Tokyo Psychic

Like the hoarse cry of a patient in the late stage of Chuunibyou, the demon-shaped personality mask behind the thief quickly twirled the musket in his hand, and then pulled the trigger at the instant when a group of "shadows" approached.

A dark bullet burst out from the muzzle of the smoothbore rifle, twirling rapidly in the air, and then suddenly bursting into dense and fragmented black lines like a rainstorm when approaching the "shadows", crisscrossing the bodies of the "shadows" in such a sloppy and wild manner.

All the "shadow's" movements are frozen at this point.

The smoothbore rifle in the hand of "Yasen" behind Kurusu Akatsuki continued to emit invisible darkness until it completely disappeared.

The next moment, the space of the entire warehouse suddenly cracked along those dark lines, and the shadows of guards dressed in heavy armor, each holding a spear and a sword and shield, instantly exploded into countless dark air currents. They gathered beside Kurusu Akatsuki's shadow and hovered around it repeatedly. After finding that they could not squeeze in, they dissipated sadly.

Faintly, one could hear voices calling for help and crying.

The warehouse where armor and weapons were displayed returned to a solemn and dignified silence.

This is the "Palace of the Mind," a reflection of the sinner's inner world. The "shadows" that exist here have no corresponding individuals in reality; they are born from the cognition of the palace's owner.

An and Subaru lay in Kurusu Akatsuki's arms, too nervous to move.

Kurusu Akatsuki had never thought that this girl could actually follow him into the Palace of the Mind—

For a moment, he couldn't tell whether An and Subaru had the qualifications to awaken their personalities, or whether the enemy hiding in the hall was trying to use this ordinary, powerless person to distract him.

Kurusu Akatsuki let go of the girl in his arms. "As you can see, everything is now unfolding in a direction beyond the usual routine."

Even though An He Subaru was released, she stood there very honestly and obediently, looking at Kurusu Akatsuki in front of her with bright eyes, waiting for the other party's orders.

She was very smart and understood her situation almost immediately.

Based on the bizarre and fantastical attire worn by Kurusu Akatsuki, as well as the various supernatural powers he displayed, combined with the recent urban legend of the "Mind Thief" that has been widely circulated on the Internet,

The legendary "Thief of the Mind" is real.

And she was very lucky. When her life was about to fall into despair, she met this boy who was like an urban legend.

"Since you've guessed my identity, please give me your utmost trust. I don't have time to tell you the truth about this world right now. I must race against time to figure out the route to this "castle." From now on, please try to remain quiet and follow me. I will guarantee..."

The Phantom Thief explained to An and Subaru very quickly, but his words stopped abruptly.

His image now is completely different from the boy who likes to play games and has a bit of a "chunibyo" syndrome that An and Subaru see in real life.

An He Subaru was about to nod in response, but then she felt an irresistible force coming from the bend of her legs, and then she was picked up by the thief in a princess hug. The things in front of her eyes changed at lightning speed, and the indescribable feeling of weightlessness once again spread throughout her body. Her long black hair became messy as the thief jumped high.

The thief jumped to the center of the warehouse, the ground was shaking, and the armor racks and weapon racks displayed around were shaking violently, making a series of creaking sounds that made people feel their teeth ache.

A loud explosion was immediately heard behind them.

The ceiling shattered, and a huge mechanical arm full of science fiction texture stretched out into this medieval-style armory, giving people the feeling of Iron Man driving an anti-Hulk armor and intruding into the Hundred Years' War between England and France.

It's just... weird.

Behind the robotic arm is a matching huge mechanical body. A girl in a hospital gown stands on top of it, looking down at the people below.

Kurusu Akatsuki looked up at the brightly lit laboratory outside the hole she had created.

The personality mask "Arsen" that was originally dismissed once again appeared behind him.

This is not Xin Ma Xiaolian's spiritual palace.

But it is obviously far more dangerous than the principal's "mind palace".

The Phantom Thief watched the Persona user slowly descend in front of him. Combined with the familiar feeling he felt towards her, he finally understood why so many female students had "disappeared" or "committed suicide" in Tokyo recently...

Those bastards who claim to be "Gods" are using the people to mass-produce Personality Masks, and then twisting them into apostles who are completely loyal to their "faith."

The Phantom Thief clearly sensed a pure malice from her, an emotion that could only be felt by someone who disregarded and completely trampled upon laws and morals.

If you think about it carefully, the software [Different World Navigation APP] was originally implanted into his phone by the enemy, and it was originally intended to run a "game" that would subvert the world.

But the so-called rules of the game were declared bankrupt when he invaded the Velvet Room and killed "Amamiya Ren".

In other words, from now on, the series of experiences and experiences that the thief had in the impression space in his previous life are completely invalid.

Kurusu Akatsuki looked at the mechanical personality mask a little further away that did not make any more movements, and his eyes became more fierce.

The enemy deliberately lured him to this place... According to their overly cautious actions in recent times, this is definitely not the so-called "base camp" or "secret base."

