Honkai Impact 3rd, But I'm Ren Amamiya! (Chapter 156-162)

Chapter 156: Snake Lady: What Do You Mean, He's Overpowering Kevin?

"Phantom Show!!"

A bright, full moon flew out from the palm of the Persona Raoul, casting a cold and enchanting light on the distant Diabolic Kevin SIM.

However, bathed in the moonlight of Phantom Show, the Diabolic Kevin SIM showed no signs of falling into a trance. His ice-blue eyes remained fixed on Ren.

"I have long since abandoned the right to dream. Such a trick is useless against me."

After saying this, the Diabolic Kevin SIM once again raised the Judgment of Shamash greatsword in his hand. With a surge of Honkai energy, the blade, wreathed in raging flames, transformed, entering its overclocked, Annihilation form in an instant.

"Immune to sleep again? I'm getting used to this... Raoul, Maeigaon!!"

Ren had started with his exclusive skill, Phantom Show. Seeing that the Diabolic Kevin SIM had not fallen asleep, he was not disappointed. He immediately issued the command to attack to the Persona Raoul.

A terrifying flame, like a calamitous fire from the heavens, burst forth from the descending Judgment of Shamash. Almost at the same moment that the Diabolic Kevin SIM swung his sword, the crimson-black cursed spear in the Persona Raoul's hand slashed towards the other end with a thunderous roar. The crimson flame sword and the surging crimson-black pillar of fire clashed violently, resulting in a stalemate.

The red and black flames intertwined fiercely, and the raging sea of purgatorial fire obscured their vision. Ren did not dare to relax for a moment, constantly on guard against any slight movement on the other side of the red-and-black sea of fire.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Ren noticed a figure rushing towards him at high speed, breaking through the intertwining red and black pillars of fire. It flew towards him with a clear purpose, and the hellish sea of fire it had forced its way through seemed to have caused it no significant damage, only a few wisps of white steam rising from its demonic, humanoid body.

"Miracle Punch!!"

The Persona Raoul clenched its fist, and a surge of palpable energy burst forth. A giant's arm suddenly appeared from the void, its massive, clenched fist containing the power to shatter space, and it rushed towards the relatively small Diabolic Kevin SIM with an unstoppable force.

The massive fist, constructed of magical energy, charged towards the Diabolic Kevin SIM's body. In an instant, he unleashed a thousand slashes at the miracle fist that blocked his path, finely slicing the energy fist into a sky full of magical light points. And at the moment the miracle fist shattered, a rain of golden bullets, imbued with the light of the stars, suddenly rained down on the Diabolic Kevin SIM.

The spatial bullets, which had been previously unstoppable, were now no different from ordinary bullets against the Diabolic Kevin SIM. They were either blocked or dodged by him, or they managed to hit his body after overcoming numerous obstacles, but they failed to display their defense-ignoring properties, only exploding in a shower of golden sparks upon impact before disappearing.

However, Ren had not expected to be able to injure the strongest enemy he had ever encountered with a barrage of spatial bullets from the very beginning.

Click—

Under Ren's deliberate offensive, the ammunition in the Key of the Void pistol was quickly depleted, and the safety mechanism was automatically activated.

"And now for the second time—Persona!!"

The trigger was pulled again at his temple. Amidst the bursting, cerulean spatial fragments, a Persona girl with purple hair, golden eyes, and a deep purple, gold-trimmed dress appeared in response to the summons, floating gracefully and gently in the void behind Ren.

"Sirin, I'll leave the cover to you."

Ren gave the command to the Persona Sirin behind him. Among all his Personas, Sirin, who controlled the authority of space, was the most suitable choice for cover and delay tactics.

The Persona Sirin nodded expressionlessly. After a covert glance at Ren, she extended her palm towards the Diabolic Kevin SIM, who was entangled with the Persona Raoul.

Fists crossed. The Persona Raoul opened its palm as it passed by the Diabolic Kevin SIM, and its sharp, gleaming claws slashed across his chest, leaving three claw marks that barely drew blood on his half-exposed chest.

Although only his upper body appeared to have retained its human form, his seemingly weak chest actually possessed the same defensive capabilities as the rest of his body. The damage from the Persona Raoul's claw attack was minimal, and in a flash, the three bloody wounds had completely healed.

And as the Diabolic Kevin SIM drove the tattered Diabolic wing on his back to turn and face the Persona Raoul's next wave of attacks, hundreds of dark voids suddenly opened up in the space around him. The lances of the void, gleaming with a purplish light, looked like the eyes of some unknown, malevolent beast, and they maliciously locked onto the Diabolic Kevin SIM's figure.

"Herrscher of the Void..."

Faced with the thousands of lances of the void that were shooting towards him from all sorts of strange and tricky angles from the dark voids, the Diabolic Kevin SIM remained calm and composed.

He let the thousands of golden spatial lances shoot towards him, and only when they were about to hit him did he swing the Judgment of Shamash in his hand. A raging tornado of flames erupted, instantly detonating all the incoming lances of the void.

After dodging the harassing attacks from the Herrscher of the Void, Sirin, he scanned his surroundings and soon noticed the figure of the Persona Raoul flying past him at high speed like a free bird.

The Persona Raoul raised its arm towards him, its demonic claws accurately aimed at the Diabolic Kevin SIM's position. A crimson-black spectral fire began to dance at its fingertips.

Based on his previous combat experience, the Diabolic Kevin SIM instantly judged that the Persona Raoul was about to use that cursed move called Maeigaon again. So he drove the Diabolic wing on his back to move and evade, while at the same time, the Judgment of Shamash shot out another flaming sword slash towards the Persona Raoul in an attempt to interrupt it.

However, in the next moment, before Kevin's attack could do anything, the Persona Raoul's figure blurred and disappeared, leaving only a few wisps of bluish-green flames, tinged with crimson, in the air, which were then completely engulfed by the belated crimson flame sword.

"...What?"

The target in his line of sight had actually disappeared. Even the Diabolic Kevin SIM was stunned for a moment. With his eyesight, he could naturally tell that the Persona Raoul had not moved away at high speed, but had disappeared directly from this Elysian Realm space.

"One-Shot Kill—Mara!!"

After dismissing the Persona Raoul, Ren immediately summoned the next new Persona to the stage.

The dark green figure, riding on a golden chariot, danced with its tentacle-like appendages, exuding a strong sense of blasphemy. Its extremely strange appearance stunned the Diabolic Kevin SIM for a moment again.

And the Persona Mara, who had appeared in response to Ren's summons, took advantage of this precious moment to open its bloody maw and shoot a strange, ominous, dark green light bullet at the enemy.

The Diabolic Kevin SIM instantly came to his senses. He dodged the dark green light bullet shot by the Persona Mara from a distance, and without even evading, he counterattacked.

"Megidolaon!!"

A dark, six-pointed star of the void opened up in front of the Diabolic Kevin SIM, instantly engulfing his figure. When he reappeared, he had not retreated but had instead closed the distance with the Persona Mara, taking its Megidolaon attack almost at point-blank range.

Visible, pinkish-purple ripples spread out in the void, rapidly extending towards the Diabolic Kevin SIM and successfully hitting his body.

The Persona Mara's full-power, psychokinetic attack, unleashed at point-blank range, caused the Diabolic Kevin SIM's body to stiffen. His rock-solid consciousness did not waver or become dazed from the impact of the mental energy, but his brow furrowed tightly from the mental shock.

"Sakura!!"

The Persona Mara's figure suddenly disappeared, replaced by a familiar, cherry blossom-colored figure.

The cherry blossom-colored miko in a red and white miko outfit drew the crimson spirit blade from her waist, which was as enchanting as her haori. Time seemed to freeze for a moment. When the Diabolic Kevin SIM's consciousness began to flow again, the complex sword light, dyed crimson by the mental power, had already hit his body, leaving long, narrow sword marks.

"Aren't you going to help your companion? If you're just going to stand there and watch, why don't you give me all your power and let me help Joker fight instead?"

Mobius had recovered by now. She looked at Raiden Mei, who had not made a move since the Persona Kurikara had been destroyed. After squinting her eyes for a moment, Mobius took the initiative to talk to her.

To fight against Kevin, who had unleashed his true power, it was not enough to not be prepared to die dozens of times.

To speed up the frequency and number of judgments, Mobius had her eyes on Raiden Mei... Although she was just a half-baked Herrscher of Thunder, her Herrscher Core was undoubtedly the real deal.

With the Honkai energy of an entire Herrscher Core as a supply, it would be enough for Mobius to squander her life in this support battle.

To be honest, the strength Ren had displayed had far exceeded Mobius's expectations.

To be able to defeat the enraged, Active Honkai Reaction Kalpas with such a crushing victory was already a miraculous feat.

And what was even more unimaginable was that this Phantom Thief Joker could hold his own against the pillar of the Previous Era, who had gotten serious, for so long... Mobius even began to doubt her own eyes. She felt as if Ren was still accumulating small advantages, gradually overpowering the strongest of their Thirteen Flame-Chasers.

She had to admit, looking at Ren's black figure with his back to her, Mobius's heart, which had already given up hope, began to become active again. The fire of desire was rekindled in her heart.

If it's this Phantom Thief Joker... maybe he can really win!!

"...Give all my power to you? You humble crawler. The only thing you're good at is telling jokes."

Faced with Mobius's request for Honkai energy, Raiden Mei, who had been hanging her head, fell silent for a moment. Then, a playful, mocking smile slowly appeared on her lips. When she looked up again, her amethyst-like eyes had turned a brilliant gold, and a look of arrogance appeared on her delicate face.

"A Herrscher's consciousness... Hmm? No, that's not right."

