The golden cross Goro Akechi now wielded was something Ren Amamiya was also quite familiar with. After all, his Persona Kallen possessed the same weapon.
The golden cross was named the Oath of Judah. It could release chains to pursue and bind enemies. Targets entangled by the chains would be suppressed, making it very difficult for them to break free.
Beyond that, the Oath of Judah also dealt Almighty attribute damage, capable of bypassing defenses against various elemental powers and directly inflicting True Damage-like blows.
Therefore, when Goro Akechi brought out Persona Loki and the Oath of Judah, Ren, to counter him, decisively summoned Persona Kallen, who also wielded the Oath of Judah.
"So this gentleman dressed all in black is our enemy this time~~~ Though judging a book by its cover isn't a good quality, you, sir, don't seem like a very gentle person~~~" Kallen, in her Phantom Thief Violet guise, raised a slender, purple-gloved hand and gently shifted the black-purple bird-beak mask obscuring her face to the side of her forehead.
She curiously sized up Otto Apocalypse, who was mimicked into Goro Akechi's form.
At first impression, "Goro Akechi," clad in a black and blue striped straitjacket and exuding an aura of deathly decay, certainly didn't look like a good person.
Moreover, "Goro Akechi" had just forcibly repelled Persona Yae Sakura back into Ren's mental space with brute force, which further prevented Kallen from developing any favorable impression of him.
"This ability to mimic weapons into Judgment of Shamash, Abyss Flower, and the Oath of Judah... it reminds me of an old acquaintance." Kallen's blue eyes narrowed slightly as she scrutinized the suddenly frozen "Goro Akechi" in the distance. "My friend's name is Otto Apocalypse. I wonder if you have any impression of that name?"
If it were merely the ability to change weapon forms, no matter how exaggerated the weapon's strength or appearance, Kallen wouldn't have thought much of it. However, Kallen, as the Schicksal Holy Maiden from five hundred years ago, was far too familiar with the Divine Keys Otto had just mimicked using Void Archives.
Judgment of Shamash was a sacred relic passed down through generations of the Kaslana family, a Key of Destruction usable only by Kaslanas.
Abyss Flower was the Key of Death and Creation provided by Schicksal to compatible individuals within the organization. And the Oath of Judah was Kallen's most frequently used Divine Key five hundred years ago.
Even now, as a Persona, having lost the true Oath of Judah, she could still recreate a portion of its binding power based on past experience, reconstructing its image.
These three Divine Keys should all belong to Schicksal; they were definitely secret items inaccessible to ordinary people. Yet, "Goro Akechi," much like the Otto of five hundred years ago, demonstrated an extraordinary understanding and mastery of these three mysterious and powerful Divine Keys. Even his method of mimicking weapons was remarkably similar to Otto's.
This overly striking coincidence couldn't help but make Persona Kallen start to think more deeply.
"Otto Apocalypse... the Supreme Overseer of Schicksal. I am naturally aware of that name." After a moment of silence, Otto slowly relaxed his stiffened body. His expression was as calm as if he were discussing someone else, and he replied to Persona Kallen in a natural tone. "My abilities are very similar to that Overseer's. It's normal for you to make that connection."
This figure before him, dressed as Phantom Thief Violet, was not the true Schicksal Holy Maiden Kallen Kaslana, but merely a Stigmata existence, like an epitaph recording her.
However, even knowing this, facing Persona Kallen, who had a completely identical face, memory, and personality to Kallen, Otto couldn't bring himself to attack her as he had Persona Yae Sakura earlier, forcibly sending her back to Ren's mental space.
On the premise that it wouldn't affect his plan to resurrect the real Kallen, Otto could dote on and spoil even Theresa almost limitlessly, let alone Persona Kallen, who resembled the real Kallen even more than Theresa did.
Therefore, after Ren pointedly summoned Persona Kallen, Otto experienced a rare feeling of headache. He had to temporarily halt his combat actions and instead ponder how he could leave this Herrscher of the Void's Palace without fighting Persona Kallen.
"You know Otto's abilities? It seems you've also gathered intelligence related to Otto." Goro Akechi, who had appeared aggressive and was about to go all out after summoning Persona Loki, suddenly stopped his attack after Ren summoned Persona Kallen, instead showing a willingness to communicate.
Ren's eyes flickered slightly. Although he felt this Pancake Man might be up to some scheme, the bait of information he offered was indeed enticing enough for Ren to listen, albeit with heightened vigilance.
"Since you've also noticed Otto, then you should also be aware of his intention to rewrite the world, right? If the world is truly rewritten, perhaps a cognitive existence like you will be completely erased."
"..." Upon hearing Ren's words, Otto's eyes widened slightly, a look of astonishment flashing across his face for an instant.
"As expected of Joker. You've already understood to that extent?" Otto's fingers tapped lightly and unhurriedly on the mysterious and luxurious surface of the mimicked Oath of Judah. A faint smile touched his lips as he slowly asked Ren in return.
"But according to what you just said... could it be that now, you intend to hand over the Treasure and instead cooperate with me?"
Rewriting the world into one where Kallen exists, using the Herrscher of the Void's authority and the power of Imaginary Renormalization—this was a top-secret plan known only to a very few within Schicksal.
However, even those few confidants who knew of Otto's plan would find it difficult to guess that Otto's true intention wasn't to reshape the real world, but to open up another possible branch on the Imaginary Tree, diverging from that critical juncture five hundred years ago.
