I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

The emotional turmoil stemming from her past nearly overwhelmed her on the spot.

'I thought I had become more mature...'

Has she really become more mature?

'Closing oneself off, becoming unwilling to trust any outsiders, confining oneself to a small world of one's own making, indifferent to the outside world, powerless to struggle against the status quo, and simply wanting to maintain the status quo...'

'This version of myself, really...'

Does he still deserve to be called a 'senior' and be trusted by these juniors?

'Click-click—'

The 'Gardenia Dream' sculpture in the room trembled slightly, and stone chips fell off it in a soft rustling sound.

"Hoshino-chan... what are you thinking about?"

Are you still troubled by the status quo and your predicament?

"Compared to the Hoshino I know... he really hasn't grown at all."

……Why?

"Senior Meng..."

"No, no, no... You're wrong, Hoshino-chan."

"I am not your 'dream senior,' I am just... a shackle that should not be here, a pathetic phantom that willingly binds someone."

"Are you still dwelling on the past, refusing to look forward, refusing to move on, Hoshino-chan?"

Faced with the gentle question, "The one who left us, my wife and children," Hoshino surprisingly became flustered.

"No... Senior Yume... I..."

"There are worthy people to rely on, and such resilient successors... Why not become their light, instead chasing after a fading, unattainable phantom?"

Why...?

Perhaps it's because... my heart is actually exceptionally fragile, so fragile that... without pretending, I can't accept the reality I'm in.

"Those younger generations who are even more 'in pain' than you have already begun to accept reality... Are you still going to keep murmuring your pain and ultimately fall into the abyss?"

"I……"

Hoshino was somewhat bewildered.

What exactly was she thinking?

'哐——'

The shield of Shadow Hoshino pressed down mercilessly, knocking back the unsuspecting Hoshino.

Then, it did something that surprised even Hoshino—it raised its shield and stood resolutely in front of the other members of the [Shadow Countermeasures Committee].

Like a 'shadow sun', although it is a product shaped by the condensation of negative consciousness, it carries an extraordinary cohesive force.

"Hoshino-senpai—are you alright?!"

Ayane immediately ran to Hoshino's side to check his injuries as he fell to the ground.

"Hoshino-senpai..."

Shirako immediately stood in front of Hoshino, blocking the [Shadow Countermeasures Committee] from launching an attack.

"We will not allow you to harm Hoshino-senpai."

Panting slightly, Nomiya quickly gathered around Hoshino to protect the fallen Hoshino. Due to the urgency of the situation, she didn't have time to pay attention to her tone of voice and just sighed softly.

"Phew... 'Another self' is really troublesome..."

'...'

It's ridiculous.

In the eyes of the Caesars Group, the self in their heart is someone who always carries a sense of unity and will unhesitatingly protect the younger generation.

And myself...

Yet they are so fragile that they rely on their juniors and need their protection to maintain that seemingly strong but actually fragile self.

Is this... a sign of... high regard from the enemy?

I never imagined that even the 'self' in the eyes of my enemy could so easily do things that I would actually find very difficult to do...

"Well... Hoshino-chan, are you prepared for this?"

"Even if it's just a temporary facade... Now, you need real 'power,' right?"

"The power to protect future generations... the power to break the status quo..."

"Let me give it to you."

"This is just a temporary loan of power to Hoshino-chan~ You need to find your own true power..."

The statue of Gardenia Dream, with stone chips scattered all over the ground, exudes a touch of girlish liveliness and compassion.

She slowly opened her eyes, which had been lowered and closed, revealing amber eyes that shone brightly with a radiant, elegant light as intense as the sky.

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

"Herein is a temporary contract."

"As the saying goes, 'The key is to break through confusion and seek the truth.'"

"The will to abandon confusion and break the chains."

"It will become a campfire illuminating the way forward."

"Here you receive the first birth of the Persona of 'Sky,' and bask in the winds of freedom."

"I grant you the power to seek yourself..."

The girl's figure gradually faded away with her whispers, transforming into a card enveloped in light, which flew towards Hoshino.

The girl on the card stands below the horizon with her back to the card, looking up at the azure sky above her, which seems to contain endless secrets.

Arcana: The Sky

Originating from one of the world's oldest tarot systems, the Etteilla Tarot's "Sky" corresponds to the "Empress" of the current Major Arcana.

Hoshino caught the card that flew towards him, held it in his hand, and stared blankly at the girl's back on the card.

At this moment, the barriers of the mind were overwhelmed and shattered by the surging torrent of emotions.

"...Do you understand what to do next, Hoshino-chan?"

With a flick of his knuckles, he crushed the thin glass-like card with a 'crack', and the ornate fragments transformed into clusters of eerie blue flames that surged forth.

“...PSONA”.

"Osiris."

Chapter 51 The Resurrection of Osiris

“psona…”

"Osiris."

As Hoshino softly called out, and as the card shattered, reflecting iridescent light like glass being instantly broken in mid-air, a 'strange' figure appeared, accompanied by a condensation of eerie blue flames.

It was the phantom of a girl with long green hair, a slender and voluptuous figure, but wrapped in bandages and wearing an Egyptian royal handkerchief on her head.

