Cocolia had implanted a chip in her brain capable of seizing control of her body and forcibly manipulating her actions, all while keeping it completely hidden from her, not revealing a single detail...
This act of hers constituted a betrayal of Bronya.
Bronya had initially felt a pang of guilt for standing by and letting Ren Amamiya "change Cocolia's heart."
But after Cocolia attempted to activate the backdoor brain control chip and order her to attack Ren Amamiya, Bronya's guilt was utterly extinguished, as if doused by frigid water flowing from the Arctic.
She even felt herself become cold and numb, no longer holding any shred of superfluous expectation for Cocolia.
"Bronya, don't be fooled by this man!... That person just now was definitely not Seele! The real Seele is still in the Sea of Quanta, waiting for us to rescue her! You know Seele better than I do; you must know that Seele's personality wouldn't be as arrogant and irritable as that fake just now! And have you forgotten Siegfried Kaslana, who appeared at Chiba Academy?"
Cocolia's hands tightly gripped the blade of Jizo Mitama embedded in her chest, not letting go even as her palms were cut by the sharp edge.
The corrosive power rapidly seeped into Cocolia's mind, making her feel increasingly unlike herself. Horrifying thoughts even began to surface in her mind, questioning whether her past actions towards the orphanage children were correct.
Even though Cocolia desperately tried to deny these self-recriminating thoughts появившийся [that appeared] due to the corrosive power, these doubts about herself gushed forth endlessly like bubbles. Cocolia's current self was like a small boat caught in a storm at sea, precarious and in danger of completely capsizing at any moment.
To preserve her true self, Cocolia screamed hoarsely at Bronya, trying to incite her with words to attack Ren Amamiya for her... Even though Bronya could never defeat Ren Amamiya, Cocolia was still trying to drag Bronya down with her.
To gain Bronya's trust, Cocolia even specifically brought up the example of Siegfried Kaslana appearing at Chiba Academy.
Cocolia, who had personally carried out the Herrscher of Reason clone project, recognized the Siegfried Persona summoned by Ren Amamiya as an imposter the moment she saw it through the real-time video feed from the Titan mechs.
If you asked why, Siegfried's arm had long been severed. But the Siegfried Ren Amamiya "pulled out" had both arms intact. How could it be real?
"You're wrong, Mama Cocolia. It's precisely because I know Seele better than you, better than anyone, that I can be certain that the person just now was Seele herself!"
Bronya responded to Cocolia in a cold tone, her emotions completely unmoved by Cocolia's pleas for help.
Veliona's arrogant and irritable personality was indeed a suspicious point that would make others unfamiliar with Seele doubt if she was the real Seele.
No matter who Seele faced, she always had a gentle, almost timid demeanor. Even if bullied by others, she would silently endure the grievance, crying by herself.
But only Bronya, who paid the most attention to Seele and often wanted to stand up for her, had discovered it.
Seele wasn't just the weak side she appeared to be. Sometimes, when she was bullied severely by other children in the orphanage, Seele wouldn't need Bronya to intervene. She would find a time to have a hidden, "enthusiastic chat" with the person who bullied her.
Even when she wasn't being bullied, Seele would occasionally, inadvertently, let slip a tone and remarks inconsistent with her usual gentle personality.
The irritable and arrogant Seele just now, while not entirely the "true" Seele, was definitely the part of Seele that she hid, not wanting others to truly know.
After falling into the dangerous environment of the Sea of Quanta, and without Bronya to protect her, Seele was forced to grow up on her own. The spark of irritation and anger in her heart slowly grew, eventually shaping the version of her we just saw—using arrogance and pride as armor to shield her fragile self.
No one understood Seele better than Bronya.
Recalling instances from their time in the orphanage where Seele would occasionally say things inconsistent with her own personality, Bronya became even more certain that Veliona was also Seele.
"Bronya, you... you're crazy..."
