"Lady Furina, be careful of this man!" Charlotte warned.
"He's Amos, the Cult Leader of the Cult of No. 6—an extremely dangerous individual!"
"Monsieur Neuvillette warned me that his threat level rivals that of the original No. 6!"
Hearing Charlotte's warning, Furina snapped out of her daze and eyed the man with equal wariness.
Though she had never met him before, anyone whom Neuvillette considered troublesome was someone she couldn't afford to underestimate.
Moreover, rumor had it that this man had orchestrated the complete severing of ties between the Fatui's Arlecchino branch and Fontaine. To this day, Fontaine still maintains a strict ban on Fatui personnel entering or leaving the nation without authorization.
If his agents hadn't infiltrated Fontaine's inner circles, Neuvillette would never have ordered the Fontaine Research Institute to create a device to identify spies, leading to her own identity being questioned. Had Neuvillette not needed to rescue her from the Maison Gardiennage, the tragedy at the military exercise would never have occurred!
As these thoughts flooded her mind, Furina's gaze sharpened with hostility.
This man was the true culprit! None of this was Neuvillette's fault!
"Heh heh heh, Monsieur Neuvillette, your praise is too generous. I still fall somewhat short compared to No. 6."
Though his words seemed humble, claiming to be only "somewhat short" of No. 6—the figure who had become the lingering nightmare haunting All of Fontaine—revealed his deep-seated arrogance.
"I've heard of Miss Charlotte's reputation as well. You're a truly exceptional journalist, with impressive skills. I admire you greatly."
"It would be a pity to destroy you so easily. I have an insatiable thirst for talent."
"Are you interested in leaving the side of that charlatan who has deceived all the Fontainians and coming to my side to follow Fontaine's true Hydro Archon?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Charlotte froze, utterly stunned by the words.
"Heh, exactly what I said. The one standing beside you is merely an ordinary mortal."
"Don't, don't listen to his lies!"
Realizing her true identity was about to be exposed, Furina desperately tried to salvage the situation.
"He's saying this on purpose to sow discord between us! Charlotte, you mustn't believe a word he says! I am the Hydro Archon—that imposter over there is the fake!"
Charlotte finally snapped out of her daze, her gaze toward Furina filled with conflicted emotions.
Furina's earlier frantic explanations were telling. If the man were truly spouting nonsense, why would a divine being like Furina rush to explain herself to a mere mortal with such urgency?
Charlotte's mind drifted back to Neuvillette's earlier request for her to look after Furina, and a dawning realization settled in her heart.
She shook her head and turned back to Amos.
"Whether what you say is true or not, I could never pledge loyalty to you criminals who threaten the peace of Fontaine!"
"Is that so? What a pity."
Amos smiled faintly, then raised his hand, a heart-stopping aura coalescing around him.
"Miss Charlotte, then don't blame me for showing you no mercy."
Such overwhelming power!
As Charlotte sensed the overwhelming aura emanating from Amos, her heart sank. The disparity in strength was simply too great. Even if she tried to escape with Furina, it would likely be impossible.
Regret began to gnaw at Charlotte's heart. All this time, the Furina she had known was just an ordinary person, not the true Hydro Archon. This woman had deceived the Fontaine folk for centuries, and now Charlotte was risking her life to lead her away from the battlefield.
If I hand Furina over to them, would I at least survive...?
"Charlotte, what... what are you doing?"
Furina's bewildered voice snapped Charlotte back to reality. She realized her hand was already resting on Furina's slender neck.
Furina placed both hands on Charlotte's arm, gazing at her with confusion.
"I'm so sorry, Lady Furina!"
Realizing she had nearly done something irreversible, Charlotte hastily withdrew her hand and apologized to Furina.
"There's no need to apologize. You didn't actually do anything. It's just that you were acting a little strange just now, Charlotte—it was quite frightening."
"I'm so sorry!"
Charlotte apologized again upon hearing Furina's words.
