Chapter 61: The Depths of Mementos
Thursday, December 1st, 20XX After school
Ren lounged in one of the booths of LeBlanc. Leg crossed loosely, his arm was spread across the back of the seat where his hand played with Sumi's hair. He hoped that his intentionally casual posture helped hide the nerves that were wracking his body.
As expected, the Konoe corporation had scheduled a news presentation. It was their first since the launch. So while it was possibly a coincidence, it was unlikely.
Inside LeBlanc were only the phantom thieves. Haru was missing of course, but even Kasumi had shown up despite not being a full member. Or maybe she was? Ren wasn't too sure. He wasn't even sure if the phantom thieves would continue for much longer.
RIght as the clock struck six, the news switched and the hosts introduced the Konoe group's presentation. Behind the podium was the ever-pristine Akira Konoe. No other executives flanked him or were within vision.
"Ohh, it's starting!"
Kasumi's exclamation was largely unnecessary, but still entertaining. It reminded Ren of how Sumire used to act about these things.
"Hello, citizens of Japan. As I am sure many of you know, my name is Konoe Akira. I founded the Konoe Corporation when I was still a teenager. Using intelligence and political acumen, I built it into the largest tech company in the country, one of the largest in the world."
Pausing to take a breath, Konoe bowed deeply.
"It is with my most humble regret that my ownership of the company is ending today. I will be giving my share of the company to my head researcher, Maruki Takuto. He has been a great aid to me, and a person of great valor that I am certain I can put in control and trust his decisions. Furthermore, I would also like to thank the phantom thieves for convincing me that this is a step I need to take."
"The hell?"
Ryuji's exclamation of surprise was ignored as Akira continued.
"As you can probably guess by now, I received a private calling card and underwent a change of heart this Tuesday. This change of heart has helped me exorcize the demons in my heart regarding my childhood. During that time, I witnessed my Father kill my Mother. Knowing that he planned to kill me, I struck first and blamed it on a nonexistent robber.
"Rather than trusting in our justice system, I took matters into my own hands. That is precisely why I am so happy with the expansion of Salvation. For the lost and abused and everyone else struggling, Salvation is the path of the future. I ask that everyone puts their faith in my friend Takuto and download it immediately. For the time being, I will be talking with police detectives about my potential crimes."
With one last bow, Akira left the podium. A stunned pause occurred before the anchors came on and stuttered out random words that Ren didn't hear.
"Soo…"
"We helped Konoe," Ren declared, trying to alleviate the tension. "He acknowledged that and thanked us. Our job is done here and should allow us to aid Morgana."
"True," Sumire sighed, leaning against him. "I'm just glad that it seems you'll get out of this alright."
"And what do we think of Dr. Maruki suddenly becoming the CEO of a major international company?"
Makoto's comment drew a moment of silence as they mulled it over. Ren personally had no real reaction to it. He obviously knew what the words meant, but it wasn't something he could really comprehend. Likely the only one who could wasn't currently there.
"Uh, good for him?"
"Yeah, I mean, what are we going to do about it?" Futaba added to Ryuji. "Maruki doesn't have a palace, we've confirmed that."
"One thing at a time. We help Morgana and then figure the rest out."
"That does seem the logical course."
WIth everyone chipping in, it seemed that their meeting was coming to an end. Morgana, however, hopped up on the counter and spoke. "Umm, thanks guys. This is uhhh, a rather selfish request of mine. Do you remember those gates though? That place is going to be scary. If no one else wants to come… I understand."
"Oh, stuff it, cat." Ryuji yawned.
"What was that!?"
As Morgana riled himself up for a fight, Ryuji shot him a loopy smile. "You know we're all going to be there. Thank us when you get your memories back."
"He's right Morgana. We're with you."
"Urgh, f-fine then! Don't blame me when you have to run away from powerful shadows!"
As laughter broke out, Ren coughed to try and refocus the group. "So when do we do this?"
"Why not tomorrow after school? Get it out of the way."
"Hmm… It may take all night though." Ren countered. "Is that fine or do we wait for Saturday?"
"Tomorrow," Sumire said, voice resolute.
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow."
"Let's finish this fucking thing!"
Ren sighed at the predictable answers. He turned to look at one of the few people who hadn't spoken yet. "Kasumi. Please don't feel pressured to–"
"I'm coming." She cut him off, eyes hard. "I want to see this through to the end."
"See what through?" Ren pressed. "You made a request of us to change Konoe's heart, you don't need to do anything more."
"That's where you are wrong," Kasumi replied. "I've been a part of this since the beginning. I am a phantom thief, and I'm finishing this with you."
"I…" Taken aback, Ren looked over at Sumire and found his girlfriend struggling to hold in tears. That sight removed any chance he had of generating coherent arguments.
"We… We will finish this together then… Kas?"
"Of course we will! Although… umm, what does this finish?"
Ren found himself back in the hot seat. The entire group was staring at him, waiting for an answer.
Sighing heavily, he elaborated a little bit more. "A dark force has been released into the world. Whatever it is, whatever it is doing, trust me when I tell you that we can't trust it. Restoring Morgana's memories are the first step in defeating it."
"First step?" Kasumi complained. "This isn't the end?"
"Ahaha, I have no idea." Ren admitted.
The chirping of crickets was deafening. Having thoroughly disappointed his team members, everyone began filing out to prepare for tomorrow.
Friday, December 2nd, 20XX After school
In an endless labyrinth of twisting red corridors, Kasumi pulled her rapier from the face of a had avoided fights where possible, but it was still such a long distance that this was their tenth.
"Are we almost there?" Kasumi understood the words sounded childish, but she was tired of fighting and riding in anxiety.
