The blade fell, bringing with it a shriek as it tore through the air.
Toyokawa Sakiko lightly tapped the ground with the tip of her foot, and her body slid backward. The edge of the Sword of Extermination narrowly brushed past the tip of her nose.
Mahoraga's second and third strikes followed like a storm, obeying the command Mori Minami's Shadow had issued earlier. It stuck tightly to Toyokawa Sakiko, attacking without the slightest pause.
Sakiko turned sideways and avoided a horizontal slash, her gaze passing over Mahoraga and landing on Mori Minami's Shadow.
The Shadow, who was imitating Nagasaki Soyo's appearance, now had an expression of astonishment. Her pupils had contracted sharply, and she stood rigidly in place. She had not moved a single step, nor had she issued any new commands to Mahoraga.
Her attention was not on this battlefield at all.
Sakiko's fingertips twitched slightly.
This was an excellent opportunity.
If she expanded Unlimited Void now and dragged Mori Minami's Shadow and Mahoraga into it together, pouring endless information into them, she could completely crash the other party's brain and end this battle in an instant.
But her wrist had only risen halfway before the movement stopped.
Her gaze swept across the surrounding space.
Mori Minami's Shadow's palace was now covered in spiderweb-like cracks.
Every tiny spatial fragment refracted memory scenes belonging to different people.
Even the palace's original sure-hit psychic impact had come to a complete halt.
This was probably the result of Shinobu Kocho's domain.
Sakiko did not know what would happen if she forcibly overlaid Unlimited Void on top of it now.
Would it violently conflict with Shinobu's active domain?
At best, it might destroy the hard-won result Shinobu had created. At worst, it might directly affect Shinobu herself, who was currently somewhere unknown.
She could not use a domain.
With the Six Eyes' terrifying information-processing ability, Sakiko spent only a microsecond inside her mind before making that decision.
Then Sakiko stopped sliding backward and forcibly halted her body in midair.
She raised her right hand toward Mahoraga, who was charging straight at her. A point of dark red light formed at her fingertip and detonated.
"Red."
The calm word left Sakiko's lips.
The next instant, terrifying repulsive force erupted at point-blank range, using Sakiko's fingertip as its starting point and blasting forward in a fan shape.
The moment Mahoraga's body touched the red light, it began visibly tearing apart.
Its skin peeled away as if it were sludge thrown into a meat grinder.
Next came its knotted muscles, then its thick bones.
Everything was crushed layer by layer under the repulsive force.
The Sword of Extermination on its right arm snapped instantly. The wheel above its head, which symbolized adaptation to all things, shattered and vanished under the impact of that repulsion.
In only one breath, the strongest shikigami with terrifying adaptability was completely erased.
There was no chance for regeneration or adaptation. Its huge body turned into countless fine sprays of blood and scraps of flesh.
Then those remains were evaporated in midair by Red's lingering force, disappearing completely into the air without leaving even the slightest trace behind.
Mahoraga had been completely killed.
Sakiko slowly lowered her right hand and looked toward Mori Minami's Shadow ahead.
Even though her strongest shikigami had been ground into powder, she still had no reaction. She simply stood there in a daze, maintaining that stunned expression, as if the shikigami's destruction had nothing to do with her.
Then, an abnormality descended.
Boom!
A deep rumble sounded.
The space that had already been covered in cracks finally reached its end.
The sky, the ground, the atmosphere—everything within sight shattered thunderously at this moment.
Countless spatial fragments scattered around them. On every fragment, memories belonging to different people silently played.
Those memory fragments gathered and fused toward the sky above, and a crystal butterfly large enough to cover the heavens took shape in the air.
Its body and wings were entirely formed from those memory fragments, their surfaces refracting endlessly shifting, magnificent light.
The instant space shattered and the butterfly took form, Toyokawa Sakiko suddenly froze.
A powerful suppressive force came without warning from the depths of her soul.
Icarus, the Persona that had been hovering behind her and providing mental protection and attribute support, suddenly began flickering violently.
Sakiko tried to use mental power to stabilize it, but it had no effect.
