"Neuvillette, it seems there really is someone inside."
Furina observed the violent energy fluctuations emanating from the Tower of Gestalt. Clearly, someone had breached the defense system from within. She stared at Neuvillette in astonishment.
In truth, Neuvillette wasn't entirely certain his target would come here, but the marker on the map indicated the Tower of Gestalt as another core. To be safe, he decided to level it today.
The data was too precise!
Fontaine truly was teeming with talent these days. In less than an hour, they had provided such detailed and accurate projections, making him feel as though they had known the answer all along.
Reflecting on this, Neuvillette couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
Though Fontaine was currently rife with danger, it was also an era of explosive talent.
The adage "danger always accompanies opportunity" held true.
"It was merely a coincidence," he remarked.
"So, what's our next move? Should we just storm in, arrest them all, and send them to the Judgment?"
"Let's wait a little longer."
Neuvillette gazed at the Tower of Gestalt, quietly biding his time.
Earlier, he had destroyed roughly the top third of the Tower of Gestalt to completely shatter any remaining will to resist within. Now, all that remained was to await the reaction of those trapped inside.
Just then, the energy shield surrounding the Tower of Gestalt, which had been flickering intermittently, suddenly blazed with intense light, and powerful energy fluctuations erupted from the tower itself.
Seeing this, Neuvillette took a deep breath and shook his head.
There was no doubt now: the enemy was preparing for a desperate last stand.
Realizing this, Neuvillette acted without hesitation, unleashing his ultimate ability.
"Tides, I have returned!"
Unpredictable Hydro energy condensed in the air, forming countless water droplets. Under Neuvillette's control, these droplets surged skyward before cascading down in a torrential downpour.
Furina, well aware of the devastating power of this technique, silently moved closer to Neuvillette, then asked, her voice tinged with doubt:
"Neuvillette, won't this kill everyone inside the tower?"
Neuvillette shook his head.
"I know when to hold back."
Just then, Neuvillette's attack finally made contact with the Tower of Gestalt's newly deployed defensive barrier.
The moment the water droplets struck the barrier, a deafening roar erupted. The barrier began to flicker violently, as if on the verge of collapsing.
Neuvillette had already prepared to withdraw his attack, but what happened next left him utterly stunned.
The violently flickering barrier suddenly shattered into countless fragments. At first, Neuvillette assumed the Tower of Gestalt's defenses had been breached, but he quickly realized that these fragments weren't dissipating. Instead, they continued to resist his attack.
By drastically reducing their surface area, the fragments had massively increased their energy density, allowing them to withstand the attack.
Witnessing this, both Neuvillette and Furina were dumbfounded. They had never encountered such a defensive maneuver before. It required an impossibly precise level of energy manipulation, far beyond the capabilities of ordinary individuals.
As the attack subsided, the fragments began to drift through the air, eventually forming the words "weak" in the sky.
"Neuvillette, he's mocking us!" Furina exclaimed, her voice tinged with anger as she witnessed the display.
"Go, Neuvillette! Show him your true power!"
Neuvillette took a deep breath, raised his hand, and launched another attack against the Tower of Gestalt.
This time, he unleashed even greater force, a surging pillar of water erupting toward the tower.
Just as Neuvillette's attack was about to strike, the energy fragments stirred once more, rapidly coalescing into a tilted circular disc with a raised center.
The water pillar slammed into the disc, its trajectory instantly diverted, narrowly missing the Tower of Gestalt. Neuvillette's attack crashed harmlessly into empty space...
"How was that, Lord Jacob? My handling was pretty good, right?" Virlick said from inside the Tower of Gestalt, his voice smug as he sought Jacob's praise.
Jacob, meanwhile, was utterly stunned by Virlick's earlier maneuvers.
What just happened? He actually blocked two of Neuvillette's attacks using the Tower of Gestalt's defense protocols?!
I didn't know the defense system could be used like this!
Jacob felt his entire worldview had been violently shaken.
That was Neuvillette's attack!
