"If you want to take Cocolia, then show me your strength. You should know the rules."
Ren Amamiya murmured casually to Siegfried. The Jizo Mitama tachi in his hand, infused with Higokumaru's power, quietly changed its shape, transforming into the long tachi form Higokumaru called Jizo Mitama: Etched.
"Ha, I knew you'd say that."
Siegfried shrugged his shoulders as if helpless. While sighing, he quickly tossed the Judgement of Shamash pistol in his hand into the air.
After drawing another Judgement of Shamash pistol from his waist, Siegfried slammed the two black and gold pistols together, combining them into a thick Judgement of Shamash greatsword that radiated intense heat.
"Hey, masked kid, how many times have we fought?"
Siegfried raised the Judgement of Shamash greatsword with his remaining right arm. He pointed the deep red sword tip, which looked as if it were made of molten lava, towards Ren Amamiya, speaking to him in a flippant and casual tone.
Siegfried had been having nightmares for some time now, trapped in the mire of dreams where he was attacked by Ren Amamiya, unable to escape.
But whenever Siegfried woke up from the dream, his memory would become hazy. He only remembered the fact that he had fought Ren Amamiya, but the specific details were impossible to recall clearly.
Siegfried couldn't even determine if it was Ren Amamiya himself fighting him in the dream, or a shadow Ren Amamiya had left behind in his dream.
"If we're talking about the real world as the battlefield, this is the first time."
Gazing at the white-haired middle-aged uncle in the distance, who exuded a devil-may-care aura with every move, Ren Amamiya couldn't help but feel a strong sense of déjà vu.
It wasn't particularly obvious when facing Persona Siegfried in the Kaslana Palace.
But when the lifelike Siegfried appeared before him, Ren Amamiya instantly felt that Siegfried was practically Dante himself.
White hair, wearing a leather trench coat, a flamboyant personality, using dual pistols and a greatsword as weapons, and even capable of a demonic transformation.
Ren Amamiya even suspected if Siegfried was a new character created by Atlus as a tribute to Dante.
Of course, if it were the real Dante, he wouldn't have suffered an injury like a severed arm. Even if his arm was completely minced, he could regrow it with just a few breaths.
"Acheron, you take care of Bronya and Cocolia."
Ren Amamiya held Jizo Mitama: Etched in his right hand. An ominous, crimson-black miasma continuously surged from the Transcendent Key of Erosion. The crimson-black miasma floating in the sky of the temporary base faintly coalesced into a giant fox face behind Ren Amamiya.
After instructing Raiden Mei beside him, Ren Amamiya focused all his attention on Siegfried in front.
Under the enhancement of Jizo Mitama: Etched, the power within Ren Amamiya's body surged and grew like a volcanic eruption.
Siegfried Kaslana's strength was not to be underestimated. Even if he had lost an arm, if Siegfried unleashed that bestial transformation power, Ren Amamiya would need to expend considerable effort to defeat him.
The location of this encounter with Siegfried was the real world.
Ren Amamiya's only teammate was Raiden Mei. And as a novice Persona user who had just awakened her Persona, Raiden Mei's current strength was even inferior to Hare's when they first met.
When Ren Amamiya teamed up with Hare, they could only stare each other down with Siegfried in the Kaslana Palace, neither able to do anything to the other.
It was only after Seele and Raiden Mei joined the team that Ren Amamiya successfully defeated Siegfried in the Kaslana Palace.
Yes, Ren Amamiya had already defeated the bestial form of Siegfried Kaslana.
Therefore, he had naturally also received the clearance reward certificate from Kaslana.
"To deal with Siegfried, this mask is indeed the most suitable----Persona! Come forth, Siegfried!!"
Ren Amamiya's left hand touched the white spirit bird mask he wore on his face. The crimson-black miasma conjured by Jizo Mitama: Etched dyed the white mask a deep, abyssal color.
Before the summoning even officially began, the corrosive power was already drastically strengthening the Persona's power.
Ren Amamiya abruptly threw out the crimson-black mask in his hand, which was steeped in corrosive power. Under the bewildered gaze of Siegfried opposite him, he loudly called out the name of the Persona [Siegfried].
"Meaningless, what are you shouting... What the hell is going on?!!"
