"If the story follows its expected course, then there must be a mastermind controlling everything from behind the scenes while weaving together an illusion of peace."
"What bitter irony."
Scaramouche could not help but sigh.
The latest chapter, whether its battle scenes or its explanation of Sage Mode, had thrilled him from beginning to end.
But what was the other gift?
He turned to look at it.
Inside was a note with a single sentence written on it:
Find somewhere with no one around and crush it.
What was this?
There were too many people around now, so he would have to return to his room first.
Scaramouche quickly went back.
The moment he crushed the sphere, a flood of memories poured into his mind.
Half an hour later.
Scaramouche awoke from the memories. Clenching the broken sphere in his hand, he gritted his teeth.
"Dottore..."
Everything from the past had become clear.
His friend's death.
The incidents of long ago.
The destruction of Tatarasuna.
Every single one of them had been orchestrated by Dottore.
Just moments ago, he had wondered whether Nagato had been deceived. But after receiving these memories, Scaramouche realized the manga had been adapted from his own story.
Five hundred years.
All the pain he had endured.
All the suffering he had experienced.
Every bit of it had been built upon lies.
Dottore had only been interested in his puppet body.
Everything he had said and done had been for the sake of his own research.
Yet Scaramouche had trusted him.
From the very beginning, he had walked straight into someone else's trap.
How hateful!
Scaramouche calmed his emotions before taking out a Den Den Mushi.
"Please pass on my thanks. Tell Mr. Su Han that I will repay this great kindness."
"Yes, Mr. Scaramouche."
He actually had a direct way to contact Su Han.
But he felt Su Han was probably busy, so he chose not to disturb him.
...
Fontaine.
After a long journey.
Su Han and his companions finally arrived in the Nation of Water.
Looking out over the endless sea, Paimon gasped in amazement.
"Wow, it's so beautiful! I had no idea Fontaine was this gorgeous!"
It was completely different from the other nations.
Fontaine was truly a nation of water. Nearly the entire country was covered by the sea.
It even had trains.
However, Fontaine's trains were very different from Su Han's ocean trains.
They were powered by Pneuma and Ousia energy, the primordial power that existed at the beginning of the world.
Su Han's trains used other forms of energy, making them faster and far more stable.
As soon as the three arrived, they heard a Melusine calling out from the distance.
"Hey, you three! Want to board the ship? This voyage is about to depart!"
"Hey, I think she's calling us. Let's go ride it. I want to experience this country's train."
Hearing Paimon's suggestion, Su Han turned toward Lumine and smiled.
"Let's go. I'd like to experience it too."
"Mm."
The girl held his hand as they walked toward the vessel.
Hidden in the shadows, an Abyss Mage secretly took a picture of them before disappearing.
The Melusines were a remarkable race.
Kind, gentle, and adorable.
Seeing another group of passengers boarding, the Melusine immediately smiled brightly.
"Welcome aboard! I'm Abel, the Melusine in charge of this route. I can explain all kinds of things to you!"
Abel resembled an adorable little rabbit.
She chatted nonstop, making the atmosphere lively and ensuring even a long journey never felt boring.
At that moment, Paimon asked,
"Excuse me, how can we meet Fontaine's Hydro Archon?"
Abel looked over with a smile.
"You only need to visit the Court of Fontaine or the Opera Epiclese. Lady Hydro Archon is sure to be there. Our god absolutely loves lively places."
Fontaine's god was unlike any other.
She was passionate about trials.
At the same time, she enjoyed all kinds of dramatic spectacles.
Naturally, the people adored her.
Paimon and Lumine exchanged glances.
Neither of them had expected meeting the Hydro Archon to be so easy.
After sailing for several hours, they finally reached the Court of Fontaine.
Looking at the towering buildings and the mechanical guards patrolling the streets, Paimon felt as though she had entered a world of advanced technology.
"Wow, look! There are so many machines here. There are humanoid ones, and even ones that look like police dogs. This place feels so futuristic."
Su Han smiled.
"That's right. This country possesses incredibly advanced technology."
Unlike Sumeru, Fontaine had truly devoted much of its research toward improving everyday life.
Although they occasionally blew themselves into the sky during experiments, scientific research was inherently dangerous.
The occasional accident was perfectly normal.
"Let's take a walk. It's been a long time since we've gone shopping together."
