When they walked in, they immediately spotted Igor levitating at the center, surrounded by a red and black energy. This Igor was different than the one from the Velvet Room though, especially his voice. In fact, it sounded a lot like the Holy Grail.

"Rebels who choose to deny the Prison of Regression... Why do you mere humans still dare oppose me...?!" He demanded.

"Stop acting like you're some kinda god! You're just a Treasure! Shut up and let us destroy you!" Ann snapped.

"Fools... Do you still not understand? Your actions shall not save a single soul."

Soul. The word struck a chord within Shiina. Didn't Elizabeth mention something about a soul? A very special one? Before she could recollect her memories, the fake Igor let out a malicious laugh. They watched as he floated backwards and faded away, transforming into the familiar golden cup.

"How do you think it is that I became a god to begin with?" It questioned.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Makoto asked tensely.

"The freedom not to choose... The freedom not to think... The freedom not to live... If every person pushed the burdens of their lives upon others, nobody would have to act for themselves. And who should be there to receive those burdens?"

"Are you saying... that's you?!" Haru exclaimed.

"Precisely! Humanity itself wished for the Holy Grail to be a god that would rule over them!" It boomed. "If you continue to reject that order, there will no longer be a place for you in this world!"

"...And?" Morgana pressed on, clearly unimpressed.

The Holy Grail let out a harrumph. "So you wish to reject me... even if it means forgoing praise from those you want to 'save'..."

"We don't care about people's praises, we care about their lives!" Shiina spat.

"That's right," Akechi agreed.

"If you are not going to obey... then you shall suffer yet again. I shall bring down the hammer of judgement upon you who dare disrupt my world order! I am the one who grants the desires of the masses... I give life to their voices... Fear me!"

"Guys, get ready!" Akira ordered as the vessels attached to the cup glowed brightly.

"If we don't do something about those blood-pumping supply-line things, this'll never end!" Futaba scowled. "Our opponent knows that too though. It'll try and stop us if we go straight for them! We'll need to send someone in to cut the lines. Then while they're out, everyone else will have to keep attacking to distract the Holy Grail!"

"Leave that part to me," Shiina said seriously, eyes never straying from her opponent. "I'll cut the lines, but for now I'll need to hide behind one of those big-ass hands. I need you guys to keep it from seeing me go there."

Akira nodded, "I got just the thing," he said, pulling out a small green bottle. The smokescreen bomb. He yanked out the pin and lobbed it forward. Immediately, an obscuring fog emitted from it.

Shiina gave him a nod of gratitude before dashing for the hand. She quickly hid behind it as the rest of her friends began attacking, the smokescreen wearing off a few seconds later.

"Come on out, Satan!" She heard Akira yell out as she climbed over the pinky finger. She glanced over to see the gigantic... thing that Akira summoned. She didn't really know how to describe it other than being huge, dark, and creepy.

"Black Viper!" Akira ordered, and Shiina's jaw dropped as a black portal appeared in front of the Holy Grail and a gigantic black snake head popped out, biting into the cup's metal with its fangs.

Holy shit, she thought. Now she was glad that Akira went back to fuse.

Focus, Shiina! She scolded herself before continuing to climb. So far the Holy Grail had yet to notice her—where were it's eyes anyways?—as she maneuvered herself around the ring finger. She finally reached the tallest and most beloved finger—the middle one.

Perfect, she decided as she carefully stood atop it. In a blue flash, her gauntlets appeared in her hand. Her gaze zeroed in on the vessels attached to the cup, concentrating on her targets hard.

"Inmates! Lend me your strength!" The cup shouted as the vessels began to glow.

I don't think so, Shiina thought, shooting herself forward with her claws ready. She soared through the air, her blood red claws ripping through each and every line in her way.

"Haha!" She let out a victorious yell, landing gracefully on the floor.

"Nice one, Shiina!" Ryuji grinned with pride, high-fiving her.

"Again, Skull, code names." She reminded him, but the smile she wore on her face showed that she didn't really care.

"It worked! How's that?!" Futaba taunted.

"You repugnant rebels..." It seethed, bright energy surging throughout him.

"The enemy's charging up, but It can't heal itself anymore! This'll be a head-to-head fight from now on! Take it down!" Futaba shouted.

"You got it!" Ann cheered, ordering Hecate to use Agidyne. Behind her, Haru and Makoto were pelting the cup with Psychokinetic and Nuclear damage while Yusuke encased the thing in ice. Akechi paused in his attacks to scrutinize the wavelengths surrounding their opponent and widened his eyes in alarm.

"Be on guard, it's going to attack now!" He called out just in time for a large blast to hit at the very center of the group. Immediately, they were struck by a white blast as they lost contact with the floor underneath them.

"Ohhhh, that really hurt..." Shiina groaned as she forced herself to sit upright.

"Tell me about it, I think I just broke my ass..." Akira grunted from beside her, rubbing his pained bottom.

"Get up, get up, get up!" Futaba snapped impatiently. "Geez, pick up the pace you guys!"

"Chill!" Ryuji barked, forcing himself up. He ripped the mask off his face. "Deathbound!" He ordered, and a hundred hands emerged from under the cup and began attacking.

Shiina couldn't help but find that particular move creepy, what with all the hands and all, but she put the thought into the back of her head and resumed fighting alongside Tullia.

"Odin! Thunder Reign!" Akira shouted and the air began to rumble as a giant purple skinned man wearing a skirt shorter than Shiina had ever worn fell from the air and landed with a loud thud. He raised his staff and what looked like a million lightning strikes rained down on the cup, blinding everyone else and nearly deafening him.

Once the attack was done, the whole temple began to smell strongly of ozone.

"God damn..." Ryuji gawked.

"You nearly fried us all!" Morgana scolded, but he was more upset about his fur, which was currently sticking straight up.

"That little trip back down clearly benefited you," Akechi noted, grinning as Robin Hood struck the Holy Grail with multiple arrows.

"Yeah," Makoto agreed, dodging another laser beam from the cup. "Care to show us more?"

Akira smirked. "With pleasure. Kaguya Picaro!" A lithe figure rose from blue flames, and something circular fanned out around her.

