"...Where in the world did this monster come from? To think he can completely dominate Kalpas like that?!"
In the main hall of the Elysian Realm, Mobius stared dumbfounded at the surveillance footage. It showed Ren Amamiya effortlessly suppressing Kalpas in his Active Honkai Reaction form, leaving him utterly powerless.
She was so shocked that she even ignored the pleas for help from the armed puppet, Klein.
"A form born of such absolute desire... Even Kevin, the strongest among us, probably couldn't defeat Kalpas in his final state so easily. And what's more, that masked summoner even seems to have the ability to command a Herrscher..."
Mobius narrowed her eyes, subconsciously resting her chin on her small hand as she began to analyze every clue Ren Amamiya had revealed during the battle.
"...Doctor, Dr. Mobius, I'm very sorry to interrupt your thoughts, but could you please help me stabilize the Elysian Realm's data security first?"
Klein's small, doll-like body was hunched over the Elysian Realm's console, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she frantically salvaged the Realm's data. Her voice was so weak and listless, it sounded like the puppet girl might collapse from overwork at any moment.
"I'm doing my best, but with my power alone, I can barely keep the effects of their fight from spreading to other areas. Even so, the battle between Kalpas and the Successor is still causing collateral damage to other parts of the Elysian Realm. If we don't stabilize and repair the data immediately, the Realm will lose about twenty-five point five percent of its area information."
"It's only twenty-five point five percent of the area data. You can handle something of this magnitude yourself, can't you, Klein? Besides, we still have Vill-V, the creator of the Elysian Realm, as a safety net."
Hearing the warning from Klein, Mobius waved her hand dismissively. From the Previous Era to now, the abandoned areas of the Elysian Realm had always been growing. At worst, they would just add the current twenty-five point five percent of area data to the abandoned sections. It was nothing to worry about.
Besides, Mobius had come to the main hall to relax. Stumbling upon the high-intensity battle between Kalpas and Ren Amamiya through Klein's admin access was a complete accident, and she had no intention of getting involved.
Seeing that Dr. Mobius was determined to remain a bystander, Klein sighed helplessly. She could only pour all her energy back into the complex task of salvaging the data.
"But speaking of Vill-V, she must know about this Successor. She might even know him quite well. I have to find a way to track her down..."
Unlike Kalpas, whose mind was clouded by rage and focused solely on defeating Ren Amamiya, Mobius, as an observer, keenly sensed Vill-V's brand of mischief in the surveillance footage.
Painting a golden gear emblem on Kalpas's black mask without him noticing—only Vill-V would bother with something so pointless and absurd.
Moreover, judging by the way Ren Amamiya used Kalpas's mask to collect the golden gears, he must have been in contact with her.
For the Elysian Realm, which had been peaceful for fifty thousand years, Ren Amamiya, who possessed the power to easily crush Kalpas, was an absolutely terrifying variable.
While Vill-V longed for a suitable Successor to act as her guinea pig, allowing her to unlock the prison known as the Elysian Realm and regain her freedom.
But this Successor, Ren Amamiya, was no guinea pig. He was a great white shark that could swallow her whole in a single bite!
At this thought, Mobius felt freedom slipping further and further away. A rebellious spirit surged within her, and she clicked her tongue in frustration.
After a glance at the machines floating in mid-air, Mobius left the hall and began to actively search for any trace of Vill-V.
"Oh my, Mobius seems really interested in that mysterious, masked Successor, doesn't she?~~~"
Watching Mobius's hasty departure, a beautiful, captivating girl with lovely pink hair, like an enchanting elf, lounged lazily on a plush sofa. Amidst the clatter of keyboard strokes echoing through the spacious hall, her melodious and thoughtful voice rang out.
In her rush to find Vill-V and demand answers about Ren Amamiya's origins, Mobius had completely forgotten about Elysia's presence... Of course, it was more likely she had selectively ignored Elysia, who had been watching her the entire time with a fervent and intrigued gaze.