Just as Siegfried was frowning in confusion at Ren Amamiya's perplexing actions, preparing to swing the Judgement of Shamash greatsword in his hand to burn that crimson-black mask to ashes, his eyes suddenly widened with a shocked expression as if he had seen a ghost.
The Judgement of Shamash greatsword, which he had almost swung out, abruptly froze in mid-air. Siegfried, unable to fully retract his strength, staggered on the spot.
"That is... me? It's another me? And it's another healthy me?!"
The crimson-black mask thrown from Ren Amamiya's hand instantly transformed into a quietly burning spectral flame. Then, that surging, erupting crimson-black spectral flame transformed into a figure with white hair and blue eyes, firmly gripping a black and gold greatsword with both hands—a figure Siegfried was so familiar with he saw it in the mirror every day.
Siegfried himself was in a state of shock due to the appearance of Persona Siegfried, momentarily losing the initiative in battle.
But Persona Siegfried keenly seized this opening, swinging the Judgement of Shamash greatsword, which was wreathed in dark red flames, and ruthlessly slashed towards Siegfried.
Facing the approaching storm of fire, Siegfried, his hair standing on end, instantly sobered up. He quickly raised the Judgement of Shamash greatsword in his hand, unleashing a terrifying torrent of scorching flames with all his might, and clashed head-on with Persona Siegfried's sword strike.
Boom boom boom----!!!
The two Keys of the Destruction, symbolizing destruction, clashed violently, creating an impact so terrifyingly powerful it was as if the god of destruction had descended. The billowing waves of intense heat engulfed everything in the vicinity.
The ceiling of Cocolia's temporary base was blasted to the point of complete evaporation by the magnificent torrent of flames, a swirling vortex of dark red and deep red, spiraling towards the heavens. The sky-piercing tornado of fire illuminated the entire city under the moonlit night.
Healthy Siegfried VS One-Armed Siegfried.
Although the Judgement of Shamash greatsword in Persona Siegfried's hands was merely a replica, a fake Key of the Destruction.
But the advantage of having both arms intact, along with the strengthening effect of the Transcendent Key of Erosion on his power, allowed Persona Siegfried to completely suppress Siegfried Kaslana, his original self, in a head-on clash. He sent Siegfried flying like a baseball, smashing through the thick walls of the temporary base.
"Such strong power--- As expected of a guy with my handsome face. Although I don't know what's going on, his strength is indeed not to be underestimated!"
Siegfried stood up from the wreckage of the collapsed wall. He patted the sparks burning on his blue jacket, looking with some lingering fear at Persona Siegfried, who had sent him flying, and Ren Amamiya, who stood behind Persona Siegfried.
Being hit by Persona Siegfried's Judgement of Shamash greatsword in its enhanced state, Siegfried gained a clear understanding of the strength of the other "him" summoned by Ren Amamiya... It was a terrifying power that had surpassed his original self, even stronger and more powerful than when he was young and had both arms!
Only Siegfried himself, possessing the Kaslana bloodline, could have survived the recent fiery explosion, merely looking a bit battered.
If it were an ordinary S-rank Valkyrie like Rita Rossweisse, even if she miraculously survived, she would suffer horrific burns that would make it difficult to move.
If Ren Amamiya wasn't a man, Siegfried would even begin to suspect he was Schicksal's third S-rank Valkyrie that Otto had been hiding all along.
"So strong! Is this Yu... Is this Phantom Thief Joker's true strength?!"
Under the protection of Kurikara's enormous dragon wings, Bronya and Cocolia safely weathered the heaven-scorching wave of flames unleashed by the violent clash of the two Judgements of Shamash.
However, after enduring the aftershock of the two Keys of Destruction clashing, Raiden Mei's summoned Persona Kurikara also seemed to be struggling, letting out a hiss of pain from its dragon maw.
Gazing at the terrifying display caused by Persona Siegfried, Bronya's pupils trembled violently. Her perception of Ren Amamiya's strength level was once again refreshed to a new height.
Thinking about how she had once, under Cocolia's orders, tried to assassinate Ren Amamiya, who possessed such terrifying strength, Bronya couldn't help but shiver, feeling as if she had unconsciously teetered on the brink of death countless times.
That Bronya was still alive and well, standing here, felt like an unbelievable miracle even to herself.
