I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Amamiya's commentary came at just the right time.

Seeing that gun attacks were ineffective and that explosives were likely to have a significant impact on others... after a brief hesitation, Zi went straight into melee combat.

Instead of using firearms, she gripped a crowbar with both hands and struck the stunned Valkyrie with it.

'哐——'

This primitive "physical holy sword" was surprisingly effective, denting a piece of the Valkyrie's breastplate in one blow.

Seeing this, Hanako decisively followed suit, directly using the two large scissors as two swords, attempting to attack the Valkyrie's neck.

However... the anticipated 'decapitation strike' did not occur.

The Valkyrie's warhorse did indeed suffer obvious injuries, but they were not fatally affected.

Finally, it was Xiaochun's turn—after a brief moment of shyness, Xiaochun, who seemed lost in thought, finally lashed out with her whip sword, her face contorted with disgust.

Thankfully... the expected situation did not occur—the Valkyrie did not appear to be enjoying the attack and express a desire for more.

Jing didn't prepare any melee weapons this time, so she fired two shots as a symbolic gesture.

"Damn it... you bastards... you guys..."

Having been thoroughly beaten and covered in wounds, the Valkyrie spurred her warhorse and let out a venomous roar.

Even though she was already at her last gasp, the Valkyrie still intended to eliminate as many enemies as possible before she died.

Realizing that neither of the two 'Personality Users' were beings she could afford to offend, the Valkyrie decisively set her sights on the remaining students whose Personas had not yet awakened.

The Valkyrie's action caused Hifumi, who was originally planning to shout "Let's finish her off in one fell swoop—" and then announce the general attack order, or to resolve the matter in a 'show time' style, to pause for a moment.

This is a great opportunity for...the awakening of one's persona.

"Alright...you're the target!"

The Valkyrie, supporting her warhorse to her feet, decisively turned her attention to Crystal, the only one who hadn't 'put in the most effort' during the previous round of beatings.

The other three also possessed 'special weapons,' and Valkyrie knew that, being at her limit, she wouldn't stand a chance against the remaining three members of the tutoring department, whose mental energy was completely undiminished.

So... she acted decisively, urging her celestial horse to launch a surprise attack on Jing.

'Has the opportunity... come?'

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Jing Er 0 2 Yi Shan Ling?? Ba??2's "Personality Mask"

"Has the opportunity... come?"

When the Valkyrie, already at her last gasp, launched a surprise attack on her, Jing felt immense humiliation.

She... actually...

They were actually looked down upon by this 'shadow' that exists in another world.

Just as Jing was about to make a move to dodge, she was immediately immobilized by an inexplicable force.

My body felt like it didn't belong to me anymore; it became stiffer than ever before.

The scene reflected in one's eyes is magnified and stretched without limit at this moment.

'Chance……?'

She repeated the only sound she heard in this almost frozen world.

"Ah... an opportunity."

"Now that you've witnessed the beauty of the 'phantom thief,' now that you've experienced such aesthetics... will you continue to hesitate?"

What does a name matter?

"Whatever we call a rose, its fragrance remains just as sweet."

"Hehe... Everything should be done as early as possible, and at just the right time."

"If you don't want to end up like me, lamenting, 'My only love stems from my only hate!'..."

"Why not be more decisive?"

'Om—'

The high-frequency buzzing and the deep whisper of the panoramic surround sound made Jing feel a buzzing in her brain, and it felt as if someone was pulling hard on her 'phantom thief mask' from behind and gradually tightening it.

it hurts……

It feels like it's being torn apart...

"Ugh...!"

Jing swayed and staggered, and it was precisely because of the pain that she managed to dodge the Valkyrie's all-out attack amidst a sea of ​​worried gazes.

"Hehe...that's true."

"Everything was just right, completed early and at the perfect time, completed flawlessly..."

"And the title of 'phantom thief' should not be limited to personal aesthetic pursuits..."

After getting used to the excruciating pain coming from her mind, Jing gritted her teeth, staggered to her feet, and tried to tear her hands off her mask, attempting to remove it.

The first flame ignited and quickly spread like wildfire, enveloping her gloves and extending throughout her body.

At that moment, she 'sense' another version of herself.

At the same time, I also learned everything about myself.

“Psona——!”

With a swish, Jing gritted her teeth and tore off her white mask, skin and blood, revealing her eyes, which were dyed a brilliant gold beneath the mask.

"I am you, and you are me... Juliet!"

Hanako, Haru, and Azusa were all stunned.

They watched in disbelief as the eerie blue flames danced and leaped within arm's reach, surging with joy as if sensing some immense stimulation… and then coalesced into one…

A white-haired, British-style girl wearing an aristocratic dress.

"Not bad...not bad..."

"Only in this way can we find 'Romeo'!"

【Psona - Juliet (Arcana: The Order of Mobs/The Moon)】

[Introduction: The heroine of the famous play "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare.]