Then I thought of the researchers who were constantly leaving the teaching building with documents and materials...

All the clues are clear.

This is the "battlefield" specially prepared by the enemy.

The Phantom Thief looked at An and Subaru in his arms. This was a flaw they had created for him on the spot.

At the same time, the personality mask user who had been observing him from a distance could no longer contain his hostility. The mechanical form of the personality mask was activated in an instant, and the sharp sound of high-speed friction of metal parts was heard between the joints. Along with a strong sound of breaking through the air, the huge iron fist had already smashed towards Kurusu Akatsuki who was standing in the center of the warehouse!

"'Yasen'! [Mahayegaon]!" The Phantom Thief shouted the name of the move, and the bloody demon raised his arms wrapped in the power of the curse and easily parried the enemy's sudden attack.

Then, the materialized curses spread like flames along the controlled mechanical personality mask and quickly spread towards the girl who was driving it.

Her eyes widened and she immediately tried to run away in panic.

However, the flames of the curse spread too quickly, covering the entire body of the personality mask user in almost an instant.

She fell to the ground, rolling over and over, trying to put out the "fire" on her body in such a clumsy way...which was obviously of no avail.

But she did not wail or cry, nor did she even utter a word of begging for mercy.

Just calm and reverent prayer.

And just as Kurusu Akatsuki had expected, the god she believed in did not respond even a single word until the curse had drained away the last bit of his life force.

Kurusu Akatsuki is not Batman, bound by that inexplicable "no-killing principle." In his seven years as a "Phantom Thief of the Mind," he's seen plenty of villains and learned firsthand the consequences of showing mercy to his enemies.

Not every criminal who commits evil has twisted desires and can be made to repent by stealing their hearts.

For example, the person in front of him, who had almost completely lost his humanity and whose emotions were abnormally indifferent, was the type that could only be dealt with through "physical repentance."

"I don't know how many failures and plans those 'gods' hiding behind you, who possess the ability to rewind time, have endured to get to this moment... but that's simply not important. If they had found an opportunity to defeat me, they would have attacked me long ago."

The Phantom Thief turned and calmly looked at the several Persona users standing by the open warehouse door. "You all seem to have had some training. At least you look much more capable than the guy who got away in the car at the beginning."

The girls looked at each other, without responding to the enemy's words or thinking about the information in the words. They just summoned their own personality masks and then attacked from different directions.

Kurusu Akatsuki didn't even try to dodge, but stood there holding An and Subaru. The open wings of "Yasen" folded up, covering them.

Fire, gunshots, curses... no matter what kind of attacks the surrounding personality masks used, they were all absorbed by those wide black feathers.

Seizing the brief window of opportunity when they were concentrating their fire, "Yasen" suddenly flapped its wings, and for a moment there was a strong wind. Following Kurusu Akatsuki's order, "Yasen" condensed a smoothbore rifle in his hand again and pulled the trigger at the surroundings.

"【Supreme Magic Bullet】!"

The bullets advanced like a rainstorm, submerging their figures in an instant.

This time there was no chance to even scream.

The walls and doors of the armory were affected, and they were as dry and tattered as torn sponges.

The Phantom Thief mentally calculated the unnecessary consumption caused by the quick decision just now, while holding An and Subaru in his arms, he ran quickly towards the space outside the armory.

We must quickly confirm the identity of the owner of this mind palace and the possible hidden location of the secret treasure...

After rushing out of the armory, there is a wide corridor that seems to extend infinitely. No matter how fast you run in it, it seems that you can't see the end of the scenery.

The walls on both sides of the corridor are filled with closed or open doors.

Along the way, every room Kurusu Akatsuki saw had a completely different decoration style, as if they all belonged to different inner worlds.

There are no windows in the corridor, it is completely sealed. If you stand on tiptoe and look out, the farthest place you can see is dim and blurry.

Soon, on this straight road that was so straight that there was no chance to adjust the direction, Kurusu Akatsuki encountered the obstruction of the Personality Mask users lined up in a row. Each of them had sufficient combat experience and a certain tacit understanding of teamwork. They took advantage of the special characteristics of this corridor and quietly completed the encirclement of Kurusu Akatsuki.

This caused considerable trouble for Kurusu Akatsuki, who was preparing to use "Yasin" carefully.

But no matter how troubled you are, as long as "Yasen" fires a shot, you can immediately get a brief moment of peace.

"It's endless."

Kurusu Akatsuki had already put An and Subaru down, and then repelled the sixth attack by the group of Persona users.

He's not very good at dealing with a rotation battle like this.

After all, he is a psychic thief, not a psychic "martial god" or "butcher".

When he was actually working, he spent most of his time exploring the rooms and memory terrain in the Mind Palace, searching for possible locations of secret treasures, and fighting off the "shadows" that tried to block his way.

Occasionally, when stealing secret treasures, he would be discovered by the owner of the Palace of the Mind. Only then would he have to play the role of a "robber", beat the other party up, and then run away with the secret treasure.