Raiden Mei had also participated in the group "farming" of Siegfried in the Kaslana Palace. She was well aware of Siegfried's strength level and was initially worried that she alone wouldn't be able to help Ren Amamiya.
However, after seeing Ren Amamiya summon Persona Siegfried and defeat Siegfried himself, Raiden Mei's tense shoulders instantly relaxed. She let out a sigh of relief, and even had the mood to respond to Bronya's subconscious exclamation from behind her.
"True strength? No, this is just the tip of the iceberg of Joker's true strength. Bronya, you'll know if you just keep watching."
Raiden Mei crossed her arms with a look of shared pride, her tone full of admiration and pride for Ren Amamiya.
Through the probing just now, Siegfried had formed a judgment of Ren Amamiya's power standard. He gripped the Judgement of Shamash greatsword tightly and charged towards Persona Siegfried, who was blocking Ren Amamiya's path, once again.
The deep red greatsword, wreathed in crimson flames, danced at high speed in mid-air. Heaven-shattering sword lights formed by raging flames shot out continuously. The two Siegfrieds' demolition-like confrontation reduced the entire temporary base to a wreck. Soon, the base was reduced to ruins under the clash of their attacks.
The more Siegfried fought, the more uncomfortable he felt. Persona Siegfried, controlled by Ren Amamiya, completely saw through his attack patterns, as if he had memorized the boss's moves in a game. He had a perfect grasp of Siegfried's attack intentions. Siegfried attacked Ren Amamiya for a long time but failed to land a single effective blow. Instead, he wasted a lot of energy and Honkai energy for nothing.
Ren Amamiya clearly had the memory of fighting him in the dream as reference information. But Siegfried himself had long since blurred the memory of the battle he encountered in the dream and couldn't recall Ren Amamiya's specific fighting habits.
He could only be forced to constantly try and probe in this battle, falling into an extremely passive situation.
"Hmm? His stance changed? This opening move looks a bit familiar. Is this... that technique called Sword Ki of Taixu?!"
Just as Siegfried was racking his brains for a winning strategy, Persona Siegfried, who had been clashing head-on with him using the Judgement of Shamash greatsword, suddenly jumped back, actively creating distance between them, and assumed an opening stance that felt somewhat familiar yet strange to Siegfried.
A dark red flame swallow, formed by a torrential rain of fire, spread its wings beside Persona Siegfried. The sword moves, which should have been light and agile in memory, were executed with fire instead of water, and a greatsword instead of a thin sword. This incongruous sense of disorder made Siegfried stunned for a moment.
It wasn't until the fire swallow flew before him that he realized where he had seen this move.
Before the Second Honkai War, Schicksal had a Valkyrie named Cheng Lixue. She mastered a technique called Sword Ki of Taixu and relied on it to become the strongest among Schicksal's A-rank Valkyries.
Siegfried was still in Schicksal at that time, so he had naturally met Cheng Lixue and seen her fight. He had some impression of the Sword Ki of Taixu techniques, but Siegfried himself didn't know these moves.
In other words, the one executing the Sword Ki of Taixu wasn't the imposter before him, but the masked kid controlling that so-called Persona...
Struck in the face by the rapidly approaching fire swallow, Siegfried knelt on one knee under the scorching heat of the corrosive and destructive flames.
Feeling his stamina being heavily depleted and realizing that he would undoubtedly lose if this continued, he, who had yet to pose any threat to Ren Amamiya, finally made up his mind.
"You'd better be careful next, masked kid... Although you should have already seen this form of mine in your dreams, if you're too careless, watch out for me beating you to a pulp!"
Plunging the Judgement of Shamash greatsword, which was as deep red and scorching as molten lava, into the ground to support his standing body, Siegfried's body, however, radiated an extreme frosty aura like an iceberg.
His eyes instantly turned into azure bestial pupils, and patches of black and blue mutated tissue appeared on his skin. A thick, long tail even grew from behind him, transforming his entire being into a half-human, half-beast form.
"He's entered the second phase? But it doesn't matter, we know this move too!"
Facing the bestial form of Siegfried, which he was already extremely familiar with, although Bronya, hiding under the protection of Kurikara's dragon wings in the distance, was in a state of shock, doubting reality.
But Ren Amamiya remained calm and composed throughout.
He merely snapped his fingers lightly, issuing a command to Persona Siegfried, whom he controlled.