I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"Change the world? No...you're wrong!"

"We... or rather, the phantom thieves, never intended to change the world—"

Hifumi responded righteously and forcefully, showing no weakness in her rebuttal.

"The significance of 'phantom thieves'... has never been just about punishing evil and promoting good, or making people rely on them—phantom thieves also make mistakes, experience setbacks, and fall into confusion... They are just like us, not perfect!"

"What they need... is not our dependence, but the will to resist, to tell us 'to muster the courage and fight on'—"

"If everyone has the courage to bravely face the injustices around them and fight to the end... then the lies and fog of the 'world' will naturally be dispelled!"

Hanako and Koharu, protected behind Hifumi, remained silent.

At this moment, in their eyes, the girl with golden twin ponytails and a black dress dressed as a phantom thief was so "beautiful" and so scorching—like the warm sun melting ice and snow.

Before I knew it, my 'good friend' had grown to this extent...

Hanako felt a pang of emotion, but then suddenly noticed that Koharu was hanging her head, lost in her own thoughts.

The purpose of the phantom thief's existence is not to change the world... but to change oneself, teaching more people the courage to face things directly...

'Now, standing before me... is Hifumi, whom I previously looked down upon, who has already achieved it, and achieved it to the best of her ability...'

'And what about myself, an elite member of the Justice Committee?'

"Heh...you, are you ready...to take that next step...to enlightenment...?"

"Have you awakened to the realization of facing your own inner self?"

Chapter Twenty-Four: I acknowledge the resilience of the Dazhu Sect.

"Heh...you, are you ready...to take that next step...to enlightenment...?"

"Have you awakened to the realization of facing your own inner self?"

The boundaries of time and space are stretched out at this moment.

At this moment, Xiaochun seemed to hear questions that seemed to come from all directions, and also seemed to come from "herself".

A shiver, as if about to tear her soul apart, came from within. The intense pain made the girl instinctively cover her head with her hands, hunch over, and crouch down, curling up to try to fight against the excruciating pain.

'Ugh...!'

Xiaochun experienced double vision and distortion—then, she clearly felt a distorted mass of light and shadow descend before her eyes.

"You, so prone to fantasy... have you ever truly been immersed in that 'butterfly dream'...?"

"If this is a dream...would you be willing to truly wake up?"

"Or... are you becoming addicted to it?"

It hurts...it hurts so much...!

So, the "pain" when awakening the Persona is this intense...?

Xiaochun gritted her teeth and stood up unsteadily.

She instinctively reached for her cheek and touched the butterfly-shaped half-face mask firmly stuck to her face.

I am an elite member of the Justice Committee...

We must be like our predecessors... and have the courage to face ourselves!

"I'm done!"

After screaming, Xiaochun gritted her teeth and ripped the mask off her face with a 'whoosh'!

The gushing 'blood' flowed down from the shadows of his bangs, and just before it dripped from his chin, it transformed into wisps of eerie blue flames.

"Heh... Do you really think you can seize that sliver of opportunity between dream and reality...?"

"Let me find out for myself..."

"You are me, and I am you..."

As the sounds around her gradually changed, the pink-haired girl, still in a daze, subconsciously began to recite softly.

"You are me, and I am you..."

"May you, in the distant future... find the answer you seek!"

With a whoosh, the azure flames burst into flames, transforming into a towering pillar of fire that swirled and coiled around the girl, burning away her clothes and reshaping them into the "phantom thief's outfit" of another world.

High-slit pencil skirts; simple and plain white tops; adorned with gorgeous lace stockings... everything is geared towards the standard of "maturity".

“Psona…”

"Rebecca!"

The surging pillar of flames solidified, transforming into a phantom image of a beautiful young woman wearing a long blue dress themed around butterflies, existing somewhere between reality and illusion.

【Psona - Rebecca (Arcana: The Devil)】

[Introduction: The protagonist of Daphne du Maurier's novel *Rebecca*.]

She died before the story even began, yet she permeated the entire narrative in a unique way.

She is quite mysterious; readers cannot truly and fully understand her emotions, thoughts, and inner world. She deeply influenced and controlled the people of Manderley, ultimately leading to the manor's destruction by fire.

Because this novel was once extremely popular, there are many different interpretations of it.

[Later generations generally believe that the novel's protagonist, Rebecca, is a young girl full of fantasies—though some say she is the perfect and noble mistress of the manor in the eyes of others, but secretly a devil incarnate with a strong desire for control and a chaotic private life.]

'Xiaochun's Persona is actually Rebecca...'

Amamiya, watching from the sidelines, was both curious and somewhat surprised.

I never expected that... the 'complex' Xiaochun would also awaken a 'complex' personality mask.

While Amamiya was still in shock, Haru had already accepted the use of the Persona and learned about the other world.

Surrounded by blue flames, she pointed a finger at Thor, who was about to retaliate.

"Fall into the butterfly dream, Rebecca!"

The mysterious 'Rebecca' chuckled and curtsied, then countless blue morpho butterflies whistled and transformed into wind, wrapping around Thor.

The blue morpho butterfly landed on Thor and disappeared, immediately plunging Thor into a daze and confusion.

'Is it a Persona specializing in abnormal attributes? That's a bit strange... but it does fit the impression Koharu gives off.'

While marveling at the situation, Amamiya didn't forget to analyze the battle.

