In just a moment, a ferocious, terrifying beast wreathed in flames charged forward on all fours.
This Shadow beast resembled a saber-toothed tiger, its sharp fangs a gleaming gold, and its eyes burning with savage, golden pupils. Its crimson body rippled with knotted muscles, clearly packed with explosive, terrifying power. Its fur was a majestic blend of gold and red, except for the soft, fluffy white fur on its chest and belly.
"Shadow detected. Shadow's name is Huodou. Fire affinity. One of the beasts recorded in the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas'... Huh? Why do I suddenly know all this?"
As the imposing, fiery Shadow made its dramatic entrance, strange information suddenly surfaced in Ren Amamiya's mind as he watched it. He just... knew certain details about this Shadow.
The unexpected flow of information made Ren pause for a second, his brow instinctively furrowing.
Currently, Ren only possessed Arsene as his Persona, and Arsene was purely a combat-type Persona, not an analysis or support type like Necronomicon [Futaba Sakura's Persona].
Logically speaking, Ren shouldn't suddenly be able to see through a strange Shadow's affinities and details, right?
Yet, Ren could guarantee he'd never encountered this Shadow called Huodou in the game. The information flashing in his mind definitely wasn't intel he'd gained from beating P5.
"An ability like mine...? Joker, you're amazing! It's still developing, but I only used it a few times in front of you, and you've already learned how to read information?!"
Hearing Ren instinctively recite the information snippets upon seeing the Huodou, Hare's blue eyes widened in profound surprise. She stared at Ren, her delicate features filled with shock and delight.
Hare hadn't expected Ren Amamiya—or rather, Arsene, as Ren's other half—to be so incredibly talented. Just by watching her use the ability to read Shadow information a few times, he had already learned and grasped the basics of it.
Yesterday, while exploring the stone forest labyrinth, Hare had used her special information-reading ability several times to glean the maze's layout from the Imaginary Constructs wandering within, hoping to find the exit.
Arsene must have learned the special ability from her back then.
If Arsene continued to practice and improve his proficiency over time... maybe he could even become like her, capable of not just reading information but also transcribing the information of existence, creating Ideal-type warriors to command!
The ability to read and transcribe information was theoretically unique to Hare as a Crystallize Stigma; other Stigma Constructs didn't possess it. Hare had never interacted with a fully awakened Stigma Construct before, so she didn't know if this ability could be learned.
Ren and Arsene's performance seemed to prove that it could be mastered through learning.
Ren and Arsene were full of surprises for Hare. She felt that even if Arsene somehow broke the limitations of a Stigma Construct one day and appeared in the real world like a Crystallize Stigma, she wouldn't be too shocked.
"An ability like yours...? ...I see. I think I get it now."
Hearing Hare's exclamation beside him, enlightenment dawned on Ren. Everything suddenly clicked into place.
After giving Hare a gift that resonated with her and deeply moved her, their Confidant Rank must have increased again. It had to be at least RANK 2 now.
It made perfect sense that Ren could now draw upon Hare's unique powers through their Confidant relationship.
He had previously assumed the special abilities gained from increasing Confidant Ranks were just game mechanics. He thought he could only learn skills by actively training with his confidants, and that the strength drawn from the "connection between hearts" merely amplified his existing power.
He hadn't expected that, even in reality, he could naturally grasp skills possessed by his confidants, just like now.
This was incredibly convenient and thoughtful. It really got his spirits up.
"This Huodou should be recruitable as a Persona. Hare, cover me, but be careful not to overdo it and accidentally wipe it out!"
The area Ren was in seemed to be just outside some isolated village, surrounded by lush green forest and soft earth.
The Huodou bursting from the woods spewed intense flames, igniting the nearby trees. If they didn't stop it and put out the fire quickly, it could easily spread into a terrifying forest fire.
...Though, considering this was inside a Palace in Mementos, putting out the fire probably wasn't that urgent.
After instructing Hare not to go all out and destroy the Huodou, Ren reached into the inner pocket of his Phantom Suit, gripping the Mosin-Nagant twin pistols tightly.
He aimed the deep purple muzzles straight at the Huodou charging towards them from the distance. Without hesitation, he squeezed the triggers, unleashing a furious barrage from the twin guns' reserves.
Ren already knew the Huodou was a Fire-affinity Shadow. It likely had at least Fire Resistance, possibly even Fire Repel or Fire Drain.
Not a problem. Besides firing flame bullets, the Mosin-Nagant could also fire normal rounds. While they wouldn't deal massive damage to a Shadow of this level, they were perfect for wearing the Huodou down.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG—!!!
Deafening gunshots echoed through the air. A crisscrossing pattern of scorching bullets slammed into the Huodou's large, sturdy frame with terrifying force.
Caught off guard, the Huodou was struck by Ren's powerful shots. Its fearsome maw flew open, letting out a bloodcurdling howl of pain that pierced the heavens.
Fourteen bullets from the twin pistols, and not a single one missed its mark.
With the physical enhancements granted within Mementos, even though this was Ren's first time truly handling real firearms, he could achieve such precision with ease!