Faced with Mei's aggressive and sarcastic words, Mobius did not get angry. She looked at Mei, who seemed to have become a different person, and soon noticed that something was wrong.

The brilliant gold in Mei's pupils gradually faded, but it did not disappear completely. Instead, it naturally merged with the clear purple of her original eyes, finally becoming one with her amethyst-like eyes.

However, even though the golden eyes that symbolized the Herrscher's consciousness had disappeared, the arrogant expression on Mei's face did not. Compared to her previous, wary but gentle gaze, her current gaze was clearly colder and more detached.

"You don't need to take my place. I am Joker's true companion. I will fight alongside him!!"

A voice like a cold, clear spring rang out, filled with a firm and decisive tone.

Crimson lightning wrapped around the tachi, Raikiri, in her hand. The sound of thunder was like the hammering of a god. When the lightning dissipated, the Raikiri in her hand had been completely transformed. Through the authority of the Herrscher of Thunder, it had been reconstructed into a magnificent and dangerous purple tachi.

"Lend me your power, my other self... Persona!!"

Thunder boomed, and lightning raged. Behind the resolute Raiden Mei, a slender figure with the same appearance as her appeared amidst the thunder.

The Persona figure, with a purple halo on its back and red Diabolic horns on its forehead, slowly opened its eyes. A giant, red Diabolic arm suddenly drew a massive tachi and swung a thunderous slash at the Diabolic Kevin SIM, who was gradually being suppressed in the sky, as if to tear the very edge of the sky.

Chapter 157: Edge of Taixuan Sword God!! As Expected of Joker!

A crimson bolt of lightning, named Conquest, crashed down. The lightning sword slash, imbued with the authority of tearing, made the Diabolic Kevin SIM, who had sensed it, choose to dodge once again.

A complete Herrscher who had already entered the sublimation state... If it were just the Herrscher of Thunder herself, she would naturally not be able to pose a threat to the Diabolic Kevin SIM.

But with Ren Amamiya, whose methods were endless and whose strength was also extremely formidable, as an opponent, this sublimation-level Herrscher was already enough to add a significant weight to the scales of victory, causing them to gradually tip towards Ren's side.

"Well done, Acheron!!"

Summoning two Personas to fight at the same time was already the limit of what Ren could do with the Key of the Void pistol's mechanism.

Seeing Raiden Mei rise from the ashes after Kurikara was destroyed, causing her own Persona to evolve into the form of Shadow Mei, a smile that he couldn't suppress appeared on Ren's lips.

As a fellow wielder of the Persona Shadow Mei, Ren could vaguely feel that the Persona Shadow Mei summoned by Raiden Mei herself was undoubtedly a little stronger than when he summoned her.

Although her overall strength was still no match for the Persona Shadow Mei · Picaro form, which had been enhanced by his own Trickster God power, she was already able to play a significant supporting role in this battle.

"Thanatos Picaro!!"

The golden-headed, red-and-black god of death threw its head back and roared. The coffin of the maiden that surrounded it formed a stubborn, impenetrable defense, blocking all the raging flames and ice that the Diabolic Kevin SIM released in alternation, while Thanatos Picaro itself focused on raising its hands towards the Diabolic Kevin SIM.

In the next moment, a dark doorway, exuding an aura of death and decay, dimly opened behind the Diabolic Kevin SIM. Arms, condensed from the materialization of the curses of the dead, stretched out from the wide-open gates of the underworld. Hundreds of pale arms crowded together, greedily and eagerly reaching for the only living person standing in front of the gates of death.

Cold, pale hands grasped the Diabolic Kevin SIM's wrists and ankles. Not only were these death-like arms pulling at his body, but the open gates of the underworld themselves also exuded an invisible gravitational pull, trying to drag and imprison him within the dark doorway.

The number of pale arms extending from the gates of the underworld seemed to be endless.

Even if the Diabolic Kevin SIM broke free from the pale arms that grasped his body, a new wave of cold hands would once again grip his body tightly, so he could only swing the Judgment of Shamash in his hand, using the raging, flaming slashes to destroy the countless cold arms and the gates of the underworld themselves.

"Magatsu-Izanagi Picaro!!"

The black god of calamity, wearing a labyrinthine, black-and-white coat, raised the black, shadow-like naginata in his hand. Gray spheres, as dense as the stars, appeared one after another above Magatsu-Izanagi Picaro. As he swung the black naginata, it was as if the entire sky was falling. The densely packed Megido spheres roared and shot towards the Diabolic Kevin SIM, who was being held back by the gates of the underworld.

Constrained by the gates of the underworld, by the time the Diabolic Kevin SIM had completely destroyed them, he was already too late to dodge Magatsu-Izanagi Picaro's Megido attack. He could only stand there and take the full force of this almighty-attribute bombardment.

If the Diabolic Kevin SIM had been a little slower, he would have probably been blasted into the gates of the underworld behind him by this volley of Megido spheres. Even with his strength, he instinctively felt a slight chill at the unknown environment on the other side of the gates of the underworld.

"Sirin, Mei, cover me!!"

The Key of the Void pistol was fired again. Ren gave the command to the Persona Sirin and Raiden Mei on the field, and his own personal Persona, Raoul, reappeared, floating in the void behind him.

'The god is the pinnacle of change...'

Ren closed his eyes and silently recited the profound mantra in his heart under the cover of his teammates. The Persona Raoul stretched out its claws behind him, and a brilliant, golden light began to burst forth between its palms.

This was not a move that a Persona user could naturally comprehend after awakening their ability, but a cultivation technique recorded in the golden feather that the false god had previously given him in a dream.

In the intervals between exploring the Mementos, Ren had also tried to study and cultivate the technique recorded in the golden feather. Although he could not achieve it overnight, he could see progress in the technique each time.

However, because he had only been cultivating this technique for a short time, no matter how much progress he made, he had not yet mastered it to the point of perfection. He was only at a barely usable level now.

He could not fire it instantly, but needed to charge it up on the spot for a period of time... If he did not have teammates to cover him, this skill could not be used in actual combat at all, and at most, he would use it to attack shadows from a distance that had not yet discovered the Phantom Thieves' infiltration.

Mobius clenched her fists. Her heart was pounding as she watched from the side, her expression constantly changing with the development of the situation.

She could tell that Ren was charging up some kind of extremely powerful ultimate move. If he could successfully release it, it would undoubtedly cause great damage to Kevin. It could even be said to be the decisive blow that would determine the outcome.

If possible, Mobius would naturally want to do her part for Ren and join the battlefield with Raiden Mei to hold Kevin back.

But unfortunately, Kevin was too familiar with her, his comrade of fifty thousand years. He had seriously injured her to a point where she was in an awkward situation, having lost her combat ability and finding it difficult to discard her injuries by resurrecting.

Without a large amount of external Honkai energy to replenish her, if Mobius really chose to rely on resurrection to restore her to her prime, then by the time her consciousness returned, this incident would probably have already been settled, and the day would have long been lost.

At this point, Mobius could do nothing. She could only stand aside and watch.

Even though she was extremely anxious, she could only occasionally look back at Higokumaru, who was still busy working in the room, or look into the distance to see if any other Flame-Chasers were approaching the battlefield. She was in a state of anxiety, wanting to speed things up but only being able to stand there and wait.

"Edge of Taixuan Sword God!!"

The golden light surging in the Persona Raoul's palms became more and more intense.

When the accumulation of magical energy reached its critical point, Ren suddenly opened his eyes. He loudly announced the name of his ultimate move, and his fingers, held in a sword gesture in front of his forehead to help him concentrate, were suddenly thrust out, pointing at the Diabolic Kevin SIM, who was being entangled by the Persona Sirin and Shadow Mei.

A hum, like a divine sword being unsheathed, and a loud cry, like the cry of a divine bird, suddenly resounded.

The Persona Raoul pushed the surging, golden sphere of light in its hands towards the Diabolic Kevin SIM. The golden stream of light surged and transformed into a massive, golden falcon, spreading its wings and soaring in the sky.

Its huge wings were like the hilt of a sword, and its sharp, pointed beak was like the invincible blade of a golden, divine sword. It flew towards the enemy that Ren had pointed at, and the space that the Sword God flew past quietly flickered with cracks that appeared and disappeared.

Looking at the huge, golden, divine sword that was rushing towards him at an extremely fast speed, the Diabolic Kevin SIM's expression became solemn for the first time. The Sword God attack that Ren had unleashed with all his might was already capable of truly threatening his life.

With a barrage of ice and fire, the Diabolic Kevin SIM sent the entangling Persona Sirin and Shadow Mei flying far away. Then, he vibrated the tattered Diabolic wing on his back and moved with incredible speed and agility through the airspace, trying to avoid the sharp edge of this Sword God.

However, even though the Diabolic Kevin SIM had used his full speed, and his figure was moving so fast that it was almost invisible, the golden, divine sword, which was like a divine bird, was always accurately aimed at his body, showing no signs of losing its target.

Realizing that this Sword God could not be dodged, the Diabolic Kevin SIM frowned and stopped. Since he could not dodge it, he could only do his best to return the favor to this huge, golden, divine sword.

"Judgment of Shamash—Unsheathed!!!"

All of his Honkai energy was poured into the lava-like, crimson greatsword in his hand. The Diabolic Kevin SIM decisively used the zero-power of the Judgment of Shamash, pushing the power of the greatsword to its limit. He was like a flame god descending upon the world to pass judgment, swinging the huge, magnificent flame sword in his hand at the golden, divine sword and Ren's direction.

The extremely high temperature distorted the air, and even further distorted space itself. The magnificent pillar of fire that extended from the Judgment of Shamash greedily devoured everything in sight, and then crashed into the huge, golden, divine sword that was coming at it.