"I don't know what came over me just now. I almost did something terrible. Thank goodness Lady Furina woke me up in time!"
"Woke you up?"
A peculiar expression suddenly crossed Furina's face.
"Are you sure about that, Charlotte? Are you absolutely certain you're fully awake now?"
Seeing Furina's increasingly unsettling behavior, Charlotte felt a prick of alarm. Then, as if realizing something, she glanced around at their surroundings.
Though the scene before her still appeared to be near the Opera Epiclese, it was drastically different from before. Apart from herself and Furina, there wasn't another soul in sight—not even Amos, who had been standing right in front of them moments ago. The silence was eerie and oppressive.
Just then, Charlotte felt someone lean close to her ear and whisper softly,
"Charlotte, you were actually planning to kill me earlier, weren't you?"
It was still Furina's voice, but now her tone was icy cold. Her breath brushed against the exposed skin of Charlotte's neck, sending shivers down her spine.
"So if I were to kill you now, you wouldn't find it unfair, would you?"
"After all, you struck first. This would just be self-defense."
Sensing Furina's rising aura, Charlotte immediately backed away.
"I accuse Lady Furina of being a fraud! She's not the Hydro Archon!"
"She's just an ordinary human! She's not our Archon of Fontaine!"
"She's been deceiving all of us for five hundred years!"
Watching Charlotte publicly accuse her before the assembled masses, Furina's eyes widened in disbelief.
"W-why?"
Furina couldn't understand. Charlotte had initially said it didn't matter whether she was the Hydro Archon or not. Yet now, in front of so many people, she was launching these accusations.
No, the time isn't right for everyone to know the truth. It's not time yet!
Furina's gaze hardened once more. She looked at the Fontainians in the audience, who were hurling accusations and curses at her, cleared her throat slightly, and spoke:
"Charlotte, what nonsense are you spouting? How could I possibly not be the Hydro Archon?"
"I, Furina de Fontaine, am the regina of all waters, all realms, all peoples, and all laws—the God of Justice of Fontaine!"
"If you claim I am not the Hydro Archon of Fontaine, can you prove it?"
Facing Furina's challenge, Charlotte chuckled softly and replied:
"Of course I can."
As soon as Charlotte finished speaking, Furina heard familiar footsteps behind her. She turned to see Neuvillette slowly approaching her.
At the same moment, a radiant blue light began to emanate from Neuvillette's body. Knowing him well, Furina recognized this as the sign of him activating his powers.
"Defeat me, and you can prove yourself to be the Hydro Archon of Fontaine, Lady Furina," Neuvillette said.
Upon hearing Neuvillette's words, Furina's face twisted in disbelief.
"Neuvillette, why are even you betraying me?!"
Neuvillette offered no reply to Furina's words. Instead, he slowly raised a hand, and a surging tide engulfed her entire field of vision...
Amos watched the two motionless figures standing a short distance away, his smile deepening. He leisurely strolled toward Furina and Charlotte's location, simultaneously retracting the pocket watch he had previously taken out.
Though Furina and Charlotte stared ahead, their eyes held no spark of vitality, as if only empty shells remained in their place.
Their faces were grim, sweat trickling down their foreheads and dripping into their mouths, yet they seemed utterly oblivious.
As Amos drew closer, he nonchalantly tossed a coin in the air, moving through the battlefield with the casual air of someone strolling through their own backyard garden.
Only when he stood before them did he slowly withdraw a vial filled with a vibrant blue-purple liquid from his pocket—clearly containing the Primordial Sea Water.
"Welcome our new members to the Homeland!"
Just as Amos was about to sprinkle the Primordial Sea Water on Furina and Charlotte, a flash of golden yellow darted across the battlefield and came to a halt before him.
A floral parasol was aimed at Amos's face. The ribs snapped shut, revealing a pitch-black gun barrel.
"Frontal ambush!"
