At the entrance of the Palace, Mona addresses the group. "Let's go! Don't let your guard down!"

"So, this is the final act," Sphinx commented, glaring at the castle.

"I've been waiting for this day," Panther said.

"Let's get our hands on that treasure!" Skull cheered with a wide smirk.

"Let's make our way back to the throne room," Joker stated.

Sphinx met his gaze. "Lead the way, Joker."

The phantom thieves waste no time and infiltrate the castle, making their way to the throne room and avoiding the Shadows prowling the corridors. It took them half an hour to reach the doors of the throne room, which were wide open.

Skull's brows knitted together, confused as to why they were open in such a manner. "What the hell's goin' on here? The door's just sittin' open, and there aren't any soldiers around..."

"This place is probably undermanned now that they all got assigned elsewhere," Mona responded. "Either way, we win as long as we can steal the treasure!"

"Or this is all just a ploy to let our guard down," Sphinx said. "And the moment we reach the treasure room, we'll be ambushed."

Joker considered her words and said, "Keep an eye out. We might not be alone."

"Let's go!" Mona chanted.

Carefully but quickly, the group entered the room and stalked toward the doors located up the stairwell behind the throne. They analyzed their surroundings, looking for enemies if there were any lying in wait. Fortunately, they were able to make it to the treasure room without spotting any trouble and pushed open the doors. Unlike a few days ago, the anomaly floating in the air was replaced by a brilliant crown.

"Aw yeah!" Mona chanted, smiling widely. "The treasure has appeared!"

Skull crossed his arms, analyzing the enormous crown. "Man, it's huge!"

The feline turned to the others. "What do you think?! It's just as I said! Now we can steal it!"

"You make it sound so easy..." Sphinx sighed. "I mean, look at it! It's not exactly something we can shove in our pocket. How're we supposed to get it from here to the entrance without being spotted?"

"That...is an issue," Joker muttered.

However, Mona wasn't listening to them at all. Its attention was solely focused on the glistening crown. "Ahh...this shine brings tears to my eyes."

"Aand you're not listing to us," the inky-haired girl groaned.

Panther tilted her head as she observed the floating treasure. "It kinda pisses me off. Why's it so pretty? Isn't this Kamoshida's desires?"

Once again, Mona wasn't listening. Its eyes started gleaming as it took a few steps toward the crown. "T-Treasure..."

"Uh..." Sphinx stared down at the feline, puzzled.

"The cat's actin' awfully excited," Skull observed.

"What's wrong?" Panther asked Mona. "Is something...?"

Without warning, the cat meowed excitedly before pouncing on the crown. It latched on to the golden band, clinging tightly as it rubbed its face against the surface. Another enraptured meow escaped its throat, this one higher pitched than the previous one.

"You're way too excited..." Joker exhaled, shaking his head in disapproval.

Mona continued to obnoxiously meow as it rubbed its paws up and down one of the many jewels decorating the golden band.

Skull grinded his teeth before shouting, "All right, that's enough, you stupid cat!"

At the sound of the blonde's furious tone, Mona snapped out of its trance and unlatched its body from the crown. A frown appeared on its face as it hung its head in shame. "Oh, um, yeah... Forgive me for displaying such an insolent sight in front of ladies..."

"You were completely out of character too," Panther claimed. "What was that about?"

"I couldn't stop it either... To think I'd be drawn to human desires this much..." Mona's mood suddenly perked up as it smiled. "Doesn't that prove that I'm human?!"

"I'm not so sure, Mona," Sphinx replied. "Just like crows, cats have known to show attraction to shiny objects. Some cats even collect and hoard jewelry, glass, coins, and other shiny objects."

"Sphinx!" Mona whimpered with teary eyes.

"S-Sorry..."

"A-Anyway, you guys need to carry it!" The cat wipes its tears and jabbed a paw at the crown.

Skull rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh. "All you do is bark orders..." He approaches the floating treasure. "Still, that was easier than I thought! I thought for sure there'd be some insane trap or something."

"Don't jinx us just yet, Skull. We still have to get out with the treasure," Sphinx said.

"Don't ruin my happy moment..." The boy muttered.

Panther tilted her head slightly as she eyed the crown. "His Palace will disappear if we take this back, right? And Kamoshida will change too..."

"That should be the case," Mona replied.

Skull looked around before refocusing his gave on the treasure. "Good. Now's our chance then."

The four teens grabbed the crown and realized just how heavy it was.

"It's heavy...!" Panther grunted.

