"How is this possible?"
Furina could never have imagined that Emily and Amos were siblings. Their personalities seemed worlds apart. Moreover, Amos's words implied that No. 6 was also his younger brother.
The fact that these three, who had caused such immense pain to all of Fontaine, were siblings was almost impossible for Furina to accept.
"Impossible! Emily never once mentioned having two older brothers to me!"
Amos chuckled at Furina's words.
"Heh, perhaps Lady Furina never truly penetrated my sister's heart."
"You're lying! You know nothing of the bond Emily and I shared!"
Faced with Furina's vehement denial, Amos shook his head.
"And I must correct you on one point: I alone am No. 8's older brother. No. 6 is not."
Hearing Amos's words, Furina and the others were bewildered.
"You mean you're the older brother to both of them, but they aren't related to each other?"
"Precisely."
Hearing Amos's reply, a sudden realization dawned on Navia.
"You wouldn't have used your abilities on them, would you?"
"Miss Navia is quite perceptive," Amos said, shrugging before continuing. "It was merely a necessary means to maintain our familial bonds."
"You disgusting creature! Family isn't maintained through such methods!" Furina shouted furiously at Amos. "No, Emily doesn't even have you as an older brother! You've manipulated her feelings through your vile tricks!"
"On the contrary," Amos said, lifting his chin slightly and looking down at the trio with disdain. "I gave No. 8 the will to live when she was at her most desperate. I am her savior."
"What?"
Ignoring their shock, Amos continued, "Think back to when I first found her huddled in a dark corner, clutching herself, her face streaked with tears like a helpless little animal."
"It truly ignited an impulse to crush her completely."
Amos calmly uttered words that Furina and her companions found unbearable, instantly elevating their perception of his danger to a new level.
"But I suppressed that destructive impulse and extended my hand to No. 8. I believe, in that moment, I was the only thing she truly cherished."
The smile on Amos's face was gentle, but his words were chillingly contradictory, sending a shiver down their spines.
"No. 8 was a complete failure. She possessed talent that even I envied, yet her personality was so weak—it was truly exasperating."
Amos shook his head.
"Whenever she cried, it was always her older brother who appeared by her side, comforting her, protecting her, and helping her regain the courage to carry on."
"Looking back on those tender moments... how nostalgic."
Amos gazed into the distance, as if reliving every detail of his time with Emily.
Hearing that Emily had often cried, Furina's heart clenched, a suffocating feeling rising within her.
So even the seemingly strong and beautiful Emily had a vulnerable side...
It must be because of that incident—the trouble her abilities had caused everyone. She was grieving and blaming herself for it.
Compared to that, Amos's phony act filled Furina with disgust.
"Enough! Stop with this fake sympathy!"
"You could never comfort Emily! You're not that kind of person!"
"When she's sad, the best you can do is refrain from kicking her when she's down!"
"Emily has never even mentioned you to me! That proves you mean nothing to her!"
Furina had never doubted her own place in Emily's heart, nor did she believe Amos could ever become her emotional pillar.
Emily loathed her own abilities so deeply that she could never develop any affection for someone like Amos. Whatever he claimed was undoubtedly embellished!
More likely, he was manipulating Emily through her abilities.
"Heh heh heh, believe it or not, it doesn't matter."
"No. 8 gifted her belongings to me, her older brother, as a medium to activate my powers. That's an undeniable fact."
"Perhaps, deep down, she actually wanted to see this world descend into chaos."
"After all, to her, this must have been a profoundly dull and uninteresting world."
Amos's words startled Furina slightly. She seemed to have heard similar sentiments from Emily herself.
Emily had indeed grown to despise this world, her final wish being to see Furina in person and become her friend.
But wait, Furina thought, if what Amos says is true—that he was Emily's spiritual pillar—how could she have ever contemplated taking her own life?
With renewed resolve, Furina's gaze hardened.
"Enough of your lies. We won't believe a word you say."
"I'll personally ask Emily about the truth when the time comes."
"And you—you will face the Judgment you deserve today!"
"Lady Furina is right," Charlotte chimed in, taking over Furina's words. "Miss Emily never mentioned any connection between you two. Stop making things up!"
"Is that so? You're quite the silver-tongued liar, aren't you?"
Amos gave Furina a deep, lingering look before speaking again.
"You've deceived all the Fontainians for centuries, leading them around by the nose. So, Lady Furina, what Judgment will you face?"
"Whether what you say is true or not—whether Lady Furina truly deceived everyone in Fontaine..."
Navia stepped forward, her voice clear and steady.
In truth, Navia had harbored some doubts about Furina's true nature for some time. After all, Furina's displayed strength was shockingly weak—barely surpassing that of an ordinary person. Navia even suspected she might not be a match for her in combat.
Yet, as she had just declared, Navia was certain that even if Furina had deceived everyone, her intentions could not have been malicious.
Moreover, Neuvillette, who was far closer to Furina than anyone else, couldn't possibly have overlooked the anomalies surrounding her. If even Neuvillette had remained silent, how could she dare suspect Furina?
"Don't try to sow discord between us. This only proves you're at your wit's end, Amos."
"Sow discord? No, there's no need for that at all."
Amos shook his head at Navia's words.
"Because it will all be over soon. You can't stop anything."
"Oh, right! Chevreuse!"
Navia, who had been feeling like she'd forgotten something, suddenly remembered that Chevreuse hadn't fired at Amos yet. She immediately looked in that direction and saw Chevreuse already surrounded by several Cult of No. 6 members.
Fortunately, Chevreuse didn't seem to be in any immediate danger, so Navia breathed a small sigh of relief before turning her attention back to Amos.
