I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

The guidance from 'Athena' ended there, and the Amamiya group focused their attention on Fubuki.

Fubuki knew what she had to do. After summoning her Persona [Watson], she closed her eyes and sensed for a few seconds.

"...The Last Restaurant is in that direction."

"A very high-energy reaction has been detected. It's possible that the master of the hall is currently there. Extra caution is needed when exploring."

Led by Amamiya, the group stealthily crept along the corner of the wall and sneaked into the restaurant that corresponded to the shipwreck's 'restaurant,' located beneath the deep-sea temple.

The number of shadows wandering in the 'temple' has not increased, but their strength has significantly improved.

'Unlike Rion's "Demon King's Castle" palace, the scene inside the temple is relatively empty...'

This means that Hanaya's observational skills and ability to learn knowledge are far inferior to Rion's.

Although the frequency of battles decreased due to fewer shadows, the intensity of battles increased significantly.

After several fierce battles with the 'Temple Guardians', Amamiya and his group finally arrived at the deepest part of the Kayaya Palace—the "Last Dining Room".

The setting was still familiar, and the table was still filled with a dazzling array of food.

However, it is different from the mirrored rooms on the ship.

There are many new things in this room.

Peeking inside through ventilation ducts and door cracks, Amamiya noticed exactly twelve stone statues piled up next to the dining table.

These stone statues are all familiar faces from the Federal Student Association.

Amamiya spotted Rin's statue immediately. The statue was almost broken and battered, placed alone to the side, with a sign with an arrow next to it.

The arrow points to Rin's statue, which is inscribed with "Traitor to His Master".

Huaye's own statue, gilded, is the most ornate in the entire group of statues and is placed in the very center of the long table.

He stretched out his hands to both sides, with a confident expression that suggested he was completely in control.

Meanwhile, Huaye's shadow... was wiping her own statue.

The secret treasure, a symbol of the hall's owner's power, was placed beside the table where she could easily access it.

After observing for a while, Amamiya led the girls back quietly to the side chamber of the temple.

After clearing away some of the debris and using it as a temporary safe house, Amamiya planned to end the exploration.

The design of Hanaya's palace, due to the limits of its owner's abilities... even though it has become a palace, doesn't have many twists and turns, and it doesn't have the rare and frightening puzzle mechanisms like the Shido Palace or Maruki Palace.

It just means that running away takes a lot of time...

The infiltration route has now been confirmed.

'We need to wait for a suitable opportunity to release the announcement...'

Chapter Thirty-Four: "Villains" and "Traitors"

when--

As the bell tolled from afar, the girls who were battling the shadows stopped simultaneously, covering their ears to try and avoid being affected.

"Psona—Lucifer!"

Amamiya pressed one hand to his mask, and a massive, imposing six-winged demon shadow, draped in a holy shroud, descended behind him, spreading its wings as he was summoned.

Seeing this, Fubuki quickly pulled out two pages from a stack of books she was holding.

"Use the function page, 'Clash of the Temple Guard Chiefs'."

"Use the feature pages, 'A Deliberate and Premeditated Strike'."

Wow…

The pages scattered and burned in mid-air. The previous page transformed into a mermaid figure standing proudly with a shield in hand, blocking the spreading sound waves.

The latter then converged on Amamiya, transforming into a brilliant display of concentrated will.

【The Clash of the Temple Guard Chief】

[Type: Temporary Item/Function Page]

[Introduction: The Temple Guard Captain, a formidable foe encountered during exploration of another world, a worthy opponent to remember. Its shield's recoil is sure to leave a lasting impression on attackers.]

[Use: Creates a protective shield for all allies, protecting them from one negative status effect.]

……

A meticulously planned and executed attack.

[Introduction: The Persona is the power of the heart. Therefore, the user must concentrate... and focus their mind; the magic will become stronger.]

[Use: Grants a companion the "Focus" effect, causing their next magic attack to deal more than three times the damage.]

Upon catching the dazzling display, Amamiya immediately gave an order to the Persona behind him.

"Lucifer...the Morning Star!"

The fallen angel pointed one finger to the sky and beckoned with his finger.

In an instant, the stars and moon shifted, and the deep seabed was briefly replaced by a time-lapse-like, magnificent starry sky composed of countless arc-shaped lines.

Maintaining its pointing posture, the fallen angel raised its hand and pressed down.

And so, the brightest morning star in the sky, trailing a fiery tail that tore through the darkness, streaked with halos of light, and crashed to the ground.

A blazing white orb of light roared and instantly enveloped the entire battlefield.

"Awooohoo!"

"Damn it, it's the legendary archangel...!"

"A patrol of the palace unexpectedly encounters a dark and monstrous thief. Even the mighty Dawn Star, stronger than a monster, cannot defeat him despite their combined efforts!"

"Ah...so strong, so intense, we're doomed!"

After leaving behind various incomprehensible last words, the shadows, washed away by the light of dawn, disappeared.

The battlefield was temporarily silent, with only the ever-spreading smoke and the shadows of those crushed to ashes by the irresistible force, as well as the spoils left on the battlefield.