The pillar of fire, released by the Key of Destruction, did indeed temporarily halt the advance of the golden, divine sword, causing the flame-like energy that surrounded it to dim slightly. But soon, the Diabolic Kevin SIM frowned again. He sensed that something was wrong.

In the next moment, his ominous premonition was confirmed.

The nature of the Sword God was between tangible and intangible. It could not be dodged, nor could it be blocked.

Although its unblockable property was somewhat damaged and hindered when facing the authority of the Key of Destruction, when the golden, divine sword, which was shaped like a divine bird, flapped its wings and let out a crisp, sharp cry, its figure, which was like a semi-transparent, virtual substance, unstoppable passed through the pillar of fire that had been shot out by the Judgment of Shamash, and in a flash, it passed through the Diabolic Kevin SIM's body at a speed that he could not react to.

The Diabolic Kevin SIM's body suddenly froze. His pupils dilated to their limit, and his mind instantly went blank, as if his entire consciousness and soul had been removed from his body.

Although he could still vaguely feel the existence of his body, the Diabolic Kevin SIM's consciousness seemed to have been disconnected from it. No matter how hard he tried, he could no longer move his body, not even a slight twitch of his finger.

If it weren't for the fact that his body was strong enough after the Active Honkai Reaction, and possessed a certain instinct for self-preservation, the SIM Kevin might have been forced to deactivate the Active Honkai Reaction state and fall to the ground like a fallen bird.

"You did it!! It was a success!!"

A flush of excitement appeared on Mobius's previously pale face. She was so excited that she clenched her hands and swung them in front of her like a little girl, staring at the figure of the Diabolic Kevin, whose consciousness had been suspended in mid-air. Mobius couldn't believe her eyes.

"Press the advantage, Persona—"

Ren once again raised the Key of the Void pistol to his temple. Just as he was about to summon the Persona Hare and use the Blood of schariac as a follow-up attack, a sudden sound of applause rang out.

"A perfect performance. As expected of the Phantom Thief Joker. Your performance has far exceeded my expectations. You even managed to knock the strongest in this Elysian Realm Palace into a state of suspended consciousness... But, this is enough for now."

Vill-V clapped as she slowly walked out from a hidden shadow, and advised Ren, who was about to summon his next Persona.

"Even you, Joker, would need a long time to kill him completely. Instead of wasting time here, let me just teleport him to a place where he can't come back for a while."

After undergoing the surgical modifications of Project Chimera, Kevin possessed the meta-morph factors of a hundred Honkai beasts. These factors combined to form what was known as a [This Worldly Beast] Honkai beast, and the Diabolic form was Kevin's appearance after undergoing an Active Honkai Reaction in the form of Worldly Beast.

Among the Honkai beasts that made up Worldly Beast, there were many with mental-type factors. Therefore, after taking the full force of Ren's Sword God, the Diabolic Kevin SIM was only in a state of temporary suspended consciousness, and his entire consciousness was not completely destroyed, turning him into a walking corpse that could only breathe.

If he were to attack the Diabolic Kevin SIM in this suspended state... although his consciousness could not control his body, his body's instincts would still automatically counterattack to avoid being harmed.

Although the threat he posed was much weaker than before, Ren could still feel the danger emanating from the Diabolic Kevin SIM. If he really wanted to completely eliminate him, he would probably need to spend a lot of time.

And right now, the one thing Ren lacked the most was time.

Considering that he was not in his prime, with the Jizo Mitama tachi on auto-pilot, and only Raiden Mei by his side, the Selene pistol not yet tuned by Vill-V, and the Will Seed of Gluttony, the final piece of the Sinful Shell, about to be in his hands.

Ren didn't think he needed to settle the score with this extremely powerful shadow right now. Anyway, that wild Kaslana shadow wouldn't be able to escape this Elysian Realm Palace. He wasn't in a hurry. After completing his next reinforcement, gathering all his teammates, and having a more secure chance of winning, it wouldn't be too late to defeat and subdue this wild Kaslana shadow.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Vill-V."

So Ren nodded slightly and agreed to Vill-V's proposal. He watched as she manipulated a strange mechanical creation to teleport the Diabolic Kevin SIM, along with his surroundings, out of this area.

It wasn't until the Diabolic Kevin SIM's aura had completely disappeared from this area that Ren let out a long sigh of relief and dismissed both the Persona Raoul and the Persona Sirin.

Chapter 158: My Dearest Snake Lady, You Wouldn't Want All Your Efforts to Be for Naught, Would You?

"The preparations are finally complete. Now, it's time to put it into practice."

After the wild Kaslana shadow was teleported away by Vill-V, the area around the wooden cabin fell into a brief period of calm. No more wild shadows approached.

Although Mobius was very suspicious of this, under Vill-V's quiet reassurances, and with nothing she could do, she could only reluctantly accept this strange reality with unease in her heart, and instead, focused all her energy on Ren Amamiya.

Using the Jizo Mitama, which was a replica created by the Void Archives, and working in tandem with Higokumaru, Ren completed the goal of corroding the core of the Elysian Realm's database in a shorter time than expected.

Ren did not want to entrust the experience of modifying the collective unconscious to others.

Higokumaru returned to the body of the Jizo Mitama, and Ren personally and slowly gripped the black-and-red hilt that was suspended above the Elysian Realm's typewriter.

When Ren gripped the hilt of the Jizo Mitama again, the world before his eyes seemed to be covered in a layer of strange, red light. He could clearly feel that he was now connected to the entire Elysian Realm Palace through the Jizo Mitama in his hand.

In this strange state of being one with the Elysian Realm Palace, Ren felt as if he had become an omnipotent god. If he wanted to, he could peer into every corner of the Elysian Realm Palace and modify every rule that existed within it.

Looking around, not only at Mobius, who was a native shadow of the Elysian Realm Palace, but also at Raiden Mei, who was just a visitor, Ren felt a sense of clarity that he could modify or delete their existence at any time.

Only Vill-V, who was standing aside with her arms crossed and a mysterious smile on her face, had a red light around her that was so faint it was almost invisible.

It was clear that the authority to modify the collective unconscious was almost ineffective against Vill-V, a resident of the Velvet Room... To modify Vill-V's cognition, he would probably have to at least tear her in half. Considering that Vill-V's strength was definitely a little stronger than Lavenza's, he might have to divide her a few more times to successfully use the authority to modify her cognition.

Seeing Vill-V, who was largely immune to the authority of cognitive modification, Ren's mind couldn't help but recall the experience of Lavenza's cognition being modified by God. He subconsciously began to think of ways to make the authority to modify cognition effective against Vill-V.

Vill-V seemed to have noticed something. The mysterious smile on her face became a little stiff, and her pink-and-white gradient pupils unnaturally glanced at the ceiling, as if she had suddenly become very interested in the patterns on the wooden cabin's ceiling.

"Did... Did you succeed? You should be able to delete the concept of 'Mobius' from the Elysian Realm now, right? As long as you can delete the concept of Mobius in the Elysian Realm Palace other than me, I'll give you the rest of the Will Seed of Gluttony, and I can even provide you with all the help I can."

Mobius swallowed nervously. Facing Ren's gaze, which was covered in a strange, red light, she felt a strong, dangerous sense of panic in her heart.

It was as if Ren could completely erase her existence with just a thought. Even the resurrection ability that Mobius possessed as a MANTIS would not be able to revive her from such a degree of erasure.

This extremely uneasy feeling was unbearable for Mobius. She unnaturally rubbed her slender arms, which felt as if the hair on them was standing on end, and promised Ren in an urgent and hurried tone, hoping that he would fulfill his promise to her as soon as possible.

"It's basically a success... I'll finish what I promised you right away."

Ren nodded slightly at Mobius. The reason he said it was "basically a success" and not "a success" was that when he had integrated his consciousness into the Elysian Realm Palace itself through the medium of the Jizo Mitama, he had also noticed the existence of another hidden, quiet, and tenacious consciousness in this Elysian Realm Palace.

The consciousness, which was suspected to be the Palace Ruler, did not take any countermeasures against Ren's invasion. It just stood in a corner and silently watched Ren's existence, observing his every move in the Elysian Realm Palace.

However, the fact that the Palace Ruler had not made a move now did not mean that it would not take some countermeasures against Ren in the future. It all depended on what kind of cognitive modification Ren intended to impose on the Elysian Realm Palace using the authority of the Jizo Mitama.

Ren could feel that he had only borrowed the power of the Jizo Mitama to steal the authority to modify the cognition of the Elysian Realm Palace, and had not completely grasped this Elysian Realm Palace. If the Palace Ruler really did its best to resist and suppress Ren's authority to modify cognition on a conscious level, the degree of interference he could have on the Elysian Realm Palace would become limited.

Setting aside other thoughts of interfering with the Elysian Realm Palace for the time being, Ren decided to prioritize fulfilling his promise to Mobius.

As a native shadow of the Elysian Realm Palace, the Palace Ruler should not feel a strong sense of resistance to Mobius's heartfelt wish... And even if the Palace Ruler really wanted to fight Ren in the field of cognitive manipulation, Ren, who had abandoned all other thoughts and was only focused on deleting the concept of Mobius from the Elysian Realm Palace, was confident that he would not lose to the Palace Ruler and could forcibly transform this Palace into the way he wanted.

After replying to the anxious Mobius, Ren slowly closed his eyes. As if operating a computer file, he marked the Mobius next to him with a key and put a safety lock on it. Then, he began the work of clearing and deleting all other concepts of Mobius in the Elysian Realm Palace.

Originally, when Higokumaru had invaded the Elysian Realm's database, the white papers ejected by the Elysian Realm's typewriter had covered the entire floor of the wooden cabin's study. But as Ren erased the traces of Mobius in the Elysian Realm Palace, the scarlet characters on the white papers gradually faded and finally disappeared completely, leaving only blank, pure white papers.

