When her latest sneak attack struck the Prodigal's head, Angie noticed the previously shared Electro attacks suddenly concentrated on her alone.
Forced to focus solely on dodging, she had no chance to retaliate.
Meanwhile, Tartaglia and Lumine, now freed from the relentless assault, joined Angie in targeting the back of the Prodigal's head.
"Damn you, insects!" the Prodigal roared.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Shouki no Kami exploded, sending all three flying backward from the force of the blast.
Barely regaining their footing, the Prodigal's massive hand slammed down toward them.
More hands meant more trouble. Three enormous palms hurtled toward the trio. Angie dodged swiftly, but Tartaglia and Lumine had no time to evade, bracing themselves against the crushing force.
The ground cracked under the immense pressure, collapsing with a deafening roar.
The group plummeted into the next level of the underground chamber.
Paimon nervously entered the arena, found Lumine, and together they pushed aside the stone slab pinning her down.
"Lumine, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Paimon. Quick, find a safe place to hide."
The upper half of Shouki no Kami's body descended, merging with its lower half on this level.
"Now that I am truly complete, prepare to die!"
Angie's expression darkened. Her full-powered strike against Shouki no Kami's nape had barely made a dent, and the colossal being seemed even stronger now.
"Everyone, be careful!"
Angie warned, ready to strike first, but Shouki no Kami, now with its lower limbs attached, moved with astonishing speed. Despite its massive size, it moved with surprising agility.
Fortunately, Angie had maxed out her evasion skills, allowing her to keep pace with its movements.
Two cries of alarm rang out as Angie, having narrowly escaped one attack, was sent flying by Shouki no Kami's massive stomp, followed by a brutal punch that slammed her against the wall.
Angie lay motionless on the ground. Tartaglia's heart clenched, and a tidal wave of fury surged through him.
"You bastard!!"
Tartaglia's body surged with Electro Elemental Energy, moving with blinding speed. After the Prodigal's attack missed, he immediately leaped onto its arm, using the momentum to vault to the Prodigal's head. With every ounce of strength, he thrust his weapon at it.
Boom! The Prodigal seized Tartaglia in its grip.
"Intriguing... but ultimately meaningless."
With a violent fling, the Prodigal hurled Tartaglia against a wall. He crashed heavily before slowly sliding to the ground.
Protected by his Foul Legacy Transformation, Tartaglia's injuries weren't severe. He crawled desperately toward his sister, tears welling in his eyes.
"Little Sister, are you alright? Little..."
Suddenly, Tartaglia noticed Angie, who had been motionless, adjusting her skirt armor and shifting to a new prone position.
Tartaglia: "..."
You just moved, didn't you? You definitely just moved!
-
[Will she be alright? Where's the Little Dendro Archon?]
[Waaah, my Angie, please don't be hurt!]
[She'll be fine. Angie will later... uh...]
[My heart aches for Angie and Childe.]
[Eh? Wait a minute, Angie just... is she okay?]
[She's just taking a break after fighting so hard. Look at you all, you'd think she was dead!]
[No, no, no! I bet she's planning a sneak attack to really nail Scaramouche!]
[Childe was genuinely furious just now.]
[Childe must have been scared to death!]
Tartaglia breathed a heavy sigh of relief, reassured that his sister was safe.
Another earth-shattering roar erupted. Lumine, like Angie before her, was first blasted backward by the shockwave, then slammed into the ground by a single punch, her body crashing down in the same posture as the others.
Watching the trio he had just defeated, Scaramouche began gathering his energy when Nahida stepped forward to stop him.
The Shouki no Kami's massive hand descended, seizing the tiny Dendro Archon and lifting her into the air. The back of her head opened, revealing Scaramouche's true form.
"This should be a battle between gods, yet you hide behind mortals, now staging a pathetic drama of self-sacrifice for humanity... Truly a god who revels in her own melodrama, Buer."
Scaramouche channeled power into his right hand and thrust it violently toward Nahida's chest.
Lumine could only watch helplessly, burning with anxiety.
But the moment Scaramouche's hand pierced Nahida's chest, a torrent of fragmented images flashed through her mind.
Tartaglia, equally bewildered, stammered, "What... what's happening?"
"A dream, duh," Angie replied casually.
"Huh? You..."
Tartaglia glanced sideways. Angie, who had been sprawled on the ground moments before, had somehow risen and pulled up a chair from nowhere. She now sat legs crossed, casually munching on melon.
The melon, of course, came from Aaru Village.
Angie: "I noticed it on the third try. What? You mean you haven't figured it out until now? Seriously?"
Tartaglia: "..."
Scaramouche's expression was equally priceless. Nahida gently took his hand and said, "We've gathered almost enough data. Do you know how many times you've tried to steal my Gnosis?"
Scaramouche withdrew his hand, glaring at the Dream Field Nahida had conjured around them, his anger simmering.
As the field shattered, five figures materialized before him.
Nahida: "Just now was the 168th time."
"Do you realize that the people of Sumeru were forced to relive the Sabzeruz Festival an equal number of times, trapped in the same samsara, all to create you?"
Scaramouche: "The dream... when did it begin?"
Tartaglia nodded, signaling he wanted to ask the same question.
Scaramouche meticulously recalled the events. He confirmed Nahida had activated her Authority the moment they entered the dream.
The God of Wisdom...
Scaramouche quickly regained his arrogant composure.
"Even in a dream, you can't defeat me. What's the point of these petty tricks?"
Nahida turned to Lumine, Angie, and Tartaglia. "Come, let me help you awaken your past memories."
As Nahida spoke, she glanced specifically at Angie, whose situation was unique—she seemed capable of stepping out of dreams and realizing she was dreaming.
Angie, Paimon, and the Traveler reached out to touch the Canned Knowledge Nahida had produced.
Although Angie already knew some of this, her knowledge was incomplete, making acquiring these memories essential.
Paimon: "Invaluable combat experience!"
Nahida: "And more than that. In the name of God, let us unify the wisdom of the people. That was Akasha's original purpose. I've already transmitted everything that just happened as 'knowledge' to all the people of Sumeru, and I've asked them... to help you find a way to defeat that False God."
Throughout Sumeru City, every citizen responded to Akasha, answering Nahida's plea.
In the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Alhaitham sat beside Silaya, his eyes closed.
"Now, the wisdom of Sumeru is at your disposal."
Angie carefully sensed the changes in her body. This sensation—like having an external brain installed—was truly novel.
Scaramouche felt a vague sense of unease.
"Enough of this!"
He shattered the upper platform and reconnected his body.