"Mm."
Hand in hand, with Paimon beside them, the three wandered around like a family.
They frequently entered various shops and bought all sorts of things.
Clothing was what they purchased the most.
Paimon changed outfits three times, while Lumine bought several sets of clothes.
Western-style dresses.
School uniforms.
And Fontaine's latest fashions.
Altogether, they spent several million Mora.
But Su Han didn't mind in the slightest.
As long as Paimon and Lumine were happy, it was worth it.
Night fell.
They arrived at an inn.
After settling Lumine and Paimon into their room, Su Han prepared to leave.
"You're not staying?"
Lumine asked in confusion.
Their relationship had already reached this point. Staying overnight together wasn't a problem.
Besides, Paimon slept like a log.
Looking at the sleepy little Paimon, Su Han shook his head and declined the tempting invitation.
"No. There are a few things I need to confirm. You two should get some rest."
"Then... do you want me to come with you?"
Lumine was reluctant to part with him.
She also wanted to know what Su Han was always busy doing.
She didn't want him facing danger while she was off adventuring somewhere else.
If they had decided to be together, then whatever happened, they should face it together.
Su Han hesitated for a moment.
Bringing Lumine along didn't seem to be a problem.
He nodded.
"All right. Come with me. Tonight, we're going to slay a god."
"Huh?"
Lumine's eyes widened.
Weren't they supposed to be here on an adventure?
What did he mean by slaying a god?
Su Han offered no explanation.
Instead, he took her hand and flew into the night sky.
By then, it was already late at night.
Very few people remained on the streets.
The Opera Epiclese was even quieter.
Su Han brought Lumine straight inside.
Looking at the machinery that was still operating, he knew the Hydro Archon was within.
Judging by the timeline, she had already gathered enough power.
At most, only a tiny amount remained.
"Now, I've come to fulfill our promise."
"The true Hydro Archon, Focalors."
Pitch-black power continuously spread from beneath his feet.
In moments, it swallowed the entire opera house.
Far away in his office, Neuvillette sensed the unusual power and immediately stood up.
"Someone has broken into the opera house?"
"This is bad. I have to stop them."
Whoosh.
Neuvillette transformed into a stream of water and rushed toward the opera house.
Halfway there, however, he discovered he could not enter its grounds.
A terrifyingly powerful force blocked him from outside.
Darkness enveloped the opera house.
It was as though it had become an entirely separate world.
No matter what, he had to get inside.
Neuvillette raised his hand.
The tides in the air rapidly gathered into his palm.
With a forceful strike, he shouted,
"Go!"
Boom!
A brilliant blue torrent blasted toward the shadowy world.
To his astonishment, however, his attack was erased by a strange force.
Could the intruder actually be a god?
That couldn't be possible.
Gods possessed their own pride.
Why would one sneak around causing trouble in the middle of the night?
Neuvillette increased the strength of his attacks.
Yet no matter what he tried, none of them could reach the interior.
At that moment, a blue light shot out from inside the opera house.
"That's..."
Looking at the light, an overwhelming sense of familiarity filled his heart.
He immediately turned to look toward the Palais Mermonia.
If that was the Hydro Archon...
Then who had been living beside him for the past five hundred years?
Soon, the Hydro Archon emerged from the hidden mechanism.
The moment she saw Su Han, her face lit up with a joyful smile.
"Five hundred years... You've finally come."
"Have you come to fulfill our promise?"
"Of course."
"I came here to save you."
Lumine blinked in confusion, completely unable to understand what they were talking about.
But before long, Su Han's next action terrified her.
He drew the Fire Qilin Sword and pointed it directly at Focalors.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
Lumine immediately rushed forward and stood in front of Su Han.
Yet to her shock, his sword strike passed straight through her body before landing on Focalors.
The pale sword aura destroyed the karma bound to her.
At the same time, Su Han's eyes transformed into the Rinnegan.
Crack.
A crisp sound rang out from Focalors' body.
Her divine body had been destroyed.
At that very moment, heavy rain began falling across all of Fontaine.
The loss of control over the Hydro Authority had triggered the phenomenon.
If left unchecked, it would escalate into an even greater disaster.
Seeing the situation worsen, Neuvillette immediately focused on controlling the chaos.
But before he could do anything, the man inside the opera house swung his sword again.
