece...

But as he was about to switch, he remembered that this attack wasn't meant for just him. Ryuji was still knelt in front of them. Ann and Morgana were gaping at the onslaught. None of them were able to move. This move was beyond overkill for normal people like Ann and Ryuji and probably Morgana.

If he dodged, then they...

"SHIT!"

Akira grabbed the back of Ryuji's blazer and turned on the spot to throw him back over to the other two before he even realised what happened.

Then, he ran at the now group of three and crash-tackled them to the ground. No time to be gentle. He got surprised gasps, meows and grunts, but they'd just have to deal with it.

From there he brought them all together using his body as a shield against the onslaught. And all he could do after that was...close his eyes and hope that it didn't hurt as bad as he thought...

"Dude!?"

"Kurusu!"

"Frizzy Hair!"

Then, the volleyballs began to land with tremendous force. On the floor around them, and on Akira's back. And any wishful thinking that Akira possessed was dashed in that fury of volleyballs that each hit like a sledgehammer.

He took the strokes to his legs, his head and everywhere in between. The pain was excruciating, unlike anything that Akira had ever felt before.

He wanted it to stop. He wanted to make a leap to safety but he forced himself to stay in place. Forced himself to be a stalwart barrier between the attack, and his allies.

He felt something warm begin to seep through his clothes and hair, and his vision blurred from all of the concussions that he likely had.

For an agonizing amount of time, Akira was forced to grit and endure the barrage. Arms buckling, willpower waning.

And yet, never breaking.

It wasn't until the final ball of the onslaught struck that his desperate defence fell, and he collapsed onto the trio that he had just protected.

"Shit! Kurusu!? Kurusu!" Ryuji cried. He scrambled to get out of the pile and immediately assessed his fellow teen's situation. And it was bad. Really bad. Like his body was literally smoking bad.

Akira was insanely banged up. His entire body was peppered with severe impact marks. From the shine and deformations on his back and pants, he probably had some friction burns as well

What was also noticeable was the blood that soaked through his clothes, staining his jacket in pants in dark red liquid. And with his head... Christ, it was bleeding like crazy. There was so much that it was pooling around his head, soaking into the carpet and staining his glasses.

Ryuji was joined by a tearful Ann and a horrified Morgana, gathering around Akira's body. They were all sickened at how grievously wounded he was. And it was all to protect them?

Morgana had seen the indentations and cracks on the floor where the balls had missed. To fracture and warp them like that...what was the damage like on Akira?

Dammit! He couldn't even summon his Persona for first aid without all of these knights closing in on them!

"Kurusu!? Can you hear me?!" Ryuji asked desperately. He received no reply.

"W-We've gotta get him to a hospital!" Ann cried. The colour had almost completely drained from her face, and seeing those injuries had her almost throwing up. For a moment, she had even doubted if Akira was alive, if not for the subtle rise and fall of his chest. Each shuddery exhale sounded painful.

Of course, over their panicked cries, there came that infuriating laughter once more.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Holy crap! This is brilliant! I knew that you'd come out of that fucked up, but you took so many of my spikes willingly! There is not a single word in the world that can define how ungodly stupid you are!" The king announced in hysterics.

And then, to make matters worse, the entirety of the knights began to laugh at them too with haunting, distorted voices. Pointing at them, clapping their hands, all with those expressionless masks. It was like something straight out of a nightmare.

"To think, not only did I have to ravage my beautiful floor, but you now stain it with your broken body and unworthy blood..." He turned to a knight. "Make arrangements to have those fixed at once."

"At oNcE, mY KiNg!"

Kamoshida turned back and waved his hand for silence. The sight of Akira's injuries made his foul smile spread. He stepped closer, his voice dripping with sadistic glee.

"Looks like you were all talk in the end weren't you, Kurusu?" Kamoshida taunted. "You thought you could defy me? You thought you could stand against my power? And now, you're broken, just like all the rest!"

Akira could hardly hear the insult. His entire body was swimming in sheer agony, and it made it hard to focus on anything. His vision had dissolved into nothing but blurry blobs, and everything he heard sounded like it was underwater.

He could feel his blood run down his face. He could feel his skin burn and his head throb. He was definitely in the worst shape he'd ever been.

And yet, his arms strained, his teeth gnashed and weak gasps left his lips. He had to get up. He had to! If he didn't...

But he couldn't. His strength had all but left him. The power that had carried him through so many tribulations just wasn't able to answer the call. All he could do was lie there, in a pool of his own stupid blood.

But there was one thing that he wasn't able to ignore, no matter how messed up he was, and it was Kamoshida's taunts and jeers. That he could only listen to them made him feel weaker than ever. And yet, something bugged him beyond everything else...

How did Kamoshida know his name?

Akira knew that he had never said it around him? So how did Kamoshida know it?

"Eh, in any case. It'd be no fun torturing someone who's already broken, so I've got no more desire to keep you alive." Kamoshida huffed as he held out his hand, where another volleyball was placed, to the horror of the group.