Cocolia's voice became increasingly faint and ethereal. Her pair of purple eyes gradually grew vacant, and the overflowing corrosive power made Cocolia's pupils turn a crimson, void-like state.
She felt her brain being wantonly ravaged by Ren Amamiya. Her entire body was immobile, as if struck by lightning, as if she had suffered a mental violation. Both her life's convictions and her worldview were being shattered and reshaped by Ren Amamiya one by one.
This growing fear of realizing she was no longer herself brought tears to Cocolia's eyes.
For a proud and arrogant person like Cocolia, having her mind casually toyed with and reshaped by Ren Amamiya, having everything she stood for trampled underfoot, and being used as an obedient puppet—this was a torture more repulsive and terrifying to her than death itself.
Rumble rumble rumble----!!!
A series of rough sounds, like a tank rampaging, came continuously from the distance. In the blink of an eye, the intense noise stormed into the area visible to Ren Amamiya and the others.
"Hey, hey, hey, did I just hear someone call my name?"
Siegfried, who had advanced in a straight line like a brute, completely smashing through the walls obstructing his path along the way, freely wielding his body that once again radiated boundless power, and still feeling a strong sense of excitement in his heart, emerged from the smoke screen kicked up after destroying the wall.
He generously raised his hand and greeted everyone present whose gazes were directed at him.
"You are... Siegfried?"
Gazing at the middle-aged uncle who had brazenly burst out from the hole in the wall, with his characteristic white hair and blue eyes, wearing a dark blue jacket and brown trousers, a look of astonishment appeared in Ren Amamiya's eyes.
This grinning middle-aged uncle, aside from missing a right arm and having thick dark circles like a panda's around his eyes, his appearance was clearly identical to Ren Amamiya's Persona, Siegfried!
"Judging by your eyes, you definitely know me. Looks like I didn't find the wrong person... Masked kid, I'm here to avenge myself for being picked on and beaten up by you in my dream!"
From the way Ren Amamiya looked at him, Siegfried only detected astonishment, not finding the slightest hint of doubt about his identity.
Now it was certain.
The one who appeared in his dreams, even bringing others into his dreams to persistently beat him up, was definitely this masked kid before him!
"Siegfried, why are you here?"
Ren Amamiya's brows furrowed slightly. A trace of doubt arose in his heart due to Siegfried's sudden appearance.
This Siegfried before him, was he an enemy's Persona? Or a wild Shadow that had been released?
Besides Cocolia, were there other enemies? For example, the force behind Gray Serpent, whom he had eliminated?
Siegfried's power level was extremely high; even Ren Amamiya had to treat him with caution.
No, that's not right...
Siegfried just said he was beaten up by him in a "dream." Could it be that this Siegfried was actually the real Siegfried Kaslana?
Ren Amamiya hadn't expected such a connection between a Persona and its original, let alone encountering the real Siegfried Kaslana in the real world.
Come to think of it, in the game, as long as he had subdued one type of Persona, all Personas of the same type in the Sea of Souls would know about his past with Ren Amamiya. It was very normal and reasonable for Siegfried to know him too.
This was also what made Ren Amamiya's thoughts diverge and feel uneasy.
If Siegfried's Shadow being beaten was detected by the real Siegfried, then if Ren Amamiya were to fight Akechi's Loki in the future, would he be watched by the real evil god Loki, who might exist somewhere in the world?
It shouldn't be that serious, right? It was just a simple battle, not like he had subdued Loki as a Persona...
"Calling me 'masked kid' repeatedly is too impolite. My name is Joker, Phantom Thief Joker."
While his mind raced, Ren Amamiya unhurriedly introduced himself to Siegfried.
"And I am Acheron!"
Taking advantage of the opportunity to reveal her codename, Raiden Mei, clad in crimson samurai armor, announced the codename she had been pondering ever since Seele's Palace.
Acheron, meaning hell, the underworld...
Quite a grim codename, and it had a chuunibyou flavor.