"Stop!"
Neuvillette was truly furious.
His entire body erupted with dazzling light like the morning star.
If this continued...
Focalors would truly perish.
A massive torrent crashed against Su Han's Underworld Realm.
Yet it had absolutely no effect.
Not because Su Han himself was overwhelmingly powerful.
Rather, the boundary of the Underworld Realm was protected by the power of the Underworld Path.
No matter how powerful an attack was, it would simply be diverted into other worlds.
That was Su Han's authority.
Light blue blood floated from Focalors' body.
She was on the verge of death.
Yet Lumine saw only relief and a gentle smile on her face.
"What... what's happening?"
Su Han had suddenly come to Fontaine.
Then he had suddenly entered the opera house.
Then he had slain a god.
Most importantly...
She had never resisted.
Lumine felt as though her brain could no longer process everything.
At that moment, a blue light slowly rose from Focalors' hand.
"Our promise has been fulfilled."
"Please give this to Mr. Neuvillette."
"Thank you so much, Su Han..."
Forcing herself to finish speaking, Focalors finally collapsed to the ground.
Five hundred years later.
The first god to die had appeared.
The defensive barrier around the Underworld Realm gradually opened.
Looking at the imposing Hydro Dragon above him, Su Han returned the Authority to its rightful owner.
"What exactly do you mean by all of this?"
Even though he had finally regained what had been missing...
Neuvillette felt no joy whatsoever.
Because his friend, Focalors, was dead.
Su Han ignored the question.
He walked over to Focalors' body and gathered every remaining fragment of her soul.
Only after finishing did he stand and apologize to Lumine.
"I'm sorry. Did I scare you just now?"
"But this was Focalors' and my plan. Even if I hadn't killed her, she would have taken her own life."
Since the barrier was still active, he explained the entire plan.
After hearing that Su Han had not intentionally murdered a god but had instead helped free Focalors from her fate, Lumine finally let out a long sigh of relief.
She had nearly been scared to death.
"You should've told me sooner. I almost thought you'd gone crazy."
Su Han chuckled.
"The situation was urgent."
"Besides, someone has always been watching you. I didn't want anyone secretly observing you anymore."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Lumine looked puzzled.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Fontaine, a hidden witch frowned.
Su Han placed his hand on Lumine's head, greatly enhancing her senses.
Only then did she detect the faint presence that had been following her all this time.
"What is this?"
"A witch has been observing you."
"As a Descender, it's only natural that countless people would pay attention to you."
"But from now on, they won't."
Su Han activated his Rinnegan.
A powerful seal descended upon Lumine.
From this day onward, anyone who dared spy on her would automatically trigger the flames of Amaterasu, which would pursue the observer by following their aura.
The witch secretly watching her immediately suffered a backlash upon sensing that power.
Fortunately for her, it was only the first offense.
Su Han's Amaterasu did not inflict severe punishment.
It was merely a warning.
If she continued spying in secret...
He would show no mercy.
Immediately, Lumine felt the presence monitoring her disappear.
Her eyes lit up with delight.
"It's really gone!"
"Su Han, thank you so much."
The thought that someone had been secretly watching her ever since her journey began made her feel utterly disgusted.
Just imagine.
Every moment of your life, eating, drinking, sleeping, and using the bathroom, was secretly observed.
How would that make you feel?
Sick enough to throw up.
That was exactly how Lumine felt now.
Su Han gently rubbed her head with a fond smile.
"You don't have to thank me."
"As for the Dragon Sovereign outside, it's time we met him."
"There are also a few things I'd like to discuss with him."
"Okay. Let's go."
When they stepped outside.
Neuvillette had already been waiting for quite some time.
As Su Han and Lumine emerged, he stepped forward and asked,
"Why did this happen?"
He needed an explanation.
Even if this had truly been Focalors' own choice, he still wanted to understand why.
Looking at the torrential rain overhead, Su Han pointed toward the inn in the distance.
"Would you mind coming back to my place for a while?"
"Of course."
The three of them returned to the inn together.
Paimon was already fast asleep.
Not wanting to wake her, Su Han thoughtfully set up a soundproof barrier.
That way, she would continue sleeping peacefully.
Taking a seat, Su Han poured Neuvillette a cup of tea and smiled.
"Now, we can talk."