I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

The patterns on the shield and spear of 'Aquis' became more intricate, the 'olive branch' features on his body became more prominent, and even his words and actions lost their former recklessness, becoming cautious and humble, with a hint of divinity.

Athena jumped off the chariot and landed smoothly in front of Amamiya and his group, enveloped in a warm yellow light.

"My heroes, I've kept you waiting."

"As you can see... this place is about to undergo a collapse and shattering."

"The journey of you heroes has come to an end. But you did not come to 'save the world,' but to 'destroy the world.' Ha... Heroes destroying the world, for the 'inhabitants' of this world, this is perhaps a very counterintuitive thing."

"The world will be destroyed... but destruction will be accompanied by new life."

"Humans ate the 'forbidden fruit' and were endowed with wisdom, and from wisdom arose all kinds of desires... If desires grow to the point of being uncontrollable."

"Then... let's go back to being clueless."

"And then, once again, embark on this journey in search of wisdom."

"I have come to guide you heroes... This is the last thing I can do for you heroes."

"My heroes, please guide me back to my original state of mind..."

Now, Aru has completely come to regard 'Athena' as a friend.

After being invited into the car one after another, Alu couldn't help but mutter, "With the increase in 'wisdom'... the probability of me being able to tell riddles has also increased."

Despite being teased or exposed by Aru, 'Athena' did not react with anger or defensiveness. She simply chuckled gently and remained silent.

Kayoko: "..."

This is clearly about the philosophy of life.

It is indeed quite a 'riddle'.

The group boarded the vehicle one after another, and then 'Athena' drove her chariot without saying a word.

The chariot drove through the shattered city, heading straight for the 'salty spring' area.

After crossing the bizarre and chaotic Collapse Zone, Amamiya and his group saw another relatively intact building—the Temple of Poseidon.

Holding a trident, with bright golden eyes, the 'Sea God' waited patiently from his high vantage point.

Without any pointless pre-battle pleasantries, she brandished her trident, instantly transforming the scene before everyone's eyes.

Eleven enormous stone statues are scattered around, while a huge dining table and various strangely shaped 'foods' are casually placed as scenery.

"This is...that 'restaurant'?"

"So this is the venue specially prepared for the final battle..."

“There are even dedicated spaces…”

Poseidon raised his trident and slammed the end down heavily on his feet.

"...We've been waiting for you. You thieves from another world, who have invaded my palace."

"No need for further words... Since you believe that my beliefs are flawed... then prove it to me."

"The trident in my hand...is the power over the world."

"Or... the 'secret treasure' you speak of."

"If you want it, come and take it yourself."

[Cognition of Existence: Poseidon and Judas]

[Initial Level: 90]

Arcana: Power

[Prototype Introduction: Poseidon, the sea goddess in mythology, is one of the twelve Olympian gods. She is ambitious and extremely warlike. Dissatisfied with her power, she conspired with Hera, Athena, and Apollo to dethrone Zeus.]

However, Poseidon's plot failed. Zeus discovered her scheme and banished her to the mortal realm to serve a human.

The world only knows of her struggles with Athena, but few know that... in most of her appearances, Poseidon is the loser.

[His plot was discovered and he was punished by Zeus; he was ostracized by Apollo and Dionysus, and he also lost the battle with Athena for the right to name Athens.]

She and her descendants' kingdom were all oceans. But even within her own realm, because her descendants were disrespectful to the gods, Zeus still sank her 'glory'—Atlantis—to the bottom of the sea.

'From this perspective... Huaye does indeed bear a striking resemblance to Poseidon.'

The information seen by the third eye made Amamiya fully understand why Hanaya's 'shadow archetype' had the name Poseidon.

The Federal Student Council has 12 departments, Olympus has 12 main gods, and the Last Supper also had 12 disciples... They can indeed be matched with each other.

In the context of 'disciples', Faye corresponds to Judas.

So, Poseidon corresponds to one of the 'Twelve Olympian Gods', which makes sense.

"The enemy has no obvious weaknesses. Be careful and prepare for battle."

Amamiya stepped forward, blue flames surging around him, and the [Paradise Lost] dagger was drawn with a clang.

If the 'first stage' is Poseidon... Amamiya has reason to suspect that when 'Poseidon's' stamina is completely depleted, 'Judas' will take her place.

Then... those statues of the 'Twelve Apostles' will also join the battle.

Relatively speaking...

The 'God of the Ocean' stage may just be a warm-up.

"Heh...then you all should be careful, very careful."

Poseidon let out a soft "ha!" and hurled his trident without mercy, which roared toward Amamiya, carried by the surging ocean currents.

"I am you, and you are me."

"...Hestia!"

(PS: Hestia's introduction is in Chapter 7 of the [Eternal] volume.)

With a serene expression and a gentle smile, the 'fireside goddess' blocked the direct attack of the 'trident'.

However, Poseidon stirred the ocean currents with its trident, and the residual force of the splashing currents dispersed into high-pressure water columns that enveloped the battlefield almost instantly.

Similar to, but different from, the 'ice attribute'... 'water (Aqua) attribute magic'.

Amamiya had only ever seen this relatively ancient magic in the cruel and dark world of the "Old Testament."

Because this kind of magic is very rare, Personas generally have low resistance to it.

"Uh-huh..."

Alu couldn't dodge in time and was hit directly by a spray of water from a jet of water.

The flames surrounding her, the "Robin III" aura, emitted a violent, clashing sound. Aru wasn't seriously injured, but she still felt some pain.