"Shining Arrows!" Akira commanded and suddenly Shiina couldn't see shit. She could hear a loud shhing! sound followed by a multitude of blasts, but she had to blink a few more times to regain her vision and saw the Holy Grail being attacked by what looked like bright golden arrows. It was somewhat similar to the attack Zadkiel used on her but with spears.

That was definitely a Bless attack, she thought. And it would totally kill me.

"That was so cool, Joker!" Futaba awed. "Just for that, I'm gonna give you all a couple of boosts!"

"It would've been more useful if you had done that beforehand..." Yusuke sighed, but accepted the attack and accuracy boosts.

"Attis!" Akira suddenly called out, and Kaguya Picaro was replaced by a mummy that was separated into several pieces. "Blazing Hell!"

Attis released a fire attack stronger than Ann could ever muster, leaving the blonde girl gaping enviously.

"Oh, now you're just showing off!" She huffed.

Shiina turned her attention away from their banter and back to the opponent. It's gears were moving more erratically now and even worse, it was about to shoot another laser. But it wasn't aimed at her. She followed it's aim and saw Akira, who was distracting himself with Ann and explaining how Blazing Hell worked.

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me," the redhead muttered under her breath before darting forward. "Joker, move!"

He did not.

Like an idiot, he looked at her and said, "Huh?" Usually he wasn't so daft, but he was most likely exhausted from all the fighting like the rest of them were. Nonetheless, she tackled him down, feeling the attack hit her on the foot.

"Ow!" She cried out, pain burning throughout her entire left foot.

Akira let out a flurry of curses from beneath her and carefully maneuvered her body around so she wouldn't be on top of him anymore. "F-fuck, I need a Diarahan or something!"

"Already on it!" Morgana exclaimed, his Persona quickly working on healing Shiina's foot.

Ann dashed to their side. "I am so sorry!" She apologized profusely.

Akira nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too—"

"—Another laser!" Shiina shouted, grabbing both of them to push them out of the way while she rolled to the side.

"Damn you!" Ryuji cursed at the Holy Grail, his Persona charging up for another Electric attack.

"Cripple him!" Haru ordered, pointing at it. Astarte began shooting at the cup, causing everyone to duck down and cover their ears.

"Damn Haru," Shiina grinned as she got back up to her feet. "Alright Tullia, your turn!" She summoned her back and Tullia unleashed Eiagaon on it.

Akira then shouted for a Kohyru, and much to everyone's surprise, a gigantic golden dragon appeared.

"You really are just showing off..." Akechi sighed heavily.

"Psycho Force!" Akira ordered, and the golden dragon attacked it with a strong Psychokinesis move that almost left Haru jealous.

"How... powerful." She said with a forced smile.

"Another laser coming in!" Futaba warned.

"Not to worry," Makoto said under her breath, dodging to the right to avoid the hit. She ripped her mask off. "Atomic Flare!"

"Keep at it!" Futaba shouted through the Nuclear explosion. "It's super weak now! Finish him!"

"Got it! Agneyastra!" Ryuji bellowed, and a bunch of dropped from the sky, crashing hard against the Holy Grail. Ryuji let out a big cheer. "All three hits! Yeah!"

The Holy Grail's gears and wheels slowed to a stop, and it let out a low, "Fools..." before it's voice died instantly.

It was completely silent afterwards save for their heavy breaths.

"Nice... kill shot..." Shiina panted, giving Ryuji a tired grin.

"Thanks." He grinned back.

"Did we... did we do it?" Yusuke wondered.

"Oracle," Makoto turned to the shorter girl.

Futaba gazed up at the Holy Grail an unsure expression on her face. "It's silent, but... I don't know."

Suddenly the lines designed into the temple began to glow crimson. Everything began to tremble and the group huddled closely, wildly looking around for an explanation. Shiina's stomach clenched apprehensively when she saw the gears and wheels on the Holy Grail beginning to turn again.

"What the hell is going on...?!" Akechi bit out, growing frustrated.

"This doesn't look good..." Haru stated nervously as the walls started to split apart.

There was a loud noise as the gears and wheels on the cup broke off and the winged designs sprang out. All around them, the walls crumbled, exposing them to the sky. Steam shot out from the floors as it too started to separate.

"Guys, be careful!" Shiina warned, noticing this. They quickly jumped off the piece of the floor they were on and landed somewhere safer.

"The Holy Grail!" Makoto shouted. "It's—"

'Growing' was the only term that would fit, but nobody really knew what to call it. Somehow, the oversized cup grew larger and larger—and now it had legs too?! Long, metallic legs that seemed to run down for miles. They couldn't see the ends of it since it went passed the clouds. Long and vast wings spread out from it's side as a metal halo twirled around what appeared to be it's 'head'.

"The Holy Grail in it's entirety..." Haru gasped.

"Is this real...?" Ann whispered, unable to pry her eyes away from it.

"G-give me a break...!" Futaba stammered once it's final transformation was complete.

— ❤ —

Shouto whirled around when someone roughly grabbed his shoulder.

"Todoroki!" Akihiko exclaimed, looking worried. "Where's Shiina and the rest of them?!"

"Up there," Shouto answered, pointing up at the blood red sky.

"They're up where?" Ken choked.

"What the hell is going on?" Akihiko demanded.

"Shiina told you about their mission in Mementos right?" Shouto inquired.

"Yeah."

"Well... it didn't go as planned."

"No shit..." Akihiko ran a hand over his head, stressed. He could hardly focus on what to do what with everyone screaming their lungs out, not to mention the fact that people were disappearing right in front of him. He had to glance around to make sure Ken and Koromaru were still with him every second.

"We tried calling for reinforcements but our phones weren't working," Ken explained, grimacing. "We really need to do something about that..."

Shouto opened his mouth to tell them that Shiina and her friends had it under control when the sound of loud crashes echoed throughout the city followed by the ground trembling violently.

If it was possible, the civilians shrieked in horror.

Shouto turned to see what the commotion was about and paled. Extremely large pieces of debris seemed to have fallen from the sky, crushing whoever was underneath. He couldn't seem to pry his eyes away from the rapidly forming pool of blood on the ground.

"Shouto, don't look!" Fuyumi cried out desperately, tugging on his arm in order to get him to look away, but he stood stiff.

