"Found it. So this is the target Shadow we're supposed to make repent... But why does it look like a child?"
Following the route planned by the MetaNav App, Ren Amamiya finally reached his destination after defeating numerous Shadows along the way. He had found the target Shadow pointed out by the app.
However, the moment Ren laid eyes on the target, he raised an eyebrow in surprise, instinctively picking up his phone to double-check the navigation. Only after confirming he hadn't taken a wrong turn did he put the phone down and carefully examine the figure before him.
A petite girl, no taller than 1.5 meters, wearing a black nun's habit. Striking white hair peeked out from beneath her black headdress, and her sapphire-blue eyes were fixed intently on Ren and his companions who had just arrived.
Those familiar white hair and blue eyes… Ren mused. And her face... she looks almost like a miniature version of Kallen. Considering how close this is to the Kaslana Palace… could this little girl also be a member of the Kaslana family?
The more Ren observed the small, white-haired nun, the stronger the sense of familiarity grew. Thinking back, he realized he had seen that nun's habit before—in the Will Seed memories within Yae Sakura's Palace. The habit Kallen Kaslana wore was identical to this Shadow's, only differing in size and style.
Putting together the information he gathered, Ren was certain that the target Shadow before him was definitely a member of the Kaslana family.
"...Is the Kaslana family exploiting child labor now? Why would they make such a young girl work, and even teach her to be a spoiled brat who docks her subordinates' pay and only cares about having fun?"
Before seeing this petite, white-haired lolita in person, the image Ren had in mind for this unscrupulous boss Shadow was a classic, middle-aged man in a black suit and gold-rimmed glasses—a true wolf in sheep's clothing.
This little nun's appearance definitely threw Ren off a bit. It seemed natural enough for a young girl from a prominent family, only eleven or twelve years old, to be self-indulgent if she held a position of authority.
Every human had a corresponding Shadow in the cognitive world of Mementos. Simply having a Shadow meant nothing. Only those who manifested Palaces within Mementos—powerful Shadows born from distorted desires that committed major sins—were targets that truly needed the Phantom Thieves' reform.
Whether this young nun had committed any serious wrongdoing, Ren only needed to ask her directly. A Shadow in Mementos represented the truest aspects of a person's heart; therefore, a Shadow couldn't lie. No matter who asked the question, the Shadow would answer completely honestly.
"Little nun over there, I'm asking you, did you really exploit your subordinate, docking her pay—"
Just as Ren cleared his throat, preparing to question the truthful Shadow nun—
The atmosphere around the white-haired girl abruptly shifted.
"Heh… Heh… AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Her sapphire-blue eyes gradually became tinged with blood red. Her gaze turned savage, like a wild, mindless beast. She opened her pink lips, revealing sharpened teeth like fangs, and let out a low growl like a beast's roar.
The moment Ren saw her, he had felt a resonant sense of familiarity and closeness from this little nun Shadow. He had initially attributed this feeling to Persona Kallen.
However, as blood-red energy flames gradually ignited around the white-haired girl, her small body seemingly swelling and morphing within the fire into a large, familiar monstrous form, Ren realized that the source of his affinity wasn't just Persona Kallen—but also Persona Kosma, whom he had recently acquired in the Elysian Realm.
"A Shadow of the same type as Kosma... Everyone, be careful! The enemy Shadow can absorb our SP! Try to avoid close contact!" Ren warned Raiden Mei, Seele, and Hare behind him as he took a combat stance.
This small nun Shadow had skipped the standard procedure, transforming into her Shadow form and initiating battle without a word of dialogue. Her efficiency did slightly surprise Ren, but he quickly regained his focus, preparing for the fight.
Having obtained Persona Kosma, Ren was very familiar with the Shadow's form and abilities; he even knew its weaknesses.
After the transformation was complete, the little nun Shadow became remarkably similar to Kosma's demonic, blade-armed form. The only differences were its smaller size and the fiery red aura enveloping it.
"To deal with this Shadow, I'll use... I'll test out this newly acquired Persona!"