"Perhaps this spike will turn you into paste, or maybe it'll make your organs shoot out of your mouth, or just maybe, it'll drill a hole straight through you. However it happens, this is my killshot!"

Kamoshida reared his hand back, the rubber of the ball creaking under his grip.

It was a time of despair for the group. Kamoshida held all the cards. He had taken down their strongest player, and none of the others were particularly strong to begin with.

And yet, Ryuji stood up, glaring at Kamoshida like he would all the world's evils. He blocked the way of the ball, both nerves and courage flooding his veins.

Akira, who had protected them without any hesitation...what kind of man would he be if he couldn't do the same?

"You're not touching him!" He snarled at Kamoshida.

The king scoffed. "What? You think I won't shoot through you, Sakamoto? If anything, I'll shoot harder. Maybe I'll aim for your other leg; finish what I started. A second case of self-defence', the school will call it." He taunted.

Ryuji flinched, but he still stood his ground. He clenched his fists in anger, his eyes full of hatred. "Shut up, you bastard! We won't let you get away with this!"

"You stupid brat. You should know by now that I always get away with this." Kamoshida sneered. "Tell the teachers, your parents, even the police. Those vultures are so desperate to ride my coattails that they'll let me get away with anything!"

"What...!?" Ann whispered. The police of all people ignored actual reports made on Kamoshida? But he was just a gym teacher. Surely he didn't have that kind of pull!

"You nearly killed a transfer student who has nothing to do with you 'cuz he stood up to you. You can't just pretend that didn't happen!" Ryuji shouted at Kamoshida.

The king chuckled and gestured to Akira's broken body on the ground.

"What? Him? His body could be found in a dumpster and nobody would care. In fact, they'd probably rejoice at the fact that the 'troublesome transfer student' is no longer a problem."

"Troublesome?" Ryuji asked.

"Kurusu isn't the noble person that he's led you to believe. I looked into his records before he came over here." Kamoshida explained, leaning on the balcony. "He didn't come here for a change of scenery or to challenge himself. He's here on probation, for assaulting a man."

Ryuji, Ann and even Akira gasped, the latter quite painfully.

"Of course, I did my civic duty and made sure that everybody at school knows of the dangerous student, but what a shame, all my efforts are for naught since he will be dying now."

"You...l-leaked my record!?" Akira grunted in disbelief. But he hadn't even officially attended school yet. This guy was that much of a scumbag that he decided to just screw up any chance of Akira having a normal high school life before he had even shown up?

"Wait, you mean...you actually assaulted someone...?" Ann asked Akira. She sounded so confused, and Akira didn't blame her.

"False...accu-accusation." Akira hissed. His voice was barely above a whisper. Not that he wanted to be insensitive, but he'd prefer to have this conversation when he wasn't a mangled mess.

"You mean...he was a dick?" Ann replied.

"The dickiest..." Akira groaned. He couldn't help but give a pained smile at Ann's summation. "Though he's a close contender..." He tried to glare at Kamsoshida, but he couldn't even move his head. A sudden surge of pain shot through his body and Akira gasped. His vision was gradually getting blurrier, and the longer that he lay there, wallowing in agony, the less he could hear. Voices and sounds were getting distant. He felt a soft hand grasping his own while two small limbs gently gripped his head and chin.

Morgana really was quite furry.

"Still, this may be your only chance. That criminal is still breathing. If you leave him behind, I might just give you some time to escape." Kamoshida told the blonde.

"H-Huh!? What are you sayin'!?" Ryuji asked in complete alarm.

"What? You're so stupid that you need me to spell even that out? I'm gonna do to him as what I do to all those I deem criminals." To emphasise his point, he held up the ball. "Either you give me his life for a chance at yours, or don't, and you all die together." Kamoshida tossed the ball up in the air and caught it over and over, each rubbery thunk echoing across the room.

"L...Leave Kurusu behind? There's no way we can do that! Right?!" Ann looked to Morgana hopefully. And yet, much to her horror, she saw the cat's round head lowered and his face noticeably conflicted.

He wasn't actually considering that...?!

"Morgana...we can't...!" Ann whispered.

"Lady Ann..." Morgana squeaked. He looked to the girl, and then to Akira. The man who had so recklessly, yet bravely defended them from Kamoshida's assault. The man who had freed him when neither Ann nor Ryuji could decide.

But the time for debts was not now.

Kamoshida may have been a bastard, but offering them a head start was actually sort of generous. At the cost of Akira's life though...

"I definitely know a way out of here, and I have my trump card set. But I can't...we can't take him with us. We need that time. There are knights everywhere!" Morgana told Ann desperately. "I...I know that he saved our lives, but we don't have a choice. The only thing we can do is...make sure he doesn't die for nothing." He told her solemnly.

"No..." Ann whimpered.

"Come on!" Kamoshida's voice rang out. "It's not like this is a hard choice. He's just a criminal with no future. Worthless. Scum-of-the-earth. A blight!" Kamoshida spat.