"The temple is..." He croaked, watching as the red temple his sister was most likely in shift apart, the outer walls crumbling and crashing.

Everyone's terrified screams were silenced as they watched the scene in pure disbelief. A pair of metallic pillars lifted up from the ground, floating in mid air. Shouto peered upwards, trying to see what was at the top of those leg-like pillars and to his surprise, he saw a massive figure with golden wings.

"What is that...?" Fuyumi murmured, looking up as well.

"No..." Akihiko whispered as Koromaru barked angrily at the winged being. "Don't tell me that's another—"

He was cut off by a deep, booming voice that seemed like it could be heard all throughout the city. Shouto shivered when he heard it speak. It sounded like the same disembodied voice he heard before Shiina faded away.

"I am the administrator born of the collective human unconscious."

All around them, people were whispering to each other.

"Huh? W-who's that speaking?"

"Where did that voice come from?!"

"Is it... a Pro Hero...?"

"Are we going to be saved...?"

"The god of control, Yaldabaoth." The voice finished.

"God?!" Fuyumi repeated incredulously. "What the hell is going on?!"

Please, please, please be safe, Shouto thought desperately, his gaze turning upwards.

— ❤ —

"This is crazy! It's like a building!" Futaba marveled.

"It's bigger than that," Akechi stated grimly. "This is way passed the clouds, remember?"

"It was already huge back when it was the Holy Grail...!" Ann gaped.

"The administrator must guide mankind toward proper development. And now that the foolishness of man has been proven, it is the administrator's duty to purge them." Yaldabaoth spoke.

"You kidding?!" Ryuji exploded. "This is just some kinda rigged game you started!"

"The foolish masses merely spread indolent thoughts and force the progress of society backward. If left to humanity, the world would slowly meet its demise. Rehabilitation is impossible now."

"That doesn't mean humans are evil though!" Makoto shouted.

"Indeed," it agreed. "There are many upstanding citizens. However, they merely take the sole path before them. The act of making decisions is accompanied by nothing but pain. Even if a cliff of ruin lie ahead these lemmings would march on without a second thought..."

"Don't feed us that bullshit!" Shiina spat. "You're just forcing your selfish ideas on people!"

"For a god, you're pretty damn prejudiced!" Futaba sneered.

"If this is all for the sake of humanity, wouldn't being beaten by humans satisfy you?" Haru shot.

"I am the entity which governs this world. Its future depends wholly on my leadership." It stated. "Those who dare defy this natural order shall be met with punishment raining down from the heavens."

The second he finished speaking, they were magically pushed back by a powerful gust of wind.

Shiina grunted as she struggled to not lose her footing.

"Rgh...!" Futaba groaned. "That thing's on a totally different level!"

"Can we defeat something like him?" Yusuke asked unsurely.

"This is the best possible outcome...!" Morgana said with determination. "We're fighting against a god who's not holding anything back, right? What bigger target could there be for the Phantom Thieves to tackle?"

Makoto sighed. "Although... it's still way too big for my liking."

"Alright, I'll give the navigation everything I've got!" Futaba grinned.

Haru smiled. "We can do this if we all work together!"

"Let's take him down!" Ann whooped.

"Crowning our glory by defeating a god... Now that is true art." Yusuke said smoothly.

"How many Pro Heroes can brag about beating a god?" Shiina grinned excitedly.

"Looks like we're all fired up," Akechi noted pleasantly. "And you, Joker?"

Akira scoffed playfully. "I'm ready for this."

"Man..." Morgana chuckled. "You guys are the best, stupidest group I could ask for. I'm so glad I was able to be a part of your team..."

Akira smiled down at him. "Let's win this, Morgana."

Morgana nodded affirmatively as they all glared up at Yaldabaoth. "We'll take it all back... Our future... and this world!"

"Rebels who dare defy my rule... You shall perish." It vowed.

"Let's finish this!" Akira shouted as they all summoned their Personas. He quickly went to work on Debilitating Yaldabaoth while the rest of them showed no mercy with their attacks.

"Matarukaja!" Ryuji ordered.

Shiina, grateful for the added boost, called out, "Demonic Decree!"

It missed.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! Again?!"

"Maybe you're just tired," Akechi tried to placate her.

"It looked very impressive though," Haru added hastily.

Just end me, Shiina thought miserably as the rest of her friends continued to assault the fake god with super cool moves that didn't miss.

"Mudoon!" Shiina shouted and mentally sighed in relief when the attack hit.

Above them, the skies parted as an arrow of light struck down at an unfortunate Ann, who cried out in pain when she was hit. Futaba quickly went to work on healing her injuries and giving her evasiveness a much needed boost while Astarte battered the Holy Grail with bullets.

"Black Viper!" Akira ordered, a familiar black snake erupting from the swirly black vortex to chomp down on Yaldabaoth.

"Bufudyne!" Yusuke yelled out. Ice formed around Yaldabaoth. Mercurius reacted swiftly by pushing the wind around the frozen god on all sides, the ice breaking into sharp icicles that dug painfully into the enemy.

Makoto's Anat then used Freidyne, blasting the god back. It countered with another Ray of Light that she easily dodged in time.

A bolt of lightning ran down, striking the god fast. Ryuji grinned in success as Akechi's Robin Hood notched it's own light arrow.

"Psiodyne!" Haru cried out as the arrow was released.

Ann's Persona boosted it's own Fire skills with Fire Amp before unleashing a devastating Agidyne that left everyone coughing. One Garudyne from Mercurius was enough to blow away the smoke while simultaneously attacking Yaldabaoth too.

Several clouds parted above them and three Arrows of Light zoomed down, hitting Akira, Haru, and Shiina. They all went down and Shiina knew immediately that it wasn't a Bless-based move since she was still alive.

Must be Almighty magic then, she thought with relief.

"You guys okay?" Morgana asked worriedly.

"Just fine," Akira growled, shaking off his injuries.

"Don't waste your energy on healing us right now." Haru told him.

Shiina nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we're still standing." She then paused as Tullia's voice whispered in her head.

New move.

What are you waiting for? Do it, do it, do it! She giddily encouraged and watched in glee as Tullia shot up and slapped Yaldabaoth across the face.

"Amazing," Shiina grinned. Tullia bitch-slapping a god was a memorable sight indeed.

