Persona: The Phantom Masquerade.

(I went to take a nap yesterday before writing and slept through the night lol. So that's why there was no chap. I'll try to post two tomorrow to make up for the missed chap, but no promises.)

— —- —

After a brief moment of vulnerability, Shiho regained her composure, her eyes now burning with unwavering resolve.

"The sooner we do, the sooner we can take Kamoshida down," She stated, her voice firm and unwavering.

The group exchanged glances, their shared resolve igniting a silent agreement. Their journey took them upward, scaling one of the castle's towering spires that pierced the sky. They encountered a few more knights along their way, though since they kept to the shadows, they were able to ambush most of their enemies. Their surprise attacks gave them an edge against their enemies, enough to deal with them without too much struggle.

Approaching the tower's summit, they noted the extensive damage; large cracks defaced the once pristine stonework, and steps crumbled beneath their feet, causing them to move more carefully. The tower's top was in ruins, with one wall completely collapsed, exposing the interior to the open air.

Morgana, who had been unusually quiet, finally spoke, his tone somber.

"I should've mentioned this earlier, but the places where these seeds are usually in are typically heavily protected… It's really weird for them to be so… broken. I mean, as I said before, the seeds are supposed to be solid forms of Kamoshida's distortion."

Ren mused for a second before walking closer to the seed, which was emitting a navy blue glow.

"The castle, his whole distortion, took a big hit when he got suspended. I'm assuming that the places that keep the seeds took the biggest hit."

His hand reached toward the seed, and once again, they got pulled into the black-and-white world.

Unlike the times before, when Kamoshida acted nervously after his actions, Kamoshida now acted with complete confidence. Standing tall in the middle of a volleyball practice, his face drifted to anger as he saw one of the students stumble backward when trying to hit the ball back.

Grabbing one of the balls close to him, Kamoshida, with one swift movement, launched it into the air before spiking it towards the face of the unsuspecting student. Causing him to fall to the ground. The room filled with palpable fear, the other students daring only to glance at their fallen teammate before looking away in shame and continuing their practice. 

"Mishima, get up and get back to practice, or you're benched!" Kamoshida barked at the downed student.

His gaze then swept over the rest of the team, his voice booming with a ruthless command.

"I expect nothing but perfection, anything less, and you will be punished!"

The air was filled with an ever-growing buzz of static as the scene shifted to Kamoshida's office, his irritation palpable as he tapped his finger with impatience. Mishima stood in front of him, looking at the floor with shame.

"Go grab Shiho. She hasn't been playing properly lately, so I am going to have a talk with her…" He ordered, his annoyance barely contained.

The static intensified, becoming almost deafening, drowning out all other sounds until the world itself seemed to be swallowed by the noise. Then, abruptly, the scene changed again, now to Ren entering the room, the monochrome world now infused with a sinister shade of red.

"Ah, I get it now." Ren whispered before he saw himself take his glasses off and walk toward Kamoshida.

After a few moments of the silent confrontation, the group all gasped in horror as they saw him get punched, only for them to hold their mouths open in horror with each punch that followed.

"Ren…" Shiho's voice was laced with concern as she reached to grasp his shoulder to offer support.

With each successive blow, the monochrome began to bleed away, replaced by the vibrant, harsh reality of colors as the static reached its peak. And then, as Ren collapsed unconscious, the noise abruptly ceased.

The door swung open to reveal the school's faculty just as the scene shifted to Kamoshida standing before a furious principal. 

"What the hell were you thinking, Kamoshida?!? You didn't think to lock the door? You didn't think to check for a recording? What the fuck do you expect me to do? Kawakami is up my ass trying to call the police. Another teacher called an ambulance! I-" The principal's rage was tangible, his frustration boiling over as he slammed his fist down.

Kamoshida's eyes were nervous as the world began to shake wildly, loud cracks and sounds of destruction ringing through the air.

"I'll take care of it. Luckily, the student you attacked has a record. For now, you're suspended. Don't leave your house, don't do anything rash. I need to make some calls," 

As the final echoes of those words dissipated, the chaotic noise that had enveloped them quieted. In an instant, they returned to the top of the tower.

"Dude…. Are you ok? I also got beat up by Kamoshida; he broke my leg, but even then, it wasn't so… You know?" Ryuji muttered.

Turning to look at them, Ren gave a slightly uncomfortable chuckle before speaking.

"Ah, that. I was honestly hoping that would happen so that he would get caught red-handed. That's why I took off my glasses. You know, for fake glasses, they are pretty expensive." He joked, trying to lighten the mood. However, his attempt at humor seemed to deepen their concern rather than dispel it.

"Ren, that's not-" Ann started, her voice filled with worry. She paused, then continued more softly, "We're here for you, okay? Whenever you need to talk."