However, Elysia personally believed that Mobius had only forgotten about her, Miss Elf, because she was too flustered.
"But, this Miss Elf is also very curious about this masked phantom thief. I'd love to know what he looks like under that white mask. I wonder if it's like with Kalpas, where underneath the mask hiding his true identity, there's actually a handsome face?"
Elysia sat up gracefully from the sofa. Propping herself up with her hands, she gently swung her little feet, which were clad in black boots, and began to imagine the mysterious face hidden beneath Ren Amamiya's mask.
Within the space of the Elysian Realm, Elysia held the most authority. One could even say the Elysian Realm was a private garden created just for her.
With such a high level of control over the Elysian Realm, she could naturally sense the arrival of every Successor.
But being able to sense them was one thing; whether she was interested in appearing before the wandering, lost Successors to offer guidance was another matter entirely.
The flawless pink elf didn't always take the initiative to appear before every nameless, lost traveler.
At least, when Ren Amamiya had visited the Elysian Realm in the past, Elysia had only glanced at him briefly.
Once she noticed that reliable Flame-Chasers like Aponia were keeping an eye on Ren Amamiya, and that he carried a Signet from the real Kevin as proof, Elysia had simply gone back to enjoying a tea party with her dear friend Eden, paying no more mind to the mysterious, masked visitor.
It wasn't until now, with this world-shaking, one-sided battle between Ren Amamiya and Kalpas that rocked the entire Elysian Realm, that Elysia's curiosity and interest in the mysterious masked man were finally ignited.
In terms of direct combat ability, Kalpas after undergoing Active Honkai Reaction, ranked among the very top of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers. One could even say he was second only to Kevin.
If even Kalpas, who had unleashed his full power through Active Honkai Reaction, was helpless against Ren Amamiya and could only be beaten to his knees in frustration, then it would naturally be difficult for the other Flame-Chasers to defeat this Successor.
...Only Kevin, and Elysia, with her control over the Elysian Realm's authority, still stood a decent chance of winning.
But regardless of the outcome, if a real battle were to break out, the entire Elysian Realm would surely be lost. The Thirteen Flame-Chasers would truly become history, awaiting only to be completely forgotten by the world and fade into death.
"He's hiding too much, but it's not like this visitor bears any real malice toward the Elysian Realm... Perhaps I should get a closer look at him? But that masked face of his seems a bit too cunning, doesn't it? To keep things fair, before you take off your mask, Miss Elf will join you for a grand masquerade ball!"
Her fingertip lightly tapped a new, shining mask. A sly arc formed on Elysia's lips.
The mischievous elf gazed at Ren Amamiya on the pink crystal screen before her, who had just thoroughly defeated Kalpas. Her mind raced, polishing the magnificent opening line she would use for her invitation.
[Choose. Will you submit to me and become my Persona, or will you be struck down by me here?]
On the crystal screen, Ren Amamiya raised the Jizo Mitama in his hand, pointing the tachi at the handsome, silver-haired youth who was kneeling on one knee, gasping for breath. He posed a deadly question that would decide the outcome.
"Who! Who would willingly submit to a cowardly rat like you who hides his face?! You want my power? Let me tear you to shreds ten thousand times first!!"
Beaten out of his deep-red molten shadow form and forced back into his human shape, the silver-haired youth's Shadow had lost the strength to fight back but showed no sign of submission.
He mustered his last bit of strength and spat at Ren Amamiya, only for a crimson-black fox tail, nimbly extending from the sharp blade of Jizo Mitama, to slap the saliva right back onto his own face.
"I see. So that's your final choice. However, your own thoughts on the matter aren't important..."
Although he had been reduced to a defeated prisoner under his full power, this silver-haired youth's Shadow was still quite powerful. Ren Amamiya wouldn't mind at all making him into one of his Personas.
If the silver-haired youth's Shadow agreed to become his Persona, that would naturally be the best outcome.
