"Carlotta?"
Alessio was first stunned, then his expression turned ruthless:
"The Montelli family… are you also choosing to stand against the Order together with this unknown outsider?"
"Correct."
Carlotta lightly clapped her hands, a calm and confident smile appearing on her face.
A group of people pushed through the dense crowd, took off their outer garments, revealing the standard Montelli family uniforms, and stood behind Carlotta. At the same time, they drew their sidearms from inside their clothes.
"The Montelli family is committed to changing the current situation, breaking the closed shackles of the Order, reopening the sea routes, and allowing the people of Ragunna to regain their freedom once more."
When she said this, Carlotta deliberately looked toward Noah, as if she was intentionally explaining her position to him.
"For two consecutive months, the Order's movements have aroused suspicion within the Montelli family. According to our intelligence, the Order plans to use a ritual to welcome the return of the divine."
"We originally intended to witness the descent of the divine with our own eyes and request that It lift the dogma that has sealed Ragunna, but we unexpectedly heard such an explosive truth."
"Of course, whether it is the truth or not cannot be proven by words alone — evidence is required."
Carlotta's eyes narrowed slightly. The opal-like brilliance in her gaze carried a calm yet dangerous color as she stared directly at the middle-aged priest opposite her, striking straight at his vital point.
"Priest Alessio, the people of Ragunna have the right to know — has the Order been falsely transmitting the Sentinel's oracle? If not, please provide concrete evidence."
Ordinary citizens did not dare to confront the Order of the Deep, but the Montelli family could seize this hard-won opportunity tonight, guide the public's fury, and deal the Order a blow like never before.
If done well, they might even completely crush the power that had been pressing down on the Montelli family for so long.
This was undoubtedly an enormous gamble.
However, the chips she had bet with had never failed her.
Cold sweat slid down from Alessio's forehead. He clenched his teeth and swung his hand forcefully—
"His Holiness has ordered! Take down these fools!"
"What an interesting answer!" The corner of the young lady's lips curved upward.
All the Glory Envoys of the festival on the field charged forward with heavy swords. The leading Echo was struck head-on by a dazzling crystal and instantly frozen solid.
An exquisite long rifle fired first, sounding the opening shot of Ragunna's resistance. Immediately after came the dense, continuous gunfire from all the Montelli members. Screams rang out across the entire square as people fled in every direction.
On the other side.
Cathedral of Mercury.
"Your Holiness, what are you still waiting for?"
Cristoforo, wearing his mask, kept speaking in a bewitching tone:
"Although the ritual to invoke the divine has been interrupted, thanks to your two months of effort, the faith of Ragunna toward the Sentinel has long exceeded the threshold."
"You only need to pour your faith into the 'Sentinel' construct in your hand. Through the medium, you can directly achieve unity of the masses and summon the great Sentinel back. It will only cause slight wear to Its power — nothing worth mentioning."
"The proxy of the Threnodian among the believers… what are you still waiting for?"
Pure white light illuminated the Tide Cathedral, yet it could not dispel the shadow and struggle on Fenrico's face.
"I… am not… I am a believer of Imperator, not a proxy of any Threnodian…"
He was still holding that Decree-defiling Mirror of Nightmare, but both hands trembled uncontrollably:
"Ever since… you gave me this mirror… everything changed!"
"How can that be? This is the mirror that allows you to communicate with the 'Sentinel' you have longed for with all your heart. It is Its creation."
Cristoforo smiled like a gentleman, like a sincere friend patiently guiding another.
Something had gone wrong with the previous script. Noah was not controlled by the Threnodian from the beginning, nor was he merged to become part of the Leviathan's body.
But this time, that guy had actually arrogantly run straight to the center of the crowd — falling perfectly into the trap.
No matter how heaven-defying Noah might be, when calculation meets no calculation, it was impossible for him to avoid the mental pollution brought by the "medium."
"You might as well raise the mirror and speak with It… or perhaps… take a good look at yourself!"
While speaking, Cristoforo gave a meaningful glance to the side. Phrolova understood immediately and raised her cane.
Fenrico's hands lifted uncontrollably. His gaze fell upon the Decree-defiling Mirror of Nightmare — outwardly holy beyond measure, inwardly containing boundless filth.
Half of the mask on his face fell away, revealing the traces of black tide that had spread across the skin beneath. It was utterly horrifying.