After living for so many years, it was indeed the first time that Kurusu Xiao had seen such a scene as today. It was like a collective funeral, with people holding suonas and sending one person to death and another to death along the way.

I've sent out six batches. No matter how amazing your lung capacity is, you'll be tired of playing the suona.

In the darkness of the corridor, the breathing sounds of the young boy and girl standing next to each other rose and fell, and then slowly intertwined.

An and Subaru clearly felt that this "Mind Thief" seemed to be less "indestructible".

She reached out and tugged at Kurusu Akatsuki's sleeve, "Wouldn't it be easier for you to move around if you didn't bring me along?"

Kurusu Akatsuki looked back at her in surprise. "What nonsense are you talking about? Whether you're here or not, we have to go all the way to the end to know what to do next."

"I'm holding you back."

"There's no such thing as 'holding back' here," the Phantom Thief said, seemingly always optimistic. His tone was filled with unquestionable determination and confidence. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here safely."

An and Subaru couldn't understand the development of this superpower, and just focused their eyes on the back of Kurusu Akatsuki's neck with concern.

In response, the Phantom Thief tugged at his gloves impatiently.

"Believe me."

"After all..." He thought of some plots and lines from "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure", "I am invincible."

Just as he finished speaking, he saw a nearby door open, and a hideous and terrifying personality mask like a ghost rushed out, but was immediately slapped back by "Arsen", and the door was closed at the same time.

Kurusu Akatsuki ordered "Yasen" to raise his musket, but this time, he aimed it at the outer wall of the closed corridor.

A dazzling flash of fire burst out from the muzzle of the gun, and the walls made of marble and lapis lazuli shattered. The powder splashed out by the broken stones was a grayish-white mist with a bluish tint, bringing in the light from the outside world.

Completely losing his patience, the Phantom Thief grabbed An and Subaru, who were standing beside him. Amidst her terrified screams, Kurusu Akatsuki sprinted towards the hole in the wall and leaped down.

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(I'm battling keratitis right now. I'm writing in front of the computer screen until tears are pouring down my face. I can't hold it any longer. I woke up and had to go to the hospital.)

052. "Armor-Piercing Bullet" (5499 words)

A sky as dark and bleak as dried blood.

There was no sun, no clouds, it was like standing on the stage looking up at a huge theater covered with a curtain.

The entire "Palace of the Soul" presents a complex and chaotic color scheme. The towering triangular building is mostly covered with glass and is divided into countless rooms of different sizes by steel frames. The decoration styles in the rooms are different, but they all present a feeling of despair.

Most of the rooms were empty, with only a few occupied by girls wearing hospital gowns and restrained in straitjackets. Masked "researchers" moved stiffly around them, like puppets held by strings.

Accompanied by a series of gunshots and explosions.

Two slender shadows passed quickly across the prism-like surface of the high-rise building.

Suddenly, a rope shot out from the grappling gun connected to the steel frame outside the glass wall, and the sharp object scraped against the metal surface, making a "click" sound.

The boy and girl hugging each other tightly suddenly hovered in mid-air, their figures clearly reflected in the glass wall.

The Phantom Thief held Ann and Subaru, who were trying to suppress their screams and tears, in one hand, and with the other hand held the rope shot out from the grappling gun mounted on his forearm.

Then he raised his foot and stepped hard on the glass wall, using the power of the winding device and pulley to recover the rope and swing to a room with open windows a little further away.

......

A girl was lying on the hospital bed, coughing constantly. The masked and stiffly behaving "researcher" looked up in a trance and noticed two overlapping figures getting closer and closer outside the window.

But before it could react, a dagger flew across the sky, carrying a sharp gust of wind and instantly piercing through the mask on its face, causing it to fall backwards.

The moment the "researcher" fell to the ground, he immediately exploded into dark air currents. They were still circling around the shadow of the thief who jumped in from the window. After confirming that the place was in a "complete" state, they dissipated in disgrace.

The girl controlled by the straitjacket was still coughing, and then she looked at the ceiling by herself, as if she had no knowledge or feelings about the outside world.

"What is this?..." An Hesuba looked at the victim on the hospital bed with some surprise and doubt.

"She's not a living person." Kurusu Akatsuki picked up her dagger from the ground. "This is a world composed entirely of cognition. She's merely a 'real person' fabricated by that world's cognition, embodying the rules and logic of its existence."

He rubbed the sole of his shoe against the ground repeatedly. "This includes the 'researcher' I just attacked. It's a resident programmed by this world, and it will act according to its assigned identity."

"Are those girls we just met who could summon all kinds of monsters like this too?"

"They are enemies, invading from reality and trying to kill me." Kurusu Akatsuki noticed a hint of fear in An and Subaru's eyes as they looked at her, so she continued to explain, "But objectively speaking, you used the wrong word just now. It shouldn't be 'they,' but 'them'."