Vitas didn't understand the meaning behind Noldrei's gaze, and a sense of unease lingered in her heart.
After deep consideration and accepting the principles of Earth's civilization, Vitas made the decision to betray Sa. She had confirmed that Sa no longer possessed the ability to restore the civilization of Venus.
The Sa of today was like a binary thinker, someone who believed technology was everything. She had lost her fundamental capacity for thought, extinguishing any desire Vitas had to continue working with her.
An immense period of solitude had destroyed Sa's ability to communicate, reducing her to a cold, thinking machine.
Now, she was like a lonely android, reminding Durandal of the Cecilia android from the past.
Unfortunately, Durandal had never had the chance to properly converse with the Cecilia android more than a few times.
Perhaps only Sirin had ever sensed the android Cecilia's feelings for her.
"Here... this place was once a ruin of our civilization," Sa said, pointing to an area submerged in lava. "It's been buried by a volcanic eruption now. No trace of the past can be found anymore."
She showed no sign of regret or sorrow. In fact, she displayed even less emotion than Vitas did.
Sa was the Vitas of the past, while the current Vitas on Earth was merely an agent who had borrowed everything from that past self.
"The agent on Earth has severed contact with me. Do you have any thoughts on this?"
Sa explained the trouble she was in, expressing her deep dissatisfaction with Vitas's betrayal. To ensure Vitas could protect herself in front of Noldrei, Sa had even granted her a portion of her own authority.
But the moment Vitas received that authority, she cut ties without a second thought.
A classic backstabber.
"Hmm, I'm not the best person to consult on this kind of trouble," Durandal replied. "But I think as long as there are no unusual energy fluctuations on Earth, it means Noldrei still has the situation under control. If a strange fluctuation does occur, then there's only one possibility..."
Durandal's expression turned grim, and the atmosphere instantly grew heavy.
Sa asked cautiously, "What possibility?"
Durandal sighed. "The possibility of him baiting a trap."
"What?" Sa was confused.
"Noldrei likes to make a move to lure others into his trap. So far, he's baited out the imperial throne of Earth, the highest authority of a civilization, every Herrscher of the Honkai, and... you."
Durandal's explanation struck a nerve, dredging up Sa's tragic memories. It was as if she was reliving that day, when she was completely overpowered by Noldrei's massive, spherical photon body.
On that day, she had been like a helpless young girl, once again experiencing that same powerlessness she felt when facing the abyss.
"Baited... me?"
It had been a long time since Sa had referred to herself with "I." She realized she was no different from the foolish civilizations devoured within the Bubble Universes.
There was no real difference, merely a disparity in power. She was fundamentally incapable of creating a society with completely different foundational principles, unlike Noldrei.
"Wasn't it... wasn't it the abyss, the Honkai, that tricked me into coming here? I thought the abyss used that... that Divine Key—the tool created from a Herrscher Core—to lure me."
Sa had always considered the Divine Key, Cosmic Juggernaut , to be part of the abyss and had even planned on capturing one or two "Herrscher"-like beings to study.
But in the end, the one who tricked her wasn't the so-called abyss, nor was it the Cocoon of the Honkai.
"Ah, that's right. From the very beginning, Noldrei was just looking for a tool to replace the Cocoon of Finality. Everyone on Earth knows that! I thought he'd already told you!"
Durandal looked at Sa in confusion. She had assumed Noldrei had already clarified Sa's current social standing.
She never imagined Sa had no idea what this whole "slave" business was about.
"I... I'm the one who was tricked and baited?"
Sa felt her emotions flooding back—a force called "humanity" was returning to her.
Beings like her, who proclaimed they had severed all emotion and attained enlightenment, were just asking for someone stronger to come along and put them through the wringer.
A good old-fashioned beatdown was all it took for them to understand the humiliation inflicted by the strong, the bullying of the powerful, the grievance of the weak, and the pain of being oppressed.
Whether such a person would ever reflect on their actions was none of Noldrei's concern. All he cared about was "equal rights and responsibilities"!
Durandal watched as Sa's expression shifted from surprise and terror to rage, then to forced composure, and finally settled into a lifeless, empty mask.
'Heh, the way her expression keeps changing is hilarious.'
'Is it really that big of a deal? So he baited you. Who in Schicksal or Anti-Entropy hasn't been reeled in by him at some point? You can't handle a little setback like this?'
Durandal could sense that Sa was now filled with a sense of grievance, a feeling so profound she couldn't even vent it.
Sa had always believed the Cocoon of Finality was the one who actively deceived her, but it turned out the Cocoon couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge her existence.
"Sa, want to spar for a bit? I think it's better not to bottle up your grievances. You can fight me for a while. Don't worry, I'm not like Noldrei—I don't go around baiting people at the drop of a hat."
Durandal's assurance brought Sa no comfort. In fact, it made her distrust Durandal as well.
'Is she deliberately trying to provoke me? Does she just want to use me for combat practice?'
Thanks to Durandal's immense power, combined with her nature as a MANTIS, the concentration of Honkai Energy in her body was so high that it shielded her inner thoughts from Sa's probing.
Sa couldn't get an answer from inside Durandal's mind.
Just as Vitas believed, Sa had lost the ability to communicate with other life forms as an equal, and she had also lost the ability to even conceive of how to do so.
Everyone in Earth's civilization was a master of baiting traps.
If Sa ever found out that the one who devised the ultimate baiting scheme wasn't even Noldrei, but Kiana...
One could only imagine the look on Sa's face.
Everyone in Academy City knew the Crown Princess. She was a woman of peerless grace and astonishing wisdom, capable of using a futuristic body to its absolute fullest potential.
Durandal wasn't privy to the basic discussions of the plan; she only knew that Noldrei had given the final approval, so she assumed it was his idea.
"No, a fight between us would be meaningless," Sa said, her voice listless. "Let's just wait and see what happens with Vitas. If she doesn't return, I'll have no choice but to create a new agent."
She was completely disheartened now, and even the thought of escaping had been extinguished.
Sa was still unaware that she had become a "princess of a fallen kingdom" being prepared for a political marriage.
Soon, she would be taken into His Majesty the Emperor's harem, where she would contribute the last of her strength to the revival of the Venusian civilization.
She would even have to endure being mocked by His Majesty as a "slave chieftain" who was unworthy of joining the great Kaslana imperial family.