The emerald tornado completely trapped the blade-armed demon Shadow within its eye.
Like a tattered rag being violently tossed in a high-powered washing machine, her form spun chaotically and wretchedly, her massive body becoming riddled with wounds from the constant barrage of wind blades slicing within the vortex.
In mere moments, as the Garudyne tornado subsided, the blade-armed demon Shadow crashed heavily onto the ground with a thud. Her injuries were so severe that her fearsome demonic form began to visibly shrink, rapidly reverting to the harmless-looking white-haired little nun from before.
After being forcefully defeated by Ren Amamiya and the others, the white-haired little nun, who had been silent like a feral beast, finally seemed to have a miraculous recovery. She started exhibiting reactions appropriate for her apparent age, even becoming capable of speaking properly.
"Where am I? What happened??—Ouch ouch ouch ouch!!!"
Theresa Apocalypse blinked blankly, surveying her surroundings. Finding herself in an unfamiliar environment, her face scrunched up in a puzzled expression, full of questions. Realizing she was kneeling, Theresa tried to stand up.
However, the moment she moved, waves of intense pain shot through her entire body, as if she'd been thoroughly beaten. The sharp pangs made her knees buckle violently, and she collapsed back onto the cold ground with an expression of existential doubt.
Tears welled up in her sapphire-blue eyes from the severe tearing wounds all over her body; she almost burst into tears from the pain.
As a veteran Schicksal S-Rank Valkyrie seasoned through countless brutal battles, Theresa had suffered injuries far worse than this frequently, almost as a matter of course. Normally, she wouldn't shed tears over this level of pain... normally meaning on a battlefield.
Theresa distinctly remembered being in her office just moments ago, sipping bitter melon juice while happily reading the latest issue of the Great HOMU Manga. How did she, in just the blink of an eye, as if time had been stolen from her, abruptly appear in this strange place, covered in wounds?!
"Hmm, some memories seem to be surfacing... Who are you people? Why did you attack me?"
As Theresa wracked her brain, trying to recall what happened, memory fragments, hazy like dream sequences, naturally surfaced in her mind. Heavily injured and on the ground, Theresa shifted her small body with difficulty, turning to face Ren Amamiya and the others standing behind her. Her blue eyes, still glistening slightly with tears, fixed on them as she demanded answers from the suspicious-looking group.
"We are the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, and I am the leader of the Phantom Thieves—Phantom Thief Joker."
The white-haired nun Shadow had completely lost the ability to resist. With a mere thought from Ren, the golden clock of the Norns vanished from the sky above. Ethereal blue flames flickered over Ren's face, solidifying into a pure white bird mask that concealed his features. Ren tucked his hands into the pockets of his black phantom attire and introduced himself to Theresa.
Although a Shadow's memories in Mementos weren't directly linked to their real-world counterpart's consciousness, actions taken against the Shadow could still influence the real person.
By revealing the name "Phantom Thief Joker" to this little nun Shadow, the real Theresa wouldn't directly know Ren reformed her, but she would feel a strong, subconscious sense of familiarity or importance upon hearing the name mentioned by others.
If the little nun talked about her suspected reformation experience in the real world, she would essentially be acting as a living advertisement for Ren, helping to build recognition for Phantom Thief Joker. And that was exactly what Ren wanted.
"Rather than us attacking you, it's more accurate to say you attacked us," Ren continued, now curious about why this little nun Shadow had suddenly attacked them so ferociously. "The moment we met, you attacked us immediately without a word."
"Ah, well, that seems right..." Theresa murmured, scratching her head vaguely as she sifted through her hazy memories. She embarrassedly realized that she might have indeed been the one to attack first. "Sorry about that... I don't know what came over me. It felt like I hadn't eaten in ages, and then suddenly saw a huge feast laid out before me... I completely lost control and just charged..."
"I see. So it was because I possess Persona Kosma..." Ren nodded in understanding upon hearing Theresa's slightly awkward explanation. Then, nonchalantly, he added words that made Theresa's body stiffen instantly, "...Indeed, you look quite delicious too."
After acquiring Persona Kosma, Ren often sensed an alluring food-like aroma emanating from Shadows he encountered. He could even gauge their strength based on how tempting the 'food' seemed.
However, the one truly tempted by the Shadow 'aroma' wasn't Ren himself, but Persona Kosma residing within his heart. Therefore, no matter how strong the scent, Ren's own rationality remained unshaken; he merely gained a peculiar ability to assess enemy strength via smell.
The little white-haired nun and Kosma were clearly the same type of Shadow.
And as is well known, if a Persona user acquires another Persona of the same type as one they already possess, the two merge and upgrade. Perhaps the little nun Shadow had sensed the presence of Persona Kosma within Ren and instinctively attacked, driven by the urge to devour Kosma and level up.
[Kosma, if you encountered a wild Shadow while hungry, would you lose control? What about encountering a Shadow of the exact same type as you?]
Ren silently called out to Kosma within his heart, seeking confirmation. Persona Kosma resided within Ren's mind; verifying his hypothesis was straightforward.
