Is it difficult to pull an ordinary person whose Persona hasn't yet awakened into Mementos?
To be completely honest, it isn't.
For Saki Toyokawa, this task was remarkably simple. As long as she established basic physical contact—much like how she had previously grabbed Shinobu Kocho's wrist in the real world—she could drag an unawakened ordinary person directly into the Metaverse. After all, relative to reality, Mementos was like a layer of transparent veil draped over a canvas, or the two sides of a mirror; there was never an absolute, insurmountable chasm separating the two.
However, the true difficulty lay in the exact opposite direction: How immensely difficult would it be for a person, completely lacking any self-awareness or external guidance, to suddenly stumble into Mementos entirely on their own, and even take it a step further by directly breaching a Palace?
It was profoundly, devastatingly difficult—practically a feat akin to ascending to the heavens.
The Shadows of ordinary people could only drift aimlessly along the currents, merging into the colossal subway network sprawling beneath Tokyo. Like countless water droplets flowing into a vast ocean, they silently dissolved into the collective unconscious, transforming into a blurry backdrop. If you couldn't separate yourself from the boundless masses on a spiritual level to establish a unique, distinct identity, it was fundamentally impossible to actively locate and set foot within Mementos.
Yet, from another perspective, this was also a form of invisible protection. It meant that as long as your Shadow remained hidden deep within the torrent of the collective unconscious, others could not easily track or target it to indirectly manipulate your real-world physical self. Unless an adversary possessed a terrifying, world-altering force capable of shaking the absolute core of collective humanity, an ordinary person's psychological domain remained relatively secure.
Precisely because of this, Mutsumi Wakaba's presence right here and now felt so incredibly jarring and out of place.
When Saki had activated the Metaverse Navigator app to initiate the spatial transit toward Mutsumi's Palace, she had absolutely no physical contact with Soyo Nagasaki. In fact, within her subjective mind, she had desperately wished for Soyo to remain safely tucked away in the real world. Yet, the final reality completely defied her will. Not only had Soyo entered Mementos, but she had skipped every intermediate step, arriving directly at the very gates of Mutsumi's Palace.
This was by no means an accident, nor was it the result of Saki's intentional guidance. This reality could only signify one thing: Soyo's personal psyche stood exceptionally far apart from the collective unconscious of the masses.
Or perhaps, her soul had always existed in a state of a completely isolated island. This existential isolation prevented her from truly integrating into a social environment that appeared inclusive on the surface but was homogenizing in reality, refusing to let her become just another featureless face among the crowd. Her sense of self was vastly more distinct on a psychological level compared to a normal person—and far more lonely.
In truth, this phenomenon was entirely understandable. People who dedicated themselves to music often possessed finer, far more sensitive sensibilities than the average person, accompanied by an absolute abundance of emotional depth. They were intimately accustomed to dissecting their own identities through melodies and harmonies, constantly reflecting upon the complex, subtle dynamics of human relationships within rhythms and lyrics. The inner world of such individuals naturally built up unique boundaries, keeping their perception of the external environment incredibly sharp.
Of course, trying to deduce whether it was these specific individuals who chose music, or if music was what fundamentally sculpted them, was a philosophical chicken-and-egg question that held no practical value in this pressing moment. The only thing that mattered was the explicit result: Soyo Nagasaki, an ordinary girl who had not awakened a Persona, had undeniably relied on the sheer uniqueness of her own mind to independently tread into Mementos, precisely pinpointing her location right in front of Mutsumi's Palace.
Saki rapidly suppressed the turbulent waves in her chest, forcing herself to regain absolute composure.
In terms of technical execution, sending Soyo back to the real world was not a difficult task. Since they hadn't actually crossed the threshold into Mutsumi's Palace yet, she could use the Metaverse Navigator app at any moment to safely return Soyo to reality. Even if the two of them had already accidentally ventured deep into the interior of the Palace—rendering the Navigator temporarily offline for departures—Saki would only need to provisionally recruit Soyo into the chatroom's subunit. From there, she could utilize the dimensional teleportation feature shared among members to instantly send her to Kaguya Shinomiya's side.
Yet, while the immediate crisis could be solved effortlessly, the warning sirens inside Saki's mind were blaring relentlessly.
Soyo's appearance here was a massive, undeniable signal—a dangerous warning regarding her raw potential. It proved that Soyo possessed a highly volatile disposition: either her mind was warped enough to manifest her own Palace, or she possessed the sheer rebellious willpower required to awaken a Persona to combat that very distortion.
Perhaps a Persona and a Palace were fundamentally just two sides of the exact same coin. A Palace was a localized, conceptual prison formed when the mind was entirely devoured and twisted by an overwhelming, absolute desire. Meanwhile, was an awakened Persona not also the literal materialization and personification of an absolute, intense desire born from the depths of the self? It was an ironclad manifestation of the self refusing to be homogenized by the masses, a primal scream from the absolute depths of the soul, a direct rebellion against the collective unconscious.
