Real & the Ideal: A Persona 5R Dark Sun Sequel (Goro Akechi x Amamiya Ren)

27: The Strength of Your Heart (Justice Pt.4)

(Akechi's P.O.V)

There he stood, with flaming determination in his eyes. Somehow, we'd managed to shake off Violet, but yet here the Palace Ruler stood, burning with passion as he challenge us once again.

.....fuck.

Clutching his ribs, Ren was the first to step forward.

"Please....just give this up!!" He grit his teeth and swung his arm that held the flaming staff across him in frustration. I could see the vigilante anger in his stare, even as my mind began racing with questions, searching for answers and solutions.

We'd just managed to scrape by the last fight. What did it mean for us to jump right into a second battle? Without knowing what tricks the Ruler had, did we still stand a chance? Could we-

...wait.

All of a sudden, it dawned on me how much we had to consider before we rushed headlong into another war. I turned my focus to each Phantom Thief, one by one.

Panther: 35 HP, 20 SP.
Noir: 39 HP, 19 SP.
Mona: 28 HP, 12 SP.
Fox: 15 HP, 17 SP.

And the numbers only dwindled more from there. All of us, even myself and Joker, were stagnant at a meager 20 HP and only shards of SP left. If Maruki intended to fight us with his strength renewed, even with the diminished amount of item's we had left..

This fight would be futile in even entertaining.

.....it suddenly became clear to me that we hadn't prepared enough. This entire time, Maruki was ready to take us on not once, but twice.

And yet....we had never been ready for a second battle.

"I'm sorry....you know I can't do that." Maruki's righteous voice boomed down to us as he shook his head, allowing the glimmering mask obscuring his face to sparkle in the moonlight of the Metaverse.

"All of those who have stood by me, and everyone in this world that has chosen me; even the gods smiled down on me by giving me this power! Granting their wish is my responsibility!"

I could see in his eyes how faithful and devoted he had become. Once a reserved, kind councilor who treated the sick and the troubled...

Now, a distorted, blameless Palace Ruler, overflowing with powers that warped his mind and brainwashed him into thinking that he was the man who would change it all. That he was the only one that could change it all.

"And I will be the one to follow through on this promise. The wishes of the people for a happier life...those will not go unanswered!"

With a single swipe of his cape, Maruki dropped his demented, altruistic staff to the ground. His gloved hand reached out, and a sudden fracture of time and space gleamed infront of us. That familiar fragmentation of separating colours and triple vision burst forth, before assembling once again; effectively pulling the flaming torch that Joker held from his hands and magnetically affixing it into the Ruler's fingers. Upon entering his grasp, the flames grew bright with bitter conviction. 

"What the HELL!!?" Skull howled angrily as he stared at Ren, both hands empty of the one item we needed to destroy this march of tyranny forever.

"Ah!!----He just-----th-the treasure!!" Panther stuttered in her gasp. 

"I will end this....no matter if it takes me until my last breath." Maruki reached out his free hand and swung his fingers once. The flames of his rebellion, sparkling in a bright and ferocious red, suddenly spun up around us. The light engulfed each of the Thieves, filling us with a renewed, collected essence.