[...]
Kosma, far away in the Elysian Realm, couldn't see the battles Ren experienced through his eyes.
After receiving Ren's question, he remained silent for a long moment, his thoughts racing like a storm. Just as Ren began to wonder if Kosma hadn't heard and was about to repeat the question, Persona Kosma finally replied in his usual calm tone.
[With ordinary Shadows, there's a chance. If I encountered a Shadow exactly like me while hungry... I might indeed lose control. After all, nothing would be a more compatible source of energy replenishment than another version of myself.]
As a MANTIS of the Previous Era's Fire Moth organization, Kosma's body was fused with Meta-Morph ICHOR derived from the Apocalypse-class Honkai Beast Vishnu.
Vishnu's defining characteristic was devouring—it could consume other Honkai Beasts to grow stronger. Other Honkai Beasts were Vishnu's food.
If deprived of sustenance for too long, Vishnu would grow hungry, weaken, and eventually rampage, attacking any life form possessing energy... especially humans containing Honkai energy.
It was precisely because of this trait that Kosma had been removed from the list of those who would proceed into the Current Era.
Through the contract formed with Ren, although Kosma couldn't visually observe Ren's experiences from the Elysian Realm, the 'scent' associated with [Vishnu] allowed him to smell the enemies Ren encountered.
The scent emanating from the enemy Ren had just defeated strongly triggered Kosma's urge to devour... It was an aura almost identical to his own.
It was likely the Current Era's manifestation of the Honkai Beast Vishnu.
Having received confirmation from Persona Kosma, Ren turned his gaze back to the little white-haired nun Shadow, who seemed somewhat timid now, curled up slightly.
"No need to worry, I won't... ahem," Ren started, noticing the fearful look in her eyes, initially intending to reassure her.
But then he reconsidered, cleared his throat, and instead moved to confirm her identity as the target. "You're the one mentioned on the Phantom Thieves Channel, right? The unscrupulous boss who docks subordinates' pay and uses it all for personal enjoyment?"
"U-Unscrupulous boss?! Me?!" Theresa thought Ren was about to say something terrifying and was frantically preparing a response. But his question left her utterly dumbfounded.
She pointed a small, stubby finger at herself, looking like her world had just tilted. Then she watched as Ren, Raiden Mei, Seele, and Hare all nodded in unison.
"...Slander! This is absolute slander!! This Principal is not some unscrupulous boss exploiting her subordinates!!" Theresa's temples throbbed. For some reason, blood rushed to her head, and as if possessed, she blurted out her true feelings to this stranger, Ren.
"Damn it! So what if I docked Himeko's salary? It was for her own good! Besides, this Principal provides room and board! What's wrong with stopping her from drinking herself sick all day and caring for her health?!"
"All the funds for St. Freya Academy... I had to beg Grandpa... cough! I mean, rack my brains to persuade the Overseer to approve the application! I don't even take a salary myself! I put all the money into building the academy! What's wrong with using a tiny bit for some comics and bitter melon juice?! It was really just a little bit!!"
"Looks like we found the right person," Ren concluded, finally relieved upon seeing the little nun Shadow's flushed face and defensive justifications. He was now certain this seemingly eleven-or-twelve-year-old lolita was indeed his target. Normally, defeated Shadows would immediately submit to the victor's demands for repentance. This little nun's stubbornness was a bit unusual.
Considering her apparent age and her earlier misunderstanding based on instinct, Ren decided to play along. He made a claw shape with his red-gloved left hand, threatening the little nun Shadow. "Treat your subordinate Himeko better. Stop docking her pay... If you keep being harsh towards your subordinates, next time, I'll eat you!"
"Eek!! I-I know, okay!" Theresa flinched violently at Ren's threat, her eyes darting around as she mumbled, "It's true I've been a bit strict with Himeko lately... letting her relax a bit is probably fine..."
Though it was just a tactic to scare a child, Theresa, despite being an adult, felt a deep, instinctive fear from Ren's words, as if her very genes and soul believed Ren would actually devour her whole.
"Good. Give me something as compensation, then you can go." This little girl Shadow was surprisingly easy to handle. Seeing her agree to repent, Ren nodded in satisfaction and made his demand.
Given the power difference between Persona Kosma and this little nun Shadow, absorbing her power likely wouldn't level Kosma up much anyway. As his first official Phantom Thief request, Ren wanted it to be a success, a good start. Forcibly subduing her as a Persona, especially while already possessing Kosma, might lead to unpredictable consequences for the real Theresa.
This young nun had just made some small mistakes during her growth; she had plenty of room for correction. She wasn't some irredeemably evil criminal who had manifested a Palace. Ren didn't want to risk potentially turning her into an incapacitated person.
Therefore, as long as the little nun Shadow dropped some items, Ren planned to let her go.
"Ah? Oh, okay..." Theresa fumbled around in the pockets of her black nun's habit and pulled out a yellow HOMU charm. "This is a limited-edition collectible HOMU charm that came with a manga I bought... You can have it..." she said, handing it over to Ren with a pained, reluctant expression.