"You're right...it isn't a hard choice at all," Ryuji muttered. The boy took a deep breath and then stepped forward. "I barely know the guy, but all he's done, ever since we met him, is pull our asses out of the fire!" He said, with an increasing voice.

"You say he's a criminal, but he's been nothin' but heroic. He stopped Takamaki from getting into your car, he saved me from your knights, and he freed Monagana!"

"It's...! Mngh..." Morgana wanted to correct him, but he quickly realised that it would be ignored. That, and the surge of guilt that he felt when Ryuji declared that it had been Akira who freed him caused the cat to let the mispronunciation slide.

"I don't care if he did assault someone! I don't care that he's got a record or that he's on probation. He's a good person, and he's also really cool! But you...!"

Ryuji took another step towards Kamoshida.

"You took away his chance of a normal high school life before you even knew what he looked like! You're forcing Takamaki into something she doesn't want, and you treat everyone else like shit!"

"Sakamoto..." Ann gasped. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the blond.

He spat on the ground, before the king.

"So, thanks but no thanks, I'm not going to abandon anyone! Take your "mercy" and shove it up your ass!"

"Vermin!" Kamoshida cursed. "You reject the benevolence of your king?! I'll take all your limbs, and then your head!"

"Shut up! You're no king! You're just a third-rate gym teacher! And I'm sick and tired of you looking down on me with that stupid smile on your face! KAMOSHIDA!"

"You made me wait quite a while."

And then Ryuji's eyes flashed gold...

---

What exactly happened from that moment, Akira couldn't really tell. He heard a lot of faint screaming, and then a blinding blue light. Then there was the sound of metal being thrown around. Every pained breath that he took was now filled with something...weird, something that he had difficulty placing. Like steam from a bath, but instead of a sensation of moisture, it felt more tingly, like he was breathing in...electricity?

"...N...ay! Bl...air...ona...?!"

"...Per...at's...ona...?"

"...o...ti...we...ve...ance...!"

He could hear Ann and Morgana talking, but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. They sounded far away, even though he knew that they were right next to them.

"...ome...orro!"

Through his closed eyelids, he noticed a second blast of blue light, way closer to him than the first, and he heard a feminine scream, presumably Ann's. What the hell was going on!? Try as he might, he wasn't able to open his eyes and find out. He was trapped in darkness with nothing but pain as his constant company.

"...ia!"

At that moment, Akira felt a subtle shift in his body. The excruciating pain that had engulfed him was slowly ebbing away, replaced by a peculiar warmth. It started as a faint flicker, like a tiny flame dancing against his skin, but started growing stronger, spreading through his body

It almost felt like when he flooded his body with Heat, but it was noticeably different. But it didn't seem to be invasive or nefarious. It was a tingling touch that worked its way into every fiber of his being, and to his amazement, was healing his wounds.

Those craters left in his back and head healed at an astounding rate. His hearing got clearer, and little by little, the weakness latching onto him was almost peeled away.

The darkness that shrouded Akira's vision soon retreated, and little by little, he managed to force his eyes open. He saw Ann clearly, her mouth covered while her sapphire eyes portrayed nothing but relief. "K-Kurusu! You're okay!" She cried.

She didn't sound like she was underwater right now, so that was good.

"I'm...okay?" He parroted. How was he okay? He wasn't exactly complaining, but he got completely messed up. How had he recovered from wounds like those?

"I've done all I can. You were a light breeze away from my spell not being able to do anything." Morgana told him.

"Spell?" Akira asked, looking over to Morgana. "What, you're talking about magic or som-HOLY SHIT!?"

Despite everything weird that he had seen today, he couldn't stop himself from yelling in alarm, because if this wasn't a concussion making him see things, then there was a massive figure made out of fire with triangle-like proportions and tiny legs hovering behind Morgana with a rapier at the ready!

Like, what the hell!?

"Who...are you?" Akira asked whatever the hell this thing was. He was pretty sure that it wasn't human.

"Hah! This is Zorro, my Persona! Cool, isn't he?" Morgana stated proudly.

Akira didn't know whether or not he should agree. He didn't even know what he was looking at. "Persona?" He asked.

"Yup! Zorro is my rebellious will made manifest! I used his power to heal your wounds." He explained.

"Yeah, he said "Dia" or something like it, and then you were covered in green sparkles," Ann told Akira. "Although..." She turned her head to Morgana, looking a little miffed. "Why didn't you just do that when he first got hurt? I really thought that he was gonna die!" She hissed.

"I-It was a tense situation. I th-thought that if I summoned him prematurely, then all the shadows might attack us. I can't take on those many knights..." Morgana replied. It didn't seem to have any fire of defence to it though, probably because that criticism came from his precious Lady Ann.

"I-I don't get it..." Akira grunted, as he finally managed to push himself up to his knees. It was still painful, but far from the mincemeat he was before. "If you couldn't summon...Zorro before because of the knight situation, then what changed?" He questioned.