Whether it was a descent into a psychological prison or a rebellious awakening to fight back, the root source always pointed toward an immense reservoir of spiritual energy capable of severing oneself from the common collective. Soyo's ability to ride the residual spatial ripples of Saki's transit to arrive at Mutsumi's Palace meant she was highly likely to be dragged into other people's Palaces in the future. A Palace was the absolute domain of a distorted soul, teeming with berserk Shadows and unpredictable defense mechanisms. An unarmed, ordinary person wandering in was no different from a lamb walking straight into a tiger's jaws.
Even more troubling was that after this literal firsthand experience, Soyo now possessed an explicit, cognitive awareness of Mementos. This subjective awareness would act like a powerful magnet, making it substantially easier for Soyo's mind to resonate with Mementos in the future. The probability of danger manifest had officially graduated from a one-off fluke to a persistent, recurring hazard.
The core of the problem was no longer about how to send the currently misplaced Soyo back; it was about how to systematically guarantee Soyo's safety when she inevitably got dragged into Mementos entirely by chance in the future.
Saki immediately activated her Thought Singularity. Her mind accelerated to impossible speeds, like a high-performance supercomputer dedicating 100% of its computational arrays to run complex simulations. Countless strategies materialized, clashed, and were systematically discarded in her thoughts until a definitive conclusion finally emerged: She had to tell Soyo everything and guide her to become strong on her own terms.
To permanently secure Soyo's safety, she had to understand the true nature of this world and its latent dangers. More importantly, she had to be integrated into the chatroom subunit, as the subunit provided vital functions like instant communication, emergency evasion, and rapid power acquisition. Only by granting Soyo the actual means to defend herself could they secure a critical window of reaction time when she inevitably faced unknown risks down the road.
"Soyo." Saki's voice carried the absolute gravity of a finalized resolve. "We need to talk. About this place, about me, and about the complete truth behind everything."
Suspended within the vast, surreal void right outside Mutsumi Wakaba's colossal, mechanized Palace, Saki spent several minutes using the most concise, crystalline language possible to outline the hidden side of reality. She meticulously detailed the relationship between Mementos and the real world, described the lethal threat of Shadows, and explained how a Palace operated as a highly dangerous, physical manifestation of a twisted human psyche. Finally, she broke down the existence of the chatroom subunit, specifically highlighting critical features like member-to-member teleportation.
Soyo listened with absolute, unwavering focus. Her delicate brow furrowed and relaxed in tandem with the massive influx of information. When Saki mentioned that a Persona was the definitive manifestation of an unyielding will to fight back, a strange, brilliant spark flashed deep within Soyo's eyes.
Once Saki finished her explanation, Soyo fell into a brief silence, processing the sheer weight of a revelation that completely dismantled her understanding of the universe. A moment later, a look of profound clarity washed over her face, her expression carrying a hint of relieved joy.
"I see..." Soyo's voice was incredibly soft. "The reason Saki left CRYCHIC back then... was because you were secretly operating as a hero in the shadows? You were fighting against these people whose hearts were twisted by desire, so you simply didn't have any time left for band practice, right?"
She stared intently at Saki, her eyes burning with an intense light. This singular explanation perfectly mended the fractured, painful memories of the past, fully rationalizing a massive source of trauma by wrapping it in a noble, unassailable purpose. Yet, almost immediately, her gaze faltered slightly. If Saki had been entirely forced out of band activities due to her duties as a shadow hero, how could anyone explain the subsequent formation of Ave Mujica?
Saki's face froze completely. Soyo's fragile hope and desperate attempt to understand hit her with a wave of profound exhaustion. Her departure from CRYCHIC had absolutely nothing to do with playing the hero, nor did it have anything to do with supernatural forces; it was purely the result of her own life being utterly crushed by reality, a desperate choice to salvage whatever remained of her personal dignity.
Looking at the profound understanding reflecting in Soyo's eyes, a chaotic storm of emotions swirled in Saki's chest—a painful blend of guilt and helplessness because Soyo, even now, was desperately trying to manufacture a noble justification for her actions. Saki forced a bitter, strained smile, slowly shaking her head.
"I'm sorry, Soyo... but that isn't it." Saki's voice dropped, sounding incredibly heavy yet entirely transparent. "Mementos, Personas, and the chatroom... these are all concepts I only came into contact with very recently. To me, this is an entirely new world as well."
She lifted her head, looking straight into Soyo's rapidly dimming eyes. "Before all of this happened, my reason for leaving the band was purely due to severe personal circumstances of my own. It had absolutely nothing to do with these supernatural forces."