Mona stood behind Sphinx as they began to walk toward the door. "To think it'd go so well... I've even found four Persona users in the process." It smiled, meeting Joker's gaze. "My judgement was correct. I made the right choice in making a deal with you! Nyahaha!"

The phantom thieves, minus Mona, carries the immense crown out of the treasure room and down the stairs. They slowly descended the stairwell to prevent from falling and dropping the heavy object. Mona acted as their guide to ensure the crown nor its companions didn't fall.

Walking past the throne, the group was halfway to the door when they heard someone cheering, "Go, go! Let's go! Ka-mo-shida!"

Out of nowhere, a volleyball came hurdling toward the group and knocked the crown out of their grasp. They gasped in shock as a figure leapt over their heads and landed in front of the throne. The person snatched up the crown the second it shrunk. "I won't let anyone take this!" The group turned around and saw Kamoshida with the familiar scantily-cladded cognition of Ann standing beside him. "This proves that I am the king of this castle-it is the core of this world!"

"That rat bastard..." Panther growled, glaring at her clone. "That's how he sees me, isn't it?!"

"Yo, pervert," Skull hissed. "Were you waitin' to ambush us?"

"I just made it easier to find you," Kamoshida answered. "I'll dispose of you myself. Right here, right now."

The blonde boy glared sharply at him. "That's our line, you sexually-harassin' D-bag!"

Kamoshida scoffed, grinning. "What a selfish misunderstanding."

"Like hell it's a misunderstanding!" Sphinx bellowed, glowering at the man.

"You were doing things that you kept secret from others!" Panther hollered angrily.

The smirk on Kamoshida's face didn't falter. "The people around me were the ones who kept it secret. Adults who want to share in my accomplishments, students who have the drive to become winners... They willingly protect me so that we all may profit from it."

"Profit?!" Skull's eyes widen in bewilderment.

The grin on the man's face spreads wider as his piercing golden eyes scan the faces of the teens and cat. "There are too many imbeciles who don't understand that! Including naïve brats like you and that girl who tried to kill herself!"

Panther looked away from Kamoshida with a sigh. "True, she's a total idiot...letting you manipulate her, trying to commit suicide... And I'm even more of a dumbass for not realizing that! But no matter what kind of fool someone might be..." Her eyes dart back to him, glaring ferociously. "They don't need your permission to live their lives!"

"Drop the attitude, you mediocre peasant!" Kamoshida growled. "There's no wrong in using my gifts for my gain! I'm a cut above all other humans!"

"Oh, please," Sphinx sneered. "Trash is more human than you! You're nothing more than a demon disguised as a human!"

Kamoshida lowered his head as he chuckled maniacally. "That's right. I'm not like you..." He lifts his head, revealing a menacing smirk plastered on his face. "I'm a demon who rules this world!" He threw his arm around Shadow Ann, pulling her close to him as his body began to warp.

The phantom thieves stumbled backwards as they watched Kamoshida's body twist and bend. "Wh-What the hell?!" Skull bellowed.

A man no longer stood before them. In Kamoshida's place was a demon with bulging eyes, horns, and four arms. In each hand he wielded a different instrument-a wine glass, knife, fork, and a whip. His long tongue swung around the room as he laughed with a demonic tone. "I'm allowed to do whatever the hell I want!"

"You're wrong," Joker replied before glancing at his companions. "Let's do this."

Skull cracked his knuckles. "I've been waitin' for this all day!" He grabbed his bat and rested it against his shoulder. "Time for some payback!"

Joker grabbed his blade, Sphinx unsheathed her khopeshes, Mona gripped its sword, and Panther unhooked her whip from her waist. The five stood in front of the demonized Kamoshida, ready to attack.

"You goddamn, no-good, shitty brats!" Kamoshida's voice echoed throughout the throne room. "Haven't you been taught not to point at people?! Huh?!"

"Look!" Mona shouted, gesturing to the top of the demon's head. "The treasure's over there! We should catch him off guard and steal it! Let's attack him and wait for that opportunity!"

Joker was the first to attack. He charged toward Kamoshida with his blade and slashed into his pink flesh. After delivering a few blows, he was forced to dodge the demon's immense tongue. Mona and Panther attacked from either side, using their weapons to hack and slash at their enemy. They lowered their bodies to the ground to avoid the golden knife and fork.