"Yeah," Sumi responded. "Just another couple of floors."
"Good job, back in the van," Ren commanded before claiming the driver seat.
Kasumi shot Sumi a look, seeing what she expected. Her sister's eyes were wide, mouth a bit open, cheeks red. A picture perfect blushing maiden. She just needed a fan and a frilly dress and Kasumi would have to catch her mid swoon.
"You're drooling."
With a sharp snip, Sumire closed her mouth, hand covering it. "Liar."
"The fact you believed me is bad, come on."
Sumire did not move though, instead shooting Kasumi a glare. Under her breath she whispered a retort. "I didn't comment when you were staring earlier."
"I-I was not!"
"Uh huh. So your comment about how cool Joker is was…?"
"I-I just understood why you had so much success in the metaverse!" Kasumi protested. "Get in the car already, Sumi."
"It's Violet here, Kas. I can't believe you won't let us give you a nickname."
"I am who I am," Kas explained for the umpteenth time.
"That's not… Ugh, you're a horrible phantom thief."
Kasumi tried not to let it show how much that comment hurt. Getting a name though… it made everything feel too real. If she could just be Kas, it felt like everything would be fine. To become a full thief would mean that she was risking death, political intrigue, even the fate of the country.
The trip through the final floors went without another fight thanks to some fancy driving. After drifting around a group of demons they left the van for the last time. Descending the final slow escalator, Kasumi found herself walking beside Haru. Err, Noir.
"I'm surprised you made it."
"Hmm? Oh, well from my point of view, I'm surprised you're here."
"Ahh, true…" Conversation killed, Kasumi turned her vision back to the long escalator down. Joker was at the front, going through his inventory, allowing it to take them at its own pace.
"Sorry, I wasn't trying to be mean. Thank you for joining us, Kasumi. It's nice to know that you're keeping an eye on them while I'm busy."
"Oh, no problem. Miss Haru, ah, I mean Noir, what's being a CEO like? I can't say I have a good picture of it."
"Hmm, it's a lot like steering a ship at night. You can't see anything in front of you and you never know where an iceberg may lurk. You work all day keeping a grip on the wheel to make sure that you react as quickly as possible to the information you receive. The larger the company the more ungainly the ship and the harder it becomes to navigate."
"But if it's large, the icebergs aren't as dangerous, right?" Kasumi asked, thinking she was picking up on the metaphor.
"Somewhat. But they can still spring a dangerous leak. That's what happened to us before. Rumor after rumor became rocks tearing into our hull."
"Must be hard to steer and patch at the same time," Kasumi mulled. It was a unique way of thinking about the problem. It wasn't really possible without–.
"That's why I'm so grateful to my vice president. He's really done so much to save us."
Hypothesis confirmed, Kasumi smiled. "So in the end, it all comes down to having a reliable team, huh?"
"Exactly," Noir smiled knowingly.
Heart lifted, Kasumi stood a little straighter and looked over the people assembled. Each one had struggled mightily in their own way to reach this place. She had not seen it all, she had even opposed some of it. Yet she couldn't think of anyone that she would rather be doing this with. Her sister and the boy she had found to be her lover truly were exceptional. The captain of a ship in a very, very rough sea.
These extraneous thoughts of trust and guidance were banished as she exited into the bottom of mementos. "This is… heaven?"
"Whoa…" Likewise, Noir was just as starstruck by the ivory gates that barred their way.
Joker had a more practical argument. "It's still closed!? No, that cannot be! We–"
Thunk! The lock clicked and emitted a soft white light, the gates swung open, permitting them entrance to the depths.
"This is it then." Readjusting her belt, Kasumi placed a hand on her pommel. It was odd that stroking it gave her comfort. Rather like the feel of the prop in her hand when dancing, the sword had become a partner to rely on. Another partner was one she had not expected. Her persona, Paris, lurking in her mask, ready to be called as an ever present force in her mind.
It was with reverent silence that the group crossed the threshold. Even Skull did not say a word. There was a serenity to the air. Glistening flowers lined the edges of the cobblestone path. It wound in a serpentine pattern down lower and lower.
The brightness of the light increased sharply ahead. Shading her eyes with a hand, Kasumi followed everyone out.
The walls disappeared, leaving them in a massive cavern. It was a bright and sunny place, the air filled with the scent of spring. The beginnings of an instinctual smile touched Kasumi's lips. She doubted that anyone could be unhappy in conditions like this. Childhood dreams and laughter were what Kasumi was reminded of. A place where people could dream of potential and things to come.
The beautiful view distracted them from the fact that their path forward now wound through the air with no floor in sight. Bending over the edge to look down, Kasumi blinked in surprise. "Are those… clouds?"
Joker looked over and took a quick glance. "Probably to maintain the illusion of this place. It obscures the bottom."
"Do you think that's where Mona's memories will be?" Panther asked.
"Likely," Mona growled, playing with his slingshot. "Something about this place… It's wrong. There's this impression in my mind that I've been here before… but that can't be right. It was red… wasn't it?"
"More like all the other floors of mementos?" Queen asked. "Maybe Ren is right and this whole heavenly aesthetic is a veneer covering the truth?"
"Heaven or hell? Can a coat of paint fool the senses? Yes, I see… Truly, this may be the genuine expression of hell that anyone has ever seen."
"Umm…?" Kasumi did not really understand Fox's ramblings. Taking a look around the group, no one acknowledged the words either. As silence reigned again, Joker got them moving again.
In a couple of minutes, they began to approach a floating island. Their path wound towards its center. The size was hard to judge, but Kasumi estimated it was a little more than three hundred meters across.