Uttering these words was exceptionally difficult, as it utterly shattered the heroic fantasy Soyo had just constructed. Yet, Soyo displayed a level of resilience she had never once shown in front of Saki before. She took a deep, stabilizing breath, consciously settling her turbulent emotions before letting out a soft, gentle smile, her tone remarkably steady.
"Is that so... Then, once everything with Mutsumi is successfully resolved, Saki will have to sit down and tell me all about it. About your personal problems, and about everything that happened to you before."
She chose not to pry any further, intentionally drawing a boundary to form a sacred promise for the future instead. This profound consideration caused a wave of warmth to ripple through Saki's chest. She gave a solemn, definitive nod. "Alright. I promise you."
Saki then took a deep breath, reining in her lingering emotions. She immediately accessed the chatroom subunit interface and dispatched a formal membership invitation directly to Soyo. Within a fraction of a second, a translucent holographic screen materialized right before Soyo's eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, Soyo reached out and tapped the prompt, confirming her application. Her name instantly populated Saki's subunit roster.
"So..." Soyo seemed noticeably more relaxed as she turned to Saki, her tone taking on a lighter quality. "Is my assignment now to simply head back to the real world and patiently wait for you all to return victorious?"
She genuinely assumed this accidental detour had reached its natural conclusion, and that her role going forward was merely to act as a quiet spectator or reliable logistical support. However, the expression on Saki's face instantly shifted back to absolute gravity. She locked eyes with Soyo and slowly, deliberately shook her head.
"No, Soyo. The situation is far more complicated than that. Because of this accidental entry, your mind has already established a cognitive anchor with Mementos." Saki emphasized each word heavily. "This means that going forward, there is a dangerously high probability that you will be dragged into the common Mementos domain or drop straight into an unmapped Palace without any warning whatsoever, leaving you completely exposed to extreme danger."
The smile on Soyo's face vanished, replaced by a visible wave of anxiety and distress. She knitted her brows tightly, but a sudden thought occurred to her, prompting her to speak up. "I see... that really is troublesome. But since I have access to the chatroom now, even if I encounter an emergency, I can just use the member teleportation to instantly warp right to your side, right? That should keep me safe."
She pinned her hopes entirely on the newly acquired teleportation function, her words carrying a desperate hint of optimism. Saki stared at her without a single trace of ease; she had to ruthlessly shatter this blind, dangerous reliance. She shook her head once more, completely invalidating Soyo's theory.
"Soyo, the slots for chatroom members are strictly limited. To adapt to different crises, we constantly have to rotate and adjust our active roster based on the specific scenario. Furthermore..." She pointed out the single most fatal flaw in the plan. "...teleportation requires you to actively initiate the request, and it demands that the recipient on the other side is actively online to confirm the transit."
Saki's tone turned incredibly ominous. "That entire process takes time, even if it's only a matter of a few seconds. If a threat materializes too suddenly or with absolute, overwhelming violence—such as a surprise ambush from a high-tier Shadow—your mind will be instantly suppressed before you can even open the interface. In that zero-point-one second of absolute paralysis, you won't be able to execute a single command. And the consequences of that... are utterly irreversible."
The color drained from Soyo's face. Saki's words made the raw, terrifying reality of a life-or-death crisis incredibly palpable, forcing her to realize that Saki's fears were deeply rooted in absolute practicality rather than empty paranoia.
"Therefore, Soyo," Saki stated with ironclad authority, her eyes burning like twin torches. "You must become strong. You need to possess the strength to defend your own life, or at the absolute least, the capability to buy yourself those crucial few seconds of buffer time in a worst-case scenario. Relying on others will always carry a latency and uncertainty; you require power that belongs entirely to you."
Spurred by the immense urgency in Saki's voice, Soyo gained a crystal-clear understanding of her own precarious situation. She nodded with absolute seriousness, fully accepting Saki's proposal. Yet, almost immediately, a hint of profound helplessness and confusion crept onto her features.
"I understand, Saki. But..." Soyo subconsciously gripped her own slender, delicate wrist, her voice laced with uncertainty. "...how am I supposed to get stronger? Do I... do I need to start doing physical training?"
She tried to evaluate the logistics of running laps or lifting weights to strengthen her body, but when juxtaposed against supernatural anomalies, such conventional methods felt laughably inadequate, leaving her feeling deeply absurd and completely out of her depth.
Saki didn't hesitate for a single second, shaking her head flatly. "Physical training yields results far too slowly."
Without another word, her fingers flicked rapidly across the chatroom interface. She first sent a quick notification to Mash in the primary chat, and a moment later, two entirely ordinary-looking pairs of glasses materialized out of thin air right into her hands. Saki handed one pair to Soyo, who was standing right next to her, and extended the second pair to Shinobu Kocho, who had been silently observing the entire exchange.
