"Bravo!"
Countless viewers watching the live broadcast couldn't help but cheer aloud at the spectacle.
"Under Lady Focalors' rule, Fontaine will surely usher in a brighter tomorrow!"
"That's right! With Lady Focalors here, Fontaine will finally know peace!"
Joyful expressions spread across people's faces. Even in cities that hadn't officially declared independence from Fontaine, many yearned to worship Dark Furina as their new god.
Now, as they watched the live broadcast showing Dark Furina single-handedly overpowering Neuvillette and Rene, their resolve only hardened further.
Seeing this unfold before their eyes, their hearts finally settled into acceptance.
Back at the Opera Epiclese, Furina stared blankly at the scene unfolding before her.
"Is it... already over?"
Furina had never truly believed this day would come. When Dark Furina had personally declared her intention to utterly destroy Fontaine, Furina had confidently asserted that her plans would never succeed. Yet now, as the very scenario she had dismissed played out before her, a sense of unreality washed over her.
If only this were all a dream!
We did everything we could... why did it still end like this?
Lady Focalors, why haven't you appeared yet? Fontaine, the nation you swore to protect, is about to fall!
Like everyone else in the know, Furina couldn't understand why the Hydro Archon Focalors hadn't appeared by now. No matter how important her current duties, Fontaine was on the verge of destruction!
Could it be that Focalors had been deceiving her all along?
Perhaps Focalors never had a way to save Fontaine. She might have told Furina otherwise simply because she couldn't bear to face Fontaine's ultimate fate, which was why she hadn't appeared even at this crucial moment.
The mere thought of this possibility ignited a burning rage within Furina.
And Neuvillette—how could he entrust the Gnosis to Lyney and Lynette, knowing full well they were Arlecchino's subordinates? How could they possibly stop her?!
Could it be that Neuvillette secretly wished for Fontaine's destruction?
After all, he wasn't human. Having witnessed humanity's countless atrocities in recent times, perhaps he had begun to doubt whether such a sinful race deserved to be protected.
So that's it. This Judgment today must have been Neuvillette's way of exposing humanity's true nature.
I sacrificed centuries for Fontaine, yet in the end, everyone clamored for my Judgment. That must have been the moment Neuvillette changed his mind.
Furina's thoughts spiraled into increasingly dark territory. The once-benevolent faces in her mind twisted into grotesque caricatures, until she even began to wonder if accepting the grim fate they offered might be the best outcome for such a sinful race.
"Lady Furina, wake up!"
Charlotte gripped Furina's shoulders and shook her violently. The rapid shaking blurred Furina's vision into dizzying spirals.
"Y-you... q-quick... l-let... go... of... me..."
"Thank goodness, Lady Furina! You're finally awake!" Charlotte exclaimed, releasing her grip as she heard Furina's trembling voice.
Furina immediately stumbled aside and began retching violently. As she heaved, she noticed similar sounds nearby and looked up to see Navia also retching. The two exchanged a look of shared misery before resuming their violent retching.
Soon, Furina and Navia returned, supporting each other as they approached Charlotte, their voices tinged with reproach.
"Charlotte, where did you learn that?"
"Ah? I learned it over there," Charlotte replied, gesturing with her finger.
Following her gaze, Furina and Navia saw Ron in the distance, using the same rough method to rouse others.
"Ah, so you're the mastermind behind all this!"
Wait a minute, something's not right here.
Furina and Navia suddenly noticed that not only were the members of the Cult of No. 6 kneeling, but even their own allies had collapsed to their knees, their faces contorted in fervent devotion.
"Amos!"
They quickly identified the culprit, glaring furiously at the distant figure.
"Oh, you managed to break free from my influence?" Amos remarked casually. "But it's too late now. The Hydro Archon has already amassed enough faith."
"Now, the Hydro Archon's authority will be completely ours!"
"Next comes our vengeance against Fontaine."
Amos paused, then continued, "Though his personality left much to be desired, he was still my younger brother."
"Since he perished in Fontaine, let the entire nation be buried alongside him."
Amos's calm words sent a chill down their spines, but Furina couldn't help but retort.
"It was No. 6 who committed countless atrocities! He deserved his fate!"
"So what?" Amos countered. "No matter how many evil deeds he committed, the fact that he was my brother is all that matters."
"What about Emily?"
Furina turned to Amos again.
"If Emily truly is your sister, then shouldn't you at least consider her ideals? She's willing to sacrifice her life to save others!"
To the trio's surprise, Amos merely scoffed mockingly.
"She died because she was too foolish. She has no one to blame but herself."
"You're being incredibly biased!" Furina retorted, her anger flaring.
No. 6 and Emily were both Amos's siblings—his brother and sister respectively—yet he treated them with such starkly different attitudes.
Wait a minute!
A chilling realization struck Furina, sending a shiver down her spine.
"Emily's ability... it wasn't actually about amplifying people's negative emotions, was it?"
Her words sounded like a question directed at Amos, but her tone was more of a declaration.
Navia and Charlotte froze at her words, then exchanged thoughtful glances.
Furina suddenly recalled the dark thoughts that had surfaced within her earlier—all of them had emerged under the influence of Amos's power.
This realization sparked a suspicion in Furina's heart: Perhaps Emily had been deceived all along!
In truth, it was Amos, not Emily, who truly amplified the negative emotions within others.
Amos had used his abilities to mercilessly torment people at will, then psychologically manipulated Emily into believing her own powers were responsible, trapping her in a cycle of guilt and despair.
He had even seized upon Emily's most vulnerable moment to enter her heart and become her "older brother."
