Lofan, who had been wondering if he'd pushed Nahida to her limit and was about to advance the scene, was completely dumbfounded when he saw the manifested phantom of Neuvillette.
Oh no. Did I put too much pressure on her and accidentally lead her astray?
This has nothing to do with me! It must be Neuvillette's fault!
Lofan firmly decided he wouldn't take the blame for this. Besides, he figured he could wait a little longer and let Scaramouche flail around for a bit more.
At that moment, Scaramouche stared at the terrifying figure before him, his power momentarily faltering and his Domain nearly collapsing.
But as he snapped back to his senses, he immediately stabilized his Domain, his heart surging with intense fury.
He, a newly ascended god, had actually been terrified!
And by a mere fake, no less!
The realization sent Scaramouche into an uncontrollable rage.
Meanwhile, after a brief silence, the people of Sumeru erupted into a frenzy.
They had witnessed Neuvillette's power firsthand. Though they didn't know why he couldn't join this battle, it didn't stop them from seeing him as the ultimate standard of invincibility.
Before, "invincible" might have been an abstract concept. But after seeing Neuvillette, they finally understood its true meaning!
With this clear target in mind, the Sumerians' thoughts unified to an astonishing degree. A torrent of Resolve poured into the manifested Neuvillette, solidifying his form and amplifying his aura to terrifying levels.
"Die!"
Scaramouche conjured two black holes and hurled them at Neuvillette's phantom. The moment they overlapped, they merged into a colossal grinding mill, tearing at the phantom. Neuvillette's phantom began to rapidly lose power, its aura weakening.
Nahida desperately tried to wrest Neuvillette's phantom free from the black holes' grasp, but she failed.
Seeing the phantom grow increasingly translucent, Scaramouche burst into triumphant laughter once more.
"A mere imposter! Nothing to fear!"
"Beneath the Seven Leaves, only I shall endure!"
"With my current power, even if the real one stood before me, he would have no choice but to look up in awe!"
As he ravaged Neuvillette's phantom, Scaramouche felt the fear in his heart finally begin to heal.
Meanwhile, the real Neuvillette watched the events unfold in the Akasha, a thoughtful expression on his face.
If even ordinary people's thoughts can be transmitted... what about mine?
The idea sparked a desire to try. He immediately relaxed his mind and focused his full attention on the phantom in the Akasha—a figure at least ninety percent identical to himself. Soon, Neuvillette felt his consciousness being pulled by an unseen force.
Neuvillette didn't resist, allowing the force to pull him away.
"Hahaha—"
Scaramouche's laughter died abruptly. In that instant, Neuvillette's phantom—which had been on the verge of disappearing—had unexpectedly solidified again, now radiating a power far more terrifying than before.
The two black holes then exploded, threatening to tear apart everything around them. But seawater suddenly surged forth, completely engulfing the blast. The explosion's shockwave merely left faint ripples on the water's surface.
The seawater continued to spread until the entire scene transformed into a vast, azure world. Scaramouche's domain shrank, now barely extending beyond his immediate vicinity.
The crowd, who had thought Neuvillette was about to lose, erupted in cheers at the sight. A continuous stream of power flowed into his phantom body.
Neuvillette carefully savored his current state. It was, he had to admit, a truly novel experience.
"Monsieur Neuvillette?"
Noticing the dramatic shift in his aura, Nahida cautiously called out to him.
"Mm."
Neuvillette nodded but said nothing more. After all, even he didn't fully understand his current state.
His consciousness had arrived, but the body was still the phantom Nahida had manifested, and its power was a collective offering from her and the people of Sumeru.
The difference now was that while Nahida had merely created the form, he had infused it with a soul.
Neuvillette calmly regarded Scaramouche, whose face was etched with disbelief, and slowly raised his hand.
In the next instant, an endless sea surged forward, crashing down on Scaramouche with the force of a collapsing mountain.
Faced with this terrifying sight, Scaramouche gritted his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.
His opponent was indeed strong, but the gap between them wasn't insurmountable.
This battle—he would absolutely not lose!
Scaramouche enveloped himself completely in the Power of Nihility. He immediately felt the impact of an boundless force. The Domain of Nihility held for only a moment before being torn apart. The seawater then slammed directly into Scaramouche's body, inflicting immense pain.
However, Scaramouche had thrown caution to the wind. Even while enduring the assault, he relentlessly absorbed the influx of information, attempting to empower himself further.
But Neuvillette had no intention of giving him that chance. His current attack was already at its peak; if Scaramouche was determined to turtle up, Neuvillette couldn't break through that shell. Still, he had other methods.
With this thought, Neuvillette's consciousness temporarily returned to his physical body. He fixed his gaze on the three Pitch-Black Eggs in the distance and launched an attack without hesitation.
Just then, two of the Pitch-Black Eggs stirred. Black vines pulled them toward the Irminsul's trunk, embedding them within the great tree. Worried about causing irreversible damage to the Irminsul, Neuvillette abruptly changed his target, concentrating all three attacks on the last remaining Pitch-Black Egg.
"Pfft!"
As his physical body was struck, Scaramouche spat out a mouthful of blood. His mind reeled, and the defenses of his consciousness nearly collapsed, threatening to submerge him in the endless waves.
When Scaramouche shifted part of his focus back to reality and saw that only his egg had been left exposed to Neuvillette's attack, he was so enraged he nearly coughed up blood again.
At that moment, the black vines coiled around the Pitch-Black Egg stirred, dragging Scaramouche along as they pulled him into the trunk of Irminsul.
Isn't it a little late to be worrying about my safety now?!
Scaramouche was furious, suspecting this had been done on purpose. Yet, against Dr. Edward—the man who could revoke his power at any moment—he was utterly powerless to object, nor did he dare to.