"These are the Glasses of Willpower." Saki explained. "They drastically amplify the wearer's mental fortitude, locking their baseline willpower to the absolute peak of theoretical human limits, while simultaneously providing the exact catalyst needed to break past that boundary entirely."
She looked directly at Soyo. "When I initially awakened my Persona, it was precisely because I used these glasses to shatter my own willpower limits."
Turning her gaze toward Shinobu, she offered a small, supportive nod, her tone softening slightly. "Shinobu, though I have never once doubted the strength of your resolve, utilizing these might just provide the necessary spark to awaken a Persona of your very own."
A specific piece of data regarding the secondary effects of the Glasses of Willpower flashed through Shinobu's mind—specifically, how they would cause the wearer to appear exponentially more alluring in the eyes of others, subtly yet continuously amplifying their personal attraction and seductive charm over time. This realization caused her signature, flawless smile to instantly stiffen, a faint trace of crimson flashing across her ears before vanishing. She shot a swift, calculating look at Saki and Soyo, confirming that neither of them had noticed this deeply embarrassing detail.
Taking a deep breath, her internal hesitation lasted for only a fraction of a second before her overwhelming hunger for raw power completely crushed her lingering bashfulness. She slid the glasses onto the bridge of her nose, her purple eyes instantly turning significantly deeper and sharper behind the lenses.
The exact instant Soyo put on her glasses, a wave of profound, pristine coolness flooded her brain, entirely washing away her inner anxiety and instantly insulating her mind from all external pressure and panic. Under the continuous influence of the Glasses of Willpower, Soyo's mental fortitude was forcibly locked at the absolute apex of human capacity. Her physical frame—which had been stiffened with tension, shoulders hunched, fingers tightly curled, and breathing slightly erratic—奇异地 completely relaxed.
Saki instantly locked onto Soyo's transformation: her tense spine shifted into an effortlessly straight posture, and her gaze evolved from fractured confusion into deep, absolute confidence. Satisfied with the result, Saki withdrew her gaze and smoothly rolled out the next phase of her initiative.
"Next, I am going to grant you access to an ability known as Potential Clone. It allows you to summon a version of yourself originating from an entirely different timeline. While it relies a bit on luck, it is arguably the fastest shortcut available to drastically amplify your raw combat capabilities."
Equipped with maxed-out willpower, Soyo exhibited an unprecedented level of absolute decisiveness. She met Saki's gaze and gave a clean, sharp nod without a single word of hesitation, her soft facial features locking into lines of sheer determination.
Saki wasted no time, her fingers moving like a blur across the chatroom interface to purchase the Potential Clone items for both herself and Soyo. The powerless, ordinary clone Saki had left behind at school had been summoned the previous day, meaning her daily summon cooldown had already completely reset.
Yet, the exact moment she finalized the purchase of the system items, a sudden anomaly triggered.
A strange, intense wave of resonance erupted between Saki and Soyo on a purely spiritual level. It felt as though two invisible strings had been plucked in perfect synchronization, or an unseen silken thread had suddenly snapped taut, intricately weaving their sensory perceptions together.
Saki's heart skipped a beat, her instincts prompting her to instantly lock eyes with Soyo. At that exact microsecond, Soyo also snapped her head upward, a clear flash of astonishment cutting through her sharp, blade-like eyes.
Their gazes collided in mid-air, confirming that both of them had felt that profound, mystical resonance at the absolute core of their souls.
Is it because we are activating Potential Clone at the exact same time?
Was this merely a spatial coincidence triggered by simultaneous summoning, or did it signify a much deeper, fundamental bond? A torrent of questions rushed through Saki's mind, but she understood with absolute clarity that now was not the time to overanalyze. She rapidly suppressed her shock, focusing her entire intent as she issued the mental command: "Summon!"
Following the synchronized directive, Saki and Soyo materialized their respective Potential Clones right beside them in perfect unison.
On Saki's side, a tall, imposing figure instantly transitioned from an ethereal silhouette into a physical reality, standing proudly within the void. It was a woman who possessed an absolutely devastating, breathtaking aura.
The very first attribute to command attention was her towering height, standing at roughly one-point-nine meters tall with a flawless physical symmetry that seamlessly blended raw, devastating power with profound elegance. Her upper body was clad in a minimalist, form-fitting black short-sleeve shirt. The elastic fabric clung tightly to her skin, clearly delineating perfectly defined abdominal muscles and deep, distinct obliques that disappeared beneath her waistband. Her exposed arms exhibited smooth, dense muscle fibers—匀称 and full, holding a reservoir of explosive kinetic energy without appearing bulky in the slightest, presenting an absolute masterpiece of physical coordination.