His answer came in the form of Ann pointing a finger behind him.

Akira grunted as he turned himself around. He was just in time to see a knight crash to the floor. It wouldn't have been all that unusual to see that, except for the fact that he wasn't responsible this time.

The culprit himself was quite unexpected.

Clad in black, a familiar figure was going to town on those knights. His yellow-gloved hands gripped a basic pipe as a weapon, an improvision that Akira was intimately familiar with.

Wrapped around his knees were protective metal kneepads, and clinging to his back was what Akira could only describe as a spine of metal. It looked punkish, but also kind of cool.

But there was one thing, that Akira was drawn to. One thing that their saviour wore that caused something inside him to stir.

His red ascot.

...

...

Nah, it was the grey mask that sat upon his face. It looked like the upper half of a skull. Determined brown eyes stared out from behind it as he clobbered a knight across the head with the pipe.

And then there was that bright, blond hair that immediately indicated who this warrior was.

"Is that... Sakamoto?" Akira asked in total confusion, because the last time he was fully conscious, he was pretty sure that Ryuji wasn't wearing an outfit like that.

"Yeah..." Morgana muttered in reply. "He's awakened to a Persona."

"Awakened to a Persona?" Akira repeated, his mind racing with questions. "What does that even mean? Are you saying...he's like you now?"

"It means that he's unlocked a part of himself. His true self. An unquenchable desire to stand against authority, and rip off his own mask of conformity." Morgana explained. "It's hard to put it into words, really." He added, still watching Ryuji with awe.

The boy gave a sinister grin as he dodged a swing from a knight's sword and gripped the edge of his mask. A wave of power suddenly flooded the room and with a geyser of blue fire, Ryuji's mask was removed.

"Rock on, Captain Kidd! Let's knock a few more of these guys around!"

Akira had to cover his eyes from the ensuing flash. It stung to look at, but when it faded, what hovered behind Ryuji was undoubtedly similar to Morgana's own Persona, in feel that is. Their appearances themselves could not have been any more different. While Morgana's Persona seemed to have some sort of refined air, worthy of a renowned swordsman, Ryuji's one was more...wild in nature.

His avatar of rebellion came in the form of a skeletal pirate clad in an outfit made for swashbuckling. A pirate hat emblazoned with the Jolly Roger sat upon its head. And in place of a stereotypical hook hand was a cannon.

And while that was all going in, the pirate was standing on a miniature black pirate ship with a menacing face painted on its stern. Akira couldn't help but wonder if the pirate was big, or the boat small...

Either way, both Ryuji and his Persona were kicking some serious ass. Not only was he knocking them down with his pipe, but summoning his Persona brought down a volley of...lightning?

There was no other way about it. One after the other, Ryuji was summoning genuine bolts of lightning, utterly massacring his foes. Another thing that Akira had to add to the list of supernatural bullshit that he had seen today.

At least it explained the electricity in the air.

"And that's why he's wearing... that?" he asked, gesturing to Ryuji's outfit.

"It's a manifestation of his rebellious will," Morgana chimed in. "Those clothes are like an armor to protect people from being affected by this world. Kamoshida doesn't have any authority over Blondie anymore and now has to resort to brute force to get him to submit."

"Well, whatever Sakamoto is doing, it's working," Ann said, gesturing to the pile of defeated knights around them. She raised her fist in the air triumphantly "Go Sakamoto!"

"It's not that simple, Lady Ann! When you first awaken to your Persona, you can unleash power close to your maximum potential with it. The trade-off though, is that it's super taxing on your body. If Ryuji goes much farther, he's gonna burn out!" Morgana revealed, his eyes wide in panic.

Those eyes were soon shared by Ann and Akira, as they looked over to Ryuji, still slaughtering knights with his pipe and lightning.

"Can...Do you think that he can take out all of those knights on his own? It looks like he has taken down almost half of them." Ann asked, wringing her hands nervously.

"Don't worry about that," Akira grunted, trying to push himself to his feet. "Any that he can't take out, I will." He declared.

"You're hurt!" Ann reminded Akira.

"And you don't have a Persona! A regular person can't fight shadows without a Persona."

"I can," Akira replied.

"H-Huh? What do you mean?" Morgana questioned.

"Well, he isn't wrong, when Sakamoto and I were captured, he had to beat up a bunch of knights to get to us." Ann recounted.

"What...?! But that's not...there's just no way that...!" Morgana was totally stunned by the news of Akira's actions but quickly regained his focus.

"Ah, whatever! Listen, Frizzy Hair, if you can fight, then you can run, right?" Morgana asked. "Get Blondie over here, we need to escape!" The urgency in the cat's voice was unmistakable. At this moment, they could all escape, but they had to leave now!

"Sakamoto!" Akira called, stumbling to his feet.

