The Fontainians, still grieving over the sudden deaths of thousands, were suddenly struck by another wave of tragedy as mysterious creatures attacked their cities, causing further mass casualties.
Beyond the immediate casualties, many of Fontaine's vital infrastructure projects were destroyed, crippling logistics networks in some cities. If the situation wasn't resolved quickly, food shortages loomed.
Yet before they could even mourn properly, the people who had died in the earlier attacks suddenly reappeared before them, leaving them utterly dumbfounded.
Just as they began to rejoice at the resurrections, the previously vanquished creatures resurfaced as well, each with distinct abilities different from the ones that had attacked the city before.
The intelligence quickly reached Palais Mermonia, just as Neuvillette had finished eliminating a creature capable of possessing other individuals that had appeared in Fontaine.
Because of the seven stars on its abdomen, Neuvillette provisionally named it the Seven-Star Dragon.
"Neuvillette, other cities are under attack again! Use your invincible power and think of something!"
Upon hearing the news, Furina immediately grabbed Neuvillette's arm and shook it vigorously.
Neuvillette took a deep breath, his emotions a complex mix.
The dead had indeed been resurrected, and so too had the Seven-Star Dragons. They were once again rampaging across Fontaine, slaughtering civilians. Clearly, the Fontainians were Furina's most cherished concern, mirroring his own situation.
Sigh, Fontaine truly is cursed with calamity.
Neuvillette shook his head, puzzled by why other nations remained relatively unscathed. The most significant event elsewhere was perhaps Osial, the Overlord of the Vortex, breaking free from his seal in Liyue. Yet a mere weakened Archon sealed for millennia could be crushed with a flick of his finger.
As for the Geo Archon Morax's failed ascension, he simply chuckled.
Why was Fontaine in such dire straits? Perhaps hundreds of thousands had already perished in these successive disasters, and the nation still faced the looming threat of the Day of Prophecy.
Of course, Neuvillette had no time to dwell on these thoughts. Six cities were under attack, and he needed to act immediately.
"Though these individuals are powerful, they are not insurmountable."
"Lady Furina, please assist the attacked city further away from here. Then, ask Lady Navia to assist the nearest city. I'll handle the rest."
"Let's move at once. We must minimize casualties."
Neuvillette paused, then continued:
"Send word to Wriothesley and the Fontaine Research Institute as well. If they can provide assistance, they will be compensated accordingly."
"If the Divine Dragon reappears, do not make a wish immediately. Perhaps those who have already perished can still be saved. Wait for me to arrive first."
After briefing both Furina and the Melusine Secretary, Neuvillette's body levitated into the air before streaking away into the distance.
Furina pumped her fist.
Finally, finally a chance for my strength to shine!
I'll give it my all to save as many people as possible!
With renewed determination, Furina soared off in another direction. The Melusine Secretary remained behind to deliver the news to the Spina di Rosula, the Fortress of Meropide, and the Fontaine Research Institute. Each organization immediately mobilized.
Navia, shielding her eyes with sunglasses under a parasol, directed Silver and Melus to raise the airship higher.
The Fortress of Meropide dispatched wave after wave of fully armed Gardemek units.
Lastly, the Fontaine Research Institute sent Rene in his transformed state as the Giant of Light, his colossal form lumbering toward nearby cities with earth-shaking steps.
Through the combined efforts of all parties, the chaos was swiftly quelled. Eventually, everyone converged on the city where Furina had assisted, drawn there by the appearance of the Divine Dragon.
"What? When the last Shadow Dragon dies, the Divine Dragon will appear?"
Furina was stunned by Neuvillette's analysis.
Doesn't that mean I, the Hydro Archon, am actually the one who eliminated the last Shadow Dragon?!
Faced with the questioning gazes of Rene, Jacob, and Navia, Furina, at a loss for excuses, simply pretended not to notice.
"Hurry up and make your wishes. I'm waiting to clock out."
Rene couldn't help but feel speechless at the Divine Dragon's words.
