At the Opera Epiclese, the Maison Gardiennage held a slight advantage, but this battlefield had the least impact on the overall conflict. All other fronts were locked in stalemate.
The scene shifted to other cities, where seawater had already flooded many areas. Fortunately, thanks to the factories in New Fortress of Meropide operating at full capacity, each city had been equipped with numerous Primordial Sea Suppression Ray emitters, ensuring that the invading seawater remained pure seawater.
Yet what shocked many was the sheer number of people still gathered in public squares, even with the water reaching chest-high.
Watching these crowds, half-submerged yet still glued to the broadcast screens, an observer on a distant high-rise couldn't help but exclaim through his binoculars,
"Holy shit!"
These people really don't value their lives at all!
We need a thorough investigation—a thorough investigation!
They're probably all members of the Cult of No. 6!
"Should we cut the broadcast?" a Maison Gardiennage officer suggested.
"Maintaining the broadcast is a direct order from above. If you want to shut it down, go ahead, but I'm not taking responsibility for that."
"Besides, I'm afraid those fanatics will kill us if we cut it."
Hearing the other Maison Gardiennage officer's words, the first officer sighed helplessly.
"So we're just going to abandon them like this?"
"What else can we do? Their lives are their own. We've warned them repeatedly, but they won't listen. We can't just forcibly drag them away, can we?"
Just as these words left his lips, countless mechanical claws suddenly descended from the sky, seizing the people immersed in the seawater watching the livestream and hoisting them directly into the air.
"Well, look at that! They're actually taking them away by force!"
The two officers gazed up at the airship hovering high above, letting out a collective sigh of awe.
The ship's hull prominently displayed the words "Wingalet." It went without saying that our Duke's long-awaited flagship had finally been completed, just in the nick of time.
"Who's doing this?!"
"No! Let us down! We want to watch the livestream!"
"Damn it! What right do you have to deprive us of our right to watch the broadcast?!"
Wriothesley, unwilling to waste time arguing, simply raised a hand.
"Head Nurse, silence them."
The moment his words left his lips, a flurry of needles shot out from the side, striking the clamoring crowd. Those hit instantly collapsed into deep sleep, and the scene quickly fell silent.
"Honestly, being rescued and still making this much noise? So annoying."
Wriothesley paused, then addressed the others again.
"You can watch the broadcast on the Broadcast Ship. Follow the Overseers."
Hearing Wriothesley's words, the rescued individuals nodded repeatedly and followed the Overseers to view the live broadcast.
Soon, another group of Overseers appeared, skillfully carrying away the unconscious bodies lying on the ground.
Witnessing this, Wriothesley turned to Sigewinne beside him.
"Head Nurse, I'll leave things here to you. If anyone becomes unruly, just silence them directly."
"Some of them may harbor ill intentions. I've already ordered others to remain vigilant, but you should be cautious as well."
"Duke, are you planning to head to the Opera Epiclese?" Sigewinne asked, her voice tinged with confusion.
"But the battlefield there isn't lacking in low-level combatants. The outcome hinges primarily on the results of Monsieur Neuvillette's engagement."
Wriothesley's face twitched slightly.
"Thank you for reminding me how weak I am right now."
Objectively speaking, Wriothesley's strength was far from negligible. However, given the skyrocketing combat capabilities in Fontaine, his power was indeed falling short. His engineers had assured him they were developing a full-body combat exoskeleton, but it remained unfinished.
Although Wriothesley wasn't particularly fond of relying on external enhancements, Fontaine's technology was advancing at breakneck speed. If he didn't keep up with the times, he risked being left behind. Besides, he was genuinely intrigued by the combat mech the engineers had mentioned.
"I'm heading back to the Fortress of Meropide to check things out. Neuvillette also gave me instructions earlier."
"And now that I'm no longer the Duke, it's best you stop calling me that. Otherwise, someone might report me."
"Hehe, it's just a habit!" Sigewinne chuckled sheepishly.
"I'll be more careful in the future."