Holding a curved scepter in one hand and a flail in the other, he closed his eyes and looked as if he were 'asleep'.

【psona-Osiris (Arcana: Sky/Empress)】

[Introduction: Heliopolis is the god of the underworld in ancient Egyptian mythology, as well as the god of plants, agriculture, and fertility. He is one of the Ennead.]

According to legend, He was an enlightened pharaoh in his previous life, but was murdered by his brother, the desert god Set, through a wicked scheme. He was later mummified by Anubis and resurrected as the ruler of the underworld and the judge of death.

Perhaps because His parents were Geb, the god of the earth, and Nut, the goddess of the sky, He was also endowed with the attributes of a 'sky god' in some myths and legends.

[Personality Base Resistance (-- for Normal)]

[Physical/Shooting/Fire/Freeze/Lightning/Gale/Telekinesis/Nuclear Heat/Blessing/Judgment]

[Ineffective/Ineffective/Resistance/Resistance/Absorption/Reflection/----/----/Absorption/Weakness]

Looking at that long list of 'Nullify', 'Patience', 'Absorption', and that one weakness attribute, Amamiya couldn't help but gasp in amazement.

Judging solely from the strength of the Persona, this is definitely a Persona that starts at level 85 or above, placing it among the top-tier Personas.

Its natural resistance is also excellent, almost on par with [Lucifer (Star)]; [Satan Yar (Fool/World)]; [Izanagi Oogami (World)]; [Messiah (Judgment)]...

It's almost on par with these ultimate Personas.

The reason why physical attacks and gunfire are ineffective is probably due to the resistance brought about by his biological father, the 'Earth God', in mythology, and his own divine position.

As for lightning absorbing and wind reflecting respectively, it's definitely because they possess certain 'sky god' attributes. After all, when people think of the sky, the first things that come to mind are wind and lightning, these natural elements that roam the skies.

Unexpectedly, as the 'God of the Underworld' and the 'Judge of the Dead,' He is capable of absorbing blessings, while His weakness lies in curses...

This is a bit counterintuitive.

Logically speaking, anything related to the underworld or death should be skilled in absorbing and neutralizing curse-type attacks, and weak against blessing-type attacks.

'Power gained temporarily... temporary power is still power.'

Hopefully, this strength can truly help her find herself again.

After letting out a soft sigh, Amamiya continued watching Hoshino continue his 'performance' on the battlefield.

"...The rebirth of the sky!"

Clearly, the 'Osiris' Persona that Hoshino temporarily acquired was not the Osiris in the fundamentalist sense.

He possesses some of the attributes of a 'sky god'.

A burst of emerald green light spread out as the Feather of Truth (in mythology, Osiris compared the souls of the dead with the Feather of Truth on a scale; those with lighter souls went to heaven, and those with heavier souls went to hell) drifted by.

'The effectiveness and intensity of this treatment...'

If we convert it to game attributes, it should be written like this.

Amamiya, sensing the intensity of the treatment, pondered silently.

[Sky's Resurrection: "Negative Effect: Temporarily reduces own HP to 1/2 of its original value." Revives all incapacitated allies, restores all HP and MP to all allies, and removes all negative effects.]

It's a pretty high-level 'healing magic'... a group resurrection and full health and mana restoration for the entire group, but the effect is that after activation, you'll be at half health and empty mana for the entire exploration, and you'll only recover after leaving the other world.

The feather of truth fluttered to the ground, eventually turning into dust and disappearing completely.

The girls on the countermeasures committee, who had just gone through a fierce battle, were once again full of energy and high spirits. If it weren't for the dirt and damage still remaining on their clothes from the battle, it would be hard to doubt that they had just experienced an extremely intense battle.

Amamiya silently pinched a feather-shaped crystal shard, preparing to lend Hoshino a hand and let her unleash another burst of power.

(I'm here to help you!.jpg)

[Twilight Feather Fragment: Designates a friendly unit, removes all negative effects, and restores all health and spirit. / Automatically consumed upon the holder's death: Revives the holder and restores 50% of their health.]

This is one of the unique recovery items that Amamiya obtained during his previous exploration of the other world.

Oh right... the truth about the Twilight Feather is actually a fragment of a 'god's' skin or something like that.

Hoshino, who had received Amamiya's 'help,' did not feel the weakness and powerlessness that followed the impending outburst.

"Migidorawon!"

'Om—'

The white sphere of light fell to the ground, then expanded at an incredibly high speed, hundreds or thousands of times faster, spreading out and becoming a small, incandescent white sun that illuminated the building.

The 'white sun' landed with a whoosh, stirring up dust and roaring menacingly with terrifying, all-annihilating power, instantly crushing the remaining members of the [Shadow Countermeasures Committee] into dust.

'Megidoraon, a high-level universal magic spell, an area-of-effect attack spell possessed by many high-ranking Personas.'

'Even the smallest destructive force is enough to annihilate an entire street; a slight expansion of the destructive range could destroy an entire city… and on a larger scale, it could even shift the continental shelf.'

The word originates from the mythical ancient city of Megiddo, where the final battle between good and evil in the Book of Revelation is said to have taken place. Here, the Almighty defeats the devil and the "Kings of the World."

This battle will be remembered for eternity, and will be recorded by posterity as "Armageddon".