Ren gently tapped a finger, clad in its red glove, against the edge of the white bird mask on his face. He hesitated momentarily, considering which Persona to summon against this small nun Shadow's blade-armed demon form.
This was the trouble with having too many Personas! If he only had Kallen, he would have immediately sent her into battle. If it were only Kosma, he would have chosen to let the two similar-looking blade-armed demons duke it out.
But with an abundance of Personas, Ren ultimately decided to test his newly acquired Persona's abilities on this Shadow.
"You've been chosen. Come—Persona! Norn!!"
Ren flung the white bird mask forward, blue flames igniting instantly in the air.
Clang, clang, clang—!!!
A bell-like chime, like the gentle flow of the wellspring of fate, echoed through the void.
The golden clock, engraved with the figures of the three Norns, materialized in the Mementos battlefield. The moment it appeared, it activated its time-manipulating power on the small Shadow, transformed into its blade-armed demon form.
Golden ripples spread outwards with the turning of the clock's hands. Affected by the golden temporal ripples, the demonic Shadow's movements—hunched over, preparing to charge—visibly slowed, as if in slow motion.
"Perfect chance! Let's attack together!!" Seeing the Shadow's hampered movements, restricted by Persona Norn's temporal power, Raiden Mei's eyes lit up.
The crimson demonic dragon coiled in the sky, beating its massive wings as it bombarded the blade-armed demon on the ground with dense, rapid-fire bursts of crimson lightning.
Hare's dream projection, clad in futuristic blue-purple armor, threw volley after volley of purple javelins, precisely targeting various parts of the demonic Shadow's body.
Seele specialized in close-range combat.
However, after hearing Ren's warning, she naturally wouldn't foolishly engage in close quarters with the blade-armed demon. Instead, she swung her blue scythe powerfully, unleashing a dreamy, brilliant blue blade light towards the demon, reminiscent of a butterfly's wings.
Persona Norn's temporal power did affect the demonic Shadow, slowing its movements. However, Norn's power was still relatively weak. Even with Ren controlling it, the demon quickly broke free from the time-lag effect.
"This feeling... did it just devour the time force binding it? It can do that?" Ren, as Norn's summoner, clearly sensed the time force disappearing. It was as if some unseen maw had swallowed the power whole, suddenly vanishing.
By the time Raiden Mei, Hare, and Seele's attacks landed, the demonic Shadow had completely devoured Persona Norn's time-binding force.
Rumble—!!
Though it had absorbed the time-lag effect, the Shadow still couldn't dodge the all-out attacks from Persona Kurikara, Armored Hare, and Seele. Under the combined assault, the demonic Shadow was forced back step by step. Ghastly wounds appeared on its body, and viscous, gray-blue blood oozed from the cracks in its demonic form.
"It can only absorb benign energy, not direct attacks... That's why Kosma didn't use this devouring ability during our previous fight," Ren noted.
The white-haired girl's demonic Shadow form failed to absorb the crimson lightning and blue blade light from Persona Kurikara and Seele, and instead took damage. Ren immediately grasped the limitations of its devouring ability, understanding why his Persona Kosma hadn't used this power during the battle in the World Serpent lab.
The Elysian Realm was situated in the very deepest layer of Mementos, far deeper than this area near Kaslana Palace. Persona Kosma's strength within the Elysian Realm was naturally dozens of times greater than this demon Shadow near the Kaslana Palace.
Though of the same type, compared to Kosma, this demonic Shadow formed by the little nun was like an underdeveloped weakling. With his teammates' support, Ren didn't even need to switch out the more supportive Persona Norn; he could defeat this weak demon directly.
"Since you can't absorb attack skills, have a taste of this—Garudyne!!"
Ren raised the Jizo Mitama katana high. A violent, emerald green hurricane abruptly swept across the battlefield, causing his Phantom Thief attire's feathered coattails to flutter wildly.
Persona Norn hovered above Ren. As he swung Jizo Mitama downwards, a ferocious hurricane tornado, capable of tearing the world apart, surged towards the blade-armed demonic Shadow.