Ryuji took a swing at another knight before he turned towards them. There was an excited glint in his eyes from behind the skull-like mask "Hey guys!" He cried. He gestured to himself. "I don't know what happened, but I feel like such a badass now! I even got this awesome outfit. Admit it, you gotta be jelly!" He announced.

Then he realised that Akira was looking much better, and his excited expression turned to surprise "Kurusu, you're okay, dude?" he called out in relief.

"Yeah! Morgana fixed me up! Listen, Sakamoto, we gotta get the hell out of here, while we still can! He told the boy.

"What!? But I'm just gettin'-"

"Ryuji! Now!" Akira repeated firmly, he barely noticed that he used his first name.

"Urk! F-Fine, I'm coming!" Ryuji replied. He then turned around and pointed to the irate king about them. "This isn't over, Kamoshida! Not by a long shot!"

The king snarled at Ryuji. The gall of that slimeball. To awaken to such a power to match the majority of his servants. What on earth had happened?

Well, no matter. He had a backup plan.

"No. It isn't." He grunted, before snapping his fingers. The group's attention was quickly drawn to the remaining guards, thinking that they were about to try something.

Akira's misaligned instincts kicked in too late to stop what happened next.

"Kyaaaaa!"

As it turned out, they were looking in the wrong place.

"Takamaki!"

"Lady Ann!"

It had happened in a split second. An unknown entity had somehow made its way behind them and with speed that made it look like a blur, it snatched up Ann. By the time that Akira was reaching out, the blonde had already been taken.

Taken over to Kamoshida.

The assailant with Ann in tow came to a stop right next to the man, giving everyone else the chance to look at it.

Or rather, her.

"What the...!?"

"I c-can't be seein' this right..."

"Holy crap! It's two meow-velous and beautiful girls!"

Ann was restrained in a full nelson, but the arms holding her own were dainty, and not muscular in any way. That was because the one holding Ann in place was...

Ann.

Another Ann who looked identical to the original in every way but her fashion sense was completely risqué. This Ann was "covered" in only a black and pink bikini and wore a pair of similarly coloured cat ears on her head. It was weird, uncomfortable and definitely not something that a high schooler should wear. It looked like this Takamaki worked at the sleaziest cabaret clubs!

"Wh-What...? Why the 'eff are there two Takamakis!?" Ryuji cried in total confusion. This place had given them way too many questions already, but a clone of Ann in one of the skimpiest outfits that they had ever seen really took the cake.

"It's gotta be the Palace Ruler's cognition of Lady Ann. That's how he sees her~" Morgana explained, with his eyes still overtaken by hearts.

And wasn't that another keyword here...? "Cognition," "Palace," "Shadows," Morgana had been spouting all of these terms ever since they had met him, but he hadn't clarified on any of them. Granted, they didn't have a lot of time, but that didn't make any of them less curious.

"Let her go!" Ryuji demanded raising a...

Was...was that a goddamn shotgun!?

Where the hell had he gotten that?

"I ain't asking again, asshole! Let Takamaki go!" Ryuji warned, with his finger curling around the trigger of the weapon.

"Oh please! Do you think I'm scared of that? Even you should know that a shotgun relies more on power than accuracy. Which of those two do you think is more important right now?" Kamoshida replied with a mocking tone. He seemed to have found his sickening smile once things had turned back in his favour.

Ryuji snarled. He knew that what Kamoshida was saying was true. It would be impossible to accurately aim at Kamoshida from this distance without Ann possibly getting caught in the spread. The same went for his new lightning powers.

But like, what else could he do? Kamoshida had taken Ann hostage with some weird and lewd-as-hell version of herself. What could he do?

"Hey," Ryuji turned to Morgana. "Does your Persona give you a ranged weapon?

Morgana had thankfully snapped out of his trance due to the seriousness of the situation but proceeded to look embarrassed.

"I-I have a slingshot..."

"For real, man?" Ryuji cried in exasperation. A slingshot was next to useless in this situation.

"I-It's more accurate than your stupid shotgun!" Morgana snapped back.

"Don't think I don't see you peasants conspiring over there. Rest assured, if any of you try anything, I'll break her goddamn neck!" Kamoshida warned.

Ann, who was understandably freaking out about the fact that she was not only in Kamoshida's clutches but also being held in place by her doppelganger in the most mortifying attire that she had ever seen, looked to the king in horror.

"Wh-What...!?" She shrieked.

Kamoshida gave her a side glance polluted by his ugly smile."What, you think you're too important for me to kill? That spike barrage wasn't meant for you as well? Tough shit, Takamaki, because I don't need someone who constantly refuses me...not when I have your ideal replacement right here~" Kamoshida taunted. He reached out and slowly ran his hands through the alternate Ann's hair. Disturbingly, that made the girl purr in pleasure.

"Mmmn~ Like, anybody who rejects King Kamoshida's love should tooooooootally be executed. Snap their neck~ Cut out their tongue~ Drawn and quartered~" The duplicate sang in possibly the most bimbo-ish, airheaded tone that anyone here had heard. The fact that it was said with a distorted version of her own voice only added to Ann's terror.

