With a surge of thrilling music, the Phantom Thieves once again boldly descended upon Kamoshida's Palace!
They'd all been here several times already.
At this point, it could almost be called familiar territory—they'd practically scoured the tutorial zone.
But as soon as they arrived at their destination using the Navigation App, Ann immediately let out a startled cry:
"Whoa, what's going on with this castle?! It's wobbling like a giant cake, and it's glowing weirdly too... almost like it's about to melt?"
Rinto explained, "This means Kamoshida's heart has experienced a significant shake-up, affecting his cognitive Palace. It's common after sending a Calling Card; it shows the Palace ruler is panicking."
This was only half true. Rinto was still holding something back.
Indeed, a Phantom Thieves' warning typically threw Palace rulers into panic, causing drastic shifts in their Palaces.
But in Kamoshida's case, aside from Rinto's earlier anonymous threat, it was mainly because he'd forcibly sealed Kamoshida's Shadow these past few days.
When Rinto lifted that seal earlier, Kamoshida's consciousness—which had been nearly vacant—had violently surged back, intensifying his emotional distress.
In truth, it was the first time Rinto had used such an ability.
[Hypnos], the God of Sleep—this Persona's power was extremely dangerous, born from Rinto's darkest emotions.
But in the past, Rinto's rationality had always prevented him from using it to truly destroy someone's psyche.
This time, he'd quietly prepared everything to ensure Ann and the others could clear Kamoshida's Palace without emotional burden.
With the seal now lifted, Kamoshida's mental void would have flooded back all at once, likely causing a severe panic attack in reality as well.
This would inevitably cause his Shadow to go berserk, prompting Rinto's caution:
"The Palace ruler's subconscious senses immediate danger, so resistance against us will be at its peak. Everyone, stay alert."
"Yeah!"
The Phantom Thieves were brimming with spirit, fully determined to seize this rotten teacher's Treasure!
Following the route they'd previously scouted, Rinto and the group entered the distorted Palace, racing straight toward the hidden vault holding the Treasure.
This time, Rinto joined the fight directly.
The Shadows they encountered along the way crumbled instantly against the overwhelming power of Rinto's Persona, [Eros]—not a single one could withstand even one strike.
Rinto took the frontlines to save his fellow thieves' stamina, allowing them to be fully prepared for the real boss fight ahead.
This impressive display only further amplified Ann's admiration, who had been watching Rinto's back in awe:
"Rinto-kun really is amazing… Before, he was coaching us like a strategist, but now that he's actually fighting, he's so unbelievably strong!"
"Of course he is—after all, he's the real Phantom Thief, isn't he?"
Kasumi Yoshizawa spoke with immense pride, clearly happier than if she herself had been praised.
Sumire Yoshizawa immediately chimed in, "Senpai spent three years as a solo Phantom Thief. Some of the high-profile criminals he reformed even appeared on national TV—they were far more intimidating than small fry like Kamoshida."
"Many online assume the Phantom Thieves are just hypnotizing people or creating illusions. But now we know, Senpai truly fights and defeats distorted desires through sheer ability! He must have endured so much, risking his life alone, quietly confronting evil... It's honestly incredible!"
Indeed, Sumire's heartfelt words deeply resonated with everyone present.
When they first awakened their superhuman powers, everyone had briefly gotten carried away, excited by their newfound strength.
But that excitement didn't last long, thanks to Rinto—the steadfast, seasoned senior—who helped them quickly get their heads on straight.
This taught them clearly: even with superhuman abilities, some people consistently use their powers purely to target criminals, reform corrupted individuals, and never once for selfish gain. That truly earned their respect.
"Hmm…Leader... Ace… Joker... none of those feel quite right."
With his short, cartoonish legs scrambling to keep up, Morgana muttered something thoughtfully to himself.
Ryuji Sakamoto raised an eyebrow curiously, "What're you mumbling about, cat? What language are you even speaking?"
"It's basic English vocabulary, you illiterate ape! Are you seriously a high-schooler, Ryuji?!"
Getting academically shamed by a cat really was something else entirely.
Except for Kasumi Yoshizawa's innocent expression—unpolluted by worldly knowledge, eyes wide in confusion—everyone else burst into laughter.
Morgana went on to explain, "I was thinking about giving our leader a proper codename."
"I never mentioned this before, but while operating in the Metaverse, we really should be using codenames. Since this world is shaped by the subconscious, even though real-world people won't consciously know what happened here, if Shadows overhear our real names, subconscious impressions could linger. That might make the Palace rulers instinctively wary of us in reality."
Ah…that made sense. Even Ryuji and Kasumi could grasp that.
Their Phantom Thief costumes included masks precisely because their subconscious knew it was crucial to conceal their identities. They couldn't exactly raid people's hearts while shouting their real names.
The subconscious truly was mysterious, so choosing a codename was indeed wise.
Sumire Yoshizawa's eyes sparkled enthusiastically as she immediately suggested, "How about 'Prince'? Or maybe 'Angel'? Both perfectly suit Senpai's stylish image!"
"Me me me! I have an idea too!" Kasumi eagerly raised her hand.
"How about 'Trickster'? It sounds really cool!"
Sumire hesitated, "Uh...it's cool but pretty long... Sis, please don't tell me that's the only English word you know?"
"Hmph! How dare a mere younger sister mock me! (.oˇ^ˇo.)"
Kasumi playfully pounced onto Sumire's back, giggling and shrieking happily as they playfully wrestled.
These sisters really had nerves of steel—they weren't anxious at all, even at a time like this.
Ann seriously pondered, "Picking the right codename for Rinto-kun really is important."
"Our reliable leader, the powerful original Phantom Thief, the scourge of corrupted adults... So something like Batman? Bruce? Wayne?"
Morgana sighed, "Those are literally all the same person! Besides, that sounds like a bad joke..."
Truly, how had Bruce Wayne—AKA Batman—become a name that automatically elicited laughter? Terrifying indeed.
As their brainstorming session hit an impasse, unable to come up with anything satisfying—
"Fool."
At the head of the group, clearing the path forward, Rinto suddenly joined the conversation.
He'd heard every bit of chatter behind him; he'd simply kept silent until now.
Turning back with a gentle smile, he said:
"Just call me 'Fool'. It's the number zero tarot card, symbolizing the pure fool beginning a journey, the start of endless possibilities."
"In the tarot story, the Fool encounters life represented by Magician, Priestess, Empress, Lovers, and so on, finally achieving self-completion."
"For me, you're the treasures I've found along my journey. So 'Fool' is fine—call me that."
"Leader…!"
The Phantom Thieves felt deeply moved by Rinto's heartfelt words, overwhelmed that he valued them so highly.
Ryuji, tough guy that he was, immediately burst into tears:
"Honestly, I don't get what you're talking about, Leader, but same here! You're my savior too—you're my treasure!"
"I'll follow you for life, Leader! Fool, Sage, whatever! You can be whatever you want, I'll back you up all the way!"
Wow, this is actually pretty embarrassing…
Feeling the affectionate gaze of his teammates, Rinto's heart filled with warmth, truly believing he could achieve any miracle.