Her lower body featured a pair of loose, flowing white trousers. This casual, uninhibited style created a powerful visual contrast against the tightly tailored upper shirt, exponentially amplifying her heroic, striking presence. A confident, highly infectious smile rested on the clone's face, conveying a sense of absolute sovereignty—as if everything in existence lay securely within the palm of her hand, and no crisis in the universe could ever be worthy of her attention.
However, what truly left Saki utterly spellbound were the clone's eyes. For the absolute first time across all her summons, the Potential Clone she brought forth did not possess the signature, molten-gold eyes. Instead, she looked into a pair of boundless, crystalline blue eyes.
They were deep like the most pristine oceans, brilliant like a night sky completely filled with stars, with cosmic nebulas appearing to slowly rotate deep within her pupils, conveying an overwhelming sense of mystery and infinite vastness. Simply being perceived by those eyes generated a violent tremor in the soul, as if one's entire essence was being completely stripped bare and analyzed down to the molecular level.
The moment the clone materialized, a massive, torrential influx of informational data surged through the invisible link, embedding itself directly into Saki's consciousness.
Those unique eyes were known as the Six Eyes.
According to the data feedback, their structural nature and cosmic positioning were remarkably similar to the Sharingan from the world of Tsunade. As an exceptionally rare, legendary trait, it allowed the user to manipulate a specific energy known as Cursed Energy with a level of micro-precision that defied all logic.
The core power system governing this clone was indeed Cursed Energy. She could manipulate this energy to manifest a technique known as the Limitless, which yielded a completely reality-defying effect: the creation of an absolute, spatial barrier of spatial infinity. Any incoming attack would be infinitely slowed down the closer it drew to her person, eventually grinding to a complete halt, achieving a flawless defense where inches translated into literal worlds.
On the offensive spectrum, she similarly wielded the absolute authority to dominate space. She could manipulate gravitational vectors to effortlessly manufacture localized singularities that devoured everything in their path; conversely, she could execute a technique reversal to unleash an immense, repelling force field that violently pushed all matter away. Even more terrifying was that when she combined the gravitational singularity with the reversed repelling force, it would detonate into a devastating, imaginary mass kinetic strike, inflicting catastrophic, wide-area annihilation upon the target zone.
Her absolute ultimate trump card was a technique titled Domain Expansion: Infinite Void. Inside this domain, an opponent's brain would be forcibly bombarded with an endless, infinite stream of raw, redundant information, forcing their cognitive processor into total, permanent paralysis, leaving them as completely helpless targets on a chopping block. Furthermore, she could even reverse her cursed energy into positive energy, allowing her to instantly heal any physical trauma sustained by her own body.
Attack, defense, absolute crowd control, self-regeneration, and micro-spatial manipulation... Saki rapidly digested the data. This was a flawless, all-powerful combat entity.
She is vastly more powerful than my current Persona, Icarus. Saki silently calculated in her mind.
While Saki was busy evaluating her own summon, Soyo Nagasaki had also finalized her Potential Clone. Another majestic woman, standing at roughly one-point-eight meters tall—just slightly shorter than Gojo Saki—slowly solidified into reality.
She wore a loose, flowing white traditional robe draped casually over her frame, the collar left slightly open to project an aura of pure indulgence and uninhibited lawlessness. A sinister, highly predatory smile rested on her features, the tilt of her lips carrying an absolute mockery of all living things. Even more striking were the intricate, pitch-black tribal markings tattooed across her exposed skin. Simply by standing completely still, she radiated an immense, suffocating weight of sheer malice that caused the heart to violently seize up.
A flash of profound enlightenment gleamed in Soyo's eyes, indicating she had also instantly received and processed the massive stream of information from her clone. She turned her head toward Saki.
"Saki, I've acquired a power system known as Cursed Energy. The core techniques are Cleave and Dismantle, which allow me to unleash two distinct forms of completely invisible, razor-sharp slashing attacks. I can also manifest highly destructive flames through a technique called Fuga." She paused for a moment, her voice laced with genuine awe. "Aside from her ultimate trump card, Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine, I can actually utilize a technique called the Ten Shadows Technique, allowing me to summon and control ten entirely unique shikigami to fight alongside me."
Once she finished speaking, Soyo's gaze naturally drifted toward the intensely imposing woman standing beside Saki—the one with the striking, star-filled blue eyes. Instantly detecting a deeply familiar, identical energetic frequency, she asked in astonishment:
"I can clearly sense Cursed Energy ripples coming from Saki's clone as well. Could our summons... actually originate from different timelines of the exact same universe?"
Hearing this, Saki instantly immersed herself in deep thought. Soyo's discovery perfectly validated the exact hypothesis forming in her mind. A moment later, she lifted her head, her eyes deep as she analyzed the situation.