"Well said, my sexy little kitten. Very well said~" Kamoshida responded.

And with no shame whatsoever, the man grasped the alternate Ann's chin, as one would a lover, turned her head to meet her gaze and brought his head down to lock lips with her. Like, hard locking lips. As in full-on, frenching each other, despite the fact that one was over double the other's age.

"Ugh! Dude, that's so 'effing messed up! Stop!" Ryuji demanded. Watching Ann kissing Kamoshida, regardless of whether it was the real one or not, was revolting!

Ann couldn't control her panicked breathing as she heard the sound of the two making out only inches behind her. Her pupils dilated, her eyes flowed with tears, and the urge to vomit surged in her throat. In a frenzy, she pulled and screamed, yet her clone's grip didn't budge.

The helplessness of the situation was palpable. Ryuji was holding his shotgun aloft for no other reason than false hope that he would be able to get a clear shot.

Akira had even less chance of making it there before Kamoshida could do anything. He would have to battle through all those knights at once, and Kamoshida could kill Ann a hundred times over before he got there. Morgana would have the same problem.

"Dammit, we can't just do nothing!" Ryuji cursed. It was a notion that Akira agreed with, but there wasn't any feasible path out of this. Not when someone's life was on the line. What could they do? He could see that Ryuji's arms were starting to shake. For as staunch as he was being, he was starting to wear out, exactly as Morgana described.

Kamoshida chuckled and pulled away from the kiss with the alternate Ann. "What? You jealous, Sakamoto? I'm not surprised. Women would never be attracted to a punk ass like yourself. Could be raining pussy and you'd get hit in the head with a dick!"

"Sh-Shut up!" Ryuji screamed. "Make your freaky Takamaki sex doll let go or I'll..."

"You'll what? I hold all the cards. I can kill her any time I want, and all you can do is just watch like a bunch of pissants. Maybe I'll fulfil what her slutty body has been destined for before I rip her to pieces..."

Kamoshida began to pace around the practically catatonic Ann. "Remove your clothes..." He played with the hem of Ann's blazer.

"Get you raring to go..." He dragged his hand across her thigh.

"And then, when I'm done playing with you, I'll kill you in front of all of your little friends!" He grabbed Ann's pigtail and gave it a harsh pull.

"YOU FUCKING SICKO!" Ryuji screamed at Kamoshida.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The maniacal laughter of the king rang out across the room.

Akira's heart pounded in his chest as he watched the horrifying scene unfold before him. The despair that gripped him seemed suffocating, his mind racing with the realization of just how hopeless the situation had become.

Kamoshida held all the power, toying with Ann's life and taunting them with sadistic glee. The words he uttered, filled with cruelty and malice, cut through Akira like a knife.

As he glanced at Morgana, he saw the despair mirrored in the cat's eyes. All he could feel was anger and frustration. They were trapped, trapped in Kamoshida's sadistic game with no clear way to save Ann.

Akira's gaze shifted back to the girl, her eyes glazed over in a state of shock and fear. The sight struck him deeply, a painful reminder of the consequences of their failure. He couldn't bear to witness the degradation Ann was subjected to, the threat of her imminent death hanging in the air. The weight of it all pressed down on Akira, draining his spirit and leaving him on the precipice of despair.

At that moment, the walls seemed to close in on him, the world narrowing down to complete darkness. Hopelessness engulfed Akira. Acting, thinking; he couldn't do either.

Despite all of his strength, there was nothing that he could do to stop this. What was the point of his abilities if he couldn't use them where they mattered most?

Ann was terrified. Ryuji was exhausted. Morgana wasn't strong enough.

He was useless. He had nothing but his gut. He was up against a wall...

And yet somewhere deep down, there was a spark of determination that refused to be snuffed.

He had to find a way. He had to turn this impossible situation around.

He had to...

HE HAD TO!

And that was when Akira saw a familiar blue.

Glinting in the darkness of his despair, a glowing orb of calm blue gently washed over him. From that light came a curious creature that fluttered around in the dark.

"A...butterfly?" Akira muttered in confusion.

Its ethereal blue wings flapped to and fro, eventually circling around his head. At that moment, Akira heard a serene voice fill his ears.

"This is truly an unjust game... Your chances of winning are almost none." It spoke. But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you...

An unjust game?

A possibility open to him?

What did that mean?

To his surprise, the butterfly circled him one last time before settling atop his frizzy black hair. It opened and closed its wings silently, having designated this spot as its perch.

At that moment, Akira heard footsteps. The clicking of shoes coming towards him. The sound resonated around him, and he couldn't deny how unnerving it felt. Like he was being stalked or hunted. There was only one light in this place, and it rested atop Akira's head.

The footfalls grew closer and closer, and Akira found his heart racing...

And then they stopped. The last footstep echoed to the ends of the dark plain. The one behind them stood just out of range of the light, and that made it even creepier.