"Leave everything here to me."
Hearing Sigewinne's response, Wriothesley nodded. He had intended to leave immediately, but growing concerned for her safety, he summoned two Gardemeks to protect her. Only then did he board a small boat lowered from the Wingalet and set off toward the Fortress of Meropide.
Meanwhile, the Wingalet continued rescuing civilians trapped in dangerous situations.
Back on the battlefield, Neuvillette, still engaged in combat, suddenly sensed something. Momentarily distracted, he narrowly avoided a counterattack from Dark Furina.
After dodging the attack, Neuvillette glanced down and his pupils contracted sharply.
Arlecchino stood on the stage of the Opera Epiclese, holding the unconscious Lyney and Lynette in each hand before casually tossing them aside.
From Arlecchino's body, Neuvillette distinctly sensed a peculiar aura—the unmistakable presence of a Gnosis!
Why would the Gnosis be in Arlecchino's possession?
Neuvillette couldn't fathom why Focalors, the Hydro Archon, would willingly surrender her Gnosis. Didn't she understand that if Dark Furina obtained it, everything would be lost?!
Or had his deduction been flawed? Perhaps Focalors wasn't inside the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale after all, and only a single Gnosis resided within it?!
Damn it! If he had misjudged the situation, he had committed another unforgivable sin!
Soon, Neuvillette wasn't the only one to notice Arlecchino's presence. While the others remained wary, uncertain whether she was friend or foe, Amos's face bore a knowing, enigmatic smile.
"I've obtained what you wanted, as agreed."
Arlecchino flipped her hand over, revealing a chess-piece-like object that radiated intense Hydro Element fluctuations. It hovered silently in her palm, emitting a faint blue glow.
"Now you must uphold your end of the bargain and dissolve our contract."
Seeing the object in Arlecchino's hand, most people didn't understand what it was, but they instinctively sensed that something was terribly wrong. A growing sense of foreboding crept into their hearts.
"Damn it! How did she get her hands on the Gnosis?!"
Rene's voice carried a barely concealed panic as he turned to Neuvillette with bewildered accusation.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, even destroying the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale wouldn't justify letting her obtain the Gnosis!"
Neuvillette remained silent, unable to offer an explanation. Besides, what good would it do to explain? It wouldn't change their current predicament.
Suddenly, a terrifying elemental surge erupted from Neuvillette's body, causing the rain to intensify.
No, the rain hadn't grown heavier everywhere; only the area around Arlecchino was experiencing torrential rainfall, while other regions remained unchanged.
Each of these excess raindrops pulsed with terrifying Hydro Element fluctuations, and Arlecchino, trapped within this downpour, sensed the aura of death closing in.
Neuvillette could no longer afford to hesitate. Even if killing Arlecchino here would strain diplomatic relations with Snezhnaya, he couldn't afford to hesitate any longer.
He absolutely couldn't allow Dark Furina to obtain the Gnosis. If she did, everything would be lost!
With the full Authority over Water and the power of the Abyss at her disposal, Dark Furina would likely be unmatched by almost any being in all of Teyvat!
He had to try to destroy the Gnosis.
Channeling all his power, Neuvillette braced himself for a potential sneak attack from Dark Furina. Even if it cost him his life, he couldn't let the Gnosis fall into her hands.
Letting Arlecchino obtain the Gnosis had already been his gravest mistake. He couldn't afford to compound his error. Let his life serve as atonement for this blunder!
Neuvillette even resorted to using his Primal Power, a move that would place immense strain on his body. But at this moment, he was beyond caring about the consequences.
Realizing Neuvillette's intent, Rene offered a bitter smile and channeled all his remaining strength into a Zeperion Ray.
Facing two forces capable of overturning mountains and parting seas with ease, Arlecchino felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness. A torrent of memories flashed through her mind, most of them painful experiences.
These very trials had forged her into who she was today.
Though her heart was cold, she yearned deeply for a family...