Therefore, even if Ren possessed the formidable ability to stealthily navigate Mementos and probe the Shadows of Schicksal's high-ranking members for intelligence, at most, he could only find out about Otto's desire to reshape the world.
Within the entire Schicksal organization, perhaps only Nagamitsu of St. 1504 Research Institute had vaguely guessed his true intentions... but that was only to the extent of speculation.
"If you obediently hand over the Treasure to me now, I might reconsider cooperating with you," Ren said coolly to the distant Otto. Although he had no intention of truly cooperating with the Pancake Man, if he could obtain some information about Otto from him, Ren was willing to loosen his tongue, even if only slightly.
"Regrettably, this Herrscher of the Void Core is still of great use to me. I can't just hand it over to you so easily... Joker, you want to obtain information about that Schicksal Overseer from me, don't you?" Otto saw through Ren's intentions at a glance. Far from remaining silent, he proudly puffed out his chest.
"Seeking answers from me, the Detective Prince? Then you've truly come to the right person. I dare to boast here that no one in this world understands Otto Apocalypse better than I do."
"..." Under Raiden Mei's ever-watchful gaze, Fu Hua's brow twitched unnaturally a couple of times.
Inside the Herrscher of the Void's Palace now, only Fu Hua knew the true identity of the person disguised as "Goro Akechi." He was Otto Apocalypse himself.
Of course, he understood himself best in this world; there was nothing wrong with that statement. However, watching Otto show off, boasting about knowing so much about himself and looking proud of it, Fu Hua still felt she was about to lose her composure.
"Actually calling yourself the Detective Prince... You really think of yourself as a detective, huh." Not just Fu Hua, even Ren felt a bit unable to maintain his composure due to the antics of this cognitive Goro Akechi.
Who didn't know that the real reason Goro Akechi could become a first-rate famous detective was because he was the true culprit behind the mental shutdown incidents, solving cases entirely through self-direction and self-acting? Seeing the cognitive Pancake Man boast about his detective skills in front of him, Ren felt an intense sense of strangeness.
...I don't recall thinking the Pancake Man was a detective. How did he suddenly gain the ability to investigate and search for information?
"Since you claim to be the person who understands Otto best in the world, then you must also be aware of the evil god behind Otto, the one who deludes his mind... What is the name of that evil god?" Although numerous complicated thoughts surfaced in Ren's mind, he maintained an impassive demeanor on the surface. He questioned "Goro Akechi," who seemed to have gathered a lot of Otto's intelligence.
"The evil god deluding Otto's mind? Ah, you must be referring to Void Archives." Otto paused slightly, then an expression of realization dawned on his face.
He continued, "For these five hundred years, Void Archives has indeed been constantly trying to tempt and deceive Otto, in order to obtain a body it can use to act in the real world... However, not only did Void Archives fail to achieve its goal, but due to a contract, it was forced to grant Otto a vast amount of knowledge far exceeding that of the real world, enabling Otto to develop Schicksal into its current colossal scale."
"Void Archives? Which deity is that? Shouldn't it be Mara?" Upon hearing the information given by "Akechi," Ren couldn't help but frown, feeling puzzled and concerned by the discrepancy between the two pieces of intelligence.
Ren had been carefully observing Akechi's expression. In such a short time, he shouldn't have been able to concoct any decent lies. Even if the information Akechi provided contained some degree of concealment and misdirection, it should still possess a high degree of truthfulness. Even if not entirely believable, it could be used as a reference to temporarily fill the cognitive gap regarding Overseer Otto Apocalypse.
"Mara? Ah, it has indeed been called that. However, its true name should be Void Archives. Mara was merely a name given to it by later generations when it tried to confuse Shakyamuni's mind under the Bodhi tree, attempting to possess Shakyamuni's body." Otto continued to tap his fingers lightly on the surface of the mimicked Oath of Judah. His explanation undoubtedly resolved the doubt in Ren's mind.
Void Archives... A divine name I've never heard of. Is it some obscure evil god from an obscure pantheon?
The news that Void Archives and Mara were actually the same entity, while slightly surprising to Ren, wasn't particularly incredible. The continuous intermingling of world civilizations would naturally cause various evolutions in mythological stories across different regions.
Just like Yaldabaoth and Demiurge being two sides of the same coin, it was perfectly reasonable and normal for Mara, the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven who appeared in Buddhist stories, to have another identity and image in other mythological systems.
The only thing that concerned Ren was the true identity of this deity, Void Archives. From the fact that it had been deluding Otto for a full five hundred years yet failed to completely possess his body, instead being exploited for a vast amount of knowledge... this deity's "level" didn't seem very high.
"One more question. When Otto rewrote the world last time, besides changing Schicksal into Christianity, did he do anything else?" Seeing Otto consistently answering every question, Ren's vigilance rose sharply, and he posed another question.
"Christianity, such a familiar name. But that's an old name from the previous world; no one should know it anymore... What do you mean Otto changed Christianity into Schicksal, Joker?" Otto raised an eyebrow slightly, showing interest in this question.
And just as Ren was about to answer, the mimicked Oath of Judah before Otto suddenly underwent a certain change.
Supplied by the energy of two Herrscher Cores, the mimicked Oath of Judah also entered its PRI-ARM enhanced mode, its aura becoming deeper, its patterns more luxurious and mysterious.
Mimic: Oath of Judah - Eternal Prison!!
The Oath of Judah - Eternal Prison abruptly opened its inner compartment. Golden Soulium chains, like wildly dancing spiritual serpents, surged forth, filling the entire sky and striking fiercely towards Ren's position.