"It's highly probable that the act of simultaneously activating Potential Clone caused a unique spiritual resonance between us. This resonance allowed us to draw from different historical paths or entities within the exact same universe, summoning our respective spatial counterparts."
With a subtle mental command, Saki directed Gojo Saki to act. The clone's brilliant Six Eyes shifted slightly, instantly locking onto the Ryomen Sukuna standing beside Soyo. Given that the target offered no resistance or interference, the clone's absolute perception pierced through all physical facades, instantly feeding a massive wave of data regarding combat parameters, physical velocity, cursed energy reserves, and technique output directly back into Saki's core consciousness.
Saki withdrew her perception and gave Soyo a firm nod. "Judging purely by raw baseline statistics, your Potential Clone is actually structurally superior to mine."
Saying this, a soft, relieved smile graced Saki's face, her tone noticeably relaxing. "With a reservoir of power like this, you possess more than enough capability to secure your own survival in the trials ahead."
Almost immediately, Saki remembered a critical survival detail and followed up with a crucial inquiry. "By the way, Soyo, does your Potential Clone know how to use Reverse Cursed Technique to heal others? In an environment filled with lethal hazards, this detail is exceptionally critical."
Soyo immediately re-examined her internal information stream before giving a definitive confirmation. "Yes, Saki. Outputting Reverse Cursed Technique to heal external targets is considered one of her foundational capabilities."
Saki nodded, her mind fully at ease. With this vital piece of data verified, the heavy anxiety weighing on her chest completely vanished, allowing her to systematically structure their next sequence of operations.
Right at that moment, Shinobu Kocho also initiated her Potential Clone.
Before detailing the precise capabilities of her summon, it is essential to contextualize exactly how much power Shinobu could wield within Saki's world. The mechanical foundation of the Demon Slayer universe relied on utilizing blood as a direct conduit to bridge the spiritual mind with physical reality, effectively using one's inner willpower to overwrite and alter real-world physics. This specific attribute shared an absolute, flawless compatibility with the fundamental rules governing Mementos. Within the Metaverse—where the boundary between the psychological and material worlds was entirely blurred—Shinobu's Breathing Styles and sword techniques could be unleashed with 100% of their theoretical output, manifesting visual effects that were significantly more vivid and intense than anything seen in her home universe.
However, the real world operated under entirely different constraints. The spiritual alterations to reality generated by Breathing Styles were completely suppressed and neutralized by the rigid laws of physics. Fortunately, the immensely hardened physical frame she had forged through years of continuous Total Concentration Breathing—along with the biological enhancements permanently carved into her muscle fibers by spiritual energy—remained fully intact. This ensured that even without the flashy elemental visual effects, her sheer physical conditioning alone still transformed her into a terrifying warrior far beyond the reach of any ordinary human being.
HUUUUU—
Accompanied by a long, scorching exhalation, the space surrounding Shinobu violently distorted, as if a white-hot branding iron had been plunged into air. A wave of searing kinetic heat violently expanded outward, causing the local atmosphere to ripple erratically.
The Potential Clone she brought forth had not managed to cross over into an entirely foreign universe like Saki's had; instead, she had drawn a counterpart from an alternate timeline of her very own world—a history where she had never pursued the swift, venomous path of Insect Breathing, but had instead inherited the mantle of Flame Breathing.
Shinobu's Flame Hashira clone stood a full head-and-a-half taller than her original self, her imposing, one-point-eight-meter-tall physique resembling a brilliantly blazing tree. A massive, genuinely radiant smile rested on her features—a smile so pure, authentic, and bursting with absolute vitality that it stood in agonizing contrast against the carefully constructed, emotionally detached mask of a smile the original Shinobu always wore.
Even more shocking to the original Shinobu was how the clone's loose Demon Corps uniform was completely filled out by dense, powerful muscle groups. Distinct, explosive muscle fibers were clearly visible across her arms, shoulders, and core, every single bundle radiating an aura of immense, unrelenting physical strength that the petite, slender Shinobu could never hope to replicate.
The original Shinobu stared up at this tall, muscular, blindingly radiant version of herself. Her trademark smile instantly stiffened before completely fracturing piece by piece. A complex mixture of intense irritation and deep envy rushed straight to her head, causing thick veins to visibly bulge and throb across her temples.
"Honestly!" Shinobu's words were practically ground out from between her tightly clenched teeth. "Why is it that every other parallel version of myself gets to be so incredibly tall?!" She stamped her foot down with absolute frustration, her tone dripping with a profound longing for her ideal physique. "I want that kind of height too!"