For a moment, Akira considered whether he should step forward or not. Meet this guy head-on.

And then he heard a voice that stole his breath away.

"Akira..."

The voice was deep, yet carried a sense of calm and warmth that Akira instantly recognized. It was a voice that had guided him through many hardships, a voice that had imparted wisdom and strength in his darkest moments.

From the abyss stepped out Kazuma Kiryu.

"U-Uncle Kaz?" he whispered, his voice choked with emotion.

His caretaker stepped forward, an ordinary motion, yet seemed so full of power.

The man grew closer and Akira found himself frozen in confusion. How was this happening? How was Kiryu here?

Any attempt to ask the question only resulted in incoherent mumbling.

"You're in trouble, aren't you?" Kiryu asked. He stared right into Akira's eyes like he was looking straight into his soul. His eyes were filled with understanding and patience, as if he already knew every burden resting upon Akira's heart.

Akira was silent and only nodded his head in response.

Kiryu's gaze softened, and he reached out to place a reassuring hand on Akira's shoulder.

"It's hard. The feeling of being backed into a corner. The feeling of having no options left. It's frustrating. Scary too." Kiryu spoke softly. "I know all too well how it feels, to face down the impossible."

He continued staring into Akira's eyes with not a shred of hesitance.

"But I fought anyway. I fought because I didn't have a choice. Because the people I loved were in danger. Because some scumbag believed that he deserved to stand above everyone and everything. And you Akira...I have no doubt that you can do the same."

Akira hung his head for a moment, feeling ashamed of his despair. But Kiryu's words gave him a sense of hope, a flicker of strength that he thought he had lost. He looked up to Kiryu, his eyes shining with gratitude.

"And...Wh-What if I'm not strong enough? Every time I tried to help someone, things have just gotten worse..." Akira told him, disheartened.

"You will be," Kiryu stated firmly. "That dirty kid who showed up at Morning Glory one day has grown into a wonderful, kind and strong young man... Someone who knows that helping people is never wrong." Kiryu pressed his hand deeper into Akira's shoulder. "And that young man, I believe, can do anything."

Akira was silenced by such a revelation. Kiryu believed in him that much?

"Uncle Kaz...what can we do? How can we get out of this? How can I save everyone? Can you help me?"

Kiryu's face became serious. "I wish I could...but you're somewhere that I can't reach right now. This battle, you'll have to fight on your own." Kiryu answered with a voice of regret.

"But that changes nothing." He declared. "You need to stop thinking that you're helpless. You have the power to change the game, whatever it is. Find that power. Find that way to win. I know you can do that, Akira Kurusu!"

Akira's breath hitched at the passion within Kiryu's voice. It was startling, yet riling at the same time.

"Akira..." Kiryu's voice dropped to something wistful. "Many times in my life, I've been too late to act, and bad things happened because of it. I don't want that to happen to you." Staring at him seriously, he imparted one more fragment of wisdom.

"Never hesitate, got it?"

"Y-Yes! I got it, Uncle Kaz!" Akira responded stiffly.

Kiryu gave Akira a firm smile and then let him go. "Akira. I don't know where you are. But I know that I'll find you, and bring you home..." Kiryu told Akira, slowly stepping back into the darkness.

"Br-Bring me home...but Uncle Kaz, I can't-"

But the man had already vanished. Gone without a trace.

And Akira was left standing there, alone in the darkness once again with only the butterfly keeping him company now.

He didn't know what just happened, he didn't know why he had just seen Kiryu in some kind of weird vision.

And yet, that didn't matter. Uncle Kaz believed in him. He believed!

Akira would not do the man a disservice. He would see to it that his faith wasn't misplaced.

And that was when the pain began.

Agony like nothing he had felt before shot trough his mind. A terrible sensation that felt like a red hot bar was being inserted into his brain. Even that barrage paled in comparison

"A-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH! RAAAAAAAAAGH!

It was so bad. He felt himself scream his throat raw, yet that didn't help the pain at all. He lurched around like a crazy person, dislodging the butterfly atop his head and causing it to flutter back to who knew where.

"Have you decided to stop pitying yourself?"

Akira could have sworn that he heard a voice, but he couldn't be sure, mostly because his pain had doubled as the voice spoke. He didn't even think that it was possible for it to get any worse.

"Grounded though you may be, you still have your fangs and your claws. Will you simply wait until you lose them too?"

Akira didn't have much capacity in the way of thinking, but losing more than he had lost already... That was unacceptable.

"N-No." He whispered between screams. "I can't lose anymore. I won't!"

"Very well... I have heeded your resolve." The voice replied.

The pain was now so bad that Akira had fallen to his knees, desperately cradling his head in his hands.

"Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I. Thou who art refuse to let the weak suffer; to stay true to your justice, and to never waver."

Akira could suddenly feel a weight on his face.

"Should thou be condemned to hold up the sky, or be chained to hell itself, our contract will remain, everlasting!

