The moment the four of them burst out from beneath the Tower of Gestalt, a torrent of Primordial Sea Water erupted from below.
This was only a small fraction of the total amount, as most of the Primordial Sea Water had already mixed into the sea.
Fortunately, Neuvillette had dealt with similar incidents many times before and was highly experienced. He immediately began resealing the Primordial Sea Water.
Originally, Neuvillette had worried that Dark Furina might seize this opportunity to interfere, but she never reappeared, as if she truly didn't care about the consequences.
"The Covenant Seal hasn't been completely reversed," Rene observed. "The Flowing Tree is still functioning, so we should still have time."
Rene watched as Neuvillette swiftly and effectively contained the spread of the Primordial Sea Water, even forcing it to recede inward, and felt a slight sense of relief.
At the same time, he realized that the eruption of Primordial Sea Water hadn't reached the level predicted in the Prophecy, and immediately grasped the crucial factor.
"Excellent! If the Four Quadrant Circle hasn't fully reversed, then with the Tower of Gestalt's... Who did this?!"
Rene saw the Tower of Gestalt, its top sheared off and half its lower structure blasted away, and instantly flew into a rage.
Hearing the commotion from Rene's direction, Neuvillette's body twitched slightly, but he remained focused on dealing with the Primordial Sea Water.
"Um... that was just an accident," Furina explained awkwardly, before suddenly realizing, Wait a minute, didn't we come here because he was doing something outrageous in the first place?!
But just as Furina was about to retort, Rene abruptly calmed down.
"Forget it. The Tower of Gestalt was originally built to prepare for the 'Saving the World' plan. Now that the plan is gone, the Tower no longer serves any purpose."
"You're accepting this way too quickly!" Furina couldn't help but remark, noticing the stark contrast in Rene's demeanor.
"I simply don't like dwelling on unnecessary matters," Rene explained, then turned to Furina and asked, "Speaking of which, what exactly happened earlier? Are you the Hydro Archon Focalors' twin sister? Did she have a falling out with Monsieur Neuvillette? How could she change so drastically?"
Furina: "???"
Hearing Rene's questions, Furina suppressed her rising anger and slowly replied, "Isn't it possible that I'm the Hydro Archon, and that she's the imposter?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Rene dismissed Furina's claim without a shred of belief. "Neither of you look much alike, but when compared, she still bears a stronger resemblance to the real one."
"Don't joke with me like that. I briefly crossed that threshold myself—I can see through these things in an instant."
"Don't spread such rumors! Or I'll add slandering the Hydro Archon to your list of crimes!"
Furina glanced cautiously at Neuvillette, sighing in relief when she saw he seemed completely oblivious to their conversation.
"I've simply been focusing all my power on preparing for the Day of Prophecy. That's why you can't sense it."
"Don't judge me with your narrow-minded gaze!"
"Is that really the reason?" Rene asked skeptically, though he had no evidence to refute Furina's claim.
More importantly, Neuvillette clearly sided with Furina, and this Furina's demeanor aligned more closely with the Hydro Archon he remembered.
"What do you mean by that? I am the Hydro Archon! Would I lie to you?!"
Meanwhile, the sealing of the Primordial Sea Water was nearing completion. After suppressing it once more, Neuvillette turned around wearily to find the two chatting casually as if nothing were amiss.
"While you're discussing this, maybe take a look around? Don't you realize how dangerous the situation is?"
"But Neuvillette, you're here!"
"With you here, everything will be fine!"
Furina approached and patted Neuvillette on the shoulder, her face radiating unwavering trust.
Neuvillette, far from feeling honored by Furina's blind faith, actually looked rather grim.
"I have no power right now. Worrying is pointless. I dislike dwelling on meaningless things."
Seeing Rene's complete apathy, Neuvillette's body trembled slightly.
As for Jacob, he had already fainted again when the Primordial Sea Water erupted. His body was simply too frail. The fact that he had remained conscious for so long earlier was only due to the extreme stimulation he had endured.