Saki quietly observed this tall, commanding Flame Hashira clone brought forth by Shinobu. The woman carried a Nichirin Cleaver at her waist that shared a structural lineage with Shinobu's original weapon, yet appeared significantly thicker and far heavier. Shifting her gaze back and forth between the petite Shinobu and the heavily muscled Flame Hashira clone, Saki immediately identified the core operational limitation.
"Shinobu, it seems that neither you nor your clone possess any methods to rapidly regenerate from physical trauma, correct?"
Shinobu took a deep, grounding breath, swiftly reining in her lingering frustration. She forcibly suppressed the throbbing veins at her temple, instantly locked back into the cold, calculating mindset of a Demon Slayer Hashira, and gave a sharp, clinical nod.
"Yes, we do not. Whether it is Insect Breathing, which prioritizes supreme velocity and unpredictable vectors, or Flame Breathing, which focuses entirely on absolute destructive output, neither style includes provisions for instant, supernatural healing. In my world, only Demons possess that level of biological reconstruction." She paused, a sudden thought striking her. Wait... there shouldn't be an alternate timeline where I became a literal Demon, right? Shinobu felt the veins on her temple starting to throb all over again.
With that parameter verified, Saki immediately transitioned into organizing the team's deployment strategy. She turned to look at Gojo Saki, who was currently wearing a completely detached, indifferent expression.
"Even though my clone's embedded memories confirm that outputting Reverse Cursed Technique to heal external targets is theoretically possible, she does not currently possess the micro-scale output technique required to execute it on others." She then turned a questioning look toward Soyo.
Soyo processed the data in her mind before responding. "My clone is fully capable of outputting Reverse Cursed Technique directly to others. Furthermore, the Madoka Deer shikigami included within the Ten Shadows Technique can also output positive energy to heal external targets."
A flash of surprise crossed Saki's features; she truly hadn't anticipated that Soyo's Potential Clone would be so staggeringly versatile and powerful. With all necessary intelligence successfully compiled, Saki straightened her posture, her voice ringing with absolute authority.
"In that case, I propose that the initial scouting and exploration of Mutsumi's Palace will be conducted exclusively by my Potential Clone." She broke down the tactical rationale, gesturing toward Gojo Saki. "First, she possesses an independent Reverse Cursed Technique array, meaning that even if she triggers a lethal trap or sustains severe trauma during scouting, she can fully regenerate on her own. This level of extreme survivability guarantees a massive safety margin for our operation."
She tilted her head slightly, drawing attention to the clone's cosmic, starlit blue eyes. "Second, due to the presence of the Six Eyes, her cursed energy manipulation operates at a microscopic level of absolute perfection, reducing her energy waste to zero. This grants her an unparalleled level of combat endurance compared to any normal user, allowing her to sustain her deployment far longer and venture much deeper into unmapped territory."
"Furthermore, there is a vital mechanism regarding Potential Clones that we must establish," Saki added, her tone turning exceptionally stern as she delivered a critical piece of operational intelligence. "A Potential Clone can be un-manifested and immediately re-summoned to completely refresh its condition, effectively resetting its state back to absolute peak performance. However..." She paused, her eyes narrowing. "...doing so will cause the clone to instantly vanish from its exact position inside the Palace. Since a Palace operates under its own highly specific, localized physical logic, the sudden disappearance and reappearance of an entity could trigger unpredictable anomalies within the layout."
She looked directly at Soyo and Shinobu, emphasizing the danger. "Our overall exploration progress might be preserved, but there is an equal probability that the Palace's layout will completely reset, forcing us to start over from scratch. Therefore, unless we find ourselves in an absolute catastrophe, we must strictly minimize the use of this state-reset exploit to avoid introducing unnecessary variables. For the opening phase, prioritizing a unit who inherently possesses infinite endurance and self-regeneration is the most logical blueprint."
Saki focused her gaze entirely on Soyo. "While your Potential Clone undeniably commands a far larger baseline reservoir of raw Cursed Energy than mine, the absolute, microscopic efficiency granted by the Six Eyes ensures my clone can maintain her deployment significantly longer, mapping out far more territory." She gestured toward Gojo Saki once more. "Additionally, her Limitless术式 provides a layer of near-absolute spatial defense. When dealing with completely unmapped traps or avoiding fatal ambushes, this absolute barrier offers an unmatched layer of safety. Using her as our vanguard is our most reliable option."
Soyo listened intently to Saki's analytical breakdown, nodding her head in complete agreement. While Ryomen Sukuna possessed superior raw power and an overwhelming offensive stat line, Gojo Saki was undeniably superior when it came to sheer operational endurance and error tolerance. She adjusted her Glasses of Willpower and gave a firm nod. "I understand, Saki. We will proceed exactly according to your arrangement."
Saki nodded in acknowledgement. Then, as if remembering a critical detail, she added a final warning regarding clone mechanics.