"Heh, Miss Furina's theories are quite amusing."
Amos gazed at Furina, his smile deepening with each word.
"However, I have no intention of answering that question."
"Running away won't help! I've seen through you, Amos!" Furina glared at him, her face contorted with fury. This man before her had orchestrated countless tragedies in Fontaine, callously manipulating others' emotions.
Emily, so kind and pure, had been systematically driven to lose all will to live under his insidious influence.
There was another decisive piece of evidence to prove Furina's theory. Before Emily left, she had said that because Furina was an Archon, she would be unaffected by Emily's energy. It was on this basis that Emily believed Furina genuinely considered her a friend during their time together.
But in reality, Furina wasn't an Archon at all—she was just an ordinary person. Yet she remained unaffected by Emily's so-called "ability," proving beyond a doubt that this power had never existed in the first place. Everything was a fabricated lie orchestrated by Amos!
Furthermore, Fontaine's crime rate hadn't decreased after Emily's departure, further supporting Furina's conclusions.
The members of the Mutual Aid Network had genuinely followed Emily with all their hearts, but Amos's deception had driven her to completely disbelieve this truth.
"Amos, you bastard! You deserve to die!"
Furina was utterly enraged. The Vision on her person erupted with a brilliance far exceeding its usual intensity.
"How could you bring yourself to deceive someone as kind as Emily?!"
Furina raised her hand toward Amos, but he remained unfazed, a serene smile playing on his lips.
In the next instant, Furina felt an unimaginable weight crush her body, instantly shattering her imposing aura and reverting her to her original state.
"Lady Furina!"
Navia and Charlotte gasped in alarm, rushing forward to support her on either side and prevent her from collapsing. As they steadied her, they too felt the immense force bearing down on them.
Even with all three of them resisting the force, they couldn't lift their heads. However, they noticed the source of the power: Dark Furina on the stage.
"Hahahaha!"
Seeing this, Amos erupted into triumphant laughter.
"Fine, I might as well tell you now."
"That's right, No. 8's ability isn't to amplify others' negative emotions—that's my power."
"Yes, I deceived her. I used my ability to make her believe it was her own power. Watching her drown in endless self-blame... the feeling was simply exquisite."
"The more beautiful something is, the more I want to taint it with my own colors. No. 8 was the first time I've ever put so much effort into guiding someone using my abilities."
"Alas, no matter how desperate her circumstances became, she remained hopelessly foolish."
"As expected, she was my greatest failure. Even with abilities I envy, she's nothing but a useless waste."
"Shut up! You have no right to judge her like that! Emily is not a failure!"
Furina, who was already exerting all her strength just to stand, still managed to shout back. She could tolerate anyone being insulted—except Emily. She would not allow anyone to slander her!
"Heh, these aren't my words—they came directly from that one."
Amos's words sent a fresh wave of bone-chilling dread through Furina and her companions.
Even above Amos, there's a being of greater power and authority?!
Just what kind of terrifying force has Fontaine provoked?!
While Furina was being suppressed, Neuvillette wasn't standing idly by. But before he could act, a force many times, even dozens of times, stronger than that targeting Furina directly suppressed his movements.
The immense pressure bearing down on Neuvillette had already sunk half his leg into the ground. Dark Furina seemed determined to use her power to subdue him, but Neuvillette simply gazed calmly at her, refusing to yield even as his exhausted body reached its breaking point under the crushing weight.
What puzzled Neuvillette, however, was that the pressure showed no sign of increasing further. Given Dark Furina's current strength, she should have been capable of far more.
Was she diverting part of her attention elsewhere, or could there be another reason...?
"Miss Furina," Amos said, his composure restored, shaking his head. "Isn't it possible that you never truly understood No. 8 at all?"
"What do you mean by that?!" Furina demanded, straining every muscle in her body to speak.
"What do you mean I don't understand Emily?!"
"Aren't you curious about what No. 8's true ability is?"
Amos tilted his head slightly, looking down at Furina, who had already bent halfway over.
"Then I'll mercifully tell you."
"No. 8's ability is calculation."
"Or divination, or prediction—whatever you want to call it, it's something similar."
"By analyzing certain factors, No. 8 can calculate the future development and changes in this world."
"And it was she who used her ability to orchestrate this grand spectacle of a new god's birth!"
Amos spread his arms wide, his face beaming with triumph and mockery.
"That's right! Every plan I've carried out so far was meticulously arranged by her!"
"Impossible!"
Upon hearing these words, disbelief washed over the faces of Furina and her companions, and their bodies momentarily relaxed.
Overwhelmed by the crushing force, the trio collapsed to their knees. Navia frantically jammed her massive axe into the ground, using it as support to prevent them from falling flat on their faces and becoming completely defenseless—though their current state was hardly better.
"I refuse to believe your lies! Emily would never do such a thing!" Furina shook her head vehemently. "She would never aid evil!"
"Whether you believe it or not, the truth remains unchanged," Amos said with a faint smile, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he studied Furina's expression.
"You might think your imprisonment was an accident, but I assure you, even that 'accident' was calculated by No. 8."
"She orchestrated everything long ago, manipulating you effortlessly like a puppet in her hands."
"Even as a 'failed creation,' she's more than capable of dealing with you."
"Still, how you managed to escape the Fortress of Meropide alive... what a waste."
Amos sighed softly, then turned his gaze to the stage.
"But everything else has proceeded largely according to her predictions."
"Now, let's plunge Fontaine into utter despair."
"The wish of No. 6 will be fulfilled today—by me, No. 5!"