61 The Reaper.

(Remember that surprise I mentioned in the last chapter? Well, here it is! I got it a bit earlier than I thought. I wasn't entirely happy with the first image, so I found another artist. They drew something I really liked. Communication was great throughout, and I got constant updates. I went a slightly different route, but I loved how it turned out. They are going to be the artist I use from now on for any future illustrations.

Here is Futaba V3 lol)

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The sound of chains intensified with every passing moment, as well as the oppressive force that came with it. Ren's eyes glowed a bright yellow, a stark contrast to the dim, flickering lights of Mementos. His gaze fixed in the direction of the danger, pupils narrowed, he sensed the malevolent aura growing stronger.

"We gotta get out of here. With just the two of us, we can't beat it. Hell, I doubt we could beat it even with the rest right now," Ren shouted to Ryuji, who nodded, his face set in a grim line as he prepared to run. The air was thick with tension, a palpable dread that seemed to choke their very breaths.

Just as Ryuji was about to summon his Persona, a chilling sensation crept up Ren's spine. Reactively, he called forth Ose, positioning the Persona in front of Ryuji as a protective shield. The air split with the sound of a gunshot, echoing ominously through the corridors of Mementos. The bullet struck Ose with lethal precision, the impact sending the Persona sliding backward on ethereal heels.

A wave of discomfort washed over Ren, a phantom pain from the bond he shared with his Persona. He breathed a sigh of relief as Ose dissipated, grateful for the Persona's ability to nullify gun attacks. Otherwise, that single shot might have been enough to end their escape before it even began.

The relentless clinking of chains grew closer as the strange shadow approached. From the corner of his eyes, Ren caught the figure of a humanoid with its face shrouded in a blood-stained cloth sack, with only one white eye exposed to see its surroundings. It was wearing a dark leather outfit surrounded by chains that dragged behind the shadow. In its hand, massive revolvers aimed directly towards the two Thieves.

The only way to describe the shadow following them would be as death itself, as the Reaper.

Ren and Ryuji dashed through the maze-like floor of Mementos as the sounds of chains intensified. Flames licked at their heels as a massive fireball exploded just behind them, sending the two of them flying through the air. The heat was enough to burn and singe away at their outfits.

As the two of them ran, Ren suddenly felt his hair stand up as static began coating his surroundings, foreshadowing the attack that was to come. Without a moment of hesitation, Ren called forth Narcissus. The persona appeared as a naked man with long blonde hair, a flower on his head, and a simple red cloth covering his private parts.

The moment Narcissus appeared, a massive wave of lightning shot from the Reaper, letting out a deafening sound. In an instant, the lightning crashed against Narcissus. However, just as with Ose, the persona was able to entirely nullify the attack from the Reaper. Even then, the lightning was strong enough to make Ren feel as if he had just touched an outlet with metal.

The moment the lightning's wrath dissipated into an eerie silence, Ren's hands danced through his pouch with urgency. In a fluid motion, he scattered smoke bombs at their feet. A dense, opaque cloud mushroomed around them, swallowing light and space, rendering them ghosts within the mists of Mementos.

As the smoke unfurled like a living entity, the Reaper halted. Focusing pure energy around his body.  Around the barrel of its revolver, a sinister halo of pure white energy coalesced, pulsating with the promise of destruction. With a gesture as deliberate as fate, the Reaper discharged a bolt into the heart of the smoke, creating an explosion that shook the floor.

There was a moment of silence in the area before a golden light burst through the smoke. Following the golden light, the scenery around Mementos changed. Pillars of sand began filling the room, and in the blink of an eye, rather than the gloomy atmosphere of mementos, the group was greeted by a massive, illusory desert.

After throwing the smoke bombs, Ryuji and Ren scattered behind some walls just in time to avoid the attack of the Reaper. Realizing that they would not be able to escape like this, Ren pulled forth the wishing star and focused once again. The star could temporarily hijack and take control of cognition in an area, which could be used to launch a devastating attack. 

Ren stood atop a towering sand dune, the winds howling around him, whipping his coat into a frenzied dance. Clutched in his hand was the glowing star, its radiance piercing the desolation of the desert.

