"L-Lord, what did you say?"
Alva's voice trembled, seemingly terrified by Duke Jared's words.
Due to his momentary hesitation, the once-stabilized defensive barrier began to waver again.
"Relax, young Alva," Duke Jared said with a warm smile, placing a reassuring hand on Alva's shoulder.
"You must believe in your own abilities," Duke Jared said softly to Alva, his voice laced with persuasion. "In my eyes, you're already exceptionally talented. You simply need someone to guide you slightly to fully unleash your potential."
"Now, what I need to know is how many times Noah's Ark can still use that level of attack we just witnessed."
"And what's the current status of Noah's Ark's energy supply?"
After a moment's hesitation, Alva replied to Duke Jared's inquiries.
"The weapon used earlier was the Pneumousia Obliteration Bomb. Due to its immense destructive power, Noah's Ark doesn't carry many. We currently have approximately twenty to thirty rounds remaining."
"As for the energy supply, there's no need to worry. Noah's Ark's power core generates energy through a fusion reaction fueled by Pneumousia Energy. This energy source is exceptionally abundant, ensuring we won't face any energy shortages for at least a century."
"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" Duke Jared exclaimed, repeating the word three times after hearing Alva's explanation.
"Young Alva, with your sharp mind, do you believe Noah's Ark can defeat her, given the strength she's demonstrated so far?"
Hearing Duke Jared's question, Alva immediately began to ponder. After a brief deliberation, he provided his answer.
"If the attack remains at this scale, the ship's defense system can withstand it."
"As for whether our attack methods will be effective, we don't have enough data for a detailed analysis yet. But even if they fail, we should have no trouble retreating."
"Then let's do it!" Duke Jared declared firmly.
"Since there's no risk, we can absolutely attempt to slay this false god."
"But she's our Hydro Archon, the Hydro Archon of Fontaine!"
"See clearly—this is another false god, not the Hydro Archon Furina we know," Duke Jared immediately countered.
"Though they resemble each other, they are different entities."
"She is Fontaine's destabilizing factor. If you can eliminate her, you'll become Fontaine's savior, forever revered and thanked by its people!"
Seeing the struggle in Alva's eyes, Duke Jared knew his words had struck home. He pressed his advantage:
"What are you still hesitating about?!"
"This is your golden opportunity to prove your worth to Fontaine! Don't you want others to look at you with respect and admiration?"
"Young Alva, remember why you joined the Fontaine Research Institute in the first place? Wasn't it to use your talents to improve the lives of countless others?!"
-
Duke Jared's impassioned speech could easily sway naive young minds lacking social experience, but Rene and Jacob remained calm as they watched the scene unfold. They knew that Alva would not only remain unmoved by these words but might even find them amusing.
After all, they had tried similar arguments before, attempting to steer the genius who had strayed into a life of slacking back onto the right path.
Back then, Alva had simply chuckled and brushed them off.
Not a shred of success!
Far from pulling him back onto the "right path," they now often felt tempted to slack off themselves, especially after witnessing how Alva could achieve in an hour what might take them a decade of hard work.
With Alva and the other members of the Academy leading the charge, they genuinely felt they could afford to coast.
Although this group seemed indifferent to the impending apocalypse, they couldn't simply throw up their hands and passively await their doom when the crisis struck.
Of course, Rene and Jacob were also confident that Alva would ultimately agree to Duke Jared's proposal. After all, this was precisely the outcome he desired.
"Alright, I'll do my best to give it a try," Alva said.
Alva spoke hesitantly, but his hands moved with astonishing speed, almost too fast to see his actions.
Under Alva's control, Noah's Ark unleashed countless crimson beams toward Dark Furina. Seeing this, her expression flickered momentarily, followed by a sudden surge of power.
The pitch-black longsword thrust forward by an inch, causing the Ark's outer defensive barrier to emit a piercing screech. Yet that was all—the barrier held firm against Dark Furina's assault.
Just then, Noah's Ark fired four more Pneumousia Obliteration Bombs at Dark Furina.
Dark Furina attempted to retreat, but the crimson beams previously encircling her began to constrict, tightening from all directions to restrict her movements.
Hampered by these restraints, Dark Furina was forced into the blast radius of the Pneumousia Obliteration Bombs, and blinding Pyro light erupted once more.
As her Prime came under direct assault, the pitch-black longsword, which had been locked in a stalemate against the Ark's outer defensive barrier, crumbled inch by inch.
"Magnificent!"
Duke Jared waved his hand, ready to lavish praise on Alva, when suddenly Noah's Ark began to shake violently. He quickly grabbed onto something nearby to avoid falling.