Blocking the way onto the island were two statues, each wielding a halberd of glistening metal. The blades of their weapons pointed inwards, ready to fall on uninvited visitors.
"What brings you to paradise, travelers?"
The voice was feminine, but it had a deep echoing property to it. It gave the voice a powerful authority that made one begin to think about everything they've done wrong in their life.
"Looking for memories," Joker answered honestly. "Do you block our way?"
"We do."
"Why?"
"Because you rebel against our leader. Discard your mask and we shall welcome you warmly."
It was the answer that Kasumi had expected but feared. She didn't quite understand the nuances though. Pulling on Violet's cape, she whispered in her ear. "Is throwing your mask away symbolic of something?"
"These outfits we wear are a demonstration of our rebel soul. Simply by seeing them, they know that we don't belong here."
"Oh. So why didn't we just attack?"
"Well…"
As Violet trailed off, Kasumi looked up and realized that everyone was looking at them.
The statues assumed an aggressive posture. "Be gone thieves. You are not welcome in paradise until you exhume your sins in purgatory."
"Die." Joker intoned, his voice harsh. The once wonderful atmosphere darkened with a sick miasma as a cute little girl manifested behind him. Giggling, she gave Joker a peck on the cheek as a magic circle of sickly violet light unfolded beneath the statues.
"What is–AHHH!"
From the magic circle demonic teddy bears began to rise. Their hands grabbing unto the statues which tried desperately to fight them off. All the while, the blond-haired persona laughed with childish delight.
"Boom!" Speaking as she spread her hands, the power of the persona was made manifest as the demonic bears erupted with the force of nuclear bombs. The incredible power was contained by the edge of the magic circle. That didn't stop the powerful wind that still swept over their group.
Eyes wide, Kasumi gulped at the carnage. She couldn't even find a whole piece of a statue. No discernable arm or head. Just fragments of rock and dust left behind. "Holy shit…"
Joker meanwhile, had a hand to his head, groaning. "That… takes a lot of energy."
"N-No shit sherlock!" Oracle erupted. "I didn't even need Necronomicon to see the power of that skill! W-What the hell, Joker!?"
Their leader was oddly quiet before answering. "This is the kind of power I need each of you to find. None of us are strong enough yet."
Why does he sound like he has confirmation? Has he… In Kasumi's mind a blurry image of a small girl pointing a finger at her rose in her mind. Frowning, Kasumi tried to focus on it, but it slipped away. "What in the world…?"
Heavily disturbed, Kasumi followed along silently as they entered the first island.
Friday, December 2nd, 20XX After school
Walking through the rubble he'd created, Joker could not consider the beings he had exterminated. As it had been for the entire trip down, Joker's mind was still locked in the velvet room. As Lavenza had promised, it seemed that only he had retained his memories. More importantly, it hadn't drained any energy from them.
If the encounter had been simply humiliating, Joker would have moved on. It wasn't though, it had been terrifying. Lavenza's power had been overwhelming as the thieves were scattered easily. Desperate attacks and gunshots were all mostly ineffective.
To fight on par with a being like that… Joker still didn't really believe it was possible. Raw ability would never match. The massive difference had to be made up by tactics. Betting on outsmarting something that powerful also seemed impossible though. No matter what spin he put on it, Joker couldn't find an answer. All Lavenza had provided was a simple 'keep working on it'.
Despite the thoughts, Joker was still aware of his surroundings. The Path went through the middle of the island. Oddly enough, it was fenced in away from the meadows of grass on either side. Joker could see and hear people running and laughing as they played and danced.
"The hell they doing?" Skull muttered.
"Enjoying themselves, obviously," Panther replied, poking him. "Come on, even you should have been able to… Umm, is that… Kamoshida!?"
Joker jerked to full alertness. His highly honed senses tracked down the tall man quickly. He was with another person that was facing away from them on the left side of the path. Part of the frolicking group, Kamoshida had a euphoric smile on his face that Joker had never seen before.
Approaching, he finally caught the conversation between the two men.
"Your jumping prowess is impressive as ever, Suguru! I'm afraid that I shall never match you in this aspect."
"Don't be so negative, Akira! Anyone can learn to jump if you put in the time!"
Akira. Joker stopped, grabbing the path's bars as he stared at the men. "Konoe?"
They turned towards him, confirming Joker's hunch. The two men, Kamoshida Suguru and Konoe Akira both wore big loopy smiles and quickly jogged over. "Ahh, our savior! What a pleasure!"
"Why… Why are you two trapped in there?" Joker breathed out, the words hitching as he tried to speak.
"In… here?" Kamoshida repeated slowly. Tilting his head in confusion, he looked over at Akira who shrugged.
"You appear to be confused, we're free and happy. It is you who continues to suffer in jail, diligently freeing the people in there."
"LIAR!" Joker exploded, throwing himself against the unmoving bars. In his crossed vision, the bars he was grabbing were blocking his line of sight. Both of the men's pitying faces were obscured by them. The lines of steel that kept him away from happiness.
"You can join us now," Akira whispered, covering one of Joker's hands with his own. "You've done enough. You're still young and have so much to live for. All of you, toss away your mask and join us in paradise."
Breaths coming faster, Joker's perception continued to degrade. He really was being kept from happiness. The laughter and joy was out of reach.
"Ren." A touch on his shoulder brought him back to reality.
"Ah, thanks Sumi…" Turning to smile at his girlfriend, Ren received a shock. The girl whose hand that he placed his over was not dressed in ivory and silver but black and gold. "Kas."
Flinching away in sync with each other, Ren looked down the path, away from everyone. The snickers from his friends only increased his embarrassment. What it did do was remove his anxiety about being imprisoned.
