"The Herrscher of Reason's Core... ah." Dr. Tesla's startled shriek was alarming, but the keywords she mentioned thoroughly unraveled the lingering sense of déjà vu that had been tangling Ren Amamiya's thoughts.
Ren's eyebrows arched in sudden realization.
He finally remembered where he had seen the blue-haired youth from Mementos. It was at Chiba Academy. A madman calling himself the Herrscher of Reason, leading a troop of Titan mechs, had attempted to capture Raiden Mei. Ren had summoned Persona Siegfried and, with a single Judgment of Shamash - Unleashed, completely vaporized him.
It was later revealed that this self-proclaimed Herrscher of Reason was merely a clone created by Cocolia using the real Herrscher of Reason's genes. According to Cocolia, the originator of this scheme, the Herrscher of Reason clones were complete failures, only usable as pure consumables.
Not only did these clones have severe lifespan defects, but they were also difficult to control, and most crucially, their power was far inferior to the true Herrscher of Reason.
The blue-haired youth Ren encountered in Mementos today had the exact same face as the Herrscher of Reason clones. However, this youth, called Joyce, had a very gentle and harmless temperament, completely opposite to the clones' extreme arrogance.
Therefore, even though Joyce and the clones shared an identical face, Ren hadn't immediately connected the two. Since Cocolia could create Herrscher of Reason clones, it wasn't surprising that Anti-Entropy had intricate ties with the Herrscher of Reason.
However, there was one more point that puzzled Ren...
"If the place I inadvertently entered was the Herrscher of Reason's Palace, then you shouldn't be its true ruler. That blue-haired youth named Joyce is the true master of the Herrscher of Reason's Palace." Ren steepled his fingers, slowly addressing Welt.
"The true master of the Herrscher of Reason's Palace is Welt Joyce. This doesn't conflict with the fact that I am its current master..." Welt Yang's expression didn't waver in the slightest at Ren's words. His voice was heavy and firm as he gave his answer.
"I inherited the name Welt, inherited the position of Anti-Entropy Sovereign, and inherited the power of the Herrscher of Reason. I took over this burden, capable of saving the world, from Joyce." As Welt slowly opened his palm upwards, a small, deep, and profound black hole flickered into existence in his palm.
Welt Yang demonstrated his true identity as the Herrscher of Reason to Ren using the Star of Eden's authority to manipulate gravity.
"I see. That is indeed the ability of the Herrscher of Reason." Ren nodded slightly, tentatively acknowledging Welt's identity as the successor to the Herrscher of Reason.
Although he was surprised and intrigued by a human inheriting the Herrscher of Reason's identity and power, Ren, of course, wouldn't reveal his true thoughts in front of strangers like Welt and Tesla.
He maintained a calm and unruffled demeanor on the surface.
"Joyce's will still resides within the Herrscher of Reason's Core. I've known this for a long time, but I simply couldn't meet with Joyce's will using my own power..." Welt Yang adjusted the black-rimmed glasses on his nose. While waiting for a reply, he intently observed the subtle changes in Ren's expression.
"When you were in the Herrscher of Reason's Palace, did Joyce say anything to you?"
As the true Herrscher of Reason, Welt Joyce's own opinion was undoubtedly of utmost importance. If Joyce had fought Ren, Welt Yang would inevitably need to reclaim the stolen Herrscher Core fragments.
"He said nothing. He just silently acted as a navigator, leading me to where the others were, allowing us to collect those Treasure fragments." Ren replied truthfully to Welt Yang.
Welt stared at Ren for a long time, finally confirming he wasn't lying... Joyce, the true master of the Herrscher of Reason's Core, had indeed allowed Ren to steal a portion of its authority.
Since Joyce's will served as an endorsement, Welt temporarily suppressed the thought of reclaiming the stolen Herrscher Core fragments, intending to observe Ren and Bronya for a while longer.
If the Phantom Thieves proved to be of sufficiently good character and were willing to fight the Honkai to save the world, Welt would also be willing to share the Herrscher of Reason's authority with them, his fellow travelers on the path to salvation.
If only I could communicate directly with Joyce's will... A sense of helplessness and loss welled up in Welt Yang's heart. He had once inscribed his own will into the Herrscher of Reason's Core, but that was a desperate act undertaken when his physical body was destroyed.
Even if Welt were to replicate that past operation now, it would be difficult to regain the favor of miracles and fate; a successful suicide was the most probable outcome.
If he could so easily project his will into the Herrscher of Reason's Core, Welt Yang wouldn't be feeling so uneasy, watching Ren and Bronya brazenly steal an increasing number of Core fragments from the Palace while he could only sit restlessly in the real world, feeling utterly powerless.
