Part 130: March 20 Part 3: Blood and Velvet

I must admit...I had to do some shameful things to win today.



-Studio Backlot-


This...is the place where I first joined the search with you all.
Hahah...It seems like something that happened long, long ago, doesn't it?
This place is...really beautiful. It's amazing, Nanako-chan...
Yeah...Nanako-chan must be lonely, huh?
This place will always be here...Forever. Not just hers, but everyone's...
It makes me kind of happy.
Maybe there's a place like this in me too...
Nanako-chan's probably lonely, huh...? I wonder if there's some way I could cheer her up...
Like, "Way to go! You really are Sanzo-kun's little sis!" Something like that.
It's a shame, huh Senpai...? Too bad you can't take such an adorable little sister back with you...

-PML: Heaven-

Beatdown, party of one.


Hm? Did you change, Senpai? Is that a bellhop outfit? Is there a hotel that uses that color scheme around here? It's pretty unusual for a bellhop outfit...
Senpai, I changed. What is with this outfit, though? Am I supposed to be a bell boy?
Yeah, I think that's what it is. But in Kanji's case, you look like a hit man who's masquerading as a bell boy.
Don't just go around inventing alter-egos for me!
I'm done changing outfits. This is the first time I've ever worn a hotel bellhop costume.
Wow, I wonder if it's from a famous hotel? Those aren't the typical colors they would use. You have different tastes, Senpai.
I see you've changed too, Sanzo-san. What a mysterious color...I feel like I'm being pulled in when I'm looking at it...I don't think I should wonder about it too much. Let's move on.
Costume change finished! This is a hotel employee costume, right? I've seen it on TV before!
If you ever worked at a hotel, that hotel would close down instantly.
You are such a meanie, Kanji! If it closes down just because I snuck bites of their food, then it was gonna close down anyway!
Wow, so stealing food is actually part of the job description for you...
Oh yeah, you changed too, Sensei. Wow, these are really strange clothes.
I feel like I've seen them somewhere...But then, maybe not...
...Eh, it's probearbly just my imagination.


What is this...? I've never sensed anything like this before...Senpai, be careful.




That's what comes of underestimating me!




Don't fight over me, babies!



Outer Heaven.



-Border of Insanity-


I spoke to my master after you left. It seems my predecessor also requested a duel from our last guest. Though there's no way of knowing whether the boy took her up on the offer. *chuckle* I called her foolish, but it seems we are kin indeed. Are you sure you're ready...?
I'm ready.
As the one who rules over power...I will fight with the utmost deference to you. Show me what lies beyond a mere exchange of words.

-PML: Battle Hymn of the Soul-















Not alone, he's not.









Zaou-Gongen, the one who demands surrender.





Like the other tough bosses, Margaret gets two turns at once. She starts it off simple with rounds of 78-pickup. She can easily drop Naoto or Teddie in two hits if you're unlucky.









At 85% health, Margaret remembers that those cards have little pictures on them. Then you're in trouble. She'll cycle through six different Personas, with different attacks and affinities.



Siegfried: Prominence, Ragnarok, Absorb Fire.





Loki: Cocytus Pain, Niflheim, Absorb Ice.

















Sandalphon, the angel of prayer.





This was a waste of good Wall Paprika. The walls will only last for one attack each. I should have just Guarded the boys.



Oukuninushi: Jihad, Thunder Reign, Absorb Elec.





Cu Chulainn: Divine Vacuum, Panta Rhei, Absorb Wind.











Beelzebub, the prince of lies.


Justice is with ME!
Thank you thank you thank you for picking Naoto, by the way.









Oberon: Mind Charge, Power Charge, Null All.



Ardha: Megidolaon, Resist All. This is the last Persona in Margaret's normal pattern.





















Asura, the highest of the high.



















Isis, the mother of reincarnation.

















Vishnu, the preserver of the world.

















Shiva, the god of destruction.





Margaret has a nasty surprise when she first reaches half health.



Helel: Morning Star.







Ardha: Diarahan, Resist All.

Don't throw your Vita just yet, though--it was expensive! And Margaret can only do that once.









Attis, the god of sacrifice.



Because Margaret gets double turns, stat mods are only effective against her for half as long.





After the Diarahan, she switches back to card tricks until she's under 85% again.









Mahakala, the king of darkness.

















For a more accurate picture of the majority of this battle, take all these screenshots and flip through them at random five or six times.





Margaret interrupts her pattern again at 25% health, and you MUST be ready for it. I was not.



She will now switch from Ardha's Megidolaon, to an old friend.



Yoshitsune: Hassou Tobi, Absorb Physical.

This is bad. I've used up Rise's uber-block and Naoto and Kanji's Endures, and I really, really need them for Margaret's last dirty trick.





You see, you're actually on a very strict time limit for this battle. After every fifty turns Margaret takes, she will switch to Oberon and use Megidolaon. This Megidolaon does 9,999 damage.



A picture is worth a thousand words. This next picture says "I am a lucky fuck" two hundred times over.



I had tossed out Shield of Justice in preparation for another Hassou Tobi, not realizing that Margaret's 50th turn was coming up next.





-Smile-


Before that girl left...she told me this. A soul slumbers at the ends of the world--that of a young man who devoted himself to becoming a seal...That soul is risking itself to prevent mankind, who has lost the joy of living, from calling down ultimate destruction...She told me that she was going to save him from that fate. To tell the truth, I wondered what sort of nonsense she was speaking. But no...She was serious. She said if she couldn't do it alone, she would combine her powers with those who bonded with that soul to enact a miracle. Maybe all that she said was the truth...And that was her reason for leaving the Velvet Room...She must have come to realize what I now understand...
You, a human, won against me, one who rules over power...You have shown me one's potential. Those who search for themselves...are "no one" as long as the search continues. It isn't emptiness, but limitless potential...It means the seeker can choose to be anything he or she wishes. That's why she made a choice. I had planned to bring her back by force...But I won't interfere with her anymore. Her wish seems staggering to contemplate...But fortunately, the chains of time are loose for us residents. Even if there isn't time enough in a single era, and it takes her eons...She will accomplish her mission. This boy she took such a fancy to...*chuckle* I'm somewhat curious as to what kind of human he must be.


And I must thank you, Sanzo. Of all the humans I've encountered until now, you shook my soul the most. This is proof of my reverence...Please accept it.

> Obtained Spiral Bookmark!

With that much power and will, you can overcome any obstacle...Should you ever run up against your limits and feel you cannot overcome your boundaries, you'd be lying to yourself. Simply recall today's victory.
There's no need to worry. Even if you should lose everything...Your soul will not be isolated. And if that does happen...Just as she did for the other boy, I shall do for you.


Let us meet again.


...So this is the real end of the road. That goes for the case, too...
But now ain't the time to think about that stuff! Let's go crush that smart-assed bastard!
No matter how much we ponder it...We'll never understand why these events happened. Let's go. We know where our answers lie...Right, Sanzo-san?
This really is the end!
Let's do our best, Senpai!