"He even... even copied the ICOR Factor transformation? This is really draining me completely..."
Gazing at Persona Siegfried, who had also transformed into the artificial Honkai Eruption form, with black and blue mutated tissue appearing on its skin, and crimson-black miasma materialized from corrosive power swirling around its body, exuding an even greater aura than himself, the original.
A dazed expression appeared on the face of the artificially erupted Siegfried. A drop of cold sweat slowly trickled down his forehead.
Before activating the ICOR Factor, Siegfried couldn't defeat the Persona summoned by Ren Amamiya.
And after both sides completed the ICOR Factor transformation, it was basically equivalent to neither having transformed. The chances of winning were still the same as before.
"Let's settle this in one blow! Judgement of Shamash----Unsheathed!!"
Siegfried raised the Judgement of Shamash in his hand. This time, after actively entering the ICOR Factor transformation, he didn't feel the dual torment of mental and physical erosion as before. It was as if he had inherently mastered this power, wielding it with effortless ease.
As Siegfried raised the Judgement of Shamash high, the scorching flames of destruction shot straight into the sky. The Judgement of Shamash, bathed in vigorous flames, rapidly changed its shape, transforming into its Transcendent Form, Might of An-Utu.
If he were to fight steadily, Siegfried wasn't confident he could defeat Ren Amamiya. Therefore, he poured all his strength into the strongest single strike of Judgement of Shamash Unsheathed.
"We'll do it too... Judgement of Shamash Unsheathed!!!"
Ren Amamiya waved his arm. Persona Siegfried, like a mirror image, performed the exact same actions as Siegfried opposite him, raising the Might of An-Utu, which radiated a wild, destructive aura, with both hands.
However, unlike Siegfried, besides the power of artificial Honkai Eruption, Persona Siegfried also possessed the enhancing power of Jizo Mitama: Etched, bestowed by Ren Amamiya.
"Joker, please show some mercy, don't take Mr. Siegfried's life!!"
Immersed in the sea of flames, feeling the scorching hot wind rushing towards her, and listening to the burning, explosive sounds that heralded the arrival of destruction, a bead of cold sweat had just appeared on Raiden Mei's fair forehead before it was instantly evaporated by the extreme heat.
Although Ren Amamiya and Siegfried seemed to have started fighting due to a misunderstanding, Raiden Mei never expected them to go this far.
Raiden Mei had already experienced how powerful the Judgement of Shamash Unsheathed used by the bestial Siegfried was in the Kaslana Palace. That terrifying firepower, like a nuclear explosion, could even directly shoot down her Persona, Kurikara. If Hare hadn't successfully rescued her in time, it wouldn't have been impossible for Judgement of Shamash Unsheathed to instantly kill Kurikara in a direct hit.
Now that Ren Amamiya and Siegfried were simultaneously clashing with Judgement of Shamash Unsheathed in their bestial forms, Raiden Mei couldn't help but start to worry.
Of course, Raiden Mei was worried about Siegfried, because no matter how she looked at it, Ren Amamiya was stronger than Siegfried.
Siegfried was the father Kiana had been searching for for a long time. Although Kiana always complained about her "damn stinky old dad," Raiden Mei didn't want Kiana to find Siegfried only to discover he had literally become a "damn stinky old dad" in the physical sense.
Because Cocolia had dispatched Titan mech units to invade Chiba Academy, causing massive destruction, all students and teachers at Chiba Academy were given a three-day holiday. Kiana had even called Raiden Mei in the morning, expressing her strong regret with a heavy heart.
Kiana had taken leave from school yesterday because she had discovered a sighting of someone suspected to be Siegfried. But in the end, it turned out to be a false alarm. Instead, Siegfried's trace appeared again at Chiba Academy.
This fact, which felt like she was being toyed with, made Kiana very angry, and she swore to make Siegfried pay dearly when she found him.
In reality, the one who appeared at Chiba Academy yesterday was just Ren Amamiya's summoned Persona Siegfried, not the real Siegfried himself.
Although Raiden Mei knew this, her selfish desire not to introduce Ren Amamiya to Kiana and trigger a love triangle [shuraba] made her offer Kiana only a wry smile and some comfort.
