"Does it hurt?" The cold barrel pressed against his mangled, bloodied wound. "I asked you, does it hurt?"
That voice, one he could never erase, echoed through the dim little room.
"Since you're already useless trash who can't stand... why don't I help you remove the other leg too?"
The stench of blood filled his nostrils as cold moonlight spilled over the fresh crimson.
The helpless man struggled and twitched like a fish out of water, gasping for air.
Everything overlapped with the scene before his eyes.
Tangze gritted his teeth. Pain and fury spread from the depths of his memories, and the roof tiles beneath his grip cracked under the strain.
The alert samurai Shadows drew their swords in unison. Maru Denjirou, who had been admiring his prey's miserable expression, startled and turned toward Tangze's hiding place. "Someone's there! Who is it?!"
Tangze stood up.
He had been crouched at one side of the roof, his back pressed tightly against the wall to conceal himself. That movement completely exposed him to the Shadows.
But Tangze had no time to care about the tense confrontation before him.
Before his eyes surged the things he had tried desperately to forget.
Gunshots and searing pain in a cramped room. Blades piercing flesh, one cut after another.
Hunger, hypothermia, the drip-drip of blood falling to the floor growing louder and louder...
And those pitying gazes by his hospital bed. Those pitying gazes that refused to meet his eyes, silently repeating the same word.
"Trash."
"Thump—"
The violent pounding of his heart echoed in Tangze's eardrums.
"Have you really forgotten those injuries? A future denied, a future ended... Have you really forgotten?"
A child's tender voice, a man's deep voice, a woman's clear voice—it was as though several people had spoken at once, their voices overlapping within Tangze's heart.
"A fate at others' mercy, pride broken in half, a life destroyed—haven't you suffered enough? Do you still want to feel that humiliation?"
Pain radiated from his chest through his entire body. Tangze staggered back two steps and clutched his splitting head, unable to suppress a cry of pain.
"Stand up. Rise again. Those who do not give everything they have will only be swallowed by destiny—"
"Ahhh—!"
Whether from pain or some deeper emotion buried in his heart, Tangze roared as his fingers found the edge of the mask covering his face.
"That's it. Come, make the contract. I am you, and you are me—
"Dance within fate with a bearing that can never be defined, with a presence no one can ignore!"
Tangze seized the mask and tore it from his face with all his strength. The pain felt as if flesh were being ripped apart, veins bulging across the back of his hand.
An invisible blast of air howled out from Tangze. Maru Denjirou's Shadow could not help raising a sleeve to shield his face from the gale.
Tangze raised his head, the upper half of his face covered in blood.
Blood ran down the bridge of his nose and fell onto his lips. He licked the sweet, metallic drop as azure flames swallowed his entire body.
When the flames faded, Tangze, who had been wearing Teitan's school uniform moments ago, was now dressed in black. A crimson scarf wound around his neck, its trailing ends snapping wildly in the wind.
Behind him, a pitch-black phantom thief rose from the flames. Beneath its black top hat was a skull mask. A broad cape billowed behind its leather formalwear, and its all-black body looked like a backlit silhouette, making the pale mask under its brim seem even more deathly white.
Behind it, black mist like writhing tentacles carried even more pure white masks: fox masks, demon masks, Noh masks, theatrical faces crying and laughing. They were eerie and sinister.
As his reason slowly returned, Tangze glanced back at his Persona and the corner of his mouth twitched.
What the hell? Why was Arsène so cool, while his Persona had some Cthulhu-style look that seemed like it would wreck your sanity?
Forget it. Showing off—no, raiding the Palace—was more important.
"You really are a freak who delights in tormenting others with money and resources, Mr. Maru." Tangze looked down at the retreating Maru Denjirou. "If you weren't afraid of the law, you would definitely recreate this scene in reality, wouldn't you? You disgust me."
"Who are you?! Why are you in my residence?!" Maru Denjirou roared, his face darkening.
"Me? I'm the one sending you to hell." Tangze spread his arms, his scarf streaming even more fiercely in the wind. "Letting scum like you die would be letting you off easy. You should live—live well—and watch your money, reputation, and status slip away. Then spend the rest of your life regretting it in prison."
Maru Denjirou's Shadow cursed a few times and began shouting, "Get him! I'll kill him! Where are the archers?! Shoot him! Shoot him!"
Tangze flashed a brilliant smile and leaped backward.
He vanished into thin air before the Shadows' eyes.
Before the battle could begin, Tangze secretly grabbed his phone and exited the Cognitive World directly.
His words had sounded impressive, but he had not sent the calling card yet. Without the real Maru Denjirou being put on high alert by it, the Treasure would not take form at all.
So even if he defeated Maru Denjirou now, it would not make him repent immediately. He still had to go through the proper process first. Tangze, who had read P5 thoroughly and played through it three times, knew that very well.
But that did not stop him from delivering a few cool lines. Showing off and then running away was damn exciting.
Just as he was about to put his hands on his hips and laugh twice, Tangze looked down and froze.
Damn it, why was he still wearing the phantom thief outfit?!
And he had teleported from the shopping street to the entrance of the Maru family residence.
Tangze looked around guiltily, making sure no one had noticed someone transforming out of nowhere before trying to change his clothes back.
Once he focused on that thought, the black outfit flickered and turned back into Teitan's blue school uniform.
Good. At least he could change back. Tangze let out a breath of relief.
If he could not, then every time he left the Cognitive World, he would have to find somewhere to hide and change clothes. That would be far too inelegant.
The moment he relaxed, Tangze felt sore and weak all over, his body swaying twice.
So this was the cost of awakening Persona power. He was exhausted.
With a sigh, he took out his phone and opened a navigation app—an ordinary map app, of course. He saved the Maru family's address, then dragged his feet back toward the café.
Along the way, Tangze slowly sorted through the information about his Persona in his head.
Unlike the P5 protagonist's Persona, Arsène, Tangze's initial Persona was the phantom thief from Edogawa Ranpo's novels: The Fiend with Twenty Faces.
How should he put it? It was a little unexpected, but not entirely.
The Fiend with Twenty Faces was a phantom thief character Edogawa Ranpo had created based on the literary image of Arsène Lupin. He was skilled in disguise and impersonation, and "Twenty Faces" referred to his talent for assuming identities. It was said that he possessed twenty different faces.
He was famous for stealing works of art. Skilled, bold, and meticulous, he would send the owner of an item a calling card before making his move, informing them when he would strike.
Didn't that sound familiar?
That was right. Kaito Kid had been based on Twenty Faces and Arsène.
The Fiend with Twenty Faces' archenemy was Edogawa's classic detective character, Akechi Kogoro.
In other words, the prototype for Mori Kogoro. And P5's Akechi Goro was a direct reference to that character.
At that thought, Tangze slapped his forehead.
What kind of weird reference joke was this?! Didn't it feel like this had been ordained or something?!
And he did not believe Maru Denjirou's Palace had included the image of a leg-breaking police officer for no reason. Tangze was not someone who got emotionally wrecked easily. If that leg-chopping scene had not triggered his PTSD, there was no way he would have suddenly transformed. He absolutely did not believe this had not been deliberate!
Lavenza, get out here and take a beating!
Before you continue