Born into a wealthy family, she experienced numerous upheavals in a very short period of time. After a series of events, she ultimately died beside her beloved.

The girl, whose main color is white and whose whole body exudes the artistic atmosphere of 'extreme color', blocked the Valkyrie's dying attack with a few strokes of her brush.

'His clothes seem to have changed too... Has he gone from a "phantom thief" to an "artist"?'

Feeling that her 'space to stretch out' had suddenly increased, she subconsciously looked down at her current attire—well, it was an outfit that was clearly more like a black formal suit, and was relatively...unusual.

Having grown accustomed to wearing tight-fitting clothes, she felt a little uncomfortable...

"Juliet... defeat her!"

Upon receiving the instruction, Juliet raised her hand, and the crimson stain on her dress fell off, transforming into a bright flame.

"Transform into the colors of art and disappear."

Flames licked past, and before the Valkyrie could even let out a scream, she was vaporized into a cloud of black ash.

'Despite possessing the Arcana of "The Moon," it turns out it's not the Arcana of "The Moon" at all, but rather an uncommon fire-attribute magic...'

'I see. Like Lilith of Arcana, she's a Persona capable of learning multiple elemental magic simultaneously?'

Watching Akira's Persona unleash its magic with composure, Amamiya thought to herself that she hadn't misjudged him.

In addition, he once again accurately defined in his mind the two different awakening methods: [awakening with twilight feathers] and [awakening by burning the will to resist].

It seems that... the awakening of the burning will to resist, in its initial awakening, will inevitably involve characters like those in novels (such as Arsène Lupin and Princess Jasmine of Serika), who are widely known in stories and possess a certain spirit of resistance.

Only when the second... that is, the super awakening, is completed will the mask reveal its 'divine' side.

And shooting oneself with a summoner made from twilight feathers... would likely awaken a powerful, divine persona on the first try.

However, almost every time he uses the Persona, it is a considerable test for him—every time he fires a shot, he has to experience 'death'.

These two different ways of awakening... each has its advantages and disadvantages.

The personality mask that awakens the will to resist is initially weak, but it is stable and has great potential for growth.

While Twilight Feathers awaken directly, their initial strength is high, but their development potential is relatively low, and there is a certain risk of them getting out of control.

"Amazing……"

Only after the firelight had completely disappeared did Zi's heavy yet expectant voice ring out.

The three people, Hanako and her companions, who were closer to the scene, saw this exchange and change most clearly—they could clearly feel just how exaggerated the temperature of the 'flame' was at that moment, and they were also able to realize the power of Persona.

Hanako pursed her lips, nodded with a complicated expression, and agreed with Azusa's sentiments.

It is indeed very powerful...

However, as the price of this immense power, the opponents of the Personas are also mostly at this level.

It's even more outrageous than that.

"If only we had such power..."

Xiaochun felt a strange sense of loss.

If I had that kind of power... then I could definitely become an elite member of the Justice Committee, and thus not be relegated to the cram school... I could stand on my own like Hasumi-senpai and Tsurugi-senpai...

"call……"

Jing staggered for a moment, then steadied herself and let out a long sigh of relief.

As the person involved, only she knows how painful the moment of awakening her Persona was, and how weak and vulnerable she was afterward.

The level of physical exertion was comparable to breaking out of prison in one go, robbing... no, 'stealing' a nearby museum, and then finding a hiding place for oneself.

The last time Jing was this exhausted was when she spent two or three days in a battle of wits with the Valkyrie police department and successfully stole a precious treasure.

Of course, this was also the last time she felt most accomplished.

"Are you okay?"

Amamiya went over and helped the swaying 'Cat Phantom Thief' up, while also casting a [Diarra] spell on her.

After cleaning up her spoils, Hifumi also came over and expressed her concern about Akira's current situation after awakening.

【~???~】(from Jing)

'Heh... Is showing concern also part of the phantom thief's scheme?'

【~??~】(from Hanako)

'Oh...it seems Sensei truly cares about his companions, not...'

【~???~】(from Xiaochun)

'That wretched adult… He wasn't thinking anything lewd when he made contact, was he? But his movements were quite precise…'

【~???~】(from Azusa)

The camaraderie between comrades... I envy it.

【~???~】(from Hifumi)

'Sensei's gentleness is as strong as ever... But, is it really okay for her to be like this...?'

After all... as someone who's been there, she clearly understands just how tiring it is to feel like collapsing into bed on the spot.

Remembering how they had temporarily abandoned their exploration in the desert due to their companions awakening, Hifumi worriedly suggested, "Is...is everything alright? Otherwise...should we temporarily end the exploration for today...?"

Jing chuckled and waved to Rifumi and the other three students from the tutoring department who had gathered around.

“I’ve done many things that are even more tiring than this (referring to the pressure from the security company and the battle of wits with the museum’s security system)... Don’t worry about me so much.”

After catching her breath for a short while, Jing regained her ability to move.