Nagazora City. In the top-floor room of a five-star hotel closest to the Raiden residence.
The Schicksal S-Rank Valkyrie, Rita Rossweisse, was currently communicating with the Supreme Overseer of Schicksal, Otto Apocalypse, via a dedicated secure channel.
"It's confirmed that Ren Amamiya and Raiden Mei have returned from the Imaginary Space. Ren Amamiya just invited Rita to the Raiden residence to provide a relaxing massage service. This should be a good opportunity for Rita to successfully retrieve the Soulium bracelet left behind... Does the Overseer have any further instructions for Rita?"
Gazing at the image of Overseer Otto on the virtual screen before her, Rita, dressed in her maid uniform, offered a gentle smile. Her tone was deliberate and measured as she sought confirmation from Otto, who was far away at Schicksal HQ.
[That Soulium bracelet...] Otto's voice came through the screen. [The bracelet itself isn't important. Retrieve it if you can, but if not, gifting it to Ren Amamiya as a small present is also acceptable.]
Even for the immensely wealthy Schicksal organization, Soulium was an absolutely scarce and precious material. Yet, judging by Otto's current attitude, if Ren Amamiya recognized the bracelet's value and wished to keep it, Otto seemed perfectly willing to casually give the Soulium away.
As the Supreme Overseer of Schicksal, Otto commanded astonishing wealth, but he wasn't typically stingy with resources or money. However, his generosity was usually directed towards larger entities, like the Immortal Blades squad or Schicksal's secret research labs. Only rarely did his magnanimity extend to specific individuals—such as his beloved granddaughter Theresa, or Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie, Durandal.
Aside from those two, Rita, having followed Otto for many years, had never seen him show such attentiveness and generosity towards an outsider.
"Overseer, there is something Rita doesn't quite understand..." Rita began, her curiosity piqued. "Why did Ren Amamiya create that Phantom Thieves Channel website, fulfilling requests left by the public for free? Aside from fame and discussion, he logically shouldn't gain anything from doing so."
The high-end hotel Rita rented was very close to the Raiden residence. Although she had already received the call from Ren, arriving too early might seem suspicious. Thus, Rita took this opportunity to pose her question to Otto on the other end of the virtual screen.
"Furthermore, Ren Amamiya didn't make direct contact with the targets in the real world. He remained within the battlefield of the Imaginary Space [Mementos] the entire time. Logically, he shouldn't be able to interfere with the real world from there. Yet, not only did he achieve this, he even managed to alter the minds and consciousness of those targets with extreme precision."
While Rita was curious about Ren's motives for the website, what intrigued her most was his method of changing people's hearts in the real world while operating within Mementos. No matter how she thought about it, Rita couldn't comprehend Ren's technique; the more she pondered, the more puzzled she became. Besides Ren Amamiya himself, the only person likely capable of resolving her confusion was the Schicksal Overseer she was currently speaking with.
[Gaining nothing besides fame and discussion...] Otto mused on the virtual screen. After a moment's thought, he promptly provided the answer Rita hoped for. [Perhaps those seemingly insignificant things are precisely what Ren Amamiya truly desires.]
[Ren Amamiya is a survivor from the Previous-Previous Era. In his time, the Imaginary Space was referred to as Mementos. And the imaginary creatures living within it... Ren Amamiya calls them Shadows.]
[Everyone possesses fragments of Stigmata genes within them. Some have gene fragments complete enough to manifest the Stigmata's power, while others have fragments so broken they might as well not exist... An awakened Stigmata user, one possessing its power, develops another self within their heart—that is the Stigmata consciousness, born for battle.]
[Stigmata are technological products created to modify humanity and overcome the Honkai. Therefore, the Stigmata consciousness inherently leans towards negative emotions like killing intent and resentment. Unlike the native Shadows of Mementos, the people of the Previous-Previous Era referred to these untamed Stigmata consciousnesses as human Shadows.]
[And those who gain the acknowledgment of their own Stigmata's will, fully unlocking their potential, are designated as Persona users. The personal Shadow that cooperates and fights alongside the Persona user is then called a Persona, no longer a dangerous Shadow threatening the user themselves... This was the Previous-Previous Era's method of combating the Honkai.]
Rita was an absolutely trusted confidante. Thus, upon seeing her curiosity about Ren, Otto didn't hesitate to share this top-secret, exclusive intelligence. Observing the thoughtful expression on Rita's delicate face, Otto, back at Schicksal's floating island HQ, allowed a faint smile to grace his lips. He idly toyed with the small golden box the Immortal Blades had returned, continuing cheerfully to Rita:
"The connection between the Stigmata consciousness and the individual is extremely intimate. The Stigma records all the information and memories of the real-world counterpart; calling it another self isn't an exaggeration at all. Without the ability to subdue the Stigmata consciousness, an awakened user even risks having their body forcibly taken over... And Ren Amamiya exploits precisely this connection."
After the Immortal Blades delivered Void Archives back to Schicksal HQ, Otto had eagerly used it to verify the information obtained from Ren. Otto used Void Archives, mimicking Fenghuang Down, to intrude upon Ren's dreams. As the tool being used, Void Archives naturally witnessed the exchange between Otto and Ren in the dreamscape.
When Otto later sought verification from Void Archives in its library, it chose a noncommittal stance.