Shiina ordered for her to do another Hysterical Slap before she blew Yaldabaoth away with Eiagaon.

"Nice one!" Futaba complimented.

"Thanks," she smiled.

"Your turn, Alice! Die For Me!" Akira commanded, ripping off his mask. A familiar little girl appeared and with a maddening giggle, a horde of oversized teddy bears came out of nowhere and began stampeding the surprised god.

Yaldabaoth growled under its breath. "I release upon you the deadly sin of lust," it hissed. "You have no means of escape, humans. The insanity of mankind shall bring forth the demise..."

An extra mechanical limb appeared from behind, brandishing a golden gun.

Morgana gaped at it. "It grew an arm?! And it has a gun?!"

"Careful, it's preparing aim!" Akechi warned and everyone eyed it warily. The golden gun kept on switching targets, never once stopping at one person. Everyone tensed up, not knowing what to do. There was nowhere for them to duck and take cover—

BANG!

"Shiina!" Akira screamed her name, tackling her down with him on top. He cried out as he was hit in the back and Shiina shouted his name in panic. She blindly groped his back for a wound, but felt nothing.

"What...? Akira are you o...kay..." The words died down in her throat when he lifted his face up and opened his eyes. They were pink. Not like the same pink one would get when inflicted with brainwash. This pink was darker and somehow more toxic.

"Shiina..." He breathed out, a... disturbingly desperate and lustful expression in his face.

"Um..." Gulping, she nervously inched herself away from under him. There was something very wrong with Akira... "Are you... okay...?"

"N-need you..." He panted.

Oh no.

"Need you so fucking bad..." He crawled forward, the longing in his face growing increasingly worse.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!

She opened her mouth to call out for help when Akira lunged at her. She squeaked when she was tackled to the ground once more, but before the back of her head could smack harshly against the ground, Akira swiftly cradled it with a gloved hand before swooping down and roughly kissing her.

"Mmph?!"

"J-Joker?!"

"Akira, what the fuck are you doing?!"

"Oh no, he's horny!"

"I'm sorry," he breathed out, their teeth clacking together through the sloppy kiss. "Can't help myself, I-I just need you...! Ngh... Shiina...!" Without warning he shoved his tongue into her mouth and squeezed her in a suffocating hug, her arms pressed tightly against her sides. She thrashed around in his grip, but he smoothly lifted her up and settled her onto his lap where she uncomfortably sat on his protruding boner.

She bit his tongue hard, and when he retracted his head back, she slammed her forehead against his. Now completely out of his grip, she scrambled up to her feet, her gun summoned in her hand.

"Sorry about this," she said unapologetically, pistol whipping him over the head.

"Argh!" He cried out, clutching the side of his head where he was hit. When he looked back up at her she could see that his eyes were back to being crystal blue. "You pistol-whipped me!"

"Well you shoved your tongue down my throat so I think we're pretty even." She huffed, blushing profusely.

He turned as red as her hair, reaching up to cover his mouth with the back of his hand. "I... Sorry, I just—"

"—GUYS!" Makoto interrupted. "Yaldabaoth!"

"R-right..." They stammered, unable to look at each other as the returned to the main fight. Turns out while they were... busy, the rest of the Phantom Thieves were attacking both Yaldabaoth and his accursed gun.

With one last Deathbound from Loki, the gun was shattered.

"Done," Akechi said, smiling.

But then...

"I release upon you the deadly sin of vanity," Yaldabaoth announced, wiping the smile off Akechi's face. "The fraudulence of mankind shall bring forth ruin..."

It grew another limb, but this one was holding... a bell?

"A bell?" Futaba said incredulously. "What the heck is a bell gonna do?"

The bell chimed and out of nowhere, Yusuke was suddenly enveloped in a vortex of black and orange. It disappeared in a matter of seconds and Yusuke stood, confused but overall uninjured.

"Nothing happened..." He noted, looking at his hands. "Perhaps the attack failed."

Yaldabaoth chuckled. "Think again," he taunted darkly, striking him down with an arrow of light. When the light cleared out, Yusuke was on the floor, motionless.

"Inari...!" Futaba gasped. "He's down! Shit, shit, shit, why's he suddenly weak to Almight magic?!"

"I'll heal him!" Makoto said quickly, dashing towards the fallen boy. The clouds parted above her and an arrow of light struck down only to hit an invisible shield Haru erected just in time.

"Come on, the rest of us have to destroy that stupid bell!" Morgana yelled out.

Shiina nodded in agreement and called forth Tullia. "Mamudoon!"

Akira, who had recovered from... the incident, ripped off his mask. "Zaou-Gongen!"

It was another Persona Shiina had never seen before. Out came a blue skinned man with wild neon blue hair and chains wrapped around him.

"Maragidyne!" Akira said. Zaou-Gongen lowered the short staff in his hand and Yaldabaoth was engulfed in searing bright flames.

"How's Fox?" Haru asked worriedly as Astarte attacked with Mapsiodyne.

"Conscious and healed, but he's weak to all sorts of affinities right now." Futaba answered. "I don't think it'll be going away until that bell's fully destroyed."

"I'll just have to be careful from now on," Yusuke assured as he stood back up. Fully healed, he didn't hesitate to summon Kamu Susano-o who immediately attacked Yaldabaoth with a barrage of Ice magic.

Ryuji grinned when he heard the god's pained grunts. "Good to have you back, dude. Agneyastra!"

After several more hits, the bell finally went down.

"I release upon you the deadly sin of gluttony. The selfishness of mankind shall bring forth ruin..." A third arm appeared, wielding a dangerously long sword. The arm made an arching motion with his sword and they were all struck by a wave of black and white magic. So far, it did nothing but they weren't taking any chances.

"Oracle, any readings on that thing?" Akira asked, eyeing the sword warily. Why didn't Yaldabaoth use it to stab any of them?

"Ohhh it's not good," Futaba winced. "You'll be twice as exhausted after using your Personas."

"Just what we need," Ann grumbled. "Does everyone have their own supply of SP adhesives?"

They all nodded.

"But we shouldn't go around wasting our supply of it," Makoto said wisely. "Let's be smart about this and conserve our energy—"

"—Maziodyne!" Ryuji yelled.