Then Icarus uncontrollably released its manifested state. It transformed into a stream of light and was forcibly pressed back into Sakiko's body.
And that was not all.
Sakiko felt that her passive talent, Unyielding, had also been completely sealed at this moment, unable to be called upon.
That feeling of having her defenses instantly stripped bare made Sakiko's heart tighten sharply.
She immediately mobilized the cursed energy inside her body and tested its circulation.
Limitless—normal.
Reverse Cursed Technique—normal.
After confirming that these two baseline survival abilities were still functioning, Sakiko finally relaxed slightly.
What exactly was going on?
Sakiko immediately turned her head and looked toward Mori Minami's Shadow not far away.
The changes in the other party were far more drastic than Sakiko's.
The layer of disguise on the Shadow, which had belonged to Nagasaki Soyo, melted away like ice and snow. Her imitation ability had been forcibly canceled.
In a short instant, the person standing there was no longer Nagasaki Soyo, but Mori Minami herself.
Mori Minami's Shadow lowered her head and stared blankly at her hands, which had returned to their original appearance. Uncontrollable astonishment and panic surfaced on her face.
Ding.
A notification sounded in Sakiko's mind.
Sakiko split off a sliver of attention and opened the chat group interface. Shinobu Kocho had started a group livestream in the chat.
Sakiko immediately entered it, and her consciousness synchronized with the streamer in an instant.
After Shinobu opened consciousness-sharing permissions, the information stream poured directly into Sakiko's mind through the chat group system.
Combined with the Six Eyes' extraordinary information-processing ability, Sakiko digested all of it instantly. She thoroughly understood what was happening, as well as the full effect of Shinobu Kocho's domain—
Feathered Molting Mirror-Splinter Realm.
This was a domain that thoroughly targeted "domains" and "disguises."
Shinobu herself did not possess cursed energy.
The reason she could deploy a domain was because, with her keen observation, she had analyzed and learned the way Mori Minami's Shadow used her palace as a domain. Then she bypassed the limitations of cursed energy and barrier techniques, directly projecting and materializing her own mental landscape into reality.
And this domain's effect was closely tied to Shinobu's own awakening process.
The entire domain was divided into two stages.
The first stage was called Cocooning.
As long as one was within Feathered Molting Mirror-Splinter Realm's range, everyone, regardless of enemy or ally, would first be forcibly pulled into the "cocoon" state.
In this state, the effects of any other domain inside the space would be forcibly paused. This was why the sure-hit psychic impact originally present throughout Mori Minami's palace had suddenly disappeared.
While in the cocoon state, everyone's memories, emotions, and experiences would be forcibly extracted by the domain.
This extracted information would become nourishment for the domain owner's strengthening, just as Toyokawa Sakiko and Nagasaki Soyo had been able to see other people's memories through the spatial fragments earlier.
The second stage was called Breaking the Cocoon and Feathered Molting.
That was the scene just now, where space exploded and the crystal butterfly was born.
Once the cocoon accumulated enough nourishment and reached the critical point, the domain would enter the emergence stage.
The rules of this stage were extremely overbearing, and they did not distinguish between friend and foe.
On a conceptual level, it directly shattered all domains in the current space.
At the same time, it completely destroyed all disguises, walls of the heart, and the barriers between different personalities within each person.
It forcibly erased the mind's defense mechanisms.
And at the instant of erasure, it granted everyone present a chance at spiritual enlightenment.
This enlightenment originated from Shinobu Kocho's own mental journey.
In her desperate situation, she had personally erased her two masks of anger and smiling, eliminated all her disguises, looked directly at her true self, and ultimately broke out of her cocoon to become a butterfly, awakening her domain.
Feathered Molting Mirror-Splinter Realm materialized this process of breaking falsehood and pointing directly toward the true heart into a rule, forcibly applying it to everyone within range.
That was why Sakiko's Icarus had been forced back into her body, and why her talent had been sealed.
As a Persona, a manifestation of a mask of the heart, Icarus was judged by Feathered Molting Mirror-Splinter Realm's rules to be a mental defense mechanism and disguise, and was therefore forcibly canceled.