But tonight, Raiden Mei had seen the real Siegfried, not a Persona.
Although a battle had broken out between Siegfried and Ren Amamiya, Raiden Mei still hoped Ren Amamiya would hold back and not let Kiana lose her father at such a young age.
"It's fine, I know my limits."
Ren Amamiya focused his mind on Persona Siegfried, replying to Raiden Mei without turning his head.
Unlike Gray Serpent, who had clearly shown killing intent towards Ren Amamiya.
The person Siegfried wanted to kill was only Cocolia. Towards Ren Amamiya, he only had pure fighting spirit, no hostility intending to bury Ren Amamiya along with Cocolia.
For the sake of the Kaslana surname, and the fact that Persona Siegfried was very useful, Ren Amamiya decided to stop at a warning, just needing to teach Siegfried a lesson.
Not until Raiden Mei, riding Persona Kurikara, ascended into the air, taking Bronya and Cocolia and rapidly retreating into the distance.
Explosive flames of dark red and deep red erupted from the two An-Utu greatswords, which had been charged to their limits.
The continuously surging, intensely hot flames were like the swords of giants towering in the night sky. The moment their surging momentum reached its peak, they majestically crashed down upon the opposing parties!!
Boom boom boom boom boom----------!!!
The flames of destruction, as if incinerating all things in the world, violently clashed. The terrifying momentum shook the entire city awake. Lights flickered on one after another in the dark city, and the sound of alarms chirped weakly and urgently under the world-ending roar of the heavenly fire.
Cocolia's temporary base was completely wrecked. It could no longer even be called ruins, only a giant crater flowing with deep red lava.
Siegfried collapsed on the ground, looking utterly undignified. His white hair and the stubble on his chin were comically singed. The Honkai beast features on his body visibly receded, and he was forced to revert from the artificial Honkai Eruption state back to his normal appearance.
Although Siegfried in his artificial Honkai Eruption state had high fire resistance, and Ren Amamiya had held back in time, he still suffered quite severe injuries.
Persona Siegfried slowly dissipated into azure fragments in the scorching air, returning to the Kaslana Palace space.
The white spirit bird mask fell back into Ren Amamiya's hand, and he casually put it back on his face.
"You're good... No, it should be me who's good. In the dream, you couldn't beat me by yourself."
Siegfried sat up from the bottom of the scalding crater. After grimacing in some pain, he spoke to Ren Amamiya, who was slowly walking towards him.
"This battle is my victory. Do you have any objections, Siegfried?"
The tip of Jizo Mitama: Etched pressed against Siegfried's neck, drawing a shallow bloody line.
Corrosive power gathered at the tip of the sword.
If Siegfried made the slightest unusual move, Ren Amamiya intended to inject all the corrosive power into his body.
"No problem, you indeed won. I can't beat you anymore. Cocolia is yours to dispose of as you wish... By the way, the thing you stole from my heart as a Phantom Thief, that should be that imposter just now, the other me you call a Persona, right?"
Siegfried raised his hands in surrender very straightforwardly, completely disregarding things like face, and very decisively abandoned the rescue mission Tesla had entrusted to him.
Compared to Cocolia, Siegfried was now most concerned about Ren Amamiya, who called himself a Phantom Thief.
Ren Amamiya had beaten him up in a dream, and subsequently, the destructive impulse born from the side effects of the ICOR Factor in his heart had completely disappeared. He had achieved a long-lost state of mental peace that had eluded him for years.
And Ren Amamiya had thereby obtained new, powerful strength that hadn't been displayed in the dream.
Siegfried could reasonably suspect that the other "him," whom Ren Amamiya called a "Persona," was the embodiment of the destructive impulse stolen from his heart by Ren Amamiya.
With the strength Ren Amamiya currently displayed, if he had wanted to make a move against him, he could have done so long ago. Even now, he could kill him in his weakened state.
But since Ren Amamiya hadn't done so, it meant that Phantom Thief Joker was not Otto's subordinate. Otherwise, Siegfried, being a thorn in Otto's side, would not have gotten off so easily with just injuries and falling to the ground.
