The Phantom Thieves finally make their way to the Depths of Mementos, and boy has it been a rough journey full of battles and refacing people whose hearts they have stolen only to find them to be unambitious and content to stay within the cells that line the walls of the place. But they have finally made it to the bottom most part of Mementos, where the treasure behind the distortion of the public's cognition lies.
... except, it's... all wrong?
There are cells with individuals lining the walls and large mechanical ball-like structure sitting in the middle of the floor with tendrils going up to the cells, being fed by them. They're still assuming that this is a treasure and think that perhaps, instead of stealing it, they will have to destroy it to return things to a status quo.
But then an alarm starts to sound. The people in the cages start to cry out against the destruction of the treasure and the treasure itself will not allow itself to be destroyed.
Makoto: Hold on. Something's off. Makoto: Shido said the masses are allowing themselves to be held captive here... Makoto: Could they truly be operating this gigantic system that eliminates intruders on its own? Makoto: The prison guards and soldiers were very organized too... Yusuke: Are you trying to say someone else rules this place? Is it not the public?
And then the thing laughs at them.
They decide to put that aside and go in for the attack.
... the attacks seem to do nothing. Or, to be more accurate, even when they manage to take it down quite a bit, it just heals itself by feeding off the prisoners.
Futaba: Don't tell me... are the inmates giving it their strength?!
They quickly begin to realize how futile the battle will be if they can't stop the inmates from supporting this "treasure".
Holy Grail: You fools. Human, yet wishing to eradicate the desires of humanity... Holy Grail: REPENT. Holy Grail: I am revered as the granter of dreams for all who behold me... Holy Grail: A being most commonly known as the Holy Grail... Holy Grail: The Prison of Regression is representative of the collective desires of humanity. Holy Grail: They wished to be chained down, surrender their cognition, and neglect the world around them... Holy Grail: These feebleminded commonfolk will make your "social reform" all for naught. Holy Grail: The shared heart of the masses has fallen into an excess of indolence and transformed into a prison. Holy Grail: Thus, the only suitable end for them is to perish within the prison they wished for themselves.
Round 2: start.
And it doesn't go much better. This time, when it regenerates, its tarnished surface goes more and more brightly gold until it's shining brilliantly like the Grail it claims to be.
Futaba: Wait! Hold up! It's going to get totally healed again! Futaba: No fair! This is cheating!
Holy Grail doesn't care about cheating.
Neither do the prisoners who all start to chant GET OUT OF HERE en masse.
They're quickly coming to the understanding that they're not going to be able to change the hearts of the people if they're this determined to buy into the Holy Grail.
Holy Grail: You imbeciles are intoxicated by an undesired "justice"... Holy Grail: This is the will of the children of man who have fallen into Sloth. Holy Grail: My shine is proof that they desire my existence. Holy Grail: As long as humanity yearns for me, I shall never perish...
Makoto: Is this what everyone really wants? To stop thinking and be guided by the Holy Grail? Joker: Don't let it fool you.
The Phantom Thieves maintain their stance: humans aren't like that. And they will never agree to being mindless followers of something that isn't real.
Morgana: No matter how painful reality is, it's all over if you don't try to change how things are! Morgana: I'm not the only one who believes that. Everyone here agrees... Morgana: We don't want to turn back into the people we used to be! That's why we risked our lives coming here!
Phantom Thieves are behind Morgana 100%.
Unfortunately...
Holy Grail: Humanity already wishes for their distortions to be actualized. Holy Grail: I am merely the being that will ultimately grant those wishes. Holy Grail: Now it is time I refrain from my place in this world, and begin to encroach upon reality itself.
The Holy Grail begins to light up and energy starts to flood the area.
Morgana: I don't know what you are, but you can't keep arbitrarily deciding all this on your own. Morgana: Humans aren't all stupid like you say they are! Holy Grail: Hmph. Indolent, foolish humans. You shall offer your hearts to me...
Suddenly, it lets out a beam of light toward them, an attack.
Holy Grail: Now the time for the fusion has come...
The very floor beneath them starts to disappear. Anything could happen at any second--
They're suddenly back in the middle of Shibuya. No longer in Mementos.
Morgana: We didn't come back ourselves, though. We must have been driven out by the Holy Grail. Makoto: Did we lose...? Joker: It would seem so... Makoto: Right...
Confused, they look about for a moment... but then it starts to rain. Red. Blood. And without warning, from the ground and building sprout skeletal structures very much like those in Mementos. Suddenly, what it meant by "the fusion" makes a terrible amount of sense.
The cognitive world and reality are fusing together, entangling dangerously together...