After hearing Raiden Mei announce her codename, Ren Amamiya couldn't help but glance sideways at her. However, he quickly averted his gaze, tactfully considering the feelings of his teammate who might be on the verge of cringing herself into oblivion.
"Phantom Thief, huh... I see, I think I'm starting to understand."
Siegfried murmured softly. From Ren Amamiya's self-appellation, he seemed to have realized something.
Although "Phantom Thief" sounded to Siegfried at first like the title of a playboy who tricked little girls and stole maidens' hearts.
But considering what had happened to him, Siegfried could deduce what kind of abilities the "Phantom Thief" Ren Amamiya possessed.
The destructive impulse that had been piled up in his heart, constantly devouring his sanity, tormenting and draining him, trying to completely liberate him from being human and turn him into a rampaging Honkai beast, had completely vanished... as if stolen from his heart by a phantom thief, disappearing without a trace.
Because the destructive impulse had disappeared, Siegfried's current condition was explosively good. If it weren't for the missing arm, he felt like he was completely back to his peak state in his youth.
Siegfried even had a premonition.
Even if he actively activated the ICOR Factor in his body again to transform, he wouldn't struggle in the quagmire of rampaging as before.
All of this was thanks to the two Phantom Thieves before him.
From this aspect alone, although Ren Amamiya was an uninvited phantom thief who had trespassed into his dreams and heart, stealing the destructive impulse of the ICOR Factor had undoubtedly helped Siegfried. He shouldn't be Otto's subordinate.
If Otto had instructed Ren Amamiya to invade Siegfried's dreams, something much worse would have happened.
Siegfried's eyes hesitated slightly, but he ultimately decided to proceed according to the plan he had discussed with the two Anti-Entropy doctors.
Based on the current information, although Siegfried had become the ultimate beneficiary, this didn't mean the Phantom Thief's intentions were good. It could also be that there was a flaw in his execution of Otto's mission, and by a strange twist of fate, he had cured the terrifying nightmares Siegfried had suffered for years due to the destructive extent of the ICOR Factor.
To deduce Ren Amamiya's true purpose, Siegfried still needed to gather more information.
And as a Kaslana clansman whose bloodline was so pure it was beginning to show atavistic traits, Siegfried naturally had only one way of dealing with Ren Amamiya.
Bang----!
The Judgement of Shamash pistol fell into Siegfried's remaining left palm. He skillfully pulled the trigger, not even aiming, and fired a bullet gleaming with scorching flames towards Ren Amamiya at extreme speed.
Ren Amamiya's brows furrowed slightly. Although Siegfried drew and fired his gun extremely quickly, he was missing an arm, making him much weaker compared to the Siegfried in the Kaslana Palace.
Ren Amamiya had fought the healthy Siegfried in the Kaslana Palace several times. Facing the disabled, one-armed Siegfried, he could naturally easily react to the trajectory of Siegfried's bullet.
The bullet fired from the muzzle of the Judgement of Shamash, that blazing projectile, was not aimed at Ren Amamiya himself, but at Cocolia, who was kneeling on the ground, unable to move.
Siegfried Kaslana clearly shared the same goal as Gray Serpent: to kill Cocolia and silence her.
"So many people want to kill you, Cocolia. You truly are a woman who has incurred the wrath of heaven and the resentment of men."
Gray Serpent wanted to kill Cocolia; Siegfried wanted to kill Cocolia.
If it weren't for Seele and Bronya acting as a buffer in between, Ren Amamiya and Raiden Mei wouldn't have gone easy on Cocolia, the mastermind, in the first place. They wouldn't have needed to resort to a change of heart; they would have sent her directly to the underworld.
Ren Amamiya sighed as he spoke, simultaneously pulling out the Jizo Mitama tachi deeply embedded in Cocolia's chest.
A crimson, demonic sword light flashed fiercely through the air, and the Shamash bullet heading for Cocolia's head instantly disintegrated into ashes.
"Hand Cocolia over to me. If you're willing, I'm not against letting you leave here."