"Come on, let's keep moving."
It took Joker a dozen seconds to settle down and take a glance to his side where Violet was now walking. Eyeing her up and down, he wondered if she was angry at him.
"Umm, Violet?"
"Yes, dear?"
"I uhh, was wondering how you were feeling."
"Contemplative."
"Is- is that so? That's… nice."
It was then that Violet turned her smile to him. Like a succubus, she was both dazzlingly beautiful and terrifying. Swallowing, Joker waited for the rest.
"It's just interesting how you can't distinguish my touch from my sister's. If I were taking this in a charitable light, I'd say that it is because of how similar we are. However…"
"My girlfriend is a wonderful person who can infer that the charitable answer is correct?"
"Oh? Is it now?" Violet's smile deepened. "So similar you must consider us interchangeable. After all, if our touch is the same…"
"Urgh!" Having walked right into the cleverly laid trap, Joker could only bow his head.
"Oh well. Simply one of the burdens of having such a great sister I suppose."
Cautiously optimistic, Joker raised his head to look at her.
"But for you to confuse us and not even apologize… It makes me wonder whether you intend to condition me to the point that I no longer think you touching my sister is strange."
Suffering from the next volley, Joker winced. It was a fair statement. He also assumed, or hoped at least, that her words were mostly in jest. Is she trying to make me feel better? Taking another long look at her, Joker whispered his reply so that no one else could hear; unlike Violet's comments that were designed to be heard by at least Kasumi.
"Thank you, Sumi. It won't happen again."
She sniffed and turned away, blushing. "I-I'm insulting you, idiot."
As she once again proved irresistibly cute, Joker reached out and rubbed her head.
"...Is this how it always it is?" Kasumi asked from behind.
"Basically."
"Yeah."
"Naw, this is light."
"Oh shut up!" Joker called back to a barrage of laughter at his expense. For once they fit in with the atmosphere of the depths.
As they moved forward, the first island quickly disappeared behind them and Joker got a better view of what they were dealing with. It was hard to see the bottom ones, but until the clouds at the bottom of the cavern, there were six more islands. It was a slightly terrifying walk down as they lost their railings. The path had changed from a rocky garden path to marble steps that glistened with a fine polish.
"Be prepared for another fight," Joker warned the thieves. "We'll probably see guards at the entrance to every island."
"Ah."
"Of course."
True to Joker's expectations, there was another set at the second island. This set however, was armed with spear and shield. Constructed of an ivory-like material, their faces could not be seen through the elaborate helmet that was carved.
Whipping out his gun, Joker put a quick three round burst into those pretty looking helmets.
"Gah! Impetuous thieves!"
Reacting instantly, the statues raised those large shields. They were held by the inside arms completely blocking off the path. Each shield in the larger-than-life sized statues were two meters tall and locked together on the edge as the statues moved.
"Let's go Carmen!"
"You too, captain Kidd!"
Tornadoes of fire filled with lightning crashed down on the statues. In response, they hunkered behind the shields that shone with a white light. When the magic had passed, they rose back up and looked largely untouched.
"Oracle, what are those shields!?" Joker called out.
"They're shields! They block stuff."
Joker rolled his eyes but took the message. The problem here was that getting around the shields was going to prove challenging. A blur appeared in the corner of his vision. Joker's instincts saved him as he jumped backwards in time to just avoid the twin spears that appeared to stab him.
"Leave this to Sumi and me," Kasumi called out.
"It's Violet!"
"Fine, fine." Kasumi conceded with a wave of her hand.
Anticipating what she planned, Joker called out orders. "Hit them with more magic!"
Basically everyone fired off their signature magic. Joker himself added a ball of dark energy. As before, the figures hunkered down, absorbing the attacks with ease. Between the magic ending and the statues getting back up, Kasumi and Violet rushed forward, jumping hard off the ground. Barely clearing the massive shields, they landed behind the statues.
Unwilling to let the statues notice, Joker pulled out his gun again, putting his last two bullets into the statues heads as they peeked out. It did very little damage, but it worked to make them flinch.
With dual spears aimed at him again, Joker prepared to dodge backwards when they froze.
"Gah… Guh!" The statues released moans of pain. Their shields collapsed to the pathway with a clangorous roar. Like a curtain falling, it revealed the sisters with their swords through the statues back.
That… really took them down?
Both statues slumped to the side, falling from the pathway with perfect symmetry. The shields that were left behind began to dissolve into particles of white light.
"Hmm, I guess that glowing white sphere is their weak point?"
"Yes, Kas. The glowing sphere was their weak point."
"And it was just… visible?" Joker asked.
"Yeah. The statues had no back."
Considering Violet's words, Joker wished he hadn't snapped as fiercely against the first two. If they had fought them properly it would have told them whether all the island guardians had the same weakness.
"Good job." Walking past them, Joker rubbed their heads. The path changed back to the garden-like stones as the fence stopped them from accessing the grass. Using his left hand, Joker touched each bar on the left side as he passed. The bars were cool like metal despite having the appearance of glass rods. Joker knew from his previous outburst, that they were as solid as steel as well.
"It's odd, isn't it?" Joker spoke aloud, half to himself. "Akira claimed that he was free, but he can't even access the entirety of his island, let alone the others."
"Are you sure about that?"
Joker jerked to the right. Staring through the fence on that side with wide eyes, he focused on the impossible sight. "Akira?"
"Hey there, kid. Do you need more proof to accept your situation?"
"Shut up!" Skull yelled through the bars. "We don't need anymore of your lies!"
"Lies? Why do you think I am lying? I'm trying to thank you all. It is your time to relax and enjoy life."