Countless bullets erupted from the barrel in an instant, but Amos evaded them all.
Taking a slight step back, Amos reached into his pocket for the pocket watch he had retrieved earlier. But before he could pull it out, a gunshot rang out from the distance, and a bullet struck the watch with pinpoint accuracy, shattering it to pieces.
"Well done, Chevreuse!"
Navia swung her massive axe at Amos, forcing him back again before giving a thumbs-up in a specific direction. In the distance, Chevreuse, who was aiming through a scope, returned the gesture before unleashing a barrage of shots at Amos.
These attacks posed no real threat to Amos, but they served their purpose: to keep him at bay long enough for Navia to lead Furina and Charlotte to safety.
Just as Navia turned to leave, preparing to drag Furina and Charlotte away, both women regained consciousness.
"What just happened?"
Furina and Charlotte stared blankly ahead, their memories gradually returning. Their eyes cleared, and they remembered being trapped in a terrifying nightmare. Even when they realized it was a dream, they couldn't wake up.
"Thank goodness you're awake!" Navia breathed a sigh of relief.
Amos was no weakling, and Navia had little confidence in her ability to escape with two burdens in tow. But now the situation had reversed; it was Amos who should be running.
However, Navia knew too little about Amos's capabilities. Engaging him directly might lead to the same fate as Furina and Charlotte. She quickly questioned them:
"Miss Charlotte, Lady Furina, what did you experience just now?"
"It felt like we were trapped in a dream," Charlotte replied.
Hearing Navia's question, Charlotte quickly summarized what she had seen.
"And it was a nightmare!" Furina added through gritted teeth, the memory of the dream still haunting her.
In Furina's memory, Neuvillette had been an invincible being. To fight such a being—not to mention how utterly she had been beaten—was humiliating.
Neuvillette had pummeled her like a father scolding his daughter!
Hearing their accounts, Navia nodded.
"I think I understand now. From what you've described, Amos likely possesses hypnotic abilities."
"You probably didn't notice it at the time, but Amos deliberately used language to draw your attention, focusing your gaze on his hands. That was likely when he hypnotized you both."
"The reason you were able to break free may be because Chevreuse destroyed the hypnotic medium."
With that, Navia pointed to the shattered pocket watch on the ground. Furina and Charlotte followed her gaze and froze in stunned silence.
The shattered pocket watch had sprung open, revealing a photograph inside pierced through the center by a bullet.
Though the photo was small, the bullet hole had nearly obliterated the image, leaving only half a face visible.
The face wore a warm smile, one that Furina and Charlotte recognized instantly: Emily.
A deafening roar erupted in Furina's mind. She couldn't fathom why Emily's photo would be in Amos's possession.
Upon closer inspection, the pocket watch seemed unusually delicate, more suited to a woman.
"Sigh, really?"
Amos's deep, magnetic voice drifted from afar. The group looked up to see him slowly approaching again, his faint smile undisturbed, as if nothing had transpired.
"The only keepsake my sister gave me... ruined by you all. How troublesome."
"Sister?"
The pupils of Furina and the other two dilated sharply at Amos's words. A terrifying hypothesis began to form in their minds.
"Indeed, sister," Amos nodded.
"Though foolish to the point of absurdity, we siblings did share some unforgettable moments together."
"I'm sure you've met her as well, but she's already returned to the Homeland."
"My foolish younger brother wasn't so fortunate. But he has no one to blame but himself, given his impulsive, thoughtless, and arrogant nature."
"Now I, as his older brother, have to personally clean up the mess he left behind."
Although Amos didn't explicitly name his brother, the three present already had a strong suspicion.
At this moment, Amos gave a slight bow to the trio and said, "My apologies, you three. I suddenly realized I neglected to introduce myself earlier."
Amos gazed at Furina and her companions, his smile piercingly bright, leaving them feeling utterly unsettled.
"I am No. 5. It's a pleasure to meet you. Please treat me kindly."