While performing the deletion, Ren paid close attention to the movements of the Palace Ruler's consciousness. To his surprise, the Palace Ruler's consciousness really did choose to remain inactive, just curled up in a corner and silently watching Ren's cognitive modification of the Elysian Realm Palace, showing no signs of stopping him.

"It's done... Now, besides you, it's impossible for another Mobius to be born in the Elysian Realm Palace."

Ren opened his eyes again. The Jizo Mitama tachi naturally dissipated into crimson smoke as he released his grip. After completing the cognitive modification of the Elysian Realm Palace, he turned to Mobius and gave his report of the completion of the commission.

Until the very end of his modification, the Palace Ruler had not made a move to stop Ren from rewriting the overall cognition of the Palace. Therefore, Ren had only spent less than ten seconds to successfully complete the cognitive manipulation of the entire Elysian Realm Palace.

"What a great experience. This valuable experience will surely be useful at some point in the future."

The concept of Mobius had been deleted from the overall concept of the Elysian Realm Palace. Therefore, the other shadows of the Elysian Realm Palace, who would have originally come to stop Mobius, would naturally no longer rush here one after another.

The incident had finally come to an end. Ren completely relaxed. He stretched his body and let out a satisfied sigh.

After personally using the means of cognitive modification, Ren had gained a new understanding of the authority of cognitive modification, and also had some ideas on how to resist and fight against the cognitive modification authority used by God.

The next time he was attacked and erased by the false god on a cognitive level, Ren was confident that he could resist the false god's authority and would not be easily erased from social existence.

"It's done... But, I see that Vill-V still remembers me."

As the Jizo Mitama tachi was put away, the feeling of being on pins and needles, as if she could be erased at any moment, finally disappeared. Mobius's constantly tense body could finally relax.

And when she relaxed, she put her hands on her hips in annoyance and glanced at Vill-V, who was looking at her with a smile.

"Don't say such things when you already know the answer, Mobius. Since I'm standing right here, how could I just let Joker successfully modify my cognition?... In the field of cognition, I'm a real expert."

Vill-V touched the top hat with the mechanical gears on her head. A proud expression appeared on her face, and her tone was very proud.

"...You're one thing. You probably don't have any interest in creating another inferior imitation of me. The others in the Elysian Realm should have really forgotten the existence of 'Mobius', right?"

Mobius sighed slightly. As one of the few research-oriented talents among the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, she actually had a good relationship with Vill-V, and they understood each other well.

Mobius believed that Vill-V would not be obsessed with creating a new fake Mobius to fill the void she left in the Elysian Realm. And with Vill-V's authority as the administrator of the Elysian Realm, she should know the answers to these questions.

"That's right. Besides me, everyone in the Elysian Realm Palace has forgotten the existence of Mobius, and even think that Mobius never existed in the first place."

Vill-V gave Mobius a thumbs-up and answered her in a matter-of-fact tone, which made Mobius's heart relax.

"...That's for the best. Without their interference, my plan to leave the Elysian Realm and return to the real world will be much smoother."

Good.

A complex look flashed in Mobius's eyes, but she still feigned a look of relief.

To completely part ways with her comrades of fifty thousand years, and to have personally made them forget her existence, it was naturally impossible for Mobius to not feel anything.

But compared to her own wish, Mobius had finally made up her mind to abandon everything from the past and had come this far by asking for Ren's help.

Without the interference of Elysia and Aponia, it would be much easier for Mobius, who was lurking in the dark, to capture the World Serpent helmsmen who came to the Elysian Realm for trials. As long as she could find a suitable and satisfactory vessel, she could transfer her consciousness into someone else's body and completely escape the shackles of the Elysian Realm.

"If you want to go to the real world, you can just ask Joker, you know? As long as you make a contract with Joker, you'll be able to leave the Elysian Realm naturally..."

Vill-V raised a finger with a smile. However, before she could finish, Mobius's angry voice interrupted her.

"Ha? What are you joking about, Vill-V? Do you think I'm the kind of woman who would willingly submit to others and be a useful tool? Of course I'll leave the Elysian Realm and go to the real world, but I'll do it with my own strength, in my own way."

Mobius raised an eyebrow and retorted sharply.

"To want to obtain a body that can walk in the real world with your own strength is certainly admirable... But Mobius, you seem to have forgotten that you haven't paid Joker the reward you owe him for completing the commission."

Looking at the signature, evil, mischievous smile on Vill-V's face, Mobius's body suddenly froze. She suddenly had a strong, ominous premonition, as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

"For Joker, the sin of Gluttony, born from the twisted desires of the egg of your heart, is the most important and indispensable piece of his puzzle, you know~~~"

Seeing Mobius, who had finally realized something and started to tremble, a joyful smile bloomed on Vill-V's face.

After collecting six different sins, the Will Seed of Gluttony, represented by Mobius, had indeed become the most important existence for Ren Amamiya. Vill-V didn't think she was lying.

Chapter 159: It's the bull, for real!

Vill-V, you bastard... So you were plotting against me from the very beginning!!

In the dark and silent prison of the deepest depths, Mobius glared at Vill-V, who was standing before her with an innocent expression, her teeth gnashing.

Using the Will Seed of Gluttony as a pretext to force me to sign a contract with Ren Amamiya and become his Persona was one thing...

But after Vill-V returned to her workshop in the deepest depths and took out a small, green-haired girl doll, Mobius deeply realized just how long this magician had been plotting.

Even the ELF for her consciousness to inhabit was already prepared. How could this not be a deliberate scheme?!!

"How can you call this a scheme? It's just a little bit of foresight—See, doesn't this doll have a role to play now?"

Vill-V shrugged nonchalantly and then handed the small, green-haired ELF, which was a perfect replica of Mobius, to Mobius herself.

"...Vill-V, you remember this. I won't just swallow this insult!"

Mobius took the ELF from Vill-V with a resentful and unwilling expression. After a final, tough-sounding threat to Vill-V, her slender and light figure slowly disappeared. She had completely transferred her consciousness into the ELF, which had a real, physical body and could move in the real world.

"So this is how Mobius can move in the real world? It's really convenient."

Ren reached out and caught the green-haired ELF that had fallen from the air after Mobius's body disappeared. He held the Mobius doll in his arms and carefully observed every detail of it.

"Could it be the kind of setting where, after living in the real world for a long time in a doll's skin, a human-like body will naturally grow from within?"

Ren pinched the Mobius doll's small hand. As if playing with a figure, he gently moved the soft, gradually warming hand a few times, feeling the doll's human-like touch. He couldn't help but marvel at Vill-V's technical skills.

By putting on a doll costume and pretending to be a doll, one could move normally in the real world. This method of Vill-V's undoubtedly reminded Ren of Teddie from P4.

Considering that Morgana was a shadow created by Igor, who had drawn inspiration from Teddie, it was only reasonable that Vill-V, as a fellow resident of the Velvet Room, could also do something like this.

"Growing a human body from within a doll... Whether she can do it or not, it all depends on Mobius's own abilities."

Vill-V nodded noncommittally. She reached out to Ren, and on her dark brown industrial glove lay two emerald green Ouroboros crystals. It was the Will Seed of Gluttony that Vill-V had extracted while Mobius was transferring her consciousness into the ELF.

With Mobius's talent that transcended her era, even if she didn't choose to take over someone else's existing body, it was not entirely impossible for her to find a way to move in the real world with a physical body.

"In that case, all three pieces of the Will Seed of Gluttony have been collected... The Will Seeds symbolizing the seven different deadly sins have also been collected at this moment."

Ren took out the previously obtained Will Seed of Gluttony. The three emerald green Ouroboros crystals were spontaneously drawn together and re-formed into a larger, golden Ouroboros crystal.

Ren did not put away the newly acquired Will Seed of Gluttony crystal, but instead pushed it to Vill-V, intending to entrust her with crafting it into an equipment accessory as well.

The Will Seed of Wrath from Yae Sakura's Palace, the Will Seed of Sloth from Raiden Mei's Palace, the Will Seed of Envy from Seele's Palace, the Will Seed of Melancholy from the Herrscher of the Void's Palace, the Will Seed of Pride from his own Palace, and the Will Seed of Greed from Wendy's Palace.

And now, the Will Seed of Gluttony from Mobius's distorted heart in the Elysian Realm Palace.

At this moment, Ren had finally collected seven different Will Seeds of Sin, fulfilling the basic conditions for learning the Sinful Shell.

"Don't look at me with such an eager and expectant expression. Although I, Vill-V, am an all-around genius, I'm not so all-around that I can solve a problem I just came up with in two hours... At least, you'll have to wait until your next visit to the Velvet Room."

Noticing Ren's expectant gaze, Vill-V spread her hands and shook her head helplessly.

She had only been separated from Ren for a little over two hours, and this time had been used for high-intensity monitoring of his actions in the Elysian Realm Palace and appeasing Elysia, Aponia, and the other Flame-Chasers. Where would she have had the free time to research the Sinful Shell problem that Ren had proposed?

"There's one more thing. Although I can complete the Sinful Shell problem by referring to the real-time data changes of those Will Seed equipment, the research period will undoubtedly be much longer. If you're willing to temporarily store those Will Seed equipment in the Velvet Room, my research speed should be greatly increased."

Vill-V raised a finger and gave Ren a choice.

"Store all the Will Seed equipment in the Velvet Room..."

To gather the power of the seven deadly sins, it was a very reasonable request to store the Will Seed weapons, which contained the power of the seven original sins, in the Velvet Room for Vill-V to study.

"I understand. Then please, Vill-V, speed up your research as much as possible."