Ren gave the group a warm smile as thanks before changing the topic back to their mission.

"Well, we have all of the seeds now. So how about we put 'em together?"

There was a brief exchange of hesitant glances among the group until Ryuji broke the tension with a mix of uncertainty and his characteristic enthusiasm.

"Uh… Hell yeah?"

With a roll of his eyes, Ren collected the seeds, their ethereal glows mingling as he carefully placed them side by side. Once all three seeds were next to each other, they began to tremble and float before spinning in the air as if in a dance. After a few moments, the seeds gave a warm glow before becoming a three-headed crystal-like skull that let off a purplish and pink glow.

As Ren held the will crystal in his grasp, a palpable surge of energy coursed through him, accompanied by a slight connection to the Palace. It was strange, almost as if the power that coursed through him was pure authority.

"So, how is it?" Morgana, ever curious, couldn't help but ask.

"A little strange. I am not fully sure how to activate it, but I am sure once I see Kamoshida in action, I can probably guess what it does and work it out from there. Here, give it a try." With that, he tossed the seed to Morgana.

The feline companion caught the crystal mid-air, his expression transforming into one of sheer delight, a glint of greed momentarily flashing in his eyes. Ren could swear that he could almost see stars in the cat's eyes.

"This... this is incredible," Morgana purred, his excitement palpable. That was, until Ren snatched the crystal from him.

"Don't let that get to your head. You saw the source of this power, so remember that when using it." Ren said before putting the seed away. As he heard that, Morgana's ears drooped for a second before he nodded his head.

Then, with a confident turn and a wink directed at Shiho, Ren rallied the group with a question.

"Are you all ready to take down a king?"

— —- —

As they navigated the labyrinthine corridors of Kamoshida's castle, Morgana continued to teach the group how to move like a thief. They became like phantoms in the night. Their presence barely registered before they struck down the knights patrolling the halls. Each victory was a silent testament to their growing proficiency.

In addition, Anubis proved themselves to be extremely valuable once again as they guided the group through the intricate layout of the castle. With her, they were able to move through the hidden pathways and secret doors, cutting through the defenses of the castle like a knife. Without much of a struggle ahead of them, the group eventually arrived at a massive, opulent door.

As they approached, the air grew thick with tension, the weight of their mission pressing down on them as each of them readied for a fight.

"Let's take the high ground," Morgana suggested as he pointed to a lookout window to the side of the door.

The group slipped into the throne room undetected, their eyes immediately drawn to the grandeur before them. A vast hallway with a throne at its heart. To their surprise, they found Kamoshida seated on the throne, a glowing regal crown clutched in his hands, its brilliance dampened by a significant crack.

"That crown is the treasure! I can feel it! It's unusual for it to have materialized without us sending some type of message first. But I guess the realization that he almost lost everything must have been shocking enough to change that. It seems his desperation to protect his treasure forced it into a physical form, allowing him to keep it close at all times. " Morgana whispered, barely containing his excitement at the sight of their target.

"Kamoshida looks pretty angry." Ann remarked as se peeked through one of the railings.

Ryuji, echoing the sentiment, added

.

"For real," his gaze sweeped the room, uneasy about the ominous atmosphere. "This place just gives off a bad vibe."

All eyes then turned to Ren, the unspoken leader in their midst, seeking his insight. With Shiho finally asking the question on everyone's mind.

"What do you think? How should we do this?"

Ren paused, his gaze sweeping across the room, taking in their surroundings and the formidable opponent before them. Even from his hiding spot he could sense the power radiating from Kamoshida. He was sure that if they did a direct, surprise attack, it wouldn't be enough to defeat him. To be honest, he wasn't even sure if they would be able to pull off a surprise attack at all.

He knew the key to their victory lay with the crown. If they could somehow steal it, they might also significantly weaken Kamoshida, creating an opening to deal a final blow. Ren could also sense the crystal in his pocket pulsating with energy unlike when it first formed, its proximity to the crown seemingly unlocking its potential.

First, he directed his attention to Morgana, the group's most agile and stealthy member. 

"Morgana, I need you to circle around and find the right moment to snatch the crown. We'll keep him busy. I'm sure he hates me by now, so I can use myself as bait in order to draw his full attention. Ann and Ryuji, I need you both with me as backup in order to stand a chance."

Then, turning to Shiho, he continued.

"Shiho, stay here and give us all the support you can. Your persona doesn't have any combat capabilities at the moment, so just take shots with your sniper if you see any openings. But be careful not to draw too much attention to yourself."

Lastly, addressing the whole group, he said.

"If things take a turn for the worse in there, I'll create an opening. We'll get out of here and regroup outside before giving the fight another shot, understood?"

The group exchanged nods, their determination becoming clear in each of their faces. Seeing this, Ren's face broke into an eager grin as he declared.

"It's showtime."