Mem. 17 - The Holy Grail + The Merging
The Phantom Thieves finally make their way to the Depths of Mementos, and boy has it been a rough journey full of battles and refacing people whose hearts they have stolen only to find them to be unambitious and content to stay within the cells that line the walls of the place. But they have finally made it to the bottom most part of Mementos, where the treasure behind the distortion of the public's cognition lies.
... except, it's... all wrong?
There are cells with individuals lining the walls and large mechanical ball-like structure sitting in the middle of the floor with tendrils going up to the cells, being fed by them. They're still assuming that this is a treasure and think that perhaps, instead of stealing it, they will have to destroy it to return things to a status quo.
But then an alarm starts to sound. The people in the cages start to cry out against the destruction of the treasure and the treasure itself will not allow itself to be destroyed.
Makoto: Hold on. Something's off.
Makoto: Shido said the masses are allowing themselves to be held captive here...
Makoto: Could they truly be operating this gigantic system that eliminates intruders on its own?
Makoto: The prison guards and soldiers were very organized too...
Yusuke: Are you trying to say someone else rules this place? Is it not the public?
And then the thing laughs at them.
They decide to put that aside and go in for the attack.
... the attacks seem to do nothing. Or, to be more accurate, even when they manage to take it down quite a bit, it just heals itself by feeding off the prisoners.
Futaba: Don't tell me... are the inmates giving it their strength?!
They quickly begin to realize how futile the battle will be if they can't stop the inmates from supporting this "treasure".
Holy Grail: You fools. Human, yet wishing to eradicate the desires of humanity...
Holy Grail: REPENT.
Holy Grail: I am revered as the granter of dreams for all who behold me...
Holy Grail: A being most commonly known as the Holy Grail...
Holy Grail: The Prison of Regression is representative of the collective desires of humanity.
Holy Grail: They wished to be chained down, surrender their cognition, and neglect the world around them...
Holy Grail: These feebleminded commonfolk will make your "social reform" all for naught.
Holy Grail: The shared heart of the masses has fallen into an excess of indolence and transformed into a prison.
Holy Grail: Thus, the only suitable end for them is to perish within the prison they wished for themselves.
Round 2: start.
And it doesn't go much better. This time, when it regenerates, its tarnished surface goes more and more brightly gold until it's shining brilliantly like the Grail it claims to be.
Futaba: Wait! Hold up! It's going to get totally healed again!
Futaba: No fair! This is cheating!
Holy Grail doesn't care about cheating.
Neither do the prisoners who all start to chant GET OUT OF HERE en masse.
They're quickly coming to the understanding that they're not going to be able to change the hearts of the people if they're this determined to buy into the Holy Grail.
Holy Grail: You imbeciles are intoxicated by an undesired "justice"...
Holy Grail: This is the will of the children of man who have fallen into Sloth.
Holy Grail: My shine is proof that they desire my existence.
Holy Grail: As long as humanity yearns for me, I shall never perish...
Makoto: Is this what everyone really wants? To stop thinking and be guided by the Holy Grail?
Joker: Don't let it fool you.
The Phantom Thieves maintain their stance: humans aren't like that. And they will never agree to being mindless followers of something that isn't real.
Morgana: No matter how painful reality is, it's all over if you don't try to change how things are!
Morgana: I'm not the only one who believes that. Everyone here agrees...
Morgana: We don't want to turn back into the people we used to be! That's why we risked our lives coming here!
Phantom Thieves are behind Morgana 100%.
Unfortunately...
Holy Grail: Humanity already wishes for their distortions to be actualized.
Holy Grail: I am merely the being that will ultimately grant those wishes.
Holy Grail: Now it is time I refrain from my place in this world, and begin to encroach upon reality itself.
The Holy Grail begins to light up and energy starts to flood the area.
Morgana: I don't know what you are, but you can't keep arbitrarily deciding all this on your own.
Morgana: Humans aren't all stupid like you say they are!
Holy Grail: Hmph. Indolent, foolish humans. You shall offer your hearts to me...
Suddenly, it lets out a beam of light toward them, an attack.
Holy Grail: Now the time for the fusion has come...
The very floor beneath them starts to disappear. Anything could happen at any second--
They're suddenly back in the middle of Shibuya. No longer in Mementos.
Morgana: We didn't come back ourselves, though. We must have been driven out by the Holy Grail.
Makoto: Did we lose...?
Joker: It would seem so...
Makoto: Right...
Confused, they look about for a moment... but then it starts to rain. Red. Blood. And without warning, from the ground and building sprout skeletal structures very much like those in Mementos. Suddenly, what it meant by "the fusion" makes a terrible amount of sense.
The cognitive world and reality are fusing together, entangling dangerously together...