A blinding red light flashed inside Noah's Ark, and the images on the screens flickered rapidly before displaying the ship's once sleek, streamlined hull now marred by countless jagged scratches and several deep craters, one still lodged with a shard of pitch-black material.
It turned out that Dark Furina's apparent disintegration after the initial attack wasn't due to damage to her Prime, but rather a deliberate attempt to switch tactics after realizing her initial assault was ineffective.
The scratches on Noah's Ark made Duke Jared's heart ache. In his mind, the ship was already his property, and he couldn't help but chide Alva.
"Alva, my young friend, don't underestimate her!"
"She still possesses the power of an Archon. If Noah's Ark sustains too much damage, we'll all be stranded here!"
"Rest assured, Your Grace. I won't let my guard down again."
Alva's expression shifted, his features hardening with focused determination.
"Esteemed lords, since the damage to the Noah's Ark requires urgent repairs, please temporarily take over the remaining commands from the repair crew."
"Go, hurry!"
This time, Duke Jared didn't hesitate. Without giving the other nobles a chance to discuss, he immediately assigned several of them to other areas.
"Young Alva, focus on the battle. Don't hesitate to ask for anything you need."
Seeing Alva's intense concentration, Duke Jared felt a growing trust in him. The young man perfectly fit his image of a researcher: earnest and passionate in his work.
"Nothing for now."
With those words, Alva fell silent, completely absorbed in operating the Ark.
During the previous attack, Dark Furina had still been able to counterattack, suggesting she hadn't sustained significant injuries. As the light faded, she reappeared on the screen, her figure enveloped in a pale blue Hydro Element Barrier.
But in the next instant, every open cannon on the Noah's Ark swiveled toward her and unleashed a relentless barrage at Dark Furina. Her figure was instantly engulfed in a sea of flames.
During the relentless barrage, Alva suddenly maneuvered Noah's Ark through space, teleporting it to another location. In the next instant, Dark Furina, wielding a pitch-black longsword, materialized where the Ark had been, swinging her blade downward. The very fabric of space seemed to twist and distort around her.
Duke Jared could no longer comprehend the battle unfolding before him. Under Alva's control, the Noah's Ark moved with an agility that defied its massive, cumbersome frame. Though the Ark occasionally sustained damage from missed dodges, its opponent was none other than a true God.
Despite having anticipated such a scenario, witnessing a clash against a God on equal footing left Duke Jared in a daze. It seemed they were inaugurating a new era—one where the dominion of the Gods was overthrown.
Even Rene and Jacob were stunned. What couldn't this man do? The more they learned about Alva, the more crushing the blow to their confidence became.
Under his control, Noah's Ark was now fighting Dark Furina to a standstill. It was utterly unbelievable.
The new damage to Noah's Ark was minimal, but more personnel were needed to relay commands in place of the research staff.
The number of nobles around him dwindled until only the noble impersonating Teacher Alva remained at his side. Yet Duke Jared felt no unease.
Four Gardemeks stood guard around him. He had personally witnessed the immense power of these new-model mechanical sentinels today. Standing among them, his sense of security was absolute.
However, continuing the fight served no purpose. The Pneumousia Obliteration Bombs, their only real threat to Dark Furina, had been exhausted. Although her attacks had noticeably decreased in frequency and intensity compared to the initial onslaught, it clearly wasn't enough.
A flicker of regret flashed in Duke Jared's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Prepare to withdraw, young Alva," he said, watching the sweat-drenched youth with growing satisfaction.
Duke Jared wanted Alva to serve him, but the problem was that Alva's teacher had already committed suicide. If Alva learned of this, he would likely refuse to cooperate.
"No, there's still a chance!"
"The Noah's Ark's power reserves are still substantial. If we keep depleting them, even conventional weapons will pose a threat!"
"If we can just hold out a little longer, victory is still within reach!"
Alva's hands flew across the controls, his focus bordering on obsession.
Duke Jared frowned and shook his head.
He's still too young, letting his emotions cloud his judgment so easily, the Duke thought. He doesn't realize that withdrawing at the right moment is the wisest choice.
"There's no need to keep risking everything. We've already fought well enough this time. We'll have another chance later," Duke Jared said again, only to be met with Alva's immediate rejection.
"No, I can do it!"
"I will defeat her! I'll become a hero of Fontaine!"
"Enough! I said retreat immediately!"
Duke Jared's voice turned cold as he realized Alva was defying him.
"No! If I defeat her here, Fontaine can finally know peace!"
"If that's your resolve, then let's try one last gambit!"
"I'm going to detonate the power core! I'll release the energy stored within—enough to power the Noah's Ark for centuries—in a single burst. Even she won't emerge unscathed from that level of power!"
