I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

[Xiaochun: I also tried to go to the nunnery to inquire about the situation, but it seems that only Sister Ilomari noticed something was wrong.]

The dozen or so messages that came into view made Hifumi's heart sink.

Based on everyone's discussion, she has gained an understanding of the current situation.

It seems... the 'hall' has begun to erode reality due to its excessive distortion...

The vast majority of people are completely unaware of this;

Some people sensed something was wrong, but couldn't quite put their finger on why;

These "Persona users," because of their Personas, can directly see the "World Tree" that towers into the clouds in the real world...

In this situation... Sensei should definitely have detected it beforehand...

What is Sensei doing now?

We must find Sensei...

Realizing that the situation at the temple might not be able to be delayed any longer, Hifumi decisively changed out of her pajamas, put on winter clothes, and braved the cold wind and biting malice of the street to go out.

……

"How are you, Saori...? Have you recovered?"

Seeing the girl beside him finish her perfectly warm coffee in one gulp, Amamiya asked with concern.

Saori didn't respond to Amamiya's words immediately. Instead, she looked up at the distant scenery outside the window—deep fog; icy cold…

She now understood why Amamiya had specifically instructed her to come "regardless of the weather" when she sent the message yesterday.

Although Saori didn't quite understand what 'Fimbour's Winter' was, she could realize through her own combat experience that it was probably... the effect that the Temple had on the real world after it had reached a certain threshold.

"...Thank you for your concern, Sensei."

The shock in her eyes gradually faded, and Saori's expression returned to calm.

She picked up the small black and red card from the table and examined it carefully.

Aside from the fact that the texture seems to be made of some unknown material that resembles paper, this "foreshadowing letter that will change your destiny" doesn't seem to be any different.

"Sensei..."

After examining it carefully, the girl looked at Amamiya with a serious expression: "I'm going to give this [announcement letter] to Beatrice, and then we can steal her treasure... right?"

Amamiya nodded: "Are you under any psychological pressure?"

Saori's expression relaxed, and she couldn't help but smile easily.

Her eyes shone brightly, revealing not a trace of worry or other negative emotions.

【~???~】

The girl preparing her weapons replied sternly, "Yes. But when I think that this will be a crucial turning point that determines our fate... even for the sake of Misaki, Princess (Azuko), and Hiyori, I must not make a mistake because of the pressure."

Amamiya didn't say anything more to comfort her, but instead took out a tarot card from the drawer.

The tarot card depicts a person with one finger pointing to the sky and the other to the earth, surrounded by an infinite "halo," with a snake coiled around her waist.

In this unusual pose, she stood before a table displaying the four elements: the sword, the chalice, the scepter, and the pentacles.

"Prepared for you."

Saori took the tarot card with a puzzled look on her face—then suddenly realized that the "person" on the tarot card was herself.

"The magician symbolizes the beginning of things, the change of action, the pursuit of one's own will... and the creation of miracles."

Amamiya's gaze was gentle. After a pause, he explained the use of the card: "When needed... crush it, and you will naturally escape any crisis like the 'Magician'."

[The Magician: What's next...? A glorious act of redemption.]

[Automatically triggers when about to suffer fatal damage or a special forced control effect. Can also be triggered manually. When equipped, grants immunity to any mental-related negative status effects.]

[Trigger: Forcefully dispels all negative effects on yourself, restores all HP and SP, and then immediately teleports you to what you consider an absolutely safe zone.]

Saori calmly accepted the Magician tarot card from Amamiya and placed it in her jacket pocket.

Then she put the notice into another pocket.

"So……"

After taking a deep breath and calming herself down, the girl got up and went to the entrance to change her boots and coat.

Braving the cold winds of 'Fimbourne Winter', she resolutely put on the mask and stepped into the icy mist formed by 'lies'.

"I'm going."

Chapter Thirty-Two: Final Preparations Before the Decisive Battle

Having traversed that complex 'underground labyrinth,' Saori saw... what she might call a 'nightmare': the slums of the Arius district.

Pale...disorder...filled with an endless void and despair...

Saori frowned slightly, lowered the brim of her hat, and took a few steps forward.

Suddenly, she saw... a phantom palace of "Foggy City Rose" suddenly appearing before her eyes.

Saori paused slightly, turning her gaze to the translucent thorns beneath her feet.

As the leather boots stepped down, the translucent black thorns cracked with a crisp sound, unable to withstand the weight, and disappeared.

After pondering the current situation, Saori continued forward, but slowed down to observe the Arius students passing by her.

Most of these students wore gas masks or other types of face coverings, with only a few not.

Saori took a closer look at the students whose faces she could see and observed them briefly—then she quickly realized that all the students she could see were like lost puppets, behaving so rigidly that it was quite surprising.

Even the robots Saori saw inside Kivotos weren't this rigid.

They... were as if they had been "injected" with an extremely simple program—and this program was so clumsy that it didn't even bother with an automatic pathfinding module; it would just keep executing commands even when it hit a wall.

After careful observation, Saori noticed fine thorn patterns on some hard-to-notice corners of their bodies—such as the back of their necks and inside their sleeves—on parts of their bodies that are usually covered.