That was also why Mori Minami's Shadow had changed back from Nagasaki Soyo's appearance to her true form.
Her imitation ability was, in essence, a disguise layered over her own appearance. So at the moment of emergence, it had been forcibly stripped away by the rules. Her palace-domain was shattered for the same reason.
As for Nagasaki Soyo, under the enlightenment effect brought by breaking the cocoon and becoming a butterfly, she had faced her own heart and successfully awakened her own Persona.
At the same time, because Soyo's awakening happened just after the domain had shattered and the rules had already resolved, this newly born Persona was not judged again as a disguise and sealed back into her body the way Sakiko's Icarus had been.
It remained and could still manifest in reality.
But the ending of Feathered Molting Mirror-Splinter Realm was not simply enlightenment.
Sakiko raised her head and once again looked at the enormous crystal butterfly in the sky, whose wings blotted out the heavens.
It was not merely an illusory image. It was the final creation of the entire domain.
Its body was formed from everyone's memories and carried the memory information of all personnel within the domain.
At the same time, it had also absorbed the residual power shattered from the collapse of this enormous palace.
At the moment the butterfly completed its transformation, that massive and chaotic energy underwent a qualitative change under the domain rules' forced integration, being forcibly converted into an extremely pure form of life energy.
This energy was similar in nature to the positive energy produced by Reverse Cursed Technique. It could rapidly repair all injuries to flesh and soul.
But it also had a limitation. Just like the half-baked reversed cursed energy Mori Minami's Shadow had imitated earlier, this energy could only be used for repair and strengthening. It did not possess a purifying effect against negative-attribute energy and could not counter cursed spirits or Shadows the way true positive energy could.
Now, this crystal butterfly that had gathered such a vast quantity of resources was a one-time artifact possessing tremendous energy.
It had two completely different usage methods, and the caster had to make the choice.
The first choice: detonation.
Let the crystal butterfly instantly detonate all the energy inside itself, triggering a full-coverage energy burst.
This would immediately fully heal all allied units within this space, instantly pulling everyone back to peak condition.
The second choice: possession.
Let the crystal butterfly compress that vast energy to its absolute limit and attach itself to a single designated target, pouring all its energy into that person.
This would instantly raise all of that person's base attributes. For a short time, it would also grant them an almost immortal automatic healing effect. As long as the possessed energy was not exhausted, any injury would heal instantly.
Not only that—
This butterfly was formed from memories. During the Cocooning stage, it had absorbed an immense amount of memory information.
That meant it completely contained all information regarding the enemy's moves, behavioral logic, and flaws.
Once possession was chosen, the possessed person would know everything about the enemy and be able to precisely target the opponent's weaknesses to deliver fatal special attacks.
Under normal circumstances, if Feathered Molting Mirror-Splinter Realm were used to crush a domain weaker than itself, Shinobu could achieve perfect control.
She could hide her own memories, and she could even designate that enemies were unable to obtain allied memories during the cocoon state and unable to gain enlightenment during emergence, thus preventing enemies from breaking through mid-battle.
But the current situation was completely different.
Mori Minami's Shadow's palace far exceeded the limits of Shinobu's newly awakened domain, whether in terms of coverage area or the intensity accumulated from internal distortion.
To forcibly destroy this palace-domain from the inside, Shinobu had used a Binding Vow.
At the price of exposing her own memories and allowing the enemy to see them as well, she obtained absolute deployment authority for her domain, ultimately succeeding in shattering the opponent's palace from within.
And the reason she now had to transmit this message through the group livestream was that too much energy was compressed inside the crystal butterfly, making it extremely unstable.
At this moment, the edges of the butterfly's wings in the sky were continuously shedding fine fragments of light.
Shinobu had to complete one of the two choices in an extremely short time.
Otherwise, the crystal butterfly would lose control due to energy overload and directly trigger the default first effect: explode on the spot and release all its energy in a wide-area healing burst.
She needed to know the current state of Nagasaki Soyo and Toyokawa Sakiko.
During the battle and enlightenment just now, had either of them grown stronger? Had either of them suffered fatal injuries that required immediate treatment?
She had to decide based on those two points.