But even if he refused, Ren had a way to convert the Shadow's residual body and power into a Persona for himself. It's just that the resulting Persona would be completely random and wouldn't look like the form he had just fought.
Gripping the etched hilt of Jizo Mitama with both hands, Ren thrust forward with no particular technique. The black tip of the blade plunged into the silver-haired youth's Shadow's chest without resistance, piercing his heart.
It's common sense that a person dies when their heart is pierced. Even though this silver-haired youth was a powerful Shadow, he couldn't defy this accepted iron law of humanity in a world governed by cognition.
"——————Stop!!"
A familiar voice suddenly rang out, and Ren's sword hand paused for a fraction of a second.
The next instant, as if a few seconds of time had been stolen away, Ren suddenly felt the weight on his hand lighten. The silver-haired youth's Shadow that had been impaled on his sword was gone.
"Kalpas, are you alright?"
Sakura gently laid the heavily injured Kalpas on the ground. Staring at the wound on his chest, a look of helplessness appeared in her eyes.
Sakura only knew how to kill, not how to heal. With her meager first-aid knowledge, there was no way she could heal Kalpas, whose heart had been grievously wounded.
The only reason he was still breathing after she'd managed to pull him away from the sword was purely due to Kalpas's tenacious life force as a MANTIS.
"Be careful... cough, cough, this guy is strong. He can summon the Herrscher of the Void, and he uses some kind of annoying black flame, cough, cough, cough...!!"
Looking at Sakura, who had arrived at the last moment to save him, Kalpas coughed up blood while trying his best to relay information to his comrade.
Although her raw stats might not match Kalpas's, Sakura possessed swordsmanship powerful enough to freeze space itself. And just now, it was by freezing space that she had managed to save the nearly-perished Kalpas from Ren Amamiya's Jizo Mitama.
From this perspective, Sakura's 'mechanics' might be better suited for defeating this mysterious masked man.
"...I understand, Kalpas. You should rest for now."
Sakura nodded lightly. She carefully committed Kalpas's final clues to memory. Then, she slowly rose to her feet. Her grayish-blue eyes, filled with a cold sternness, fixed on Ren Amamiya, the culprit.
Although there is no true death in the Elysian Realm, and even a fatal wound can be reversed by restoring a backup, the humiliation and pain of being killed are by no means false.
To avenge the shame her comrade had suffered, Sakura slowly reached out her hand and gripped the deep blue PRI-ARM tachi at her waist, the Frozen Naraka.
"Oh, it's Sakura. I was wondering what was going on."
Faced with Sakura, who had drawn her weapon and was silently radiating a cold killing intent, Ren Amamiya showed no sign of being provoked into a hasty fight. Instead, he nodded as if in sudden realization.
...In fact, when he looked at her, both his gaze and his words held a strange sense of familiarity???
Sakura, who had already prepared herself for battle, hesitated for a moment. Even the long, cherry-pink fox ears on her head curved like question marks.
"Sakura, could you move aside for a moment? I want to take this chance, before he fades completely, to transcribe this powerful Shadow into a Persona for myself."
Her splendid pink hair, like cherry blossoms, and those highly recognizable, long, cherry-pink fox ears; her refined face, so serious it bordered on stern... Although she was wearing a new outfit—a white shirt and a black-and-blue jacket—this was undoubtedly the Sakura that Ren Amamiya knew.
The reason Ren had hesitated a moment ago, allowing Sakura to successfully rescue Kalpas, was because he heard her shout in that familiar voice.
He had mistaken the sound for a word of advice resounding directly from within his own heart and had wanted to listen more closely to her suggestion.
"Please do not act as if you are acquainted with me. I have never met you before!"
After carefully searching her past memories, SAKURA confirmed that she did not know this strange visitor. Her expression turned completely cold, and she drew the Frozen Naraka tachi from her waist.
"You really don't recognize me? Could it be that your memories haven't synchronized yet? Well, that's a real headache..."