The deep red demonic dragon, Kurikara, soaring through the sky, let out a deafening roar. A profound, crimson thunderbolt, imbued with immense destructive power that seemed to carve a massive scar into the fabric of the world itself, plummeted from its mouth, clearly aimed at the battered Shadow Mei, who was desperately dodging on the ground.
Ren Amamiya and Raiden Mei rode side-by-side on Persona Kurikara's crimson back. He no longer used offensive skills but instead commanded Persona Arsene to create shards of ethereal ice on the ground below.
The ice, tainted by the power of corruption, pulsed with an ominous crimson-black light, continuously erupting from the ground where Shadow Mei tried to land, forcing her to evade even more frantically.
However, even though Shadow Mei, relying on her keen observation and judgment, managed to avoid having her legs ensnared by the ice for the moment...
The subtle corrosive power, seeping into her body from the frost spreading across the ground, still caused her initially agile and swift reactions to gradually stiffen and slow.
A single careless misstep, a slight deviation in her landing, and Shadow Mei's ankle was suddenly encased in crimson-black ice. A coldness that felt like it could freeze the very soul spread relentlessly, reaching her knees in an instant.
If Shadow Mei hadn't promptly countered with her lightning authority, she would likely have become an immobile ice sculpture, her consciousness completely frozen.
In her prime, Shadow Mei could have shattered the dark ice on her legs with her authority of conquest and regained her freedom.
But with her control over the Herrscher Core continually being usurped by Raiden Mei, Shadow Mei's remaining power was only enough to barely slow the upward creep of the crimson-black ice on her legs; she couldn't even completely suppress it.
Even if Ren ignored her, Shadow Mei would eventually become nothing more than an ornamental ice sculpture of a demonic warrior girl as time passed.
"Time for the final blow, Mei-senpai!"
Riding on Kurikara's crimson back, Ren looked down at Shadow Mei, who was gradually being encased in ice. A smirk touched his lips as he turned to Mei standing beside him and offered his suggestion.
"Yes, let's go together, Ren-kun!"
Victory over her own Shadow was within reach. Mei's violet eyes sparkled with excitement and joy. She met Ren's gaze beside her, a sweet smile gracing her flawless, exquisite face.
"One slash—to end it!!"
The deep red demonic dragon Kurikara let out a roar that echoed through the heavens, spewing a colossal pillar of crimson demonic lightning towards the ground.
Following closely behind the crimson demonic lightning were Raiden Mei and Ren Amamiya, leaping from Kurikara's back.
The mechanical katana Raikiri and Jizo Mitama, now transformed into a long tachi, gleamed brilliantly. As they plummeted from the sky in an intersecting trajectory, their slashes converged into a massive X-shaped sword attack.
The giant X-shaped slash, woven from crimson lightning and crimson-black flames, pierced through Shadow Mei's body, whose feet were trapped in ice. Ren and Mei landed simultaneously on the ground behind her, lightly flicking their katanas. A massive explosion then erupted where Shadow Mei had stood.
"Did I... fail? In the end, you still sided with that pathetic creature..."
The corrosive ice that had frozen Shadow Mei's legs shattered into fragments under Ren and Mei's combination attack.
Having taken the full force of the ultimate move, Shadow Mei's legs gave way, and she knelt weakly on the ground. A small lightning bolt hairpin, now charred black from being struck by lightning, silently fell from her robes as she collapsed.
She stared down at the charred lightning hairpin, her eyes, now reverted from gold back to purple, filled with complex emotions.
A terrifying, grievous sword wound was etched across Shadow Mei's body. She had lost all ability to resist, unable even to muster the strength to move, completely drained and on the verge of collapse.
Faint violet-red specks of light continuously floated away from Shadow Mei's body.
As her body disintegrated, the Herrscher Core authority she held rapidly flowed towards Raiden Mei.
"Is that... the hairpin I gave Mei-senpai?"
Looking at the charred object on the ground beside Shadow Mei, Ren identified the mysterious item from its barely recognizable silhouette.
Watching Shadow Mei use her last ounce of strength to grasp the lightning hairpin, now charred black by the lightning...
Ren could finally confirm that his previous feelings weren't just a delusion.
His greetings to Shadow Mei in the kendo club had indeed successfully raised his affinity with this Miss Shadow Mei.
Although he hadn't formally issued a Calling Card, Ren had verbally explained his purpose for infiltrating the Palace to Mei before entering. Her Treasure should have materialized by now.
Could the lightning hairpin I gave her be the Treasure of this Raiden Mei Palace? Ren wondered. Or, because Mei awakened her Persona within her own Palace, like Futaba Sakura, is there actually no Treasure here anymore?
Gazing at Shadow Mei's dimming, desolate, and fading figure, Ren knew this wasn't the time to ponder such trivial matters. The battle was won.
"There's no 'this side' or 'that side.' Both of you are my Mei-senpai. The real Mei-senpai is my friend, and Shadow Mei-senpai, as the true self aspect of her, is naturally my friend too."
Jizo Mitama, which had transformed beyond its limits into a long tachi, reverted to its original form. The crimson-black flames enveloping Ren's body slowly faded as he spoke to Shadow Mei, who had her back turned to him.
Hearing Ren's "I want them all" kind of statement, Shadow Mei, who was mired in sorrow, abruptly turned her head, a clear look of astonishment on her delicate face.
