Something is wrong with Sumeru!
Dottore, hidden among the crowd, watched the passersby, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.
These people were acting strangely—laughing one moment, crying the next.
It was too bizarre. No matter how he looked at it, nothing seemed normal!
Worse, some people would suddenly collapse while dancing, for reasons even Dottore couldn't discern. A chill ran down his spine.
Combined with the Celestial Nail that had flashed across the sky moments ago, he felt this was an omen of Sumeru's impending doom
Remaining in Sumeru is definitely not a wise move. I must evacuate immediately!
As for the dangerous task of retrieving the Gnosis... I'll just let my Segments handle it.
However, a single Segment probably won't be enough anymore. I'll need to send several more.
With this thought, Dottore contacted several other Segments, ordering them to abandon their current research and head to Sumeru to retrieve the Gnosis.
"Damn it! Prime really doesn't see us as human at all!"
After hanging up the call with Dottore, the Segments' eyes filled with terrifying killing intent.
They were already inside Sumeru's borders and had witnessed the horrifying scene that had unfolded in the sky earlier. It was obvious that Prime was afraid for his own life and was sending them to die in his place.
If they had remained in other regions, they would never have known about the massive upheaval in Sumeru. Following Prime's orders to retrieve the Gnosis then would have been a near-certain death sentence.
If Prime had even bothered to reveal a fraction of Sumeru's current situation, their killing intent might have been slightly less intense.
But now, all the Dottores hated Prime to the bone—a hatred even stronger than the one they felt for Dottore No. 6, who had screwed them over so many times.
"Calm down. We've known for a long time that Prime doesn't treat us as people."
Dottore No. 6, however, appeared remarkably calm, even wearing a relaxed smile.
"Don't forget what we need to do. This time, we'll show him what we're made of!"
"Let's get ready quickly, just as we planned."
"This time, we'll make sure he has no escape!"
"Hmph!"
Although they were furious at being ordered around by Dottore No. 6, Neuvillette had already threatened them. So, despite their simmering resentment, the other Dottores followed No. 6's instructions and began their preparations.
Sometime later, Dottore No. 1 and No. 2 arrived by boat, docking at the Port Ormos wharf.
"You're late."
Dottore glanced at the two Segments on the boat and spoke coldly.
Keep up that arrogant act. Let's see if you can still maintain it later!
Dottore No. 1 and No. 2 sneered inwardly but kept their expressions neutral. "The winds and waves were rough along the way, so we were delayed," they said flatly.
"Dottore, we're not your subordinates. Watch your tone."
Hearing their words, Dottore frowned in displeasure.
This was the one thing that annoyed him about the Segments. To replicate himself as perfectly as possible, Dottore had granted them an extremely high degree of autonomy. If he didn't possess the ability to erase them with a single thought, these Segments would have likely rebelled long ago.
After all these years, Dottore had actually begun to consider completely erasing these Segments. He had always viewed them as an extremely volatile factor.
However, the materials required to create the Segments were far too precious, and he couldn't bear the thought of destroying them so wastefully.
It was precisely this thought that led Dottore to summon more Segments to Sumeru to handle these dangerous tasks for him.
In the end, whether they succeeded or failed, the outcome would align with his expectations. Either way, he wouldn't lose.
Of course, Dottore had long grown accustomed to the Segments' insolent tone. He wouldn't erase these still-useful tools over something so trivial.
"Did you bring what I asked for?"
At Dottore's question, the two Segments gestured toward the ship. Dottore then ordered the Fatui soldiers to board and inspect the cargo.
Soon, the soldiers returned to report that the ship's hold contained unconscious Fontainians and a Melusine, along with several of Fontaine's native monsters.
These were all soulless clones. If Dottore had inspected them himself, he might have noticed the anomalies. But the Fatui soldiers, lacking expertise in this area, were completely incapable of detecting the deception.
Naturally, Dottore had no intention of inspecting them personally. He didn't believe Dottore No. 1 and No. 2 would dare try to deceive him with fakes.
"Not bad."
Hearing that everything he wanted was here, Dottore's mood improved slightly. He then turned to the two Segments and asked, "What happened to you two? Why are you the only ones on the ship?"
The pair had already prepared an excuse.
"We were already short-staffed over there, so we didn't bring many people. The waves were too rough along the way, and everyone else fell overboard to feed the fish."
