The sky was dark and dim, like dried blood.
There was no sun, no clouds, as if standing on a stage looking up at a vast theater covered by a curtain.
The entire "Heart Palace" presented a mottled and chaotic color, with towering triangular buildings mostly covered by glass, then divided into countless rooms of varying sizes by steel frames. The decor styles of the rooms were all different, yet they uniformly conveyed a sense of despair.
Most of the rooms were vacant; only a very few had girls in patient gowns restrained in hospital beds by straitjackets, with masked "researchers" walking around them stiffly and mechanically, like puppets pulled by strings.
Accompanied by successive gunshots and explosions,
Two slender shadows quickly swept across the prismatic surface of the tall building.
Suddenly, a grappling hook gun shot out a rope connecting to the steel frame on the outside of the glass wall, and a sharp object scraped against the metal surface with a "clank."
The tightly embracing boy and girl suddenly hovered in mid-air, their figures clearly reflected in the glass wall.
The Phantom Thief held Awa Subaru, who was trying to suppress her screams and tears, with one hand, and with the other, he held the rope shot from the grappling hook gun mounted on his forearm.
He then stepped on the glass wall, pushing off forcefully, and using the winding device and pulley system to retract the rope, he swung towards a slightly distant room with an open window.
...
A girl lay on the hospital bed, constantly coughing, while a masked, stiff-acting "researcher" vaguely looked up, noticing the two overlapping figures getting closer and closer outside the window.
But before it could react, a dagger flew horizontally through the air, piercing through the mask on its face with a fierce gust of wind, causing it to fall backward.
The "researcher" immediately exploded into dark currents the moment it hit the ground. They still swirled around the shadow of the Phantom Thief who had jumped in through the window, and only after confirming that he was in a "complete" state did they dissipate in a hurry.
The girl restrained by the straitjacket continued to cough, then looked up at the ceiling as if she had no awareness or perception of the outside world.
"This is…?" Awa Subaru looked at the victim on the bed with some surprise and uncertainty.
"She's not alive," Kurusu Akira picked up his dagger from the ground. "This is a world entirely composed of cognition. She is merely a 'real person' fictionalized by the cognition of this world, embodying a rule and operating logic that exists in this world."
Then he rubbed the sole of his shoe on the ground repeatedly. "The same goes for the 'researcher' I just attacked. It is a resident set up by this world and will act according to its predetermined identity."
"Are those girls who could summon various monsters the same?"
"They are enemies, invading from reality into here to kill me." Kurusu Akira noticed that Awa Subaru's gaze now held a bit of fear, so he continued to explain to her, "Although those girls use human bodies, their inner 'humanity' has been completely stripped away, and they have become puppets of some evil force."
Awa Subaru, deeply influenced by "ACGN" culture, quickly accepted this supernatural setting. In fact, Kurusu Akira only needed to start, and she could spontaneously understand and even extrapolate a series of related settings… But when the feeling returned to reality, she began to feel scared.
After all, Awa Subaru was just a high school girl who was a bit skilled at acting, good at playing drums, loved playing games, and was proud of her beauty… Well, undeniably, she was just an ordinary person… She couldn't possibly yearn for this kind of life-or-death supernatural combat, only a sense of helpless fear.
Kurusu Akira walked ahead and pushed open the metal door of the ward. "As long as we reach the lowest floor, we can leave this place."
As he spoke, the Phantom Thief, who had just left the ward, pulled out the pistol from his inner coat pocket and pulled the trigger, aiming at a burly guard who suddenly rushed out from around the corner.
It was hit precisely between the eyebrows; it didn't even have a chance to release its true form as a "Shadow" and immediately exploded into a black mist and dispersed.
"A gun…" Awa Subaru had originally thought that only the demon summoned by Kurusu Akira could use firearms.
No… Where did he get so much equipment? After all, things like grappling hook guns, which violate modern physics and material science, are surely fabricated in works of entertainment, right?
Kurusu Akira led the way down the corridor, and to alleviate Awa Subaru's excessive tension, he deliberately made his tone light and cheerful.
"You've probably seen Jojos bizarre adventure, right?"
"Mm." Awa Subaru found that she couldn't speak freely in front of Kurusu Akira at all now; even giving short, polite answers felt incredibly difficult. Just responding to his questions with interjections seemed to take all her strength.
"The power I wield is called a Persona; it's a reflection of the operator's inner self, somewhat similar in principle to a 'Stand.' Depending on the Persona user's state of mind at the time of awakening, the cognitive world will reflect a matching concept, allowing it to materialize and gain extraordinary combat abilities."
"Then, the public's cognition infused into it will also simultaneously affect the Persona user. For example, my Persona is named Arsene, a chivalrous thief created by the French writer Maurice Leblanc, and also the progenitor of Phantom Thief culture worldwide… So, after arriving in this world of consciousness, I will also truly become the 'Phantom Thief' that the public subconsciously believes me to be, due to the influence of this layer of cognition. I will change into a Phantom Thief's attire with the release of my Persona and gain a series of tools and weapons that people think a 'Phantom Thief should possess.'"