Having tormented each other for five hundred years, Otto knew his old partner's personality like the back of his hand. The fragmented information grasped previously, the answers Ren provided in the dream, and the tacit confirmation from the knowledgeable Void Archives—piecing it all together, Otto finally confirmed the true authority of the Herrscher of Finality.
To defeat the Herrscher of Finality and usurp her terrifying authority over time and cycles, Otto decided to wholeheartedly support Ren's development, assisting his 'ally's' evolution... although Ren himself had no idea when he had become Otto's ally.
Thanks to his wisdom and knowledge far exceeding the current era, Otto could easily discern the methods Ren used to make people repent. However, due to insufficient information, Otto still couldn't deduce Ren's ultimate goal for creating the Phantom Thieves Channel website. But even without knowing Ren's true purpose, it didn't matter. Otto simply needed to support Ren silently from behind the scenes.
Using hacking techniques for viral marketing could only make the Phantom Thieves Channel popular for a short time. A year at most, perhaps only a month or two, before the public lost interest and forgot about it. But with Schicksal's backing and endorsement, maintaining the channel's popularity, funneling a significant portion of global traffic to the site year after year—that would be trivially easy for Otto.
Otto's only real concern was whether the website could handle the immense traffic without collapsing, causing the programmers responsible for its maintenance to die from overwork.
"You mean to say, Ren Amamiya relies on his ability to enter Mementos, interfering with the target's Shadow, thereby causing the target in the real world to repent..." Rita murmured, gently stroking her lip with a white-gloved finger. Understanding dawned in her eyes.
"Since the Stigmata consciousness and the individual are so closely linked, even capable of forcibly taking over the real body, then using the Stigma's power to impose psychological suggestions and commands on people in the real world... that isn't entirely incomprehensible."
Having grasped the method Ren used to change hearts from Mementos, Rita's brow furrowed slightly again. "Everyone has a Shadow within them, but not everyone possesses the ability to enter Mementos. If a Schicksal Valkyrie were targeted in this manner, how could she possibly counterattack?"
The more complete a person's Stigmata genes, the more normal and intelligent their Shadow in Mementos would be.
Conversely, those with fragmented or scarce Stigmata genes would have Shadows as dull and robotic as machines. Most Schicksal Valkyries had undergone artificial Stigmata implantation; presumably, their Shadows in Mementos wouldn't be as helpless as those of ordinary people.
But Ren Amamiya's strength was terrifyingly potent, ranking among the very top even within the entire Schicksal organization.
Even Rita herself, an S-Rank Valkyrie, doubted she could win against Ren in a sudden encounter without sufficient support and strategy. The only one likely capable of defeating Ren in a head-on fight was perhaps Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie, Durandal.
This undetectable mental and conscious attack was truly chilling.
"Don't worry about the mind-altering aspect. Judging by Ren Amamiya's style, he likely won't target good people... Valkyries, who fight for all that is beautiful in the world, would absolutely not be seen as villains needing repentance in Phantom Thief Joker's eyes," Otto waved dismissively.
Though he said this, Otto wasn't actually concerned whether Ren reformed Valkyries or not. Altering minds and consciousness wasn't limited to making Shadows repent in Mementos.
As long as power remained firmly in Otto's hands, no matter which Valkyrie had her heart stolen by Ren, Otto was confident he could maintain control... except for Durandal.
Durandal was the very personification of strength.
Otto, having orchestrated Durandal's creation, knew better than anyone her unreasonably immense power. But Durandal would certainly not have her heart stolen by Ren. It wasn't just her physical prowess; Otto hadn't neglected her mental fortitude during her upbringing.
Her iron will, forged through countless trials, combined with the Holy Blade Durandal, Sumeru Mustard, and her World Bubble abilities, made it impossible for her mind to be altered by external forces.
"Durandal misses you dearly lately. Once your replacement arrives in Nagazora City, Rita, return to Schicksal HQ for a while... Before the handover, be sure to observe K-423's condition. It's best to prevent Ren Amamiya from making contact with K-423, lest he steals the Herrscher of the Void core from her body, just as he stole the Gem of Conquest from Raiden Mei." Otto leaned back slightly in his chair, casually crossing his legs as he issued the command to Rita on the screen.
Through his informants in Nagazora City, Otto knew Siegfried and Ren had met. And by spying on Ren's dreams, Otto had gleaned many fragmented pieces of information, confirming that Ren had indeed extracted the Gem of Conquest from Raiden Mei.
Since Ren could steal the Gem of Conquest from Mei, he could naturally employ the same method to silently remove the Herrscher of the Void core from the K-423 test subject.
To prevent his 'Plan A' (Ren) from potentially disrupting his 'Plan B' (Kiana/HoFi), Otto decided to find ways to keep Ren away from K-423.
Considering Ren might not have removed Mei's Gem in the real world, but rather transferred the Herrscher core to himself within Mementos, Otto decided he needed to control their contact not just in reality, but also take precautions regarding Mementos.
Ideally, he needed to insert an insider into Ren's Phantom Thieves group.
Someone who looked trustworthy, possessed the mental fortitude to resist reformation, could move freely in the Imaginary Space for extended periods, wasn't a Persona user but could convincingly pretend to be one...
Putting all these factors together... Who better suited for the role of the Phantom Thieves' insider than his old friend, the Phoenix?