"Even though I fought you, I don't hate you, just like I don't hate Mei-senpai for the ugly thoughts you exposed... As the negative shadow in Mei-senpai's heart, I don't hold any animosity or disgust towards you either. I just hope to mend the distortion in your heart, so you can become Mei-senpai's strength and fight alongside us."
Ren looked directly into Shadow Mei's eyes, conveying his true thoughts.
Shadow Mei was like a pre-programmed entity, destined to fight Raiden Mei and Ren, who supported her.
Therefore, even though a battle did occur, Ren held no ill will towards Shadow Mei.
Moreover, during the fight, Ren had vaguely sensed Shadow Mei secretly holding back against him for a period.
Ren wanted to defeat Shadow Mei solely out of the pure desire for her to become Mei's Persona, to fight alongside them, and to correct the distortions in Mei's heart.
"To say you want me to become that pathetic creature's Persona, to become her strength? That's hilarious..."
Even on the verge of collapsing, Shadow Mei stubbornly scoffed, expressing her disdain and dismissal.
Before Mei, frowning slightly, could retort, Shadow Mei, having stifled her laughter, looked seriously into Ren's eyes.
"If you were the one craving my power, I might be willing to share a portion of it with you. I wouldn't even mind becoming your Persona. But that pathetic creature... well, fine. Seeing as you did defeat me once, I'll reluctantly give you some power as a reward."
As she spoke the latter half, Shadow Mei glanced at her original self, Raiden Mei. She made no effort to hide the disdain in her words, her tone one of begrudgingly doing it for Ren's sake, as if bestowing charity upon Mei.
Shadow Mei's arrogant attitude, even in defeat, made Mei, the victor, twitch an eyebrow, her blood pressure instantly skyrocketing.
"Become my Persona? But you're clearly Mei-senpai's Shadow. I shouldn't be able to subdue you as a Persona... Hmm, then again, maybe it's not impossible?"
Hearing Shadow Mei's words, Ren instinctively wanted to deny it. However, in the next moment, he frowned slightly, murmuring thoughtfully.
Normally, a Persona user naturally couldn't subdue another Persona user's Persona.
But with the power of the Velvet Room, using Personas cultivated by others wasn't entirely impossible.
For example, Yu Narukami's Izanagi-no-Okami was a classic case.
If the Velvet Room could do it, it meant there truly was some method for Ren to possess a Persona transformed from Shadow Mei.
Unfortunately, having not yet encountered the Velvet Room, Ren still didn't know how to acquire someone else's Persona.
Therefore, Ren could currently only appreciate Shadow Mei's kind offer, planning to figure out how to make her his Persona after he eventually encountered the Velvet Room.
"Raiden Mei, compared to when you were weak and powerless, only relying on others for rescue, you have indeed grown a lot now. But the extent of your growth is limited. You are still naive and immature. You were only able to defeat me because you cleverly borrowed Ren Amamiya's strength... Although I have indeed failed, I will not open all of my power to you."
Shadow Mei sighed softly. Her lower body had completely dissipated, only her battered upper body struggling to maintain its existence.
"If you want to completely master the authority of conquest, then honestly go and develop its power yourself. Or wait until I revive, and then have a proper contest with me!"
With those final words, Shadow Mei's form completely disintegrated into violet-red specks of light. Most of it surged into Raiden Mei's delicate body, solidifying her awakened power.
Her new samurai-esque armor, a blend of black and deep crimson, now covered her entirely, the demonic mask fitting perfectly upon her face. Kurikara's power resonated within her, a testament to her newfound resolve and the acceptance of her whole self.
But a smaller, yet intensely brilliant cluster of deep purple motes – the very essence of the charred lightning hairpin, her Treasure – flew directly from where Shadow Mei's hand had been and into Ren Amamiya, sinking into his chest and leaving the faint, now invisible mark.
"Is this... my form after fully awakening my Persona power?" Raiden Mei murmured, feeling the new completeness within her. The mismatched armor was gone, replaced by a warrior's grace.
"Congratulations, Mei-senpai. You are now a true Persona user," Ren said, then looked down at his chest, a puzzled expression on his face. "But, why did the other Mei-senpai give me a share too?"
Hare, her dream shield now dispelled as the endless stream of Shadow guards had ceased with Shadow Mei's defeat, walked over. "It seems the other Miss Mei favors you more than the real Miss Mei, Joker," she explained, her voice calm.
"She has given you a seed of her power. If cultivated properly, Miss Shadow Mei might indeed revive prematurely and become your Persona."
Even as Shadow Mei vanished, Ren spotted it beneath the rubble where she had fallen – the charred remains of the lightning bolt hairpin. That was it, Mei's Treasure. Though tarnished, its form was undeniable.
The three Will Seeds, as Hare had reported, had already been secured by the Manifestation Will Seeds earlier, when Shadow Mei had been distracted.
With the Palace Ruler's Shadow confronted and her true self awakened, the Treasure found, and the Desire Stones collected, their objectives here were complete.
The distorted Chiba Academy around them began to tremble more violently, its illusory structure groaning under the strain of impending collapse.
"Right!" Ren pulled out his phone, the peculiar cabbage icon of the MetaNav glowing with an impatient light. "Mei, Hare, time to go! This party's over."
With a tap, the world around them twisted and warped, the thunder-wracked image of Chiba Academy dissolving into a kaleidoscope of chaotic colors as the app pulled them back through the pathways of the collective unconscious, returning them to the quiet reality of the abandoned amusement park.
With this, the Palace of the Thunder Empress was completely conquered!
(End of Volume III: Chariot of Silver Thunder)