It was just a tiny drop of water, but it hurt more than being hit by a bullet...

He truly lives up to his name, 'Poseidon,' a formidable opponent.

"Use the battle page, 'The Healing of the Olive Tree'."

A few specks of emerald green light appeared on Aru, accompanied by Fubuki's slightly heartbroken words of advice.

“Be careful, Rose. The enemy’s ‘initial level’ is very high. We can’t withstand her attacks head-on.”

'Battle Pages' are limited; each one used reduces the remaining amount... Although we can work around with the current situation, we still need to gather enough information...

"If you don't use it when you need it, it's pointless..."

"Use the battle page, 'The Curse of the Graveyard'."

Fubuki reluctantly took out a page from a beautifully bound book with full-color illustrations, depicting a wreath woven from withered olive branches.

【The Curse of the Cemetery】

[Use: Permanently reduces one enemy's attack power, defense power, hit rate, and evasion rate. This effect will not be removed unless the enemy dispels it.]

If this effect is dispelled, it will be applied to the target again at the start of the next turn.

[Description: An 'art-grade' page, also known as a gold card. The stories it carries are far more weighty than ordinary stories. Using a withered olive branch as its medium, this page bears witness to the past and present of those who crossed oceans.]

['Like a maggot clinging to the tartar, it follows you like a shadow...']

[The book page will disappear completely after use.]

The dark, seven-colored light, along with the shattered pages, solidified and transformed into a laurel wreath woven from withered olive branches, which landed on Poseidon's head.

Poseidon's power was temporarily restricted, and the ocean currents she summoned by wielding her trident became noticeably weaker.

The surging ocean current weakened slightly, giving Yuriko, Kirino, and Kayoko, who were about to be attacked by the current, a chance to counterattack or dodge.

"call……"

Take a deep breath and focus.

"Arthur!"

The cowboy behind him pulled a bottle of snake oil from his pocket and poured it on himself.

"Snake Oil: Increases own attack, defense, hit rate, and evasion rate for three rounds. Also doubles or more the amount of your physical and magical attacks once. (Limited to three uses per battle)"

Water splashed everywhere, and the sharp edges of the converging ocean currents shot out, but with ample preparation, this threat posed no threat.

Leonardo!

Compared to Kirino's skillful dodging... Yuriko chose a different, more opportunistic approach.

Summon an ancient 'tank' vehicle to block your way, take the hit, and use it to counterattack.

Man-made tanks, of course, cannot stop the floods of nature.

But it can only block it for a moment, and that's enough.

The giant crossbow winch mounted on the tank was fastened, and sharp arrows burst out of the water just before the 'tank' was about to collapse.

"Da Vinci Tank: Deploys a shield to absorb one attack except for the universal attribute. If the attack is absorbed, it will trigger a gun-attribute counterattack."

The plaster statue of the philosopher behind him instantly transformed into the shape of a flapping-wing aircraft, launching several explosions that instantly spread out in a cloud of smoke.

"Interference Smoke Screen: Reduces the probability and hit rate of all enemy attacks on yourself, while granting yourself the 'Silence Reaper Ready' status. Only available in the next turn, 'Silence Reaper' can be used."

The 'Silent Reaper in the Smoke Screen' has a fighting style of concealing itself before delivering a 'fatal blow'.

Aside from the initial chaos caused by the ocean currents and floods, they did not cause any subsequent impact.

Amamiya swung his sword horizontally, using the Paradise Lost covered in cursed fire to slash back at the trident that kept thrusting at him through the air.

"Oh...you've got some skills."

"It didn't collapse at the first touch... Well then, it seems I need to get a little more serious..."

Poseidon, wielding his trident, pressed forward instead of retreating.

Amamiya chose to respond to 'Poseidon' at just the right speed, and the cursed fire of [Paradise Lost] in her hand was only covered with a shallow layer, just right to deflect 'Poseidon's' attack bullets, but without causing excessive damage.

Amidst the flashing blades and clashing swords, Amamiya skillfully engaged in a tit-for-tat confrontation, blocking most of the close-combat pressure that Poseidon should have shared with all the other students.

Poseidon excels in close combat... making him a 'stat-based' opponent.

He doesn't do anything fancy. Apart from occasionally using his trident to unleash a 'group attack magic', he mostly relies on powerful close-quarters combat and continuous attacks.

—And this is obviously something that the vast majority of students find difficult to adapt to.

After all, the theme of Kiwatos is ultimately 'firearms', that is, close-to-medium range combat.

Taking a deep breath, Amamiya used alternating bursts of [Destruction God Emperor] and melee attacks of [Paradise Lost] to block Poseidon's next offensive, creating an opportunity for Kirino and Yuriko, the main attackers among the students.

"The Eye of Death!"

"Silent Death!"

Both skills related to 'Death' require at least one turn of preparation.

This disadvantage translates into unparalleled offensive power.

A massive, super-heavy armor-piercing projectile appeared simultaneously with a red cross mark enhanced by the 'Eye of Death'.

Amamiya stepped back, performed a backflip, and rolled back to the students.

The black smoke from the explosion lingered for a long time.

'Poseidon' knelt on one knee, leaning on his trident. His body had been ripped open by two charged attacks, 'Eye of Death' and 'Silent Death', revealing the vulnerable redeemer beneath his gleaming divine armor.

"very good……"

'Poseidon' chuckled as he rose, gathering the shattered fragments of his body back together. The arrogance in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a deep crimson.