Septimont Hunting Grounds, temporary camp.
Under the gloomy sky, campfires burned fiercely. The warm firelight illuminated everyone's faces. Imperator calmly narrated Noah's experiences just now.
From confronting Leviathan, to risking falling into the Decree-defiling Mirror of Nightmare, to finding the method to break the mirror, and finally the difficult victory through Overclocking twice.
Crisis after crisis. Danger after danger. It made everyone's hearts tighten.
"So… he did such an incredible thing in Ragunna."
Iuno spoke in a daze.
"Inside the Mirror Heaven, when we faced endless Tacet Discords on Septimont's side, I was still wondering where he was."
Augusta: "So the crisis Rinascita faced was this enormous, yet only he alone was resisting it."
Lupa: "Alone, facing a Threnodian strong enough to make people despair… what was Teacher thinking at that time?"
Ciaccona: "Truly amazing."
Cantarella: "He is always like this. Even when trapped in darkness he never gives up. Even when despair wraps around him, he still firmly believes in hope."
Carlotta: "These things… if the Sentinel had not told us, he would definitely never have told us himself… even though I had already smelled the blood on him."
Zani: "He must be very tired."
Phoebe: "Sentinel, Mr. Noah has entered the Dark Tide. Is there any way we can also help him?"
Roccia: "Pero says it does not want to only be someone who waits to be saved."
Brant: "But… when facing a Threnodian, how can we help?"
"This is exactly what I am about to say."
Imperator felt the increasingly unstable power inside its body. Its gaze was solemn.
"The glory of civilization should be the result of countless people advancing one after another, not the solitary medal of a single person."
"I will connect the upward will of the entire Rinascita, turn it into the power of salvation, and bestow it upon you."
"But once you accept this power, it means you need to go into the Dark Tide to help the Righteous One. Do you have this determination?"
"I only have one question."
Augusta stood in front of everyone and asked.
"After entering the Dark Tide, how will we find him?"
Hearing this question, Imperator nodded with relief.
Since they asked this question, it meant the group of people in front of it had already prepared themselves to go down into the Dark Tide. It had indeed not misjudged them.
Or rather, the Righteous One had indeed not helped the wrong people.
These people who had gathered together because of him would not let him face everything alone.
"The Righteous One carries the lantern I gave him. Use that as the direction, and you will not get lost inside the Dark Tide."
After the words fell, everyone looked at each other, nodded, and all stepped forward together. Their silent actions showed their determination.
Imperator nodded. Pure white light radiated from its body. Beacons one after another across the land of Rinascita lit up with radiance.
The Vault, Septimont City, the Hunting Grounds… in every corner of Rinascita, this vast heavenly voice could be heard.
"People of Rinascita, I, Sentinel Imperator, call upon you here."
Sentinel? It is the Sentinel! People of Rinascita everywhere raised their heads and looked toward the depths of the firmament, listening to the heavenly voice.
"Darkness covers everything. Crisis lurks everywhere. The world is about to collapse. Yet the will of the people can change the course of heaven and earth."
The solemn heavenly voice fell.
"Please raise your hands and pass all your will upward. I will connect your power and turn it into the hope of salvation."
At the Averardo Vault, countless clergy were the first to raise their hands. Golden points of light radiated from each clergyman's body.
"Hurry and raise your hands. The Sentinel needs us."
"The Sentinel needs power to protect us."
"Everyone, pass your power to the Sentinel."
Pair after pair of hands rose. There were people from the Montelli, people from the Fisalia, and even more ordinary people from Ragunna and Septimont.
They might only be ordinary students, workers, or gladiators. But as long as they worked hard for the same goal, identity did not matter at all.
Large amounts of golden light points radiated from their bodies. From every different starting point, they rushed toward the same Septimont.
Belief gathered like a prairie fire.
Leviathan could harvest the consciousness of civilization and turn it into power. During the hundreds of years Imperator had fought against it in the past, It had also stolen the secret of this ability.
It did not have Assimilation authority, yet it could guide the people to spontaneously connect their power to Itself, then separate the unified power outward again.
"Brave ones who are willing to bear the heavy burden of saving civilization, step forward."
Cantarella was the first to take a step. A beam of golden light blessed her body.