Makoto sighed in defeat. "Never mind."

Akira switched Zaou-Gongen with Satan and ordered him to use Ice Age, which nearly froze everyone to death if it hadn't been for Hecate immediately launching Blazing Hell.

"Why are you all using super strong attacks?!" Makoto demanded. "Whatever happened to conserving our energy?!"

"We're not that tired," Ryuji lied between heavy breaths.

Haru, who was not as dumb as Ann, Ryuji, and Akira, shot a grenade at the sword. It exploded upon contact.

"Good idea, Noir." Makoto nodded in approval, whipping out her own gun.

Shiina, not wanting to waste her bullets, settled with using not-so-exerting moves like Maeigaon.

"Whoa!" She screamed, jumping back as the sword suddenly made a swipe at her. "Great, now it's fighting back!" The sword came for her again and hastily, she summoned her gauntlets and slashed at the sword before using Eiagaon on it.

"Why—CLANG!—is it—CLANG!—attacking me?!" Shiina fumed, parrying the attacks left and right.

"Here, let me!" Yusuke exclaimed, jumping in to shield Shiina from the next attack. He exchanged blows with the golden sword, wanting to create distance before he had Kamu Susano-o attack it.

With a strong swipe that made that sword fly back a few feet, Yusuke raised his sword and shouted, " Deadly Fury!" Kamu-Susano-o stepped forward and slashed his unique blade at the sword, making it shatter from the vicious attack.

As expected, Yaldabaoth spoke again. "I release upon you the deadly sin of wrath. The passion of mankind shall bring forth ruin..." The fourth arm was holding a book of all things. But this book was huge and looked like it weighed enough to crush one of them. The book opened and the pages fluttered wildly before it glowed a dark red. Evil energy surged from the book, transferring over to the worst person possible: Akechi.

"Oh no... Oh no, no, no..." Morgana paled, seeing the seething expression on Akechi's face. It was as if they were facing his psychotic self all over again.

"Here we go again..." Akira sighed heavily as Loki appeared at his master's side. "I'll deal with Akechi, the rest of you all hurry up and destroy that bo—Argh!"

"Joker!" Shiina cried out worriedly. Akechi had mercilessly stabbed him at his side.

"Forget what I said," Akira grunted, holding his wound while defending himself against Akechi. His Persona, Satan, was in the background duking it out with Loki. "Diablo, put him to sleep!"

"You got it. Dormina!" Akechi, now powered up by pure wrath, dodged it and it ended up hitting Akira instead. He fell to the ground with a thud, sleeping soundly.

Shiina panicked. "Oh god, I fucked up!"

Akechi went for her next.

"HURRY UP, YOU GUYS!" She shrieked in terror as Akechi tried to shoot her in the face. She ducked down, swiping at his gut with her gauntlets. The claws sunk into his skin, but not enough to hurt him too badly.

He summoned Robin Hood who used Kougaon on Tullia. Shiina felt the pain of it and groaned, forcing herself not to hunch over as Akechi madly swiped at her head with his saber.

"Goro, please snap out of it!" Her pleas went unheard as Akechi resumed his relentless attacks.

"Get away from her!" Ryuji growled, Seiten Taisei shooting lightning bolts at Robin Hood. Akechi arched his back and screamed from the pain and whirled around to face the blonde, completely forgetting all about his previous opponent.

Shiina immediately used this chance to kick him between the legs. She almost felt bad when Akechi let out a high pitched whine, clutching his prized jewels as he fell to his knees.

Futaba whistled. "First pistol-whipping now a kick to the balls? You're on a roll, Diablo!"

Shiina ignored the comment and pressed the front of her body against Akechi's back, placing her clawed hand at his throat. "Don't. Move." She threatened, having no other way to immobilize him without wasting her energy or hurting him.

She stole a glance at the corner of her eye and watched as Ann Agidyne-ed Yaldabaoth and the book, disintegrating the book completely. In front of her, Akechi let out a sudden haggard breath before blinking.

"Oh my, Diablo, I didn't peg you as the type to use PDA during a battle," he joked, hiding his confusion as to what was going on.

"Do you not see the claws—? Oh you know what, never mind. You got hit with some wrath ailment and you tried to kill me." She explained, retracting her arm and helping him up his feet.

"And I'm guessing you fought back... which explains why my groin hurts..." He mumbled the last part.

"Someone wake Akira up!" Futaba cried out as Yaldabaoth got ready for yet another attack.

Morgana rushed over to their fallen leader to give him a couple of smacks as Yaldabaoth spoke.

"I release upon you the deadly sin of greed. The fixation of mankind shall bring forth ruin..."

"How many sins has it been so far?!" Ann exclaimed as another golden gun appeared.

"This is the fifth one," Haru answered. "Which means there's only two more."

The gun took aim at Shiina and shot at her—why did they always go for her?—and she was suddenly enveloped in an agonizing pain. Whimpering, she feel to her knees, arms wrapped around her stomach as hunger pains rolled through her in waves.

Hunger. Of all things it struck with hunger.

This must be karma for what I did to Bakugou... She thought with a pained grimace.

"Tell me this can be healed..." She pleaded.

"I'll try..." Haru trailed off unsurely, making Astarte cure her with Amrita Drop. Unfortunately, it did nothing.

"It didn't work..." Shiina said miserably, forcing herself to stand upright.

"It'll fade away once we get rid of the gun," Yusuke assured her.

She nodded in understanding before ordering Tullia to let loose a barrage of attacks.

"Mind Slice!" She ordered. Tullia pressed her bloody fingers against her temples and focused on the sword. Immediately a semi-invisible x-mark appeared over both Yaldabaoth and the gun. It destroyed the gun instantaneously, but Yaldabaoth was still standing.

Shiina breathed out in relief, the hunger pains now gone.

One of it's arms pulled out another bell (did he run out of weapons or something?).

"I release upon you the deadly sin of envy. The resentment of mankind shall bring forth ruin." The bell rang and Makoto was enveloped in dark purple vapor that dispersed a few seconds later.

"I... don't feel any different." Makoto said.

"We'll just have to watch out for you," Ann said, and she nodded in acceptance.

