"Although I still don't quite understand what this 'Wild Card power' really is, I think I roughly get what you're trying to do, Joker... Indeed, if that's the case, then even the Huodou could become a source of power for your Persona."
During Ren's explanation, although Hare didn't fully grasp the meaning of the Wild Card power, she seemed to have finally figured out what Ren was ultimately aiming for. A look of sudden realization dawned on her flawless, exquisite face.
"Threatening the Huodou like this won't work, Joker. Let me try negotiating with it for you."
Hare gently raised her hand, pressing down on the Raikiri katana Ren had pointed at the Huodou. Her voice was soft and gentle as she made the suggestion.
"...Alright, I'll leave it to you, Hare."
Facing Hare's suggestion, Ren blinked a couple of times, then obediently sheathed Raikiri. He watched as Hare floated towards the spot where the Huodou lay collapsed.
Ren's negotiation with the Huodou had already reached a breaking point. The only hope left was for Hare to salvage the situation.
In the Confidant system, there are negotiation skills like 'Girly Talk,' 'Kitty Talk,' and 'Divine Talk.' Depending on the type of Confidant, even if Ren failed the initial negotiation with a Persona, these skills could grant another chance, significantly increasing the margin for error.
Right now, he could only hope Hare possessed a similar re-negotiation skill, perhaps something like "Interspecies Diplomacy." Otherwise, Ren would have to grit his teeth, let the Huodou drop some loot, and then search the Palace for another Shadow that could become his Persona.
Under Ren's expectant gaze, Hare gently placed her delicate hand on the immobilized Huodou's forehead. As she slowly closed her eyes, a hazy light began to emanate from her body. The faint halo gradually expanded, soon enveloping the Huodou's massive form.
The Huodou, which had still been struggling weakly, instantly calmed down after being bathed in the hazy glow radiating from Hare. Its golden beastly eyes filled with a dazed, sleepy look. Then, it closed its eyes completely, drifting off into a deep slumber, lost in dreams.
Even after the Huodou fell asleep, Hare didn't remove her hand from its large forehead. She remained motionless in her pose for a long time, as if communicating with the Huodou within its dream.
After quite a while, Hare slowly withdrew her hand. Her blue eyes opened again, and she turned to look at Ren, who had been waiting silently behind her.
"It's alright now, Joker. Next, just place your palm on the Huodou's body and open your heart, try to accept its existence. If you do that, you should be able to recruit the Huodou as your familiar... I mean, as your Persona."
The way Honkai Beasts think is through their dreams. Trying to negotiate with a Honkai Beast using human methods was completely futile. Only within a dream could a Honkai Beast possibly comprehend another's intentions.
Having withdrawn her consciousness from the Huodou's dream, Hare offered Ren a gentle smile, bringing him the good news he'd hoped for.
Earlier, when Ren was explaining things, he'd bombarded her with a lot of information. Although Hare hadn't fully understood everything, by picking out the keywords from Ren's explanation, she had finally managed to translate his meaning, grasping what he intended to do with the Huodou.
To allow a physical Honkai Beast like the Huodou to reside alongside Arsene in the Stigma Space, a place normally only accessible to Stigma Constructs... And furthermore, to be able to command the Huodou in battle as easily as pointing a finger, even allowing its power to grow and evolve...
The only thing Hare could relate this to was the existence of "Companions Honkai Beasts."
Companions Honkai Beasts are powerful, special Honkai Beasts born alongside a Herrscher, an Apostle of the Honkai. For example, during the Second Honkai Eruption, the Herrscher of the Void, Sirin, had the Judgment-class Honkai Beast Benares as her Companion beast.
Benares possessed immense power and inflicted devastating losses upon Schicksal's Valkyries.
Fully awakened Stigmata users and Herrschers of the Honkai were like mirror images – similar yet complete opposites. Herrschers could artificially create Companion Honkai Beasts subordinate to them. It stood to reason that a fully awakened Stigmata user could do the same.
If Ren converted the Huodou into his own Companion Honkai Beast, then naturally, the Huodou would gain permission to enter and exit Ren's Stigma Space. It could normally wait on standby within the Stigma Space, and then, using the mask as a node, appear on the battlefield when needed.
That must be what Ren wants to do with the Huodou.
However, a fully awakened Stigmata user was ultimately not a Herrscher of the Honkai. They couldn't simply force a wild Honkai Beast into becoming their Companion beast. They first had to negotiate, soften the beast's attitude, and finally gain its consent and acknowledgment.
Although Ren had tried to negotiate with the Huodou, the proper place for such interaction with a Honkai Beast was within its dreams. Trying in the physical world was bound to fail.
"The negotiation was successful? You really saved me this time, Hare!"
Hearing Hare's good news, Ren's eyes instantly lit up. He thanked her sincerely.
...But do I really need to go touch it to recruit the Persona? Recruiting Personas in the real world was subtly different from the game. Or maybe the process in the game was simplified thanks to behind-the-scenes help from the Velvet Room?
Either way, he owed Hare big time for this one. Otherwise, relying solely on himself, Ren would have had to painfully give up on this impressive-looking, cool, golden-red big cat and choose another Shadow to recruit as a Persona.
Ren quickly walked up to the sleeping Huodou and placed his palm on the center of its forehead. He closed his eyes, cleared his mind, focusing solely on the thought of recruiting the Huodou as his Persona.
A resonant reaction occurred between the Huodou, whose forehead was being touched, and Ren. Ren felt a portion of his own magical power flow into the Huodou. Then, that same portion of his power, now carrying a large amount of the Huodou's own power, surged back into his body.
When Ren opened his eyes again, his calm black pupils reflected a magnificent scene: the Huodou's massive body dissolving into a myriad of shimmering golden-red particles.
The brilliant points of golden-red light scattered like fireworks. Only a single white mask, located at the very center of the dissipating light, remained floating gently in mid-air.
As Ren reached out his hand, the white mask slowly drifted down and settled into his palm.
Author's Note:
Companions Honkai Beasts should be able to reside within Imaginary Space / Stigma Space. Otherwise, I really can't imagine where Raiden Mei kept Kurikara after becoming the Herrscher of Thunder.