Inside the Opera House, on the stage:
With a snap of Lyney's fingers, the special chamber at the center of the stage opened from all sides, revealing Furina, Lumine, Paimon, and Chu Xi inside.
Furina's eyes widened in shock as she frantically scanned her surroundings. Her small hands, clasped against her chest, clenched into fists. She knew that from this moment on, her performance had truly begun.
Lyney bowed deeply to the audience:
"Ladies and gentlemen, my opening act has concluded. Now, let the trial of the gods commence!"
"So that's how it is," Furina murmured, her head bowed, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. But she quickly regained her composure. "Hmm, I commend your efforts to create such drama."
"However, I am Focalors, the God of Justice—the very embodiment of justice itself. Isn't it rather absurd to presume you can judge justice itself?"
From the high platform, Neuvillette spoke: "May I interpret your words as a refusal to stand trial? If so, you will be granted one opportunity to defend your honor through a duel."
Neuvillette's gaze shifted to a corner of the stage, where Clorinde emerged, still clutching her longsword.
Furina pointed at Clorinde. "Are you... absolutely sure you want to duel a god?"
Clorinde remained silent, instead leveling her sword at Furina.
Furina lowered her head slightly. "...It seems you've made up your mind."
Though she was performing, these events would have transpired regardless. The opinions of the audience, the Traveler, and Neuvillette toward her weren't part of the act.
Furina sighed and slowly raised her hands.
In the Opera House, the audience, Neuvillette, Clorinde, Lumine, and others watched Furina with bated breath.
After all, the speculation that Furina wasn't the Hydro Archon remained just that—speculation. If she proved to be far more powerful than they suspected, this entire charade would become a catastrophic mistake.
Furina raised her hands with no other intention than surrender.
A duel? Against Clorinde? She could already foresee her humiliating defeat.
Just as her hands were about to rise above her shoulders in a gesture of surrender, the necklace she had been concealing suddenly emitted a brilliant blue light. The figure of Fidelle materialized beside Furina, seizing her hand.
"Stop!"
A voice as crisp as shattering ice tore through the stagnant air.
Fidelle stood there, her dark blue, skin-tight combat suit emphasizing her lithe figure. Her long hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, revealing a pale face twisted with fury.
"Fidelle!"
"Lady Furina!"
Furina's initial relief quickly dissolved into deeper worry. Fidelle looked even worse than before. Where had she been all this time?
Neuvillette's deep eyes narrowed sharply, Clorinde tightened her grip on her sword, and a deathly silence fell over the audience as they gasped in unison.
Beside the stands, the Intellitron tilted its head slightly:
"Target confirmed: 'Fidelle' soul imprint. Purity: extremely high. Energy entropy value: abnormally low. Status: unstable, soul origin damaged, forcibly accommodating foreign consciousness fragments."
"Assessment: optimal 'nourishment' sample. Value coefficient for Abyss Will restoration/advancement process: SSR."
"Current environmental conditions: suboptimal. Interference sources: citizens, Dragon Sovereign, Traveler..."
Its voice paused for a split second, as if retrieving data, before falling silent once more.
No one in the Opera House noticed the scene unfolding, except for one group: the players who possessed a "pseudo" God's-eye view.
[Holy shit! What the hell is that?! A new boss?!]
[?????? This character design doesn't fit the game's style at all. Did it wander in from another game?]
[Abyss Herald Pro Max Ultra?! This pressure is off the charts!]
[Even the background music has changed! Something big is about to go down!]
["Extremely high purity"? A power-up? SSR tier? Is this guy treating Fidelle like a delicacy?!]
[Damn, it's an Abyss monster! Look at the purple starry sky on its chest! We're screwed—it's targeting her!]
[This villain's got serious presence! And his dialogue is so damn pretentious! I'm loving it! (Not really)]
[Bullet hell, activate! Protect our girl Fidelle!]
-
Inside the Opera House, Lumine and Paimon watched Fidelle. Reason told Lumine she should summon the Gods, but Witch N's words made her hesitate. After a long moment of contemplation, she decided to wait and see what happened next.
"Lady Fidelle, we are pleased to see you return safely. However, this is a trial. If you stand with Lady Furina—or, more precisely, if you are her champion duelist—please move to the Defendant's Stand."
Fidelle lifted her head, gazing up at Neuvillette on the high platform:
"Chief Justice! Mr. Neuvillette, I respect Fontaine's Law, but as Lady Furina has just stated, Fontaine's Law cannot—nor do you have the authority—to judge her!"
"Therefore, on Lady Furina's behalf, I refuse this trial. I choose to defend her honor through a Duel—a Duel I will fight myself."
Neuvillette: "According to Fontaine Law, a defendant who refuses trial must engage in a Duel, either personally or through a Champion Duelist. You have no right to duel in place of the defendant, Lady Fidelle."
Fidelle's gaze burned with unwavering conviction, her voice clear and resonant:
"Chief Justice, your adherence to the Law is admirable."
Just as Neuvillette assumed Fidelle had conceded, she abruptly shifted her tone:
"But I recall another provision in Fontaine Law: When the accused is clearly incapacitated or vulnerable due to extenuating circumstances beyond their control, their representative may act in their stead!"
"Lady Furina is heartbroken by the doubts of the Fontaine folk and your Judgment. She refuses to fight. As her personal guard, I have both the right and the duty to fight in her stead."
"Moreover, as long as I, her guard, still stand, any attempt to bypass me and challenge the God directly would be a grave insult to divine majesty!"
"Therefore, I demand to take Lady Furina's place and face the Champion Duelist!"
On the high platform, Neuvillette's expression was complex. He could see that Fidelle was in poor condition, and her demeanor suggested she knew more about Furina's hidden secrets than she was letting on.
If I were to question Fidelle, would she reveal the truth? he wondered.
But he quickly dismissed the thought. The Judgment had already begun and could not be easily halted now.
"Your condition..."
"I know my own condition best."
"..."
Even so, she still wants to fight for Furina?
Neuvillette stared intently at Fidelle for a long moment before finally saying, "Request granted."
The instant Neuvillette spoke, Navia, Lumine, Paimon, Chu Xi, Clorinde, and the others turned to him, puzzled by his decision.
But Neuvillette had already risen to his feet, preparing to relocate to the Duel Arena.