"One last detail: aside from operating as independent physical entities, a Potential Clone can also be directly possessed by the host body to channel its capabilities. While you can theoretically un-possess and re-possess a clone mid-combat to instantly reset your energy levels back to peak performance, doing so introduces a highly lethal risk." Her voice carried an absolute weight of warning as her sharp gaze swept over Soyo and Shinobu. "That risk is the latency gap. In the microscopic fraction of a second where the clone is dismissed and before it is re-summoned, your physical body will instantly lose every single supernatural enhancement, leaving you entirely vulnerable and completely fragile. More importantly, any physical trauma or cellular exhaustion sustained by your actual body during possession will not be healed when the clone resets. Damage inflicted upon the host body belongs exclusively to the host, not the clone. You must keep this limitation permanently burned into your tactical awareness during live combat."
Soyo and Shinobu both nodded with extreme gravity, carving this vital constraint deep into their minds. This state-refresh exploit appeared completely broken on paper, but in actual execution, it was laced with fatal windows of absolute vulnerability.
Shinobu stared at the two girls before her, silently marveling in her heart. Potential Clone... this truly is an incredibly unfair, reality-breaking ability.
The capacity to systematically reset an entity back to its absolute prime at any given moment practically translated to an infinite font of combat endurance. Even while channeling the clone through possession, as long as a warrior could secure a single, clean microsecond of absolute safety amidst a chaotic battlefield to cycle the summon, they effectively possessed the means to instantly erase all personal fatigue and manifest a complete renewal of life.
She turned her head to look at her own tall, powerfully built Flame Hashira clone, before shifting her eyes back to Saki. She realized with absolute clarity that while her own summon merely tapped into a different developmental path within her own world's universe, Saki and Soyo were bringing forth entities originating from completely separate cosmic systems. Under the unique influence of Saki's reality-reflecting constitution, the absolute ceiling of the Potential Clone capability had been forcibly elevated to a staggeringly terrifying height.
With a brief mental command, Shinobu dismissed the radiant, sun-like Flame Hashira clone beside her. Simultaneously, an immense, raw surge of incredibly dense, masculine physical power violently flooded into her muscles and bones, as if a dormant volcano had suddenly erupted inside her veins. The swift, weightless precision of Insect Breathing and the explosive, shattering weight of Flame Breathing achieved a beautiful, mystical synthesis within her physical frame.
She smoothly activated her foundational Breathing Style. Her delicate, microscopic sensory awareness—which normally perceived the world through a matrix of ten-thousand compound eyes—was violently amplified and extended by the absolute, all-consuming destructive intent of Flame Breathing. The two distinct Breathing Styles cross-amplified each other during the possession state, instantly launching her sensory awareness and reaction speed into an entirely unprecedented dimension.
When she reopened her eyes, tiny sparks of white-hot fire flickered deep within her purple pupils, accompanied by the faint, near-invisible silhouettes of spectral butterflies dancing in the light. Relying on this maximized, hyper-extended sensory suite, Shinobu directed her gaze toward the two most terrifying, oppressive presences on the field: Gojo Saki and Ryomen Sukuna.
Within her enhanced vision, these two Potential Clones radiated a crushing, absolute weight of raw power that caused the very soul to tremble. Gojo Saki's presence resembled an absolute intersection of absolute zero and infinite spatial planes—cold, flawless, and infinitely deep, carrying an aura of absolute cosmic order. On the exact opposite end, Ryomen Sukuna presented an entirely contrasting nightmare: a churning, suffocating ocean of deep crimson blood, radiating a pure, primordial malice and an absolute intent for total destruction.
Simply processing their residual energy signatures caused Shinobu's hyper-sensitized nerves to flare with sharp, needle-like pain, as if her consciousness would be completely crushed down to dust by their boundless malice and lethal intent if she stared for too long.
The one to command her absolute awe was undeniably Ryomen Sukuna. To think that her summoner, Soyo Nagasaki, was merely an ordinary teenage girl who had never once touched a supernatural force or subjected her body to a single day of physical conditioning, yet the Potential Clone she brought forth was undeniably the single most terrifying, overwhelmingly powerful entity present among everyone standing in this void—clones and originals alike.
This... is the true, terrifying majesty of the chatroom. Shinobu silently sighed to herself.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 155)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter200)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter110)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter230)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 200
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 180
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 230
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 220
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 120
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 135
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 110
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 100
My Harem Is Indescribable 90
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 95
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 80
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 70
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 75
Checking In in Demon Slayer 80
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 85
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 70
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 65
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 70
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 70
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 65
Why did they assign me to Uma 65
MYGO Beauties 65
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 55
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 65
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 45
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 45
The Uma Musume Who Became 40
I'm Definitely Not the King of 45
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
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