"Let's go," Joker snapped. Turning from Akira, he walked swiftly through the second island without a backwards glance.
"Whenever you are ready, we will be waiting."
From there on, the cycle repeated. A pair of statues growing increasingly more powerful followed by an island. On that island, Akira would appear and greet them. It took an hour, but eventually they excited the sixth island. At this point, the final island was in clear view, as was the cloud barrier at the bottom. What's more, Joker could see a path leaving the seventh island down to the barrier.
The path they found themselves on was slightly transparent. Joker couldn't tell if it was clear or white because of the clouds beneath. There were small glowing points in the path. The seemingly random array were like stars in the sky. Despite the glass-like appearance, Joker's grip on the walking surface was not impaired in any way. The only real problem was the lack of edges. Before there was some visual aid like flowers, or a distinct pattern. On this final walkway the path simply ended.
"Umm, sorry, but do you think you can do this fight without me?"
Joker was surprised by Queen's admission. Taking a quick look back at her, he nodded. "Yeah. Let's come up with a plan, this is a dangerous place to fight."
"As long as they don't have shields again, the long-range barrage should work again," Oracle supplied.
"So run it back? Sounds good to me," Skull responded.
Joker repressed his sigh. Their confidence was well-earned. The statues were strong, but far below the level that they could handle. Hoping that this wouldn't go poorly, Joker spoke one last order. "Oracle, can you catch anyone who falls off with Necronomicon?"
"Hmm, no? It only hovers, it doesn't fly."
"Ahh, that makes sense." Joker nodded, slightly disappointed. Unable to shake the bad feeling, he stopped ten meters from the final pair of statues. Oddly, they were the smallest yet, standing only a meter and a half tall. Gripped in both hands and held upright was a longsword. One blade glistened an azure blue with the other was a shimmering ruby. They were the first colors that weren't some variety of off-white so far.
"Hit them."
A wave of well-coordinated magic shot over Joker's head, drenching the statues in harmful effects.
"Foolish children."
Joker's instincts likely saved his life. Throwing up his knife in front of his face, a sapphire blade crashed into it. The power was far greater than what Joker could muster. Like a leaf in a gale, Joker was blown backwards. Tumblings head over heel, he lost all semblance of where the pathway was.
Pain shot through his body at a sudden halt. Freezing, Joker waited to see if he was falling. When he was certain that he wasn't, he groaned and began to move. It took a couple of seconds to regain his footing and look at who he had landed on. "Sorry Fox."
"Fret not," he groaned back. "Happy to… be of service."
"Atta boy, pillonari!" Oracle cheered.
"P-Pillow?" Fox complained back as he also stumbled back to his feet, holding the back of his head. "I wish I had one…"
"Focus!" Joker yelled through the joking. "These are dangerous. Far more so than any previous."
Despite getting blasted with multiple powerful attacks, the statues stood unflinching. Even scanning their bodies, Joker wasn't sure if they had taken any damage at all.
"Looks like they took no damage…" Oracle mused, staring through her cybernetic googles. "But… they aren't immune to magic. I don't understand."
"What?" Joker looked back at her. There was no time for musing, however. From when he had gotten blown back, a quarter of a minute had passed.
The statues were attacking again, blurs of Red and Blue beating down the enhanced Queen and Skull who tried to absorb the attacks. Firing back over their heads was Noir who bombarded them with waves of psychic damage.
"Hey, that's working!" Oracle called out. "Just keep that up and–"
"AAH!" Letting out a pained cry, Queen was unceremoniously tossed backwards into Noir. The two girls falling awkwardly on the ramp. Skull was soon to follow as both blades stabbed down towards him with untrackable speed.
"Come on!" Violet cried to her sister as she jumped over Skull's tumbling body to attack the statues.
All the while, Mona and Panther's faces were pinched as they tried to counteract the damage everyone was taking. Their personas refusing to fade as light coated everyone. Joker knew from firsthand experience that their efforts were the only reason that Queen and Skull were still moving.
Violet and Kasumi unleashed their blades with lightning speed. Their slashes cutting weakly into the statues' bodies. Joker knew before seeing it how this would go. The girls had marvelous coordination and dexterity; neither of which mattered much before overwhelming strength and speed.
Both girls were quickly sent jumping back, forced to yield ground.
"Now, Goemon!" Having recovered, Fox sent a blast of ice at the isolated statues. WIthout the bright fire and lightning, it was far easier to tell what was happening. The statues crossed their swords in an instant. The two opposing colors increased in intensity, creating a layer of white light that emanated from the moving stone. Upon that light, the ice shattered without effect.
While that same light was up, Noir's psychic waves bit into them, seemingly unaffected. It was the only real damage that they had done so far.
Evaluating, Joker needed only a moment to make his decision. "Oracle, you're in charge here."
"Huh? I mean, sure?"
Giving her a farewell nod, Joker took out his grappling hook. With one breath to steady his nerves, he leapt off the edge. The hooks bit into the path's edge, swinging him in a large arc and back up the other side. With the rope hitting the far edge, his momentum rotated back to the path.
Floating in the air, Joker reoriented himself. Getting his feet down to the path, he landed behind the statues. That's where his plan fell apart. Unlike many of the previous guardians, there was no hole in their back. Only more of the unyielding stone. Still, with a flank position, Joker called forth a persona.
The gun-like arrows fell from above, striking from their blindspot. The force knocked the statues forward a step. Even with all of Noir's work and Joker's ambush, they were still standing strong. He didn't understand why there was such a difference in power between the guardians.
What he did do was give them pause. The statues turned their heads to look at him taking blows from front all the while. Without a word, the statues raised their swords and touched them together.