Why does this Divine Dragon speak in such perfect alignment with the former style of the Fontaine Research Institute?
"Can those who died unexpectedly be revived?" Neuvillette asked the Divine Dragon in the sky.
"Of course! Who do you think I am?"
"I am the all-powerful Divine Dragon, capable of granting any wish. This is child's play for me."
Hearing the Divine Dragon's response, the group's spirits lifted considerably.
Though many had perished in the recent turmoil, the knowledge that they could still be resurrected brought renewed hope.
"Is that your wish, then? Very well, I shall grant it."
"Wait, we need to discuss this first," Neuvillette immediately stopped the Divine Dragon's advance, clearly irritating the dragon.
"Hurry up, then, or I'll grant someone else's wish instead!"
"This dragon has such a terrible temper!" Furina muttered under her breath. "I really want to teach it a lesson!"
Hearing the Divine Dragon's impatient reply, Furina spoke in a low voice.
"Lady Furina, we understand your frustration, but we must exercise restraint for now. After all, the Fontainians still depend on its power to revive the dead."
Worried that Furina might lose control and destroy the Divine Dragon outright, Navia quickly intervened to calm her down.
Of course, Navia harbored no affection for the Divine Dragon either, since it was the cause of all this chaos. But they had no choice but to rely on its power for now.
"Granting the wish will cause the Shadow Dragons we previously defeated to reappear," Neuvillette finally spoke up.
"Yet to revive the deceased, we must still make a wish upon it."
"Therefore, we need a more efficient means of eliminating these Shadow Dragons."
After hearing Neuvillette's analysis, the group nodded in agreement.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, please proceed with your plan. The Fontaine Research Institute will fully cooperate."
Rene still felt guilty about pressuring Neuvillette to back down last time, so he was the first to pledge his full support.
"The Spina di Rosula feels the same way," Navia added, also pledging her support. "This matter concerns the lives of countless innocents, and we certainly won't stand idly by."
As for the Fortress of Meropide, Wriothesley had only dispatched Gardemeks and didn't attend in person, clearly indicating that these mechanical guardians would follow Neuvillette's commands without question.
Furina, having sacrificed so much for the Fontainians, would certainly have no objections either. The burden she carried for her people was unimaginable.
"Neuvillette, just tell us quickly what we need to do!"
"Enough! Stop wasting time!"
Just as Neuvillette was about to speak, the Divine Dragon suddenly interrupted their conversation.
"If you don't state your wish now, I'll find someone else."
Hearing these words, Neuvillette reluctantly agreed to wish for the revival of the others first.
Watching the streams of light scatter across the sky, Furina spat venomously, "That stupid dragon! I'll make it pay someday!"
Hearing Furina's remark, Neuvillette felt like he might have been caught in the crossfire. He hesitated for a moment but ultimately remained silent.
"For now, everyone, please rush to the attacked cities and rescue as many people as possible. If conditions permit, try capturing the Shadow Dragons alive. This will give us more time to devise a proper strategy."
With these instructions, Neuvillette delegated the tasks.
Soon, everyone hurried off again. Though the Divine Dragon's wish could resurrect the dead, no one could guarantee its reappearance. Each person carried the conviction that this might be their last chance, driving them to fight with every ounce of their strength to save those they could.
Despite their attempts to capture the Shadow Dragons alive, only Neuvillette possessed overwhelming power. The others held only a marginal advantage, and the dragons' unique abilities meant even Rene couldn't subdue them alive.
Even if Neuvillette were to capture the Shadow Dragons alive, their powers couldn't be sealed, making new casualties highly likely.
Thus, the group abandoned the idea of capturing the Shadow Dragons alive. The Divine Dragon soon reappeared in the sky, and everyone reconvened with Furina.
Furina: "..."
At this moment, Furina fell silent, her toes curling with embarrassment so tightly she nearly dug out a three-bedroom apartment.
To the others, she was still the Hydro Archon, always the last to finish dealing with matters. This made them suspicious—either doubting her true identity or questioning whether she was genuinely committed to saving the innocent.