Should she choose to make the butterfly self-destruct and use group healing to save their lives?
Or should she have it possess someone, strengthening strength with even greater strength to complete the decisive kill?
With the support of the chat group, Toyokawa Sakiko took only one breath to read and fully understand that enormous amount of information, completely grasping the current situation.
Sakiko immediately moved her thoughts, opened group livestreaming in the Persona 5 subgroup, and sent Nagasaki Soyo an invitation.
Half a second later.
Nagasaki Soyo's consciousness connected and entered the livestream room.
After quickly understanding the cause and effect, she wasted no words and directly synchronized her current state through the livestream, as well as the power she had just awakened.
Sakiko and Shinobu's consciousnesses focused at the same time on Soyo's newly awakened Persona—
Hariti.
Looking at the information that surfaced in their minds, both of them raised their brows slightly.
To be honest, this Persona's unique ability was overly simple and crude.
It had no flashy effects whatsoever. Only pure numbers.
To summarize it in two words:
Special attack.
If the enemy before her fit the concept of "someone who harms children," then when Hariti fought them, all of its attributes would instantly increase, reaching up to twice their base value.
Additionally, all attacks would carry an extra 100% true damage that ignored any form of defense.
And if the enemy fit the more extreme target concept of "a mother who harms her own child"...
Then the attribute amplification would immediately rise to a terrifying 200%. In other words, its stats would instantly reach three times the original base values.
Furthermore, every attack would add an extra 300% true damage that ignored defense.
Mori Minami perfectly matched the special attack target.
After learning this information, Toyokawa Sakiko and Shinobu Kocho instantly reached a consensus through the livestream exchange.
Give the crystal butterfly created by Feathered Molting Mirror-Splinter Realm to Nagasaki Soyo.
Although Nagasaki Soyo had awakened Hariti, whose special attack multiplier was terrifying, her Persona had only just awakened, and her base attributes were still too low.
Even multiplied by three, against Mori Minami's Shadow, who had accumulated strength for more than ten years, it was probably still insufficient.
But if the single-target strengthening from the crystal butterfly's possession were added, the situation would be completely different.
The crystal butterfly's immense life energy would instantly raise Hariti's base attributes.
Then, on top of that raised foundation, the threefold attribute multiplier and the absurd 300% true damage would apply.
Once her one weakness of low base attributes was covered, against Mori Minami's Shadow, who was completely countered by this special attack, there would probably be no need for anyone else to intervene.
Nagasaki Soyo and her Hariti alone would be enough to completely defeat Mori Minami's Shadow.
The instant the course of action was decided, Nagasaki Soyo and Shinobu Kocho were immediately teleported to Sakiko's side through the chat group's teleportation function.
Soyo was not wearing Will Glasses at the moment. But now, she was completely unafraid. As she looked toward Mori Minami's Shadow ahead, there was no fear in her eyes—only burning rage.
At the same time—
The magnificent crystal butterfly in the sky, vast enough to blot out the heavens, let out an ethereal hum.
Its enormous wings suddenly folded inward, collapsing rapidly in midair into a dazzling streak of light that refracted countless colors.
Like a falling meteor, the stream of light shot straight toward Hariti, who stood behind Nagasaki Soyo.
Boom!
Hariti's already tall figure suddenly grew by another measure the instant it absorbed the crystal butterfly.
Immediately afterward, a pair of giant butterfly wings made of brilliant flowing light abruptly spread from Hariti's back.
The white bridal kimono moved without wind, snapping loudly.
Hariti's base attributes were forcibly raised at this moment by the crystal butterfly's vast energy. Its sole weakness was completely made up for.
Beneath the hood of the white bridal kimono, that patch of nothingness was now looking at Mori Minami's Shadow.
The space beneath the hood fluctuated violently, and at the same time, Hariti's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Threefold all-attribute amplification activated.
300% defense-ignoring true-damage special attack activated.
All the communication, information sharing, decision-making, teleportation, and final strengthening possession occurred on the level of thought.
In real time, from the shattering of space and the formation of the butterfly to Nagasaki Soyo completing her ultimate enhancement, less than three seconds had passed.