"Rivers in the desert." Ren declared, his voice cutting through the roaring wind

As the words left his lips, a colossal wave of water, gleaming under the sun's relentless gaze, surged forth from the void behind him. Towering above the watery fury, Captain Kidd's majestic ship sailed, its sails billowing with spectral winds, a ghostly vessel riding the impossible tsunami.

Below, the Reaper awaited, an ominous figure shrouded in malevolence at the dune's base. Its silence was eerie, a stark contrast to the chaos unfurling above.

Just as the tsunami threatened to engulf Ren in its voracious embrace, he summoned Tartuffe, morphing into the formidable silhouette of Arsene. With a mighty flap of its wings, Arsene propelled Ren skyward, granting him a bird's eye view of the impending cataclysm. From this vantage point, Ren watched as the ship bore down upon the Reaper with unrelenting force.

Yet, amidst the chaos, Ren's golden eyes narrowed with a flicker of concern. The Reaper stood unflinching, seemingly unbothered by the colossal wave and the ghost ship's imminent crash.

As Captain Kidd's ship collided with the Reaper, the desert was swallowed by a deafening roar, a symphony of water, wind, and collision. Then, as swiftly as it had arisen, the chaotic landscape began to dissolve, the conjured sand and water fading into nothingness, leaving Ren and Ryuji to confront the aftermath.

The sand and water vanished, leaving the duo facing the Reaper, who had fallen against the ground. Yet before Ryuji could process their fleeting victory, Ren suddenly grabbed him and snapped him back to reality.

Summoning the Red Rider below them, a skeletal figure mounted on a crimson steed, they made their hasty escape. The Rider, with its eerie poise, surged forward, its speed unhindered by the weight of its three passengers.

Behind them, an explosion tore through the space they had just left. Ryuji, clinging awkwardly to the spectral horse, cast a glance over his shoulder. The sight that met his eyes was a mix of disbelief and dread. The Reaper stood once again, its form barely damaged by their attack.

"You gotta be effin' kidding me." 

"Get ready to jump off. We're nearing the stairs to the next floor," Ren's voice cut through the tension, a command laced with urgency as the outline of the stairs loomed ahead. 

Thankfully, even though the attack hadn't done as much damage as Ren had hoped, it had bought them precious moments to widen the gap between them and their relentless pursuer.

Sprinting up the stairs, they refused to slow, their resolve hardening with each step. Behind them, the Reaper's fury manifested in relentless explosions, a barrage intended to halt their escape.

Attack after attack, the reaper continued to fire explosions at the duo, forcing them to stay on their toes and jump out of the way. Floor after floor, the two of them barely escaped the constant attacks until they reached the previous layer of mementos, which previously had a door to stop anyone from crossing through.

Floor by floor, Ren and Ryuji's desperate flight blurred into a relentless pursuit for survival. The threat of the Reaper's wrath propelled them forward, until they finally emerged into a layer of Mementos safeguarded by a previously sealed door.

In a stroke of quick thinking, Ren faced the place where the door once was. Lifting the golden star high, he managed to summon forth the intricate door once more. As the ornate gateway solidified, sealing the passage, the ominous sound of chains receded into silence, granting them a momentary reprieve from the nightmare chase.

"That was a close one…" Ren admitted, his breath catching slightly as he tried to regain his composure.

"For real," Ryuji echoed, his initial relief bursting into genuine laughter. The sound, rich with the thrill of survival and the absurdity of their recent ordeal, was infectious.

Ren couldn't resist the pull of Ryuji's laughter. Joining in, he felt a momentary release from the adrenaline coursing through his body. 

"Dude, I was in a massive effin' pirate ship. That was amazing!" Ryuji exclaimed between his nervous laughter.

"I saw that." Ren said with a smile as he collapsed next to Ryuji.

From the floor, he pulled out the star from his pocket. The glow from it was significantly dimmer than before. Yet, as he activated his third eye skill, he could see that it was slowly drawing energy from the surroundings to recharge.

Unlike before, when it had been fully drained, this time, it had enough energy to begin charging once again.

"Dude, I ran like a madman," Ryuji said, his smile wide and unguarded. Pride laced his voice as he added, "Had that been a track meet, I would have probably gotten a new record."

As he sat up, Ryuji's hands unconsciously went to his leg, the memory of an old injury lingering in his touch. 

"And the best part was that it didn't hurt to run. If this had been a few months ago, I probably wouldn't have even been able to run away on the first floor without falling to the ground," he muttered, a note of wonder in his voice at the realization of his own recovery and strength.