Kurusu Akira said this, then took out the pistol he had just used. "This gun only appears when I enter this world; no model existing in reality corresponds to it. Like the enemies we just called 'Shadows,' it's a product of 'cognition.' The difference is that the former originates from the cognition of this 'Palace,' while the latter originates from collective societal cognition."
The two walked one after another down the corridor, and occasionally, when they encountered guards blocking their way, they would quickly be defeated by Kurusu Akira with effortless ease.
With the steadily accumulating trust and sense of security, Awa Subaru gradually gained the courage to ask Kurusu Akira about details that had not been explained in his conversation.
"Arsene is clearly a righteous Phantom Thief who punishes evil, so why is his image that of a demon?"
"Perhaps it's because there are too many evil 'gods' that heroes in the mortal world need to be cloaked in the guise of demons."
"According to such a setting, humans should be unable to defeat gods."
"Then let's assume this Phantom Thief has a great demon residing within his body, powerful enough to deal with the gods… 'As long as I can survive, I can even borrow the power of a demon'… I remember that's how it always plays out in anime."
Kurusu Akira pushed open the fire door in front of him. The wall of the fire escape was painted with the characters "1F".
He looked back at Awa Subaru behind him, "We're almost at the exit. Once we're back in reality, you can rest on the bed outside for a while. No one will disturb you tonight."
"What about you?"
"Punishing evil and promoting good." The Phantom Thief said, reaching into his pocket and handing his phone to Awa Subaru, "The password is 0305. You can use it to call the police or report your safety to your family, whatever you want."
"Calling the police probably won't do any good…"
"That's why I said you can use it however you want."
Kurusu Akira stretched, feeling a bit sleepy. "Things have progressed to this point, so even if we 'alert the enemy,' it won't have any impact."
Based on his observations in this palace, it was likely that only a handful of victims remained in the real-world campus. Most had either been transferred out beforehand, or those Persona users who had almost lost their "human component" were ambushed in rooms on various floors.
Awa Subaru entered the password on the screen, looking at the desktop wallpaper of "Kujo Jotaro and Star Platinum." "March 5th, is that Amamiya-san's… is that Amamiya's birthday?"
"It's the day a senior who is very important to me 'graduated'."
"Oh…" Awa Subaru was smart enough not to ask further questions.
The closer they got to the exit of the building, the fewer guards they saw along the way.
Hardly any trace of "shadows" could be seen along the entire path.
As they approached the main door, Kurusu Akira waved his hand at the infrared sensor above, and the glass door slowly opened to both sides.
At this moment, a strange sense of déjà vu and familiarity suddenly welled up in his heart.
It was as if… he had been here many times before.
Each time, he stood by the door with the same movements and posture, then waved at the infrared sensor.
The moment the glass door opened to both sides, the Phantom Thief chose to trust his intuition and roughly pushed Awa Subaru, who was beside him, to the ground.
At the same time, the Persona Arsene immediately appeared above his head, closing its dark wings, tightly protecting the two behind it.
The next moment after he made that decision, crimson flames swept in like a flood from outside the door. Everything in the space was burning, evaporating. Flames surged in all directions, stirring up tidal waves of fire!
Arsene's closed wings burst open, then flapped vigorously. A strong wind rushed outwards, immediately extinguishing the sea of fire throughout the entire floor.
The Phantom Thief glanced at the counter, which had been burned beyond recognition, then reached out and pulled Awa Subaru, who was slumped on the ground, to her feet.
"Hide well."
He no longer made promises about definitely sending Awa Subaru away, but instead looked with anger and loathing at the humanoid entity slowly approaching from outside the door.
"O 'god' who toyed with the mortal world, you finally stop hiding."
"Thirty-five times." The being who claimed to be "god" lamented, "No matter how I manipulate time, you always stand here, confronting me like this at this time… but the girl by your side is a new face this time."
On both sides of the chaotic lobby, dilapidated fire doors were kicked open. Girls in hospital gowns, who had mastered the power to wield Persona, swarmed in, then devoutly and fanatically knelt before the glowing humanoid figure.
"How wonderful. No matter how many times I restart time, you still firmly believe in the name of 'Yaldabaoth'."
As His palms clapped together, a terrifyingly vast light immediately bloomed from behind Him. A majesty and sanctity beyond description crashed down like a heavy hammer into the hearts of everyone present, demonstrating the greatness and sublimity of His divinity.
Those Persona users who remained kneeling began to bleed from their mouths and noses. Then their bodies, like stage puppets, were stiffly and uncontrollably "lifted" by an invisible force. Immediately after, individual Persona began to manifest and rapidly mutate with the infusion of divinity.
And Yaldabaoth chuckled with satisfaction, "Every time I see you, it fills me with genuine joy."