Skull summoned his Persona and sent a surge of lightning through the demon's body. Sphinx gripped her khopeshes tightly before dashing toward the assailant. She sidestepped just in time to avoid the knife and stabbed her weapons into one of his legs. The demon cried out, his tongue whipping around wildly. "I need healin'!" Kamoshida lifted his golden fork and used it to grab a pair of legs from the trophy sitting in front of him. He lifted the utensil and placed the legs in his mouth before swallowing them whole. Once he swallowed it, his wounds were healed and he taunted the group. "Come at me, you pieces of shit! I ain't lettin' you sleep tonight!"

Mona's eyes widen in disbelief. "He healed himself? Is it because he ate those inside there?"

"Let's target the trophy. That way, he won't be able the heal himself," Sphinx stated before summoning Sekhmet. "Flaming Serpent!" With a blazing khopesh, the lioness forged a cobra made of pure flames. It coiled its body around the trophy, squeezing it as its blazing body began melting it.

Seeing his precious trophy was being destroyed, Kamoshida used his golden fork to strike the cobra. The tines pierced the serpents body, causing it to hiss. The reptile acted quickly and lunges toward the demon's hand, sinking its fangs into his flesh. "Agh!" The enemy cried out before cracking the whip against the ground. The slaves on either side of him attacked the cobra with a barrage of volleyballs, extinguishing it. Kamoshida examined his trophy before growling, "You don't know what this is worth, so stop touching it! Don't do it anymore, got it? I've warned you!"

Mona grinned in amusement. "When someone tells us not to do something, it makes us want to do it even more!"

"Let's get rid of that trophy," Joker smirked.

Panther summoned Carmen as Skull dashed forward, swinging his bat around. With their combined attacks and Sphinx's previous one, they saw cracks forming along the sides of the trophy. With his pistol, Joker fired five rounds and aimed for the weakest points. The bullets caused more cracks and a few pieces of the trophy fell to the floor. Liquid began pouring from the holes and cracks in the prize.

Summoning Zorro, Mona delivered the final blow to the trophy and shattered it into pieces. The shards fell to the floor before evaporating into nothingness. With the prize now gone, Kamoshida expressed his disbelief. "No way... This was from when we won the national..."

"Boohoo, cry me a river," Sphinx scoffed as she and the others surrounded him with their firearms drawn.

"All right!" Mona cheered.

The demon's disbelief morphed into rage. "You think that you can get away with doing such a thing? Do you realize who I am?!" His tongue lashed out toward the group, pushing them back. "I am Kamoshida! Don't you get it?!"

"So what?" Joker sneered.

This only enraged him further. "Huh?! Like I keep saying! I am Kamoshida! I'm the king!"

"You look down on everyone...but you're seriously lame right now," Skull groaned.

"We came all this way to steal that! Will you just give it up and hand it over?" Panther sighed, referring to the crown that currently sat atop the demon's head.

"Silence!" Kamoshida demanded. "I won't let the likes of you have this!"

"We're not leaving without it," Sphinx declared.

"You still have the energy to say things like that?!" Mona shouted at the adversary. "Then we're going to up our game as well!"

The phantom thieves banded together, performing an all-out attack. With their combined attacks, they were able to knock Kamoshida back. Unfortunately, the demon still found the strength to yell at the top of his lungs. "I'm the king! If I'm not, then who is it?!" The demon whined.

Mona turned its attention to Joker. "We won't get anywhere with brute force... What do we do?!"

"Let's go for the crown," the leader answered without skipping a beat.

"I see..." The feline hummed in recognition. "In that case, time for Plan B!"

"We've a plan b?" Sphinx muttered, lowering her pistol.

"Never execute a plan unless you have a backup one," Mona smiles toward her before looking back at Joker. It pointed its free paw in the direction of the upper level. "Look over at that terrace! While the others are drawing Kamoshida's attention, have someone go there! Let's steal the treasure without him noticing!"

Panther dodged the golden knife before addressing the others. "Let's steal that crown!"

Joker looked around at his friends before his eyes locked with the girl's next to him. "Sphinx, think you can do it?"

"M-Me?" The sable-haired girl looks up at the crown before nodding. "I can do it."

"We'll keep him distracted. You just focus on the crown."

"Understood."

When Kamoshida looked away, Sphinx moved toward the terrace. She hid behind a pillar, waiting for the chance to climb up without being spotted by the demon. Her heart raced in her chest as she watched her friends attack him with their Personas and weapons. Seeing he was distracted, she began climbing up the torso portion of the pillar. Just as she was about to reach the terrace, Kamoshida's demonic voice filled her ears. "How dare you keep defying me... Looks like I gotta bring out the big guns! Slaves! Bring out you-know-what!"