Yaldabaoth used Arrow of Light for the hundredth time today and it hit Ryuji without warning. He crumpled to the floor, struggling to stand up.

"His health is low!" Futaba warned.

"I'm on it!" Morgana exclaimed. Mercurius quickly healed him with Diarahan. Just as he finished, Makoto suddenly launched herself for him, punching him square in the face. Ryuji stumbled back, holding his bleeding nose.

"Queen, what the fuck?!" He barked, ducking down as Makoto tried for another punch.

"Is that brain wash?!" Shiina asked as Tullia used Vicious Strike on Yaldabaoth and the bell.

"No, it looks like... like she'll attack anyone who gets healed. As if she's 'jealous' or something...?!" Futaba explained through her bewilderment. "Ugh, I don't really get it, but she can be snapped out of it!"

"That's all I need to know," Ryuji snarled, gripping his megido rod and swinging it. With force that could nearly kill, it slammed against the side of Makoto's head and she staggered left before finally falling to her knees.

"Geez, Skull, did ya have to bash her like that?!" Morgana gaped.

Ryuji shrugged. "Sometimes I forget my strength."

"N-ngh..." Makoto clutched her bleeding head, her eyes squeezed shut.

Morgana went to work on healing her too and Makoto was all good to go.

Akira summoned Cybele, another blue skinned Persona. She had a long pair of horns and was holding an even longer set of swords.

Cybele spread her arms out and released a powerful Bless attack that took down the bell.

Yaldabaoth wielded a book again. "I release upon you the deadly sin of pride. The ingratitude of mankind shall bring forth ruin..."

"Wait, pride? That's the same thing as vanity." Akechi pointed out. "Why hasn't it brought out sloth yet?"

"And just when I thought we were close to being done..." Akira sighed tiresomely.

The pages of the book flipped rapidly before it glowed a vicious black and red. But that was it. It didn't hit anyone or anything. Just when Shiina was about to shrug it off and attack, Futaba warned: "If you attack now, you'll be countered so be careful!"

"Then what do we do?" Shiina asked.

"Heal up, charge up, and keep on our guards." Akira answered. "Ishtar! Mediarahan!"

A beautiful woman appeared with asymmetrical horns. She casted Diarahan on everyone, setting them back to maximum health.

Ryuji used Matarukaja to up everyone's attack while Futaba busied herself with boosting everyone's defenses, evasiveness, and accuracy.

"Now what?" Haru asked wearily.

"We wait until the book returns to normal," Futaba replied and as if on cue, the violent glow disappeared. "Now you can attack."

Now with Futaba's permission, the team immediately fought back as Yaldabaoth rained down on them hard with several arrows of light. As she dodged around, Shiina wondered how sturdy the platform they were standing on was. She had a mini heart attack every time it shook underneath her.

I really hope this doesn't collapse as she dodged yet another strike and countered back with Mamudoon.

"Megidolaon!" Akira shouted, and Satan obeyed. The book was finally destroyed, and hopefully for good.

Naturally, that didn't happen.

All four of it's extra limbs reappeared, brandishing the sword, gun, bell, and book. "The abyss of the unconscious yearns for ultimate ruin..." Yaldabaoth stated. "You have no means of escape, humans. Punishment shall strike you all... As you pass through the gates of destruction."

All four weapons rose, surrounded in a dark aura that connected together and joined at the center where a large dark sphere was being formed.

"Huh? What's this spike in energy?!" Futaba fretted. "Some kind of insane attack's coming! Watch out!"

"That looks like it's going to be powerful..." Ann said fearfully.

"We need to destroy those weapons before that center thing gets too powerful," Yusuke said hastily, summoning Kamu Susano-o to use Vorpal Blade on all of them.

"Megidolaon!" Akira ordered Satan again.

"Mind Slice!" Shiina shouted.

"Agneyastra!" Ryuji yelled.

Morgana went next. "Magarudune!" The bell went down after this attack.

"Laevateinn!" Akechi roared, destroying the sword and book. All that was left was the gun.

Hecate shot flames at the remaining gun while Haru and Makoto tried battering it with Nuclear and Psychokinetic attacks. The gun was finally destroyed but Yaldabaoth and the ball of dark energy stayed standing.

"I invoke upon you the Rays of Control!" Yaldabaoth thundered before the sphere of energy finally burst.

"NO!" Futaba shouted, using Final Stand to protect them all. It shielded them all from the devastating attack, and they all paled as they watched the dark explosion happen before them. If Futaba hadn't activated Final Stand, the Rays of Control would've definitely slaughtered them.

Once the attack was done, Akira reacted quickly by summoning Satan and ordering him to use Black Viper. The blow sent Yaldabaoth stumbling back.

"So..." It sneered. "This is the power that resists ruin... My control shall not bow down to ruin. My control is the ultimate truth of this world."

In just a single second the same dark sphere appeared and exploded on them, and this time, Futaba could no longer protect them with Final Stand. They all screamed once they were attacked, their vision blinded.

When the light died down, they were all on the ground, slowly rising back up.

"If you're really a god, you should guiding humans to your ideals!" Morgana told him. "You're destroying them because you can't do that, isn't that right? So that you can flaunt your own existence. That's why you were observing us! You had to because the reaction of the 'masses' worried you!"

Yusuke chuckled humorlessly. "Heh. That sounds about right."

Ryuji glared up at it. "I don't how long you lived, but you're the perfect example of a pain in the ass old man!"

"You find people like that everywhere," Ann added.

Yaldabaoth scoffed. "What drivel..." The wind picked up all around them and their world was suddenly cloaked in darkness. They ducked down and covered their faces, trying to see what was going on.

"I can't see anything...!" Akechi hissed.

"Do you want to erase us from this world that much?!" Haru asked.

"G-guys!" Morgana stammered.

"Since you've been forsaken by the world, there is nowhere that you can belong." It said. Colorful streams of lightning crackled above the god, striking them ruthlessly. They instantly fell down, their bodies aching everywhere.

"We can't... go down like this..." Ryuji grunted.

Makoto struggled to lift herself up. "If we lose... the world is..."

"I need to... get back up..." Ann muttered to herself.

Yaldabaoth cackled above them before cruelly striking them down again. The battle ground was full of blood and smoke at this point.

