13 A Pirate Legend and an Alluring Dancer.

(For the sake of clarification. I might use Arsene and Tartuffe interchangeably, but that is because Arsene is just a disguise that Ren's true persona, Tartuffe, is wearing. I'll just use whichever name seems more appropriate at the time. I don't think it is that confusing, but let me know after reading the chapter if it is and I'll come up with a better solution.)

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In the tightening circle of knights, fear took hold of Ryuji and Ann. The surreal scene before them escalated as each knight began to burst, only to reveal knights riding crimson red horses. The transformation was both awe-inspiring and terrifying, leaving Ryuji and Ann completely encircled.

"Uh… Shiho… Ren… This isn't funny." Ann's voice trembled as she inched backward

Ryuji, driven by desperation and defiance, reacted impulsively. 

"Eff this!" he exclaimed, pulling out his shotgun and firing at the nearest knight. The bullets, however, proved futile, ricocheting off the knight's armor without so much as leaving a mark, 

Meanwhile, the golden knight fixed his gaze upon Ann, his voice coming out with a mixture of surprise and indignation. 

"The princess! Why is the princess with one of the intruders?" he bellowed, his voice laden with betrayal and anger.

A heavy silence fell over the courtyard as the golden knight's accusation hung in the air. 

"I see," he continued, his tone cold and resolute, "it's just as our king feared. The princess is also a traitor! Knights, you all know what to do." His command was clear, his disappointment in what he perceived as Ann's betrayal evident in his every word.

The cold grip of fear intensified as they heard a harrowing scream pierce the air. Turning toward the source, they witnessed a scene that drained the color from their faces. One of the knights emerged from a doorway, holding an unconscious Shiho in his grasp.

"Shiho!" Ann screamed in a mixture of both fear and anger before standing up in defiance.

Ryuji's eyes shook as his breath began to quicken. He changed the grip of his gun to use it as a baseball bat since the bullets proved ineffective before rushing toward one of the knights. However, with one simple swipe, the knight swung his spear and struck Ryuji, causing him to be launched backward.

Shiho, her eyes filled with guilt, said in a weak voice.

"Help... me..." Her eyes, brimming with guilt and fear, locked onto Ann's, conveying a silent plea for salvation.

It was at this moment that Ann felt an unfamiliar yet compelling presence within her. A smooth, feminine voice, both enigmatic and empowering, echoed in the depths of her soul.

"My, it has taken far too long. Tell me... Are you really going to let her die? You know what will happen to both of you if you don't fight back now." The voice was laced with urgency and a hint of provocation.

At the same time, Ryuji clutched his chest in pain. The strike he had just received had left him out of breath. Yet along with the pain, he felt anger fill his soul before a voice resonated within him, too.

"He has taken everything from us. Our friends, our future. Will you also let him take our lives? The lives of your friends?" A charming voice filled with confidence resounded within his head.

In that instant, masks materialized upon their faces. Ann's mask was a vivid crimson that mirrored the fierce grace of a panther. As for Ryuji's, it was a gleaming silver skull resembling that which pirates used in their flags.

Ann's voice, infused with a newfound determination, shattered the silence. "I'm tired of it! I'm sick of being seen as if I were a toy. I'm sick of not being able to fight back!" As she spoke, she began to claw at the edges of her mask.

"Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc...? The 'other you' who exists within desires it thus…" The voice within Ryuji urged him on as he, too, began to pry away at his mask.

"I am thou, and thou art I." This simple phrase resonated within both of them as they both yanked the masks off their faces. The masks, as if they had been glued on, left a trail of blood on their faces once it was removed.

"Carmen!" Ann shouted as a tall woman with pink skin appeared behind her. She wore a long, flowing red ballgown with black and golden accents. Being held on by what appeared to be a vine, two men in tuxedos with heart-shaped masks bowed to her as if she were their goddess. 

"Captian Kidd!" Ryuji matched her scream as a skeleton wearing pirate clothes appeared behind him. One of his hands was a cannon, while the other had sharp nails that resembled claws. Riding a boat as if it were a skateboard, the pirate floated in the air before aiming his cannon at one of the knights and firing a bolt of lightning.

On the other hand, the knight who was holding Shiho let out a familiar voice.

"Well… that worked better than I expected."

The knight burst into blue flames before revealing Ren with Arsene right behind him. Shiho, who had been acting as if she were injured, called forth Circe.

With a wave of Ren's hand, Arsene unleashed a torrent of cursed fire, igniting the ground beneath the knights' horses, who yelped in pain. The cursed fire, rather than burn their bodies attacked their very souls.