Even if he wanted to vent his resentment on someone else, he had no opportunity. Neuvillette was still standing right in front of him.
Though injured, Scaramouche could still barely fend off Neuvillette's follow-up attacks, albeit with far more difficulty than before.
Scaramouche swore that once he grew stronger, he would make Neuvillette pay!
He knew he likely stood no chance of getting revenge on the Prime Neuvillette, but he felt confident he could handle the manifested phantom before him.
"Just you wait, you damned insects!"
"The pain you've inflicted on me—I'll return it a hundred, a thousand times over!"
Scaramouche muttered under his breath, but the next moment, he froze. He realized he could no longer corrupt Irminsul.
Soon, when he saw that it was Nahida who had ruined his plans, he erupted in fury.
"Alright, the game ends here."
As Dr. Edward's words fell, No. 2 suddenly appeared before everyone and immediately unleashed the Laws of Time.
Instantly, everyone present found themselves unable to move, their consciousnesses struggling to remain active. This time, even Neuvillette was no exception.
The churning waves on the sea's surface froze in an instant.
At that moment, Dr. Edward's figure reappeared before the crowd, immediately drawing a fresh wave of curses from countless people in Sumeru.
The respect they had once held for him had now turned into an equal measure of hatred.
Only a few who knew Dr. Edward better—those privy to the inside story—resisted the tide of public opinion, but they were far too few.
The crowd's emotions were so intense that even Neuvillette's phantom grew slightly stronger. Countless people prayed for him to break free from the temporal restraints and teach Dr. Edward a harsh lesson on their behalf.
Scaramouche let out a silent sigh of relief when Dr. Edward appeared.
The pressure Neuvillette had exerted on him was overwhelming; even the arrival of reinforcements wasn't entirely unwelcome.
But then, Dr. Edward suddenly turned to face him, a profoundly meaningful smile spreading across his lips.
The smile sent a shiver down Scaramouche's spine, and the sense of foreboding in his heart intensified.
"Scaramouche."
"For the sake of the world's new future..."
"You can die now!"
Dr. Edward's words struck Scaramouche's mind like a thunderclap. Infinite horror surged through him, and his body felt as if it had been plunged into an icy abyss, his very blood freezing in his veins.
As Dr. Edward slowly approached, Scaramouche's terror mounted.
At that moment, Dr. Edward seemed like a soul-reaping demon, and Scaramouche could smell the thick stench of death.
Soon, Dr. Edward reached the swirling mass of pale-white flames that completely enveloped Scaramouche. He extended his hand, effortlessly piercing through the Void's protective barrier, and seized Scaramouche by the neck, lifting him out.
In that instant, driven perhaps by an overwhelming will to survive, Scaramouche erupted with power far beyond his limits, barely managing to force his mouth open.
"You treacherous bastard!"
"Didn't you promise me?! Didn't you say that as long as I pledged my loyalty and worked for you, you would save me and grant me power?!"
The scene stunned everyone. This sudden turn of events was something no one could have predicted. Just moments ago, Scaramouche had been their enemy, pushing them to the brink. Now, he was being held by Dr. Edward like a chicken waiting for slaughter.
Aren't they on the same side?!
Everyone was utterly bewildered.
Scaramouche's final, desperate roar of fury confirmed their suspicions—Dr. Edward had seemingly betrayed his own ally.
Hearing Scaramouche's words, Dr. Edward appeared to fall into deep thought.
Scaramouche's eyes brightened. Perhaps he wasn't at a dead end after all. Perhaps he still had a chance to live.
I can't die! I haven't gotten my revenge on that bastard Dottore yet!
Even if I have to die, I'll drag Dottore to hell with me first! I'll pay any price for that—even my own dignity!
"I'm strong now! I'll do anything you ask of me!" Scaramouche pleaded anxiously, hoping Dr. Edward might change his mind. "You can't take my life! I can't die until I've made that bastard Dottore pay!"
But after hearing his words, Dr. Edward merely chuckled dismissively.
"Oh, I was just toying with you."
"You're not worthy of serving me, Scaramouche."
"Your greatest value was buying me a little time. Now, your entire being will be used to complete the final piece of my plan!"
Lofan looked down at the utterly despairing Scaramouche, shook his head coldly, and spoke again.
"Scaramouche, your final fate was sealed by me from the very beginning!"
With those words, Lofan unleashed his immense mental power, effortlessly invading Scaramouche's mind and seizing control of his entire being.
At this moment, Scaramouche was not yet technically dead; his consciousness still lingered.
In the final moments of his life, he could still regret and grieve his pathetic, joke-like existence.
And he could offer Lofan, the one who had betrayed him, the purest, most unadulterated hatred!
This hatred, in turn, would nourish the Void Power, elevating it to new heights—perhaps even granting it the ability to corrupt the very Laws of the World!
As Lofan assumed control of the Void Power, the gray-white flames engulfing Scaramouche instantly flared brighter, even seeming to radiate a sense of joyous celebration.
Realizing the implications of this, the onlookers felt their hearts tremble with shock.
After all, this power had been redeemed by Lofan; his familiarity with it far surpassed anyone else's.
In fact, without Lofan's command, the Void Power would never have obeyed anyone but him.
Meanwhile, in the Mental World, Scaramouche's lingering consciousness hurled vicious curses at Lofan. Lofan, however, simply laughed.
This is just the beginning. Save your energy—you'll need it for later.
Of course, Lofan had no particular need for such vulgarities. After blocking Scaramouche's curses, he slowly turned to face the others, still bound by the Laws of Time, and spoke with a smile.
"Are you ready?"
"Because I'm about to begin 'saving the world'!"
The second sentence came from Scaramouche's mouth, but the tone was identical to Lofan's...