"Monsieur Rene, I want you to understand that I saved you because you are not beyond redemption. I also wanted to give you a chance to atone for your mistakes."
"I don't believe our actions were wrong. We were simply manipulated."
"Doing a good deed doesn't make the doer wrong just because someone else exploits it. I hope you understand this, Monsieur Neuvillette."
"We simply wanted to save more people. There was no selfish motive involved, so I don't believe our actions were wrong, nor do I think others have the right to judge us."
"Of course, if you insist on punishing me for this, Monsieur Neuvillette, I will gladly accept it."
"I am willing to take full responsibility for all the consequences arising from my plan."
Seeing Rene's unwavering composure, Neuvillette found himself at a loss for how to deal with him.
Though Rene's intentions were noble, his actions had undeniably caused significant harm to Fontaine. Even Dark Furina's power stemmed from him. Therefore, Neuvillette couldn't simply waive the necessary punishment, though now was not the time to discuss it.
Instead, Neuvillette temporarily steered the conversation away from this topic and asked Rene:
"Monsieur Rene, do you know the precise locations of the other nodes?"
"Monsieur Neuvillette, are you worried they might sabotage the other energy transmission nodes?"
"Rest assured on that front. Once the Four Quadrant Circle reversed, the Covenant Seal was essentially destroyed. Even if they targeted those nodes, it would be meaningless."
Rene's words brought considerable relief to Neuvillette and Furina. At least for now, they didn't have to worry about the enemy releasing the Primordial Sea Water through those nodes, causing mass casualties.
"What puzzles me is why she didn't seize this opportunity," Rene continued. "With the Primordial Sea Water amplifying her power to its peak, she should have seized the advantage. Yet she failed to capitalize on that advantage, allowing Monsieur Neuvillette to reseal the water."
Hearing Rene's analysis, Neuvillette shook his head. He, too, desperately wanted to understand the reason behind her inaction.
"Could it be that the imposter hadn't fully mastered the power?" Furina suggested, her voice tinged with doubt.
Hearing her question, Rene's gaze grew even more suspicious.
"Reaching the level of an Archon doesn't take much time to fully master this power."
"Fighting Monsieur Neuvillette in an environment saturated with Primordial Sea Water provides the perfect opportunity to familiarize herself with its capabilities."
"Her formidable strength prevents her from being defeated too quickly. In fact, as she grows more proficient, she will gradually gain the upper hand."
"Unable to withdraw to seal the Primordial Sea's outlet, Monsieur Neuvillette will find himself in an increasingly precarious situation as the Primordial Sea Water continues to accumulate."
After hearing Rene's explanation, Furina finally realized she had made a grave error.
She was playing the role of the Hydro Archon, yet she was still thinking like a mortal. This oversight was immediately apparent to Rene, who had briefly crossed the threshold of godhood himself.
Of course, whether Rene believed she was the Hydro Archon or not was irrelevant. What truly mattered was Neuvillette.
If Neuvillette discovered she had been deceiving him for five centuries and decided to abandon his duties, she might as well raise her hands and surrender immediately.
"Ahaha, it seems I didn't explain clearly enough, leading to this misunderstanding."
"I am the Hydro Archon, after all. The impostor couldn't easily master this new power earlier because I was right there."
"Didn't you see how quickly Neuvillette defeated her?"
"If it weren't for me, she would have gradually mastered her authority, just as you said."
After speaking, Furina stole a glance at Neuvillette. Seeing no unusual expression on his face, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, she thought. Neuvillette seems terribly oblivious in this regard. There had been several times she'd been convinced her deception would be exposed, yet he continued to believe her explanations.
Furina felt both relieved and worried. She feared that one day, during a critical decision, Neuvillette's "condition" would flare up, leading him to make a disastrously foolish choice that would endanger Fontaine.
In such a scenario, she realized, she might be the only one left to protect Fontaine as its last line of defense.
At this thought, Furina couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.
Rene, completely unable to fathom Furina's current thoughts, watched her with deep suspicion. Perhaps there's some truth to what she said, he mused. The opponent did fall remarkably quickly.