At that moment, Amos raised his hand, and several Cult of No. 6 members wielding weapons emerged from the shadows, closing in on the trio.
Just as Furina and her companions were bracing themselves for a fight, Amos spoke softly, his voice carrying a chilling undertone.
"Now that you know my ability, why don't you guess whether I've used it on these people?"
Furina and her companions' hearts sank at Amos' words.
Given his capabilities, such a possibility seemed very real.
This is bad. They would have to fight with one hand tied behind their backs, and facing an opponent of Amos's caliber with hesitation could prove disastrous.
Just as Furina, Charlotte, and Navia were hesitating, the members of the Cult of No. 6 unleashed a devastating barrage of firepower from their weapons.
"Get down!"
Acting instinctively, Furina didn't think twice. She channeled her Anemo Energy to whisk Charlotte aside to safety, while Navia bravely stepped forward to intercept the incoming projectiles, blocking every attack.
Fontaine's weapons had undergone several major upgrades, making even Navia's defense incredibly challenging. Fortunately, seeing Furina and Charlotte had reached safety, she withdrew just in time.
"Lady Furina?"
Feeling a gentle breeze beneath her feet, Charlotte was utterly stunned.
While she had suspected there might be something unusual about Furina's identity, she never imagined Furina could wield Anemo Energy.
"Ah, this..." Furina forced an awkward smile. Just as she was about to trot out the same flimsy excuse she'd used on Neuvillette, she sensed another wave of gunfire sweeping toward them.
"Now isn't the time for explanations. I'll explain everything after this is over."
Charlotte nodded and followed Furina as they dodged the barrage. This time, better prepared mentally, Charlotte didn't slow them down as much.
Watching Furina, surrounded by swirling Anemo currents, Charlotte couldn't help but picture Emily in her mind, sparking a faint suspicion in her heart.
Just then, Navia's body erupted in searing Pyro flames.
"Fire!"
Molten lava rained down from above, bypassing the Cult of No. 6 members who were closing in and hurtling toward Amos. Though his Elemental Power was restrained, Amos remained agile, casually evading Navia's attack.
Seeing this, Furina's hidden Hydro Vision began to glow. Raging winds and surging currents converged to seal off Amos's escape routes. For the first time, Amos furrowed his brow.
"Impressive teamwork!"
Charlotte never imagined that their first collaboration could be so perfectly synchronized. She couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
But then, a thought struck her. She glanced at Furina, then at Navia, and finally at herself. They seemed alike, yet somehow different—and she was the only one who felt out of place.
Amos finally had no choice but to act. With his escape routes completely blocked, inaction was no longer an option.
Instead of directly confronting Navia's powerful attack, he chose to intercept Furina's seemingly less formidable strike.
Purple electric arcs erupted from Amos' body as he struggled to neutralize Furina's attack.
Seeing this, Furina, Navia, and Charlotte inwardly rejoiced. Their opponent's strength was far weaker than they had anticipated.
This is our chance!
To be fair, Amos was by no means weak; in fact, he was stronger than most. But after repeatedly being thwarted by Furina, he now seemed like he was practically handing them a victory.
Amos clearly realized this as well. Frowning, he called out to the two combatants clashing in the sky:
"Stop playing around. Finish off Neuvillette quickly. We have more important matters to attend to."
"If Neuvillette proves too difficult to defeat in short order, then burn your life force."
Upon hearing Amos's words, Dark Furina, who had been locked in a fierce aerial battle with Neuvillette, paused momentarily. In that instant, the Abyss Aura surrounding her intensified severalfold, and her aura surged violently, causing Neuvillette to frown deeply.
Clearly, she was about to fight to the death. Yet the reason for her desperate move was a single command from Amos, a fact that Neuvillette found utterly baffling.
Neuvillette had initially assumed Dark Furina was being controlled by one of Dottore's Segments. But that wasn't the case.
Even after the death of the Dottore Variant, Dark Furina continued to pursue her original objectives.
Yet she obeyed Amos's commands so readily.
However, Neuvillette had little time to ponder these mysteries. With Dark Furina having ignited her life force, facing her now would be incredibly dangerous.
Fortunately, the preparations he had made in advance would now come into play.
It should be about time now...
Neuvillette cast a sweeping glance downward, then subtly signaled with a gesture. Instantly, the tide of battle turned.
A vast swarm of Gardemeks surged forth from hidden locations. Each machine was armed with state-of-the-art weaponry, their overwhelming firepower immediately pinning down the Cult of No. 6, preventing them from even raising their heads.
Simultaneously, spotlights converged on Dark Furina, who hovered in the sky. The terrifying aura surrounding her abruptly halted, then gradually began to dissipate.
Other beams focused on the Giant Whale, which had already forced its massive body through the spatial tear, eliciting an anguished and furious roar from the creature.
Primordial Sea Suppression Rays!
Refined by the Fontaine Research Institute, the current version of the Suppression Ray possessed far greater potency.
The Giant Whale, which had been pursuing fleeing civilians, abruptly changed course, now fixating on the devices causing it such excruciating pain and discomfort. Its colossal body lumbered toward them, crushing everything in its path. Yet the Maison Gardiennage officers operating the devices showed no fear, not a single one abandoning their post.
In this critical moment, as Fontaine teetered on the brink of annihilation, they would stand with these machines to the bitter end, even if it meant sacrificing their lives.
As the Giant Whale lunged forward, another colossal creature—a whale formed entirely of Hydro Element—suddenly erupted from the ground and charged directly at it.
Moments later, the spectacular collision of the two colossal whales filled the skies above the battlefield, witnessed by everyone present.