Dudu: My Apologies, I Couldn't Let Lord Joker Enjoy Himself Fully

"Jack Frost, use Bufudyne!!"

The battle ignited instantly. Following Ren Amamiya's clear command, Persona Jack Frost waved its small, blue-gloved hands, summoning a colossal ice spike, large enough to blot out the sky, down upon Durandal's position.

"An ice spike? Bring it on!!"

Gazing at the massive icicle radiating extreme cold, large as a building, Durandal showed no fear or hesitation. Instead, her blue eyes burned fiercely with fighting spirit. A smile touched her lips as she tightened her grip on the black lance in her hand. Bright crimson flames erupted violently from Hler's Serenity.

As Durandal thrust the black lance forward forcefully, a monstrous wave of heat, like a sunset engulfing the sky, surged ahead, instantly engulfing the massive ice spike created by Jack Frost.

The tip of the black lance collided head-on with the giant icicle's point. The two conflicting, immense forces erupted with a deafening roar. In the next moment, Hler's Serenity shattered the tip of the giant ice spike with unstoppable momentum. The explosive flames ignited on the black lance further blasted the Bufudyne icicle into countless shards and steam.

Durandal flicked the black lance sharply, shaking off the clinging ice and moisture. The steam swirling around her dissipated abruptly. Having completely neutralized Jack Frost's attack, Durandal maintained her faint, battle-eager smile. She slowly aimed her lance tip towards Ren in the distance, silently urging him to continue.

Even though she's a Shadow, this one named Durandal doesn't have any oppressive or negative aura. Instead, she feels bright like sunshine, straightforward and crisp, Ren observed. If he couldn't sense the Shadow aura from her, and if she couldn't summon a Persona to fight, Ren might have almost mistaken Durandal for another Persona user who had entered Mementos.

"A Fire-element Shadow... In that case, continuing with Jack Frost would be disadvantageous." Pitting the Ice-element Jack Frost against a Shadow with Fire-element skills was clearly an unfavorable matchup. Ren had no interest in being a master of disadvantageous elemental battles; the Wild Card should fight like a Wild Card.

"The next Persona to fight—" Ren responded to Durandal's pure, awe-inspiring battle spirit, a similar battle-hungry curve forming on his lips.

"It's you, Benares!!"

With a slight tug on the red glove on his right hand, the figure of Persona Jack Frost floating mid-air silently dispersed into a cloud of azure flame and vanished. Before surprise could register in Durandal's eyes, the eerie blue flame rapidly expanded and reformed, finally coalescing into an enormous, deep-blue demonic dragon.

"Facing two giant dragons simultaneously? No problem! Bring it on!!"

Persona Benares and Persona Kurikara coiled in different sections of the sky, the crimson and deep-blue dragons letting out deafening roars that sent visible ripples through the air. The intense pressure stirred up by the two dragons caused the golden strands of hair framing Durandal's forehead to sway.

Yet, Durandal herself showed no intention of retreating. Instead, she bent her knees slightly, sinking into a crouch. In the next instant, the ground beneath her feet violently caved in, forming a large pit.

Her slender, well-proportioned body shot upwards like a fully coiled spring, rocketing towards Persona Benares with clear intent.

"Benares, use Maziodyne!!"

At Ren's command, Persona Benares's deep-blue draconic body, covered in hard white exoskeleton, instantly shifted to an eerie violet hue, like lightning itself. Switching from Ice to Lightning, Benares instantly shed its elemental disadvantage against Durandal.

"We'll help too—Roar, Kurikara!!"

Facing two massive, powerful demonic dragons, Durandal's rash decision to invade their aerial domain was clearly not a wise one. Realizing that Durandal, despite charging forward like a living spear, lacked the ability to truly fly and could only rely on brute force to leap high from the ground, Raiden Mei's eyes suddenly lit up.

Under Mei's control, Persona Kurikara beat its huge wings, closing in on Benares's position. The two terrifyingly similar demonic dragons simultaneously unleashed a judgment of thunder upon the charging Durandal, as if intending to destroy the entire world.

Thick pillars of dazzling violet lightning mingled with streaks of deep crimson thunderbolts, weaving together into an inescapable net of lightning.

Trapped, with nowhere to retreat, forced to continue her forward momentum, Durandal seemed like a tiny insect flying willingly into the lightning net before the two colossal dragons. It looked as though she would be powerlessly struck down to the ground in the next second by the crisscrossing purple and red lightning.

However, in the next instant, Mei's purple eyes widened in shock, her maskless face displaying utter disbelief, as if she had seen a ghost.

Brilliant, blazing flames erupted from the black lance. Then, the scorching fire enveloped Durandal's body.

She transformed into a magnificent meteor, painting the sky crimson as she tore through the double-layered net of lightning woven by Benares and Kurikara. The flame-wreathed spear tip slammed violently onto the surface of Persona Benares, who couldn't dodge in time!!

