"Riot Gun!"
Like the hoarse cry of a patient in the late stages of chuunibyou, the demon-shaped Persona behind the Phantom Thief rapidly spun the blunderbuss in his hand, then pulled the trigger in the blink of an eye as a group of "Shadows" approached.
A deep black projectile burst from the blunderbuss's muzzle, rapidly spinning in mid-air, then suddenly blooming into a dense and fragmented rain of black lines as it neared the "Shadows," crisscrossing wantonly over their bodies, a rough and wild smear.
All the "Shadows" froze in place.
The blunderbuss in Arsene's hand, behind Kurusu Akira, continuously emitted invisible darkness until it completely disappeared.
The next moment, the entire warehouse space suddenly cracked along those black lines. The Shadows, dressed as guards in heavy armor, each wielding spears and sword-shields, instantly exploded into countless shadowy currents. They gathered beside Kurusu Akira's shadow, lingering repeatedly, and then dissipated gloomily after finding they couldn't squeeze in.
Faint sounds of cries for help and weeping could be heard.
A solemn and dignified silence returned to the warehouse, which was filled with armor and weapons.
This is the Heart Palace, a reflection of the sinner's inner world. The "Shadows" existing here do not have corresponding individuals in reality; they are born from the palace master's cognition.
Awa Subaru lay in Kurusu Akira's arms, too nervous to move.
Kurusu Akira also didn't expect this girl to be able to enter the Heart Palace with him—
He couldn't immediately determine whether Awa Subaru had the aptitude to awaken a Persona, or if the enemy hidden in the palace was trying to distract him with this defenseless ordinary person.
Kurusu Akira released the girl from his embrace. "As you can see, everything is now unfolding in a way that is beyond the ordinary."
Even when released, Awa Subaru stood obediently and quietly in place, looking intently at Kurusu Akira, awaiting his command.
She was very intelligent and understood her predicament almost immediately.
By inferring from Kurusu Akira's bizarre and fantastical attire, and the various supernatural powers he displayed, combined with the widely circulated urban legend of the "Phantom Thief" on the internet recently—
The legendary "Phantom Thief" truly existed.
And she was very lucky to have met this young man, who was just like the urban legend, just as her life was about to fall into despair.
"Since you've guessed my identity, please give me your utmost trust. I don't have time to tell you the truth of this world right now; I must race against time to figure out the route of this 'Castle.' From now on, I ask you to follow me as quietly as possible. I will ensure..."
The Phantom Thief explained to Awa Subaru at a rapid pace, but his words came to an abrupt halt.
His current image was completely opposite to the game-loving, slightly chuunibyo boy Awa Subaru had seen in reality.
Awa Subaru was about to nod in response, but then she felt an irresistible force from behind her knees, and she was picked up by the Phantom Thief in a princess carry. The surroundings changed at lightning speed, and an indescribable sense of weightlessness spread throughout her body once more. Her long, dark hair became disheveled as the Phantom Thief leaped high.
The Phantom Thief jumped to the center of the warehouse, and the ground trembled. The armor stands and weapon racks displayed around them shook violently, emitting a dense, grating sound that made one's teeth ache.
Behind them, a violent explosion immediately rang out.
The ceiling shattered with a crash, and a giant mechanical arm with a sci-fi feel extended into this medieval-style armory. It was quite reminiscent of Iron Man in his Hulkbuster armor crashing into the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
It was... very bizarre.
A massive mechanical body, matching the arm, was connected to it, and a girl in a patient's gown stood on its head, looking down at the people below.
Kurusu Akira looked up at the brightly lit laboratory outside the hole she had created.
His Persona, Arsene, which had been dispelled, reappeared behind him.
This was not Shinba Takakiyo's Heart Palace.
But it was clearly far more dangerous than the principal's "Heart Palace."
The Phantom Thief looked at the Persona user slowly descending before him. Combining the somewhat familiar feeling he got from her, he finally understood why so many female students in Tokyo had been "missing" or "committing suicide" lately...
Those bastards who called themselves "gods" were mass-producing Persona users by exploiting the populace, then twisting them into apostles completely loyal to their "faith."
The Phantom Thief clearly felt a pure malice emanating from her, an emotion that only appeared in those who had disregarded and completely trampled upon laws and morals.
Thinking about it carefully, the Metaverse Navigator itself was a software implanted into his phone by the enemy, originally intended to operate a world-overthrowing "game."
But the so-called game rules had already been declared bankrupt when He invaded the Velvet Room and killed "Amamiya Ren."
This meant that, from now on, the Phantom Thief's series of experiences and knowledge from his previous life in the Mementos were completely null and void.
Kurusu Akira looked at the mechanical Persona not making any further movements a little further away, his gaze growing sharper.
The enemy was deliberately luring him to this place... According to their overly cautious operational logic recently, this was by no means a so-called "headquarters" or "secret base."
Then he thought of the researchers who were constantly evacuating the teaching building with documents and data...
All the clues became clear.
This was a "battlefield" specially prepared by the enemy.
The Phantom Thief looked at Awa Subaru in his arms. This was an impromptu addition by Them, a weakness created for him.
At the same time, the Persona user who had been observing him from a distance finally couldn't hold back her hostility. The mechanical Persona was activated instantly, and a sharp screech of metal components rubbing at high speed came from its joints. Accompanied by a powerful whoosh, a huge iron fist was already smashing towards Kurusu Akira, who stood in the center of the warehouse!
"Arsene! Maeigaon!" the Phantom Thief shouted the name of the skill. The blood-red demon raised its arms, wreathed in cursed power, and easily parried the enemy's surprise attack.
Then the materialized curses, like flames, rapidly spread along the controlled mechanical Persona towards the girl who was driving it.