After hearing their explanation, Dottore glanced at the ship's condition and noticed some water stains and signs of damage.
As for why the experimental subjects were unharmed, they were obviously stored separately, which prevented them from being swept into the sea.
Although he was still slightly suspicious about why all the soldiers had fallen overboard, the matter wasn't important. Even if the two had arrived alone, Dottore wouldn't have considered it a major issue, so he didn't dwell on it.
"Alright, I'm taking over the ship now," Dottore declared. "One of you will stay here to handle matters in Port Ormos. The other will return with me to Snezhnaya."
Dottore No. 1 and No. 2 had already anticipated Dottore's orders. After all, no one in the world understood Dottore better than they did.
"I'll stay."
Dottore No. 2 spoke up. His strength was slightly weaker, so he let the more powerful Dottore No. 1 go to ensure the plan proceeded smoothly.
Dottore said nothing in response and simply boarded the ship.
Meanwhile, Dottore No. 2 disembarked to find the head of Port Ormos and get an update on the situation there.
Soon, the ship slowly pulled away from Port Ormos. Throughout the entire process, not a single Matra appeared to condemn Dottore's brazen actions. The Fatui were so arrogant in Sumeru that ordinary Matra wouldn't dare provoke them—they wouldn't even dare to glance in their direction.
If he had a choice, Dottore wouldn't have withdrawn from Fontaine so quickly. After all, where else could he find such a rich source of experimental subjects?
Back in Snezhnaya, he would be limited to using death row inmates, and the supply of test subjects would be far from sufficient.
Standing on the deck and gazing at the distant scenery, Dottore's mind raced with countless thoughts.
He never imagined he would be used as a pawn this time, his hard-won research ultimately serving to benefit someone else.
Edward. He seared the name into his memory.
Sooner or later, he would make that man regret ever being born.
Although Dottore's expression remained calm, the terrifying aura he exuded made the Fatui soldiers behind him break out in a cold sweat, their hearts pounding with unease.
Just then, Dottore seemed to recall something. He turned to Dottore No. 1 beside him and said, "You must have seen the anomaly in Sumeru earlier. Describe what you saw."
While Dottore No. 1 was also him, he was a version from a different point in time. He might have noticed details that the original Dottore had missed.
This was the fundamental reason he created the "Segments." If the circumstances allowed, Dottore would have simply read Dottore No. 1's memories directly.
"We were too far away. We only saw the projection of Celestia and couldn't make out anything else."
Dottore was slightly dissatisfied with this answer, but he quickly shook his head and set the matter aside for now. Instead, he began to ponder whether he could "borrow" some experimental subjects from the House of the Hearth.
After all, during missions, there were always those who "accidentally" failed. If a few orphans went missing, surely no one would investigate too deeply.
Although this might offend that woman, Arlecchino, he was desperately short on experimental subjects.
Just as Dottore was weighing the pros and cons of this plan, Dottore No. 1's eyes suddenly lit up as if he had received a message. He then slowly walked toward Dottore.
"Hmm?"
As the Prime, Dottore's senses were exceptionally sharp. He turned, looking at Dottore No. 1 with suspicion. "Did someone send you a message? What did it say?"
"Indeed, someone did," Dottore No. 1 replied with a faint smile.
At that moment, a colossal formation erupted over the sea, enveloping an area hundreds of thousands of meters wide in its Domain. The very air grew heavy and oppressive, the fabric of space itself seeming to strain.
"He said... it's time to make our move."
As Dottore No. 1's words fell, he lunged forward, his speed so immense that he left afterimages in his wake. In an instant, he was upon Dottore, his hand striking toward his heart.
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, his mind reeling from the appearance of the formation, and still weakened by his previous injuries, Dottore couldn't react in time. He managed only to twist his body slightly. The next second, several bloody gashes were torn across his chest.
BOOM—
The deck exploded, sending the Fatui soldiers who had been standing there flying. Three figures then burst up from below, charging toward Dottore at blinding speed.
Scrambling to dodge their attacks, Dottore sustained several more wounds. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the incandescent rage that consumed him upon recognizing his assailants.
"You dare betray me?!"
A thought flared in his mind—a command—but the four Dottores before him remained completely unaffected. In that instant, Dottore realized the gravity of the situation.
Such a powerful formation?
Sensing the Domain's formidable nature, Dottore's heart trembled.