After a moment of hesitation, Ren finally nodded and chose to entrust all the Will Seed weapons he was carrying to Vill-V.

The Jizo Mitama tachi, the Thunder Spiral Ring, the Key of the Void pistol, and the World Serpent arcana card were placed on the tray that Vill-V had taken out.

Although Vill-V was confident that she could create the technique to cast the Sinful Shell even without storing the Will Seed weapons in the Velvet Room, Ren believed that for a technique related to his own ultimate move, the faster the progress, the better.

The Jizo Mitama tachi was crucial to Ren as a Persona user. It was the key to him being able to summon Personas in the real world.

However, Vill-V had also prepared a replica tachi as a substitute, which could completely function as the real Jizo Mitama, allowing Ren to maintain his combat ability in the real world.

The World Serpent arcana card, being a product of the fusion of Ren's own Will Seed and a Treasure, was no different from being stored in his own heart when it was stored in the Velvet Room.

As long as Ren willed it, he could use his own god's power to summon this World Serpent arcana card back to him at any time.

Therefore, even if he temporarily stored these Will Seed weapons in the Velvet Room, Ren's overall strength would not decrease too much. Moreover, he had not yet performed this visit's Persona fusion. Perhaps after completing this Persona fusion, his overall strength would even increase instead of decrease.

"You really trust Vill-V, don't you? Aren't you afraid that she'll secretly tamper with your weapons?"

The green-haired girl doll in his arms gradually warmed up to a slightly cool temperature. Her snake-like, pink-and-green vertical pupils quietly changed from empty and void to lively and natural.

Mobius, who had completely transferred her consciousness into this ELF, did not struggle at all. She obediently let Ren hold her in his arms, and with a cold smile, she warned him.

Vill-V's character and professional ability were naturally trustworthy, but the only thing that was not trustworthy and deeply detestable about her was her unique aesthetic sense and her ability to create chaos.

Mobius had no doubt that Vill-V could complete the project called "Sinful Shell" that Ren had given her. But at the same time, she was also very convinced that Vill-V would definitely add her own strange little ideas to the project. Who knew, she might add a useless function like setting off fireworks to the Sinful Shell to scare people.

"Let's begin the Persona fusion. I'm preparing to leave the Velvet Room."

Ren ignored the provocations of the Mobius doll in his arms and made a request to Vill-V, who had already put away all the Will Seed weapons.

"Understood~~ Based on the last balance and the harvest from this exploration, you can perform three more Persona fusions. Plus the reward for completing the commission and defeating Mobius to make her a Persona, that's a total of six Persona fusion chances. Please use them to your heart's content!!"

Vill-V clapped her hands crisply, and the guillotine and electric chair, glowing with a faint cerulean light, silently emerged from the darkness and appeared before Ren and the others.

Seeing Ren and Vill-V ignore her in perfect sync and move on to the next topic, Mobius was originally very annoyed.

However, looking at the guillotine and electric chair that Vill-V had brought out, which looked absolutely terrifying, Mobius suddenly felt a chill run down her spine and couldn't say a word.

If I remember correctly, I'm one of Ren's Personas now...

What is this so-called Persona fusion? Don't tell me it requires the use of torture devices?!

Although she really wanted to convince herself that these torture devices were to be used on Ren, the Persona user himself... looking at the huge, gleaming guillotine blade, Mobius couldn't deceive herself no matter how hard she tried. She could only swallow hard in defeat.

"This time, let's use three Personas for the fusion."

Ren looked at the cold, blue guillotine and suddenly remembered that he had only ever used two Personas for fusion, and had never tried a three-Persona fusion.

"Three Personas for fusion... Then I'll give you a friendly price and charge you the same as before. After all, even if you increase the number of fusion materials, the strength of the final product may not necessarily be higher than a fusion of only two Personas."

Vill-V stroked her chin and thought for a moment. She quickly made up her mind and nodded, deciding to perform the Persona fusion for Ren at the original price.

"Then the Personas I want to fuse are these—Scathach! Cait Sith! Asterius!"

Among the Personas he currently possessed, the number of Personas Ren was willing to use for execution fusion had become smaller and smaller. The ones left were all Personas he was reluctant to use.

Fortunately, besides helping with Persona fusion, Vill-V could also re-summon Personas that had already been executed. So Ren asked her to re-summon the already executed Cait Sith and Asterius, and once again sent them to the guillotine.

Under Mobius's suddenly dead-looking gaze, the cold, huge blade of the guillotine came crashing down, simultaneously beheading the three Personas who were wrapped in a blue cloth. The bodies of the Personas, who had completely lost the strength to struggle, turned into specks of fluorescent light and rose into the sky in a spiral, converging into a new Persona figure.

Asterius

ARCANA: Fortune

Description

A Persona mentioned in another story.
The son of Queen Pasiphae of Crete in Greek mythology.
Due to a curse on the queen, he was born a bull-headed monster and was imprisoned in a labyrinth. He is also known as the Minotaur.
He possesses great strength and wields a huge double-bladed axe.

"Is that... a Minotaur?"

Looking up at the incredibly magnificent Persona figure with a strong, dark body, a bright, silver, metal bull's head that looked as if it had been cast from steel, and heavy chains wrapped around its pair of black bull horns, Raiden Mei, who had been standing quietly behind Ren, couldn't help but widen her eyes.

This was the first time she had witnessed the execution of a Persona, and the first time she had seen the birth of a Persona.

"Persona Asterius. I've drawn another good card."

Ren, who had recognized the identity of this steel Minotaur, nodded slightly, feeling satisfied.

The Persona Asterius was the Persona of Shadow Labrys from P4U, so its strength was guaranteed... Although in terms of Persona level, compared to the Persona Scathach, which was used as a fusion material, fusing into Asterius was a reverse fusion.

But as a Persona of a story character, Asterius's model and presence were far superior to Scathach's.

"Let's continue the fusion, Vill-V..."

Chapter 160: The Uninvited Kiana

In the real world, Nagazora City, at the Raiden residence.

Kiana cautiously approached the walls of the Raiden residence, moving like a thief. She glanced left and right, and after confirming no one had noticed her, she bent her knees slightly. Her toned, powerful calf muscles instantly tensed like springs.

With a single leap, the white-haired girl vaulted over the high wall with the grace of flowing water, landing lightly inside the courtyard.

"Hmph, perfect! As expected of me! For Kiana, sneaking into Mei's house is a piece of cake! If that stinky old man won't bring me here, did he really think I couldn't come on my own?~~~"

Kiana straightened up in high spirits. She dusted off her pale hands, which had picked up some dirt from the wall, and puffed out her chest with pride.

After giving her long-lost father, Siegfried, a good beating, Kiana was still on bad terms with him, but she had suggested they visit the Raiden residence together to properly thank Ren Amamiya for his advice.

Having seen Ren in the real world—not in a dreamscape like Sakuramachi—and having been saved by him from a kidnapping attempt, Kiana's perception of him had completely flipped.

Although it was a bit awkward for her, Kiana could no longer harbor any hostility towards Ren. In fact, she wanted to get closer to him, show her goodwill, and deepen her understanding of the mysterious, handsome young man.

However, even though Kiana had repeatedly assured both Raiden Mei and Siegfried that she would no longer be hostile towards her former love rival, the two of them, as if by prior agreement, consistently refused to arrange a formal meeting for her with Ren.

Finally, the highly proactive Kiana could no longer contain her desire to see him. She snuck into the Raiden residence behind Mei's and Siegfried's backs, preparing to meet Ren face-to-face.

"Indeed, as expected of Miss Kiana. You've effortlessly accomplished what others could not."

A beautiful and pleasant voice, like the singing of a songbird, came from beside her. The flattery and recognition made Kiana puff out her chest even more proudly. She smugly rubbed her nose, accidentally smudging it with wall dust, and naturally responded to the person beside her.

"Of course! For me, Kiana, a wall of this height is a piece of cake. Even if it were twice as high, I could easily—... Wait a minute!!!"

Halfway through her boasting, Kiana suddenly realized something. She whipped her head around to look at the visitor who had noticed her infiltration of the Raiden residence.

A girl in a black and white maid outfit, with a somewhat bewitching rose-shaped accessory in her ash-blonde hair, gave a slight nod. She was clapping gently with a radiant smile, her intoxicating, wine-red eyes reflecting Kiana's suddenly flustered figure with great interest.

"Y-Y-You... You're that bad guy who tried to kidnap me!! Why are you here?!!"

---||---

After a brief moment of shock, Kiana recognized Rita and her body tensed up. Like a big white cat that had just run into its natural enemy, she quickly backed away until her back was pressed against the cold courtyard wall, striking a highly vigilant fighting stance.

"What did you do to Mei and the others, including that stinky old man?! You'd better confess everything, or I won't let you off easy!!!"

Kiana's blue eyes widened as she glared at the relaxed-looking Rita. As aggressive as a wildcat, she bared her small fangs, questioning and threatening her.

"There is no need to be so alarmed, Miss Kiana. Rita is now merely a prisoner confined to this place. I no longer have the ability to do you any harm."

A mischievous urge took hold of Rita, and she smiled sweetly at Kiana for a good while. Only when she sensed Kiana's defenses were about to reach their breaking point, her pale, soft fists clenched so tightly they creaked, ready to fly at any moment, did Rita leisurely raise her hands in surrender, showing Kiana she was harmless.

"Master Ren has placed a binding seal on me. As long as this blood Choker exists, Rita is just a helpless young woman."

Rita, with a subservient attitude, tucked a stray strand of her ash-blonde hair behind her ear. She raised her head, revealing her swan-like, pale, and slender neck. Around her delicate neck was a crimson blood Choker. The Choker pulsed like a living thing, emitting a faint red glow that, for some reason, gave Kiana a strange sense of familiarity.