Therefore, Mori Minami's Shadow, standing opposite them, was still in a dazed and incredulous state.
Her brain had not even had time to finish processing the current information.
Clearly, only a second ago, everything had been developing according to her plan.
She had successfully suppressed the situation and pushed Toyokawa Sakiko into a desperate position.
But why?
Why had that girl called Shinobu Kocho suddenly committed suicide?
Why had the situation been completely reversed in just two or three seconds?
The astonishment on Mori Minami's Shadow's face gradually faded. In its place came extreme unwillingness and madness.
Her features twisted together, and her previously elegant face became hideous and horrifying.
Her pale lips split wide to both sides, exposing white teeth.
So what if she had lost her palace-domain?
So what if the rules had stripped away her ability to imitate others?
Over all these years, the power of countless distorted cognitions had settled inside her body.
With this vast mass alone, she absolutely would not lose to these little girls!
I haven't lost yet!
Mori Minami's Shadow threw back her head and released a shrill roar.
With that roar, the pure white kimono on her body suddenly swelled, as though filled with violent wind.
Malice like black sludge gushed from the pores of her skin, rapidly condensing around her body.
But at the exact instant she roared—
Hariti, clad in white bridal garb, moved.
Holding that long naginata in one hand, she gave the flowing butterfly wings on her back a fierce beat. In an instant, she slipped past and appeared behind Mori Minami's Shadow.
Mori Minami's Shadow could not capture Hariti's movement at all. Only a brilliant afterimage remained on her retina.
Shhk—squelch!
Four dull sounds of blades cutting through bone and flesh erupted in overlap.
The 300% defense-ignoring true damage made Mori Minami's Shadow's defenses as fragile as paper.
The black, distorted energy gushing from her body to defend her had not even had time to change shape before it was directly ignored and cut apart by Hariti's naginata, which carried true damage. It encountered no obstruction at all.
Mori Minami's Shadow's roar jammed in her throat.
She suddenly realized that her vision had begun tilting. Heaven and earth spun before her eyes, and a strange sense of weightlessness spread through her entire body.
She tried to stretch out her hand to support her tilting body.
But it was useless.
Her gaze shifted downward.
Her four limbs had been severed cleanly at the root and were scattered on the ground half a meter away. The cuts were as smooth as mirrors, and black cognitive energy was slowly leaking from them.
Her unsupported torso slammed heavily onto the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Footsteps stopped by her ear.
Nagasaki Soyo stood before her.
Hariti hovered behind Soyo, looking down from above at the incomplete body lying at their feet.
The long naginata pointed diagonally downward, its cold blade tip stopping steadily just above Mori Minami's Shadow's nose.
Brilliant flowing light refracted along the blade.
Mori Minami's Shadow lay on the ground and looked at the blade so close before her.
She could clearly feel that the power contained within that blade tip was enough to completely erase her on a conceptual level.
Her expression froze.
The struggle and unwillingness in her eyes faded, and her twisted face gradually relaxed.
She looked at the sky. The crystal butterfly had already vanished, leaving only the broken space slowly returning to calm.
The corner of Mori Minami's Shadow's mouth twitched slightly, forming a self-mocking smile.
She closed her eyes and sighed helplessly.
"All right. I admit defeat."
Join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 180)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl 285
"Is this chat group even serious?" 150
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 255
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 210
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (This matter is completely finished.)
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 130
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 155
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 120
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 155
My Harem Is Indescribable 105
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 110
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 110
Still playing traditional Honk 96
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 95
What Should I Do After Switchi 51
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 105
Checking In in Demon Slayer 95
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 105
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (This matter is completely finished.)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
Why did they assign me to Uma 80
MYGO Beauties 75
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 80
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 100
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 120
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 65
The Uma Musume Who Became 70
I'm Definitely Not the King of 105
After Maxing Out Every Class 110
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 95
I, the Elden Sword Saint 60
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 60
No One Knows Pokémon Better 60
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 69
From Trilobites to Titans 57
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 75
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 86
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 70
Honkai: The Fire Devil 70
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/30
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 60
Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 36
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