"Very good... Xiaochun has applied an abnormal status to [Thor] - attacks using [Telekinesis] will be especially effective against enemies afflicted with mental abnormalities!"

"learn……"

Jing let out a soft "heh," then struck a peculiar preparatory pose, as if preparing for a dance, and lifted her mask: "Psona—Juliet!"

A girl with white hair and a colorful dress, exuding a vibrant artistic aura, suddenly appeared.

"Sydane!"

"Podyne: Deals massive psychic damage to one enemy; damage is doubled against enemies with mental abnormalities."

The distorted purple light and shadow coalesced and, in an unbelievable way, focused on Thor's golden helmet. The powerful telekinetic attack instantly twisted the helmet into a pretzel.

Thor was hit hard and seemed to be regaining his senses—however, the blue butterfly reappeared, plunging him back into confusion.

"Butterfly Dream: High probability of inflicting the 'Confused' status on one enemy. Repeats the effect if the enemy is attacked by a psychic-type attack and a TECHNICAL attack is triggered."

"It's not over yet... The rest is up to you, JOK!"

After completing a round of attacks, Akira gracefully retreated, passing by Amamiya's figure.

As Amamiya stepped forward, a golden dragon appeared, coiling around his figure as he moved.

"Psona—Huanglong!"

【Psona - Yellow Dragon (Arcana: The Pope)】

[Introduction: Also known as Yinglong. He is the deity who governs the four seasons and mountains and rivers, and is also a giant god in ancient mythology who is "the one who combines creation, creation, and destruction of the world."]

[Legend has it that this dragon is the most important one in the ancient Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements.]

[He is also associated with the four sacred beasts: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—according to legend, in an array formed by the four sacred beasts, the Yellow Dragon would reside in the center.]

A roaring golden dragon soared into the sky, its crimson eyes brimming with the truth of all things.

"Psychic Wave!"

'Kang—'

The golden dragon roared to the sky, its terrifying spiritual power, as vast as mountains and seas, was concentrated into a single point in an instant, acting as a powerful torsion force that empowered Thor.

"Psycho Force: Deals massive psychic damage to one enemy; damage is doubled against enemies under a mental abnormality status."

boom!

The helmet of "Thor," which had already been twisted beyond recognition, shattered with a 'crack'.

The arrogant Thor was instantly killed by a precise and smooth technical attack.

In a physical sense, it's the kind of instant kill where the head is twisted off.

The giant in the sky crashed down, its figure evaporating into wisps of black dust even before it hit the ground.

Meanwhile, the warhammer named Mjolnir in its hand lost its master's control and crashed down in front of Amamiya and his group with a bang, leaving a noticeable dent on the scale-covered body of the "World Serpent".

After confirming that there were no hostile reactions in the surroundings, Amamiya breathed a sigh of relief and announced the end of the battle.

"...Battle over. Thank you all for your hard work."

After bending down and picking up [Mjolnir], Amamiya immediately went to Haru and checked on her condition.

Perhaps because Xiaochun's awakened Persona is not an offensive Persona, but a Persona that inflicts negative abnormal effects... Xiaochun doesn't seem as tired as other Persona users after awakening their Personas.

Faced with her friends' concern, Xiaochun initially said that she was fine... but soon she became conflicted about her phantom thief outfit.

The little wings on her head fluttered erratically. Xiaochun awkwardly tugged at the hem of her skirt—but realized that the more she tugged, the more she revealed, so she stopped immediately.

"Why is my phantom thief outfit like this... It looks mature, yet so erotic..."

"Woo..."

She wanted to say some more complaints about the 'phantom thief outfit', but... the next second, the "ground" beneath her feet began to tremble.

"You saved me...? 'Guests' from another world."

The 'Mortal Python' slightly shifted its body, raised its battered head, and looked at Amamiya and his group.

"...As expected, it's a 'Trickster,' and..."

The serpent seemed to be in poor condition; before it could finish speaking, its head drooped limply again.

"Thank you for saving me... However, I still need some time to recover..."

"...You should go elsewhere first. Once I have recovered, I will catch up with you as soon as possible and provide assistance during the subsequent 'Ragnarok'."

After weakly reciting its promise, the Mortal Serpent fell silent, seemingly falling into a deep sleep.

Hifumi, who was standing next to Amamiya, jogged over to the dying, enormous serpent head of Jormungandr.

After gently stroking the smooth snake scales, she turned her gaze to Amamiya, who was slowly approaching.

"JOK... Can 'Jormungandr' be restored?"

Arriving unhurriedly beside Hifumi, Amamiya looked up at the giant serpent and replied with a smile, "Don't worry... 'Jormungandr' is, after all, a mortal serpent, its regenerative abilities should be quite astonishing."

Amamiya finally understood why Nagisa, who was the host of tea parties in the real world, became the 'Snake Encircling the Courtyard' in the other world.

Because Jormungandr's regenerative abilities are quite terrifying—

This corresponds to the fact that in Beatrice's "cognition," Nagisa is actually a "leader" with an exaggeratedly high ability to withstand pressure.

The fact that Trinity can withstand pressure to this extent, and still manage to maintain a delicate balance despite Trinity's internal and external troubles, is truly a feat that would surprise even Beatrice, their "enemy."

There is no doubt that Nagisa will definitely recover.