She widened her eyes and immediately tried to escape in a panic.
But the flames of the curse spread too quickly, almost instantly covering the entire body of this Persona user.
She fell to the ground, rolling over and over, trying to extinguish the "blazing fire" on her body in such a disheveled manner... This was clearly futile.
But she did not wail or cry out, nor did she utter words of plea.
Only a calm and devout prayer.
And the god she believed in, as Kurusu Akira had expected, gave not a single word of response, even as the curse drained the last shred of her life force.
Kurusu Akira was not Batman, to follow some inexplicable "no-kill rule." In the seven years he had traveled the world as a "Phantom Thief," he had seen too many villains and had personally experienced the consequences of being merciful to enemies.
Not every criminal who commits evil deeds has twisted desires that can be reformed by stealing their heart.
For example, this Persona user in front of him, who had almost completely lost her humanity and whose emotions were abnormally faint, belonged to the type that could only be dealt with through "physical repentance."
"Although I don't know how many failures and how many plans the 'gods' hiding behind you, who possess time-reversal abilities, have gone through for this moment... But it doesn't matter at all. If They had found an opportunity to defeat me, They should have directly attacked me long ago."
The Phantom Thief turned around and calmly looked at the several Persona users standing at the open warehouse door. "You all seem to have received considerable training, at least you look much stronger than the girl who drove away at the beginning."
The girls exchanged glances, not taking the enemy's bait, nor pondering the information in his words. They simply summoned their respective Personas and then attacked him from different directions simultaneously.
Kurusu Akira did not make any evasive moves, standing in place with Awa Subaru in his arms. Arsene's open wings folded, enveloping them.
Fire, gunshots, curses... No matter what kind of attacks the surrounding Personas used, they were all absorbed by those dark, broad feathers.
Seizing the brief window when they concentrated their fire, Arsene suddenly flapped its wings, causing a fierce gust of wind. And at Kurusu Akira's command, Arsene re-formed a blunderbuss in its hand and pulled the trigger on the surroundings.
"Riot Gun!"
The projectiles advanced like a downpour, instantly engulfing their figures.
This time, there wasn't even a chance for a scream.
The walls and doorways of the armory were affected, becoming shriveled and tattered like torn sponges.
The Phantom Thief mentally calculated the unnecessary consumption caused by the quick battle just now, while carrying Awa Subaru and running quickly out of the armory.
He had to quickly confirm the identity of this Heart Palace's owner, as well as the possible hidden location of the treasure...
After rushing out of the armory, there was a vast corridor that seemed to extend infinitely, and no matter how one ran through it, the end seemed unreachable.
The walls on both sides of the corridor were filled with closed or open doors.
Along the way, every room Kurusu Akira saw had a completely different decor style, as if they belonged to different inner worlds.
There were no windows in the corridor; it was completely sealed. Even on tiptoe, looking as far as the eye could see, the furthest visible points appeared dim and blurry.
Soon, on this perfectly straight path with no opportunity to change direction, Kurusu Akira again encountered a line of Persona users blocking his way. Each of them had ample combat experience and a certain tacit understanding of teamwork, and they cleverly used the unique nature of this corridor to quietly surround Kurusu Akira.
This caused considerable trouble for Kurusu Akira, who was planning to use Arsene carefully.
But no matter how troublesome it was, a single shot from Arsene could immediately bring a brief silence.
"This is endless."
Kurusu Akira had already put Awa Subaru down, and this was the sixth time he had repelled a group attack from Persona users.
He wasn't very good at dealing with continuous battles like this.
After all, he was a Phantom Thief, not a "war god" or "butcher."
When he was actually working, most of his time was spent exploring rooms and memory terrain in the Heart Palace, searching for the possible location of the treasure, and repelling "shadows" that tried to block his way.
Occasionally, when the owner of the Heart Palace discovered him stealing the treasure, he would have to moonlight as a "robber," giving the opponent a good beating before leaving with the treasure.
Having lived for so many years, Kurusu Akira had indeed never seen such a spectacle as today, like a collective funeral, where someone would play a suona all the way to send this one to death and that one to death.
He had sent six batches already; no matter how amazing his lung capacity, he should be tired of playing the suona by now.
In the darkness of the corridor, the breathing of the closely standing boy and girl rose and fell, then slowly intertwined.
Awa Subaru clearly felt that this "Phantom Thief" seemed to have become less "indestructible."
She reached out and tugged on Kurusu Akira's sleeve, "If you didn't bring me, would your actions be easier?"
Kurusu Akira turned back to look at her, a little taken aback. "What foolishness are you talking about? Whether you're here or not, we have to go all the way down this path to know what to do next."
"I'm holding you back."
"There's no such thing as 'holding back' for me," the Phantom Thief always seemed optimistic, his tone filled with an unquestionable resolve and confidence. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here safely."
Awa Subaru couldn't understand this display of superpowers; she merely focused a worried gaze on Kurusu Akira's nape.
In response, the Phantom Thief impatiently tugged at his glove.
"Trust me."
"After all…" He thought of some plotlines and lines from Jojos bizarre adventure. "I'm invincible."
No sooner had he spoken than a nearby door opened, and a grotesque, ghost-like Persona rushed out, only to be immediately slapped back in by Arsene, who also closed the door.
Kurusu Akira commanded Arsene to raise the blunderbuss, but this time, it was aimed at the sealed outer wall of the corridor.
A dazzling flash of fire erupted from the muzzle, and the wall, constructed of marble and lapis lazuli, shattered in response. The pulverized stone scattered into a bluish-gray mist, bringing light from the outside.
The completely impatient Phantom Thief suddenly scooped up Awa Subaru beside him. Amidst her terrified screams, Kurusu Akira quickly rushed towards the hole in the wall, then leaped down.
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