Indeed… he was just an ordinary person. Being able to resist the whispers of the black tide for so many years was already difficult enough. How could he possibly withstand the influence of a Threnodian creation?
Endless murmurs rang in Fenrico's ears. He stopped struggling. An expression of ultimate piety and bliss appeared on his face as he began to chant:
"I am willing to bow my head, yet become the servant of all living beings—"
The surface of the Decree-defiling Mirror of Nightmare rippled like water. The image of the entire city of Ragunna appeared within it.
The power of the abomination spread to every corner of the city through hundreds of thousands of mediums.
…
Freedom Square.
The crowd had already scattered and fled in panic. The Order's proud La Guardia and Sagittario had been completely crushed.
"Well done, Carlotta!"
Noah praised from afar and was about to walk over to talk with Carlotta when his sharp ears caught the sound of a soft sob.
He froze, turned his head, and only saw a golden-haired girl from the Order turning away, covering her face as she ran.
Perhaps to him, this was merely an insignificant script.
But to that pure-hearted girl who sincerely believed in the Order, the "truth" he had casually spoken, and the armed confrontation with the Order, felt like the destruction of her entire world.
She would surely feel that she had ended up helping such a hateful "villain," right?
Or perhaps she would think that everything that happened tonight was indirectly caused by her.
Noah fell silent for a moment. He exhaled the stifling feeling in his chest and gently shook his head:
"The truth is cruel, but eventually it must be faced."
However… after breaking the script and returning to reality, perhaps he could use a gentler, more tactful way to help that kind priestess accept it.
He was just about to walk toward Carlotta when he paused, ultimately turning around and heading in Phoebe's direction, running into a secluded alley.
Since the ritual to invoke the divine had already been stopped, his plan could be considered accomplished. From here on, he could do whatever he wanted.
For example… go comfort this little priestess?
As for the little potato, he could wait until he returned to reality and meet her again in a more formal setting.
Not every choice is correct, but at least this time, luck had favored him once more.
On the other side, Carlotta had forced Alessio into a corner. The long spear formed from brilliant crystal hovered right between the middle-aged priest's eyebrows:
"Think you can escape?"
"Speak—"
"What exactly is the Order's goal?"
Alessio forced himself to remain calm:
"Second Miss Carlotta, there is still time to repent your sins before the great Sentinel. Otherwise, neither you nor your family will be able to bear the wrath of God."
"How stubborn. Looks like you really want to witness the new tide."
Carlotta pressed the spear harder against Alessio's forehead. A flash of panic crossed his face, quickly transforming into extreme ecstasy:
"I hear it… the oracle of the Sentinel… hahaha… indeed, only I am worthy of being the true head of the Order!"
He tightly closed his eyes, palms pressed together before his chest, murmuring in a low voice:
"Receive the grace, obey the oracle, act according to Its will…"
"Hm? What did you say?" Carlotta's brows knitted tightly.
Alessio's eyes suddenly snapped open, his expression filled with fanaticism. He chanted obsessively:
"How shall we make them worship You?"
The bizarre posture sent a chill down Carlotta's spine. She instinctively retreated several steps. The sound of her high heels striking the ground rang out shockingly clear in the vast square.
She subconsciously glanced around. The Montelli members who had surrounded several priests now all had their hands pressed together before their chests, piously chanting in unison:
"How shall we make them worship You?"
The chanting spread across the square like a special command, activating an irresistible pollution.
The terminal at her waist glowed with a dark purple light. Carlotta felt her vision rapidly darkening. A mysterious, impossible-to-defy shadow of a dark leviathan-like body appeared before her.
Her head throbbed unbearably, as though some deity was forcibly demanding her faith.
Carlotta clenched her teeth tightly and, with great difficulty, reached toward her waist—
"The terminal… causing area-wide pollution… how is this possible…"
What she carried was a Montelli self-developed terminal, not some common mass-produced model.
When exactly had the Order infiltrated the Montelli family? Through whom had they tampered with the family's terminals?
Carlotta had no time left to think about it. Just before her consciousness was completely overwhelmed by the pollution, she saw endless black tides surging toward Freedom Square from every direction of Ragunna.
At the same moment, tens of thousands of white scrolls simultaneously unfurled across Ragunna, devouring the roaring black tide entirely.
A voice filled with impatience suddenly rang out from some remote alley, amplified through a loudspeaker and resounding across the sky—
"Leviathan, come out and face me!"