"Pointless." Joker had already confirmed that it their barrier magic had no effect against psychic and physical damage.
A ball of white light formed at the intersection. Rather than the barrier, it rapidly expanded, a divine power that Joker could not hide from.
Raising an arm, he took a knee to better absorb the damage. Gasping from the result, his vision blurred, vast amounts of vitality suddenly drained with no chance of resistance. Gasping, Joker suddenly came to grips with the peril of his situation. Quickly shifting personas, he ripped off his mask and healed.
When he focused on the statues, he found them back-to-back, one facing him and the other taking on the rest of the theives. That sapphire blade that had nearly taken off his head was focused on him again.
What was worse was that he still couldn't tell what type of damage its attacks did. If Joker guessed wrong and it penetrated his persona's resistances, that could be his life.
"Guess I'll just slow you both down then," Joker smirked, betting on his own agility. Calling forth another usage of his personas, Joker felt more of his mind slipping away, a momentary flash to black indicating how low he was getting.
In response, the statue lashed out fast as a viper. The insane speed was still slower than the lightning that had struck before. Joker failed to fully dodge it. The blade bit weakly into his shoulder, beginning to drain the vitality he had just restored.
With it however, Joker got the knowledge that he had been looking for. Despite its fearsome appearance and synergistic magic with the matching blade, the attacks dealt normal damage. Something that he had the perfect answer for.
"Girimehkala!" Backing up, Joker switched personas and summoned it, bluffing a attack.
The statue, without a moment's hesitation, brought back its blade and lunged. Joker stood still, arms wide and accepted the sword.
With the twinkling of a mirror shattering, the blade stopped, its force redirected back into the wielder. Receiving a mighty blow, the statue doubled over, hand pressed to the floor.
"Bring it down!" Joker roared to his pre-summoned persona. Seeing that its own attack had worked against it, Joker followed up with his own physical blow. The wide-range rampage from Girimehkala could hit multiple times.
Even as it began to go off, the statue looked up. The eye slits in the mask were glowing a bright blue. "Freeze, vermin."
Suddenly, a pillar of ice sprang up from the floor, encapsulating him. In an instant, the heat was drained from his body. Body going into shock, Joker could not even struggle as his body temperature reached critical temperatures.
He gasped as the icy cage around him shattered, the magic reaching its end. Falling to one knee, Joker shivered from the sudden, deathly cold. Breaths coming in ragged gasps, he stared up at his soon-to-be murderer. The statue was no longer pristine. Its reflected blow had carved a gash in its front, and his persona had bashed in one side of its once-pretty helmet. Through the gash in its torso, Joker could see the core, shimmering white and vulnerable.
With a shaking hand, Joker raised the grappling hook gun and pulled the trigger. The statue dodged it with contemptuous ease. Leaving its sword down by its side, it raised its hand, another burst of ice magic building there to strike Joker down.
Right as the light flashed, Joker pulled on the retraction trigger. Somewhere down the path, the prongs stuck into the cobbles and Joker was pulled along. Ice crystals caught in his hair as he just avoided the death strike. Skittering along faster and faster, Joker eventually released and he bounced head over heels until he was horizontal in the air, feet out in front of him.
Crunch!
WIth a loud noise, his feet slammed into something solid. A horrific jolt of pain ran up his legs. Falling to the ground, Joker looked up at the statue with the ruby blade facing the rest of the thieves. It was little more than tatters at this point. His collision had been the breaking point. Joker had been the stone that shattered the pre-cracked glass.
In his dazed vision, Joker watched as Kasumi's blade ran through the core. In moments the statue was gone. Its corporeal form evaporated into particles of light that floated away.
The pounding of something heavy on flagstones alerted Joker to his still dangerous situation. Laying prone on the ground, he had no recourse to block the incoming attack. The remaining statue was charging in, blade raised over its head to strike him dead. Unlike the last blow that Joker had reflected, this time, the sword was coated in an icy magic. Clearly it was a suicide attack that would cost the statue its life as well. Revenge burned in those sapphire pits of eyes as it bore down on Joker.
"Get away from him!" With a yell, Violet leapt to his defense. Rather than trying to meet the powerful attack head on, she hit the side of the icy sword. Their weapons deflected, Violet and the statue collided shoulder-to-shoulder, rotating them.
That didn't stop the weapon deadlock as the statue tried to overpower Violet. Both combatants were posed in a standstill for only a moment. The blade coated with icy magic began to glow brighter. Joker didn't know what caused it, but the magic exploded outwards in a ball of force.
On the left side of the pathway, the statue began its fall to death. On the right, Violet started the same.
NO! Screaming mentally, Joker's body shifted with supernatural speed. Sliding half off himself, he barely managed to grab onto Violet's outstretched arm. He could see the primal fear in her eyes as she swayed in the wind.
"You caught me…" With those relieved words, she smiled, her fear melting away. She was still in a precarious situation, but her trust for him was clear as day.
"Always," Joker assured her.
Before Joker could worry about falling off himself, he was getting pulled up. Multiple members of the thieves lifted them back up easily. As soon as Violet was safely back on the pathway, Joker collapsed, the last fragments of energy leaving his body. "Healing please."
It was Mona who benevolently fulfilled his desire. With a touch of his furred paw on Joker's forehead, life flowed back through him. The hypothermic chill that had beset him faded.
"Ahhh…"
Even as Joker relaxed, having come out on top of a hard-won conflict, he was interrupted by conversation.
"Hey sis, your blade…"
"Yeah… It will come back, probably."
"It will," Mona added. "It is a cognitive piece of your rebel soul. No matter what happens, it will return."
"O-Of course it will!"