Snapping back to reality, Arlecchino drew her scythe and braced herself, knowing it was a futile gesture. The gap in their power was simply too vast.
Yet deep down, Arlecchino wasn't truly worried about her safety. There was someone who would never allow her to die here.
As expected, just as the two attacks were about to converge on Arlecchino's position, a haughty figure tore through space and materialized before her. It's raised hand came to rest perfectly on the Gnosis.
"The contract is sealed."
Arlecchino suddenly felt an inner release, as if shackles binding her had been shattered. In the next instant, a dazzling azure aura erupted from Dark Furina's body, instantly bathing the surrounding hundred-kilometer radius in a vibrant blue light.
But just as quickly, as if ink were dripping onto this blue parchment, the dazzling azure rapidly transformed into pitch-black darkness.
Then, the attacks descended.
Yet strangely, neither Neuvillette's nor Rene's attacks produced the slightest sound.
To both Neuvillette and Rene, it felt as though their attacks had been swallowed whole by their opponent.
With a resounding crack, a colossal fissure stretching thousands of meters across suddenly tore open in the distant sky. Inconceivable volumes of Primordial Sea Water poured from this spatial rift, causing the sea level to surge at an alarming rate.
As the darkness gradually receded, the Opera Epiclese reappeared in everyone's vision, followed by the figures of Arlecchino and the siblings Lyney and Lynette. Finally, Dark Furina materialized, her back adorned with a pair of massive, feathered wings.
Though composed entirely of Hydro Element, the wings were pitch-black, their mere sight threatening to devour the souls of ordinary people.
Dark Furina gazed coldly at Neuvillette. Though she stood on the ground and he hovered in the air, she exuded an overwhelming sense of superiority.
Comparing their auras, Neuvillette's had completely waned after unleashing his earlier attack, while Dark Furina's far surpassed any previous level.
Rene's body was rapidly shrinking, his aura fading just as quickly. His previous strike had exhausted every ounce of his power; he could no longer maintain human form, reverting to the form of a Sourcewater Drop.
The situation had reached its direst point!
"Roar!"
The Giant Whale sensed Dark Furina's aura and realized the dire situation.
Though it had come to destroy Fontaine, it had no alliance with Dark Furina or Amos, nor any prior agreement with them.
Sensing Dark Furina's formidable presence, the Giant Whale had already decided to flee.
Even with a "scraping master" still clinging to its back, it was better to run first and figure things out later!
The Giant Whale had just opened a spatial rift, preparing to retreat, when Dark Furina slowly raised one hand and then slammed it down.
"Kneel."
Countless tons of seawater surged skyward, coalescing into a single massive current that slammed down upon the Giant Whale's colossal body.
Tartaglia, sensing imminent danger, immediately abandoned the Giant Whale and bolted.
The Giant Whale desperately tried to evade the attack, but its colossal size made it impossible to maneuver quickly enough.
Struck by the crushing force of the water, the Giant Whale let out a piercing, anguished cry. In a single blow, it sustained damage dozens of times greater than what it had endured during its entire battle with Tartaglia.
Watching the Giant Whale writhe in agony, Tartaglia couldn't help but swallow hard. Had he hesitated even a moment longer, he would have been reduced to nothing but dust.
Dark Furina then shifted her focus, splitting off a stream of seawater to target Neuvillette and Rene on the other side.
Exhausted beyond their limits, the pair were forced to rapidly descend, but even then, the attack grazed them. The massive impact slammed them violently into the ground, and at the last moment, Neuvillette used his strength to protect the critically weakened Rene.
Moments later, the seawater in the sky split into multiple streams, each striking the Clockwork Mekas still airborne and select individuals with Visions.
Instantly, the skies cleared.
The battle on the ground came to a halt as well, as nearly every eye in the area turned toward Dark Furina.
"Worship our new God!"
Amos was the first to bow slightly to Dark Furina, followed by every member of the Cult of No. 6 present. Their faces alight with fanatical fervor, they knelt en masse in her direction.