"Then, allow me to send you back where you belong." After Ren took the HOMU charm from Theresa, Armored Hare slowly walked forward, raising her hand towards the still bewildered Theresa.
With the rampaging consciousness of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast Vishnu at her core suppressed by Ren, Theresa Apocalypse's own consciousness had briefly surfaced within her Stigma, occupying its surface awareness. Hare bore the heavy responsibility of World Serpent's Stigma Project.
In the current version of the plan, aided by World Serpent, she would invert reality and the Imaginary Sea, swapping the existence of humans and Ideals, allowing humanity to sink peacefully into beautiful dreams, unknowingly drowning completely.
Hare couldn't achieve the grand feat of inverting the entire planet using her own power without equipment and setup. But applying her ability solely to Theresa was more than feasible.
Theresa frowned slightly as Armored Hare approached, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu from Hare's smooth, fair jawline, the only part of her face not covered by the mask. However, before Theresa could pinpoint the source of that familiarity, the purple brilliance intensifying from Armored Hare completely stole her vision.
....
"—Mmph!!"
Hearing the sound of a doorknob turning, Theresa instinctively shot upright from her desk as if awakened by instinct. Though her eyes were still heavy with sleep, her movements were fluid, as if etched into her DNA.
She smoothly snatched the drool-dampened HOMU manga from her desk, shredded it into tiny pieces with lightning speed, and then abruptly stuffed the confetti under her desk.
"Ahem, Himeko? Is something wrong?" Theresa asked, feigning seriousness as her friend Murata Himeko pushed open the door and entered her office.
She discreetly wiped the trace of drool from the corner of her mouth from when she'd unknowingly fallen asleep, trying her best to project the dignity of the Principal as she questioned the sudden intrusion.
"Um, Theresa... my dear Theresa," Himeko began, glancing at a half-shredded piece of HOMU manga clinging to the edge of the desk.
Her mouth twitched slightly, but she pretended not to see it, instead flashing Theresa a fawning smile. "I haven't been paid in three months. See, maybe today you could cut me some slack? I promise I'll only have one drink, absolutely no more!"
"Didn't I tell you already? St. Freya Academy doesn't have the extra funds right now— Mmph? Ah, um..." Theresa's brow furrowed instinctively, about to refuse Himeko's request, but then, as if suddenly remembering something, her firm tone softened, becoming hesitant.
"...It's not impossible," Theresa sighed softly. "Besides, even if I refuse, Himeko, you'll just find ways to borrow money for drinks anyway. Just remember your promise, no getting wasted again." She took out her personal terminal from the drawer and transferred the three months of overdue salary to Himeko's account.
"No way, Theresa, you're being so reasonable today? Did something good happen?!" Himeko stared at the transaction notification on her phone screen, her eyes wide with astonishment.
She had only intended to wear Theresa down as usual and hadn't actually expected to succeed. "What's gotten into you?" she asked incredulously.
"I... I think I had a dream," Theresa said, rubbing her forehead as she recalled the lingering fragments of the dream, her voice uncertain. "I dreamt that a cool-looking young man wearing black clothes and a white mask beat me up with his companions... He also told me to treat my subordinates better and not dock their pay?"
"It's definitely your fault, Himeko!" Theresa suddenly declared, blaming her friend. "Always nagging me about pay! It made me so tired that even my naps turn into nightmares about being beaten up like some evil capitalist!!"
"Serves you right for docking my pay," Himeko retorted without looking up, her eyes glued to her account balance, a grin spreading uncontrollably across her face. "Don't worry, Theresa, you'll definitely sleep well tonight and have sweet dreams," she added casually, already fantasizing about which fine liquors she would buy to celebrate.
"I hope so," Theresa grumbled. "But that young man who beat me up called himself some kind of Phantom Thief. Aren't thieves supposed to secretly steal from rich people? Even if I was an evil capitalist in my nightmare, the ending shouldn't have been me getting beaten up! What kind of thief is that? Such an illogical nightmare..."
Hearing the specifics of Theresa's complaint, Himeko, who had been browsing the dazzling array of alcohol options on her phone and preparing to message her usual bar owner, felt a bead of sweat trickle down her fair forehead.
"Hm? Himeko, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly sweating?" Noticing Himeko's somewhat stiff posture and the sweat forming on her brow, Theresa looked at her quizzically.
"Ahaha, it's nothing!" Himeko forced an awkward smile. "Your office needs some ventilation, Theresa, it feels a bit hot in here... Anyway, I'm going to take a break now, see you later!!" She hastily hid her phone with the newly acquired funds behind her back and fled Theresa's Principal's office as if escaping.
Phantom Thief? Phantom Thief Joker? Could that Phantom Thieves Channel website be real?! Did the Phantom Thieves really make Theresa repent and agree to pay me my docked salary?!
As Himeko escaped the office, she recalled the request she had drunkenly submitted to the Phantom Thieves Channel website as a joke, a sense of absurd astonishment welling up inside her.