As the divine attributes rapidly replaced the dwindling "human" components in their bodies, the girls' flesh gradually petrified, becoming grotesque plaster statues in mid-air, then shattering into pieces on the ground.
At the same time, from the grey mist emanating from the shattered plaster, their Persona almost materialized onto the ground, exuding a powerful and undeniable aura, while staring intently at the two people surrounded in the very center.
This overly exaggerated display almost made Awa Subaru unable to breathe.
"Don't worry." Mumbling to himself… the Phantom Thief flung open his trench coat and draped it over the girl.
"I already told you… 'I'm invincible'." He tugged at the collar of his shirt, then steadfastly strode towards Yaldabaoth, who was performing some special ritual before him.
Yaldabaoth's laughter abruptly ceased, replaced by an incredibly deep and disgusted voice, "It's always like this, arrogant, ignorant, self-righteous, ugly and filthy heart… Amamiya Ren, you are a heretic who must be eliminated in this era."
And answering Him was Kurusu Akira's low roar, "Arsene, Sinful Shell!"
The blood-red demon raised its blunderbuss to its lower jaw, then unhesitatingly pulled the trigger—
A pitch-black bullet instantly pierced its head. There was no blood splattering, but rather deep blue flames burning with unprecedented intensity. Immediately after, countless similarly deep blue chains shot out from it, like an enraged swarm of snakes, turning their direction, and then frantically "biting" into Arsene's body.
Soon, the demon-form Persona was so riddled with chains that its original appearance could no longer be discerned. Only chains clashing and rubbing against each other, erupting in a tidal hiss of snakes.
Kurusu Akira almost ignored the rampaging Persona around him, quickly rushing towards Yaldabaoth in front.
Beside him, countless intertwined chains, constantly contracting until a critical point, immediately emitted a silent explosion. Then a massive gun, seemingly made of quartz, extended from the void, pressing against Kurusu Akira's right side and striking Yaldabaoth's face, knocking Him almost flying backward.
At this moment, one could faintly sense that behind this colossal gun, there seemed to be a terrifying, malevolent entity so vast that it could not even be contained by this space.
Immediately after, an armor-piercing bullet, seemingly condensed from all the desires and ugliness of this world, also extended from the void, then squeezed into the gun's barrel—
A crisp sound, like thousands of pieces of porcelain shattering at the same time.
The bullet was loaded.
Yaldabaoth looked at the massive muzzle in front of Him, which almost completely swallowed the body He had created. That intense fear and discomfort, as if encountering a natural enemy, would make Him feel humiliated no matter how many times He experienced it.
He had died thirty-six times under this bullet!
How did this monster… manage to harness such a quality of desire for his own use?!
Yaldabaoth knew that this attack had failed again.
He had deliberately arranged for those "followers" to attack Kurusu Akira in waves, yet He failed to probe any more of his hidden cards.
No matter what tactical arrangements were made, they would be effortlessly dealt with by the opponent.
Finally, this gun, and the "god-slaying" bullet inside it, would be aimed at Him…
"Is he really human?" No matter how many times time was reset, Yaldabaoth couldn't help but wonder.
The pale-faced Phantom Thief gave his opponent no chance to negotiate; he extended his right hand and abruptly struck the trigger of the gun beside him.
"Sinful Shell."
The moment the gun's firing pin struck the bullet's primer, it was as if the time of the entire world stopped with it.
Another gray-white figure appeared out of thin air behind Kurusu Akira; he raised a dagger, but the hand holding the dagger, poised to stab his heart, simply could not fall.
Because the world had truly been pressed with the "pause" button.
One could see that the moment everything ceased operation, Yaldabaoth's entire body emitted substantial light, preparing for a dying counterattack.
At this instant, the Phantom Thief unexpectedly turned his head without warning, looking with sharp eyes at the white figure that had appeared out of thin air, and at the same time, a second massive gun extended half its barrel from above his head, aiming at the "assassin" who was poised to stab his heart with a dagger.
Undoubtedly, this was Kurusu Akira's guaranteed victory; even if he had to pay a heavy price for it, he successfully managed to counter-kill two "gods" who were trying to assassinate him, all while being a human.
Intuition that transcends material rules, combat techniques beyond common sense, an unrivaled Persona, and a Persona imprinted with the great work of salvation...
Even for a god, repeatedly resetting time and plotting assassinations, the best possible outcome was nothing more than "mutual destruction."
But clearly, the current situation had not yet escalated to the point of "mutual destruction."
If the bullet had been a little faster, Kurusu Akira might not even have gotten a scratch.
But reaching this point proved that if they continued to reset time, they would definitely be able to kill this "resurrected" Phantom Thief once again, at the same time as their own demise.
"However, that outcome is something this world cannot bear."
A soft, gender-indiscernible voice echoed in people's hearts, involuntarily evoking feelings of fondness and closeness.
In the time-paused world, a vibrant blue butterfly slowly and gracefully flew past Awa Subaru's eyes, finally hovering at her fingertips.
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