"The Anti-Entropy Sovereign personally visiting Nagazora City should be to pass judgment on Cocolia, the rebellious acting Sovereign..." Ren glanced at Cocolia, who was cowering like a quail in the corner of the sofa.
"I know she has committed unforgivable sins. Even if I changed her heart, Cocolia's crimes will not be erased because of it." He then made a proposal to Welt Yang, who seemed to have suddenly fallen into deep thought.
"However, for various reasons, our Phantom Thieves have decided to spare Cocolia's life for the time being... It may be somewhat despicable, but if you want the Treasure fragments, then let's trade them for the authority to deal with Cocolia."
Cocolia was, after all, Seele and Bronya's adoptive mother. This status served as her natural "get out of jail free" card. Cocolia could suffer any miserable punishment; even if she were imprisoned, Seele and Bronya would wholeheartedly agree. But her life should receive basic protection.
Considering the mess Cocolia had made, there was no way the Anti-Entropy Sovereign would forgive her.
Let alone the Sovereign, the victim of her backstabbing, even Ren, the righteous Phantom Thief who got caught in the crossfire, had considered eliminating Cocolia on the spot, only abandoning the thought due to Seele and Bronya's stance.
Welt Yang clearly didn't need to care about Seele and Bronya's feelings. To get Welt to hand over the authority to deal with Cocolia, Ren could only use the Herrscher of Reason Core fragments, which already belonged to Welt, as a bargaining chip.
"Agreed." Welt nodded without hesitation in response to Ren's request. "I have already stripped Cocolia of all her rights and status within Anti-Entropy. She is now merely your prisoner. You can do anything you want with her... After all, your method of changing hearts is truly outstanding."
Before Ren returned to the Raiden residence, Welt had already negotiated with Cocolia, accompanied by Raiden Mei. As Anti-Entropy's acting Sovereign and the leader of the reformist faction, this cunning vixen had deeply entrenched her influence within the colossal organization.
Even with Welt Yang, the true Sovereign, returning, it would have taken considerable effort to completely uproot Cocolia's hidden tendrils within Anti-Entropy.
However, during the actual negotiation with Cocolia, Welt Yang was utterly astonished by her docile behavior. Cocolia expressed incredibly sincere remorse and self-blame during their conversation. The original Cocolia was so cold and ruthless, with a fanatical obsession with power she wouldn't relinquish even in death.
Yet, after having her heart changed by Joker, Cocolia proactively cooperated with Welt to dismantle her hidden networks within Anti-Entropy, completely surrendering her remaining influence and authority in the organization.
This behavior, completely out of character for Cocolia, even made Tesla suspect that the Cocolia in the Raiden residence wasn't the real one, that Raiden Mei had simply found someone to impersonate her and fool them.
Only after Cocolia demonstrated her familiarity with Anti-Entropy did Tesla reluctantly accept the shocking reality of Cocolia's complete reformation, clutching her head in disbelief.
Cocolia's status within Anti-Entropy meant Welt Yang couldn't just kill her on the spot in Nagazora City. He would have needed to take her back to Anti-Entropy headquarters, imprison her, and find ways to diminish her remaining influence before finally executing her.
Ren Amamiya, by genuinely changing Cocolia's heart, had saved Welt Yang a very tedious and troublesome process. Moreover, Ren didn't seem inclined to forgive Cocolia either, keeping her under house arrest at the Raiden residence.
Since that was the case, Welt Yang, having recognized the power of "reformation", could only nod in agreement to Ren's terms, internally marveling at the terrifying capabilities of the Phantom Thieves.
Realizing Ren had successfully persuaded the Anti-Entropy Sovereign to spare Cocolia's life, Bronya, standing behind the sofa where Ren sat, showed a subtle, almost imperceptible easing of tension on her cool, delicate face.
"And about Kiana, Mr. Welt, you promised me before... After meeting Ren, you would tell us everything about Kiana!!" After the issues of the Herrscher of Reason's Core fragments and Cocolia's punishment were resolved, Raiden Mei, who had been listening to the conversation between Ren and Welt Yang, finally couldn't help but interject, urging Welt Yang to fulfill his earlier promise.
"You want to know about Kiana Kaslana, huh... Asking us this question, you've really come to the right people. Besides us, there's basically no one else in this world who knows Kiana's true identity and her current situation." Dr. Tesla bit into a red apple she had found in the kitchen, leaning back casually in her chair as she commented to Raiden Mei, who was eager for an answer.
"To be honest, for you to target the Herrscher of the Void even before Siegfried gave you the request, and to have noticed the abnormality in Kiana, your Phantom Thieves group really has some skills."
"The Kiana Kaslana you know is not actually the real Kiana. She is a Kiana clone created using the genes of Kiana and the Herrscher of the Void—named K423."