Near Sumeru City.
Clorinde, her face pale, stared at the distant city. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to move forward, inch by inch, battling the crushing mental and physical exhaustion.
Clutched tightly to her chest was a slate engraved with intricate patterns, its bulk partially concealing her formidable figure.
Clorinde tried to force herself to move faster, but it was impossible. Her body was already pushed to its absolute limit.
Previously, by following the tracks, Clorinde had eventually located No. 2, who was searching for something in the desert.
After tracking him for some time, Clorinde finally realized that he was searching for the power of the Laws of Time left behind by the Goddess of Flowers.
Upon this discovery, Clorinde knew the mysterious faction was planning a major move. She dared not lose his trail, hoping to find a way to stop them in advance.
No. 2 moved like a tireless machine; Clorinde never saw him stop to rest. As a result, she never found an opportunity to send a message back to Fontaine.
After a long period of pursuit, No. 2 finally gathered all the keys—the very slate she now clutched—and arrived at a wondrous Domain.
Within this Domain, time seemed completely frozen at its initial moment. Splashing water in the lake, birds soaring in the sky—all were utterly still.
Just as Clorinde was captivated by the sight, No. 2 seized the object that housed the Laws of Time. Instantly, time began to flow again.
It was because of this completely unexpected situation that Clorinde accidentally exposed herself. No. 2 immediately used his newly acquired Laws of Time to freeze her in place.
Fortunately, No. 2 seemed focused on his mission and didn't finish her off. Otherwise, given his current power, Clorinde knew she would have been done for.
After an unknown amount of time, the power of the Laws of Time finally dissipated, and Clorinde could move again.
She took a moment to reacquaint herself with her own body, which felt strangely unfamiliar. Then, she noticed that No. 2 had carelessly tossed the slate on the ground not far from her. She snatched it up and hastily fled.
Afterward, Clorinde pushed herself to travel at a desperate pace, especially after hearing that a grave crisis had erupted in Sumeru City. She dared not delay for a single moment.
If No. 2 had used the Laws of Time in Sumeru, perhaps the slate she carried could be of some use.
Though this wasn't Fontaine, Clorinde couldn't bear the thought of countless children losing their parents and becoming homeless.
Fueled by this conviction, Clorinde pushed her body to its absolute limit, finally arriving at Sumeru City at this very moment.
I should still be in time... right?
Clorinde's vision was blurring, but her steps remained steady.
Soon, the guards outside Sumeru City spotted her. They tore their gaze away from the heart-pounding scenes on their Akasha Terminals, gripped their weapons tightly, and demanded to know the identity of the woman in foreign attire standing before them.
"Halt! Who are you?!"
"No. 2... Has he come here?"
"No. 2?"
The guard froze for a moment, his mind racing to figure out who would have such a strange name.
But then it clicked—it wasn't a name, but a codename.
Right, he recalled, there's a mysterious faction in Fontaine that uses numbers as designations. Dr. Edward seems to be from that group.
Could she mean the man who was with Dr. Edward?!
Uncertain, the guard adjusted his Akasha Terminal, zoomed in on the image of the man who had been standing beside Dr. Edward, and held it out to Clorinde.
"Are you talking about this person?"
When Clorinde saw No. 2's figure, a heavy weight lifted from her heart. Thank goodness her gamble had paid off. It seemed she had arrived just in time.
However, when Clorinde saw Dr. Edward standing beside No. 2, her heart immediately tensed up again.
"Quickly, take me to your Dendro Archon."
"I have something extremely important to give her—it might be enough to turn the tide of this battle..."
-
This power... this power...
Scaramouche stared at the scene around him in disbelief. He never imagined he could unleash such strength.
Feeling the abundant power surging within him, Scaramouche felt stronger than ever before.
"Hahahahaha!"
Scaramouche laughed maniacally. With this power, he could finally tear that bastard Dottore to shreds!
"But before that, I'll use you all for some practice!"
As Scaramouche's words fell, the very space around Nahida and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata shattered.
An unimaginable torrent of energy erupted from the rift. Nahida's expression changed as she hastily formed a vibrant green barrier in front of her to block the onslaught.
Yet, within seconds, she watched as the green barrier's color faded under the relentless energy wash, a sign that its Elemental Power was being stripped away.
Sensing the danger, Nahida quickly pulled Greater Lord Rukkhadevata aside. The instant they dodged, the barrier shattered completely, engulfed by the torrent of grayish-white energy.
Such immense power!
Nahida was utterly shocked. After Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had personally declared her the successor, after she had resolved to overcome her own timidity, and after Dr. Edward's true identity was revealed—raising his status to an unprecedented height among the Sumerians—Nahida's strength had fully ascended to the level of an Archon.
Yet, before the current Scaramouche, she couldn't even withstand his probing attack for more than a few moments.
Or perhaps this strange power is simply too overwhelming. Nahida, whose memories had once been copied by this very force, knew its nature all too well.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata felt the same, having experienced firsthand the sensation of being forcibly pulled out by that energy—a feeling few could ever comprehend.
"Excellent! This power... such magnificent power! A power that is truly my own!"
"A Gnosis? What a piece of junk! Even a dog wouldn't want it!"
Scaramouche pressed his palms together, then flipped his fingers to form a targeting gesture aimed at the distant Nahida. In an instant, Nahida felt an icy lock on her, her body stiffening for a moment.
But she quickly recovered, swiftly creating a new pocket of space to envelop herself and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. A colossal hand, larger than anyone could have imagined, closed around them and clenched shut.
"Lesser Lord Kusanali!"
"Lady Greater Lord Rukkhadevata!"
The scene gripped the hearts of countless onlookers. Scaramouche's methods were terrifyingly potent. Few had paid him much mind before, dismissing him as a minor character. Only now did they realize that even such a "minor character" was a powerhouse far beyond their wildest imaginations.
