Meanwhile, Neuvillette, having finally sealed Jacob, rode the elevator gradually downward.
To prevent any unforeseen incidents, Neuvillette had brought Jacob with him.
The man had reverted to his human form, his body riddled with wounds both large and small, making him look utterly wretched.
He had fallen unconscious; the battle had nearly consumed him entirely.
Just then, Neuvillette suddenly felt a pang of anxiety.
Simultaneously, a violent spatial disturbance erupted from the depths below.
This level of commotion was far beyond anything Furina could have created.
Moreover, if Furina were dealing with ordinary opponents, the battle wouldn't still be raging after Neuvillette had already finished his own.
Damn it! Furina might be in danger!
Realizing this, Neuvillette's body blazed with a cerulean aura. His immense power erupted instantly, shattering the elevator as he transformed into a streak of blue light, carrying Jacob with him as he plunged downward.
Within moments, Neuvillette reached the deepest reaches of the Tower of Gestalt, immediately sensing the spatial distortions—signs of overlapping and tearing realities.
Neuvillette raced toward the core of this disturbance, the epicenter of the anomalies. Raising his cane, he struck the ground forcefully.
Crack!
The space before him shattered, revealing a glimpse into another world. Neuvillette's eyes narrowed sharply at the sight.
Furina had been captured, and the emergence of Dark Furina, though surprising, was not entirely unexpected.
As for Virlick, Furina had come specifically to stop him.
But, Dottore!
Dottore's Prime had infiltrated Fontaine unnoticed, right under his nose!
This couldn't be possible. The intelligence agents trapped in the village and the desert had already rendezvoused in Sumeru City, and their reports confirmed that Dottore was currently at the Akademiya.
Though the exact nature of Dottore's research remained unknown, he occasionally left the Akademiya to return to another experimental base.
So, who exactly was this man?!
If it was one of Dottore's Segments, then it meant all the previously captured Segments had colluded to deceive him. They had claimed the Segment from Snezhnaya was the last one, yet there was no logical reason for them to lie about this.
"Dottore!"
Upon seeing Neuvillette, Dottore immediately turned away, preventing him from getting a clear look at his face.
"You've mistaken me for someone else. My name is Erottod."
Neuvillette: "?"
This was the first time Neuvillette had ever detected a hint of Dottore's dark humor.
"Mmmph! Mmmph!"
Alerted by the commotion, Furina's eyes lit up with frantic urgency as she spotted Neuvillette and Jacob. She desperately wanted to speak, but Dark Furina had silenced her, leaving her to only whimper helplessly.
Neuvillette glanced at Furina, her lively demeanor bringing a measure of reassurance.
"Oh, Monsieur Neuvillette has finally arrived," Lofan said with a smile, though inwardly he was scolding the man for being so slow, almost ruining his performance. Seriously, with Neuvillette's power, dealing with Jacob shouldn't have taken this long. Did he leisurely ride the elevator down here?
"Unfortunately, Monsieur Neuvillette, you're too late."
"It's all over."
At that moment, Dark Furina extracted a deep blue orb of light from Narzissenkreuz's dissolving form and absorbed it into herself. Immediately, an enigmatic aura enveloped her.
The Primordial Sea Water around them began to boil, sending ripples across the surface as if celebrating the birth of their new sovereign.
"No... you can't do this..."
Once the authority was stripped away, Narzissenkreuz's body rapidly shrank, transforming into a tiny Oceanid.
"Jacob..."
His voice, once solemn and commanding, now carried a hint of timidity.
Narzissenkreuz... no, Rene had reclaimed his mortal nature.
At that moment, Rene noticed Jacob, who should have been dead. He realized a new variable had entered the world, but how had this variable come into existence?
As if answering Rene's desperate call, Jacob gradually stirred from his unconsciousness.
When he saw Rene through the hazy blur of his vision, a faint smile of relief appeared on his face. He hadn't misplaced his trust after all, he thought. Virlick had done it. He had successfully reversed the Four Quadrant Circle and awakened Rene.