"Not even one sliver of unpredictability can be permitted under my control." It said as the voices of a hundred people echoed all around them.

"I guess it was impossible."

"It was fun while it lasted though."

"It's humans against a god after all."

"Do you hear the voices of the masses?" It taunted them. "They mock you for revolting against a god. Humans are naught but clumps of desire. Logic dictates that a world filled with them will decline. The sin of rebelling against a god is severe. As punishment, you shall taste pain everlasting."

Morgana finally forced himself to stand. "...Not letting that happen!" He yelled suddenly.

"The attendant created from the dregs of human hope, hm...?" It acknowledged. "It is impossible for a petty existence like you to overrule my precedent."

Morgana glared. "Human hope is a desisire too! You better not underestimate it! The Phantom Thieves will yield to no one, no matter who they are! Even if only one of us remains, we'll get back up and fight to the very end and we'll definitely... definitely... take the world!"

— ❤ —

A woman's feeble voice spoke through the sounds of hysteria. "Someone... someone just disappeared!"

A civilian man was angrily shaking a Pro Hero by the shoulders. "Do something, dammit?! Aren't you a Pro Hero?!"

"P-please, you have to calm down!" The hero tried to say.

"The world's about to fucking end and you want me to calm down?! I just watched my wife and kids fade away!"

"We need to go home, Shouto, come on!" Fuyumi tugged on Shouto's hand desperately.

"No," Shouto wrenched himself free, glancing back up at the sky again. "I need to stay here and wait for—"

"—You don't have a twin sister, Shouto! Now, please!" She cried out.

"Todoroki-kun," Ken said quietly to him. "Go with her. We'll stay here and make sure Shiina and the rest of them come back."

Shouto frowned. "But—" He was cut off by a voice that was coming from the electronic screens.

"—And we'll definitely... definitely... Take the world!"

"H-huh...?" Akihiko looked up. "That was Morgana's voice..." He saw the screens and noticed the very familiar Phantom Thieves logo on each and every one of them.

"That... symbol..." Fuyumi stared at it with furrowed brows. "Hold on... the Phantom Thieves?"

Shouto snapped his head towards her. She was beginning to remember!

"They haven't given up yet..." A woman breathed out.

"Can they even do anything in a situation like this?" A man wondered.

"No..." A young boy said sullenly. "It's impossible... There's no way..."

Amidst all the defeat, there was only one person who was still wholly optimistic:

"Take it down, Phantom Thieves!" Mishima shouted. He looked around at all the defeated faces and grew irritated. "Come on! Why do you think they've risked their lives all this time?! Dammit, you guys! Snap out of it! When will you stop running from the truth?!"

"Phantom Thieves..." Someone whispered hopefully. Immediately, it triggered a chain reaction. One by one, people began to cheer and grow hope. Even better was that everyone was starting to remember them.

Fuyumi's eyes widened in horror. "Oh my god... Shiina!" She gasped. "Oh shit, where is Shiina?!"

Up there, Shouto thought, glancing at the sky. But he wasn't going to tell her that.

"You hear that?!" Morgana demanded. "Those are the voices of the humans you made fun of!"

Another voice came. This one was very familiar. Shouto knew that mocking and devious voice anywhere. "Sounds like they disagree with your reign, Yaldabaoth. It's no surprise since you're not even a real god. You're just a fake, created by the wills of humans! Humans created you and humans can easily break you back down! Isn't that right, Joker?"

"Wait..." Fuyumi said slowly, staring up at the screen curiously. "Whose voice was that...?"

"Uh, nobody's." Shouto, Akihiko, and Ken said in unison, avoiding her stare.

"...Exactly." Akira confirmed, and Shouto was so painfully glad that they were all using code names at this very moment.

Another voice spoke up, harrumphing. "Why do they gotta word it like they're lookin' down on us?"

"But, they're cheering for us..." Haru said.

Futaba chuckled. "Heh... Doesn't feel bad..."

"They don't have to tell us twice..." Yusuke said, sounding pleased.

"We won't let ourselves be erased!" Makoto exclaimed determinedly.

"We're going all out, dammit!" Ann promised.

"We'll finish this once and for all." Akechi stated. Shouto sucked in a breath, hoping nobody recognized the famous boy's voice. Judging from all the excited cheers for the Phantom Thieves, nobody did.

"I've made up my mind." Morgana decided. "I will see my justice through for the sake of protecting what I care about."

"Morgana..." Ann trailed off.

"The same goes for you guys too! If you've decided to take the world from him, don't compromise your ideals to the very end!"

"Let's defeat him together!" Ann exclaimed.

If it was possible, the people's cheers grew even louder.

"Hey god," Ryuji jeered. "Foolish humans are prayin' down there. They're prayin' there's no place for someone like you in this world!"

"Crow! Joker! You were the ones who were dragged down in his mess first so it's time you both end it together!" Morgana ordered and after that, the screens went silent.

— ❤ —

"What the..." Shiina blinked in surprise as Arsene, Robin Hood, and Loki appeared at their master's side without either of them taking off their masks. Chains surrounded the two boys at both sides.

Akechi and Akira locked eyes and made a mental agreement as they reached out to grab the chains. With a strong yank, the metal broke.

The three Personas surged with power as blue flames erupted from them. They let out a loud roar before they suddenly exploded in a bright light, little pieces of them flying every which way.

Yaldabaoth scoffed. "So you have failed to harness the power. No matter how many prayers of those foolish masses come together... Hm?!" He looked up, thunder cracking in the distance. The skies began to turn dark and stormy.

"...Huh...?!" Ann gaped up, spying two large figures appearing from the clouds.

Yaldabaoth made a noise of shock as the two figures descended, finally coming into view. The Thieves' eyes bulged out when they saw them.

The first figure placed itself behind the other on it's right, like a friend ready to help. It was a bit smaller and more lither than the other, but was just as impressive. It's skin was dark save for the golden intricate markings on his chest and legs. It donned a pure white cloak and wore golden armor. Behind it were a pair of large dark wings that looked more like jagged rocks than feathers. It's horns were gold too, and shaped almost like a halo. It held a gun in one hand and a sword in the other.