"The Fisalia Family has prepared medicine that resists the Threnodian's mutterings. It will be teleported over through the Black Shores later to add a bit more strength to this salvation."
Carlotta followed right behind and was likewise covered by a beam of golden light.
"This is the disaster of Rinascita. We have no reason, and we do not wish, to let Noah bear everything. We will also not let him make one-sided sacrifices alone."
"Well said."
Iuno also stepped forward.
"Together, we will make the Threnodian pay the price!"
Right after her, Brant, Zani, Ciaccona and the others all stepped forward and received the power separated by Imperator. Powerful Resonance frequencies surged inside their bodies.
"Such strong power."
"I feel I have become at least three times stronger."
"This is the will of everyone connected together!"
"Is there anyone else who wants to step forward?"
The consciousness power connected from the entire civilization was far too vast. Even after filling ten people, an extremely rich portion still remained.
Imperator's gaze swept toward the group of gladiators in the Hunting Grounds.
"I still have spots for at least five more people here."
"Me!"
"Me me me!"
The group of gladiators became excited as if injected with chicken blood.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to save Rinascita and become famous for life. Once they succeeded, the family genealogy would start with them from then on.
Would you take this chance if it was given to you? You would take it even if it meant death!
Avidius rushed ahead of everyone and made a request to Imperator. His words were pleading.
"Saving Septimont and saving Rinascita is my lifelong wish. If I can be given this chance, I will definitely not disgrace the mission."
Carefully examining Avidius, Imperator could not help feeling a little hesitant.
The intention was good, but—you are essentially a Dark Tide creation. If I give the power to you, will it not aid the enemy?
"Everyone, please stop arguing."
A highly distinctive voice came from behind the crowd. Everyone turned their heads together and saw a woman with cascading golden hair and a flawless face walking over slowly.
From The Lost Beyond all the way to Septimont, the continuous hurried travel made Cartethyia support her chest and breathe lightly.
She stood in front of Imperator.
"Sentinel, I think this final power is most suitable to be given entirely to me."
"As you wish."
Imperator nodded and turned the final power, together with Itself, into frequency and poured it into Cartethyia's body.
The body of the snow-white flying horse gradually became illusory. Everyone who saw this scene drew in a cold breath at the same time.
"The Sentinel… the Sentinel is going to die!"
"It sacrificed itself to give the power to her and died!"
Hearing such words, Imperator secretly shook its head and did not explain—
It was only a Final Lie of fake death.
...
Inside the Dark Tide Heaven.
Noah did not know that the people outside were already rushing over. He only knew that he had been dragged into an illusion by pure Dark Tide.
Before Schwarzloch was dealt with, he had used the power borrowed from Leviathan to secretly summon the Stygian Lake for a sneak attack. Even though Noah switched to Aero Rover in time, he was still one step too late.
"No wonder he was so confident he could take me away."
Noah muttered to himself.
"So he had prepared such a hidden move."
"But… isn't this pure Dark Tide supposed to drag people into the place their heart fears the most? Why did it bring me here?"
Inside the illusion, under a gloomy and vast sky, stood rows of extremely old, weathered tombstones.
Farther away, in the center of the repeating tidal waters, was a landmark black stone.
Noah was all too familiar with this place, because this was the login interface of Wuthering Waves, the starting point of the Rover's journey.
"Why did it bring me into the Rover's illusion? Because I was using Aero Rover?"
Looking at that uneven black stone from afar, a strong desire suddenly rose in Noah's heart.
If he sat on it, propped his right elbow on his knee, and then lowered his head into a deep and profound pose—would he look a lot like the Rover?
Just thinking about it made him feel excited!
"No, no. I still need to get out quickly."
He suppressed the impulse and switched to the character Jinhsi.
As the character switched, the illusion swallowed by the Dark Tide rapidly faded. This illusion world continuously closed in around him as the center and shattered.
Tombstone after tombstone entered his eyes and then dissipated.
Carlotta's tomb. Phoebe's tomb. Cartethyia's tomb…
As someone familiar with the plot, he smiled calmly.
"All illusions."
A tombstone with the original Quickblade stuck into it entered his eyes.
Rover's tomb.
"You bastard!"
Noah instantly flew into a rage and kicked the tombstone to pieces.
"Damn Threnodian, I'm going to slaughter you right now!"