Watching this unfold from his prison cell, Great Sage Azar's eyes went vacant, his face pale. He couldn't accept that the Shouki no Kami—the culmination of the wisdom of over half the Akademiya's geniuses and The Doctor, Dottore—was nothing more than a slightly larger toy.
That's right. To the Scaramouche of this moment, the Shouki no Kami—the very creation that had once filled him with smug pride and made him feel he had brought honor to his lineage—was nothing more than a toy.
So what had he even put himself through all this for?
Great Sage Azar's face turned ashen...
A short while later, the colossal hand gradually faded, revealing a slightly disheveled Nahida and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
Though they looked worse for wear, they appeared unharmed, and many onlookers breathed a small sigh of relief.
Scaramouche gazed at Nahida and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, growing ever more satisfied with his own power.
And this wasn't even his limit. He could still become stronger!
"You'd better last a while longer. I still have plenty of tricks I haven't shown you yet."
With absolute power crushing his opponents, Scaramouche's mindset had become utterly relaxed. He now treated this battle as mere amusement on his path to the pinnacle.
Seeing that Scaramouche was about to strike again, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata quickly spoke to Nahida.
"We are within his Domain. Without overwhelming power to crush him, we can never defeat him as long as we remain here."
"Manifest the Sanctuary of Surasthana. It is the gift I left for you."
Hearing Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's words, Nahida nodded.
Although the Sanctuary of Surasthana had been her prison for five hundred years, this also proved its immense strength.
Using her connection to the Sanctuary, Nahida reached out, shattering the barriers between space and distance, dream and reality, and pulled it into existence.
Instantly, the Sanctuary of Surasthana erupted in a dazzling green light, momentarily suppressing the inky darkness that saturated the surroundings.
Then, Scaramouche's attack arrived.
"Illumination of All Things!"
A torrent of energy formed from countless grayish-white rays slammed into the Sanctuary of Surasthana. The air filled with the unending clang of metal, and the Sanctuary itself trembled slightly.
"His power now... likely far surpasses what I possessed at my peak."
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata watched Scaramouche, her expression incredibly complex.
As the creator of the Sanctuary of Surasthana, she knew its capabilities better than anyone. Even under her full-powered assault, the Sanctuary would remain completely unscathed. Yet now, it was already struggling to hold on after just a moment of contact with the enemy's attack.
But before this, his strength was nowhere near that of an Archon!
How did he manage to grant such immense power to a being who isn't even an Archon?
What is he truly trying to achieve? If his goal was simply to sacrifice a million people, there would be no need to go to such lengths!
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata vaguely sensed that Dr. Edward's true purpose was far more complex than he had let on. Yet, even as the God of Wisdom, she couldn't see through this man.
"The two Ladies seem to be in trouble!"
"Shut your jinxing mouth! The Ladies will not lose!"
"Waaah, I don't want to die! Please don't pick me! I'm just a kid who turned eighteen!"
Meanwhile, Nahida's forehead was beaded with sweat. The pressure from Scaramouche was overwhelming.
Although Nahida didn't have to worry about depleting her Power of Faith—Neuvillette had provided her with an immense reserve—having more faith didn't automatically equate to greater strength. There was a limit to how much Power of Faith she could wield at any given moment. The vast supply merely ensured she wouldn't run out of "mana."
Of course, her previous situation had been different—her insufficient "mana" had forced her to unleash only weakened versions of her attacks.
A god's power is largely drawn from the reverence of their people.
This was why Nahida was so desperate to quickly gain the support and deeper trust of more people.
Of course, there was another, more specialized method. As the God of Wisdom, Nahida could integrate the collective wisdom of all people to face their enemy. But this was no easy feat.
Everyone's thoughts differed due to their unique circumstances and experiences.
Unifying the minds of every person across the entire nation was a nearly impossible task.
But the mention of the "entire nation" sparked an idea in Nahida's mind. She quickly projected the memories of Deshret she had retrieved from Irminsul.
Soon, the news spread like wildfire through every tribe in the desert: Deshret had died fighting Forbidden Knowledge, and he had been a close companion of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
With this revelation, Nahida's power surged again, allowing her to barely hold her ground with the help of the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
But it wasn't enough. Nahida hadn't forgotten their ultimate goal: to end this once and for all!
Think, Nahida, think! You are the God of Wisdom! There must be a way to break through this stalemate!
"How about we try manifesting something that almost everyone can agree on?"
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata suddenly spoke to Nahida. "Unifying everyone's thoughts from scratch is just too difficult. Before, we used the abstract goal of 'saving Sumeru' to focus everyone's wisdom, but even that was too scattered."
Gazing at the Sanctuary of Surasthana before them, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata realized that a more concrete symbol might be the key to fully integrating their collective wisdom.
"Something everyone can agree on..."
Nahida sank into thought, feeling the idea had merit.
Then, in the next instant, a scene unfolded that made every onlooker in Sumeru's jaw drop. Nahida had actually materialized...
Neuvillette!!!
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata: ...
Neuvillette: ...
Scaramouche: "!!!"
Paimon: ...
The people of Sumeru: "...!!"
Lofan: "?"
Seeing the all-too-familiar figure standing before her, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was utterly dumbfounded.
In all her long years as the Dendro Archon, she had never encountered anything so completely speechless-making.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had originally intended for Nahida to manifest something like Sumeru's Divine Tree, or even a Statue of The Seven. Instead, Nahida had quietly pulled off something completely outrageous.
Yet Nahida remained blissfully unaware of the shockwaves she had sent through everyone. Her eyes shone with anticipation as she gazed at the invincible figure before her, convinced that this time, Sumeru was truly saved!
This is a lifeline she could cling to forever!!!