"Are you insane?!"
Duke Jared stared at Alva in disbelief, a renewed sense of unease rising within him. His earlier words had apparently worked too well, completely going to this hothead's head.
Alva actually wanted to sacrifice everyone on the Noah's Ark to deal a devastating blow to Dark Furina!
Regret gnawed at Duke Jared. Had he known the youth was so easily manipulated, he would never have delivered those grand, righteous speeches.
Now that they had all betrayed Fontaine, they couldn't care less about its future.
The real reason he had urged Alva to attack Dark Furina was twofold: to gauge the full capabilities of the Noah's Ark and to prepare for future recruitment of followers.
He had recorded the earlier exchange with his mobile phone, planning to use it as propaganda to reassure others that betraying their Archon and joining the Noah's Ark was the right choice.
"Stop this madness immediately! Don't you care about your Teacher?!"
Duke Jared barked, signaling to the imposter posing as Alva's Teacher. The imposter immediately stepped forward and let out a series of unintelligible whimpers.
"I know my Teacher," Alva declared. "He's the kind of person who would sacrifice himself for others! That's why I know he would approve of my choice! Wouldn't you, Teacher?"
Faced with Alva's words, the noble acting as the Head of the Research Institute was completely flustered.
"Very well, Teacher, I understand your intentions perfectly!"
Hearing this, the noble was dumbfounded. Had he even spoken aloud?
"I knew you would agree with my decision!"
Alva turned back, his voice resonating throughout Noah's Ark.
"Everyone, I propose that this ship be sacrificed to destroy the Pseudo-God, restoring lasting peace to Fontaine!"
"My Teacher has already endorsed this course of action. I trust you will all make the right choice!"
"Remember our dreams—didn't we join the Academy with the burning desire to benefit the people of Fontaine...?"
Hearing Alva repeat his earlier words verbatim, Duke Jared barely managed to keep his composure.
"Now, Noah's Ark—target the Pseudo-God! Full speed ahead!"
Realizing Alva was serious, Duke Jared could no longer remain seated. He immediately rushed forward to stop him.
Just then, a luminous barrier suddenly materialized around Duke Jared, completely enveloping him.
This sudden turn of events stunned Duke Jared. Immediately afterward, the images on the screen shifted, and Dark Furina's figure vanished completely. The Noah's Ark, which had been hurtling toward her moments ago, had executed a spatial jump and arrived elsewhere.
Jacob, who had been patiently awaiting his opportunity, immediately sprang into action. He lunged at the Gardemek, unleashing a swift attack. However, to his embarrassment, his strike left only a faint mark on the Gardemek's armored body.
Fortunately, the Gardemek didn't retaliate, sparing Jacob from reliving his humiliating past.
"Monsieur Alva, I've confirmed that all other sectors are secure!" Rene reported, approaching Alva.
"The nobles in those sectors have been contained as well. Two who were out of position have been apprehended and pose no further threat."
Upon hearing these words, Alva nodded.
Duke Jared, listening to their conversation, finally realized he had been outmaneuvered.
Though he had suspected as much, he still tried to issue commands to the Gardemek, but they remained motionless, as if they hadn't received any instructions at all.
"Don't waste your energy, Duke Jared," Alva said with a smile, stepping forward. "This device is specially designed to block all communication between the inside and the outside world."
"Originally intended to protect the operator, it now seems far more suitable as your cage."
"I hope you find it to your liking, Duke Jared."
Alva dangled the control button in front of Duke Jared, a smug expression on his face.
"So your previous meek demeanor was all an act!"
The Alva standing before him now bore no trace of his former meekness.
"I never thought I'd misjudge someone so badly!" Duke Jared chuckled self-deprecatingly at his own blunder.
"I've already transmitted the Noah's Ark's current location. Just wait for Neuvillette's Judgment for your crimes."
Upon hearing Alva's words, Duke Jared remained remarkably calm, seemingly unfazed by the unfavorable situation.
"This isn't over yet, kid."
"You think you've already secured victory?"
"Too bad you overlooked one crucial detail."
"And that, my boy, will be your downfall!"
The three froze momentarily at Duke Jared's words.
Just then, a figure materialized behind Alva.
"Teacher?"
"Don't move, kid, or I can't guarantee your little life."
A dagger pressed against Alva's waist. The sudden turn of events widened Rene and Jacob's eyes in shock.
The figure then removed the disguise from his head, revealing a completely unfamiliar face.
"See? I told you!"
"This isn't over yet, Alva!"
The tables had turned once again. Duke Jared's face broke into a triumphant grin.
"You're still too green to play with the likes of me!"