However, due to Furina's status as the Hydro Archon, the others harbored their doubts silently, refraining from questioning her openly.
This time, Neuvillette wasted no time, immediately sharing the plan he had devised along the way.
The plan involved three key steps: organizing evacuations, sharing all available intelligence on the Shadow Dragons, and coordinating with pre-arranged countermeasures and residual power he had left behind to ensure their immediate and complete annihilation.
By eliminating all the Shadow Dragons before they claimed any more victims, they could break free from the current cycle of tragedy.
Achieving this was a daunting task. Perhaps reducing casualties to an acceptable level would be far easier, but Neuvillette refused to abandon anyone.
Soon, everyone mobilized once more.
Though they rescued more people this time, they were still far from achieving zero casualties.
After several such repetitions, the group's morale deteriorated rapidly. Not only did the speed of clearing the Shadow Dragons fail to improve, but the time required actually increased slightly. This realization forced Neuvillette to acknowledge that continuing this approach was unsustainable.
Furina felt the situation was even more dire. She was already struggling to defeat the Shadow Dragons. If they didn't find a new solution quickly, not only would she fail to eliminate the dragons swiftly, but others might witness her being pinned to the ground and humiliated by the beasts.
If that happened, her Hydro Archon persona would collapse completely!
"Neuvillette!"
Under Furina's pleading gaze, Neuvillette felt immense pressure.
In the end, having exhausted all other options, Neuvillette resolved to unite every available force.
Knowing the unique abilities of the Shadow Dragons, even ordinary Vision holders could handle them—albeit with some difficulty—provided they weren't purely brute-force types.
Initially, Neuvillette merely redeployed personnel from various law enforcement agencies. However, he quickly realized that this approach still left them severely understaffed, as only a handful of these personnel possessed Visions.
Consequently, Neuvillette swiftly issued commissions to the Adventurer's Guild, and these requests soon appeared throughout Fontaine's streets and alleys. Simultaneously, Neuvillette addressed the Fontainian populace, providing a preliminary explanation of recent events.
The citizens, utterly bewildered by the sight of familiar and unfamiliar faces dying and resurrecting before their very eyes, finally understood upon reading the commissions: these mysterious creatures wreaking havoc across Fontaine had been unleashed by Neuvillette himself.
A wave of intense resentment immediately surged against Neuvillette, but his supporters still outnumbered his detractors. As a result, many idealistic individuals joined the massive rescue operation.
The vast majority of these individuals dispersed to various cities to assist in relief efforts, while a smaller group formed an organization called the "Strategy Group."
Shortly after its formation, the Strategy Group sent representatives to approach Neuvillette, inquiring about his abilities and specific strength.
Puzzled by their motives, Neuvillette suspected that Cult of No. 6 members might have infiltrated the group. He secretly used his "Who is the Spy?" device to conduct a thorough scan.
The device confirmed that none of the individuals posed a threat.
Although Neuvillette could no longer contact the device's creator, Alva, to verify its functionality, he instinctively trusted the readings.
Having confirmed the Strategy Group's integrity, Neuvillette, eager to maintain their motivation, revealed a portion of his abilities.
Neuvillette watched the Strategy Group member scribble in their notebook, curiosity piqued. He leaned over to see what they were writing.
Neuvillette: Skill 1, Hydro Jet, Damage: 70 Jacobs...
Neuvillette froze instantly, utterly dumbfounded. The Strategy Group members seemed to be treating this like a game.
He then noticed other familiar names in the notebook:
Rene: Skill 1, Zeperion Ray, Damage: 45 Jacobs...
Navia: Skill 1, Shotgun Blast to the Face, Damage: 3 Jacobs...
Noticing Neuvillette's increasingly peculiar expression, the Strategy Group member pushed up their glasses and explained that this method provided a clear, intuitive metric for subsequent calculations.
Staring at the member's earnest demeanor, Neuvillette found it difficult to discern whether they were genuinely serious or simply making things up...