Rita didn’t answer right away. She walked down the stairs. At so point, her clothes had changed into the sa wine red battle attire as By’s.
As she adjusted her sleeves, she began asking Midsumr Withering for information.
Everything carried a strange sense of order.
Her appearance, hair color, and Vine had not changed. Yet Midsumr Withering, along with every Vineborne, Celestialkin, and other races she encountered, all treated her as Midsumr By.
And no matter how basic her questions were, the answers she received ca in a detailed, almost scripted manner, completely unlike normal conversation.
For example, Deceitful Bloom was currently ranked first in Starsea.
For example, although Beacon had been shattered in an invasion war, Deceitful Bloom had long since gathered all ten of its fragnts.
"She’s always hated blood staining Beacon. She doesn’t like complaining, but after every war, she complains about that.
"I think that’s why she never rebuilt Beacon, even after collecting all the fragnts. Or maybe she realized sothing was wrong before the Bells began, with how frequent the wars had beco. Rather than rebuilding Beacon recklessly, it was safer to stay in other worlds. If they broke, it wouldn’t hurt as much."
Then there was Midsumr.
Ever since Deceitful Bloom arrived, the Celestialkin leader of Midsumr had basically given up control.
"He was right to step back. Otherwise, he might not have survived this long. Deceitful Bloom doesn’t like too many voices in one world. She wants everything under control. Everyone follows her commands. No foolish mistakes.
"And she’s always right. Vineborne have the highest survival rate among all races. Since moving to Midsumr, the world has only grown stronger.
"Deceitful Bloom is the Vine of all Vineborne. Do you understand what that ans? Without her, we are no longer Vineborne."
"And you?" Rita asked, keeping her objective in mind. She looked straight into Midsumr Withering’s eyes.
Sothing in his gaze shifted. Like an NPC suddenly gaining awareness.
Seeing that flicker, Rita asked again, "What about you?"
He fell silent for a mont, then said,
"They say Deceitful Bloom is the Vine. By is the Flower Soil."
"They say."
A curious phrasing.
Vine and Flower Soil both sounded essential, yet the difference between them was obvious.
Rita had once used "Flower Soil" to describe Cicada, believing all Vineborne would only take root where she was. Back then, she thought the term carried weight.
But now she had heard sothing far more absolute.
The Vine of all Vineborne.
Ahead, Rita could already see the army.
Celestialkin, Vineborne, Candlebeasts, Linguafruit, and more. Over a dozen races stood assembled.
They were waiting for her command.
The mont "By" appeared, the entire scene fell silent. Every player looked at her with respect.
Even though she had already guessed as much, Rita still asked,
"Did Deceitful Bloom approve this invasion while she’s away?"
"No..."
Midsumr Withering dropped the pretense. His appearance shifted, becoming identical to By.
Yet the players below showed no reaction. They remained focused on Rita.
By looked directly at her.
"She didn’t. She made it clear. No matter which world we invade, we wait until she returns. She does not allow a final descent to be initiated in her absence."
"What if other worlds invade Midsumr?"
"No one in Starsea has the courage to invade Deceitful Bloom’s world."
That might be true, but Deceitful Bloom had still left behind By, soone who had already begun detaching from divine authority, to guard Midsumr.
Just like Rita herself.
Even if no one dared attack, precautions still had to be made.
"So?" By asked. "Do you think we should still invade Tingo?"
From everything earlier, at this point in ti, By’s judgnt had been clear. They had to invade Tingo imdiately.
But why?
Rita asked, "Why are you in such a rush? Why not wait for Deceitful Bloom?"
If Deceitful Bloom were weaker than Tingo Howl, it would make sense. But she was ranked first in Starsea. Wouldn’t it be better to wait?
Rita imagined the situation from her own perspective and felt a headache coming on.
If she were away and Mistblade or Pine Bloom or Crab launched an invasion without her, she would be furious.
It had nothing to do with morality. It was about losing control.
Only they should decide when to invade.
And yet, By didn’t seem like a reckless fool who would risk her entire race just to prove sothing. If she were, Deceitful Bloom would have seen through it long ago.
By sighed.
"That’s exactly the answer I want you to find. Why must I invade Tingo?"
"What do you an?"
"She buried what remains of my consciousness here. I can shift the tiline within this place, adjust it however I want, even change events at will.
"But there is one thing I cannot change. Whenever this mont cos, I must invade Tingo."
She looked even more troubled than Rita.
"This is the only thing I have no freedom over. And because of that, I keep repeating this mont, over and over."
"You don’t rember what happened after?"
"I rember everything before the third Bell clearly. But after Deceitful Bloom entered the Graveyard of Bones... my mory becos vague."
Rita thought for a mont.
"Can you contact Deceitful Bloom? Have you ever tried reaching her at this point in ti?"
By blinked.
"You an during the ga? Yes. I can. Only I can contact her in ergencies."
"Then try."
If Deceitful Bloom was the reason By was forced to invade Tingo, then she had to be part of this script.
As they spoke, a massive gate of light slowly unfolded in the distance.
Beyond it lay Tingo’s dungeon.
Under current invasion rules, the mont Midsumr By stepped through, the dungeon would collapse, triggering final descent imdiately.
Yet neither Rita nor "Midsumr Withering" had formally declared an invasion.
The gate simply stood there, like a silent pressure urging them forward.
Rita glanced at it, then said,
"Ignore it. Even if we step onto Tingo’s battlefield, even if the fight starts, we contact her first."
By took out a Flower of Deceit, hesitating slightly.
"I’ve never tried contacting her while she’s inside a ga. No one knows what conditions are like in there. And we usually enter together."
"She’s forcing you to invade Tingo nonstop, and you’re still worried about making her angry?" Rita said flatly. "Get ahead of it. Be the one who gets angry first."
"That makes sense."
By nodded in agreent, then extended the Flower of Deceit toward her.
"Then you do it."
Rita: ...
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