I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

She could guess it was okay, but saying it out loud... that would be a bit inappropriate.

Discussing secrets freely in areas outside the safe house, and even having the company president, who is "more likely to expose secrets," overhear them...

In such an important matter, Kayoko really didn't want Aru to indirectly cause a big mistake because of her.

"It seems Devil's knowledge of phantom thieves is progressing rapidly."

【~???~】(Kayoko)

【~??~】(Aru)

Temporarily removing the half-face mask based on the cat's image, the girl gave a bright yet reserved, mature smile.

"After all, to become an assistant to you, understanding this knowledge is indispensable."

As a convenience store clerk... and even one of the few people with common sense in the entire Gerina region, plus being an adult over 18...

Kayoko is truly charming and makes life so easy for me.

Outwardly cold and even 'fierce', she exudes a youthful charm, petite yet already an adult, with a delicate inner world and common sense that is exceptionally 'precious' in Kivotos... She's the perfect girlfriend.

Noticing Amamiya's slightly slow reaction, the girl tilted her head towards him with a hint of inquiry: "...Jok?"

Amamiya snapped out of her reverie and beckoned to Kayoko and Aruru, signaling them to follow.

forgotten……

The delicate and gentle Kayoko loves cats, and her awakened Persona is also a 'cat'... so it's only natural that she has keen insight.

"Next, we need to investigate where these building materials are distributed."

The cat waited near the shipwreck for a short while, and Amamiya and his group were greeted by the next patrol of merfolk.

These marine creatures, illuminated by the lights of anglerfish, sailed their "boats" that allowed them to travel freely on the seabed, eventually arriving at a nearby "underwater port."

After disembarking, the "shrimp soldiers and crab generals" unloaded the cargo...

Amamiya could see clearly that what was being transported off the ship were all kinds of basic building materials such as timber and stone.

After unloading at the dock, these laborers, who had been doing all the hard work, began transporting basic building materials under the command of a seemingly more advanced mermaid—and their destination was, without a doubt, the shipwreck where Amamiya and his group were.

Noticing this, Aru calmed down and began to examine her sniper rifle.

Although she didn't quite understand the strange conversations along the way... she had a clear understanding of the situation.

Next... should be the area that 68 does best—engaging in firefights with targets, defeating them, and extracting information from them.

Arle was ready, while Amamiya and Kayoko tacitly pinched the Persona masks on their faces.

"Any ideas, Devil?"

Kayoko Mener is clear.

Despite having extensive experience in other worlds, Sensei still asks himself such basic questions... Sensei's purpose is to test his ability to judge the situation.

After observing the approaching merman, the hailer, and dozens of 'shrimp soldiers and crab generals' carrying building materials, Kayoko quickly gave her analysis after roughly assessing the enemy's strength.

"Judging from the hierarchy of shadow creatures, although the 'shrimp soldiers and crab generals' have humanoid forms, they are bottom-tier trash in the shadow system of 'Atlantis'."

These small fry, unless they are so numerous that they cover the entire mountainside, are meaningless to the Masked One—they can be easily wiped out by a large-scale Persona spell.

"The 'Crab General' is slightly stronger than the 'Shrimp Soldier' ​​and is a shadowy threat worth noting, or rather, an 'elite' among the shadowy ones. We need to be more careful."

"Mermaids and merfolk are the elite of the elite... They are the key targets because they are qualified to possess some confidential information."

"The only threat is that mermaid in the lead."

"As long as we uncover her true colors, we can gain the upper hand."

Kayoko's analysis was very close to the intensity and 'best solution' that Amamiya observed through his 'third eye'.

"In order to give the president a 'lesson,' let devil handle the mask-removal part this time."

"Ah."

Kayoko did not refuse. She stood up from her half-squatting position, gathering all the power she needed to unleash her speed.

The pistol "Devil's Roar" was ready to fire, and as her emotions surged, clusters of eerie blue flames suddenly ignited on Kayoko's body.

'I am you, you are me...'

'Come on, Cheshire Cat.'

Then, the cat mask on her cheek shattered with a crack, coalescing into a beautiful black cat that landed on her shoulder.

The Cheshire Cat from the fairy tale world is always elusive.

So, in a flash, Kayoko suddenly appeared among the squad surrounded by 'shrimp soldiers and crab generals'.

Kayoko's 'flash' caused a brief commotion in the Shadow Squad.

The Cheshire Cat on her shoulder leaped down gracefully, instantly showcasing the sharpness of its claws and the cat's 'luck'.

With a flash of brilliance, a large number of 'shrimp soldiers' had their heads ripped off in an instant, melting into a puddle of mud.

"Cheshire claw: Deals 2-4 hits of low physical damage to all enemies with a very high critical hit rate."

Taking advantage of the Cheshire Cat creating further chaos, Kayoko calmly raised her gun, aimed at the target, and fired repeatedly.

'Puff, puff, puff.'

In this other world, the effect of the silencer is amplified by "cognition".

The demon's roar produced two soft "poof" sounds, and three consecutive shots accurately struck their target—the point where the merman's body and fish tail connected.

Then, she reached out and placed her hand on the mermaid's coral and fin-shaped mask, which was swollen forward from the pain of being shot twice.

"Reveal your true colors."

Chapter 52, Number 666: The Hidden Edition Has Been Opened

"Reveal your true colors."

Clutching the mermaid's mask, Kayoko suddenly exerted force and dodged backward.

'laugh--'

As soon as Aru set up her sniper rifle, she saw a scene that was extremely "bloody," but which, in that frozen moment, also possessed a unique and gorgeous artistic beauty.

