Seeing the Proxy stride back toward the battlefield, Zhu Yuan hurriedly called after her, but failed to stop Belle's determined steps.
Soon, Belle returned to the battlefield where the clash had just taken place. Gazing upon the colossal remains of the Creator, both Belle and Wise still struggled to contain their shock.
Too powerful.
Sam Li's strength was simply beyond human... then again, he was no human—he was an Adeptus of Liyue.
Guiding Eous with unsteady steps, Belle approached Sam Li.
"Over a decade ago, my brother's and my teacher, Carole Arna, was taken by that colossal Hand of the Creator you just saw..."
It had happened on the very day the Old Capital fell. Before Belle and Wise could react, the massive hand struck, snatching their teacher away right before their eyes.
All these years, Belle and Wise had registered as Inter-Knot operatives, becoming renowned Proxies, for one purpose alone—to investigate what truly happened back then.
To find their teacher... and to clear her name.
They had always believed their teacher was innocent. She would never betray New Eridu.
For the first time in years, Belle bared her heart to an outsider, openly revealing this past and acknowledging her identity as the "child of a sinner."
"Sam Li," Belle said earnestly, "please believe me. Our teacher must have been framed."
Sam Li's tone was calm but probing.
"If it's truly as you say—if your teacher was taken into the Hollow Depths by the Creator over a decade ago—how could she have survived?"
The ether concentration and corruption within the Hollow Depths were unimaginably severe. Even Keqing, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and the others could only accompany the Adepti into the depths after Cloud Retainer had modified their W-Engines.
And yet, Belle's teacher had been taken by the Creator for more than ten years. It was hard to imagine she was still alive.
Cloud Retainer, after a moment of analysis, spoke softly, her voice carrying a trace of solemnity.
"Even if your master yet lives, she would likely have endured overwhelming etheric corruption..."
Perhaps she had already become an Ethereal.
But Belle's eyes were unwavering.
"I can feel it. My master is still alive."
She did not explain how she could sense this.
...
At that moment, Hoshimi Miyabi's brow furrowed deeply when she heard the name Carole Arna, memories of grief returning to her. Her mother had perished in that very disaster.
All these years, she too had sought Carole Arna, the supposed culprit, vowing to avenge her mother's death.
But now Belle was presenting another "truth," planting new doubt in her heart.
What was the real story? Was it, like how the Exaltist Order had tried to pin blame on Seth, that the fall of the Old Capital had also been scapegoated onto Carole Arna?
Or was Carole Arna truly guilty?
Hoshimi Miyabi didn't know.
Noticing Miyabi's silence, Belle quickly added,
"I'm sorry, Miss Miyabi. We should have been honest with you sooner. But please believe me—the real culprit behind the Old Capital's fall was not our teacher. Just like Bringer framed Seth this time, Carole Arna must have been framed as well..."
Hoshimi Miyabi said nothing, sinking deeper into thought.
There was still too little information. She couldn't yet tell truth from lies.
Belle pressed once more.
"Miss Miyabi, would you be willing to continue working with us? To uncover the real culprit behind the Old Capital's fall—together."
Hoshimi Miyabi was silent for a long moment. Then she nodded firmly.
"Whatever the truth may be, we now share the same goal: to find your teacher, Carole Arna, uncover what truly happened to the Old Capital, and bring the guilty to justice. On this path toward the truth—I will walk with you."
Hearing this, Belle's face lit up with joy.
"Miss Miyabi, with Sam Li and the other Adepti with us, we're certain to succeed..."
And when they did, not only would they find Carole Arna, they would also suppress Hollow Zero, saving the world itself.
...
Belle then shared her own thoughts on both the Old Capital's fall and the present crisis.
Taking a deep breath, she said,
"Rumor has it that the Exaltist Order was destroyed long ago. But clearly, they weren't just spared—they've grown more arrogant than ever, infiltrating even the highest ranks of Public Security... I suspect they had a hand in the Old Capital's fall as well."
But with Bringer dead, they had lost their most direct lead.
If he had lived, they could have pried vital truths about the Exaltist Order—and about their teacher—out of him.
Suddenly, a thought struck Belle. Her eyes lit up.
"Wait—Perlman might know something."
They had interrogated him briefly before. Back then, he'd been stubborn, refusing to talk, until Belle had managed to squeeze out a few scraps of half-useless information through intimidation.
Now, with his backers gone, this was their best chance to get something real.
Belle told Sam Li, the Adepti, and Hoshimi Miyabi her plan, then hurried toward Seth and Perlman's side.
Sam Li, Cloud Retainer, Hoshimi Miyabi, and the others followed shortly after.
After confirming the Creator's severed half-body had truly perished, they regrouped with Zhu Yuan and Seth to plan their retreat from the Hollow.
Hoshimi Miyabi spoke firmly,
"A battle this intense will draw Public Security soon. Bringer was the chief of the Janus District Bureau—his death cannot go unexplained. Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, escort the Proxies out. Leave the aftermath to us."
The reason she urged them to leave quickly was clear. Zhu Yuan and Qingyi had both served under Bringer. Their unauthorized involvement in the "Seth Incident" could easily bring them unnecessary trouble if discovered.
And Belle, as a Proxy, would be safer if she avoided the authorities' scrutiny altogether.
Zhu Yuan and Qingyi hesitated briefly, then nodded.
"Alright. Thank you, Miyabi. We'll leave Seth in your care."
As they prepared to depart, Perlman suddenly shouted in panic,
"Take me with you! Please, take me! The ether activity here is too intense—I'm going to be corrupted into a monster!"
He tried to chase after them but realized he couldn't move forward, his legs merely stomping in place.
Damn it.
Someone had grabbed him by the collar.
Whirling around, Perlman found Asaba Harumasa staring at him with a cold, serious expression, weapon in hand. Perlman immediately backed down.
...
Not long after Qingyi, Zhu Yuan, and the Proxies left, the sound of an approaching vehicle rumbled in the distance.
Tsukishiro Yanagi's gaze sharpened.
"That must be security personnel. Let's go take a look..."