With the Schariac blood Choker on her, Rita couldn't mobilize a single ounce of Honkai energy. Her physical abilities had indeed been weakened to a level only slightly stronger than an ordinary person's. However, her experience as a successor had not disappeared.

Even against the current Kiana, Rita could hold her own for a while and even had a chance to escape.

However, Rita believed she no longer had any reason to be hostile towards Kiana, let alone fight her. Although she was confident she could dodge Kiana's attacks, if one of those punches, imbued with the Kaslana family's legendary brute strength, actually landed on her, Rita, without Honkai energy or a battlesuit for protection, would really be knocked to her knees.

"...You say you're a prisoner now? Then what are you doing here? What kind of prisoner gets to walk around freely in the yard?"

Kiana narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Though she was skeptical of Rita's words, her clenched fists relaxed slightly.

"As you can see, Rita is atoning for her sins by cleaning this courtyard, doing my best to repay the mistakes I've made."

Following Rita's gaze, Kiana finally noticed the broom and various cleaning tools placed beside her, as well as the clearly half-cleaned courtyard.

"Is Mei home now? And... that Ren Amamiya who saved me..."

Kiana was still wary of Rita, but she silently unclenched her fists. As Rita quietly breathed a sigh of relief, Kiana asked, her gaze shifting nervously.

"Is Miss Kiana here to thank Master Ren in person? Unfortunately, both Master Ren and Miss Mei are not at home right now."

Rita replied to Kiana in a very natural tone, as if she were truly Ren's maid.

---||---

"I see, so they're not home..."

After hearing Rita's reply, Kiana's tone became a little dejected. The thought of Mei and Ren being off somewhere together, doing something she didn't know about, made her chest feel strangely heavy. She really wanted to join them, to be with them.

"It is not proper for a maid to keep a guest standing in the courtyard. Please, follow me, Miss Kiana. Master Ren and Miss Mei should be back shortly."

Rita gracefully extended a hand in an inviting gesture. She seemed to have no self-awareness as a prisoner, instead acting like a maid in her own home, naturally guiding the bewildered Kiana into the living room of the Raiden residence and serving her a cup of black tea.

"I don't need any tea... How long until they're back?"

The clear black tea in the cup gave off an enticing aroma. Even Kiana, who didn't usually drink black tea, couldn't help but swallow. However, after a quick glance at the tea, which reflected her face like a mirror, she immediately looked away.

Tea served by the criminal who tried to kidnap me? I, Kiana, am not an idiot. How could I just drink it without a second thought? Even if it doesn't look like there's anything in it, no way!!

Kiana still vividly remembered how skilled this beautiful, wicked young lady was with poison. She had no desire to experience the feeling of being as weak and limp as a caterpillar again.

"Also, who's that person over there? Is she a prisoner like you?"

Kiana's gaze kept drifting to the other side of the living room. A gray-haired girl in a beige, English detective-style coat was sitting ramrod straight on a wooden chair. Her turquoise eyes stared straight ahead into the void, and she was as still as a wooden sculpture, not reacting at all to the sounds and changes around her. It was as if she were literally in prison.

If it weren't for the occasional blink of her eyes and the slight rise and fall of her flat chest as she breathed, Kiana would have almost thought she was a mannequin. However, after noticing the familiar blood Choker on Fu Hua's neck, the same as Rita's, Kiana realized that Fu Hua really was in prison... But her self-awareness as a prisoner was a bit too strong, wasn't it? It was a stark contrast to the other young lady who had already made herself at home!!

"Miss Fu Hua is my colleague, and my accomplice in deceiving Master Ren... Unfortunately, the deception we carefully wove was seen through by Master Ren in an instant, and he easily captured both of us."

Seeing that Kiana wouldn't drink the tea she had personally brewed, Rita poured herself a cup and answered Kiana while taking small sips.

"By the way, Miss Kiana, you wanted to thank Master Ren in person, but Miss Mei and Mr. Siegfried wouldn't agree, which is why you came here in private, correct?"

Rita held her teacup with elegant posture, her eyes casually lowered, using the cup and the rising steam to hide the slight curve of her lips and her smiling face. She spoke to Kiana in a casual tone.

As the Bishop's confidante in Schicksal, Rita's intelligence-gathering abilities were astounding. Even while imprisoned, she could combine previously collected information with what she had observed in the Raiden residence to analyze the current situation.

"H-How did you know?!"

Kiana leaned back in surprise. She remembered that when she had climbed over the wall, she had only said that her stinky old man wouldn't bring her, not that Mei had also been politely refusing her requests to visit and meet Ren in person.

"How Rita knows is not important. What is important is... why Miss Mei and Mr. Siegfried would be against you meeting Master Ren."

Seeing Kiana take the bait, the hidden curve on Rita's lips deepened slightly.

"W-Why? Do you know the reason why Mei and my stinky old man won't let me see Ren?!"

Kiana clenched her fists nervously. Although Rita was the criminal who had tried to kidnap her, when it came to the explosive inside scoop on why Mei and her father wouldn't let her see Ren, Kiana couldn't care less about Rita's identity or position. She looked at Rita with an eager gaze, wanting to know the answer.

"The answer is actually quite simple... Given your personality, Miss Kiana, it would likely be difficult for you to get along well with Master Ren. If a conflict were to arise, Miss Mei and Mr. Siegfried would be caught in the middle and put in a very awkward position."

Rita sighed with feigned melancholy. She gently put down her teacup and then saw the surface of the tea ripple from a vibration on the other side of the table.

"I-I'll try my best to control myself... No, I mean, I probably won't... But... um... s-so, what should I do? If there's something about me Ren doesn't like, I'll work hard to change it!!!"

Faced with Rita's deliberately malicious words, Kiana completely lost her composure. She ran her hands through her white hair in a tangled and messy way, and then could only turn to the only person she could talk to for help.

"If you don't mind, Miss Kiana, Rita could teach you a few little tricks to get closer to Master Ren... How about we start by changing your image and demeanor a little?"

Looking into Kiana's clear and foolish blue eyes, Rita could no longer suppress her laughter. A smile as beautiful as a flower bloomed on her exquisite face.

Being imprisoned in the Raiden residence, unable to meet or even contact Lady Durandal, Rita had also accumulated a lot of stress.

Normally, she could relieve her stress by teasing Durandal, but now that she had lost her freedom, she could only choose a substitute and use the K423 clone in front of her to satisfy her own mischievous desires.

It was just as well. As a clone created from Lady Durandal's blueprint, Kiana's stray cat-like behavior had long been an eyesore to Rita.

She planned to take this opportunity to at least teach Kiana a little elegance in her appearance, so as not to disgrace Lady Durandal's genes.

Chapter 161: Mei: Kiana, Why Are You Wearing My Clothes?!

"You're back."

Tesla stood at the entrance of Raiden Mei's living room. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned to see Ren Amamiya and Raiden Mei, who had finally returned from the Mementos. She greeted them with a strange expression.

"Did something happen, Dr. Tesla? Did the blood choker fail, and Rita and Fu Hua escaped?"

Ren frowned slightly and asked the small, red-haired, twin-tailed doctor.

Dr. Tesla wasn't resting in the living room, but was instead standing at the doorway as if she were being punished, with no intention of going inside. Plus, the strange, undisguised expression on her face... Clearly, while Ren and Mei were exploring and fighting in the Mementos, something unexpected had happened in the Raiden residence.

"It's not that serious, but it does have something to do with Rita—you should go in and see for yourself."

Tesla's cheeks tightened. She nonchalantly raised her crimson exoskeleton arm to cover her mouth, trying to put on a natural and profound expression. Then, she took two steps to the side, completely clearing the entrance to the living room for the newly returned Ren and Mei.

"..."

Dr. Tesla's strange behavior left Ren and Mei a little confused, but the answer was clearly in the living room ahead.

Ren sensed for a moment. Hare and Seele were in their respective rooms. The Schariac blood chokers on Rita and Fu Hua showed no signs of being broken or failed. In fact, the reaction from the blood chokers was coming from a dozen meters away, which meant that Rita and Fu Hua were also in the living room.

In that case, at least nothing dangerous had happened in the Raiden residence.

With a slight sense of doubt, Ren crossed the threshold of the living room and looked around. He saw Fu Hua sitting upright like a sculpture, Dr. Einstein sitting at the table and looking at him expressionlessly, and... Rita, smiling radiantly and instructing a beautiful, unfamiliar, white-haired girl?

The girl's long, white hair was tied into a neat ponytail, falling to her waist like a soft cascade of pure moonlight. Her face was exquisite, and her delicate, well-proportioned body was clad in a light grayish-blue dress. At a glance, it was as if he had seen the noble and elegant princess of the moon descend to the mortal world, giving him a sense of pure, stunning beauty.

After noticing Ren's entrance, the white-haired girl, who was like a moon princess, shifted her gaze from Rita to Ren, who was standing at the entrance of the living room.

The moment her eyes locked onto Ren, a look of pleasant surprise appeared in her clear, sapphire-like eyes. However, she then looked away in a slight panic, not daring to make too much eye contact with him.

"—Kiana?! Why are you here?!"

Just as a sense of familiarity was rising in Ren's heart, a suppressed cry of surprise came from beside him.

Looking at her friend Kiana, who had appeared uninvited in her living room, wearing a dress from her closet, with her hair tied in the same ponytail as hers with a hair tie from her drawer, and with the faint scent of the same brand of fragrant body wash as hers floating in the air, Mei felt her vision go black.

"Mei... Um, I... I came to see you..."