"Indeed, you're not some summoned Persona or phantom, but a genuine living person... If you want to understand it that way, it's not wrong."
Through the battle process just now, and his current detailed observation of Siegfried, Ren Amamiya confirmed the reality that Siegfried Kaslana was still very much alive.
He raised an eyebrow in some surprise, then slowly withdrew Jizo Mitama: Etched, which was pointed at Siegfried's throat.
Because he had challenged Siegfried in the Kaslana Palace, and with Kallen Kaslana as a precedent, Ren Amamiya had subconsciously identified Siegfried as a deceased warrior of the Kaslana family.
However, thinking about it carefully, although the Velvet Room's challenge stages included Makoto Yuki, who had lost his life and was hung on the moon as a doorkeeper, it also included living legends like the Steel Siscon Chief [Yu Narukami].
The fact that Siegfried Kaslana was still alive wasn't actually that surprising.
Judging from Siegfried's reaction, Ren Amamiya might have been challenging a summoned Siegfried Shadow in the Kaslana Palace.
And at the end of defeating Siegfried's Shadow, that Shadow was even helped by Kaslana to be subdued as Ren Amamiya's Persona.
Including Siegfried's case, Ren Amamiya had now subdued others' Shadows as his own Personas twice.
Neither Shadow Seele nor Shadow Siegfried had new appearances or gained new names after being subdued by Ren Amamiya as Personas.
Perhaps this was the normal situation when Ren Amamiya subdued the Shadows in others' hearts, rather than others spontaneously transforming their Shadows into Personas.
"Masked kid... Oh no, Phantom Thief Joker, since you can steal the bad things from people's hearts, can I make a request to you? What kind of reward do you need to take action? By the way, do you have other targets you want to steal from after me? If so, I can have the Anti-Entropy doctors add some remuneration to jump the queue..."
After clearly realizing Ren Amamiya's abilities, although Siegfried was injured, his eyes grew increasingly bright and spirited. His mouth chattered like a machine gun, firing a series of questions at Ren Amamiya.
Since Ren Amamiya could steal the destructive impulse born from the ICOR Factor in his heart, then he should also be able to steal the Herrscher of the Void, rooted in Kiana's heart due to the Herrscher Core!
Siegfried naturally also wanted to reunite with Kiana, but his existence would stimulate the reawakening of the Herrscher of the Void's consciousness within Kiana.
The last time the Herrscher of the Void reawakened from Kiana, Siegfried had gambled an arm to seal the Herrscher of the Void's consciousness back.
If Ren Amamiya could steal the Herrscher of the Void's consciousness from Kiana's heart, Siegfried could finally reunite with Kiana.
Having always watched over Kiana as she searched for him all over the world by herself, it was absolutely impossible for Siegfried not to want to see Kiana again.
Therefore, after grasping onto Ren Amamiya, this last hope, Siegfried had no desire to let go.
"A request... I don't have any intention of accepting requests for now. Maybe I'll change my mind in a few days."
Hearing Siegfried mention the word "request," Ren Amamiya hesitated for a moment, then slowly replied to Siegfried.
A strong person like Siegfried, the target whose heart he wanted Ren Amamiya to steal, would undoubtedly be extremely powerful.
If there was a Palace, Ren Amamiya wouldn't mind exploring the target's Palace. But for now, let's put it aside.
While completing the main quest, Ren Amamiya finally had some leeway to carry out side quests and make a name for the Phantom Thieves in the real world.
Turning his head to look at Bronya, who was riding on the back of the crimson dragon Kurikara and rushing over, a gratified look appeared in Ren Amamiya's eyes.
Bronya, being a cyborg girl, must possess outstanding hacking skills. Creating a new Phantom Thief Channel should be a piece of cake.
Ren Amamiya planned to wait until more requests accumulated, then resolve all of them in Mementos in one go.
If Siegfried still wanted to post a request then, let him post it on the Phantom Thief Channel website and become part of Ren Amamiya's achievements in making the Phantom Thieves famous.
"I'm going to be very busy next. One Palace has already been reserved. It's my first time facing an enemy like the Herrscher of the Void. I'll need at least two days for exploration and strategy."