However, as more figures came into his field of vision, Jacob's mind began to short-circuit.
Meanwhile, Neuvillette sensed imminent danger. The aura emanating from Dark Furina was surging uncontrollably.
He could also feel her regaining a portion of the Authority over Water—the very power he had once lost!
Dark Furina's body gradually floated into the air. Below her, Lofan knelt on one knee with an expression of fervent devotion.
"Lady Focalors, I, Virlick, shall forever remain your most loyal servant!"
"Virlick... you dare—?!"
Having finally grasped what had transpired, the betrayed Jacob shakily raised his hand and pointed at Lofan. His chest heaved violently, and even his lips trembled uncontrollably with fury. He wanted to speak, but no words would come.
His adversary didn't even acknowledge him, a slight that fueled Jacob's indescribable rage and overwhelming remorse.
"It seems I'm no longer needed here. I'll take my leave then," Dottore said, tearing through space to depart once more.
Neuvillette intervened, determined not to let Dottore escape so easily. Yet Dottore proved far more formidable than he had anticipated. He merely chuckled at Neuvillette's attack, dismissing it entirely before casually departing. Astonishingly, Neuvillette's strike passed right through Dottore's body without causing the slightest effect.
Stunned, Neuvillette quickly noticed something amiss.
Given Dottore's position, it was impossible for him to wield such extraordinary power.
Neuvillette slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again.
This time, Neuvillette discovered that Dottore was nowhere to be found in the area he had attacked. Instead, Dottore waved mockingly from a great distance before effortlessly vanishing from the imaginary space.
The enemy had anticipated his attack, using the moment when Neuvillette's attention was fully focused on Dark Furina to strike first. How had he failed to notice this? It was clear that even Dottore's clones posed a grave threat.
Having let Dottore escape, Neuvillette had no time to pursue him and immediately turned his attention to Dark Furina.
But as soon as he attacked, Neuvillette sensed that the closer the surging water column approached her, the more it seemed to lose control.
The surrounding Primordial Sea Water, as if angered by Neuvillette's audacity, erupted into violent surges, channeling a relentless torrent of power into Dark Furina. The light emanating from her grew increasingly dazzling, and her transcendent aura became even more pronounced.
"Neuvillette, I have ascended to godhood!"
Dark Furina calmly raised her hand and met Neuvillette's surging water column head-on. With a firm grip, she crushed the column, instantly disintegrating it into its most fundamental Hydro Elemental Power.
Furina stared in stunned silence. The scene unfolding before her was like something out of her wildest dreams.
But now, it was their enemy performing this feat! How utterly terrible!
Come on, Neuvillette! You absolutely cannot lose!
Furina tried to cheer him on, but could only manage a series of muffled, incoherent whimpers.
Neuvillette's heart was equally heavy. Even now, Dark Furina's strength still fell slightly short of his own. Her ability to withstand his attacks stemmed solely from the unique properties of this location, where she could draw upon the power of the Primordial Sea Water.
Yet even without the Primordial Sea Water's assistance, the gap between their power levels had narrowed considerably. He couldn't confidently claim he could restrain her even outside this realm.
No, I must stop her here and now. Otherwise, Fontaine is doomed!
Neuvillette unleashed his full power, a terrifying force reverberating within him. His body transformed into a streak of light as he clashed with Dark Furina in a cataclysmic battle that shook the very foundations of the world.
"It's over... This is all my fault..."
Witnessing this, Rene sank into profound guilt.
He had never imagined that his meticulously crafted plan, centuries in the making, would ultimately benefit his enemies.
Had he not escaped the clutches of fate after all? Had his actions merely completed the final link in the world's destruction?!
Rene utterly rejected this possibility. The heroic act he believed would save the world had instead brought it to the brink of annihilation, invalidating all his previous efforts and sacrifices.