With a delicate gesture, Circe cast Dormina, weaving a mesmerizing lullaby that filled the air. A knight, caught in the spell's embrace, slumped in their saddle, succumbing to the sleep that beckoned them. With another wave, Circe cast Pulinpa, which made another knight become ensnared by confusion, causing him to turn his weapons against one of his fellow knights.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me!" Ann shouted in frustration as she saw the fight in front of her before steeling her resolve and calling Carmen forth.

Carmen's flames, brighter and more intense than any mundane fire, lashed out at the knights. The air crackled as fire met steel, the intense heat melting armor and burning through defenses. 

"Are you effin' serious?" Ryuji shouted as realization struck him before he shook his head with excitement and pointed at the knights as he called for Captain Kidd.

With a thunderous cry, the spectral pirate ship appeared above, its cannons aimed at the knights. Lightning arced from Captain Kidd's hand, the bolts striking with precision, electrifying the knights with bursts of pure raw energy.

The battlefield, once teeming with the clash of metal and the roar of magical assaults, fell into a tense silence as the golden knight, the last remaining, made his stand.

 "Enough!" He shouted with a furious cry.

 From his back, two magnificent crimson wings burst from his armor. Ascending with a divine wrath. His sword, aglow with a foreboding energy, seemed to draw the very essence of battle into its blade.

"Ah, shit!" Ren shouted as he felt the imminent danger. Rushing ahead of everyone, he called forth Arsene, who flew to intercept the attack. His claws were ready to rip the face off the angel-like being.

It looked as if Arsene had arrived just in time to attack. Yet, in a swift, devastating arc, the knight's blade cleaved through Arsene. In just a second, Arsene had been split in half horizontally.

Ren let out a gruesome shout of pain as he dropped to the ground. He could feel the pain deep within his soul as he fought the urge to vomit. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Ren's resolve hardened.

"Tartuffe…" He whispered to himself before shouting with anger.

"Steal this asshole's mask!"

Arsene's upper half let out a burst of mad laughter, a sound that melded madness with a predator's anticipation, before letting out an animalistic attack. His claws sunk into the face of the angel-like being before he used his other arm to attack wildly.

The rest of the group was momentarily shocked before lunging into action. The golden knight, overwhelmed by the onslaught, plummeted to the ground. It was then that Arsene ripped off his face and placed it on his own. Both the body and face of the angel turned into ashes that became absorbed by Arsene. Arsene let out a relieved sigh as his body reformed into his usual elegant self before vanishing.

"I can now disguise myself as the Archangel we fought as well as the Jack-o'-Lantern we fought when we first entered the castle." Tartuffe's voice resonated within Ren before adding. "As long as we continue stealing the masks of others, we will become stronger…"

Crumbling to the ground, Ren let out a tired sigh as he heard everyone gather around him.

"Circe!" Shiho shouted in concern before a warm, soothing feeling blanketed Ren. After a few seconds of being enveloped by the warmth, Ren felt well enough to sit up. Only to be greeted by Ann's angry expression contrasted by Ryuji's excitement.

"Dude! That was awesome! This whole persona stuff effin' rocks! I was shooting lightning! And you-" Ryuji's enthusiasm was palpable, his words tumbling out in a rush of adrenaline.

"You made me think that we were going to die!" Ann cut in sharply with a shout before Shiho came to her side and gave her a comforting hug.

"I mean…" Ren wanted to follow that with, 'I did ask you before, and you agreed.' but he thought better of it. It wasn't worth it to start an argument in the middle of the castle. Instead, he let out an "I'm sorry."

Ann's frustration melted away at the apology, though confusion quickly took its place as she caught sight of her own transformation.

"And what's with this outfit? I look ridiculous!"

Finally getting a chance to examine her outfit, Ren couldn't help but admire her for a few seconds. Her outfit had turned into a skin-tight red latex catsuit with a cleavage cutout and zippers, a matching red panther mask, pink gloves, dark red thigh-high boots, and a clip-on tail on the back of her catsuit.

Ryuji's outfit had also changed into a black jacket with elbow pads and what appears to be a metal vertebral column attached to its back, pants with knee pads and a double-sided holster belt with ammo on each side, a red ascot, combat boots, a pair of yellow gloves with metal knuckle protectors and a skull mask.

"Daaaaamn," Ryuji couldn't contain his reaction upon noticing Ann's outfit, a response that earned him a glare sharp enough to momentarily silence his excitement. However, before an argument could break out, both of them were hit with a wave of exhaustion, causing them to fall to their knees.

"Ah, that's right! After we awakened our personas, we were also pretty tired. We should probably head back for now to recover." Shiho said as she noticed the exhaustion on their faces.

With a nod of agreement, Ren led the way back. Thankfully, or maybe due to the castle's crumbling interior, their journey back was relatively quiet. 

~Author's note~

Ya'll I am pumped for the release of Persona 3 Reloaded! I'm getting my copy tomorrow!