Jacob had originally planned to leave as soon as the defensive barrier began to falter, but the final outcome was beyond absurd.
He admitted he had misjudged Virlick completely. This wasn't just a loyal tool destined for mediocrity—this was a genius, one who appeared only once in a millennium!
Even watching Virlick's control firsthand, Jacob struggled to comprehend it. It was as if a hidden mechanism had been triggered: Virlick's expression turned serious and focused, his hands flying across the controls with blinding speed.
Often, before Jacob could even grasp the meaning of Virlick's previous maneuver, he had already made his next decision. Virlick's computational abilities actually surpassed Jacob's own!
This was extraordinary. Though he might pale in comparison to Rene, Jacob's own talents were still among the elite—enough to utterly dominate the other members of the Ordo in their era. It was precisely this brilliance that had earned him the privilege of serving as Rene's assistant, even carrying out Rene's plan to awaken him.
At that moment, Jacob couldn't help but think of Alain, his old friend who possessed talents nearly equal to Rene's. Yet, their paths had ultimately diverged into bitter opposition.
Alain specialized in the field of mechanical life and could command massive armies of machines in combat. Jacob wondered which of them was the more skilled, Alain or Virlick.
Suddenly, a jolt of alarm ran through Jacob.
He must be mad, comparing Virlick to Alain.
Forcing himself to regain his composure, Jacob turned to Virlick, who was beaming with anticipation.
Looking back, Jacob realized he had never exposed Virlick to this domain before, which explained why he had never discovered the young man's remarkable talent.
No, I can't abandon him here now. He might be crucial for Rene's future plans!
Jacob had originally intended to sacrifice Virlick by having him operate the defense system, hoping to buy time to awaken Rene. But the situation had changed. If he abandoned Virlick now, Rene would tear him apart later!
I nearly made a catastrophic mistake!
"Virlick, come with me."
Jacob spoke his name with genuine earnestness, finally acknowledging Virlick's true worth instead of treating him as a disposable pawn.
"Ah, Lord Jacob, what about this place? Now that there's no one else in the Tower of Gestalt who can control the defense systems..."
A hint of surprise flickered across Virlick's face.
"Just entrust it to the System. It will hold out as long as it can."
"Now, come with me to see the Master immediately. Didn't you say you've always wanted to meet him in person?"
"The Master?!"
Hearing this title, Virlick's emotions surged with excitement.
"R-really? Can I, Lord Jacob?!"
"With my current rank, I'm probably not qualified to meet the Master directly, am I?!"
Faced with Virlick's apprehension, Jacob took a deep breath and spoke with solemn gravitas.
"Virlick, I hereby grant you First Rank status, bypassing the usual procedures. I trust that you will continue to strive toward the grand vision of the Narzissenkreuz Ordo, and that you will shine brightly in the future!"
Jacob had carefully considered this appointment. Virlick's past actions had demonstrated unwavering loyalty to the Ordo. Combined with his talent—which even surpassed Jacob's own—and the Ordo's current shortage of First Rank members, this appointment posed minimal risk.
Although the candidate was indeed younger and hadn't yet undergone the First Rank assessment, these were extraordinary times that called for extraordinary measures.
Jacob's words left Virlick stunned. It took him a long moment to recover, after which he vigorously pounded his chest.
"Lord Jacob, rest assured, I will devote myself wholeheartedly to the Narzissenkreuz Ordo, working tirelessly until my dying breath... cough, cough, cough..."
Overexerting himself, Virlick choked and broke into a fit of coughing.
Seeing this, Jacob shook his head.
"Your body is far too frail."
"But don't worry. Before long, you will possess near-eternal life and inexhaustible vitality."
Jacob gently patted Virlick's shoulder. Just as Virlick was about to reply, the Tower of Gestalt shuddered violently once more.
With the defense system unmanned, Neuvillette's latest assault crippled much of the Tower's defenses, causing blinding red lights to flash through the chamber.
