Chapter 793: 793: 793: The Shadow Over the Heavenly Throne

While Arlecchino and Candace exchanged thoughts regarding the nature of the block world, Furina led her entourage back toward the Court of Fontaine. Her mood remained turbulent. Whenever stray monsters crossed their path, she obliterated them with a swift flick of divine authority. Neuvillette and Clorinde had rarely seen their usually dramatic Archon in such a genuine state of fury.

As Furina tore apart a seventh wave of attacking beasts with a surging torrent of pressurized water, Neuvillette finally spoke in a quiet, measured cadence.

"Will you truly not consider what Lord Azhdaha proposed?"

He kept his pace steady beside her. "His words held truth. This looming conflict cannot be avoided. Remaining entirely detached will prove impossible, so preparing in advance might..."

"Enough!"

Furina cut him off with an icy command, the elemental aura around her wavering violently.

Neuvillette sighed quietly, letting the silence settle.

Yet the dam had broken. The grievances and helplessness buried deep within her heart for five hundred years came flooding out in an uncontrollable torrent.

"You have never stood before the Heavenly Principles! What could you possibly understand?"

Furina spun around, her eyes blazing as she glared at Neuvillette and Clorinde.

"Rebellion? With what would we rebel? With the lives of every citizen in Fontaine? With the trivial machinery of the Fontaine Research Institute, or with my own strength, which cannot even overcome Lord Azhdaha in open combat?"

Her breath came in ragged, furious bursts. "Do you think I willingly submit to that exalted arrogance, humbling myself to pray that the gaze above never falls upon Fontaine?"

"You understand nothing! You have witnessed none of it!"

Her voice rose with raw, unbridled emotion, the moisture in the surrounding air shimmering and hissing as if coming to a boil.

The soldiers of the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol bowed their heads in tense silence, while Neuvillette and Clorinde felt a deep, solemn weight press upon their chests. Furina had always acted on theatrical whim, indulging in spectacle and avoiding genuine rage. Never had they witnessed such genuine despair behind her fury.

Furina held their gaze, her voice sharp and trembling with cold intensity.

"How did the previous Hydro Archon perish? How did the first Raiden Shogun fall? How did the catastrophe of the pitch-black rift engulf the world five hundred years ago?"

"How did the Hilichurls scattered across Teyvat come into being?"

"What do any of you truly comprehend?"

"Have you ever seen the skies when the heavens grow wrathful?"

Her knuckles turned white as she spoke. "The firmament collapsed! The entire world trembled in fury, and mountains were drowned in seas of blood! The crimson light of divine authority swallowed the horizon until the world was choked in darkness and slaughter!"

"That is a supreme mandate no god of this world can defy!"

"An entire nation! A civilization mightier than Fontaine ever was!"

"Under that absolute decree, it took less than a single day for it to crumble into ruins. Every single citizen was warped into an immortal monster, stripped of intellect and robbed of humanity. Gods perished, and the earth was rendered utterly barren, all because the throne above was provoked!"

"What do you know of what rests upon Celestia? Do you have any idea how many deities are bound beneath that throne?"

"To that power, what are gods? What are the Archons?"

"Do you truly believe I desired this seat as the Hydro Archon?"

"In your eyes, I am an exalted ruler of a nation. In the eyes of the throne above, I am merely a pet to be commanded at will!"

"When pleased, the throne permits me to reign over a kingdom. When displeased, I am cast aside like worthless debris, and Fontaine becomes nothing more than a fragile toy crushed beneath a careless heel!"

"Do you think the heavens care for Fontaine? How many ancient civilizations have been ground to dust across the ages?"

"If mere numbers could overcome that authority, why did Khaenri'ah fall into ruin?"

"You understand nothing! You cannot begin to fathom what exists above us!"

"An Archon represents a mortal kingdom, but the throne above represents the world itself! How can gods born from the cradle of this world ever hope to defy the will of reality itself?"

Her voice broke slightly at the end, leaving an oppressive silence across the path. Neuvillette and Clorinde remained motionless.

They understood that this was not mere anger; it was the unbearable weight of five centuries of isolation and dread, triggered by Azhdaha's presence and the realization that the Five-Nation Alliance was committed to a direct collision course with the heavens.

As the reigning Archon, she knew better than anyone the devastation awaiting Teyvat. Yet neither Celestia nor the Five-Nation Alliance were forces she could sway. She had no power to shield Fontaine from the fallout.

The scars from five hundred years ago ran too deep. Witnessing the horrors of the cataclysm and watching an ancient civilization reduced to immortal husks had shattered her early worldview, etching an absolute taboo regarding the Heavenly Principles into her soul.

After several long moments, the divine resonance swirling around Furina gradually subsided.

Turning her back to them, she continued the march toward the capital.

Neuvillette and Clorinde exchanged a quiet look before falling into step behind her.

"You have never spoken of these things to us," Neuvillette murmured softly.

"Hmph!"

