I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Hmm... the "people" here, although their faces are filled with such expressions.

But they seemed more like their eyes were blinded by a fog of lies, and their bodies were controlled by the thorns of despair, forcing out such stiff expressions.

"Eden... the paradise in the classics. A place that doesn't exist, a place that can never be found."

"What's strange is that in this so-called paradise, God did not endow everything He created with wisdom. The happiness that people feel is precisely the happiness of blind folly."

"It was because of the consumption of the 'forbidden fruit' that people gained wisdom—thus they broke the taboo, were driven out of the Garden of Eden by God, and began to use their limited lives to explore the way of life."

As Sera's narration intertwined with ethereal hymns, Amamiya and her companions entered this absurd "city of lies," finding the city's center—a sanctuary that appeared to have completed some kind of ritual.

When Amamiya and his party arrived, they happened to witness the moment when the glory of the dome poured down on Beatrice in front of the altar, bathing her in a divine glow.

"In their finite lives, people experience far too much suffering that contradicts happiness. But through this, they learn a great deal of life philosophy that even God could not grasp—the philosophy of living in the face of suffering. —'Happiness is not about falling into a state of blind, foolish impossibility, but about cultivating a philosophical patience to face and overcome suffering.'"

"So-called happiness is not defined by others—'I think you are happier doing this,' that is simply impossible to explain."

The ethereal chanting of hymns praising "God" around them momentarily drowned out the "Goddess Norn's" long discourse on the philosophy of life.

The lady, who had been kneeling before the altar in the sanctuary, finished her bowed head as if in prayer, and then slowly rose to her feet.

"Heh... so they've come after all."

The floor-length, hip-hugging, backless dress accentuated her tall figure, and under some special "divine" blessing, it seemed to become even more noble, unlike anything she had done before—

"JOK, the leader of the Phantom Thieves... and this bunch of overconfident kids you're leading."

His gaze swept over his companions, lingering briefly on the "Goddess Norren": "...Especially you, who were captured, yet still stubbornly continue to travel with them?"

Faced with the Lady's mockery, "Goddess Norren" responded calmly and humbly: "In the 'fate' I see, there is no clown-like figure like you."

"Therefore, my journey with them was not a gamble on an 'unpredictable' and unfortunate fate, but rather a witness to the predetermined ending—to see you off on your final journey."

Amamiya: "..."

To be fair, Saintia is quite good at "role-playing".

It's truly remarkable that she can always perfectly fit the character's persona without making any mistakes, and even retaliate in such a unique way of "insulting without using profanity."

"Heh...is that so?"

The lady scoffed dismissively: "You can't see your future fate... or perhaps, all of you will perish here today."

She reached out, and a magnificent and dazzling "laurel wreath," seemingly woven from some kind of olive branch yet studded with black thorns symbolizing despair, descended from the dome and slowly floated into her hand.

"You...you want to take 'this' from me, right?"

Playing with the exquisite laurel wreath in her hand, the [Madam] smiled knowingly, looking at Amamiya: 'You phantom thieves... seem to call it 'Secret Treasure'?'

The moment she donned the crown, Beatrice's floor-length skirt transformed into pale tentacles that pierced the floor tiles, and her body swelled and mutated like a malignant tumor. Her voice, too, gradually became distorted amidst this expansion and mutation.

"If you want it... come and take it yourself."

"But... how can you, so lowly as you, possibly defeat me... now that I have gained 'assistance'?"

"Get ready... let's begin."

Amamiya drew the [Spear of Ten Thousand Demons] pistol and the [Paradise Lost] dagger, solemnly assuming a fighting stance.

[Cognitive Existence: Color, Ascended One, False God, Beatrice]

[Initial Level: 99]

[Prototype Introduction: Beatrice, the guide to Paradise in Divine Comedy.]

However, she is now utterly unworthy of this sacred name.

[By eroding reality with lies, we plunge everyone into endless suspicion and conflict; by controlling the region with despair, we leave the future of its inhabitants utterly bleak.]

"False God..."

Hifumi, who was traveling with her, took a deep breath—this was the first time she had ever seen such a powerful "master of the hall".

You see… the [Shadow Sun God Ra] I saw in Abydos last time, despite being called a 'god,' didn't exude nearly as much pressure as the one I'm seeing now from Beatrice—

Jing flicked her cat ears, and with a hint of annoyance at Beatrice's current appearance, she clicked her tongue lightly: "Is this the kind of enemy the 'phantom thieves' have to face... How troublesome."

Zi bowed slightly, the crowbar in her hand glistening with frost, and the white hair flowing behind her ignited with a ghostly blue flame.

Now that things have come to this, she is no longer confused.

"Right here—I'll defeat you."

Let's settle this once and for all!

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Original Sin of Wisdom

Meanwhile... outside the [Foggy City Rose] Palace.

Sofia stood on the scorched earth of thorns, solidified by resentment, and made one last adjustment to the [Goddess of Wisdom] pistol given to her by Yuriko before officially setting off.

The eager and ready AI girl finally confirmed, "Seniors, are you ready?"

After receiving unanimous approval, Sofia distributed two special Persona Summoners to Akiko and Hiyori.

“JOK told me… this gun is called [False Sin Creation], and it was specially prepared for Azuko. And the other gun is called [Final Sin Remnant].

The familiar feeling they got when they first held it, as if it were meant for them, and the perfect fit, left both Akiko and Hiyori slightly dazed.