Studying the fluctuating data on the monitors, Jacob realized there was no time to lose. He swiftly grabbed Virlick and hurried him out of the room.
Outside, Neuvillette observed the rapidly dimming defensive barrier, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. He couldn't understand why his attack had been so successful this time.
If he hadn't restrained his full power, focusing instead on attrition and probing the barrier's limits, he might have obliterated the entire Tower of Gestalt, along with all the prisoners inside, from this small island.
"Great job, Neuvillette!"
"That's how it's done!"
Seeing their attack finally break through, Furina cheered Neuvillette on, waving her tiny fists in the air.
"Neuvillette, use your Hydro Jet!"
Neuvillette's face darkened. He desperately wanted to blast Furina with his Hydro Jet, but he knew the matter at hand was too urgent. The sudden stiffness of the defensive barrier filled him with an ominous premonition; their opponent's plan had likely already begun.
"Vanish into foam!"
With this final, decisive strike, Neuvillette completely shattered the Tower of Gestalt's defenses.
Even though he had held back considerably, the aftershocks of the attack still severely damaged the Tower of Gestalt.
"Stay close to me."
After uttering those words, Neuvillette moved toward the Tower of Gestalt's entrance at a pace Furina could keep up with. Seeing this, Furina hastily followed.
Without needing Neuvillette's prompting, Furina clung tightly to his side, almost wishing she could press herself against his back.
If not for her dignity as the Hydro Archon, Furina might have actually asked Neuvillette to carry her.
The pair soon entered the Tower of Gestalt, where a wave of fully armed Clockwork Mekas charged toward them.
Neuvillette lightly tapped his cane against the ground, and a torrent of water cascaded down from above, instantly crushing the Clockwork Mekas into piles of scrap metal on the floor.
"Keep moving. We need to explore this place quickly. They'll likely try to breach the Primordial Sea Water's outlet directly."
Hearing Neuvillette's words, Furina's expression turned slightly more serious.
Why only slightly? she thought. Isn't the invincible Neuvillette right beside me?
With Neuvillette by her side, even if the Primordial Sea Water did surge forth, she trusted he could reseal it!
As for someone like her, a commoner with only two Elemental Powers, she'd be better off as a spectator, enjoying Neuvillette's personal magic show.
If only I had a Geo Vision too, she mused. I've heard Rex Lapis is the oldest and most powerful of the Archons. With a Geo Vision, my strength would surely increase dramatically!
Furina's hopes began to rise, but they were quickly dashed.
It seems it's still impossible, she sighed. If only getting a Geo Vision were as easy as making a wish with my Hydro Vision!
Distracted by her daydreaming, Furina had drifted slightly away from Neuvillette. Just then, as she passed the wreckage of a Clockwork Meka, a mechanical hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her ankle.
Startled, Furina instinctively unleashed all her power—both Hydro and Anemo Elemental Powers combined.
The fusion of these two forces not only swept away the mechanical debris littering the ground but also blasted a massive cavernous hole through the floor.
The mechanical arm that had gripped Furina's leg shattered into metallic fragments, which were then swept away by the raging winds to some unknown destination.
Witnessing this, Neuvillette, who had been preparing to intervene, trembled slightly, causing the scar on his cheek to twitch.
If his aging eyes weren't deceiving him, Furina had just used Anemo Energy.
Furina patted her chest, gradually regaining her composure.
What puzzled her slightly was how brittle these Clockwork Mekas felt—completely different from the ones she'd handled before.
If the Gardemeks in the New Fortress of Meropide had been this flimsy, I wouldn't have been so humiliated in front of everyone.
Wait... am I overlooking something?
Just as Furina was pondering this, she slowly raised her head and found herself locking eyes with Neuvillette.
Faced with the complex emotions swirling in Neuvillette's eyes, Furina broke into a cold sweat.
"Um... well, you see, I'm actually quite close with the Anemo Archon Barbatos."
"It's perfectly reasonable to borrow a Vision from a friend for a bit of fun, right?"
Neuvillette: "..."