Kiana's eyes darted around guiltily. She greeted Mei in a weak voice. However, before she could finish, Rita, who was standing elegantly beside her, coughed lightly. Kiana's body suddenly straightened, and her previously casual and scattered tone instantly became elegant and dignified.

"Mei, I came to thank you in person, especially Mr. Ren Amamiya. Thank you for saving me the other day. If it weren't for your help, I'm afraid I would have ended up in some unimaginably terrible situation. Thank you so much."

Reciting the elegant lines she had just learned, Kiana's face bloomed with a bright, heartfelt smile. She awkwardly lifted the hem of her light grayish-blue dress and gave Ren and the stunned Mei a proper curtsy.

"So you're Kiana... This should be our first official meeting."

After hearing Mei's name for the white-haired girl, Ren realized her identity. Looking at her more closely, her signature white hair and blue eyes, and her exquisite face, did indeed bear some resemblance to Kallen, another female member of the Kaslana family. No wonder Ren had felt a slight sense of familiarity.

In the past, although Ren had known of Kiana Kaslana's existence, his knowledge of her was limited to labels like "Raiden Mei's friend" and "Siegfried's daughter." He had only barely met her a few days ago.

But because Kiana had been about to vomit a rainbow unique to beautiful girls the moment she was rescued from her mecha prison, and because Hare couldn't stay in the real world for long at the time, Ren had immediately transferred from the real world to the Mementos after achieving his goal, and hadn't been able to have any conversation with her, or even get a clear look at her face.

Now, talking to her face-to-face, Ren found that the real Kiana seemed to be a little different from what Mei had previously described to him.

It wasn't that he suspected Mei of deceiving him in this matter. He could see that there was something strange in Kiana's eyes when she looked at Mei, just like how Bronya sometimes looked at Seele. It was clear that Kiana was a genuine lesbian.

But what Ren found strange was that when Kiana looked at him, she would occasionally become like Seele when she looked at him, full of a reserved kindness... When he and Mei had been on a movie date, Kiana's tone on the phone to Mei had been like that of a cuckolded lover, which didn't seem like an act at all. But now, when she was facing him, her "love rival," her attitude was excessively gentle.

Even if he was indeed her savior, her attitude towards a former, one-sided love rival whom she had hated shouldn't be so gentle and open. But that wasn't the strangest thing.

Most importantly... although the plan to kidnap Kiana had been devised by Otto, Rita Rossweisse was undoubtedly the one who had carried it out. She had orchestrated the kidnapping, and if Ren hadn't arrived in time, she would have almost succeeded in transporting the kidnapped Kiana back to Schicksal headquarters.

Faced with the kidnapper who had kidnapped her a few days ago, Kiana's attitude towards Rita was undoubtedly too calm. Before Ren and Mei had entered the living room, Kiana had seemed to be listening silently to Rita's earnest teachings, like an obedient student.

This was a little too strange...

"Rita, what did you do to Kiana?"

Having been personally kidnapped by Rita, it was impossible for Kiana not to have any complaints. From her outward behavior, it was clear that she was a little afraid of Rita, but her IQ shouldn't be at the level of a paramecium. In that case, it must be that Rita had used some unknown inducement on Kiana without his knowledge.

"Rita was merely fulfilling her duty as Master Ren's maid, providing a thoughtful change of clothes for the travel-weary Master Ren... Please don't mind, Miss Mei. Rita is confined to this residence and cannot move around, so I had to temporarily borrow your clothes, which are of a similar age and figure, for Miss Kiana to change into. Since Miss Mei was not at home, I have already asked Master Raiden Ryoma for permission."

Faced with Ren's questioning, Rita maintained a proper, elegant smile. She placed her hands on her lower abdomen and bowed slightly, giving Ren and the still-stunned Mei a reasonable explanation.

"It's true."

Dr. Einstein finally finished her bread. She casually wiped her mouth, then propped her elbows on the table with her hands clasped together, and nodded at Ren with a blank expression, verifying the accuracy of Rita's statement.

After hearing Dr. Einstein's confirmation, Mei's purple, gem-like eyes became a little vacant. She felt a little light-headed.

Although Mei was the young lady of the Raiden family and the future heir to the Raiden residence, the current head of the Raiden family was undoubtedly Raiden Ryoma.

Most of the dresses in Mei's closet had been bought for her by Raiden Ryoma. And because of her personality, Mei rarely participated in the various gatherings of Nagazora City's high society, so she had barely worn any of those dresses.

With Kiana's careless and untidy personality, it was really possible that she would accidentally ruin Mei's clothes. Faced with Kiana, the daughter of his friend Siegfried and also a good friend of his own daughter, it was very reasonable for Raiden Ryoma to temporarily lend Kiana a dress that he had never even worn once for an emergency.

But even though it was reasonable, Mei herself still found it a little difficult to accept this shocking reality.

"Pfft—"

Tesla, who was standing at the doorway and covering her mouth, could no longer suppress her laughter. A muffled laugh came from under her crimson power arm. It was clear that she had anticipated this scene and had been looking forward to it for a long time.

Both Tesla and Einstein had met Kiana before and knew her impatient and bold personality.

Now, watching Kiana put on a show in front of Ren, whom she had a crush on, and act like a refined young lady, with her good friend Raiden Mei, whom she used to be very clingy with, standing beside her... how could Tesla hold back her laughter at such a chaotic scene? Even the corners of the usually expressionless Einstein's lips had curved into a faint smile.

"I talked with Rita for a while. Although I haven't completely forgiven her for what she did, I also learned that she was just following orders, and the real person who wanted to kidnap me was that bad guy named Otto Apocalypse. Instead of hating the already captured Rita, finding a way to deal with that Overseer is what we should really be doing."

Kiana spoke slowly and seriously to Ren. It was clear that these were the words that Rita had taught her, but on second thought, Kiana felt that there was some merit to this statement.

"Kiana, you..."

A somewhat distorted expression appeared on Mei's delicate face. Watching her good friend, whom she knew inside and out, pretend to be a refined and dignified young lady in front of her, no longer chasing after her like she used to, but instead turning her attention to Ren, whom she had previously treated as a love rival, with a burning gaze, Mei herself couldn't quite describe what she was feeling right now.

Mei really wanted to expose Kiana's disguise as a dignified young lady, but her excellent moral upbringing stopped her from doing so.

Therefore, Mei couldn't do anything at the moment, and could only stand aside and silently watch Kiana with her eyes.

"You want to defeat that Otto too? That's a good wish, but... you're not a Persona user yet, are you?"

Ren looked at the dignified and beautiful, white-haired girl, Kiana, again. According to Mei, Kiana had not awakened the power of a Persona. Even if she had a common enemy in Otto Apocalypse, it would be difficult for her to add much to the Phantom Thieves' strength at the moment.

"I-I can work hard! If I work hard, I can definitely become a strong Persona user like you and Mei!!"

Kiana clenched her fists, her tone filled with a strong passion, and her eyes serious as she responded to Ren.

She had already learned everything about the power of Personas from her father, Siegfried.

Having witnessed the fighting styles of Persona users like Raiden Mei and Rita, and with the cool figure of Ren when he had saved her, how could Kiana not feel a sense of longing for the identity of a Persona user?

However, even Siegfried didn't know how to become a Persona user. He only knew that the method to awaken the power of a Persona was definitely in the hands of the Phantom Thieves, like Ren and Mei.

If Kiana wanted to become a Persona user, she could only learn the way to awaken her power from Ren.

And Kiana herself had no negative or resistant feelings about this.

To be able to become a Persona user, and to be able to naturally get closer to Ren, deepen their relationship, and even possibly join his team and spend every day with him and Mei—how could there be such a wonderful thing in the world where you could have your cake and eat it too?!

"Becoming a Persona user is not something you can achieve just by working hard, but..."

In the real world, it was naturally difficult to awaken one's own Persona power through conventional means. Only by going to an otherworld like the Mementos would it be possible to awaken one's own mental power without hindrance.

Kiana had expressed her desire to become a Persona user, and she had a common enemy in Otto Apocalypse. Her attitude towards Ren, her savior, was no longer filled with the resentment of a cuckolded lover. Therefore, Ren was willing to give her a chance to join.

Halfway through his sentence, Ren turned to look at Mei. Kiana had a history of obsessively pursuing Mei. If he wanted to let Kiana join the Phantom Thieves, he had to ask Mei, her good friend, first.

"..."

Mei's eyes were vacant as she stared at Kiana's figure, as if she had lost all reaction to the outside world.

"...But, let's have you try first, anyway."

Seeing that Mei did not object, Ren fell silent for a moment, then nodded at the excited Kiana, deciding to give her a chance to become a Persona user.

Of course, just being able to become a Persona user was far from enough. If Kiana's obsessive feelings for Mei, directly or indirectly, affected the stability of the Phantom Thieves, then Ren would not hesitate to kick her out of his team.

If a new member could not strengthen the team's overall strength, but instead lowered the team's morale, then there was no need for them to exist.

"Yay!!... Ahem, I mean, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity. I will do my best not to disappoint you!!"

After getting Ren's approval, Kiana seemed to see a wonderful future where she and Mei were embraced by Ren on both sides. A blush of excitement appeared on her pale, delicate face. She clenched her fists in excitement, so overjoyed that she was about to jump up.

It wasn't until she heard Rita's casual cough beside her that Kiana's body stiffened. She forced herself to calm down and, with a curtsy, gave Ren a seemingly proper reply.

Chapter 162: Fu Hua's Cover is Blown

Is it 'real' or 'fake'? The outside world is exactly as I imagined, with no difference at all. It can't bring even a single shred of surprise.

During dinner, Mobius, inhabiting the body of an ELF, rested her chin on her hand. She sat in a familiar posture on a proportionally shrunken black briefcase flyer, casually flew into the Raiden residence, and approached her contractor, Ren Amamiya.