"So……"

The AI ​​girl turned around, put on her unique hood, and held a revolver called "Goddess of Wisdom" in each hand: "...Everyone, follow me!"

Without hesitation, Saori and her group followed Sofia, who resolutely rushed forward to clear the way, in a small team formation.

Even "outsiders" who helped them were working so hard for their future.

As the parties involved, what reason do we have to have even the slightest doubt or back down?

"Keep your spirits up, seniors! Leave the road ahead to me!"

As the AI ​​girl spoke, she leaped high into the air, and a ghostly blue flame gathered behind her, transforming into a woman with Pandora's Box on her head.

"Psona—Pandora!"

At this moment, Saori and her group felt a special emotion surging and rippled within them.

Pure white and blazing, it is called "Hope".

"...The Box of Hope!"

Legend has it that Pandora opened the box, unleashing all sorts of malice, and then, due to fear and retreat, she locked the hope that she hadn't had a chance to release back into the box.

Pandora's box has since become a metaphor for "the source of all evil" or "the origin of all calamities."

However—people seem to have forgotten.

Her box truly held genuine hope.

'I remember telling you—I am not a heartless person;'

I also told you:

'I am no longer an illusion—I am already within reach.'

A blazing white flame surged up, instantly melting away the black thorns woven by despair that blocked their path, just as ice and snow had melted away.

"Pandora's box: Deals massive damage with the Blessed attribute to all enemies. Deals double damage and always crits to enemies under the mental status effects of 'Despair' or 'Fear'."

"Charge! Seniors!"

Despite being the 'senior', the AI ​​girl unleashed a wide-range area-of-effect magic attack while cheering on Saori and her group from the perspective of their juniors in a lively and energetic tone.

While finding it slightly amusing, Saori felt a deeper sense of warmth that inexplicably brought tears to her eyes.

As the team leader, she quickly instructed the three people behind her: "Let's speed up."

'Now, we present—'

'What we've rediscovered is that fragment called "truth."'

'And the path that will burn down your despairing rose garden.'

'Now, our wheel of fortune turns before you once more—'

'It's time to take everything back!'

As Sophia continued to burn the thorns, Saori and her group ventured deep into the underground labyrinth and quickly broke through layers of blockades, eventually reaching the end of the labyrinth—the path to "Eden's City".

After a brief pause, the four of them formed a formation and entered the teleportation vortex leading to the City of Eden.

The scene before my eyes distorted, then changed... into a bizarre paradise that sent chills down my spine.

Saori had no time to pay attention to the surrounding scene; she quickly locked onto the distance between herself and the 'treasure'.

Following that subtle feeling, Saori looked over... and then she was shocked to find that the "sun" in the sky was being bound, squeezed, and drained of energy by "tree roots" that were mainly white with blood-red patterns.

That familiar red and white color scheme is very familiar to Saori.

"Beatelice...!!"

After gritting her teeth and whispering the name, Saori and her group headed towards the direction of the 'sun'.

Soon, the group arrived under the sun and saw the true nature of the Palace Treasure.

This item looks like the badge of the student council president of the Arius branch campus.

As Saori and her group touched the warning line, they immediately felt an earth-shaking sensation.

Beatrice's "roots" seemed to tighten even more, and then several "roots" broke off on their own, wriggling on the ground and transforming into the humanoid form of Beatrice.

"...Insignificant traitors. Today, you will perish along with that laughable 'phantom thief'..."

As her echoing, mystical voice rang out, Saori and her group instantly felt an unparalleled pressure bearing down on them.

At the same time, Saori noticed that a light screen appeared behind Beatrice, showing the actions of Amamiya and her group on the other side in real time.

Clearly... this was a little trick Beatrice used to put psychological pressure on him.

But resorting to underhanded tactics only reveals Beatrice's lack of confidence—if she were truly powerful enough, why didn't she just crush them?

That way, she wouldn't have to say anything pointless, nor would she have to go to great lengths to disrupt her group's thoughts and beliefs by broadcasting footage of the other side of the action in real time.

Saori showed no fear, pressing the [Saint of Atonement] against her temple, her eyes blazing with azure flames.

Whether it's laughable or not, let those who come after the event judge it.

"Psona—Longinus!"

A saint, clad in a monk's robe and wielding the Spear of Destiny, appeared amidst eerie blue flames. Holding the holy spear, he pitifully resisted Beatrice's sneak attack with the 'root' whip.

At this moment, Saori was calmer than ever before.

She knew very well... they currently lacked JOK's tactical guidance.

Sofia, who was traveling with them, couldn't offer much help either.

...After all, this is a matter for their own Arios squad.

You have to figure out the solution yourself...

The future must be created by ourselves.

Right now... the opportunity to reverse fate and cut through the thorns is just around the corner.

What should I do...?

"Princess!"

Saori called out to the purple-haired girl wearing a hood from afar.

Akiko glanced sideways and exchanged a look with Saori in an instant.

The familiarity that came with working together made her instantly understand what to do next.

Setting aside her rifle, the girl pulled a pistol from her tactical chest leash.

This may seem like a "long-distance" approach, but it is not.

This "pistol" is named "The Sin of Counterfeits".

A literal "divine spear" refined from the divine body of the great creator [Yaldabait] of Gnosticism.

Besides being able to unleash tremendous destructive power instantly, it can also be used to summon Personas.

The girl pressed the "Sin of Counterfeits" against her brow and slowly closed her eyes.