Scaramouche chuckled lightly upon hearing this.
"Heh... I thought I might see you grow, but I must say, this outcome is ultimately disappointing."
"But then again, it's only natural. If even with such obvious hints you still couldn't guess, then there's no one to blame but yourself."
With that, Scaramouche snapped his fingers again, causing Gu Chuan Meng and the other to lose consciousness.
Hearing the Doctor's undisguised taunts, Lumine bit her lip, not refuting, but speaking with difficulty.
"Let... let them go..."
"Hahaha... To easily surrender to your enemy for a few insignificant nobodies, I must ask, are you kind, or foolish?"
After speaking, the Doctor shrugged.
"Don't worry. As long as you can pass the subsequent trials, they will all be fine. You might not believe my words, but you have no capital to disbelieve them."
Lumine could not refute, and her heart sank.
Damn it... My actions have always been within his predictions. The rules of this trial are merely for his entertainment, but that won't be the case later. I cannot hold onto this侥幸心理 (jǎoxìng xīnlǐ -侥幸心理: wishful thinking; a false hope)...
Seeing Lumine constantly lowering her head in silence, the Doctor narrowed his eyes, a cold smile curling on his lips.
"Seeing as you're almost done for, let's quickly head to the next level."
With that, the Doctor turned his back, strode forward, and walked towards the teleportation gate.
Hearing the sound, Lumine's head shot up. Ignoring the pain in her abdomen, she instantly appeared behind him, her silver sword held horizontally before his neck.
"Nice!"
Paimon excitedly clenched her fists. Seeing Lumine being stabbed just moments ago almost made her faint. Fortunately, the subsequent conversation came in time.
Paimon looked at the Doctor, whose expression remained unchanged in the distance, feeling a sense of unease.
Although capturing the young Doctor gave the host leverage for negotiation, would that Doctor really give up his meticulously planned scheme for a mere clone?
Inside the teleportation gate...
The young Doctor was momentarily stunned, seemingly not expecting such a move from her. But he quickly regained his composure, threatening with a smile.
"You dare to harm me? Aren't you afraid something will happen to those villagers?"
Lumine's hand trembled slightly, but she still insisted on pressing the silver sword closer.
"I am afraid, but I am certain that you are also afraid of death. I believe you know in your heart that even with many clones, you are the only one who will die."
"Of course, I certainly won't expect to use you as a bargaining chip. We both know that even if you die, those other clones will only treat it as a form of amusement."
"Now, let them go, and you will come with me to the next level."
"Tch..."
The young Doctor's face immediately darkened, his gaze carrying a hint of coldness.
"You're not entirely brainless."
With that, he waved his hand, conjuring a teleportation gate, and made Gu Chuan Meng and the other enter it.
After personally witnessing them disappear, Lumine nodded, and then, with the Doctor, stepped into the teleportation gate leading to the next level.
The Eleventh Floor...
Upon entering the next level, Lumine looked up immediately.
[0/1]
Only one? I wonder if it's still a villager from Fuhua Village or another civilian...
Never mind, since he's under control now, if it is, I can just have him help teleport those people...
Just as Lumine was contemplating, she suddenly noticed a figure in the distance. The familiar outline made her freeze on the spot.
Off-screen, upon seeing the incredibly familiar figure, Paimon couldn't believe it and rubbed her eyes, pointing at the screen, stammering.
"Lu-Lu-Lumine?!?"
"What's going on? Lumine is clearly outside!"
Upon hearing this, Nahida, without opening her eyes, calmly comforted.
"Calm down, Paimon. That's not the real Lumine."
In the distance, Lumine also seized the opportunity, kicking Scaramouche's mechanism to the ground. She then clenched her hand, conjuring a one-handed sword tens of meters long, and thrust it towards Scaramouche's cockpit.
*Screech—*
As the sound of the mechanism shattering echoed, Scaramouche's pained and unwilling roar came from the cockpit.
Scaramouche: Defeated.
Seeing the False God fall, the Doctor, taking advantage of Lumine's gaze being directed at the screen, instantly moved above the mechanism and retrieved the Divine Heart from within.
Looking at the wreckage beneath his feet, the Doctor chuckled lightly.
"Heh... As expected of one who calls himself a god, without the blessings of the heavens, death comes so easily."
"Alas, at least this pawn has fulfilled its mission. Then next... the climax of the drama awaits..."
Inside the Spiral Abyss...
Looking at the appearance of the person before her, Lumine felt a wave of confusion.
"Is that person... Lumine?! How is that possible? Lumine is clearly..."
Could it be... while unconscious?!
Thinking of this, Lumine's pupils constricted sharply. The silver sword held before the Doctor's chest tightened slightly, cutting his skin.
"You dare to create a clone of Lumine!!?"
Hearing this accusation, the Doctor raised an eyebrow, looking rather amused.
"Don't accuse me wrongly. I'm merely a messenger. The one who created her is another Doctor."
"You..."
*Whoosh!*
Just as Lumine was about to retort, she suddenly sensed danger and quickly ducked, dodging the incoming wind blade.
Has Lumine also been controlled?!
Lumine's heart sank. She looked up, about to speak, but found that Lumine's gaze towards her was filled with anger, not the blank expression of Gu Chuan Meng and the others.
"Let Lumine go!"
"Eh?"
Lumine was slightly taken aback. Before she could react, Lumine instantly appeared beside her, knocked away the silver sword held before the Doctor's neck, and then with a palm strike, directly sent Lumine flying.
Under the impact of immense force, Lumine crashed heavily against a distant stone pillar.
"Ugh!!"
Sliding to the ground, Lumine let out a groan, clutching her chest and kneeling on one knee, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat. The blow had significantly worsened her existing wounds.
But more concerning than these injuries was Lumine's action. She showed no signs of being controlled, and her words were filled with concern for Lumine, yet she struck Lumine without hesitation.
Why...
Seeing Lumine's confused expression, the young Doctor chuckled and muttered to himself.
"I must say, this is the first time I've encountered a clone that cannot be manipulated. No matter how hard we try, we cannot alter her thoughts, nor can we create a second one like her."
"If you were to give up on her, she would still be a key figure in the climax of the drama. For the plan to proceed smoothly, we had no choice but to change our approach."
"Since we cannot forcefully modify her inner self, we change direction, subtly altering her vision and hearing without her awareness."