Although Mobius was complaining in a lazy tone, Ren could feel that she was undoubtedly in a very good mood.

To be able to truly appear in the real world, to fulfill a long-held wish, and to obtain the freedom she had dreamed of, it was impossible for Mobius not to feel a surge of emotion, to be curious and care about everything in the real world. She was just being stubborn. In reality, she was happier and more satisfied than anyone else.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so eager to separate from Ren the moment she returned to the real world, to measure this world with her own body, and only now return to Ren's side at the Raiden residence, still feeling like she hadn't had enough.

"Eating, are you? Get me one."

Mobius flicked the green hair that fell beside her ear. She noticed the scattered fast-food containers on the table. Looking at the huge, football-sized mega burger in Ren's hand, from which a few bites had been taken, a look of nostalgia appeared in her emerald green serpentine eyes. She shamelessly demanded it from Ren.

As a researcher who spent most of her time in the lab, Mobius was no stranger to fast food. Drinking compressed biscuits and energy bars was a regular occurrence for her. A cup of hot instant noodles was already an improvement. Fast food like burgers and fries was a delicacy.

It had been fifty-five thousand years since she had last tasted a real burger. Mobius swallowed lightly, and her gaze on the mega burger in Ren's hand became even more intense.

This wasn't the fake food made from data in the Elysian Realm, but a real, delicious treat that exuded an alluring aroma and just the right amount of heat. How could it not make Mobius, who had long been satisfied with filling her stomach with fake data, feel incredibly expectant and eager?

"Is this your ELF? The construction technology looks very good, and the AI is also perfect. It's almost like a real person, but its temper is a bit foul."

Looking at the Mobius doll floating in front of Ren, Tesla's eyes lit up. She quickly approached and scrutinized Mobius's small, exquisite body, which was purely a crystal of technology. The fervent, inquisitive gaze, unique to researchers, made Mobius feel very familiar, but when she was the one being stared at, she only felt intense discomfort.

"Back off, you rude person. I'm a real human. I just transferred my consciousness into this doll's body. I'm not some created AI."

A look of disgust appeared on Mobius's face. She pushed away Tesla's approaching face and then moved closer to Ren.

"Um... Miss Doll, if you want a burger too, do you need me to order one for you?"

Kiana frowned slightly. She racked her brains to silently compose her words, then showed Mobius a gentle and friendly smile and proactively made a suggestion.

Besides Ren's universe-class mega burger, everyone else had chosen normal-sized burgers.

Originally, with Kiana's appetite, she could have easily eaten a universe-class mega burger of the same size as Ren's. But to maintain her elegant and refined persona, she had ended up ordering two normal-sized burgers like Mei.

Thanks to her time spent wandering the globe in search of Siegfried, Kiana had once worked at a burger joint for a while and had almost been fed to the point of vomiting by the kind-hearted manager. She had developed a great restraint for fast food like burgers. She was able to eat elegantly and slowly under Mei's somewhat horrified gaze, instead of gobbling it down like a hungry ghost.

After seeing Mobius ask Ren for a burger, Kiana first glanced at Mobius's small doll body. She felt that such a tiny person couldn't eat much, at most just a taste. So Kiana volunteered to help Ren break off a piece for Mobius.

"My name is Mobius... Don't treat me like some pet cat or dog. I've made a contract with this guy and become his Persona. As a Persona who must fight for him, is it too much to ask for a whole burger that hasn't been contaminated by someone else's saliva?!"

Although Kiana's tone was as gentle as possible, her carefully chosen words still made a vein throb on Mobius's forehead... Break off a piece for me? Even if Kiana intended to break off a part that hadn't been bitten, Mobius still felt as if she had been humiliated like a stray cat or dog begging for food.

"Here, have this. I haven't touched the food inside."

Just as Mobius was getting angrier and angrier, a slender and powerful arm reached out from behind her and handed her a hot burger that was still in its wrapper.

"Thanks, Hua. It's so much easier talking to you."

Taking the unopened burger from Fu Hua, and feeling the warmth in her hand, the increasingly hot-headed Mobius could finally suppress the anger rising in her heart. She sighed tiredly and subconsciously thanked Fu Hua for helping her.

"...Mm, it's nothing."

Mobius's overly intimate address made Fu Hua's eyes widen in surprise. Her gaze darted back and forth between Mobius and Ren a few times. In the end, she chose to remain silent, merely nodding and giving a vague reply before turning to go back to her seat in the corner.

"—Huh? Wait, Hua, what are you doing here?!"

As she tore open the burger wrapper and brought the burger, which was almost as big as her doll body and which she hadn't seen in fifty thousand years, to her lips, Mobius's genius brain, which had been distracted, finally realized that something was wrong. She whipped her head around and looked at the extremely familiar figure with a look of seeing a ghost.

A long, gray ponytail that fell to her waist, a pair of dull and somber, turquoise eyes, a slender and well-proportioned yet explosively powerful body that had long since stopped growing, an existence so faint that it was easy to overlook, like a background character... Without a doubt, the person who had appeared before Mobius was not someone who just looked similar, but was undoubtedly one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, Hua herself!!

Ren wiped the sauce from his cheek and gave Mobius and Fu Hua a questioning look.

Mobius looked extremely shocked, staring at Fu Hua on the other side.

And Fu Hua, who was being stared at by Mobius, was silently biting her lip, her gaze shifting elsewhere. Ren saw in her the same guilt she had shown towards him, and a lowliness that she had never shown when she was alone with him... and even a sense of loneliness?

"Mobius, do you know Fu Hua? Could it be that you were also betrayed by her?"

From Mobius's and Fu Hua's expressions, it was clear that they were not strangers, and something had definitely happened between them. Ren raised an eyebrow and proactively asked Mobius.

Although Fu Hua was also a Persona user, the fact that her clothes did not change when she used her Persona power indicated that she had not awakened her Persona in the Mementos. Therefore, she should not know Mobius, a shadow from the deepest level of the Mementos.

However, when Ren posed this question, he was met with an incredibly surprised look from Mobius.

"You don't know?... I see. You haven't met Hua yet."

Mobius seemed to have suddenly understood something. She nodded slightly and seemed to relax a lot. She even began to slowly tear at the burger that was almost as big as she was, and answered Ren in a light tone.

"If you're asking if I know Hua, then of course I do. Hua should know me too, but from her expression now, it's clear that she's already forgotten all about me."

Faced with Mobius's seemingly emotionless and cold statement, Fu Hua slowly lowered her head, and the atmosphere around her became even more gloomy and dejected, but she did not deny Mobius's words.

"As for why Hua and I know each other... because Hua and I are good partners in the Elysian Realm~~~~"

Mobius, who was mercilessly tearing at her prey like a python, raised her head. A cold and evil smile appeared on her face, and a blood-like liquid slowly trickled down the corner of her mouth.

Although Mobius's expression was very intimidating at the moment, Kiana could not understand the deep meaning of her words at all. She could only stare at her expression.

The thought that Mobius was actually burying her face in a hamburger and getting ketchup all over it, yet putting on a cold and evil act, was so comical that Kiana couldn't suppress the smile on her face. She almost laughed out loud. Fortunately, everyone in the living room was focused on Mobius and Fu Hua, and no one noticed Kiana's little slip.

"You mean, the Elysian Realm?"

Ren frowned slightly. He seemed to have realized something, but he couldn't quite believe the faint guess in his heart.

"That's right. It seems you've already guessed some of it... In the Elysian Realm, there's another being who looks exactly like her, or to be more precise, is even more naive than her."

Mobius turned her back and, like a python devouring its prey, swallowed the burger in a few bites. When she turned around again, her stomach was only slightly bulging, which made Kiana's eyes widen in amazement.

"Could it be that Fu Hua is a shadow like you, who has gained a body and left the Elysian Realm Palace to walk in the real world?!"

Ren's gaze was completely locked on Fu Hua. If Fu Hua was also a shadow that had become a person, then the reason she could awaken her Persona power and not automatically change into a phantom thief outfit when she entered the Mementos would be clear.

However, when Ren stated his guess, a look of genuine confusion appeared on Fu Hua's face as she looked up, clearly not understanding what he was saying.

"That's not it. I, Mobius, am the only one who wanted to leave the Elysian Realm and succeeded. Hua's situation is a bit special... You should know that everyone in the Elysian Realm Palace has a counterpart in the real world, right? She is Hua's reflection in the real world, and also the source of Hua's existence in the Elysian Realm Palace."

Mobius absentmindedly took a napkin from the table. She casually wiped the corners of her mouth and face, and explained in more detail to Ren.

"In other words, although I know Hua, I only know the Hua in the Elysian Realm Palace. This Fu Hua who exists in the real world is not someone I'm familiar with."

"So, Fu Hua is not a shadow that has gained a body in the Elysian Realm Palace, but the legendary prototype that the shadow is based on?"

Ren gradually understood everything, but looking at Fu Hua's slender and thin figure, and thinking of her clumsy and honest nature, he found it hard to accept that she was the prototype of some mythological figure.

"Then the reason why Fu Hua has lost all her memories of you is because of my cognitive modification in the Elysian Realm Palace? Can a cognitive modification on a wild shadow also affect its legendary prototype in the real world?"

Based on Mobius's initial capture, she clearly thought that Fu Hua should still remember her. And Fu Hua's subsequent attitude also showed that she was aware of her memory loss.

Regarding Fu Hua's memories of Mobius, Ren subconsciously thought of his cognitive modification in the Elysian Realm Palace.

If Fu Hua was really some mythological figure, then it was very reasonable for her to be aware of her memory loss at the same time as she lost her memories.