With that one 'tear,' Kayoko actually ripped off the mermaid's entire face!

The mermaid, whose face had been torn off, had no facial features; her face was replaced by a pitch-black void and a pair of scarlet pupils that trailed red light.

"Ah...why, why now...?"

"No, impossible..."

The echo of the piercing wail, like the powerful 'Siren's Song' from mythology, instantly made Aru feel a buzzing sensation as if her ears were being shattered.

The mermaid, who was three or four meters tall, cried and covered her face, maintaining her ferocious appearance. The smooth and beautiful scales on her body gradually melted and dripped to her feet, gathering into puddles of black and red mud.

CHANCE!

"BGM: Take Ov"

As the 'mermaid' began to melt, the merfolk beside her, as well as several 'crab generals' who were not instantly killed by Cheshire Cat, also melted into black mud. Then, under Aru's shocked gaze, they transformed into giant marine creatures that were several meters long and even more than ten meters tall.

Amamiya flashed forward, his eerie blue flames quickly transforming into a black trench coat.

After siding with Kayoko, he immediately observed the various shadows that had been revealed after their true colors were exposed...

Atlantis is a temple of water, so the creatures here are naturally various aquatic mythical beings.

—The mythical marine creatures in all systems share a common characteristic without exception.

That's big.

Large animals can create a sense of oppression simply by their size, triggering megalophobia.

The "Crab General" transformed into various Naga shapes, and these Naga, when standing upright, would be several meters tall.

Even those of slightly lower strength are giant snake demons like "Ananda," with enormous physiques and exaggerated tonnage.

'These are 'minor monsters' worth noting, but they are also monsters with a minimum registration level of 46 in the "Complete Book of Demons"...'

If the strength is slightly higher... the monster transformed from the 'mermaid' is the "King of Naga," with golden scales and an even more enormous physique.

The "Complete Book of Demons" records an initial level of 55... which means it has crossed the level 50 watershed and entered the category of "relatively powerful and well-known mythical creatures."

What surprised Amamiya the most was the shadow monster transformed from the 'mermaid'—she was completely different from all the ordinary shadows registered in the Encyclopedia of Demons, with her own unique appearance and name.

[Cognitive Existence: Betrayer, Future Sea God, Judas, Poseidon]

[Initial Level: 70]

Arcana: Desire

[Prototype Introduction: Judas, one of the twelve disciples of the saint. He betrayed the saint for a small, immediate gain. After the saint's death, he was filled with remorse, and because of this remorse…]

He decided to use the saint's legacy to usurp the saint's authority, replace the saint, and become the saint himself, the future sea god who would rule this sea.

"...You say regret? Yes, I do regret it. I regret not selling the saint for a higher price back then."

'Hehe...'

The information seen through the "third eye" left Amamiya speechless.

The shadows that exist in another world—or rather, the "unique" shadows that are qualified to become special elites or BOSS-level shadows—always have such outrageous names and descriptions.

The message I saw by chance reminded Amamiya of a popular internet meme: "Six hundred and sixty-six, I got the hidden model."

Unexpectedly... this trip to gather information has led to encountering a shadow of a 'future BOSS' level figure.

The enormous 'sea monsters' or giant mythical marine creatures instantly expanded to fill the entire battlefield.

To guard against threats from all directions, Amamiya and Kayoko had to adopt a back-to-back defensive posture, as they were when 'surrounded,' rather than a formation attack as they would when 'preemptively encountering the enemy.'

"Are you under pressure, Devil?"

Kayoko held a playing card, which she used as a melee weapon, in one hand and her "Demon's Roar" in the other. Her red eyes remained sharp, and she showed no fear.

"Just a paper tiger."

Kayoko slightly raised her gun, glancing around at the enormous sea creatures that were staring at her with ill intent.

“These enormous monsters… they can be defeated, they can be knocked down… so there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

"The size of a behemoth is not an advantage in this kind of battle... unless you say that the extra amount of blood loss is an advantage."

Amamiya nodded slightly and began to fight in sync with Kayoko using the 'Navi' type Persona.

"We'll deliberately let that rather unusual-looking, pink-clad mermaid monster escape... because she's very likely the future 'master of the temple'."

"Killing it now might not be a good thing."

"Um……"

Kayoko gave a soft but deep "hmm" and turned her gaze to the "King of Naga" that the merman's shadow had transformed into.

So, the main target next is this "King of Naga".

I look forward to your amazing physique and smooth scales... they really can stop a sharp blade.

As she fiddled with the playing cards in her hand, Kayoko recalled a hunter's famous saying.

"The greater the prey killed, the greater the glory gained."

indeed--

Confronting such an exaggeratedly large mythical creature can evoke a long-dormant feeling.

"start to act."

With a soft shout, Amamiya and Kayoko ended the perilous stalemate as they confronted the enormous mythical sea creatures surrounding them.

Holding a dagger and a pistol, he sprang up almost simultaneously with Kayoko, charging towards the Nagas who, despite their large appearance, were actually incredibly weak and vulnerable.

'Zheng~'

The Naga, wielding tridents, took turns raising them. Some summoned lightning, some stirred up the sea, and others charged forward with their tridents after gathering their strength.

Amamiya possessed him, and as he charged forward with a low profile, he fired a series of shots with the [Destruction God Emperor], precisely interrupting several Nagas who were about to launch attack spells.

He turned sideways, rolled over, and dodged the turbulent waters piercing through dozens of tridents with a manner reminiscent of dodging bullets in The Matrix.

He spun around, and the blade of [Paradise Lost] in his other hand spread out, gleaming with a swirling light.