Looking down, Sphinx saw the slaves that were once chained up beside Kamoshida free. They rushed past her companions and grabbed an oversized volleyball. "This doesn't look good..." She whispered to herself.

"Time for my killshot from when I was active and rockin' it! Killshot...as in I'll make the kill!" The slaves threw the volleyball toward Kamoshida as he leapt into the air.

Without hesitating, Sphinx activates the Eye of Horus and clings to the edge of the pillar. She releases one of her hands, which causes her to fall slightly. She held out her hand toward her friends and placed a protective barrier around them just as the volleyball struck the floor. The impact of the ball created a vast explosion and she could feel the heat from where she was. When the smoke cleared, she saw her friends were unharmed and sighed in relief before resuming climbing.

The barrier surrounding Joker, Panther, Skull, and Mona dissipated and they knew exactly who to thank. None of them were injured and felt rejuvenated.

Kamoshida saw this and growled. "You damned brats... Now listen up. This school exists because I'm around. You're the only ones who don't respect me, you know!"

"The more you talk, the longer you're distracted," Sphinx muttered as she was only a few inches from the terrace.

"You're misunderstanding it all!" The demon yelled. "I haven't sexually harassed anyone! They came on to me because they wanted to get on my good side!"

Sphinx's body stiffened at Kamoshida's words. Anger bubbles in her chest, but she was more shocked to hear his delusional claims. She gritted her teeth, fighting against the paralysis and climbing on to the terrace. Before she could knock the crown of the assailant's head, the sound of a frustrated wail filled the throne room. Wondering where it came from, she looked toward the entrance and couldn't believe what she saw. "Is that...?"

Down below, everyone turned around and saw the cognition of Mikono. Their eyes widen in pure shock as the girl dressed in black babydoll lingerie dragged her body through the threshold and toward them.

"Wh-What the hell's goin' on...?" Skull muttered, watching the cognition's jerky movements.

For Panther, it was her first time seeing the cognition. "Is that...how Kamoshida sees Mikono?"

Kamoshida himself was even shocked at the appearance of the girl. "What is the meaning of this?! Who let her out?!"

Suddenly, Mikono came to a halt a few feet from the phantom thieves. Joker took a step toward her but stopped when he heard the deafening crack of bones. With a horror-stricken expression, he watched as the girl's body became engulfed with shadows and more bones were shattered. Slowly, Mikono's entire body expanded. Her arms, fingers, legs, and torso became elongated. Then, two more arms sprouted from underneath her others. With one hand, she pierced her chest and ripped out her heart with an eerie wail. Blood dripped down her chest and hands as she tossed her heart aside.

Panther gasped in horror, eyes wide with fear as she saw the gaping hole in the girl's chest. Skull took a few steps back, nearly stumbling over his own feet. Joker remained petrified while Mona's fur stood on end. Even Kamoshida was afraid of the girl.

The Shadow stalked forward, ignoring the phantom thieves entirely. Her crimson eyes were focused on Kamoshida and nothing else. The demon tried to strike her down, but his utensils were easily destroyed by two black tendrils. His whip and wine glass followed suit, leaving him with nothing. With another horrid shriek, the Shadow leapt on to Kamoshida and used her long nails to pierce his flesh. He cried out in pain from the intrusion and glanced down just in time to see black veins beginning to stem from the girl's fingers. They spread rapidly and soon envelope his entire body. With a cry of anguish, the demon vanished and what was only left was a quivering Kamoshida. The crown on top of his head fell off, rolling across the floor.

Sphinx jumped down from the terrace, watching in awe and horror at how easily it was for the cognition of herself to destroy Kamoshida. When she took a single step forward, her heel clacked against the tile and alerted the Shadow. Her head snapped in the azure-eyed girl's direction and she turned her full attention to her. One step after another, the Shadow approaches Sphinx. For some strange reason, she wasn't afraid as the lanky figure made her way toward her.

Sphinx held out her hands toward the cognition, staring into her crimson eyes. She could hear the others telling her to run, but she refused to listen to them. When the Shadow reaches her, she places two of her four hands in both of hers. Sphinx entwines her fingers with the cognition's and smiled at her. The shadows disperse and her bones reset, revealing her counterpart as she once was before the transformation. Slowly, the Shadow's body dissolves into small speckles of light. They float upward before vanishing, leaving not a single trace behind.