Could it truly be that Furina had saved them?
Just then, Neuvillette turned to Rene again and asked, "Monsieur Rene, do you know how to strip someone of their Authority?"
"If we could obtain the Holy Sword, perhaps it would be possible."
"I was able to acquire the Authority over Water in the first place thanks to the Holy Sword's assistance."
Neuvillette hadn't held much hope, but he was surprised that Rene actually had a solution. However, Rene's next words dashed his hopes of further inquiry.
"But I no longer know the Holy Sword's whereabouts. I'm afraid I can't be of assistance in that regard."
Neuvillette nodded to Rene, perhaps considering a simpler, more direct approach.
Dottore
If the other Dottore Segments didn't find a way to clean up this mess he'd created, he would subject all these unstable individuals to Judgment!
Since the Dottore he'd encountered earlier possessed the means to strip Authority, there was no reason the other Segments couldn't do the same.
"We need to investigate further in Sumeru as well, at least to determine whether the Dottore we encountered was the Prime or just one of his Segments."
"Let's return to Fontaine first to handle the aftermath."
"As for how to strip away his Authority over Water, I'll figure something out."
Furina and Rene had no objections to Neuvillette's proposal. The unconscious Jacob, of course, couldn't voice any dissent either.
Rene cast a complex glance at Jacob. His seasoned eye immediately recognized the ordeal Jacob had endured.
He had originally thought their next reunion would be in the New World, never imagining they'd gather again in such a state.
On their way back to Fontaine, Rene implored Neuvillette to send Jacob into Erinnyes' body to absorb Abyssal power. Neuvillette hesitated for a moment, but seeing Jacob's precarious condition, he reluctantly agreed.
Of course, Neuvillette allowed only a minimal amount of Abyssal power to be absorbed, preventing any new complications.
Rene declared that this was sufficient and expressed his gratitude to Neuvillette.
After taking a slight detour, Jacob, having absorbed a portion of Erinnyes' power, finally awoke.
"Virlick!"
Jacob's startled awakening, calling out this name, demonstrated how deeply it was etched in his memory.
"Calm down, Jacob. He's already dissolved in the Primordial Sea Water," Rene said.
Only after hearing Rene's words did Jacob gradually regain his composure. Yet, the mere thought of that name reignited his inner rage and remorse, emotions he couldn't suppress.
It was him, it was his fatal error in trusting the untrustworthy, that had ultimately doomed Rene's plan!
Even worse, the world had nearly faced its end because of his mistake. Having committed such a colossal blunder, how could he ever face Rene again?
Jacob even contemplated ending his own life, but Neuvillette intervened just in time to prevent it.
Despite the minor setbacks, the four eventually returned safely to Fontaine.
Neuvillette first arranged for Jacob and Rene to be detained within the Marechaussee Phantoms. Then, he ordered an investigation into the casualties at the two sites where Primordial Sea Water had erupted.
Although both locations were sufficiently remote, and he had intervened promptly at the scene, further investigation was still necessary.
Next, he instructed his intelligence operatives in Sumeru to infiltrate the Akademiya and gather more information about Dottore.
Then...
After delegating a mountain of tasks, Neuvillette prepared to immediately head to the New Fortress of Meropide to interrogate Dottore's "Segments" when a Melusine brought him dire news.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, disaster has struck!"
"In Fontaine, seven entire towns have publicly declared their secession from Fontaine's authority and pledged allegiance to the true Hydro Archon, Focalors!"
"Monsieur Neuvillette, here are the recordings gathered from those regions."
The Melusine handed Neuvillette the recordings. Upon watching them, he discovered they contained footage of his earlier battle with Dark Furina.
Neuvillette, I have ascended to godhood!
"Monsieur Neuvillette, you must think of something quickly! Even other towns are considering severing ties with Fontaine!"
"Even towns that haven't severed ties with Fontaine are questioning the authenticity of Lady Furina's identity, demanding she prove herself to them in person..."
The sky outside the window had already turned completely dark, and a torrential downpour began shortly after.