Ren, sitting up beside him, shared a warm smile.

"For real," Ren echoed. "After using the scalpel, I felt my body became stronger, but even with my supernatural steroids, you were still running slightly faster than me."

Hearing him, Ryuji let out another chuckle.

"Have you ever thought about joining the track team again? I heard that the new coach is trying to focus on it." Ren asked.

"I dunno, man. I kind of want to, but at the same time, everyone there hates me. I mean, I don't blame them for hating me, but I am not sure if that's what I wanna do again," Ryuji confessed, his sigh heavy with the weight of past conflicts.

The silence that followed was contemplative. Both of them were lost in their thoughts until Ryuji broke it with a nod, a decision made. 

"Well… I guess it's kind of stupid for me to be worried about that. With what just happened, it just goes to show that even when you think you are playing it safe, bad stuff can happen. I think I will actually go ahead and meet up with my old teammates again."

"That's great, and hey, if you need me to watch your back, all you have to do is ask. I can be the scary dude in the background to make sure no one tries anything stupid," Ren offered, half-joking but entirely sincere, eliciting a hearty laugh from Ryuji.

"Ya know, there's actually something I was kinda embarrassed to try out on my own, but maybe you could check it out first and let me know how it goes."

"Hm?" 

"Well…" Ryuji began, a mischievous smirk crossing his face. "I found a flyer for a maid service in my mailbox the other day. It says that a cute maid will come and do ANYTHING for ya."

At this, Ren burst into uncontrollable laughter, the sound reverberating through the corridors of Mementos. It took him nearly a minute to regain his composure.

"Really? That's what you're thinking about?" Ren chuckled, gesturing towards the sealed door they had just closed. "Next time we dodge death, I'll know your mind's on cute maids," he joked, drawing another round of laughter from Ryuji.

"Dude, you obviously haven't been to a proper maid cafe." Ryuji retorted, playing along with the joke with a hint of embarrassment.

"Sure, I'll call the maid service. But it's gonna look pretty weird when they walk into Leblanc only to find it spotless."

As they talked, their laughter was suddenly interrupted by a curious, childlike voice.

"What's a maid?" Jose's voice startled them as he peeked from a hidden nook, catching both off guard.

"Erm- it's a… someone who helps clean up," Ryuji explained, his voice tinged with embarrassment upon noticing Jose stepping out into the open.

"Cool!" Jose exclaimed, his innocence palpable. He then paused, a sudden recollection crossing his mind.

"Oh, yeah! I completely forgot to tell you guys about the Reaper. Thankfully, you managed to escape unscathed. I hadn't expected you to encounter it so soon. I tried to help, but I was too far away at the time to intervene."

At the mention of the Reaper, Ren's demeanor shifted to one of intense focus.

"What was that thing?"

"It's one of Mementos' strongest guardians. It tends to appear when someone lingers on a floor for too long. Since the collective unconscious is so big, you usually won't cross paths with it. But when you stay on the same floor for a long time, you can catch its attention."

"So we don't have to worry about it as long as we keep moving?" Ryuji asked.

With a nod of his head, Jose answered.

"For the most part, but the deeper you dive into Mementos, the less time you can spend on each floor before you catch its attention. You should be fine here near the top unless you spend more than an hour on a floor. But I wouldn't recommend coming back down here for at least a week to make sure it goes back to the depths."

After a few more minutes of discussion, Jose offered to take them to the exit.

Guided by Jose's wisdom and with the shadow of their encounter with the Reaper still looming over them, Ren and Ryuji followed the small, knowledgeable guide through the winding paths of Mementos.

Jose, with his innate understanding of this vast labyrinth, navigated through the dimly lit corridors with ease. Their journey back to the entrance was uneventful, marked only by the echo of their footsteps and the distant, fading sounds of the cognitive world around them.

~Confidants~

Ryuji Sakamoto (The Chariot) Rank 5

(Yo, if any of you have any cool ideas for a future showtime attack, kind of like "Rivers in the Desert," Lemme know in a comment. I'd love to hear everyone's ideas. It can be a combination of any two Thieves, and if I end up using a suggestion in the future, I'll make sure to give the person a shoutout.

I already have one planned for the future, but it is really far off.)