"Huh? I have to go too? Can't you handle that whale yourselves?" Zhongyue asked blankly as Chaya dragged her away.
Makoto glanced at the few people still sitting in the audience, her gaze landing on Arlecchino.
"You're with the Fatui too, right? Perfect. I brought your Harbinger back in one piece. No missing arms or legs."
She shoved Tartaglia toward Arlecchino, then followed Venti back into the Primordial Sea.
Idyia and Rhodeia both stepped forward. Looking up at Lora anxiously, they called out:
"Lady Egeria... you'll be all right, won't you?"
They had both heard the verdict sentencing the Hydro Archon to death. After the initial shock, they could not stop themselves from worrying about Lora.
"Don't worry."
Lora smiled reassuringly at them.
"The execution should already be beginning."
Her gaze slowly shifted back toward the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale.
The Oratrice erupted with even brighter light.
Paimon flew anxiously to Lumine's side.
"What do we do?! Is Lora really going to be executed? Lumine, what are we supposed to do?!"
Lumine told her to calm down. She stood there silently, meeting Lora's gaze across the courtroom.
Even from such a distance, Lumine could still read the meaning in her eyes.
Don't worry.
You'll make sure everyone can finally rest easy... won't you, Lora?
That was the thought lingering in Lumine's mind as the light swallowed everything.
Neuvillette was drawn into the light as well.
Within that dreamlike space, Lora, Furina, and Focalors stood together at last, allowing Neuvillette to finally witness the three equally great Hydro Archons.
Looking at Focalors in her divine attire, Neuvillette slowly said,
"I suppose... you are Focalors, the Hydro Archon residing within the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Actually, this really isn't the kind of situation where 'it's a pleasure to meet you' works as a greeting," Lora remarked from the side.
Neuvillette blinked in confusion.
Meanwhile, Furina stared at Focalors, and Focalors gazed quietly back at her.
After a long silence, Focalors finally spoke.
"I'm sorry, Furina. I made you bear so much. But now... everything is finally about to end."
"You're... the me from the mirror?" Furina looked utterly shocked. "You're Focalors? The real Hydro Archon?"
"Actually, you are too." Focalors looked at Furina seriously. "Furina, you are the Hydro Archon in every way that truly matters."
Neuvillette looked toward Focalors and said gravely,
"I want to understand why the Oratrice delivered a death sentence to the Hydro Archon. Fontaine has never imposed such a sentence before, let alone upon its own god."
"Let me explain," Lora said.
She turned toward Neuvillette and continued:
"You should already know that although you are the Hydro Dragon Sovereign, you are incomplete. The authority you lack rests upon the Hydro Archon's divine throne."
"Heavenly Principles created the divine thrones of The Seven using the authority of the seven Dragon Sovereigns. That ensured whichever god inherited a throne would gain absolute dominion over the corresponding element of Teyvat."
"The only way to restore you completely is to destroy the Hydro Archon's divine throne and return that authority to you. That is why the Hydro Archon must die."
The one who had to die was never a person.
It was the very concept of the "Hydro Archon."
The moment the divine throne collapsed, no new Hydro Archon would ever again be born in Teyvat.
"So that's the truth..." Neuvillette murmured at last.
Lora then looked toward Focalors.
"Separate yourself from the divine throne, Focalors."
Focalors looked back at her.
"Are you certain, Lady Egeria?"
Lora nodded. She summoned the Anemo and Electro Gnoses before saying:
"Give me the Hydro Gnosis. With three Gnoses together, it should be enough to temporarily anchor the connection to the divine throne."
Focalors summoned the Hydro Gnosis, and Lora drew it toward herself.
Looking at the Hydro Gnosis floating before her, she let out a quiet sigh.
She still remembered the day Heavenly Principles released her from captivity and placed that Gnosis into her hands.
Focalors began severing her connection to the Hydro Archon's divine throne.
At the same time, Lora slowly released her divine power, activating the hidden strength within the Gnoses and reaching deep into the void to locate the connection binding the divine throne.
The moment Focalors fully severed her link, Lora immediately used the power of the three Gnoses to forcibly anchor the divine throne to this world.
However, under the laws established by Heavenly Principles, once a divine throne lost its god, it would automatically return to Celestia.
Even with the power of three Gnoses, resisting that law was incredibly difficult.
Blue light blazed within Lora's eyes.
Her long hair billowed around her as divine garments manifested across her body. She poured all her strength into the three Gnoses, forcefully resisting the laws of Heavenly Principles.
Lora gritted her teeth.
She had to succeed.
She absolutely had to.
Yet in only an instant, the anchoring force was already on the verge of collapse.
Without hesitation, Lora grabbed the Hydro Gnosis and pushed the immense power she possessed as the heart of the Primordial Sea to its absolute limit, forcibly locking the Hydro Archon's divine throne in place.
Before everyone's eyes, a massive spatial fissure split open.
Beyond it, countless intricate and mysterious patterns emerged.
That was the divine throne created by Heavenly Principles.
Though it possessed no true physical form, its existence was undeniable.
"Focalors!" Lora shouted.
Focalors immediately mobilized the enormous power accumulated within the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale over the past five hundred years and unleashed it toward the fissure.
The entire space trembled violently.
Then—
A crisp cracking sound echoed through the void.
The moment that sound rang out, the fissure no longer required Lora's divine power to remain stable.
She withdrew her strength and finally let out a breath of relief.
Countless bubbles appeared throughout the space.
These were the Hydro Authority of Teyvat, once extracted by Heavenly Principles from the original Hydro Dragon Sovereign.
The instant they appeared, they instinctively surged toward Neuvillette and flowed into his body.
Lora put away the three Gnoses, turned around, and looked at everyone.
Then she smiled and opened her arms.
Focalors and Furina both rushed forward and embraced her.
Holding one child in each arm, Lora looked at Neuvillette and softly asked:
"Chief Justice Neuvillette... what verdict will you deliver to Fontaine, and to us?"
Neuvillette looked back at her and answered just as softly:
"You already know the answer I will give.