Furina crossed her arms, her tone regaining a trace of defensive aloofness. "What purpose would it serve? Could you change the outcome? To the heavens, Archons are servants. To the Five-Nation Alliance, they already possess surplus Archon-level fighters. Neither side can be swayed by our words, so what could you possibly do? Do you believe Fontaine possesses the strength to alter their resolve?"

Her words were harsh, yet Neuvillette could find no rational counterargument.

After a pause, he offered thoughtfully, "Yet the Archons who survived the cataclysm, including Rex Lapis, understand the full might of the heavens. If they have chosen to unite and openly defy Celestia, does that not suggest they possess a definitive safeguard against that power?"

Furina stiffened slightly, a flicker of irritation crossing her brow. "I do not know, nor do I care to know. What does their grand crusade have to do with me? I only care to protect this small corner of the world, ensuring Fontaine survives."

Neuvillette sighed quietly, pressing the matter no further as they walked.

Beneath her aloof facade, Furina's thoughts were churning.

Celestia, the Five-Nation Alliance, the Abyss Order... the tangled web of factions left her with a throbbing headache. She was merely a successor Archon whose greatest joy was watching the lively disputes inside the Opera Epiclese. Why must history force her into taking sides?

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the dark foreboding back into the depths of her mind, letting her usual theatrical poise return.

"Today provided a clear glimpse of what the Five-Nation Alliance can field," she remarked casually. "Both the Dragon Cavalry and their modern ballistic weapons exceed our previous expectations. Especially those firearms; neither Fontaine nor Snezhnaya possesses ballistic engineering of such terrifying efficiency. Wherever those armaments originated, they offer a viable direction for our own technological expansion."

She glanced over at Clorinde. "Upon our return, instruct the Research Institute to prioritize ballistic weaponry. Perhaps they can achieve a breakthrough. Though we shall not march in their war, Lord Azhdaha was right about one thing: being drawn into the periphery is inevitable. We must elevate Fontaine's defense and prepare for the worst. In the coming storm, anyone may fall, but the civilization of Fontaine must endure!"

Clorinde nodded crisply. "Understood. I will deliver the directive to the Institute immediately."

Furina quickened her pace, setting her eyes on the distant spires of the city.

Meanwhile, along the desert frontier, the Snezhnayan troops finished their rest.

Arlecchino and Candace concluded their conversation. Though Candace had visited the block realm only a few times, her understanding was largely centered on the terraforming materials transported to the desert. Yet those details alone were enough to broaden Arlecchino's horizon, leaving her eager to reach Liyue and enter Ryen's world.

The vanguard reformed and set out across the sands.

Dragons secured the aerial corridor above, while rifle divisions cleared the perimeter below. The Snezhnayan detachment had only to maintain their march, experiencing the most effortless leg of their journey since leaving the north. With the rogue Fatui networks unable to reach into Sumeru and wild beasts shredded by coordinated rifle fire before getting close, Arlecchino watched the operational precision with silent admiration.

She could only hope to accelerate the transition for Snezhnaya's own military under the Tsaritsa's command.

To Azhdaha and the Adepti, the border skirmish was a minor disturbance, hardly worth reporting to Ryen while the expedition proceeded.

Across the New Continent, Ryen's party continued mapping the frontier.

Over the past several days, they had charted roughly a fifth of the massive landmass. Beyond the Wizardry mod structures, they encountered several distinct vanilla biomes, including the Ancient Cities of the Deep Dark.

Within those obsidian corridors, they faced the Warden, the most lethal non-modded entity in the game. Though slightly smaller in frame than an Iron Golem, a single heavy blow from the beast had shattered Tartaglia's stone-hardened stance, crushing the shield Zhongli had layered over him and instantly triggering his Totem of Undying.

The creature's staggering kinetic output had caught everyone off guard.

Guided by Ryen's tactical direction, the group successfully secured the ancient chest guarded by the creature, retrieving three Sparking Diamonds alongside rare Wizardry accessories and a Master Spellbook, making the expedition well worth the effort.

Currently, the party had just cleared another Wizard Tower.

Recognizing that the occupant was an irredeemable Evil Wizard who refused all trade, Ryen chose not to engage in close-quarters spell duels. He deployed modern rocket launchers, bombarding the tower from a safe distance before claiming the loot.

The run yielded merely an Advanced Staff. After days of gathering Master-tier weapons across the continent, an Advanced Staff held little appeal for the vanguard. Seeing that no one else was interested, Aether gladly accepted the weapon into his inventory.

As noon approached, the party gathered for a meal, deliberating on their next vector.

Suddenly, Venti came dashing back through the trees, his braided hair fluttering in the breeze.

"Ryen! Is that Library ruin you mentioned made of cobblestone surrounding a cluster of weathered bookshelves?"

Ryen paused, looking up with a grin. "You found it?"

"Ehe!" Venti gave a playful shrug. "If that matches your description, then the Library is just over the ridge. Furthermore, a short distance away sits a rather peculiar triangular stone structure. Could that be..."

Ryen rose to his feet, his eyes lighting up. "An Obelisk!"