Kayoko immediately summoned the Cheshire Cat and began having this cat, who loves 'sparkling things', clean up the battlefield.

Amamiya looked up and listened to the sound that spread out along with the resounding bells.

"Fourth Apostle, I will bestow upon you the name 'Banniche,' which means 'Son of Thunder.'"

"This is... the fourth chime?"

Amamiya looked at 'Athena', who was unaffected.

Athena felt slightly embarrassed by the gaze and turned her head away in a flustered manner, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Don't look at me like that... I only have a rough guess about these 'bell sounds,' which is why I'm telling you all about it."

"Guessing can be inaccurate...that's normal, isn't it?"

Kirino, covering her ears, squinted her eyes speechlessly: "With your performance where nothing you say is right... are you really still the 'Goddess of Wisdom'?"

Athena blushed deeply and remained silent.

"call……"

Coming back to her senses from the feeling that her soul had been 'cleansed', Yuriko let out a soft sigh.

It's getting more and more to my liking.

Could this repulsive 'blind worship' be the work of an anonymous priest?

What is the connection between this kind of action and the unknown entity that initially claimed to be 'Athena'?

As the only member of the team with a fairly good understanding of the 'Nameless Gods' lineage, Yuriko had already raised alarm bells in her mind.

Although it's not quite to the point of 'sounding the alarm'...

But this style, this 'characteristic'... we should still pay attention to it, and it would be best to talk to Sensei about it later.

After the aftershocks of the bell had completely subsided, the 'evacuation point' was already floating on the water, within easy reach, and the girls were on the verge of success.

After adjusting their breathing, they sped up.

Amamiya, instead of speeding up, paused and glanced at 'Athena,' who showed no intention of leaving with them.

"What are you going to do?"

Athena smiled gently and replied, "I will remain here until all the heroes return."

"Heroes, I wish you a safe journey."

Yu Jiulongsi Liuqi Shaerba Gong turned around and caught up with Fubuki at the end of the group.

"How is the production of the 'pages' progressing, Shiff?"

Fubuki waved a unique-looking page in her hand—a page with gold-edged, light blue characters—and gave Amamiya a sly yet lazy smile.

"Thanks to Sensei's on-the-spot burst of inspiration, it's already finished."

After receiving the special 'core page' from Fubuki, Amamiya examined it briefly and couldn't help but click his tongue slightly in amazement.

【The Investigation into the Mystery of the Fallen City】

【Moon Ripple*V Scattered Neighbors (Seven) Deleted Type: Equipment/Core Book Page】

[Description: A collection of core pages from multiple 'short stories,' including longer narratives like *The Sign of Four* and *A Study in Scarlet*.]

[Equipment: All stats +6 / Freeze Resistance]

[Provides the skill system 'City of Depravity'. Each page can only be used once and will regenerate after completing an otherworld exploration or after one day.]

Fubuki's Persona, as a 'Navi' type mask, is quite unique.

It's unbelievable that they could produce something like this...

According to the game, it is a "single-use skill that does not occupy an equipment slot and can be used at any time".

While it requires extensive exploration and defeating various shadows as a setup... if this were a game, this kind of special equipment that doesn't take up an equipment slot, comes with several skills, and whose skills can be used without cost, even though they can only be used once...

Many players would probably be willing to spend time grinding monsters and exploring maps for such a special piece of equipment.

After returning the book to Fubuki, Amamiya stepped forward and pinched the girl's tender, smooth cheeks, which had become plump and fuller due to being underwater.

"Thank you for your hard work, my 'assistant'."

【~???~】crying2『厁冥斯_九琦染泗（吹雪）

"..."

After giving Amamiya a shy yet helpless look, the girl broke free of him, quickened her swimming, and 'escaped' from the rather overly ambiguous environment with its special atmosphere.

Deep beneath the sea, the two are alone...

Although it's an exploration of a palace, it inevitably carries a feeling of being on a 'date'.

After emerging from the water, the girls, protected by Personas and the "Phantom Thief's Suit," returned to their evacuation point, the "Big Ship," without getting wet.

After a long deep-sea exploration, the girls, who had all developed a bit of 'thalassophobia', now felt an unprecedented sense of intimacy with the cloudy, windswept sea.

After that, they each began to rest in their own unique way.

The cowboy snapped his fingers and summoned a horse, while she leaned against its back.

The gothic girl stroked the black cat on her shoulder, and the black cat then grew larger and turned into a cat-shaped beanbag chair. She sat directly on the cat's warm back and picked up her red tea.

With a flick of her cloak, the Flame Witch froze into a chair that looked both powerful and strange.

The philosopher and his detective assistant summoned an equipment box and a table with a typewriter, respectively, and they sat there without looking out of place.

Amamiya also took a short rest to calm down from the stress of deep-sea exploration.

Feeling that it was about time, he looked up at the sky in the other world.

Hmm... this should be the first time I've explored another world until night.

He stood up from the bow of the boat and turned to greet the tired girls.

"Thank you all for your hard work on this exploration of another world."

"If nothing unexpected happens... there will be another expedition to find the 'Blood Field.' Then, the 'announcement' will be released."

'Blood Field...'