Thick, black thorns clung tightly to their already precarious limbs, wriggling slightly and growing little by little as they moved.

It seems that it could bloom at any moment, becoming a fleetingly beautiful flower among thorns.

The situation is not good...

Saori quickened her pace, heading deeper into the "Foggy Rose" hall, towards the "Student Council President's Office".

She wasn't in the mood to knock on the door; instead, she simply stuck an anti-material explosive door-opening device on it.

With a loud "boom," smoke and wood chips flew everywhere.

Wearing a mask, Saori strode into the student council president's office before the smoke of battle had cleared. She tossed a small card to Beatrice, who was sitting in the student council president's seat and seemed momentarily surprised by the situation.

She said coldly, "It's for you."

With a 'whoosh', the card traced a graceful arc like a magician's performance, then miraculously paused in mid-air, turned, dodged Beatrice's intercepting hand, and slapped her face with a 'smack' onto the upper half of her face, which had many 'eyes'.

"..."

Beatrice fell silent.

She held the small black and red card stuck to her face between her thumb and forefinger and looked at its contents.

At the same time, Saori coughed lightly, pointed her gaze at Beatrice, and read the words on it aloud in a completely emotionless "public declaration" style, pausing between each sentence.

"Ms. Beatrice has committed the grave sin of 'vanity.'"

“Your evil deeds have been thoroughly exposed by us. You are beyond redemption.”

"Using lies to obscure the truth, and using despair to destroy hope."

“You have truly etched an unforgivable sin into your heart.”

"Therefore, we have decided to take back the future you have stolen."

Beatrice remained silent for a long time.

She seemed completely unprepared for Saori and her Arios squad to actually betray her.

After a long silence, she picked up the closed folding fan on the table and kept tapping her palm with the fan ribs.

"Hehe...hehe...this is really interesting."

"It surprised me that……"

"I thought..."

She leaned back in the chair, her multiple scarlet eyes simultaneously fixed on Saori. In each of those eyes, there was a different expression: perhaps contempt, perhaps disdainful superiority, perhaps a piercing stare, perhaps a threat…

"I thought it would be him (Amamiya) who personally delivered the message... but it turned out to be you."

"Ha... does he think this will be enough to hurt me?"

"Or is this just a boastful declaration after a minor victory?"

"That's a huge mistake..."

"Now, I am infinitely close to that power..."

"Heh... If you really think you can do it... then come on... I'll be waiting for you in the Garden of Eden."

As soon as she finished speaking, Saori felt a chilling sense of oppression wash over her.

In the past, Saori would never have dared to look directly into the eyes of the "Madam" in this state.

But now... things are different now.

She looked directly at the "Madam," slowly backed away, and half-removed her top.

It certainly wasn't for a "thrilling close-quarters battle" with Beatrice...

Saori slowly unbuttoned her blouse, revealing a dense array of high explosives hanging inside her collar.

C4; TNT; high-explosive grenades; timed detonators... This is practically a small explosives warehouse.

"A small gift for you."

Saori flung her top at Beatrice—and the next second, a host of explosives were activated simultaneously, and flames of various colors converged, instantly turning her outer garment into a fiery phoenix pouncing on its target.

"A small condolence before 'farewell'."

Saori didn't expect that the explosive charge, enough to collapse half a building, would harm Beatrice—it was just her way of making a statement.

Witnessing Beatrice engulfed in flames, Saori crushed the Magician tarot card in her hand the moment she felt the impact.

Her figure gradually faded, and then, concealed by a falling ceiling panel, vanished instantly.

"..."

Beatrice sat there calmly for a few seconds after a sharp piece of ceiling material ricocheted into her cheek, leaving a bloody mark.

Then, she reached up and wiped away a slit that had been cut on her cheek.

Once the rubble and dust had completely stopped, she leisurely got up, walked through a pile of ruins, and came outside, looking up at Arius's leaden sky.

'Ah……'

'Almost done. As long as the 'erosion' is sufficient...'

The real world is overwritten, and "that" is summoned... What will this world become?

……

After a moment of disorientation, Saori realized that she was already standing in the apartment building she had temporarily rented.

Located on the edge of the Trinity Self-Government, even the distorted "World Tree" is unlikely to be seen here.

But the chill of 'Fimbourne' did indeed reach this place.

For this reason, Misaki, who had a training plan, did not take Akiko and Hiyori with her when she went out.

As soon as she landed, Saori saw the scene in the living room—Misaki was staring blankly at the TV broadcast of the upcoming signing of the Eden Treaty.

Meanwhile, Hiyori was intently reading an old magazine... The magazine seemed to be a book for canine residents, and she didn't know where she had found it.

The book is called "Some Tips for Getting Along with the Opposite Sex".

Most of the techniques described were clearly not applicable to interpersonal communication among the Kiwatos natives other than the canine inhabitants—but as the saying goes, one can apply knowledge to many situations, and this did not stop the young girl from reading with great interest.

Yajinzi wasn't indoors; she was on the balcony observing a flower that had been nearly withered by the 'Fimbulwinter,' planted in a flowerpot on the balcony.

"These blue roses..."