Akira felt around his face. There was some kind of...mask in place. He was struck with the uncontrollable urge to take it off, but when he tugged on it, it didn't move. Desperately, he pulled and pulled. He heard the sound of tearing and screamed at the feeling of his skin giving way. Blood ran down his face, but he didn't stop pulling.

"For too long you have wallowed in the shadows of legends that have been and legends to be... Now, the time has come to forge a legend of thy own!"

RIIIIIP!

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

---

It was the guttural, agonised screaming that broke the standoff within the hall.

Everyone looked to Akira, who had fallen to his knees and was trying to get some kind of mask off his face.

Ryuji recognised the scene immediately. After all, he had gone through the exact same thing only moments ago. While he didn't feel that pain anymore, the memory of how excruciating it was would stick with him for a long time...

Morgana watched the young man tug so hard on the mask seemingly fused to his face, that blood started to run down it.

Was his own awakening that painful? He didn't know...

"I can't believe it. I thought it was weird that Blondie was the only one with the potential of Persona. To think that he had it too..." He whispered to himself.

Ann, who had given up all hope at this point, saw Akira's face as it twisted in agony, saw his subtle relief as the mask was torn off, and watched as a pillar of blue fire engulfed him, just like what happened to Ryuji. Light slowly started to return to her eyes.

Could this be...?

Kamoshida's eyes widened as he watched. Whatever was happening seemed to be the same thing that Sakamoto went through, and it had given him the power to take on his knights.

If this peasant, that could already fight his knights, woke to the same power...?

He still had a hostage, but he shouldn't take any chances. He had to stop this!

"Quickly! Kill him before he can try anything!" Kamoshida bellowed to his order of knights. Several rushed out, swords drawn before the inexplicable tower of blue fire.

"Oh no you don't!" Ryuji turned and tried to rush to Akira's aid. "Tried" being the key word. With a yelp, Ryuji felt the remainder of his strength leave him and he fell flat on his face. He had reached his limit. "D-Dammit!"

Morgana was a bit fresher.

"No! Leave him alone!" Morgana warned. In a second, he had already summoned Zorro.

"Zorro, show your might!"

The Persona slashed its sword in the shape of a 'Z' and a gale of cutting winds rushed forth.

Unfortunately, each gust was small in size and was only able to injure a knight, instead of outright defeating it. He got lucky and downed a couple, but that wasn't good enough. The cat tried desperately to repel the knights, but they inevitably broke through and rushed towards the pyre of flames, letting out battle cries as they prepared to slaughter the teenager cocooned within.

Eight knights in total charged into that conflagration...and not even a second went by before their cries were crudely silenced.

There was no heat to those flames, and yet those knights were incinerated, turned to ash by what was less of a tower of blue flames and more of a protective wreath, keeping everything out until the transformation had run its course.

The blue fire then started to shape. It's countless embers twisting into something thinner, more humanoid...

Something that stared out from the azure pyre with malicious eyes the colour of molten metal.

It didn't look anything like Ryuji's Captain Kidd, nor Morgana's Zorro. The blue fire traced the form of something that looked far more demonic. Long, curved horns, giant, weathered wings and an expression that belonged to what could only be a devil.

The room was filled with a peal of eerie laughter that sent chills down everyone's spines.

Under some misconception that he still had the situation under control, Kamoshida gripped Ann's face threateningly. The twintailed girl gasped and tried to pull away, but both her clone and Kamoshida held her still.

"I-I know you're in there, you piece of shit! Don't forget that I still have the bitch right here." He spat. "You do anything and she's fucking dead! You hear me!? I'll kill her! I'll kill-"

No one in the room could explain what happened next.

The flames vanished.

There was the sound of a gunshot, and the fake Ann fell away from the real one, a single bullet hole in her head.

Akira was gone.

And Kamoshida felt something grip his arm.

Kamoshida grunted in pain and was forced to let go of Ann's face. He tried to pull his arm away, but his aggressor's grip was ironclad. Who would dare-?

"No..."

At the sound of that familiar, aggravating voice, Kamoshida slowly started to turn his head.

It couldn't be... It wasn't possible!

He was suddenly met with the horrifying and cacophonous sound of metal clunking and shrieking.

His knights. All of them...

Chests torn open, heads missing, run through with their own swords, raining down from heights that they could never reach on their own.

They had all been defeated...no. Massacred…

His head turned a little more, his mind caught in a rising terror.

And eventually, his gaze was met, not by Takamaki, but by a pair of furious, grey eyes behind a black and white domino mask.

"...You won't."

---

I feel like this chapter was a little low quality. You should probably understand that I'm going into this with the expectation that any readers will have knowledge of both franchises which would allow me to gloss over certain situations. I wanted to be detailed enough so that it doesn't seem lazy but not too detailed that it becomes redundant. I don't wish to be a guy that submits an entire chapter based solely on dungeon crawling but I feel that in this case, it's necessary for worldbuilding.