To save everyone, he had given up so much. He could accept his failure, knowing he had done his absolute best.
But he could never accept becoming an accomplice in the world's destruction. What, then, had driven him to this point?!
"It's all over..."
Rene had initially hoped Neuvillette's arrival would turn the tide, but reality proved cruelly unforgiving. Even Neuvillette was struggling to contain Dark Furina now.
Speaking of which, Rene still didn't understand the truth about the two Furinas. Neuvillette's appearance suggested one of them was the Hydro Archon from his memories, yet he had never sensed any divine aura in either of them.
Furina and Jacob shared Rene's despair. But what they hadn't anticipated was that after a brief clash, Dark Furina would quickly be defeated by Neuvillette.
Dark Furina retreated some distance, taking deep breaths to recover from the energy expended in the previous battle.
Lofan watched her, noting that despite the relatively small difference in their actual power, she had been defeated so quickly. He shook his head slightly.
It seems letting the System AI host the battle was still too risky. I almost lost control.
But it's not a major problem. This was part of my plan anyway.
"It seems I haven't fully mastered this power yet."
"Consider yourselves fortunate to enjoy this fleeting moment of peace."
"But when we meet again, Fontaine will be utterly destroyed by my hand."
Given the System AI's clumsy control, Lofan was confident that once Neuvillette personally experienced it, he would have no doubt about the sincerity of these words.
Lofan had Dark Furina deliver her final menacing declaration before preparing to make their escape.
Virlick's body is useless now. I'll need to find a way to dispose of it soon.
As he pondered this, Lofan instructed Dark Furina to feign an attempt to carry him away.
With a wave of her hand, a surge of power swept Lofan—protected by a Hydro Element Barrier—into the air. Just as he expected, Neuvillette immediately intervened.
The force suddenly vanished, and Lofan crashed back to the ground.
"I won't let you leave," Neuvillette declared, his voice grave as he advanced, leaning heavily on his cane and radiating an overwhelming aura. His entire focus was locked on Dark Furina, ready to strike at the slightest sign of unusual movement.
The situation had reversed in an instant, and a flicker of hope surged through the hearts of those present. This was precisely the moment Lofan had been waiting for.
"For Lady Focalors!"
Seizing the moment Neuvillette's attention wavered, Lofan roared passionately and completely reversed the Four Quadrant Circle.
Realizing Lofan's intent, Neuvillette's expression darkened. He lunged to intervene, but it was already too late.
The Primordial Sea erupted, instantly engulfing Lofan. Even his Hydro Element Barrier proved futile against this overwhelming force. Within moments, his body dissolved within the barrier.
Neuvillette dared not hesitate. He immediately charged toward Furina, who was now in imminent danger, while simultaneously pulling Rene and Jacob to safety.
This battle had become unwinnable, and they needed to retreat immediately.
Fighting Dark Furina amidst such a vast expanse of Primordial Sea Water offered him virtually no chance of victory.
If he retreated late, he might escape unscathed, but the others...
With this thought, Neuvillette unconsciously increased his speed.
In the blink of an eye, he reached Furina, first releasing the seal on her, then using his power to shield her securely.
Seeing Neuvillette's figure, Furina felt a surge of security, though she couldn't resist grumbling, "Neuvillette, you're far too slow!"
"Let's get out of here first," Neuvillette replied.
Furina nodded in agreement.
But just as Neuvillette prepared to leave this dimension with his three companions, Rene suddenly grew agitated.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, wait!" he cried. "Take that device with you—it can emit rays that calm the Primordial Sea Water!"
Hearing Rene's reminder, Furina recalled the advanced technology he had shown them and nodded repeatedly.
Seeing this, Neuvillette dared not delay. He retrieved the device that had been soaking in Primordial Sea Water for some time and opened a spatial portal before him.
Just as they were about to leave, Neuvillette glanced back and realized Dark Furina had vanished without a trace.