Focalors was no longer prepared to wait.
Because she had discovered a terrifying thing—
She seemed to have started falling for King.
This was too terrifying.
At first, it was just through Furina's eyes, watching this man shuttle through Fontaine and solve case after case; she hadn't felt much then.
Later, he began to appear frequently at the Opera Epiclese, appearing by Furina's side, and through their shared perspective, she saw more and more.
Every time she saw him, a strange ripple would rise in her heart.
Focalors initially thought those were Furina's emotions.
After all, they shared the same soul; when Furina liked King, she could also feel the joy in Furina's heart.
But recently, she had become increasingly uncertain.
Because even when King wasn't by Furina's side.
When she was hiding alone in this dark, sunless space, King's figure would actually flash through her mind from time to time.
That feeling was exactly the same as Furina's.
"Focalors, you big idiot."
Focalors covered her face.
The dignified god of water of Fontaine was actually making such a low-level mistake.
Falling for the man Furina liked?
Falling for a "married man"?
What was this?
Self-NTR?
Too ridiculous!
Focalors shook her head vigorously, trying to throw those messy thoughts out of her mind.
But it was useless.
The more she tried to suppress them, the more those thoughts popped up frantically.
She began to imagine if she could also walk out of this cage, stand under the sunlight, and stand before him—
How would he react?
Would he be as gentle as he was to Furina?
Would... "Stop!"
Focalors pinched herself hard.
Although it didn't hurt at all, it at least cleared her head a bit.
She couldn't wait any longer.
If she waited any longer, she might become reluctant to die.
She looked down again at the progress bar beside her—
99.7%.
If only there were a few more trials of justice.
She would be able to gather enough energy to condense that Sword of Execution and kill herself cleanly.
But with the current energy... Focalors bit her lip.
While it could still kill a non-resisting deity, it wouldn't be clean enough.
She wouldn't die so quickly.
It would be very painful.
Very, very painful.
Focalors took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Let it be painful then.
Anyway, it would only hurt for a moment.
It was much better than Fontaine being destroyed.
She stood up, tidied her skirt, and began to mobilize all the Indemnitium collected over these five hundred years.
A blue light condensed above her head, gradually taking shape—
A sharp longsword, its blade flowing with brilliant blue light; it was precisely the Sword of Execution, condensed from countless beliefs and justice.
Focalors gave a helpless smile.
The Sword of Execution rotated slowly, aiming at Focalors' head.
Focalors took one last look at the water mirror.
In the mirror, King was still standing there, staring motionlessly at the Oratrice Mecanique dAnalyse Cardinale.
Focalors suddenly smiled.
"Goodbye, you big scumbag."
She said softly.
"Take good care of Furina for me."
"She's a good girl, don't bully her."
"And also..."
She paused, her eyes feeling a bit sore.
"Forget it, it's nothing."
"Voom—!!!"
A violent fluctuation rippled through the soul space, and Focalors looked out in panic... King's brow was furrowed into a knot, his heart filled with extreme unease.
This unease was like a disease deep in the bones, growing stronger and stronger.
King did not hesitate.
He raised his fist, aiming at the massive Oratrice Mecanique dAnalyse Cardinale.
There was no elemental fluctuation on his fist, no light, no imposing aura; it was like a punch thrown casually by an ordinary person.
But if this punch truly landed—
The Oratrice Mecanique dAnalyse Cardinale would shatter.
The incomparably vast Indemnitium would dissipate.
The painstaking efforts Focalors had accumulated for five hundred years would come to nothing.
"No! Stop it right now—!!!"
A panicked scream of a young girl exploded in King's mind.
In the next second, an invisible pulling force wrapped around his body.
King could have easily broken free.
He was too strong, so strong that as long as he had the slightest thought of resistance, no power in this world could "pull" him even an inch.
But King did not resist.
He allowed that power to envelop him, and the world before his eyes began to distort.
Light and shadow shifted.
When King could clearly see the scene before him again, he was already standing in a completely different space.
This was a massive stage.
The dome was so high that its boundaries could not be seen, and countless brilliant starlights dotted the deep blue background like an inverted Milky Way.
The stage itself was paved with some kind of semi-transparent material, with flowing blue light beneath his feet; stepping on it was like stepping on the surface of water, sending out ripples.
In the center of the stage stood a young girl.
She wore a gorgeous white gown, the skirt layered like a blooming lily.
Her blue-and-white long hair was draped smoothly over her shoulders, flowing with a dreamlike luster under the starlight.
That face was exactly the same as Furina's.
Yet it was also completely different.
Furina was lively, spirited, like a proud yet clingy kitten; her joys and sorrows were written all over her face, making one unable to resist teasing her, coaxing her, and protecting her.
But the girl before him had the tranquility and composure of five hundred years settled between her brows; a faint smile played at the corners of her lips, and her gaze was clear yet profound, as if she could see through everything in the world at a glance, yet still treated it with tenderness.
Standing there, she made one understand that this was a deity.
Focalors.
The god of water, the true ruler of Fontaine, the lonely soul who had hidden alone in the dark, sunless Oratrice for five hundred years.
King looked at her silently.
Focalors also looked at him.
The two just stared at each other like that.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
And then—
"You detestable big scumbag!!!"
Focalors broke character.
That holy and dignified face was instantly covered in a huffy expression, her cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish, her eyes wide, hands on her hips, staring death at King with an "I'm super fierce" expression.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"If the Oratrice is gone, the Indemnitium cannot be preserved!"
"If you land that punch, all the energy I've saved for five hundred years will be gone!!"
"Do you know how hard it was for me to save it up?!"
"Every day huddled in that little box, watching poor little Furina work so hard performing on stage, my heart aching so much I almost went crazy!"
"The two of us worked so hard, and only with great difficulty did we save up this much!"
"You, you, you!"
The more she spoke, the angrier she became, extending a slender jade finger to point at King's nose from afar.
"Scumbag!"
"Stinky scumbag!"
"It's one thing to flirt with Furina and not take responsibility, but now you want to come and bully me?!"
"What did I ever do to you?!"
King: "..."
King: "..."
King: "..."
He was silent for a long time.
Focalors' cheeks were getting a bit sore from puffing them out, so she had to secretly relax for a moment before quickly puffing them out again to maintain her "I'm very angry" expression.
"I think I misheard just now."
King finally couldn't help but speak.
"Are you saying... I'm a scumbag?"
In his black eyes, a hint of embarrassment and innocence flashed.
"Yes! You didn't mishear! Scumbag!"
Focalors nodded vigorously, gritting her teeth.
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