Joker had missed it initially but yes, he had seen the weapons fly from both combatants' hands as they were flung from the pathway. Cracking open an eye, he stole a glance at Violet's conspicuously empty sheath. Weirdly, this was the first time Joker remembered them seriously losing a weapon.
Sighing, Joker stood up. He had nearly died moments earlier, then had to save his girlfriend from falling to her death. Now, he needed to calm his heart and make level-headed decisions as a leader. With.a herculean effort, Joker moved past the surging fear and adrenaline and addressed the group.
"Violet, you focus on the sword and try to imagine it back at your side. In the meantime, you have powerful magic if needed, don't forget that. Everyone else, form up around her and don't expect her to jump in on the frontline."
"Yes sir!"
Ignoring the slight hints of sarcasm, Joker nodded and marched forward. Disappointingly, the seventh island was identical to the first six. Nothing was immediately different as more idyllic green fields stretched to both sides; perfect for picnics and playing tag.
"So you've fought again," Konoe's now familiar sorrowful voice spoke out to him.
"Yes," Joker snapped. "And we likely will again as we follow the path down."
"Hmm, I understand my voice can't reach you. But there are some others that would like to speak."
What? Joker stared suspiciously at the former CEO. That only opened him up for a surprise from behind.
"Yusuke my boy. You've really grown."
"Madarame!?"
"So you still recognize your teacher. I'm glad. How is your painting going? If you join me, you can focus on your creative pursuits without worry."
The harsh lines had faded from the master artist's now had the sage appearance of a true teacher, of a father.
"You think I would join you?" Fox growled. "You leave my mother to die and–"
Fox suddenly cut off mid word as tears welled up in Madarame's eyes. "Ahh, I understand if you don't want to see me. That is no longer a joy I deserve for my sins."
"T-That's…" Fox clearly had no idea what to say before the image of his old teacher.
Joker's heart went out to him. This couldn't be easy for Fox. He didn't need Joker's words to help; Fox had Oracle at his side, resting a comforting hand on his upper arm.
Suddenly, another voice called out from behind them. "Hey you two, is Shiho doing alright?"
Kamoshida. The man had not really addressed them much on the first island. Apparently this cognitive reflection of his heart had to work up his nerve. Joker glanced at the man talking from the other side from Madarame.
It was Skull and Panther he was looking straight at. Kamoshida was wearing an awkward smile full of guilt. "I heard that she's going to be able to walk again. Is that true?"
"It is," Panther replied harshly. "No thanks to you."
"I know that," Kamoshida assured them. The despondency in the former olympian's voice was too real. Whatever criticisms Joker could level at Kamoshida, he was doing his best to repent. "And are the two of you doing well? Keeping up with your studies?"
"Fuck off," Skull swore. "Go away and stop harassing us."
"Of course, my apologies."
Just like that, Kamoshida was gone. Unlike with Madarame, there was no love lost between him and Skull. And then, a third voice.
"Ahh, the Yoshizawa sisters united. Apologies for that whole blackmail thing. I have no excuse."
This time it was Kobayakawa that had manifested. The former principal was barely recognizable. He had lost a lot of weight. It did not give him the appearance of a bad illness weight loss but a healthy lifestyle change. Some of that permanent stress had faded.
"You think that changes anything?" Kasumi snapped. "Is that all you have to say?"
"No, I wanted to thank you for the help. You've changed my life."
"You're rotting in prison and thanking us?"
"Rotting? No, everyone is trapped by something. My steel walls are protection from many things, giving me time to meditate and find nirvana."
"Enough!" Joker snapped. Fox was still hypnotized by the sight of his old master as well. "These figments have nothing more to teach us. Let's get to the truth of this place."
"R-Right!" Violet squeaked in agreement. Skull and Panther were right there as well in moving along. Kasumi quickly turned from glaring at Kobayakawa and joined them.
Joker did feel slightly bad for Noir who was looking around with a sad expression. Her father was nowhere to be found among the visitors. It was only then that Joker noticed that Kaneshiro was there too. Hands in pockets, he stared passively at Queen, not saying anything as she stared back.
With a few looks at members, Joker assigned people to drag each of their unmoving teammates away. With a bit of effort, their progress resumed. As they left the seventh island behind, many pairs of sorrowful eyes followed their progress.
The final path was odd. After the increasing ornamentation, it was the most basic. Worn stone steps that remembered those of a shrine. The rough stone provided ample grip to make an easy descent.
"My sister wasn't there," Queen noted. "Why do you think that is?"
"Probably because she isn't happy to be imprisoned," Joker growled. "Note that there wasn't a Futaba cognitive shadow either."
"Oh, yeah!" Oracle laughed. "That would have been funny to talk to myself again."
"You often talk to yourself," Fox noted drily.
"Hey!"
With a bit of levity, some of the tension faded. Joker knew that most of them had been shaken badly. Seeing their targets frolic peacefully in the small cages was an odd sight. Sure there was grass and bright light, but they were still trapped.
As Joker stewed, the barrier approached. Reaching the tendrils of cloud, Joker paused. Extending his foot, he poked it with his boot. The white mist swirled around him naturally. Taking the full step, Joker entered slowly.
With his vision going white, the path before him became hard to see. Slowing further, he waved a hand in front of him, marveling at how water began to condense upon his skin and clothes.
"Whoa… trippy." Skull's voice from behind him had a strange echo to it.
"Go slow and be careful," Joker warned. With senses on high alert, he proceeded. Minutes passed in relative silence as no one wanted to be the cause for their ambush. Eventually, it was Joker who broke the silence. "Do you sense anything, Oracle?"
"No. I can stop and call Necro if you want though."
