A special space existing within the Imaginary Space, possessed by only a very select few.
No matter how she thought about it, Hare could only arrive at one answer: a Stigmata Space.
Inhabited by a Stigmata Will corresponding to someone in the real world, possessing the same face but a vastly different personality.
This clearly described the Stigmata Will residing within a Stigmata Space!
Every human body contained fragments of Stigmata genes, but only an extremely small number possessed the complete gene required for manifestation. The vast majority of people couldn't even piece together a complete Stigmata, let alone open their own Stigmata Space.
Without a doubt, what Ren Amamiya called a "Palace" absolutely referred to a "Stigmata Space"!
"My sincerest apologies. I haven't paid attention to the locations of any Palaces before now. Joker, if you wish to enter one, I'm afraid you'll have to wait while I investigate for a while."
An apologetic expression surfaced on Hare's beautiful face as she gently explained to Ren.
"You can't...? Hold on, let me ask first. Hare, you're not just saying that because you think I might be tired, deliberately hiding the Palace location until I've rested, are you?"
Ren rubbed his chin, eyeing Hare with slight suspicion.
A special being like Hare, even if she hadn't specifically looked for Palaces, should reasonably have stumbled upon one or two and be able to lead him straight to the entrance.
This whole "need to wait a while before progressing the plot to the Palace" scenario strongly reminded Ren of the infamous "Sometimes, the cat just thinks you're tired" mechanic from the game.
Don't tell me... Morgana isn't here, so now Hare's going to give me a taste of 'The bunny thinks you're tired'?
I'm not tired! I can still grind!
Max out social stats, make curry, conquer Palaces, explore Mementos... Grind, grind, grind, grind, grind!!!
"Joker, your current mental and physical condition is excellent. It wouldn't be a problem even if you didn't rest," Hare shook her head gently, showing no emotional fluctuation despite Ren's suspicion. She calmly clarified, "Since you're eager to explore a Palace, I won't deliberately stop you... I truly just don't know the location of one right now."
"I see. Well, can't be helped then." Ren sighed with a tinge of disappointment. "Since we can't tackle a Palace right now, let's explore Mementos for a bit. For now, let's just push forward until we find a Safe Room where we can rest."
With the Palace plan temporarily shelved, Ren's only remaining option for strengthening himself was training within Mementos.
A faint rustling sound gradually arose from all directions.
Strange black-and-gold Shadows, taking advantage of Ren and Hare's conversation, had creepily closed in on them again.
"They just keep coming, one wave after another, like locusts. Let's make them sacrifices to commemorate our first team-up... Oh, right. Hare, do you have any healing skills?"
Facing a swarm far larger than the first wave, numbering around forty or fifty black-and-gold Shadows, Ren casually turned around. With his back to Hare, he tugged at his red gloves, then, as if suddenly remembering something, tilted his head slightly to ask Hare, who had moved to stand back-to-back with him.
"Unless it's a severe injury like gene collapse, I should be able to heal it."
Hare rested her purple flag spear on the ground. As she mentioned "gene collapse," a flicker of sorrow and melancholy crossed her blue eyes.
The Schariac Stigmata contained the powers of creation and destruction. As its crystallization, Hare naturally possessed healing abilities. However, her power of creation was limited; she couldn't save those dying before her eyes from Honkai corruption, only watch helplessly as their life faded completely.
"That's good. I don't have any way to heal myself right now. If I get hurt, I'm counting on you."
Hare's eyes held sadness, but her voice remained as calm and elegant as ever. Because Ren had his back to her, he didn't notice the complex emotions swirling within her.
Ren had just begun his journey of "rehabilitation." He was completely broke, lacking any recovery items or equipment. Under normal circumstances, Arsene couldn't learn healing skills on its own. In these early stages, to sustain exploration and combat in Mementos, Ren absolutely needed Hare, his teammate with healing abilities.
Confirming Hare could patch him up, Ren could now fight without reservation.
"Persona!"
Ren placed a hand on the white spirit bird mask covering his face. Tearing the mask away, he hurled it towards the incoming swarm of black-and-gold Shadows.
As Ren called out to his Persona, the white mask erupted into blue-azure flames mid-air. Instantly, Persona Arsene materialized, its massive black wings unfurling dramatically as it launched a fierce, powerful assault against the attacking Shadows.
Arsene plunged into the ranks of the black-and-gold Shadows, moving as if through an empty battlefield, tearing through them with impunity. Its sharp, menacing claws swept past, disintegrating Shadow after Shadow into fragments. Occasionally, bursts of crimson-black cursed flames erupted, completely incinerating the Shadows, leaving no trace behind.
While easily dispatching the Shadows before him with Arsene, Ren glanced back over his shoulder towards Hare, fighting alongside him.
He noticed Hare wasn't fighting as she had against him earlier—using a dream barrier for protection while controlling her Dream Projection.
Instead, Hare simply waved her purple flag spear.
With each flutter of the banner, beams of soft, ethereal purple light shone forth, materializing one after another into fully armed, purple-armored warriors.
These purple warriors were far stronger than the attacking black-and-gold Shadows. The swords they wielded easily pierced the Shadows' bodies, clearing Hare's side of the battlefield with the speed and force of a whirlwind sweeping away leaves.
"Is that... a Persona? No, those are Shadows, right? You can summon Shadows too? Why didn't you use this against me earlier?"
Seeing Hare summon a troop of purple-armored swordsmen with a wave of her flag, Ren's eyes widened slightly.
The aura emanating from the purple swordsmen was peculiar. At first glance, Ren thought Hare might possess the ability to wield multiple Personas, like himself. But upon closer inspection, he realized their essence was still fundamentally that of Shadows—just stable Shadows summoned and controlled by Hare.
Though weaker than a Persona, they were considerably more potent than ordinary Shadows. If Hare had used this ability during their earlier duel, employing these purple swordsmen for attrition and delay, she could have caused Ren significant trouble, preventing him from achieving such a swift and decisive victory.
"...I prefer not to deploy them in battles destined for defeat. Only in situations like this, where victory is assured, do I let them out to stretch their legs."
Hare's eyelashes lowered slightly, her voice soft and somewhat distant as she replied.
These purple swordsmen were all Manifestation Seeds, created by Hare transcribing humans who were on the brink of death from Honkai corruption, beyond saving. Hare's true intention wasn't to use these Seeds for combat, but simply to preserve a record, a trace of their existence.
Against weak Imaginary Constructs like these, it was fine; just letting the Manifestation Warriors get some exercise. But against Ren Amamiya, when he got serious earlier? Hare had no intention of throwing these Manifestation Warriors onto a brutal battlefield as mere consumables.
Under the combined might of Ren and Hare, the attacking swarm of black-and-gold Shadows was wiped out with astonishing speed and ease. Though more numerous than the first group, they posed absolutely no threat this time.
The Shadows couldn't even break through to Ren's immediate vicinity; they were completely annihilated without either Ren or Hare sustaining a single scratch.