The second creature was larger. It was black and grey, with only a scarlet sash and a golden pair of horns. It had three pairs of wings that started off as dark feathers before it suddenly turned to leather as it spanned out. There was a halo identical to Yaldabaoth's floating over it's head except it was pure black. Like the first figure, it held a large gun.

Yusuke's jaw dropped. "Those are—"

"Holy shit, those things are huge!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"What immense power...!" Morgana marveled. "No way... are those Personas...?"

They weren't the only ones that were shocked. Amazingly enough, the people from way down below were able to see it too because their words of encouragement were echoing all around them.

The smaller Persona waved a golden hand at the Thieves and suddenly they were surrounded by a familiar green aura. Within seconds they were absolutely rejuvenated; their injuries were gone and they were no longer exhausted. In fact, they felt like they had enough energy to fight on for a few more days! 

"Fools...!" Yaldabaoth growled with a hint of wariness in his voice. "This is why man is doomed..." It attacked them again with the Rays of Control but when the attack finished, all ten of them were still standing, completely unaffected.

"Oh this is nice," Futaba grinned wickedly, staring down at her unmarred hands. "I barely felt anything!"

"Impossible!" Yaldabaoth cried out.

"They're insanely strong!"

"They're not just Phantom Thieves anymore! Those are like some super demon lords! So awesome!"

"I see..." Morgana chuckled. "If a god plays naughty then it's a demon lord duty to punish him alongside one of god's own Fallen...! What better way is there for a finale as a Trickster and Champion working together! Joker, Crow, we're entrusting our strength and the people's hopes to you! Put an end to this!"

Akechi let out a grand laugh. "Scourge him, Asbeel!"

The fallen angel spread out his arms, garnering his strength.

Akira followed suit. "Pillage him, Satanael!" 

In unison, the demons and their masters raised their guns and aimed straight at Yaldabaoth.

"Be gone." Akira hissed.

"Preposterous... You dare rob the people's wishes?!"

They pulled the trigger and Yaldabaoth was finally silenced as the bullets pierced through him.

Slowly, he went back, the metal parts of his body creaking loudly as the skies began to clear up.

"What power..." Yaldabaoth trailed off, its speech noticeably slower. "It surpasses mine own... a god born from the wish of the masses..." It lowered his gaze to the two Wild Cards. "So this... is the true power of the pieces I used... Damn that Igor... It seems he wasn't spouting... nonsense..."

As it spoke, its body started to disintegrate into tiny particles of light. After several more seconds, Yaldabaoth was dead and gone.

"Look!" Ann pointed above, where a small golden cup lowered itself to the ground.

"Ain't that a Treasure?" Ryuji asked excitedly. "Right, Mona?"

Morgana smiled sadly. "Thanks for everything, gang."

"Mona-chan?" Haru said hesitantly.

He walked over to the Treasure. "Humans have the power to change the world. They just forgot about that a bit..."

"Hey..." Yusuke called out to worriedly.

Morgana turned to face them. "Thanks to you guys, I was able to complete my duty..."

"Everything was thanks to you, wasn't it, Morgana?" Makoto said sadly.

"You're amazing," Akira told him earnestly. "Thank you."

Morgana beamed at him. "I got to be useful for humans that I admired so much. Nothing could make me happier." He looked back at the Treasure. "...This place will soon disappear too. Time to go home."

He reached out and touched it. Immediately, they were all enveloped in a blinding light.

When the light died out, they were back in Tokyo wearing their casual clothes. Nobody was screaming anymore, but their ears picked up on the sound of several people crying. The city had changed however. The rain had stopped, the bleeding red sky was being replaced by a dark night, and it didn't look like people were disappearing anymore.

"Hey... look at all the bones." Akechi said quietly.

The large bone structures were vanishing as well. People watched hopefully as their city returned to normal.

"The Phantom Thieves did it!" Someone cried out in relief.

"They saved us!"

"They defeated that god!"

"We really did it..." Morgana said, and the group turned around to face him only to see him vanishing too.

"No way..." Shiina whispered. "Not you too! Mona-chan!" Quickly, they all dashed towards him. The other citizens were too distracted by their city being restored to notice.

"It's okay," he told them, smiling. "This was supposed to happen. Don't give me those looks! You should all be proud of yourselves. Thanks to you guys, your world is no longer held captive. The world will shine brightly as long as you hold hope in your hearts."

"But what's going to happen to you?!" Makoto demanded desperately as Morgana floated upwards.

"M-Morgana..." Akira stumbled forward. He tried to reach out to grab him.

"Goodbye, Akira." Morgana said to him. "I really enjoyed being with you."

"Morgana..." Akira said sadly before he allowed a small smile over his face. "I enjoyed being with you too."

— author's note —

I had an impossibly hard time trying to figure out what Akechi's Ultimate Persona should be. Here's a summary of my thought process:

1. At first, I was thinking of Judas, who was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus. He's more famously known for betraying him and selling him out to religious authorities. To me, that sounded a lot like Akechi but then I started thinking that Akechi's Ultimate Persona should be somewhat similar to Akira's (as in, it should be a demon too).

2. Ghost of the Moon gave a suggestion in the comments about using Delos. He's the Greek Personification of Trickery (let's just call him a god though), but similarly to the reason above, I felt like it should be a demon so I didn't use it.

3. I searched up a bunch of other demons and the ones I really liked ended up already being used by the Persona series...

( ͡° ʖ̯ ͡°)

4. So I searched EVEN MORE and stumbled upon Malphas, who is apparently Satan's second-in-command (I got these off a bunch of random websites so IDK). According to various websites, he is a 'mighty Great Prince of Hell' with 40 legions of demons under his command and yada yada yada. IDK why, but I liked the thought of Akechi's Persona being the 'second in command' to Akira's. What with their bromance going on in the game and anime, I thought it just fit.

5. BUT THEN I CHANGED MY MIND!!! :D I found a fallen angel named Asbeel which means "God has forsaken" or "deserter of God". Initially, I wanted Akechi's Persona to be a demon, but a fallen angel fit so much better since in my story, Akechi was handpicked by Yaldabaoth (the "god") and was even his champion while Akira was the opponent. According to my research, he was one of the five 'Satans' who led astray the Grigori (IDK who the hell they are) by falling in love with humans. And there's this info here:

So yeah, I ended up choosing Asbeel.