"...Don't bother." Still, as time continued to tick by, Joker couldn't help but be reminded of one of the first palaces they had invaded. Kobayakawa's playground had a long slide that connected the top and bottom. It had been a long, dark climb to reach the top. Pointless too.
It took almost an hour before more light began to seep in. Pace quickening, Joker's boots soon found purchase on unobscured rock. With a few quick jumps, he skidded to a stop underneath the clouds. Taking in the massive open area, Joker gaped. They were in basically open sky with a column surrounding them. From what Joker could tell, it was more of the grassland cages that their targets had been occupying. Layer after layer of the enclosed pastures descended over a hundred meters to a floor.
At last.
They had finally done it. There were no more doors or ramps down. They had finally arrived at the bottom of stone path they walked spiraled around a central tree that stood four or so meters high. At the bottom, Joker thought that he saw someone.
"Come on. We will have our answers soon."
With vision restored, Joker led them down at breakneck speed. With their powers, it was easy to jump off one step and land ten lower. Repeating the process it felt more like slow falling than actual running.
Even at that pace, it took more than five minutes to reach the floor. As Joker had thought, there was someone there. It just wasn't who he had expected. "Dr… Maruki?"
"Yes, Ren. It is I." He replied with a welcoming smile.
As always, Maruki was wearing his lab coat and cargo pants. With his glasses slightly askew, the man hadn't changed at all since their first meeting.
"Explain." Joker demanded.
"Maruki chuckled. "There isn't much I can say that you all don't know already. And hello Kasumi. I see you have changed your views."
Before Kasumi could jump in and ask how Maruki would know something like that, the doctor turned away and continued speaking.
"Due to my work on cognitive psience as well as my dream, a being approached me. Working together, we made Salvation a reality…" Maruki trailed off, his hand stroking the surface of the tree. From here Joker could see that it was bearing fruit: golden apples. "Now, all of the pieces are assembled. With you all here, I can make my world a reality. I have the backing of the people. I just need yours."
"Our approval?" Joker pressed. "For what?"
"To make everyone happy. Even now, my heart hurts for the people trapped in roles they cannot properly fulfill. For those that are lost or suffering with wounds we cannot see."
"That doesn't explain anything. Also, I want to meet this entity. I get the feeling that we may be acquainted."
Maruki's face pinched. "Yes… It did mention that. Do not fear though, Ren. It is following my dream. You will–"
"Don't trust it!" Joker broke in. "It deceived me for months. Whatever control you think you have, it's all a lie."
"...Thank you for your concern, but I'm quite set. Everything is proceeding as planned. Please, everyone, all you have to do is trust in me in your hearts. If you do that… I can save everyone."
"You are still the same person, right Dr. Maruki?" Violet asked with a vulnerable tremble in her words.
"Yes, I am, Sumire. Just as I told you when we met."
"Huh? So… you aren't a cognitive reflection."
"When I heard you were coming down here, I thought I would greet you."
"Then why try and kill us?" Joker challenged. "Your statues stopped us from coming here."
"My statues? Ahh, I understand. Apologies for that. They must have sensed your will to destroy the sanctuary."
"We don't want to destroy anything."
"So you say. I hope that is true."
It had been a simple exchange, but Joker still felt on the backfoot. He didn't have anything more to say. There was nothing left to fight here. That only left… "Mona, do you remember anything?"
"I… Maybe. For a moment I thought I'd been here before but… all of my memories are red and black."
"Like mementos," Joker was a repetition of what he had said earlier.
"Perhaps you are remembering an older version," Maruki spoke up. "As the entity's will has been directed to my goal and plan, the appearance of this place has changed drastically."
The others nodded, taking this as more proof of Maruki's truthfulness.
There was still one thorn in Joker's mind that he needed to address. "You keep all these people prisoner. Is that your vision for the world?"
"I keep them safe." Maruki corrected. "Like the walls of your house keep out people you don't want inside. However, they can leave at any time. They simply need to ask and any one of them can eat one of the fruits here and will be exiled to the cruelty of the exterior world."
"You call freedom, exile?"
"I call losing one's place of safety and belonging, exile."
That goofy smile. The kind shimmering in his eyes. Joker's will wavered in the face of it. He wanted to trust Maruki. His good intentions were blinding.
"Hah! Well, I guess that settles things, eh guys?"
"True!" Panther agreed with Skull. "This is like, the best case scenario!"
One-by-one, they nodded, their phantom thief outfits evaporating away to reveal their school uniforms. When all was said and done, the last two in their thief outfits were Joker and Kasumi.
It didn't take long for the others to notice that two among them had yet to conform. As the stares piled up, it was Kasumi that snapped. "This isn't right! We aren't children that need constant supervision and guidance!"
"You say that now," Makoto whispered. "But after seeing my sister getting beaten down for years on end and how happy she is now… I want to believe that Maruki is right."
"You yourself admitted that you were wrong about the phantom thieves," Violet pressed Kasumi. "Please, for me?"
"Urgh… W-What about Joker! He also hasn't accepted this!"
With the brunt of the conversation steered to him, Joker had to say something, but couldn't find the words. The problem was that he couldn't find the words for his resistance. It just felt… wrong. Like agreeing to this would be surrendering himself. As expectations began to build, Joker averted his eyes in defeat.
"If this is the will of the group, I will abide by it."
"Joker!"
He couldn't meet Kasumi's disappointment in him. Instead, he glared at Maruki. "If you break your promise, or fail to deliver, we will fight back. For now though… the power in your hands."
Maruki smiled. "Thank you all. The world shall become a utopia."
Like a star exploding, Joker's vision faded to white. He no longer knew where he was or if time was still passing. Sometime later, his consciousness resurfaced.