Not only was this Domain powerful, but it also specifically suppressed mental energy, rendering many of his abilities useless. He immediately understood: this was a meticulously planned conspiracy aimed squarely at him!
Just then, seeing that their initial ambush hadn't yielded significant results, the other Dottores lurking in the shadows began to close in on the ship, preparing to abandon all pretense of honor and swarm him.
"Fine. Just fine. You've all done so well!"
Dottore snarled through gritted teeth. He never in his wildest dreams imagined that so many of his Segments would conspire against him.
Are almost all of my Segments here?
When did this all start? How did they manage to gather together?!
Endless fury threatened to incinerate Dottore's sanity. While he had always anticipated betrayal from his Segments, he had never conceived of a scenario where nearly all of them would unite to turn against him.
The one who knows you best is, of course, yourself. Dottore couldn't comprehend how these Segments had overcome their mutual wariness to join forces against him.
Regardless, for Dottore—a man who had always been the manipulator—this situation felt like a profound humiliation.
"I don't know how you managed to neutralize my abilities," Dottore roared, his rage twisting into a deranged laugh, "but if you think this is enough to defeat me, you're utterly naive!"
A powerful aura erupted from his body. The ship beneath his feet instantly tilted, one side plunging into the water while the other shot skyward before the vessel snapped in two.
With another surge of his aura, the two halves of the ship were crushed into splinters.
Although the power Dottore unleashed surpassed the Segments' expectations, they had already come too far to turn back. They launched an all-out siege against the original.
"Give it everything you've got!" Dottore No. 1 roared. "If he escapes, we're all dead!"
At No. 1's command, the Segments, who had been holding back at sixty percent of their strength, immediately ramped up to eighty percent.
They had no choice. With that rat watching them, they were terrified of being double-crossed.
Just the thought of that snake made them furious. He was just sitting outside the formation, enjoying the show.
Watch all you want, they seethed. Enjoy it now, because we'll report you later. Let's see if you can still act so smug in front of Neuvillette then!
This time, the Segments were smarter. They secretly recorded Dottore No. 6 slacking off outside the formation, munching on melon seeds while watching the chaos unfold. With this evidence, they were certain he'd have no way to defend himself.
Because of these internal divisions, despite being surrounded by so many versions of himself, Dottore still held the upper hand. He even managed to kill two of the weaker Segments. This brutal display reminded the others of the original's terrifying power, forcing them to push their strength to ninety percent.
"Heh. You seem to be in pretty bad shape!"
An unknown amount of time passed before Neuvillette arrived at the sea.
The scent of blood drifted on the air, and Neuvillette couldn't help but frown. The scene was far too quiet.
Could Dottore's "Segments" have fled after succeeding?
That's unlikely. I specifically granted Dottore No. 6 such immense power to prevent that very outcome.
And the concentration of blood in the air is unusually high.
Neuvillette closed his eyes to sense the area. His figure flickered, reappearing in the next instant above the battlefield.
Gazing down at the wreckage of ships, the vast expanse of crimson-stained water, and the lingering, dense Abyss Aura, Neuvillette felt a growing unease.
Did they fail?
That's even more impossible. If even that level of power couldn't defeat Dottore, he wouldn't be working under the Cryo Archon.
Finally, after a thorough search, Neuvillette spotted Dottore floating on a massive wooden plank. Aside from him, there was no sign of anyone else.
Neuvillette carefully sensed the area. The power he had bestowed upon Dottore No. 6 was steadily dissipating, and his expression grew grim.
It seems Dottore's "Segments" were all wiped out.
Though it was hard to believe, it was clearly the truth.
Of course, they had also pushed Dottore to his absolute limit—so much so that he didn't even have the strength left to leave the scene. But Neuvillette didn't consider Dottore's life any more precious than Dottore No. 6's.
Dottore No. 6 had truly awakened and wanted to become a good person, yet he had been left to perish in this sea forever.
Neuvillette's emotions were a tangled mess, tinged with a hint of regret.
If I hadn't been held up by matters in Sumeru, none of this would have happened.
He had also underestimated Dottore, allowing him to turn the tables and achieve a counter-kill despite such thorough preparations.
Finally, Neuvillette cast a deep, final glance at the severely injured and unconscious Dottore. He raised a hand, seized him, and then transformed into a streak of light, vanishing from the area...
Spy-Volume 5 done~