The Intellitron was puzzled. Wasn't Morax known as the God of Contracts? Why had he attacked without even letting it finish speaking?
Fortunately, it had prepared in advance, or it would have suffered far more than just a single hole in its body.
Turning back, the Intellitron sensed Morax pursuing it. It halted its escape, opened an Abyss Gate, and plunged through.
As soon as the Intellitron entered, the Abyss Gate closed and vanished.
About half a minute later, Morax arrived at the spot where the Abyss Gate had appeared.
The Abyss's aura had completely vanished from this location, leaving no trace in the surrounding area.
Morax's expression grew grave. That creature had escaped right before his eyes, and he couldn't even track it!
If he didn't hurry and retrieve Fontaine's Pure Soul, the next time that creature appeared, it wouldn't be as vulnerable as before.
As Morax pondered his next move, he felt a vibration from the blue orb.
He withdrew the orb and infused it with divine power.
Nourished by Morax's divine energy, a fragment of Focalors' core consciousness, which resided within the orb, regained a sliver of vitality, allowing her to speak briefly.
"Morax... Senior, I am Focalors, the Hydro Archon."
"Focalors, what happened to you...?"
Morax was unaware of the events that had transpired in Fontaine over the past half-day, nor did he understand Focalors' plan.
"I'll explain everything later," Focalors said. "Right now, the most critical task is retrieving Fidelle's soul. Her soul is of utmost importance to the Abyss—we can't let them obtain it!"
Morax nodded, fully understanding the gravity of the situation.
The problem, however, was that they currently had no way to track their target.
"Take me to the Dendro Archon," Focalors urged. "I have a fragment of Fidelle's soul imprint here. She might know how to find her."
"Agreed."
-
At the Opera House:
Lumine's intervention temporarily halted the battle between Skirk and Ei. Skirk then explained her reasons for being there:
"After isolating myself for a period of cultivation, I discovered that my disciple was fighting my master's pet. I came here to clean up the mess, but I never anticipated the situation would take such an unexpected turn."
"How do you explain the Abyss Power within you?" Ei's expression remained hostile.
Skirk replied, "Power is merely a form. I learned as my master taught me."
Having temporarily suppressed Ei's hostility, the group focused their attention entirely on the All-Devouring Narwhal.
Lumine, aware of her condition, approached Rukkhadevata and Nahida.
Since arriving in Fontaine, Rukkhadevata and Nahida had refrained from direct combat. They had already set up countermeasures within Fontaine while probing Lumine's memories earlier.
However, the Intellitron's strength far exceeded their expectations, and the entire Fontaine territory had undergone massive transformations. Under these circumstances, they were completely unable to locate the Intellitron.
Just as the situation was about to devolve into a stalemate, Morax arrived, bringing with him a fragment of Focalors' core consciousness.
-
When the players learned that the wisp of consciousness within the blue sphere belonged to Focalors, they celebrated as if it were New Year's Day.
[ It's really Focalors! She's not dead! ]
[ Waaah, this is amazing! Mihoyo finally did something decent! ]
[ I want to know who saved her. Neuvillette's explanation is impossible—just look at this relentless downpour that shows no signs of stopping! ]
[ It must be Fidelle! It has to be Fidelle! ]
-
Fontaine, above the Opera House.
"Focalors? You..."
Lumine's voice trembled with disbelief. She had personally witnessed Focalors' execution, yet here she was, standing before her. What was going on?!
Focalors first entrusted a fragment of Fidelle's soul imprint to Rukkhadevata. While the Dendro Archon searched for it, Focalors turned to Lumine to explain:
"It was Fidelle. Knowing she was a Pure Soul—a soul of utmost purity—and that the Abyss had been searching for her, she burned her own soul to draw the Abyss here. The Abyss's arrival disrupted the execution, creating an opening. Fidelle seized the opportunity, using the power of her burning soul to shield my consciousness. At the cost of her own existence, she compelled the Abyss to extract us from that space."
By the time they reached their destination, Focalors had already exchanged information with Morax, learning much about the situation.
"She shouldn't have done this," Focalors lamented. "As a Pure Soul, her importance far outweighs mine—by a thousand, even ten thousand times..."
"No, Fidelle is very important, but you are just as important. The fact that she made this choice shows that in her heart, you matter far more to her than she does to herself. We will save Fidelle. You're being too hard on yourself."
Focalors' little ball bounced up and down, displaying great anxiety.
Soon after, they finally obtained a clue from Rukkhadevata.
Morax and Rukkhadevata immediately rushed to the location at top speed, leaving behind Nahida, Lumine, and Focalors.
As Lumine prepared to follow, she realized Morax and Rukkhadevata had already vanished. She turned to Nahida.
Nahida: "Traveler, leave it to Morax and Mom. We have other matters to attend to."
Nahida's delicate little finger pointed downward. Following the direction of her finger, Lumine noticed for the first time that the water level in Fontaine had risen alarmingly high.
Wait, the water is rising too quickly! It must have just surged up!
The All-Devouring Narwhal's agonized roar reverberated across the Opera House, its sound carrying far and wide, reaching even the citizens of Fontaine.
Navia and the others stood in Fontaine's central plaza, their heads tilted back as they watched the distant aerial battle.
Fontaine had been gripped by torrential rain for hours, leaving everyone soaked to the bone.
Suddenly, Navia sensed something was wrong. Glancing down, she discovered the water level had inexplicably risen to her ankles—and was still rising at an alarming, visible rate.
"No! The sea's rising! Everyone, hurry... glug, glug..."
The water surged upward with unnatural speed, inundating the plaza within moments, submerging everyone present.
"Wahhh~!"
Paimon, terrified, flapped higher and higher, frantically keeping pace with the rising water.
"Navia, Clorinde... are you... are you alright?!"
The surging waves were too strong; Navia and the others had already been swept away, vanishing from Paimon's sight.
However, as the Nation of Water, Fontaine's citizens were generally skilled swimmers, with few who were completely landlocked. For the moment, they could still struggle to stay afloat.
-
Beneath the Fortress of Meropide.
"Quick, ascend!"
Wriothesley commanded his crew, initiating the launch of the colossal ship.
-
High above the Opera House, in the midst of the battlefield, the All-Devouring Narwhal, though heavily wounded, remained steadfast.
Even Venti was starting to tire from the battle.
"Venti! Look!" Lumine rushed over, calling out to him.
Venti frowned slightly, sheathing his longbow and drawing his harp. He prepared to summon all the Fontainians submerged in the sea with a powerful gust of wind.
Regarding the idea of generating wind underwater, Venti declared, "With sufficient Authority, even magma can yield a breeze..."