"ROOOOAAAAARRRR—!!!"

The white exoskeleton protecting Benares's body shattered like plastic under Durandal's lance thrust. Durandal slammed the black lance deep into Benares's body.

Her petite frame unleashed power even more immense and terrifying than the dragon's, forcefully knocking the airborne Persona Benares down to the ground, smashing a huge crater into the ruined city.

After Benares crashed, Durandal didn't cease her attack. She ripped the black lance from Benares's body and thrust it forward again into the dragon's form. As Durandal pierced Benares's body with the black lance for the second time, the dragon's head slumped lifelessly to the ground.

Its entire body lost all strength, and in moments, it dissolved into azure flames, vanishing from this space and returning to Ren's Sea of Souls.

"She... She defeated Joker's Benares in just two hits?!" Mei stared at Durandal, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Defeating Benares wasn't impossible; Benares wasn't an exceptionally powerful Shadow. However, defeating Benares and defeating Benares effortlessly in just two attacks were vastly different in significance.

According to Kaslana, the strongest being in this Kaslana Palace was Siegfried Kaslana. Yet, this golden-haired girl named Durandal clearly possessed strength rivaling Siegfried's. Even a healthy Siegfried, without entering his beast form, would struggle to eliminate Benares in just two hits.

Perhaps Durandal's ultimate strength couldn't match the beast-transformed Siegfried, but she was still very young. In a few more years, the title of strongest within the Kaslana Palace might shift from Siegfried to Durandal.

"Continue. You have more than just this, don't you?" After dismantling Benares, Durandal brushed aside a golden strand of hair falling near her ear, a satisfied smile on her face. She once again aimed her black lance at Ren, demanding the fight continue.

Raiden Mei's presence was subconsciously ignored by Durandal. Persona Kurikara's strength was comparable to Benares, perhaps even slightly weaker. If Durandal could kill Benares in two hits, she could certainly do the same to Kurikara. Mei's strength was commendable, but she couldn't exert pressure on Durandal.

Ren, however, was the opposite. Simply standing before Ren, meeting his gaze, made Durandal's heart beat uncontrollably faster, her blood flow quickening.

Facing Ren, viewing him as an enemy to be defeated, Durandal's body instinctively entered a state of heightened alert due to the immense pressure and threat, allowing her to exert her full power, perhaps even surpass her limits.

Ren possessed the potential to defeat her, offering the greatest opportunity for her to hone her skills. Durandal was absolutely certain of this.

"...Looks like I have to get serious now." Durandal's strength exceeded Ren's expectations. She was like a hidden ace within the Kaslana Palace, possessing the qualifications to vie for the title of strongest. Personas like Jack Frost or Benares stood no chance against her.

To defeat Durandal fair and square, Ren only had two or three viable Persona options.

"Let me show you my ace. Persona!!—Arsene!!"

Ren gently touched the white bird mask on his face. This time, he didn't rely on Jizo Mitama's power to summon. He personally tore the mask from his face and hurled it forcefully towards Durandal.

The white bird mask dissolved into ethereal blue flames mid-flight. A violent gale erupted around Ren, causing the feathered coattails of his black phantom attire to whip wildly. The swirling vortex of blue flame abruptly solidified.

Massive black falcon wings unfurled. Clad in a striking, flamboyant crimson formal suit resembling blood, wearing a black top hat—Persona Arsene made its grand entrance in the void behind Ren!!

"Is this your full strength? I feel my blood boiling too, it's been a while!!" Gazing at Arsene materializing behind Ren, Durandal's breath hitched slightly. Feeling a sense of mortal danger she hadn't experienced since earning the title of Schicksal's Strongest Valkyrie, Durandal's breathing grew heavier, while the battle-hungry smile on her lips widened further.

This was what she wanted. Only a sufficiently strong enemy could make her stronger.

"Round two... Arsene, use Eigaon on her!!"

At Ren's command, Persona Arsene's figure vanished instantly from the sky behind him. Durandal's pupils trembled violently. Her gaze snapped towards an empty patch of void nearby, her black lance thrusting sharply towards that spot.

In the next instant, Arsene's figure silently appeared exactly where Durandal attacked. However, Arsene's speed surpassed even Durandal's swiftness. Although Durandal observed and predicted Arsene's landing spot through combat experience, her attack speed was still a step slower.

Arsene's menacing black claws brushed past Durandal's thrusting lance. An eerie, ominous crimson-black cursed flame ignited in its palm. Eigaon charged fully in an instant.

Durandal shot backwards rapidly, yet Arsene shadowed her like a phantom, maintaining the same distance.

The next second, the fully charged, overwhelming tide of crimson-black cursed flames engulfed Durandal's grim face, completely consuming her slender, well-proportioned body.