Though a faint ripple of emotion stirred within him, Lofan quickly regained his composure.
"Your strength is truly remarkable."
The power Lofan had just unleashed sent a shiver down Lyney's spine. He estimated that Lofan had already reached the level of an Harbringer.
And that was only considering his mastery of the Pyro Elent.
The thought that Lofan also wielded the Hydro Elent weighed heavily on Lyney's mind.
"Why would soone with your power resort to such cruelty?"
"Why would an Archon even deign to look upon soone like you?!"
"Perhaps the Archons simply favor people like ," Lofan chuckled softly before continuing, "Speaking of which, the Hydro Archon Furina is accessible by appointnt. Maybe I should book one and ask her myself."
Hearing Lofan's blatant challenge to an Archon, Lyney was utterly stunned. His madness far exceeded Lyney's wildest imaginings.
"What exactly are you trying to accomplish?!" Charlotte demanded furiously, her eyes fixed on Navia's distraught figure. "You poured your heart into creating the Fleuve Cendre, giving hope to the downtrodden—only to crush their spirits in the end?!"
"Precisely, Miss Charlotte. You've grasped the essence of my design."
"There is no greater delight in this world than witnessing the despair on the faces of those who plunge from the pinnacle of hope into the depths of hell."
Lofan burst into maniacal laughter, then abruptly regained his composure. "But what's the point if no one witnesses my masterpiece?"
"So, you're all actors I invited!" Lofan declared. "You're both spectators and participants in this performance."
"After all, a play without unexpected twists would be dreadfully boring, wouldn't it?"
As he spoke, Lofan produced another clown mask identical to the one Lynette held and slowly placed it over his face.
The mont the mask settled, Lofan's entire deanor transford. His voice beca impossibly youthful.
"Now then, let's play a ga," he announced.
Lofan produced another object—sothing resembling a remote control.
The mont the trio saw it, their hearts began to race.
A faint smile crept across Lofan's lips. "As you can see, this is the detonator switch for the explosives."
"With just a light press of this button, you might escape death, but tens of thousands of people here will be blown to smithereens."
"In other words, I'm holding tens of thousands of lives hostage."
Lofan's words sent a chill down their spines. They had clung to the hope that detonating the explosives would require a complicated process. But seeing how simple the trigger was, their spirits plumted.
Hearing about the explosives, Navia finally snapped out of her daze. The thought of tens of thousands of innocent lives at stake jolted her awake. She slapped herself hard to regain her composure.
There was no ti for regret or despair now. She had to protect those tens of thousands of lives, no matter the cost!
"If we win, you'll abandon your plan to detonate the explosives, right?!"
Seeing Lofan's current appearance, a frenzied rage resurfaced in Navia's eyes. Apart from his slightly different clothing, he was identical to the masked man she had fought that day.
Only now did Navia suddenly realize why her opponent had been so strong, yet had coughed up blood after withstanding her attacks, even bleeding faintly from his chest near the end.
The truth had been staring her in the face all along. How foolish she had been to be deceived for so long...
The image of Lofan in Navia's mind shattered completely. Closing her eyes in anguish, she roared, "Answer , Grett!"
"Heh, very well. We'll do it your way. After all, I'm just too soft-hearted."
Lofan shrugged helplessly.
If one hadn't personally witnessed him putting on the mask, they'd never believe this volatile young man was the sa calm, deranged figure from before.
"Regardless of what I promise you upon victory, you have no choice but to accept," he said. "Because you have no other option but to participate in this ga."
"But enough of that. Isn't the show more entertaining this way?"
"What do you take human lives for?!" Navia roared. "Gambling chips?!"
Lofan felt an eerie sense of déjà vu at her words.
"Let's set aside these trivial matters for now. Or would Miss Charlotte prefer I simply press the button?"
"We'll join the ga."
"State your rules."
"Whatever twisted ga you want to play, we'll play it with you!"
"Grett!" Navia hissed through gritted teeth. The thought of tens of thousands of lives hanging in Lofan's hands forced her to suppress her burning rage and madness, her composure chillingly unnatural.
"And no matter what, I will win against you!"
"Is that so? Miss Navia seems quite confident," Lofan remarked with a nod. "Confidence is admirable. Let's hope you maintain it until the very end."
"Before I announce the ga rules, let's move to a different location."
With that, Lofan strode directly toward the group of four.
As he approached, an overwhelming sense of pressure descended upon them, growing stronger with each step he took.
Undeterred by their wary gazes, Lofan chuckled softly and brushed past them, continuing toward the center of the encampnt.
"What's wrong? None of you want to try snatching the detonator from ?" Lofan called out casually as he passed.
Perhaps the thought had crossed their minds, but having witnessed Lofan's capabilities firsthand, they dared not act on it. The stakes were too high.
"Grett, what exactly are you up to?!" Navia demanded.
Without turning around, Lofan replied, "Didn't I say? I'm just finding a more suitable place for our ga."
The four watched Lofan stride toward the center of the encampnt, their expressions growing increasingly grim.
They had expected him to move away from the blast zone, not deliberately head toward the buried explosives. He's insane!
"You can still run away if you want," Lofan said indifferently, chuckling softly. "I wouldn't mind at all."
No sooner had Lofan finished speaking than Navia followed him without hesitation. Regardless of the consequences, she was determined to protect the people here. If she failed, she would share their fate.
It's just a sha I haven't cleared my father's na yet.
As Navia thought of her father, grief welled up inside her. But then another figure, almost identical to his, flashed through her mind, and a fresh wave of fury burned away the lingering sadness.
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